Interaction of polyamines with proteins of photosystem II: Cation binding and photosynthetic oxygen evolution

Polyamines are organic cations that function in diverse physiological processes that share as a common thread a close relationship to cell proliferation and growth. Polyamines also affect photosynthetic oxygen evolution and therefore, this study was designed to investigate the interaction of 1,3-diaminopropane, 1,4-diaminobutane (putrescine), and 1,5-diaminopentane (cadaverine) cations with proteins of photosystem II (PSII) using PSII-enriched submembrane fractions with diamine concentrations between 0.01 and 20 mM. Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) difference spectroscopy with its self-deconvolution and second derivative resolution enhancement, as well as curve-fitting procedures were applied in order to determine the diamine binding mode, the protein conformational changes, and the structural properties of diamine-protein complexes. Spectroscopic evidence showed that diamines interact with proteins (H-bonding) through polypeptide CO groups with no major perturbations of protein secondary structure. At very low diamine concentration (0.01 mM), no inhibition of oxygen-evolution occurred, while at higher diamine content (5–10 mM), 100% inhibition was observed. Chorophyll fluorescence measurements demonstrated that the inhibition mainly affects the oxygen evolving complex of PSII. Comparisons of the effects of these dipositive organic cations with divalent metal cations on one hand and with polyvalent spermine and spermidine on the other hand, show major alterations of the protein secondary structure as positive charge increases.