Proteorhodopsin/bacteriorhodopsin

The CP MAS NMR spectroscopy has been also extensively used for studies of proteins containing retinylidene chromophore like proteorhodopsin or bacteriorhodopsin. Bacteriorhodopsin is a protein component of purple membrane of Halobacterium salinarium.71 7 This protein contains 248 amino acids residues, forming a 7-helix bundle and a retinal chromophore covalently bound to Lys-216 via a Schiff base linkage. It is a light-driven proton pump that translocates protons from the inside to the outside of the cell. After photoisomerization of retinal, the reaction cycle is described by several intermediate states (J, K, L, M, N, O). Between L and M intermediate states, a proton transfer takes place from the protonated Schiff base to the anionic Asp85 at the central part of the protein. In the M and/or N intermediate states, the global conformational changes of the protein backbone take place. 

Other CP MAS studies of bacteriorhodopsin, proteorhodopsin as well as bathorhodopsin have been reported.75-7... 

Dynamic nuclear polarisation (DNP) enhanced 15N CP MAS NMR has been exploited by Mark-Jurkauskas et al.79 in the studies of intermediates of the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle. The data for L intermediate were similar to those found for 13-ds,15-anti retylidene chloride, while those for K intermediate were similar to those of acid blue bacteriorhodopsin in which the Schiff base counterion was neutralised (Table 3). The 15N chemical shifts observed have shown that for bacteriorhodopsin, the Schiff base in K intermediate state loses contact with its counterion and establishes a new one in L intermediate state. The proton energy stored at the beginning in the electrostatic modes has been transformed to torsional modes. The transfer of energy is facilitated by the reduction of bond order alternation in the polyene chain when the counterion interaction is initially broken and is driven by the attraction of the Schiff base to a new counterion. 3D CP MAS experiments of NCOCX, NCACX, CONCA and CAN(CO)CA types have been used in studies of proteorhodopsin.71... 

FIGURE 124.2 Primary sequence comparison of the microbial rhodopsins. (Hs Halobacterium salinarum, Np Natronomonas pharaonis, BR bacteriorhodopsin, SR sensory rhodopsin, PR proteorhodopsin, NR Neurospora rhodopsin, CSRA and CSRB Chlamydomonas sensory rhodopsins A and B) Conserved residues are marked with black boxes, and residues in the retinal-binding pocket are marked with an asterisk. 

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