No evidence from FTIR difference spectroscopy that glutamate-189 of the D1 polypeptide ligates a Mn ion that undergoes oxidation during the S0 to S1, S1 to S2, or S2 to S3 transitions in photosystem II

In the recent X-ray crystallographic structural models of photosystem II, Glu189 of the D1 polypeptide is assigned as a ligand of the oxygen-evolving Mn4 cluster. To determine if D1-Glu189 ligates a Mn ion that undergoes oxidation during one or more of the S-0 -> S-1, S-1 -> S-2, and S-2 -> S-3 transitions, the FTIR difference spectra of the individual S-state transitions in D1-E189Q and D1-E189R mutant PSII particles from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 were compared with those in wild-type PSII particles. Remarkably, the data show that neither mutation significantly alters the mid-frequency regions (1800-1200 cm(-1)) of any of the FTIR difference spectra. Importantly, neither mutation eliminates any specific symmetric or asymmetric carboxylate stretching mode that might have been assigned to D1-Glu189. The small spectral alterations that are observed are similar in amplitude to those that are observed in wild-type PSII particles that have been exchanged into FTIR analysis buffer by different methods or those that are observed in D2-H189Q mutant PSII particles (the residue D2-His189 is located > 25 angstrom from the Mn4 cluster and accepts a hydrogen bond from Tyr Y-D). The absence of significant mutation-induced spectral alterations in the D1-Glu189 mutants shows that the oxidation of the Mn4 cluster does not alter the frequencies of the carboxylate stretching modes of D1-Glu189 during the S-0 -> S-1, S-1 -> S-2, or S-2 -> S-3 transitions. One explanation of these data is that D1-Glu189 ligates a Mn ion that does not increase its charge or oxidation state during any of these S-state transitions. However, because the same conclusion was reached previously for D1-Asp170, and because the recent X-ray crystallographic structural models assign D1-Asp170 and D1-Glu189 as ligating different Mn ions, this explanation requires that (1) the extra positive charge that develops on the Mn4 cluster during the S1 -> S2 transition be localized on the Mn ion that is ligated by the alpha-COO-group of D1-Ala344 and (2) any increase in positive charge that develops on the Mn4 cluster during the S-0 -> S-1 and S-2 -> S-3 transitions be localized on the one Mn ion that is not ligated by D1-Asp170, D1-Glu189, or D1-Ala344. An alternative explanation of the FTIR data is that D1-Glu189 does not ligate the Mn4 cluster. This conclusion would be consistent with earlier spectroscopic analyses of D1-Glu189 mutants, but would require that the proximity of D1-Glu189 to manganese in the X-ray crystallographic structural models be an artifact of the radiation-induced reduction of the Mn4 cluster that occurred during the collection of the X-ray diffraction data.