Abstract
The modification effects on the absorption and cirular dichroic (CD) spectra of the isolated B800-860 antenna complex of Rhodocyclus tenuis by a number of proteolytic enzymes were investigated. The chymotrypsin modifications of the B800-860 complex led to an about 40% decrease of the 860-nm band and a blue-shift to 841 nm. The biphasic CD signal related to the B860 BChl disappeared and a new double CD signal with a zero-crossing point at 842 nm appeared. These absorption and CD spectral changes suggested that a B800-841 complex resulted after chymotrypsin digestion. The polypeptide components of the chymotrypsin-modified B800-860 complex were separated by reverse-phase chromatography, and their amino acid sequences determined by protein sequencing and mass spectrometry. Sequence analyses showed that the C-terminal 25 residues of the B800-860-α polypeptide and the C-terminal 8 residues of the B800-860-β polypeptide were cleaved by chymotrypsin, and the remaining α, β polypeptide fragments apparently form the structural basis for the newly-formed B800-841 complex. No significant spectral change was observed from exposing the isolated B800-860 complex to trypsin, carboxypeptidase A and the combination of carboxypeptidase A and carboxypeptidase B. Short-term proteinase K incubation of the B800-860 complex of Rc. tenuis led to a preferential decrease of the 860-nm absorbance band and its related CD signals, as compared to the 800-nm absorbance and CD bands, suggesting that the C-terminal portions of the antenna polypeptides are possibly exposed to the exterior of the B800-860 complex micelles. Whereas, long-term proteinase K digestion resulted in the spectral collapse of the B800-860 complex and the release of free BChls. Our proteolysis experiments support the hypothesis that the C-terminal portions of the antenna polypeptides play a key role in the redshift and strong molar extinction of the Qy band of the B850 BChls.
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Abbreviations
- B800-860:
-
light-harvesting complex with the absorption maxima (Qy) at 800 nm and 860 nm
- B800-860-α:
-
β-α,β polypeptide of the B800-860 complex
- CD:
-
circular dichroism
- Deriphat-160:
-
disodium Nlauryl-β-iminodipropionate
- FT:
-
Fourier transform
- LH:
-
light-harvesting
- near-IR:
-
near infra-red
- OG:
-
n-Octyl-β-glucoside
- PTH:
-
phenylthiohydantoin
- Rb. :
-
Rhodobacter
- Rc. :
-
Rhodocyclus
- Rp. :
-
Rhodopseudomonas
- Rsp :
-
Rhodospirillum
- DSM:
-
Deutsche Sammlung für Mikroorganismen
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Hu, O., Brunisholz, R.A. & Zuber, H. Proteolytic modifications of the B800-860 complex of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodocyclus tenuis: Structural and spectral effects. Photosynth Res 50, 223–232 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00033121
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00033121