Thomas John Wydrzynski (8 July 1947-16 March 2018)

Overview

Journal Photosynth Res

Publisher Springer

Date 2018 Nov 28

PMID 30478710

Authors

Brendon Conlan

Govindjee

Johannes Messinger

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

With this Tribute, we remember and honor Thomas John (Tom) Wydrzynski. Tom was a highly innovative, independent and committed researcher, who had, early in his career, defined his life-long research goal. He was committed to understand how Photosystem II produces molecular oxygen from water, using the energy of sunlight, and to apply this knowledge towards making artificial systems. In this tribute, we summarize his research journey, which involved working on 'soft money' in several laboratories around the world for many years, as well as his research achievements. We also reflect upon his approach to life, science and student supervision, as we perceive it. Tom was not only a thoughtful scientist that inspired many to enter this field of research, but also a wonderful supervisor and friend, who is deeply missed (see footnote*).

References

Hillier W, Wydrzynski T . The affinities for the two substrate water binding sites in the O(2) evolving complex of photosystem II vary independently during S-state turnover. Biochemistry. 2000; 39(15):4399-405. DOI: 10.1021/bi992318d. View

Hillier W, Wydrzynski T . Oxygen ligand exchange at metal sites - implications for the O2 evolving mechanism of photosystem II. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2000; 1503(1-2):197-209. DOI: 10.1016/s0005-2728(00)00225-5. View

Wydrzynski T, Gross E, Govindjee . Effects of sodium and magnesium cations on the "dark-" and light-induced chlorophyll a fluorescence yields in sucrose-washed spinach chloroplasts. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1975; 376(1):151-61. DOI: 10.1016/0005-2728(75)90213-3. View

Wydrzynski T, Govindjee . A new site of bicarbonate effect in photosystem II of photosynthesis: evidence from chlorophyll fluorescence transients in spinach chloroplasts. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1975; 387(2):403-8. DOI: 10.1016/0005-2728(75)90121-8. View

Hillier W, Hendry G, Burnap R, Wydrzynski T . Substrate water exchange in photosystem II depends on the peripheral proteins. J Biol Chem. 2001; 276(50):46917-24. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M102954200. View

Messinger J, Badger M, Wydrzynski T . Detection of one slowly exchanging substrate water molecule in the S3 state of photosystem II. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995; 92(8):3209-13. PMC: 42135. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.92.8.3209. View

Smith P, Peterson S, Masters V, Wydrzynski T, Styring S, Krausz E . Magneto-optical measurements of the pigments in fully active photosystem II core complexes from plants. Biochemistry. 2002; 41(6):1981-9. DOI: 10.1021/bi0111202. View

Hendry G, Wydrzynski T . The two substrate-water molecules are already bound to the oxygen-evolving complex in the S2 state of photosystem II. Biochemistry. 2002; 41(44):13328-34. DOI: 10.1021/bi026246t. View

Razeghifard M, Wydrzynski T . Binding of Zn-chlorin to a synthetic four-helix bundle peptide through histidine ligation. Biochemistry. 2003; 42(4):1024-30. DOI: 10.1021/bi026787i. View

10.

Hendry G, Wydrzynski T . (18)O isotope exchange measurements reveal that calcium is involved in the binding of one substrate-water molecule to the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II. Biochemistry. 2003; 42(20):6209-17. DOI: 10.1021/bi034279i. View

11.

Hoch G, Kok B . A mass spectrometer inlet system for sampling gases dissolved in liquid phases. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1963; 101:160-70. DOI: 10.1016/0003-9861(63)90546-0. View

12.

Hay S, Wallace B, Smith T, Ghiggino K, Wydrzynski T . Protein engineering of cytochrome b562 for quinone binding and light-induced electron transfer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004; 101(51):17675-80. PMC: 539716. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0406192101. View

13.

Hay S, Wydrzynski T . Conversion of the Escherichia coli cytochrome b562 to an archetype cytochrome b: a mutant with bis-histidine ligation of heme iron. Biochemistry. 2005; 44(1):431-9. DOI: 10.1021/bi0492298. View

14.

Haumann M, Muller C, Liebisch P, Iuzzolino L, Dittmer J, Grabolle M . Structural and oxidation state changes of the photosystem II manganese complex in four transitions of the water oxidation cycle (S0 --> S1, S1 --> S2, S2 --> S3, and S3,4 --> S0) characterized by X-ray absorption spectroscopy at 20 K and room.... Biochemistry. 2005; 44(6):1894-908. DOI: 10.1021/bi048697e. View

15.

Clausen J, Beckmann K, Junge W, Messinger J . Evidence that bicarbonate is not the substrate in photosynthetic oxygen evolution. Plant Physiol. 2005; 139(3):1444-50. PMC: 1283779. DOI: 10.1104/pp.105.068437. View

16.

Wydrzynski T . Early indications for manganese oxidation state changes during photosynthetic oxygen production: a personal account. Photosynth Res. 2005; 80(1-3):125-35. DOI: 10.1023/B:PRES.0000030429.31799.fc. View

17.

Hillier W, McConnell I, Badger M, Boussac A, Klimov V, Dismukes G . Quantitative assessment of intrinsic carbonic anhydrase activity and the capacity for bicarbonate oxidation in photosystem II. Biochemistry. 2006; 45(7):2094-102. DOI: 10.1021/bi051892o. View

18.

Hughes J, Razeghifard R, Logue M, Oakley A, Wydrzynski T, Krausz E . Magneto-optic spectroscopy of a protein tetramer binding two exciton-coupled chlorophylls. J Am Chem Soc. 2006; 128(11):3649-58. DOI: 10.1021/ja056576b. View

19.

Wydrzynski T, Zumbulyadis N, SCHMIDT P, Gutowsky H, Govindjee . Proton relaxation and charge accumulation during oxygen evolution in photosynthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976; 73(4):1196-8. PMC: 430228. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.73.4.1196. View

20.

Wydrzynski T, Zumbulyadis N, SCHMIDT P, Govindjee . Water proton relaxation as a monitor of membrane-bound manganese in spinach chloroplasts. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1975; 408(3):349-54. DOI: 10.1016/0005-2728(75)90138-3. View