The photosynthetic protein complex photosystem II oxidizes water to molecular oxygen at an embedded tetramanganese-calcium cluster. Resolving the geometric and electronic structure of this cluster in its highest metastable catalytic state (designated S3) is a prerequisite for understanding the mechanism of O-O bond formation. Here, multifrequency, multidimensional magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals that all four manganese ions of the catalyst are structurally and electronically similar immediately before the final oxygen evolution step; they all exhibit a 4+ formal oxidation state and octahedral local geometry. Only one structural model derived from quantum chemical modeling is consistent with all magnetic resonance data; its formation requires the binding of an additional water molecule. O-O bond formation would then proceed by the coupling of two proximal manganese-bound oxygens in the transition state of the cofactor.

A central question in biological water splitting concerns the oxidation states of the manganese ions that comprise the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II.

The identification of a unique intermediate in biological water oxidation establishes the water binding mechanism in the S2 to S3 state transition.

Phospholipids are essential building blocks of biological membranes. Despite a vast amount of very accurate experimental data, the atomistic resolution structures sampled by the glycerol backbone and choline headgroup in phoshatidylcholine bilayers are not known. Atomistic resolution molecular dynamics simulations have the potential to resolve the structures, and to give an arrestingly intuitive interpretation of the experimental data, but only if the simulations reproduce the data within experimental accuracy. In the present work, we simulated phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipid bilayers with 13 different atomistic models, and compared simulations with NMR experiments in terms of the highly structurally sensitive C–H bond vector order parameters. Focusing on the glycerol backbone and choline headgroups, we showed that the order parameter comparison can be used to judge the atomistic resolution structural accuracy of the models. Accurate models, in turn, allow molecular dynamics simulations to be used as an interpretation tool that translates these NMR data into a dynamic three-dimensional representation of biomolecules in biologically relevant conditions. In addition to lipid bilayers in fully hydrated conditions, we reviewed previous experimental data for dehydrated bilayers and cholesterol-containing bilayers, and interpreted them with simulations. Although none of the existing models reached experimental accuracy, by critically comparing them we were able to distill relevant chemical information: (1) increase of choline order parameters indicates the P–N vector tilting more parallel to the membrane, and (2) cholesterol induces only minor changes to the PC (glycerol backbone) structure. This work has been done as a fully open collaboration, using as a communication platform; all the scientific contributions were made publicly on this blog. During the open research process, the repository holding our simulation trajectories and files () has become the most extensive publicly available collection of molecular dynamics simulation trajectories of lipid bilayers.

The S2 state of the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II, which consists of a Mn4O5Ca cofactor, is EPR-active, typically displaying a multiline signal, which arises from a ground spin state of total spin ST = 1/2. The precise appearance of the signal varies amongst different photosynthetic species, preparation and solvent conditions/compositions. Over the past five years, using the model species Thermosynechococcus elongatus, we have examined modifications that induce changes in the multiline signal, i.e. Ca(2+)/Sr(2+)-substitution and the binding of ammonia, to ascertain how structural perturbations of the cluster are reflected in its magnetic/electronic properties. This refined analysis, which now includes high-field (W-band) data, demonstrates that the electronic structure of the S2 state is essentially invariant to these modifications. This assessment is based on spectroscopies that examine the metal centres themselves (EPR, (55)Mn-ENDOR) and their first coordination sphere ligands ((14)N/(15)N- and (17)O-ESEEM, -HYSCORE and -EDNMR). In addition, extended quantum mechanical models from broken-symmetry DFT now reproduce all EPR, (55)Mn and (14)N experimental magnetic observables, with the inclusion of second coordination sphere ligands being crucial for accurately describing the interaction of NH3 with the Mn tetramer. These results support a mechanism of multiline heterogeneity reported for species differences and the effect of methanol [Biochim. Biophys. Acta, Bioenerg., 2011, 1807, 829], involving small changes in the magnetic connectivity of the solvent accessible outer MnA4 to the cuboidal unit Mn3O3Ca, resulting in predictable changes of the measured effective (55)Mn hyperfine tensors. Sr(2+) and NH3 replacement both affect the observed (17)O-EDNMR signal envelope supporting the assignment of O5 as the exchangeable μ-oxo bridge and it acting as the first site of substrate inclusion.

In transition-metal complexes, the geometric structure is intimately connected with the spin state arising from magnetic coupling between the paramagnetic ions. The tetramanganese-calcium cofactor that catalyzes biological water oxidation in photosystem II cycles through five catalytic intermediates, each of which adopts a specific geometric and electronic structure and is thus characterized by a specific spin state. Here, we review spin-structure correlations in Nature's water-splitting catalyst. The catalytic cycle of the Mn4O5Ca cofactor can be described in terms of spin-dependent reactivity. The lower "inactive" S states of the catalyst, S0 and S1, are characterized by low-spin ground states, SGS = 1/2 and SGS = 0. This is connected to the "open cubane" topology of the inorganic core in these states. The S2 state exhibits structural and spin heterogeneity in the form of two interconvertible isomers and is identified as the spin-switching point of the catalytic cycle. The first S2 state form is an open cubane structure with a low-spin SGS = 1/2 ground state, whereas the other represents the first appearance of a closed cubane topology in the catalytic cycle that is associated with a higher-spin ground state of SGS = 5/2. It is only this higher-spin form of the S2 state that progresses to the "activated" S3 state of the catalyst. The structure of this final metastable catalytic state was resolved in a recent report, showing that all manganese ions are six-coordinate. The magnetic coupling is dominantly ferromagnetic, leading to a high-spin ground state of SGS = 3. The ability of the Mn4O5Ca cofactor to adopt two distinct structural and spin-state forms in the S2 state is critical for water binding in the S3 state, allowing spin-state crossing from the inactive, low-spin configuration of the catalyst to the activated, high-spin configuration. Here we describe how an understanding of the magnetic properties of the catalyst in all S states has allowed conclusions on the catalyst function to be reached. A summary of recent literature results is provided that constrains the sequence of molecular level events: catalyst/substrate deprotonation, manganese oxidation, and water molecule insertion.

The EPR "split signals" represent key intermediates of the S-state cycle where the redox active D1-Tyr161 (YZ) has been oxidized by the reaction center of the photosystem II enzyme to its tyrosyl radical form, but the successive oxidation of the Mn4CaO5 cluster has not yet occurred (SiYZ˙). Here we focus on the S2YZ˙ state, which is formed en route to the final metastable state of the catalyst, the S3 state, the state which immediately precedes O-O bond formation. Quantum chemical calculations demonstrate that both isomeric forms of the S2 state, the open and closed cubane isomers, can form states with an oxidized YZ˙ residue without prior deprotonation of the Mn4CaO5 cluster. The two forms are expected to lie close in energy and retain the electronic structure and magnetic topology of the corresponding S2 state of the inorganic core. As expected, tyrosine oxidation results in a proton shift towards His190. Analysis of the electronic rearrangements that occur upon formation of the tyrosyl radical suggests that a likely next step in the catalytic cycle is the deprotonation of a terminal water ligand (W1) of the Mn4CaO5 cluster. Diamagnetic metal ion substitution is used in our calculations to obtain the molecular g-tensor of YZ˙. It is known that the gx value is a sensitive probe not only of the extent of the proton shift between the tyrosine-histidine pair, but also of the polarization environment of the tyrosine, especially about the phenolic oxygen. It is shown for PSII that this environment is determined by the Ca(2+) ion, which locates two water molecules about the phenoxyl oxygen, indirectly modulating the oxidation potential of YZ.

Toxicity of methylmercury (MeHg) to wildlife and humans results from its binding to cysteine residues of proteins, forming MeHg-cysteinate (MeHgCys) complexes that hinder biological functions. MeHgCys complexes can be detoxified in vivo, yet how this occurs is unknown. We report that MeHgCys complexes are transformed into selenocysteinate (Hg(Sec)4) complexes in multiple animals from two phyla (a waterbird, freshwater fish, and earthworms) sampled in different geographical areas and contaminated by different Hg sources. In addition, high energy-resolution Xray absorption spectroscopy (HR-XAS) and chromatography-ICP mass spectrometry of the waterbird liver support the binding of Hg(Sec)4 to selenoprotein P and biomineralization of Hg(Sec)4 to chemically inert nanoparticulate mercury selenide (HgSe). The results provide a foundation for understanding mercury detoxification in higher organisms, and suggest that the identified MeHgCys to Hg(Sec)4 demethylation pathway is common in nature.All data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper and have been deposited in the U.S. Geological Survey repository ScienceBase. 31 The deposit includes all HR-XANES spectra, the Hg L3-edge HR-EXAFS spectrum of the Clark's grebe liver, and the Cartesian coordinates of the Hg(selenoneine)4 complex and the Hg10(SeMe)20 cluster.