There has been much speculation concerning the mechanism for water oxidation by Photosystem 11. Based on recent work on the biophysics of Photosystem I1 and our own work on the reactivity of synthetic manganese complexes, we propose a chemically reasonable mechanistic model for the water oxidation function of this enzyme. An essential feature of the model is the nucleophilic attack by calcium-ligated hydroxide on an electrophilic 0x0 group ligated to high-valent manganese to achieve the critical 0-0 bond formation step. We also present a model for S-state advancement as a series of proton-coupled electron transfer steps, which has been proposed previously [Hoganson et. al., Photosynth. Res. 46, 177 (1995); Gilchrist et. al. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci, USA. 92, 9545 (1995)], but for which we have developed model systems that allow us to probe the thermodynamics in some detail.One of the great unsolved mysteries in bioinorganic chemistry is the mechanism of water oxidation by the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of Photosystem I1 (PS 11). This reaction is responsible for nearly all of the dioxygen on our planet and conceptually is the reverse reaction of respiration where dioxygen is converted back to water. Plants use an expansive airay of photopigments in Photosystem 11, four manganese ions, calcium and chloride to carry out these reactions. While intensively studied for many years, only now is a picture emerging as to how this fascinating and essential chemistry may result. The scope of this article is far too limited to allow for a detailed summary of previous studies in the field: therefore, interested readers are directed to recent reviews of this topic( ref. 1,2).In this contribution, we will present studies that are aimed at evaluating the chemical mechanism for water oxidation that is proposed in that proposed by G.T. Babcock(ref. 3, 4) but has significant chemical differences in the high and low S states. Important features of our proposal include: 1) oxidation of the catalytic center through a coupled protodelectron transfer from the manganese cluster to a redox active tyrosyl radical, 2) the generation in the S, state of a strongly electophilic manganyl 0x0 [Mn(V)=O] that can couple to a strongly nucleophilic hydroxyl group making a peroxide inteimediate and 3) oxidation of the transiently formed peroxide by a second 0x0 bridged dimer. Additionally, we p -1 consider the theirnodynamics of the system in order to evaluate implications for the energetics of water oxidation on cluster structure and reactivity. Figure 1 transitions require proton coupled electron transfer from the manganese cluster to a redox active tyrosine that is in close proximity to thc metal center. Functionally, this process is a hydrogen atom abstraction from a manganese bound water (hydroxide) hgand to a neutral tyrosyl radical. It is estimated that the homolytic bond dissociation energy (HBDE) for a tyrosine radical is 86.5 kcal/mol(ref. 6, 7). Thus, for H atom abstraction to be thermodynamically viable in this system, waterhydr...

The solution structure of Fe(II) cytochrome c551 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa based on 2D 1H NMR data is reported. Two sets of structure calculations were completed with a combination of simulated annealing and distance geometry calculations: one set of 20 structures included the heme-peptide covalent linkages, and one set of 10 structures excluded them. The main-chain atoms were well constrained within the two structural ensembles (1.30 and 1.35 A average RMSD, respectively) except for two regions spanning residues 30-40 and 60-70. The results were essentially the same when global fold comparisons were made between the ensembles with an average RMSD of 1.33 A. In total, 556 constraints were used, including 479 NOEs, 53 volume constraints, and 24 other distances. This report represents the first solution structure determination of a heme protein by 2D 1H NMR and should provide a basis for the application of these techniques to other proteins containing large prosthetic groups or cofactors.

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Candida dubliniensis, an emerging oral pathogen, phenotypically resembles Candida albicans so closely that it is easily misidentified as such. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the usefulness of two phenotypic methods, growth at 45 degrees C and 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) reduction, for confirming presumptive identification of C. dubliniensis and C. albicans by colony color on CHROMagar Candida (CAC) medium. A combination of these methods was used to establish the prevalence of oral C. dubliniensis in an Italian population of 45 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected subjects. Twenty-two samples (48.9%) were positive for yeasts on CAC medium producing a total of 37 fungal isolates. The colony color and 45 degrees C growth ability test correctly identified all C. dubliniensis and C. albicans isolates (5/37, 13.5%, and 16/37, 43.2%, respectively), while assessment of TTC reduction misidentified one C. albicans isolate. The isolation rate of C. dubliniensis was 11.1% (5/45 patients). All of the C. dubliniensis isolates were highly susceptible to fluconazole (MIC = 0.5 microg/ml). The combination of CAC medium screening with growth at 45 degrees C and TTC reduction tests may represent a simple, reliable and inexpensive identification protocol for C. dubliniensis.