title: Flavodoxin-mediated electron transfer from photosystem I to ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase in Anabaena: role of flavodoxin hydrophobic residues in protein-protein interactions.
abstract: Three surface hydrophobic residues located at the Anabaena flavodoxin (Fld) putative complex interface with its redox partners were replaced by site-directed mutagenesis. The effects of these replacements on Fld interaction with both its physiological electron donor, photosystem I (PSI), and its electron acceptor, ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase (FNR), were analyzed. Trp57, Ile59, and Ile92 contributed to the optimal orientation and tightening of the FNR:Fld and PSI:Fld complexes. However, these side chains did not appear to be involved in crucial specific interactions, but rather contributed to the obtainment of the optimal orientation and distance of the redox centers required for efficient electron transfer. This supports the idea that the interaction of Fld with its partners is less specific than that of ferredoxin and that more than one orientation is efficient for electron transfer in these transient complexes. Additionally, for some of the analyzed processes, WT Fld seems not to be the most optimized molecular species. Therefore, subtle changes at the isoalloxazine environment not only influence the Fld binding abilities, but also modulate the electron exchange processes by producing different orientations and distances between the redox centers. Finally, the weaker apoflavodoxin interaction with FNR suggests that the solvent-accessible region of FMN plays a role either in complex formation with FNR or in providing the adequate conformation of the FNR binding region in Fld.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias and Institute of Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Guillermina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Goñi
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Serrano
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frago
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hervás
authors.forename: José Ramón
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Peregrina
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: De la Rosa
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gómez-Moreno
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.forename: Milagros
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Medina
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017033:Anabaena / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D004579:Electron Transport; D005287:Ferredoxin-NADP Reductase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005418:Flavodoxin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D045331:Photosystem I Protein Complex / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D055672:Static Electricity
chemical_list: D005418:Flavodoxin; D045331:Photosystem I Protein Complex; D005287:Ferredoxin-NADP Reductase