L. Karki et al., Low-temperature turnover control of photosystem II using novel metal-containing redox-active herbicides, J AM CHEM S, 122(21), 2000, pp. 5180-5188
A novel approach of using metal-containing redox-active herbicides to prepa
re and study the light-induced intermediates of the photosystern II (PSII)
photocycle is described. The redox-active herbicides feature an iron(III) e
thylenediuninetetracetate [Fe-III-(EDTA)] electron-acceptor group linked to
a Q(B)-site binding dimethylphenylurea moiety by a hydrocarbon spacer. Lik
e the nitroxyl-based redox-active herbicides previously described (Bocarsly
, J. R.; Brudvig, G. W. J. Am. Chem. Sec. 1992, 114, 9762-9767), metal-cont
aining herbicides accept electrons from the donor side of PSII while bound
to the Q(B) site and restrict the S-state cycling to two stable charge sepa
rations. The use of Fe-III-(EDTA) as an electron acceptor allows turnover a
t low temperatures. EPR studies of PSII upon continuous illumination at 225
K with 0.7 mM of redox-active herbicide, Fe-III-(EDTA) linked by an ethane
spacer to a dimethylphenyl urea group (2), produced a stable two-step S-1
to S-3 advance of the O-2-evolving complex (OEC) and a stoichiometric reduc
tion of the Fe-III-(EDTA) moiety of the herbicide, while a control sample w
ith 0.02 InM DCMU [3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethyl-urea] and 0.7 mM of
4 exhibited only a one-step SI to St advance of the OEC without significant
reduction of the Fe-III-(EDTA) moiety of the herbicide. Similar EPR result
s were obtained for 7, Fe-III-(EDTA) linked Ca the dimethylphenylurea group
by a pentane spacer. O-2-evolution inhibition studies show that appending
the Fe-III-(EDTA) moiety to the phenylurea herbicide causes a significant d
ecrease in the binding affinity compared to that of DCMU. On the basis of O
-2-evolution studies with various herbicide derivatives and different PSII
sample types, the observed decrease in binding affinities is attributed to
the degree of accessibility of the Q(B)-binding pocket to the herbicides an
d to electrostatic and hydrophilicity factors. The present study describes
the use of novel metal-containing herbicides in studying long-range electro
n transfer in PSII and in trapping photogenerated two-electron oxidized int
ermediate states of the O-2-evolving complex.