Towards characterization of photo-excited electron transfer and catalysis in natural and artificial systems using XFELs.

The ultra-bright femtosecond X-ray pulses provided by X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs) open capabilities for studying the structure and dynamics of a wide variety of biological and inorganic systems beyond what is possible at synchrotron sources. Although the structure and chemistry at the catalytic sites have been studied intensively in both biological and inorganic systems, a full understanding of the atomic-scale chemistry requires new approaches beyond the steady state X-ray crystallography and X-ray spectroscopy at cryogenic temperatures. Following the dynamic changes in the geometric and electronic structure at ambient conditions, while overcoming X-ray damage to the redox active catalytic center, is key for deriving reaction mechanisms. Such studies become possible by using the intense and ultra-short femtosecond X-ray pulses from an XFEL, where sample is probed before it is damaged. We have developed methodology for simultaneously collecting X-ray diffraction data and X-ray emission spectra, using an energy dispersive spectrometer, at ambient conditions, and used this approach to study the room temperature structure and intermediate states of the photosynthetic water oxidizing metallo-protein, photosystem II. Moreover, we have also used this setup to simultaneously collect the X-ray emission spectra from multiple metals to follow the ultrafast dynamics of light-induced charge transfer between multiple metal sites. A Mn-Ti containing system was studied at an XFEL to demonstrate the efficacy and potential of this method.

S K- and Mo L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy to determine metal-ligand charge distribution in molybdenum-sulfur compounds.

Mo L-edge and S K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy were applied to investigate the charge distribution between Mo and S in a series of Mo thiolate compounds, which serve as amide-sulfur H-bonding models and exhibit different redox potentials arising from polar group effects and ligand hydrogen bonds near the redox center. For all oxidized complexes, the S K-edge spectra exhibit a thiolate-based pre-edge feature centered at 2470.2 eV and the inflection point oCCurs at 2472.0 eV. No intense pre-edge feature is observed in the spectra for the reduced Mo model compounds and the energy shift of the S K-edge position depends on the S-ligand. Correlations between ligand charge density and the redox potential of the Mo-S cores are observed.

High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of rare events: a different look at local structure and chemistry.

The combination of large-acceptance high-resolution X-ray optics with bright synchrotron sources permits quantitative analysis of rare events such as X-ray fluorescence from very dilute systems, weak fluorescence transitions or X-ray Raman scattering. Transition-metal Kbeta fluorescence contains information about spin and oxidation state; examples of the characterization of the Mn oxidation states in the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II and Mn-consuming spores from the marine bacillus SG- are presented. Weaker features of the Kbeta spectrum resulting from valence-level and 'interatomic' ligand to metal transitions contain detailed information on the ligand- atom type, distance and orientation. Applications of this spectral region to characterize the local structure of model compounds are presented. X-ray Raman scattering (XRS) is an extremely rare event, but also represents a unique technique to obtain bulk-sensitive low-energy (<600 eV) X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectra using hard (approximately 10 keV) X-rays. A photon is inelastically scattered, losing part of its energy to promote an electron into an unoccupied level. In many cases, the cross section is proportional to that of the corresponding absorption process yielding the same X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) features. XRS finds application for systems that defy XAFS analysis at low energies, e.g. liquids or highly concentrated complex systems, reactive compounds and samples under extreme conditions (pressure, temperature). Recent results are discussed.

Absence of Mn-centered oxidation in the S(2) --> S(3) transition: implications for the mechanism of photosynthetic water oxidation.

A key question for the understanding of photosynthetic water oxidation is whether the four oxidizing equivalents necessary to oxidize water to dioxygen are accumulated on the four Mn ions of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC), or whether some ligand-centered oxidations take place before the formation and release of dioxygen during the S(3) --> [S(4)] --> S(0) transition. Progress in instrumentation and flash sample preparation allowed us to apply Mn Kbeta X-ray emission spectroscopy (Kbeta XES) to this problem for the first time. The Kbeta XES results, in combination with Mn X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) data obtained from the same set of samples, show that the S(2) --> S(3) transition, in contrast to the S(0) --> S(1) and S(1) --> S(2) transitions, does not involve a Mn-centered oxidation. On the basis of new structural data from the S(3)-state, manganese mu-oxo bridge radical formation is proposed for the S(2) --> S(3) transition, and three possible mechanisms for the O-O bond formation are presented.

Counting the number of disulfides and thiol groups in proteins and a novel approach for determining the local pKa for cysteine groups in proteins in vivo.

X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) is a powerful tool to investigate sulfur in biological molecules. The spectral features are sensitive to the local electronic and geometric environment of the atom; thus, they constitute a fingerprint of the different chemical forms in which the sulfur is present. This allows straightforward detection of the ratio between free thiols and disulfides. Intra- or inter-molecular disulfide bond formation between residues plays an important role in structural and conformational changes in proteins, and such changes can be investigated using sulfur XAS. Also, a thiolate-disulfide equilibrium is involved in the regulation of the redox potential in the cells by means of modulating the concentrations of the reduced (thiolate) and oxidized (disulfide) form of the tripeptide glutathione. Thus, we can monitor the redox state of a cell by means of sulfur XAS. Thiols also exhibit an acid-base equilibrium, and sulfur XAS can be used to determine the local pKa of the -SH group. Here we report examples of how sulfur XAS has been used for these applications.

Mn K-edge XANES and Kbeta XES studies of two Mn-oxo binuclear complexes: investigation of three different oxidation states relevant to the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II.

Two structurally homologous Mn compounds in different oxidation states were studied to investigate the relative influence of oxidation state and ligand environment on Mn K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and Mn Kbeta X-ray emission spectroscopy (Kbeta XES). The two manganese compounds are the di-mu-oxo compound [L'2Mn(III)O2Mn(IV)L'2](ClO4)3, where L' is 1,10-phenanthroline (Cooper, S. R.; Calvin, M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1977, 99, 6623-6630) and the linear mono-mu-oxo compound [LMn(III)OMn(III)L](ClO4)2, where L- is the monoanionic N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-N'-salicylidene-1,2-diaminoethane ligand (Horner, O.; Anxolabéhère-Mallart, E.; Charlot, M. F.; Tchertanov, L.; Guilhem, J.; Mattioli, T. A.; Boussac, A.; Girerd, J.-J. Inorg. Chem. 1999, 38, 1222-1232). Preparative bulk electrolysis in acetonitrile was used to obtain higher oxidation states of the compounds: the Mn(IV)Mn(IV) species for the di-mu-oxo compound and the Mn(III)Mn(IV) and Mn(IV)Mn(IV) species for the mono-mu-oxo compound. IR, UV/vis, EPR, and EXAFS spectra were used to determine the purity and integrity of the various sample solutions. The Mn K-edge XANES spectra shift to higher energy upon oxidation when the ligand environment remains similar. However, shifts in energy are also observed when only the ligand environment is altered. This is achieved by comparing the di-mu-oxo and linear mono-mu-oxo Mn-Mn moieties in equivalent oxidation states, which represent major structural changes. The magnitude of an energy shift due to major changes in ligand environment can be as large as that of an oxidation-state change. Therefore, care must be exercised when correlating the Mn K-edge energies to manganese oxidation states without taking into account the nature of the ligand environment and the overall structure of the compound. In contrast to Mn K-edge XANES, Kbeta XES spectra show less dependence on ligand environment. The Kbeta1,3 peak energies are comparable for the di-mu-oxo and mono-mu-oxo compounds in equivalent oxidation states. The energy shifts observed due to oxidation are also similar for the two different compounds. The study of the different behavior of the XANES pre-edge and main-edge features in conjunction with Kbeta XES provides significant information about the oxidation state and character of the ligand environment of manganese atoms.

X-ray spectroscopy-based structure of the Mn cluster and mechanism of photosynthetic oxygen evolution.

The mechanism by which the Mn-containing oxygen evolving complex (OEC) produces oxygen from water has been of great interest for over 40 years. This review focuses on how X-ray spectroscopy has provided important information about the structure of this Mn complex and its intermediates, or S-states, in the water oxidation cycle. X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy and high-resolution Mn Kbeta X-ray emission spectroscopy experiments have identified the oxidation states of the Mn in the OEC in each of the intermediate S-states, while extended X-ray absorption fine structure experiments have shown that 2.7 A Mn-Mn di-mu-oxo and 3.3 A Mn-Mn mono-mu-oxo motifs are present in the OEC. X-ray spectroscopy has also been used to probe the two essential cofactors in the OEC, Ca2+ and Cl-, and has shown that Ca2+ is an integral component of the OEC and is proximal to Mn. In addition, dichroism studies on oriented PS II membranes have provided angular information about the Mn-Mn and Mn-Ca vectors. Based on these X-ray spectroscopy data, refined models for the structure of the OEC and a mechanism for oxygen evolution by the OEC are presented.

Sulfur K-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy: a spectroscopic tool to examine the redox state of S-containing metabolites in vivo.

The sulfur K-edge x-ray absorption spectra for the amino acids cysteine and methionine and their corresponding oxidized forms cystine and methionine sulfoxide are presented. Distinct differences in the shape of the edge and the inflection point energy for cysteine and cystine are observed. For methionine sulfoxide the inflection point energy is 2.8 eV higher compared with methionine. Glutathione, the most abundant thiol in animal cells, also has been investigated. The x-ray absorption near-edge structure spectrum of reduced glutathione resembles that of cysteine, whereas the spectrum of oxidized glutathione resembles that of cystine. The characteristic differences between the thiol and disulfide spectra enable one to determine the redox status (thiol to disulfide ratio) in intact biological systems, such as unbroken cells, where glutathione and cyst(e)ine are the two major sulfur-containing components. The sulfur K-edge spectra for whole human blood, plasma, and erythrocytes are shown. The erythrocyte sulfur K-edge spectrum is similar to that of fully reduced glutathione. Simulation of the plasma spectrum indicated 32% thiol and 68% disulfide sulfur. The whole blood spectrum can be simulated by a combination of 46% disulfide and 54% thiol sulfur.

Oxidation states of the manganese cluster during the flash-induced S-state cycle of the photosynthetic oxygen-evolving complex.

The Mn K-edge x-ray absorption spectra for the pure S states of the tetranuclear Mn cluster of the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II during flash-induced S-state cycling have been determined. The relative S-state populations in samples given 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 flashes were determined from fitting the flash-induced electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) multiline signal oscillation pattern to the Kok model. The edge spectra of samples given 0, 1, 2, or 3 flashes were combined with EPR information to calculate the pure S-state edge spectra. The edge positions (defined as the zero-crossing of the second derivatives) are 6550.1, 6551.7, 6553.5, and 6553.8 eV for S0, S1, S2, and S3, respectively. In addition to the shift in edge position, the S0--> S1 and S1--> S2 transitions are accompanied by characteristic changes in the shape of the edge, both indicative of Mn oxidation. The edge position shifts very little (0.3 eV) for the S2--> S3 transition, and the edge shape shows only subtle changes. We conclude that probably no direct Mn oxidation is involved in this transition. The proposed Mn oxidation state assignments are as follows: S0 (II, III, IV, IV) or (III, III, III, IV), S1 (III, III, IV, IV), S2 (III, IV, IV, IV), S3 (III, IV, IV, IV).

Evidence for the proximity of calcium to the manganese cluster of photosystem II: determination by X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

The photosynthetic oxygen-evolving complex contains a cluster of four manganese atoms and requires both Ca and Cl for activity. The question of Ca proximity to the Mn cluster has been investigated by performing Mn X-ray absorption experiments on native samples of photosystem II (PS II) and on samples depleted of Ca and reconstituted by either Ca or Sr. Analysis of X-ray K-edge spectra demonstrates no significant differences in oxidation state or symmetry between Ca- and Sr-reactivated preparations. Differences are observed in the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). The amplitude of a Fourier transform peak due to scatters at distances greater than 3 A is larger for samples reactivated with strontium than for calcium-reactivated samples. Taking into account the stoichiometry of Mn and Ca atoms in PS II, and considering physically reasonable structures, curve-fitting analyses of the EXAFS data using FEFF5-calculated parameters favor a model where both manganese and calcium (or strontium) scatterers contribute to the Fourier peak at approximately 3 A. Other models for the approximately 3 A peak with multiple Mn-Mn interactions or multiple Mn-Ca(Sr) interactions can also be fit to the data, but are considered less likely. This result provides confirmation for the structural proximity of Ca to the Mn cluster suggested previously [Yachandra, V. K., et al. (1993) Science 260, 675-679]. Possible structural arrangements for a calcium-binding site are discussed.

Structural consequences of ammonia binding to the manganese center of the photosynthetic oxygen-evolving complex: an X-ray absorption spectroscopy study of isotropic and oriented photosystem II particles.

The structure and orientation of the manganese complex in NH3-treated photosystem II (PS II) membrane particles of spinach are being studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. On the basis of earlier work by our group, a structure for the tetranuclear manganese complex of PS II, which consists of two di-mu-oxo-bridged binuclear Mn units linked by a mono-mu-oxo group, has been proposed [Yachandra, V. K., et al. (1993) Science 260, 675-679]. The extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) of the complex modified by NH3 binding in the S2-state is suggestive of an increase in the Mn-Mn distance of one of these units from 2.72 +/- 0.02 to 2.87 +/- 0.02 A, whereas the Mn-Mn distance of the second unit seems to be unaffected by NH3 treatment. The elongation of one binuclear center could result from the replacement of one bridging mu-oxo by an amido group. The lengthening of one Mn-Mn distance means that, by NH3 treatment, the distance degeneracy of the 2.7 A Mn-Mn EXAFS interaction is removed. Consequently, the orientation of individual binuclear units with respect to the membrane normal becomes resolvable by EXAFS spectroscopy of partially oriented PS II membrane particles. The angle between the normal of the PS II-containing membrane and the Mn-Mn vector is determined to be 67 degrees +/- 3 degrees for the 2.87 A distance and 55 degrees +/- 4 degrees for the 2.72 A distance. Only small effects on position, shape, and orientation dependence of Mn K-edge spectra result from NH3 treatment, indicating that the Mn oxidation state, the symmetry of the Mn ligand environment, and the orientation of the complex remain essentially unaffected in the annealed NH3 S2-state. Therefore, it seems likely that the angles determined for the ammonia-modified manganese complex are similar to the respective angles of the untreated complex. The structure of the manganese complex and its orientation in the membrane are discussed.

Orientation of the oxygen-evolving manganese complex in a photosystem II membrane preparation: an X-ray absorption spectroscopy study.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy has been performed on oriented photosystem II membrane particles isolated from spinach. Structural features of the tetranuclear Mn cluster and the orientation of the cluster with respect to the lipid bilayer were determined in both the S1 and S2 states of the Kok cycle. Variation of the sample orientation with respect to the X-ray e-vector yields highly dichroic K-edge and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra (EXAFS), indicative of an asymmetric tetranuclear cluster. Mn-Mn vectors at 2.72 and 3.38 A can be resolved from these measurements using quantitative analysis. The 2.72-A vector, consisting of at least two component vectors, is oriented at an average angle of 60 degrees +/- 7 degrees to the membrane normal, with an average of 1.1 +/- 0.1 interactions per Mn atom. The 3.38-A vector, most probably an average of two vectors, makes an angle of 43 degrees +/- 10 degrees with respect to the membrane normal, with an average of 0.45 +/- 0.07 backscatterer per Mn atom. Upon advance to the S2 state, the orientation of these vectors and the average numbers of backscatterers are approximately invariant. Analysis of more subtle features of the EXAFS reveals changes accompanying this S-state advance that are consistent with the oxidation of Mn during this transition. However, the dominant structural features of the oxygen-evolving complex remain constant in the S1 and S2 states. The structure of the Mn complex and the orientation of the complex in the membrane within the context of dichroism of the X-ray absorption data are discussed.

Correlation between structure and magnetic spin state of the manganese cluster in the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II in the S2 state: determination by X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

The structure of the manganese cluster in the S2 state with the g approximately 4 EPR signal (S2-g4 state) generated by 130 K illumination of photosystem II (PSII) membranes prepared from spinach has been investigated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The Mn X-ray absorption K-edge spectra of the S2-g4 state not only show a shift of the inflection point to higher energy from the S1 state but also reveal a different edge shape from that of the S2 state with the multiline signal (S2-MLS state). Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) studies of the Mn K-edge show that the structure of the Mn cluster in the S2-g4 state is distinctly different from those in the S2-MLS or S1 states. In the S2-g4 state, the second shell of back-scatters from the Mn absorber is found to contain two Mn-Mn distances of 2.73 and 2.85 A. We interpret this to indicate the presence of two nonequivalent di-mu-oxo-bridged Mn binuclear structures in the Mn cluster of the S2-g4 state. The third shell of the S2-g4 state at about 3.3 A also contains increased heterogeneity. By contrast, very little distance disorder was found to exist in the second shell of the S1 or S2-MLS states. A mechanism is proposed to explain these results in the context of our model for the Mn cluster and the EPR properties of the Mn complex in the S2 state.

Where plants make oxygen: a structural model for the photosynthetic oxygen-evolving manganese cluster.

In the photosynthetic evolution of oxygen, water oxidation occurs at a catalytic site that includes four manganese atoms together with the essential cofactors, the calcium and chlorine ions. A structural model and a determination of the manganese oxidation states based on x-ray absorption spectroscopy are presented. The salient features, in both higher plants and cyanobacteria, are a pair of di-mu-oxo bridged manganese binuclear clusters linked by a mono-mu-oxo bridge, one proximal calcium atom, and one halide. In dark-adapted samples, manganese occurs in oxidation states (III) and (IV). Data from oriented membranes display distinct dichroism, precluding highly symmetrical structures for the manganese complex.

Perspectives on the structure of the photosynthetic oxygen evolving manganese complex and its relation to the Kok cycle.

This review describes the progress in our understanding of the structure of the Mn complex in Photosystem II over the last two decades. Emphasis is on the research from our laboratory, especially the results from X-ray absorption spectroscopy, low temperature electron paramagnetic resonance and electron spin echo envelope modulation studies. The importance of the interplay between electron paramagnetic resonance studies and X-ray absorption studies, which has led to a description of the oxidation states of manganese as the enzyme cycles through the Kok cycle, is described. Finally, the path, by which our group has utilized these two important methods to arrive at a working structural model for the manganese complex that catalyzes the oxidation of water to dioxygen in higher plants and cyanobacteria, is explained.

Nitrogen ligation to manganese in the photosynthetic oxygen-evolving complex: continuous-wave and pulsed EPR studies of photosystem II particles containing 14N or 15N.

The possibility of nitrogen ligation to the Mn in the oxygen-evolving complex from photosystem II was investigated with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopies using 14N- and 15N-labeled preparations. Oxygen-evolving preparations were isolated from a thermophilic cyanobacterium, Synechococcus sp., grown on a medium containing either 14NO3- or 15NO3- as the sole source of nitrogen. the substructure on the "multiline" EPR signal, which arises from Mn in the S2 state of the enzyme, was measured with continuous-wave EPR. No changes were detected in the substructure peak positions upon substitution of 15N for 14N, indicating that this substructure is not due to superhyperfine coupling from nitrogen ligands. To detect potential nitrogen ligands with superhyperfine couplings of lesser magnitude than could be observed with conventional EPR methods, electron spin-echo envelope modulation experiments were also performed on the multiline EPR signal. The Fourier transform of the light-minus-dark time domain ESEEM data shows a peak at 4.8 MHz in 14N samples which is absent upon substitution with 15N. This gives unambiguous evidence for weak hyperfine coupling of nitrogen to the Mn of the oxygen-evolving complex. Possible origins of this nitrogen interaction are discussed.