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The investigation of water oxidation in photosynthesis has remained a central topic in biochemical research for the last few decades due to the importance of this catalytic process for technological applications. Significant progress has been made following the 2011 report of a high-resolution X-ray crystallographic structure resolving the site of catalysis, a protein-bound Mn 4 CaO x complex, which passes through ≥5 intermediate states in the water-splitting cycle. Spectroscopic techniques complemented by quantum chemical calculations aided in understanding the electronic structure of the cofactor in all (detectable) states of the enzymatic process. Together with isotope labeling, these techniques also revealed the binding of the two substrate water molecules to the cluster. These results are described in the context of recent progress using X-ray crystallography with free-electron lasers on these intermediates. The data are instrumental for developing a model for the biological water oxidation cycle.

Biological water oxidation, performed by a single enzyme, photosystem II, is a central research topic not only in understanding the photosynthetic apparatus but also for the development of water splitting catalysts for technological applications. Great progress has been made in this endeavor following the report of a high-resolution X-ray crystallographic structure in 2011 resolving the cofactor site (Umena et al. in Nature 473:55-60, 2011), a tetra-manganese calcium complex. The electronic properties of the protein-bound water oxidizing Mn 4 O x Ca complex are crucial to understand its catalytic activity. These properties include: its redox state(s) which are tuned by the protein matrix, the distribution of the manganese valence and spin states and the complex interactions that exist between the four manganese ions. In this short review we describe how magnetic resonance techniques, particularly EPR, complemented by quantum chemical calculations, have played an important role in understanding the electronic structure of the cofactor. Together with isotope labeling, these techniques have also been instrumental in deciphering the binding of the two substrate water molecules to the cluster. These results are briefly described in the context of the history of biological water oxidation with special emphasis on recent work using time resolved X-ray diffraction with free electron lasers. It is shown that these data are instrumental for developing a model of the biological water oxidation cycle.

Photosystem II passes through four metastable S-states in catalysing light-driven water oxidation. Variable temperature variable field (VTVH) Magnetic Circular Dichroism (MCD) spectra in PSII of Thermosynochococcus (T.) vulcanus for each S-state are reported. These spectra, along with assignments, provide a new window into the electronic and magnetic structure of Mn 4 CaO 5 . VTVH MCD spectra taken in the S 2 state provide a clear g=2, S=1/2 paramagnetic characteristic, which is entirely consistent with that known by EPR. The three features, seen as positive (+) at 749nm, negative (-) at 773nm and (+) at 808nm are assigned as 4 A→ 2 E spin-flips within the d 3 configuration of the Mn(IV) centres present. This assignment is supported by comparison(s) to spin-flips seen in a range of Mn(IV) materials. S 3 exhibits a more intense (-) MCD peak at 764nm and has a stronger MCD saturation characteristic. This S 3 MCD saturation behaviour can be accurately modelled using parameters taken directly from analyses of EPR spectra. We see no evidence for Mn(III) d-d absorption in the near-IR of any S-state. We suggest that Mn(IV)-based absorption may be responsible for the well-known near-IR induced changes induced in S 2 EPR spectra of T. vulcanus and not Mn(III)-based, as has been commonly assumed. Through an analysis of the nephelauxetic effect, the excitation energy of S-state dependent spin-flips seen may help identify coordination characteristics and changes at each Mn(IV). A prospectus as to what more detailed S-state dependent MCD studies promise to achieve is outlined., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The photosynthetic protein complex photosystem II oxidizes water to molecular oxygen at an embedded tetramanganese-calcium cluster. Resolving the geometric and electronic structure of this cluster in its highest metastable catalytic state (designated S3) is a prerequisite for understanding the mechanism of O-O bond formation. Here, multifrequency, multidimensional magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals that all four manganese ions of the catalyst are structurally and electronically similar immediately before the final oxygen evolution step; they all exhibit a 4+ formal oxidation state and octahedral local geometry. Only one structural model derived from quantum chemical modeling is consistent with all magnetic resonance data; its formation requires the binding of an additional water molecule. O-O bond formation would then proceed by the coupling of two proximal manganese-bound oxygens in the transition state of the cofactor., (Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.)

The S2 state of the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II, which consists of a Mn4O5Ca cofactor, is EPR-active, typically displaying a multiline signal, which arises from a ground spin state of total spin ST = 1/2. The precise appearance of the signal varies amongst different photosynthetic species, preparation and solvent conditions/compositions. Over the past five years, using the model species Thermosynechococcus elongatus, we have examined modifications that induce changes in the multiline signal, i.e. Ca(2+)/Sr(2+)-substitution and the binding of ammonia, to ascertain how structural perturbations of the cluster are reflected in its magnetic/electronic properties. This refined analysis, which now includes high-field (W-band) data, demonstrates that the electronic structure of the S2 state is essentially invariant to these modifications. This assessment is based on spectroscopies that examine the metal centres themselves (EPR, (55)Mn-ENDOR) and their first coordination sphere ligands ((14)N/(15)N- and (17)O-ESEEM, -HYSCORE and -EDNMR). In addition, extended quantum mechanical models from broken-symmetry DFT now reproduce all EPR, (55)Mn and (14)N experimental magnetic observables, with the inclusion of second coordination sphere ligands being crucial for accurately describing the interaction of NH3 with the Mn tetramer. These results support a mechanism of multiline heterogeneity reported for species differences and the effect of methanol [Biochim. Biophys. Acta, Bioenerg., 2011, 1807, 829], involving small changes in the magnetic connectivity of the solvent accessible outer MnA4 to the cuboidal unit Mn3O3Ca, resulting in predictable changes of the measured effective (55)Mn hyperfine tensors. Sr(2+) and NH3 replacement both affect the observed (17)O-EDNMR signal envelope supporting the assignment of O5 as the exchangeable μ-oxo bridge and it acting as the first site of substrate inclusion.

The EPR "split signals" represent key intermediates of the S-state cycle where the redox active D1-Tyr161 (YZ) has been oxidized by the reaction center of the photosystem II enzyme to its tyrosyl radical form, but the successive oxidation of the Mn4CaO5 cluster has not yet occurred (SiYZ˙). Here we focus on the S2YZ˙ state, which is formed en route to the final metastable state of the catalyst, the S3 state, the state which immediately precedes O-O bond formation. Quantum chemical calculations demonstrate that both isomeric forms of the S2 state, the open and closed cubane isomers, can form states with an oxidized YZ˙ residue without prior deprotonation of the Mn4CaO5 cluster. The two forms are expected to lie close in energy and retain the electronic structure and magnetic topology of the corresponding S2 state of the inorganic core. As expected, tyrosine oxidation results in a proton shift towards His190. Analysis of the electronic rearrangements that occur upon formation of the tyrosyl radical suggests that a likely next step in the catalytic cycle is the deprotonation of a terminal water ligand (W1) of the Mn4CaO5 cluster. Diamagnetic metal ion substitution is used in our calculations to obtain the molecular g-tensor of YZ˙. It is known that the gx value is a sensitive probe not only of the extent of the proton shift between the tyrosine-histidine pair, but also of the polarization environment of the tyrosine, especially about the phenolic oxygen. It is shown for PSII that this environment is determined by the Ca(2+) ion, which locates two water molecules about the phenoxyl oxygen, indirectly modulating the oxidation potential of YZ.

The assignment of the two substrate water sites of the tetra-manganese penta-oxygen calcium (Mn4O5Ca) cluster of photosystem II is essential for the elucidation of the mechanism of biological O-O bond formation and the subsequent design of bio-inspired water-splitting catalysts. We recently demonstrated using pulsed EPR spectroscopy that one of the five oxygen bridges (μ-oxo) exchanges unusually rapidly with bulk water and is thus a likely candidate for one of the substrates. Ammonia, a water analog, was previously shown to bind to the Mn4O5Ca cluster, potentially displacing a water/substrate ligand [Britt RD, et al. (1989) J Am Chem Soc 111(10):3522-3532]. Here we show by a combination of EPR and time-resolved membrane inlet mass spectrometry that the binding of ammonia perturbs the exchangeable μ-oxo bridge without drastically altering the binding/exchange kinetics of the two substrates. In combination with broken-symmetry density functional theory, our results show that (i) the exchangable μ-oxo bridge is O5 {using the labeling of the current crystal structure [Umena Y, et al. (2011) Nature 473(7345):55-60]}; (ii) ammonia displaces a water ligand to the outer manganese (MnA4-W1); and (iii) as W1 is trans to O5, ammonia binding elongates the MnA4-O5 bond, leading to the perturbation of the μ-oxo bridge resonance and to a small change in the water exchange rates. These experimental results support O-O bond formation between O5 and possibly an oxyl radical as proposed by Siegbahn and exclude W1 as the second substrate water.

Photosystem II (PSII), a multisubunit pigment-protein supercomplex found in cyanobacteria, algae, and plants, catalyzes a unique reaction in nature: the light-driven oxidation of water. Remarkable recent advances in the structural analysis of PSII now give a detailed picture of the static supercomplex on the molecular level. These data provide a solid foundation for future functional studies, in particular the mechanism of water oxidation and oxygen release. The catalytic core of the PSII is a tetramanganese-calcium cluster (Mn₄O₅Ca), commonly referred to as the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC). The function of the OEC rests on its ability to cycle through five metastable states (Si, i = 0-4), transiently storing four oxidizing equivalents, and in so doing, facilitates the four electron water splitting reaction. While the latest crystallographic model of PSII gives an atomic picture of the OEC, the exact connectivity within the inorganic core and the S-state(s) that the X-ray model represents remain uncertain. In this Account, we describe our joint experimental and theoretical efforts to eliminate these ambiguities by combining the X-ray data with spectroscopic constraints and introducing computational modeling. We are developing quantum chemical methods to predict electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) parameters for transition metal clusters, especially focusing on spin-projection approaches combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We aim to resolve the geometric and electronic structures of all S-states, correlating their structural features with spectroscopic observations to elucidate reactivity. The sequence of manganese oxidations and concomitant charge compensation events via proton transfer allow us to rationalize the multielectron S-state cycle. EPR spectroscopy combined with theoretical calculations provides a unique window into the tetramangenese complex, in particular its protonation states and metal ligand sphere evolution, far beyond the scope of static techniques such as X-ray crystallography. This approach has led, for example, to a detailed understanding of the EPR signals in the S₂-state of the OEC in terms of two interconvertible, isoenergetic structures. These two structures differ in their valence distribution and spin multiplicity, which has important consequences for substrate binding and may explain its low barrier exchange with solvent water. New experimental techniques and innovative sample preparations are beginning to unravel the complex sequence of substrate uptake/inclusion, which is coupled to proton release. The introduction of specific site perturbations, such as replacing Ca²⁺ with Sr²⁺, provides discrete information about the ligand environment of the individual Mn ions. In this way, we have identified a potential open coordination site for one Mn center, which may serve as a substrate binding site in the higher S-states, such as S₃ and S₄. In addition, we can now monitor the binding of the substrate water in the lower S-states (S₁ and S₂) using new EPR-detected NMR spectroscopies. These studies provided the first evidence that one of the substrates is subsumed into the complex itself and forms an oxo-bridge between two Mn ions. This result places important new restrictions on the mechanism of O-O bond formation. These new insights from nature's water splitting catalyst provide important criteria for the rational design of bioinspired synthetic catalysts.

Water binding to the Mn(4)O(5)Ca cluster of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of Photosystem II (PSII) poised in the S(2) state was studied via H(2)(17)O- and (2)H(2)O-labeling and high-field electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Hyperfine couplings of coordinating (17)O (I = 5/2) nuclei were detected using W-band (94 GHz) electron-electron double resonance (ELDOR) detected NMR and Davies/Mims electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) techniques. Universal (15)N (I = ½) labeling was employed to clearly discriminate the (17)O hyperfine couplings that overlap with (14)N (I = 1) signals from the D1-His332 ligand of the OEC (Stich Biochemistry 2011, 50 (34), 7390-7404). Three classes of (17)O nuclei were identified: (i) one μ-oxo bridge; (ii) a terminal Mn-OH/OH(2) ligand; and (iii) Mn/Ca-H(2)O ligand(s). These assignments are based on (17)O model complex data, on comparison to the recent 1.9 Å resolution PSII crystal structure (Umena Nature 2011, 473, 55-60), on NH(3) perturbation of the (17)O signal envelope and density functional theory calculations. The relative orientation of the putative (17)O μ-oxo bridge hyperfine tensor to the (14)N((15)N) hyperfine tensor of the D1-His332 ligand suggests that the exchangeable μ-oxo bridge links the outer Mn to the Mn(3)O(3)Ca open-cuboidal unit (O4 and O5 in the Umena et al. structure). Comparison to literature data favors the Ca-linked O5 oxygen over the alternative assignment to O4. All (17)O signals were seen even after very short (≤15 s) incubations in H(2)(17)O suggesting that all exchange sites identified could represent bound substrate in the S(1) state including the μ-oxo bridge. (1)H/(2)H (I = ½, 1) ENDOR data performed at Q- (34 GHz) and W-bands complement the above findings. The relatively small (1)H/(2)H couplings observed require that all the μ-oxo bridges of the Mn(4)O(5)Ca cluster are deprotonated in the S(2) state. Together, these results further limit the possible substrate water-binding sites and modes within the OEC. This information restricts the number of possible reaction pathways for O-O bond formation, supporting an oxo/oxyl coupling mechanism in S(4).

Ca(2+) is an integral component of the Mn(4)O(5)Ca cluster of the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II (PS II). Its removal leads to the loss of the water oxidizing functionality. The S(2)' state of the Ca(2+)-depleted cluster from spinach is examined by X- and Q-band EPR and (55)Mn electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy. Spectral simulations demonstrate that upon Ca(2+) removal, its electronic structure remains essentially unaltered, i.e. that of a manganese tetramer. No redistribution of the manganese valence states and only minor perturbation of the exchange interactions between the manganese ions were found. Interestingly, the S(2)' state in spinach PS II is very similar to the native S(2) state of Thermosynechococcus elongatus in terms of spin state energies and insensitivity to methanol addition. These results assign the Ca(2+) a functional as opposed to a structural role in water splitting catalysis, such as (i) being essential for efficient proton-coupled electron transfer between Y(Z) and the manganese cluster and/or (ii) providing an initial binding site for substrate water. Additionally, a novel (55)Mn(2+) signal, detected by Q-band pulse EPR and ENDOR, was observed in Ca(2+)-depleted PS II. Mn(2+) titration, monitored by (55)Mn ENDOR, revealed a specific Mn(2+) binding site with a submicromolar K(D). Ca(2+) titration of Mn(2+)-loaded, Ca(2+)-depleted PS II demonstrated that the site is reversibly made accessible to Mn(2+) by Ca(2+) depletion and reconstitution. Mn(2+) is proposed to bind at one of the extrinsic subunits. This process is possibly relevant for the formation of the Mn(4)O(5)Ca cluster during photoassembly and/or D1 repair.

Protonation states of water ligands and oxo bridges are intimately involved in tuning the electronic structures and oxidation potentials of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) in Photosystem II, steering the mechanistic pathway, which involves at least five redox state intermediates S(n) (n = 0-4) resulting in the oxidation of water to molecular oxygen. Although protons are practically invisible in protein crystallography, their effects on the electronic structure and magnetic properties of metal active sites can be probed using spectroscopy. With the twin purpose of aiding the interpretation of the complex electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic data of the OEC and of improving the view of the cluster at the atomic level, a complete set of protonation configurations for the S(2) state of the OEC were investigated, and their distinctive effects on magnetic properties of the cluster were evaluated. The most recent X-ray structure of Photosystem II at 1.9 Å resolution was used and refined to obtain the optimum structure for the Mn(4)O(5)Ca core within the protein pocket. Employing this model, a set of 26 structures was constructed that tested various protonation scenarios of the water ligands and oxo bridges. Our results suggest that one of the two water molecules that are proposed to coordinate the outer Mn ion (Mn(A)) of the cluster is deprotonated in the S(2) state, as this leads to optimal experimental agreement, reproducing the correct ground state spin multiplicity (S = 1/2), spin expectation values, and EXAFS-derived metal-metal distances. Deprotonation of Ca(2+)-bound water molecules is strongly disfavored in the S(2) state, but dissociation of one of the two water ligands appears to be facile. The computed isotropic hyperfine couplings presented here allow distinctions between models to be made and call into question the assumption that the largest coupling is always attributable to Mn(III). The present results impose limits for the total charge and the proton configuration of the OEC in the S(2) state, with implications for the cascade of events in the Kok cycle and for the water splitting mechanism., (© 2011 American Chemical Society)

An analysis of the electronic structure of the [Mn(II)Mn(III)(μ-OH)-(μ-piv)(2)(Me(3)tacn)(2)](ClO(4))(2) (PivOH) complex is reported. It displays features that include: (i) a ground 1/2 spin state; (ii) a small exchange (J) coupling between the two Mn ions; (iii) a mono-μ-hydroxo bridge, bis-μ-carboxylato motif; and (iv) a strongly coupled, terminally bound N ligand to the Mn(III). All of these features are observed in structural models of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC). Multifrequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) measurements were performed on this complex, and the resultant spectra simulated using the Spin Hamiltonian formalism. The strong field dependence of the (55)Mn-ENDOR constrains the (55)Mn hyperfine tensors such that a unique solution for the electronic structure can be deduced. Large hyperfine anisotropy is required to reproduce the EPR/ENDOR spectra for both the Mn(II) and Mn(III) ions. The large effective hyperfine tensor anisotropy of the Mn(II), a d(5) ion which usually exhibits small anisotropy, is interpreted within a formalism in which the fine structure tensor of the Mn(III) ion strongly perturbs the zero-field energy levels of the Mn(II)Mn(III) complex. An estimate of the fine structure parameter (d) for the Mn(III) of -4 cm(-1) was made, by assuming the intrinsic anisotropy of the Mn(II) ion is small. The magnitude of the fine structure and intrinsic (onsite) hyperfine tensor of the Mn(III) is consistent with the known coordination environment of the Mn(III) ion as seen from its crystal structure. Broken symmetry density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on the crystal structure geometry. DFT values for both the isotropic and the anisotropic components of the onsite (intrinsic) hyperfine tensors match those inferred from the EPR/ENDOR simulations described above, to within 5%. This study demonstrates that DFT calculations provide reliable estimates for spectroscopic observables of mixed valence Mn complexes, even in the limit where the description of a well isolated S = 1/2 ground state begins to break down.

The quinone-iron complex of the electron acceptor complex of Photosystem II was studied by EPR spectroscopy in Thermosynechococcus elongatus. New g ∼ 2 features belonging to the EPR signal of the semiquinone forms of the primary and secondary quinone, i.e., Q(A)(•-)Fe(2+) and Q(B)(•-)Fe(2+), respectively, are reported. In previous studies, these signals were missed because they were obscured by the EPR signal arising from the stable tyrosyl radical, TyrD(•). When the TyrD(•) signal was removed, either by chemical reduction or by the use of a mutant lacking TyrD, the new signals dominated the spectrum. For Q(A)(•-)Fe(2+), the signal was formed by illumination at 77 K or by sodium dithionite reduction in the dark. For Q(B)(•-)Fe(2+), the signal showed the characteristic period-of-two variations in its intensity when generated by a series of laser flashes. The new features showed relaxation characteristics comparable to those of the well-known features of the semiquinone-iron complexes and showed a temperature dependence consistent with an assignment to the low-field edge of the ground state doublet of the spin system. Spectral simulations are consistent with this assignment and with the current model of the spin system. The signal was also present in Q(B)(•-)Fe(2+) in plant Photosystem II, but in plants, the signal was not detected in the Q(A)(•-)Fe(2+) state.

The electronic properties of the Mn(4)O(x)Ca cluster in the S(2) state of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) were studied using X- and Q-band EPR and Q-band (55)Mn-ENDOR using photosystem II preparations isolated from the thermophilic cyanobacterium T. elongatus and higher plants (spinach). The data presented here show that there is very little difference between the two species. Specifically it is shown that: (i) only small changes are seen in the fitted isotropic hyperfine values, suggesting that there is no significant difference in the overall spin distribution (electronic coupling scheme) between the two species; (ii) the inferred fine-structure tensor of the only Mn(III) ion in the cluster is of the same magnitude and geometry for both species types, suggesting that the Mn(III) ion has the same coordination sphere in both sample preparations; and (iii) the data from both species are consistent with only one structural model available in the literature, namely the Siegbahn structure [Siegbahn, P. E. M. Accounts Chem. Res.2009, 42, 1871-1880, Pantazis, D. A. et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.2009, 11, 6788-6798]. These measurements were made in the presence of methanol because it confers favorable magnetic relaxation properties to the cluster that facilitate pulse-EPR techniques. In the absence of methanol the separation of the ground state and the first excited state of the spin system is smaller. For cyanobacteria this effect is minor but in plant PS II it leads to a break-down of the S(T)=½ spin model of the S(2) state. This suggests that the methanol-OEC interaction is species dependent. It is proposed that the effect of small organic solvents on the electronic structure of the cluster is to change the coupling between the outer Mn (Mn(A)) and the other three Mn ions that form the trimeric part of the cluster (Mn(B), Mn(C), Mn(D)), by perturbing the linking bis-μ-oxo bridge. The flexibility of this bridging unit is discussed with regard to the mechanism of O-O bond formation., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The electronic structures of the native Mn(4)O(x)Ca cluster and the biosynthetically substituted Mn(4)O(x)Sr cluster of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII) core complexes isolated from Thermosynechococcus elongatus, poised in the S(2) state, were studied by X- and Q-band CW-EPR and by pulsed Q-band (55)Mn-ENDOR spectroscopy. Both wild type and tyrosine D less mutants grown photoautotrophically in either CaCl(2) or SrCl(2) containing media were measured. The obtained CW-EPR spectra of the S(2) state displayed the characteristic, clearly noticeable differences in the hyperfine pattern of the multiline EPR signal [Boussac et al. J. Biol. Chem.2004, 279, 22809-22819]. In sharp contrast, the manganese ((55)Mn) ENDOR spectra of the Ca and Sr forms of the OEC were remarkably similar. Multifrequency simulations of the X- and Q-band CW-EPR and (55)Mn-pulsed ENDOR spectra using the Spin Hamiltonian formalism were performed to investigate this surprising result. It is shown that (i) all four manganese ions contribute to the (55)Mn-ENDOR spectra; (ii) only small changes are seen in the fitted isotropic hyperfine values for the Ca(2+) and Sr(2+) containing OEC, suggesting that there is no change in the overall spin distribution (electronic coupling scheme) upon Ca(2+)/Sr(2+) substitution; (iii) the changes in the CW-EPR hyperfine pattern can be explained by a small decrease in the anisotropy of at least two hyperfine tensors. It is proposed that modifications at the Ca(2+) site may modulate the fine structure tensor of the Mn(III) ion. DFT calculations support the above conclusions. Our data analysis also provides strong support for the notion that in the S(2) state the coordination of the Mn(III) ion is square-pyramidal (5-coordinate) or octahedral (6-coordinate) with tetragonal elongation. In addition, it is shown that only one of the currently published OEC models, the Siegbahn structure [Siegbahn, P. E. M. Acc. Chem. Res.2009, 42, 1871-1880, Pantazis, D. A. et al. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.2009, 11, 6788-6798], is consistent with all data presented here. These results provide important information for the structure of the OEC and the water-splitting mechanism. In particular, the 5-coordinate Mn(III) is a potential site for substrate 'water' (H(2)O, OH(-)) binding. Its location within the cuboidal structural unit, as opposed to the external 'dangler' position, may have important consequences for the mechanism of O-O bond formation.

Twelve structural models for the S(2) state of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II are evaluated in terms of their magnetic properties. The set includes ten models based on the 'fused twist' core topology derived by polarized EXAFS spectra and two related models proposed in recent mechanistic investigations. Optimized geometries and spin population analyses suggest that Mn(iii), which is most often identified with the manganese ion at site D, is always associated with a penta-coordinate environment, unless a chloride is directly ligated to the metal. Exchange coupling constants were determined by broken-symmetry density functional theory calculations and the complete spectrum of magnetic sublevels was obtained by direct diagonalization of the Heisenberg Hamiltonian. Seven models display a doublet ground state and are considered spectroscopic models for the ground state corresponding to the multiline signal (MLS) of the S(2) state of the OEC, whereas the remaining five models display a sextet ground state and could be related to the g = 4.1 signal of the S(2) state. It is found that the sign of the exchange coupling constant between the Mn centres at positions A and B of the cluster is directly related to the ground state multiplicity, implying that interconversion between the doublet and sextet can be induced by only small structural perturbations. The recently proposed quantum chemical method for the calculation of (55)Mn hyperfine coupling constants is subsequently applied to the S(2) MLS state models and the quantities that enter into the individual steps of the procedure (site-spin expectation values, intrinsic site isotropic hyperfine parameters and projected (55)Mn isotropic hyperfine constants) are analyzed and discussed in detail with respect to the structural and electronic features of each model. The current approach performs promisingly. It reacts sensitively to structural distortions and hence may be able to distinguish between different structural proposals. Thus it emerges as a useful contributor to the ongoing efforts that aim at establishing correlations between the body of spectroscopic data available for the various S(i) states of the OEC and their actual geometric features.

The reliable correlation of structural features and magnetic or spectroscopic properties of oligonuclear transition-metal complexes is a critical requirement both for research into innovative magnetic materials and for elucidating the structure and function of many metalloenzymes. We have developed a novel method that for the first time enables the extraction of hyperfine coupling constants (HFCs) from broken-symmetry density functional theory (BS-DFT) calculations on clusters. Using the geometry-optimized tetranuclear manganese complex [Mn(4)O(6)(bpy)(6)](4+/3+) as a model, we first examine in detail the calculation of exchange coupling constants J through the BS-DFT approach. Complications arising from the indeterminacy of experimentally fitted J constants are identified and analyzed. It is found that only the energy levels derived from Hamiltonian diagonalization are a physically meaningful basis for comparing theory and experiment. Subsequently, the proposed theoretical scheme is applied to the calculation of (55)Mn HFCs of the Mn(III,IV,IV,IV) state of the complex, which is similar to the S(2) state of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) in photosystem II of oxygenic photosynthesis. The new approach performs reliably and accurately, and yields calculated HFCs that can be directly compared with experimental data. Finally, we carefully examine the dependence of HFC on the J value and draw attention to the sensitivity of the calculated values to the exchange coupling parameters. The proposed strategy extends naturally to hetero-oligonuclear clusters of arbitrary shape and nuclearity, and hence is of general validity and usefulness in the study of magnetic metal clusters. The successful application of the new approach presented here is a first step in the effort to establish correlations between the available spectroscopic information and the structural features of complex metalloenzymes like OEC.

Nature invented a catalyst about 3Gyr ago, which splits water with high efficiency into molecular oxygen and hydrogen equivalents (protons and electrons). This reaction is energetically driven by sunlight and the active centre contains relatively cheap and abundant metals: manganese and calcium. This biological system therefore forms the paradigm for all man-made attempts for direct solar fuel production, and several studies are underway to determine the electronic and geometric structures of this catalyst. In this report we briefly summarize the problems and the current status of these efforts and propose a density functional theory-based strategy for obtaining a reliable high-resolution structure of this unique catalyst that includes both the inorganic core and the first ligand sphere.

In the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII) molecular oxygen is formed from two substrate water molecules that are ligated to a mu-oxo bridged cluster containing four Mn ions and one Ca ion (Mn4OxCa cluster; Ox symbolizes the unknown number of mu-oxo bridges; x >or= 5). There is a long-standing enigma as to when, where, and how the two substrate water molecules bind to the Mn4OxCa cluster during the cyclic water-splitting reaction, which involves five distinct redox intermediates (Si-states; i = 0,...,4). To address this question we employed hyperfine sublevel correlation (HYSCORE) spectroscopy on H217O-enriched PSII samples poised in the paramagnetic S2 state. This approach allowed us to resolve the magnetic interaction between one solvent exchangeable 17O that is directly ligated to one or more Mn ions of the Mn4OxCa cluster in the S2 state of PSII. Direct coordination of 17O to Mn is supported by the strong (A approximately 10 MHz) hyperfine coupling. Because these are properties expected from a substrate water molecule, this spectroscopic signature holds the potential for gaining long-sought information about the binding mode and site of one of the two substrate water molecules in the S2 state of PSII.

The heart of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II is a Mn4OxCa cluster that cycles through five different oxidation states (S0 to S4) during the light-driven water-splitting reaction cycle. In this study we interpret the recently obtained 55Mn hyperfine coupling constants of the S0 and S2 states of the OEC [Kulik et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 2392-2393] on the basis of Y-shaped spin-coupling schemes with up to four nonzero exchange coupling constants, J. This analysis rules out the presence of one or more Mn(II) ions in S0 in methanol (3%) containing samples and thereby establishes that the oxidation states of the manganese ions in S0 and S2 are, at 4 K, Mn4(III, III, III, IV) and Mn4(III, IV, IV, IV), respectively. By applying a "structure filter" that is based on the recently reported single-crystal EXAFS data on the Mn4OxCa cluster [Yano et al. Science 2006, 314, 821-825] we (i) show that this new structural model is fully consistent with EPR and 55Mn-ENDOR data, (ii) assign the Mn oxidation states to the individual Mn ions, and (iii) propose that the known shortening of one 2.85 A Mn-Mn distance in S0 to 2.75 A in S1 [Robblee et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 7459-7471] corresponds to a deprotonation of a mu-hydroxo bridge between MnA and MnB, i.e., between the outer Mn and its neighboring Mn of the mu3-oxo bridged moiety of the cluster. We summarize our results in a molecular model for the S0 --> S1 and S1 --> S2 transitions.

The temperature dependence of the electron spin-lattice relaxation time T1 was measured for the S0 state of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) in photosystem II and for two dinuclear manganese model complexes by pulse EPR using the inversion-recovery method. For [Mn(III)Mn(IV)(mu-O)2 bipy4]ClO4, the Raman relaxation process dominates at temperatures below 50 K. In contrast, Orbach type relaxation was found for [Mn(II)Mn(III)(mu-OH)(mu-piv)2(Me3 tacn)2](ClO4)2 between 4.3 and 9 K. For the latter complex, an energy separation of 24.7-28.0 cm(-1) between the ground and the first excited electronic state was determined. In the S0 state of photosystem II, the T1 relaxation times were measured in the range of 4.3-6.5 K. A comparison with the relaxation data (rate and pre-exponential factor) of the two model complexes and of the S2 state of photosystem II indicates that the Orbach relaxation process is dominant for the S0 state and that its first excited state lies 21.7 +/- 0.4 cm(-1) above its ground state. The results are discussed with respect to the structure of the OEC in photosystem II.

Pulse EPR, 55Mn-ENDOR and ELDOR-detected NMR experiments were performed on the S2-state of the oxygen-evolving complex from spinach Photosystem II. The novel technique of random acquisition in ENDOR was used to suppress heating artefacts. Our data unambiguously shows that four Mn ions have significant hyperfine coupling constants. Numerical simulation of the 55Mn-ENDOR spectrum allowed the determination of the principal values of the hyperfine interaction tensors for all four Mn ions of the oxygen-evolving complex. The results of our 55Mn-ENDOR experiments are in good agreement with previously published data [Peloquin JM et al. (2000) J Am Chem Soc 122: 10926-10942]. For the first time ELDOR-detected NMR was applied to the S2-state and revealed a broad peak that can be simulated numerically with the same parameters that were used for the simulation of the 55Mn-ENDOR spectrum. This provides strong independent support for the assigned hyperfine parameters.

55Mn pulse ENDOR experiments at 34 GHz (Q-band) are reported for the S0 and S2 states of the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II. Their numerical analysis (i) shows that in both states all four Mn ions are magnetically coupled, (ii) allows a refinement of the hyperfine interaction (HFI) parameters obtained earlier for the S2 state at X-band (Peloquin, J. M.; Campbell, K. A.; Randall, D. W.; Evanchik, M. A.; Pecoraro, V. L.; Armstrong, W. H.; Britt, R. D. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 10926-10942), (iii) provides the first reliable 55Mn HFI tensors for the S0 state, and (iv) leads to the suggestion that the Mn oxidation states in S0 and S2 are Mn4(III, III, III, IV) and Mn4(III, IV, IV, IV), respectively. In addition, a Q-band EPR spectrum is reported for the S0 state, and inversion-recovery experiments at 4.5 K directly show that the electron spin-lattice relaxation for the S0 state is about 2 orders of magnitude faster than that for the S2 state.

EPR properties of Cyt b-559 have been investigated in intact chloroplasts that are functionally competent in O2 evolution and in CO2 fixation. After chemical oxidation of Cyt b-559 by 10 mM 2,3-dicyano, 4,5-dichloro-p-benzoquinone (DDQ) the major part of Cyt b-559 is found to be present in the high spin Fe(III) form. Only a small fraction of low spin heme Fe(III) (less than 5%) was formed by chemical or light-induced oxidation. This fraction increased during aging of intact chloroplasts. A comparison with the EPR signal of Fe(III) in myoglobin (Mb) reveals that the structure of the high spin signal in intact chloroplasts is indicative for the presence of an axial OH- ligand at the heme Fe(III). This type of ligation comprised a considerable part (approximately 40%) of the total Cyt b-559 content. Removal of the Mn-cluster caused a change of the EPR parameters of OH- ligation. When in intact chloroplasts the heme Fe is chemically oxidized to Fe(III) ligated by OH-, this OH- ligation disappeared after a subsequent illumination at 80K by red light. Upon illumination at 140K this disappearance was accompanied by the formation of a high spin Fe(III) that is not ligated by OH-. These results are discussed in terms of removal of OH- from Fe(III) caused by structural changes or photooxidation at a complex of Cyt b-559 that could possibly also comprise the Mn-cluster. This photooxidation is assumed to be accompanied by the formation of a bound OH. radical. The possibility is discussed that this process is related to photosynthetic water oxidation.

The EPR and ENDOR characteristics of the intermediate electron acceptor radical anion I-. in Photosystem II (PS II) are shown to be identical in membrane particles and in the D1D2 cytochrome b-559 complex (Nanba, O. and Satoh, K. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 109-112). These findings provide further evidence that the D1D2 complex is the reaction center of PS II and show that the pheophytin binding site is intact. A hydrogen bond between I-. and the protein (GLU D1-130) is postulated on the basis of D2O exchange experiments. The ENDOR data of I-. and of the pheophytin a radical anion in different organic solvents are compared and the observed differences are related to structural changes of the molecule on the basis of molecular orbital calculations (RHF-INDO/SP). The importance of the orientation of the vinyl group (attached to ring I) on electron transfer is discussed.