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Facultative phototrophic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus has two c-type electron carrier cytochromes (cyt) / the soluble cyt c2 and the membrane-attached cyt cy, that act as electron carriers during respiratory and photosynthetic growth of this species. Previously, a soluble form of cyt cy was constructed by fusing genetically the signal sequence of cyt c2 to the cyt c domain of cyt cy. The obtained novel soluble cyt cy (cyt S-cy) was unable to support photosynthetic growth of R. capsulatus but yielded photosynthetically functional (Ps+) revertants frequently. In the first part of this study, photosynthetic electron transfer properties of some of Ps+ revertants of cyt S-cy were analyzed by biochemical and biophysical methods and compared with the cyt cy and cyt c2. Reduction-oxidation titration of membrane supernatants showed that the redox midpoint potential of cyt S-cy was +338 mV which is similar to midpoint potentials of cyt cy or the cyt c2. However, light-activated, time resolved spectroscopy revealed that reaction center mediated oxidation kinetics of cyt S-cy exhibited only a slow phase, unlike cyt c2 which has both fast and slow phases. It therefore appeared that during electron transfer cyt S-cy does not interact with the reaction centre as tightly as cyt c2. These findings imply that attaching electron carrier cyts to the membrane allowed them to weaken their interactions with their partners, while restricting their spatial diffusion, so that they accomplish rapid multiple turnovers. In the second part of this study, hydrogen production of various R. capsulatus strains harboring the genetically modified electron carrier cytochromes, cyt cbb3 deleted and Qox deleted strains were compared with the wild type. Under photoheterotrophic growth conditions with limiting nitrogen source, the excess reducing equivalents generated by organic acid oxidation are consumed to reduce protons into hydrogen by the activity of nitrogenase in R. capsulatus. The results indicated that the hydrogen production of mutant strains with modified electron carrier cytochromes decreased 3-5 folds, and the hydrogen production rate of the cyt cbb3- mutant increased significantly. Moreover in this study, the hydrogen production efficiency of different R. capsulatus strains was increased by the chromosomal inactivation of uptake hydrogenase genes and enzymatic activity of uptake hydrogenase of R. capsulatus strains were determined.

Previous research has underscored the importance of protein dynamics during light-induced electron transfer; however, specific interactions have not been well characterized. It is of particular importance to understand the role of protein dynamics and cofactor interactions in controlling electron transfer in oxygenic photosynthesis. These factors include hydrogen bonding, ð-stacking and electrostatic interactions. Reaction-induced FT-IR spectroscopy is sensitive to these interactions as well as isotopic incorporation, and is useful to probe protein dynamics associated with light-induced electron transfer in Photosystem I (PSI). Density functional theory (DFT) provides information concerning the vibrational frequencies of molecules as well as the amplitudes of the vibrations and sensitivity to isotope incorporation. Combining these approaches, protein dynamics associated with light-induced electron transfer in PSI were studied. The work presented here describes specific protein cofactor interactions and specific protein relaxation events associated with light-induced electron transfer. The results reported here are consistent with noncovalent protein cofactor interactions that modulate the redox potential of the secondary electron acceptor of PSI. Furthermore, the studies presented here describe novel protein dynamics associated with the oxidation of the terminal electron donor of PSI. These results characterize specific protein dynamics that may be associated with interactions of the soluble electron donors. These studies highlight the importance of protein dynamics in oxygenic photosynthesis.

This thesis reports progress in three major aspects of σ-bonded organometallic porphyrins that are described in the published papers found in chapters 4, 5 and 6. meso-Iodoporphyrins, which were prepared in a rapid, selective and high yielding methodology from the respective 1-palladioporphyrins or bromoporphyrins, are important starting materials for further functionalisations of porphyrins. Their utility was confirmed in a palladium-catalysed coupling reaction and this novel synthetic strategy could potentially be applied for iodine/bromine exchange on other organic substrates.. A 1-palladioporphyrin was also utilised to optimise the reaction conditions leading to the formation of porphyrinylphosphine oxides. This synthetic strategy simplified the challenging optimisation of the palladium-catalysed reaction and has great potential to be applied in other catalytic processes. Subsequently a suite of porphyrinylphosphine oxides was prepared under the optimised catalytic conditions. These macrocycles, which represent a new class of porphyrins, were isolated cleanly in very high yields. Detailed spectroscopic investigations as well as X-ray single crystal analysis demonstrated their structures unambiguously and established their potential as ligands for supramolecular chemistry. The coordinating properties of phosphine oxides in general and porphyrinylphosphine oxides in particular, towards Mg(II) centred porphyrins were examined in further experiments. Triphenylphosphine oxide showed a strong affinity towards Mg(II) porphyrins and the calculated displacement constant of 5.3 × 105 M-1 was two orders of magnitude larger than any other Mg(II) porphyrin-ligand binding constant reported thus far. Di- and triporphyrin arrays consisting of Mg(II) porphyrin coordinated to free base and Ni(II) porphyrinyl mono- and bis-phosphine oxides were also prepared in high yields. Spectroscopic studies indicated that these porphyrin oligomers exhibit strong inter-porphyrin electronic interaction. A Mg(II) porphyrinylphosphine oxide dimer was also isolated in a satisfactory yield. The large self-association constant of 5.5 × 108 M-1 confirmed the strong affinity of porphyrinylphosphine oxides towards Mg(II) porphyrins and established these complexes as the first strongly bound synthetic Mg(II) porphyrin analogues of the "special pair" of the photosynthetic reaction centre.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, 2000. / Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Centre For Horticulture and Plant Sciences, University of Western Sydney, 2000. Bibliography : leaves 215-231.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2007. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Alnarp : Sveriges lantbruksuniv. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Botany, 2008. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-131).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1996. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: O. Roger Anderson. Dissertation Committee: Warren E. Yasso. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-119).