FTIR Studies of Photosynthetic Oxygen Evolution

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The project's overall goal is to elucidate the molecular mechanism of photosynthetic oxygen evolution. This process takes place in Photosystem II and is the source of nearly all atmospheric oxygen. The catalytic site contains a (Mn)4-Ca cluster that interacts with a redox-active tyrosine residue known as YZ. The YZ( radical extracts electrons and protons from the (Mn)4-Ca cluster, leading to the oxidation of water and the release of oxygen. The project's primary goal is to characterize the structural changes that accompany the oxidation of the (Mn)4-Ca cluster during the individual steps of the catalytic cycle. This information is crucial to understanding the mechanism of oxygen evolution and will complement the information that is being obtained from X-ray crystallography. The primary investigative tool will be Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) difference spectroscopy. The project's specific aims are: (1) To identify the specific Mn ion(s) that undergo oxidation during the individual steps in the catalytic cycle; (2) To identify the amino acid residues that serve as the critical bases that facilitate the proton-coupled oxidations of the (Mn)4-Ca cluster during the catalytic cycle; (3) To characterize the final intermediate of the oxygen formation reaction, an intermediate that can be trapped by increasing the ambient oxygen pressure; (4) To employ modified bacterial reaction centers as model systems for characterizing changes that occur in the environment of a ligated metal ion in response to its oxidation; (5) To employ near-infrared excitation resonance Raman spectroscopy as an additional tool for characterizing the environment of the (Mn)4-Ca cluster. In addition to providing fundamental insight into the mechanism of photosynthetic oxygen evolution, the project will provide insight into the mechanisms of metalloradical enzymes and enzymes whose mechanisms involve proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions. Such enzymes catalyze biological energy transduction in mitochondria. Elucidating the catalytic mechanisms of these enzymes is essential for understanding the molecular basis of mitochondrial diseases and aging. Photosystem II is both an excellent example of a metalloradical enzyme and a unique laboratory for studying proton-coupled electron transfer reactions. Its advantages derive from its ability to be stepped through its catalytic cycle with single flashes of light, thereby facilitating kinetic studies of reaction cycle intermediates with high time resolution.