Protein Engineering of Dual-Cys Cyanobacteriochrome AM1_1186g2 for Biliverdin Incorporation and Far-Red/Blue Reversible Photoconversion

Cyanobacteria have cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs), which are photoreceptors that bind to a linear tetrapyrrole chromophore and sense UV-to-visible light. A recent study revealed that the dual-Cys CBCR AM1_1186g2 covalently attaches to phycocyanobilin and exhibits unique photoconversion between a Pr form (red-absorbing dark state, λmax = 641 nm) and Pb form (blue-absorbing photoproduct, λmax = 416 nm). This wavelength separation is larger than those of the other CBCRs, which is advantageous for optical tools. Nowadays, bioimaging and optogenetics technologies are powerful tools for biological research. In particular, the utilization of far-red and near-infrared light sources is required for noninvasive applications to mammals because of their high potential to penetrate into deep tissues. Biliverdin (BV) is an intrinsic chromophore and absorbs the longest wavelength among natural linear tetrapyrrole chromophores. Although the BV-binding photoreceptors are promising platforms for developing optical tools, AM1_1186g2 cannot efficiently attach BV. Herein, by rationally introducing several replacements, we developed a BV-binding AM1_1186g2 variant, KCAP_QV, that exhibited reversible photoconversion between a Pfr form (far-red-absorbing dark state, λmax = 691 nm) and Pb form (λmax = 398 nm). This wavelength separation reached 293 nm, which is the largest among the known phytochrome and CBCR photoreceptors. In conclusion, the KCAP_QV molecule developed in this study can offer an alternative platform for the development of unique optical tools.

Distribution of the unpaired electron in neutral bis(phthalocyaninato) yttrium double-deckers: An experimental and theoretical combinative investigation

The location of the unpaired electron in neutral bis(phthalocyaninato) yttrium double-decker complexes, with different substituents, has been studied on the basis of both experimental methods and density functional theory (DFT) calculations over the molecular structures, atomic charges, electronic absorption, infrared spectra, and electron paramagnetic resonance. The results reveal the location of the unpaired electron mainly on the carbon atoms of both tetrapyrrole chromophores with the population distribution obviously affected by the peripheral substituents.

Distinct Features of Cyanophage-encoded T-type Phycobiliprotein Lyase ΦCpeT

Auxiliary metabolic genes (AMG) are commonly found in the genomes of phages that infect cyanobacteria and increase the fitness of the cyanophage. AMGs are often homologs of host genes, and also typically related to photosynthesis. For example, the ΦcpeT gene in the cyanophage P-HM1 encodes a putative phycobiliprotein lyase related to cyanobacterial T-type lyases, which facilitate attachment of linear tetrapyrrole chromophores to Cys-155 of phycobiliprotein β-subunits, suggesting that ΦCpeT may also help assemble light-harvesting phycobiliproteins during infection. To investigate this possibility, we structurally and biochemically characterized recombinant ΦCpeT. The solved crystal structure of ΦCpeT at 1.8-Å resolution revealed that the protein adopts a similar fold as the cyanobacterial T-type lyase CpcT from Nostoc sp. PCC7120 but overall is more compact and smaller. ΦCpeT specifically binds phycoerythrobilin (PEB) in vitro leading to a tight complex that can also be formed in Escherichia coli when it is co-expressed with genes encoding PEB biosynthesis (i.e. ho1 and pebS). The formed ΦCpeT·PEB complex was very stable as the chromophore was not lost during chromatography and displayed a strong red fluorescence with a fluorescence quantum yield of ΦF = 0.3. This complex was not directly able to transfer PEB to the host phycobiliprotein β-subunit. However, it could assist the host lyase CpeS in its function by providing a pool of readily available PEB, a feature that might be important for fast phycobiliprotein assembly during phage infection.

Biosynthesis of Cyanobacterial Phycobiliproteins in Escherichia coli: Chromophorylation Efficiency and Specificity of All Bilin Lyases from Synechococcus sp. Strain PCC 7002

ABSTRACT Phycobiliproteins are water-soluble, light-harvesting proteins that are highly fluorescent due to linear tetrapyrrole chromophores, which makes them valuable as probes. Enzymes called bilin lyases usually attach these bilin chromophores to specific cysteine residues within the alpha and beta subunits via thioether linkages. A multiplasmid coexpression system was used to recreate the biosynthetic pathway for phycobiliproteins from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002 in Escherichia coli. This system efficiently produced chromophorylated allophycocyanin (ApcA/ApcB) and α-phycocyanin with holoprotein yields ranging from 3 to 12 mg liter−1 of culture. This heterologous expression system was used to demonstrate that the CpcS-I and CpcU proteins are both required to attach phycocyanobilin (PCB) to allophycocyanin subunits ApcD (αAP-B) and ApcF (β18). The N-terminal, allophycocyanin-like domain of ApcE (LCM 99) was produced in soluble form and was shown to have intrinsic bilin lyase activity. Lastly, this in vivo system was used to evaluate the efficiency of the bilin lyases for production of β-phycocyanin.

Bioinspired energy conversion

Artificial photosynthetic antenna systems have been synthesized based on carotenoid polyenes and polymer-polyenes covalently attached to tetrapyrroles. Absorption of light in the blue/green region of the spectra excites the polyenes to their S2 state, and ultrafast singlet energy transfer to the tetrapyrroles occurs when the chromophores are in partial conjugation. The additional participation of other excited states of the polyene in the energy-transfer process is a requirement for perfect antenna function. Analogs of photosynthetic reaction centers consisting of tetrapyrrole chromophores covalently linked to electron acceptors and donors have been prepared. Excitation of these constructs results in a cascade of energy transfer/electron transfer which, in selected cases, forms a final charge-separated state characterized by a giant dipole moment (>150 D), a quantum yield approaching unity, a significant fraction of the photon energy stored as chemical potential, and a lifetime sufficient for reaction with secondary electron donors and acceptors. A new antenna-reaction center complex is described in which a carotenoid moiety is located in partial conjugation with the tetrapyrrole π-system allowing fast energy transfer (<100 fs) between the chromophores. In this assembly, the energy transduction process can be initiated by light absorbed by the polyene.

A Polypeptide with Similarity to Phycocyanin α-Subunit Phycocyanobilin Lyase Involved in Degradation of Phycobilisomes

ABSTRACT To optimize the utilization of photosynthate and avoid damage that can result from the absorption of excess excitation energy, photosynthetic organisms must rapidly modify the synthesis and activities of components of the photosynthetic apparatus in response to environmental cues. During nutrient-limited growth, cyanobacteria degrade their light-harvesting complex, the phycobilisome, and dramatically reduce the rate of photosynthetic electron transport. In this report, we describe the isolation and characterization of a cyanobacterial mutant that does not degrade its phycobilisomes during either sulfur or nitrogen limitation and exhibits an increased ratio of phycocyanin to chlorophyll during nutrient-replete growth. The mutant phenotype was complemented by a gene encoding a polypeptide with similarities to polypeptides that catalyze covalent bond formation between linear tetrapyrrole chromophores and subunits of apophycobiliproteins. The complementing gene, designated nblB, is expressed at approximately the same level in cells grown in nutrient-replete medium and medium devoid of either sulfur or nitrogen. These results suggest that the NblB polypeptide may be a constitutive part of the machinery that coordinates phycobilisome degradation with environmental conditions.