Alternative complex III (ACIII) is a multisubunit quinol:electron acceptor oxidoreductase that couples quinol oxidation with transmembrane proton translocation in both the respiratory and photosynthetic electron transport chains of bacteria. The coupling mechanism, however, is poorly understood. Here, we report the cryo-EM structures of air-oxidized and dithionite-reduced ACIII from the photosynthetic bacterium Roseiflexus castenholzii at 3.3- and 3.5-Å resolution, respectively. We identified a menaquinol binding pocket and an electron transfer wire comprising six hemes and four iron-sulfur clusters that is capable of transferring electrons to periplasmic acceptors. We detected a proton translocation passage in which three strictly conserved, mid-passage residues are likely essential for coupling the redox-driven proton translocation across the membrane. These results allow us to propose a previously unrecognized coupling mechanism that links the respiratory and photosynthetic functions of ACIII. This study provides a structural basis for further investigation of the energy transformation mechanisms in bacterial photosynthesis and respiration.
All the hues, even the blues Photosynthetic organisms must balance maximizing productive light absorption and protecting themselves from too much light, which causes damage. Both tasks require pigments—chlorophylls and carotenoids—which absorb light energy and either transfer it to photosystems or disperse it as heat. Wang et al. determined the structure of a fucoxanthin chlorophyll a/c–binding protein (FCP) from a diatom. The structure reveals the arrangement of the specialized photosynthetic pigments in this light-harvesting protein. Fucoxanthin and chlorophyll c absorb the blue-green light that penetrates to deeper water and is not absorbed well by chlorophylls a or b. FCPs are related to the light-harvesting complexes of plants but have more binding sites for carotenoids and fewer for chlorophylls, which may help transfer and disperse light energy. Science , this issue p. eaav0365
Abstract Photosynthetic prokaryotes evolved diverse light-harvesting (LH) antennas to absorb sunlight and transfer energy to reaction centers (RC). The filamentous anoxygenic phototrophs (FAPs) are important early branching photosynthetic bacteria in understanding the origin and evolution of photosynthesis. How their photosynthetic machinery assembles for efficient energy transfer is yet to be elucidated. Here, we report the 4.1 Å structure of photosynthetic core complex from Roseiflexus castenholzii by cryo-electron microscopy. The RC–LH complex has a tetra-heme cytochrome c bound RC encompassed by an elliptical LH ring that is assembled from 15 LHαβ subunits. An N-terminal transmembrane helix of cytochrome c inserts into the LH ring, not only yielding a tightly bound cytochrome c for rapid electron transfer, but also opening a slit in the LH ring, which is further flanked by a transmembrane helix from a newly discovered subunit X. These structural features suggest an unusual quinone exchange model of prokaryotic photosynthetic machinery.
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