Light-driven Conversion Research Articles

The Psb27 Protein Facilitates Manganese Cluster Assembly in Photosystem II

Photosystem II (PSII) is a large membrane protein complex that uses light energy to convert water to molecular oxygen. This enzyme undergoes an intricate assembly process to ensure accurate and efficient positioning of its many components. It has been proposed that the Psb27 protein, a lumenal extrinsic subunit, serves as a PSII assembly factor. Using a psb27 genetic deletion strain (Deltapsb27) of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, we have defined the role of the Psb27 protein in PSII biogenesis. While the Psb27 protein was not essential for photosynthetic activity, various PSII assembly assays revealed that the Deltapsb27 mutant was defective in integration of the Mn(4)Ca(1)Cl(x) cluster, the catalytic core of the oxygen-evolving machinery within the PSII complex. The other lumenal extrinsic proteins (PsbO, PsbU, PsbV, and PsbQ) are key components of the fully assembled PSII complex and are important for the water oxidation reaction, but we propose that the Psb27 protein has a distinct function separate from these subunits. We show that the Psb27 protein facilitates Mn(4)Ca(1)Cl(x) cluster assembly in PSII at least in part by preventing the premature association of the other extrinsic proteins. Thus, we propose an exchange of lumenal subunits and cofactors during PSII assembly, in that the Psb27 protein is replaced by the other extrinsic proteins upon assembly of the Mn(4)Ca(1)Cl(x) cluster. Furthermore, we show that the Psb27 protein provides a selective advantage for cyanobacterial cells under conditions such as nutrient deprivation where Mn(4)Ca(1)Cl(x) cluster assembly efficiency is critical for survival.

A green to red photoconvertible protein as an analyzing tool for early vertebrate development

Lineage labeling is one of the most important techniques in developmental biology. Most recently, a set of photoactivatable fluorescent proteins originating from marine cnidarians became available. Here, we introduce the application of the green to red photoconvertible protein EosFP as a novel technique to analyze early vertebrate development. Both injection of EosFP mRNA and purified, recombinant EosFP followed by a light-driven green to red conversion allow lineage labeling in virtually any temporal and spatial dimension during embryonic development for at least 2 weeks. Specific staining of cells from nonsurface layers is greatly facilitated by light-driven conversion of EosFP compared with traditional methods. Therefore, green to red photoactivatable proteins promise to be a powerful tool with the potential to satisfy the increasing demand for methods enabling detailed phenotypical analyses after manipulations of morphogenetic events, gene expression, or signal transduction.

Kinetic Studies of Protochlorophyllide Reduction in vitro in the Greening Mutant C-2A' of the Unicellular Green Alga Scenedesmus obliquus

The NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase, an enzyme catalysing the light-driven conversion of protochlorophyllide to chlorophyllide, was studied in the greening mutant C- 2A′ of the unicellular green alga Scenedesmus obliquus. Studies of the enzyme activity in vitro showed strong dependence on the presence of glycerol and the detergent Triton X-100. Prerequisite for the formation of a photoactive enzyme complex is a sufficient preincubation time with the substrates PChlide and NADPH. A continuous assay system, reading the absorbance increase at the wavelength of chlorophyllide, was used to determine the kinetic constants. The Km value for NADPH is 4.2 μᴍ, the Vmax is 5.9 pmol · s-1. The Km and Vmax for protochlorophyllide are 0.19 μᴍ and 6.5 pmol · s-1, respectively. The pH-dependence of the reaction exhibits a broad maximum between pH 7-8.5 typically for an enzyme active during chloroplast development, when pH-changes might be expected. The obtained kinetic data outline that the light dependent formation of chlorophyll in vivo is not limited by the substrates PChlide and NADPH, indicating that only light is the triggering factor in the very early greening process.