X-ray absorption spectroscopy on the calcium cofactor to the manganese cluster in photosynthetic oxygen evolution

Along with Mn, calcium and chloride ions are necessary cofactors for oxygen evolution in Photosystem II (PS II). To further test and verify whether Ca is close to the Mn cluster, the authors substituted strontium for Ca and probed from the Sr point of view for any nearby Mn. The extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) of Sr-reactivated PS II indicates major differences between the intact and NH(sub 2)OH-treated samples. In intact samples, the Fourier transform of the Sr EXAFS shows a Fourier peak that is missing in inactive samples. This peak II is best simulated by two Mn neighbors at a distance of 3.5 Angstrom, confirming the proximity of Ca (Sr) cofactor to the Mn cluster. In addition, polarized Sr EXAFS on oriented Sr-reactivated samples shows this peak II is dichroic: large magnitude at 10 degrees (angle between the PS II membrane normal and the x-ray electric field vector) and small at 80 degrees. Analysis of the dichroism yields the relative angle between the Sr-Mn vector and membrane normal (23 degrees(+-) 4 degrees), and the isotropic coordination number for these layered samples. X-ray absorption spectroscopy has also been employed to assess the degree of similarity between the manganese cluster in PS II and a family of synthetic manganese complexes containing the distorted cubane[Mn(sub 4)O(sub 3)X] core (X= benzoate, acetate, methoxide, hydroxide, azide, fluoride, chloride or bromide). In addition, Mn(sub 4)O(sub 3)Cl complexes containing three or six terminal Cl ligands at three of the Mn were included in this study. The EXAFS method detects the small changes in the core structures as X is varied in this series, and serves to exclude these distorted cubanes of C3v symmetry as a topological model for the Mn catalytic cluster. The sulfur K-edge x-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra for the amino acids cysteine, methionine, their corresponding oxidized forms cystine and methionine sulfoxide, and glutathione show distinct differences between the thiol and disulfide forms. Sulfur XANES is also used to detect changes (within 5%) of the thiol-to-disulfide ratio in whole human blood, plasma, and erythrocytes