General synthesis of di-mu-oxo dimanganese complexes as functional models for the oxygen evolving complex of photosystem II

A series of complexes with the formula [Mn(III/IV)2(mu-O)2(L)2(X)2]3+ have been prepared in situ from Mn(II)LCl2 precursors by a general preparative method (L = terpy, Cl-terpy, Br-terpy, Ph-terpy, tolyl-terpy, mesityl-terpy, t Bu3-terpy, EtO-terpy, py-phen, dpya, Me2N-terpy, or HO-terpy, and X = a labile ligand such as water, chloride, or sulfate). The parent complex, where L = terpy and X = water, is a functional model for the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II (Limburg, et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 423-430). Crystals of Mn(II)(dpya)Cl2, Mn(II)(Ph-terpy)Cl2, Mn(II)(mesityl-terpy)Cl2, and an organic-soluble di-mu-oxo di-aqua dimanganese complex, [Mn(III/)(IV)2(mu-O)2(mesityl-terpy)2(OH2)2](NO3)3, were obtained and characterized by X-ray crystallography. Solutions of the in situ-formed di-mu-oxo dimanganese complexes were characterized by electrospray mass spectrometry, EPR spectroscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy, and the rates of catalytic oxygen-evolving activity were assayed. The use of Mn(II)LCl2 precursors leads to higher product purity of the Mn dimers while achieving the 1:1 ligand to Mn stoichiometry appropriate for catalytic activity assay. These methods can be used to screen the catalytic activity of other di-mu-oxo dimanganese complexes generated by using a ligand library.     

Sulfate inhibition of photosystem II oxygen evolving complex

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - Effect of sulfate on the oxygen evolution in barley Photosystem II membrane fraction was investigated. Purified Photosystem II membrane fraction was exposed...     

Investigation of the calcium-binding site of the oxygen evolving complex of photosystem II using 87Sr ESEEM spectroscopy

The proximity of the calcium/strontium binding site of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII) to the paramagnetic Mn cluster is explored with (87)Sr three-pulse electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy. CW-EPR spectra of Sr(2+)-substituted Ca(2+)-depleted PSII membranes show the modified g = 2 multiline EPR signal as previously reported. We performed three-pulse ESEEM on this modified multiline signal of the Mn cluster using natural abundance Sr and (87)Sr, respectively. Three-pulse ESEEM of the natural abundance Sr sample exhibits no detectable modulation by the 7% abundance (87)Sr. On the other hand, that of the (87)Sr enriched (93%) sample clearly reveals modulation arising from the I = (9)/(2) (87)Sr nucleus weakly magnetically coupled to the Mn cluster. Using a simple point dipole approximation for the electron spin, analysis of the (87)Sr ESEEM modulation depth via an analytic expression suggests a Mn-Ca (Sr) distance of 4.5 A. Simulation of three-pulse ESEEM with a numerical matrix diagonalization procedure gave good agreement with this analytical result. A more appropriate tetranuclear magnetic/structural model for the Mn cluster converts the 4.5 A point dipole distance to a 3.8-5.0 A range of distances. DFT calculations of (43)Ca and (87)Sr quadrupolar interactions on Ca (and Sr substituted) binding sites in various proteins suggest that the lack of the nuclear quadrupole induced splitting in the ESEEM spectrum of (87)Sr enriched PSII samples is related to a very high degree of symmetry of the ligands surrounding the Sr(2+) ion in the substituted Ca site. Numerical simulations show that moderate (87)Sr quadrupolar couplings decrease the envelope modulation relative to the zero quadrupole case, and therefore we consider that the 3.8-5.0 A range obtained without quadrupolar coupling included in the simulation represents an upper limit to the actual manganese-calcium distance. This (87)Sr pulsed EPR spectroscopy provides independent direct evidence that the calcium/strontium binding site is close to the Mn cluster in the OEC of PSII.     

Oxygen evolving complex in photosystem II: better than excellent

The Oxygen Evolving Complex in photosystem II, which is responsible for the oxidation of water to oxygen in plants, algae and cyanobacteria, contains a cluster of one calcium and four manganese atoms. This cluster serves as a model for the splitting of water by energy obtained from sunlight. The recent published data on the mechanism and the structure of photosystem II provide a detailed architecture of the oxygen-evolving complex and the surrounding amino acids. Biomimetically, we expect to learn some strategies from this natural system to synthesize an efficient catalyst for water oxidation, that is necessary for artificial photosynthesis.     

Synthesis of tyrosine-involved corrole Cu(III), Mn(IV), and Mn(III) complexes as biomimetic models of oxygen evolving complex in photosystem II

Boc-protected tyrosine-attached corrole ligand on the “ortho” position compound 3, its corresponding copper (III) 4a, manganese (IV) 4b, and manganese (III) 4c complexes have been designed and synthesized based on the structures of active-centers of related biological systems. ¹H NMR and electronic absorption spectra of these metal complexes are investigated. The crystal structure of 4a displays the relative position of TyrOH unit to the high valent metal center. Electrochemistry investigations display the possibilities of intramolecular electron or energy transfer between TyrOH group and metal corrole group.     

Theoretical evaluation of structural models of the S2 state in the oxygen evolving complex of Photosystem II: protonation states and magnetic interactions

Protonation states of water ligands and oxo bridges are intimately involved in tuning the electronic structures and oxidation potentials of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) in Photosystem II, steering the mechanistic pathway, which involves at least five redox state intermediates S(n) (n = 0-4) resulting in the oxidation of water to molecular oxygen. Although protons are practically invisible in protein crystallography, their effects on the electronic structure and magnetic properties of metal active sites can be probed using spectroscopy. With the twin purpose of aiding the interpretation of the complex electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic data of the OEC and of improving the view of the cluster at the atomic level, a complete set of protonation configurations for the S(2) state of the OEC were investigated, and their distinctive effects on magnetic properties of the cluster were evaluated. The most recent X-ray structure of Photosystem II at 1.9 ? resolution was used and refined to obtain the optimum structure for the Mn(4)O(5)Ca core within the protein pocket. Employing this model, a set of 26 structures was constructed that tested various protonation scenarios of the water ligands and oxo bridges. Our results suggest that one of the two water molecules that are proposed to coordinate the outer Mn ion (Mn(A)) of the cluster is deprotonated in the S(2) state, as this leads to optimal experimental agreement, reproducing the correct ground state spin multiplicity (S = 1/2), spin expectation values, and EXAFS-derived metal-metal distances. Deprotonation of Ca(2+)-bound water molecules is strongly disfavored in the S(2) state, but dissociation of one of the two water ligands appears to be facile. The computed isotropic hyperfine couplings presented here allow distinctions between models to be made and call into question the assumption that the largest coupling is always attributable to Mn(III). The present results impose limits for the total charge and the proton configuration of the OEC in the S(2) state, with implications for the cascade of events in the Kok cycle and for the water splitting mechanism.     

Hydrogenase enzymes: Recent structural studies and active site models

Recent developments in active site structure determination of the three types of hydrogenase enzymes are described. Aspects of recent studies using model complexes relevant to the structure and function of the enzymes are reviewed.     

What spectroscopy reveals concerning the Mn oxidation levels in the oxygen evolving complex of photosystem II: X-ray to near infra-red

Photosystem II (PS II), found in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, catalyses the most energetically demanding reaction in nature, the oxidation of water to molecular oxygen and protons. The water oxidase in PS II contains a Mn(4)Ca cluster (oxygen evolving complex, OEC), whose catalytic mechanism has been extensively investigated but is still unresolved. In particular the precise Mn oxidation levels through which the cluster cycles during functional turnover are still contentious. In this, the first of several planned parts, we examine a broad range of published data relating to this question, while considering the recent atomic resolution PS II crystal structure of Umena et al. (Nature, 2011, 473, 55). Results from X-ray, UV-Vis and NIR spectroscopies are considered, using an approach that is mainly empirical, by comparison with published data from known model systems, but with some reliance on computational or other theoretical considerations. The intention is to survey the extent to which these data yield a consistent picture of the Mn oxidation states in functional PS II - in particular, to test their consistency with two current proposals for the mean redox levels of the OEC during turnover; the so called 'high' and 'low' oxidation state paradigms. These systematically differ by two oxidation equivalents throughout the redox accumulating catalytic S state cycle (states S(0)S(3)). In summary, we find that the data, in total, substantially favor the low oxidation proposal, particularly as a result of the new analyses we present. The low oxidation state scheme is able to resolve a number of previously 'anomalous' results in the observed UV-Visible S state turnover spectral differences and in the resonant inelastic X-ray spectroscopy (RIXS) of the Mn pre-edge region of the S(1) and S(2) states. Further, the low oxidation paradigm is able to provide a 'natural' explanation for the known sensitivity of the OEC Mn cluster to cryogenic near infra-red (NIR) induced turnover to alternative spin/redox states in S(2) and S(3).     

Acetate binding at the photosystem II oxygen evolving complex: an S(2)-state multiline signal ESEEM study

Previously, using acetate deuterated in the methyl hydrogen positions, we showed that acetate binds in close proximity to the Mn cluster/Y(.)(z) tyrosine dual spin complex in acetate-inhibited photosystem II (PSII) preparations exhibiting the "split" EPR signal arising from the S(2)-Y(.)(z) interaction [Force, D. A.; Randall, D. W.; Britt, R. D. Biochemistry 1997, 36, 12062-12070]. By using paramagnetic NO to quench the paramagnetism of Y(.)(z), we are able to observe the ESEEM spectrum of deuterated acetate interacting with only the Mn cluster. A good fit of the ESEEM data indicates two (2)H dipolar hyperfine couplings of 0.097 MHz and one of 0.190 MHz. Modeling of these dipolar interactions, using our "dangler" 3 + 1 model for the S(2)-state of the Mn cluster, reveals distances consistent with direct ligation of acetate to the Mn cluster. As acetate inhibition is competitive with the essential cofactor Cl(-), this suggests that Cl(-) ligates directly to the Mn cluster. The effect of acetate binding on the structure of the Mn cluster is investigated by comparing the Mn-histidine coupling in NO/acetate-treated PSII and untreated PSII using ESEEM. We find that the addition of acetate and NO does not affect the histidine ligation to the Mn cluster. We also investigate the ability of acetate to access Y(.)(z) in Mn-depleted PSII, a PSII preparation expected to be more solvent accessible than intact PSII. We detect no coupling between Y(.)(z) and acetate. We have previously shown that small alcohols such as methanol can ligate to the Mn cluster with ease, while larger alcohols such as 2-propanol, as well as DMSO, are excluded [Force, D. A.; Randall, D. W.; Lorigan, G. A.; Clemens, K. L.; Britt, R. D. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998, 120, 13321-13333]. We probe the effect of acetate binding on the ability of methanol and DMSO to bind to the Mn cluster. We find that methanol is able to bind to the Mn cluster in the presence of acetate. We detect no DMSO binding in the presence of acetate. Thus, acetate binding does not increase the affinity or accessibility for DMSO binding at the Mn cluster. We also explore the possibility that the acetate binding site is also a binding site for substrate water. By comparing the ratioed three-pulse ESEEM spectra of a control, untreated PSII sample in 50% D(2)O to an NO/acetate-treated PSII sample in 50% D(2)O, we find that the binding of acetate to the oxygen evolving complex of photosystem II displaces deuterons bound very closely to the Mn cluster.     

A series of new structural models for the OEC in photosystem II

A new series of MMn(II-III)(4) clusters (M = Na, Ca) has been structurally characterised and their relevance to understanding the oxygen evolving centre of photosystem II is discussed.     

Theoretical models for the oxygen radical mechanism of water oxidation and of the water oxidizing complex of photosystem II

Hybrid density functional theory is used to study reasonably realistic models of the oxygen-evolving manganese complex in photosystem II. Since there is not yet any X-ray structure of the complex, other types of experimental and theoretical information are used to construct the model complexes. In these complexes, three manganese centers are predicted to be closely coupled by mu-oxo bonds in a triangular orientation. Using these models, the previously suggested oxygen radical mechanism for O2 formation is reinvestigated. It is found that the oxygen radical in the S3 state now appears in a bridging position between two manganese atoms. It is still suggested that only one manganese atom is redox-active. Instead, a number of surprisingly large trans-effects are found, which motivate the existence and define the function of the other manganese atoms in the Mn4 cluster. Calcium has a strong chelating effect which helps in the creation of the necessary oxygen radical. In the present model the chemistry preceding the actual O-O bond formation occurs in an incomplete cube with a missing corner and with two manganese and one calcium in three of the corners. The external water providing the second oxygen of O2 enters in the missing corner of the cube. The present findings are in most cases in good agreement with experimental results as given in particular by EXAFS.     

Shape-shifting tetranuclear oxo-bridged manganese cluster: relevance to photosystem II water oxidase active site

The redox properties of the "dimer-of-dimers" complex, [{Mn2(mu-O)2(tphpn)}2]4+ (1) (where Htphpn = N,N,N',N'-tetra(2-methylpyridyl)-2-hydroxypropane-diamine) were investigated. The structure changes dramatically to an adamantane-shaped core upon one-electron oxidation. On the other hand, the one-electron reduced product of 1, [Mn4O4(tphpn)2]3+, exhibits a hyperfine-structured multiline EPR signal very similar to the so-called S0 state of the tetramanganese cluster, which resides at the Photosystem II water oxidase active site.     

High-resolution Mn EXAFS of the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II: structural implications for the Mn4Ca cluster

The biological generation of oxygen by the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II (PS II) is one of nature's most important reactions. The recent X-ray crystal structures, while limited by resolutions of 3.2-3.5 A, have located the electron density associated with the Mn4Ca cluster within the multiprotein PS II complex. Detailed structures critically depend on input from spectroscopic techniques, such as EXAFS and EPR/ENDOR, as the XRD resolution does not allow for accurate determination of the position of Mn/Ca or the bridging and terminal ligand atoms. The number and distances of Mn-Mn/Ca/ligand interactions determined from EXAFS provide important constraints for the structure of the Mn4Ca cluster. Here, we present data from a high-resolution EXAFS method using a novel multicrystal monochromator that show three short Mn-Mn distances between 2.7 and 2.8 A and, hence, the presence of three di-mu-oxo-bridged units in the Mn4Ca cluster. This result imposes clear limitations on the proposed structures based on spectroscopic and diffraction data and provides input for refining such structures.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of cross-linked histidine-phenol Cu(ii) complexes as cytochrome c oxidase active site models

Tridentate cross-linked histidine-phenol Cu(ii) ether and ester complexes, chemical analogs of the active site of several heme-copper oxidases, have been synthesized and crystallized.     

New Fe(III)Zn(II) complex containing a single terminal Fe-O(phenolate) bond as a structural and functional model for the active site of red kidney bean purple acid phosphatase

The new heterodinuclear complex [Fe(III)Zn(II)(BPBPMP)(OAc)(2)]ClO(4) (1) with the unsymmetrical N(5)O(2) donor ligand 2-bis[((2-pyridylmethyl)-aminomethyl)-6-[(2-hydroxybenzyl)(2-pyridylmethyl)]-aminomethyl]-4-methylphenol (H(2)BPBPMP) has been synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography, which reveals that the complex cation has an Fe(III)Zn(II)(mu-phenoxo)-bis(mu-carboxylato) core. Solution studies of 1 indicate that a pH-induced change of the bridging acetate occurs, and the formation of an active [(OH)Fe(III)Zn(II)(OH(2))] species as a highly efficient catalyst under weakly acidic conditions for phosphate diesters hydrolysis is proposed.     

Redox and structural properties of mixed-valence models for the active site of the [FeFe]-hydrogenase: progress and challenges

The one-electron oxidations of a series of diiron(I) dithiolato carbonyls were examined to evaluate the factors that affect the oxidation state assignments, structures, and reactivity of these low-molecular weight models for the H ox state of the [FeFe]-hydrogenases. The propanedithiolates Fe 2(S 2C 3H 6)(CO) 3(L)(dppv) (L = CO, PMe 3, P i-Pr 3) oxidize at potentials approximately 180 mV milder than the related ethanedithiolates ( Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 6152). The steric clash between the central methylene of the propanedithiolate and the phosphine favors the rotated structure, which forms upon oxidation. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectra for the mixed-valence cations indicate that the unpaired electron is localized on the Fe(CO)(dppv) center in both [Fe 2(S 2C 3H 6)(CO) 4(dppv)]BF 4 and [Fe 2(S 2C 3H 6)(CO) 3(PMe 3)(dppv)]BF 4, as seen previously for the ethanedithiolate [Fe 2(S 2C 2H 4)(CO) 3(PMe 3)(dppv)]BF 4. For [Fe 2(S 2C n H 2 n )(CO) 3(P i-Pr 3)(dppv)]BF 4; however, the spin is localized on the Fe(CO) 2(P i-Pr 3) center, although the Fe(CO)(dppv) site is rotated in the crystalline state. IR and EPR spectra, as well as redox potentials and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations, suggest that the Fe(CO) 2(P i-Pr 3) site is rotated in solution, driven by steric factors. Analysis of the DFT-computed partial atomic charges for the mixed-valence species shows that the Fe atom featuring a vacant apical coordination position is an electrophilic Fe(I) center. One-electron oxidation of [Fe 2(S 2C 2H 4)(CN)(CO) 3(dppv)] (-) resulted in 2e oxidation of 0.5 equiv to give the mu-cyano derivative [Fe (I) 2(S 2C 2H 4)(CO) 3(dppv)](mu-CN)[Fe (II) 2(S 2C 2H 4)(mu-CO)(CO) 2(CN)(dppv)], which was characterized spectroscopically.     

Cluster size convergence for the energetics of the oxygen evolving complex in PSII

Density functional theory calculations have been made to investigate the stability of the energetics for the oxygen evolving complex of photosystem II. Results published elsewhere have given excellent agreement with experiments for both energetics and structures, where many of the experimental results were obtained several years after the calculations were done. The computational results were obtained after a careful extension from small models to a size of about 200 atoms, where stability of the results was demonstrated. However, recently results were published by Isobe et al., suggesting that very different results could be obtained if the model was extended from 200 to 340 atoms. The present study aims at understanding where this difference comes from. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Computational Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Selenium-bridged diiron hexacarbonyl complexes as biomimetic models for the active site of Fe-Fe hydrogenases

Three N-substituted selenium-bridged diiron complexes [{(mu-SeCH2)2NC6H4R}Fe2(CO)6] (R = 4-NO2, 7; R = H, 8; R = 4-CH3, 9) were firstly prepared as biomimetic models for the Fe-Fe hydrogenases active site. Models could be generated by the convergent reaction of [(mu-HSe)2Fe2(CO)6] (6) with N,N-bis(hydroxymethyl)-4-nitroaniline (1), N,N-bis(hydroxymethyl)aniline (2), and N,N-bis(hydroxymethyl)-4-methylaniline (3) in 46-52% yields. All the new complexes were characterized by IR, 1H and 13C NMR and HRMS spectra and their molecular structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The redox properties of and their dithiolate analogues [{(mu-SCH2)2NC6H4R}Fe2(CO)6] (R = 4-NO2, 7s; R = H, 8s; R = 4-CH3, 9s ) were evaluated by cyclic voltammograms. The electrochemical proton reduction by and were investigated in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid (HOTs) to evaluate the influence of changing the coordinating S atoms of the bridging ligands to Se atoms on the electrocatalytic activity for proton reduction.