Ultrafast Dynamics of Fatty Acid Photodecarboxylase in Anionic Semiquinone State

J Phys Chem Lett. 2022 Dec 1;13(47):11023-11028. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02183. Epub 2022 Nov 22.

Abstract

Fatty acid photodecarboxylase is a newly identified blue-light driven photoenzyme that catalyzes decarboxylation of fatty acids. The catalytic reaction involves a transient anionic semiquinone of flavin cofactor (FAD•-) as an intermediate, but photochemical properties of this anionic radical are largely unknown. Here, we have anaerobically produced the wild-type FAP in the FAD•- state and conducted femtosecond-resolved fluorescence and absorption measurements. We have observed the multiphasic deactivation dynamics of excited states on multiple time scales from a few picoseconds even to a few nanoseconds through conical intersections between various electronic states. Interestingly, the nanosecond components can only be observed from higher electronic excited states. Our results show the complexity of the energy landscapes of various excited states and rule out the occurrence of electron or proton transfer with nearby residue(s) in the active site.

MeSH terms

  • Anions
  • Catalysis
  • Fatty Acids*
  • Flavin-Adenine Dinucleotide*
  • Ketones

Substances

  • Fatty Acids
  • Flavin-Adenine Dinucleotide
  • Anions
  • Ketones