Schiff base linkage

FIGURE 10.21 The Schiff base linkage between the retinal chromophore and Lys" ... 

FIGURE 18.36 The incorporation of retinal into the light-sensitive protein rhodopsin involves several steps. All- ram-retinol is oxidized by retinol dehydrogenase and then iso-merized to ll-cis-retinal, which forms a Schiff base linkage with opsin to form light-sensitive rhodopsin. 

Quite apart from the molecular structure of the channel it must also allow proton movement in only one direction and a pumping mechanism. Stoeckenius 236 has proposed an ingenious means by which the Schiff base linkage of the protein and retinal performs both these functions. 

Rhodopsin is a seven ot-helix trans-membrane protein and visual pigment of the vertebrate rod photoreceptor cells that mediate dim light vision. In this photoreceptor, retinal is the chromophore bound by opsin protein, covalently linked to Lys296 by a Schiff base linkage. Kpega et al.64 have studied NMR spectra of Schiff bases being derivatives of all-frans retinal and amino-p-cyclodextrins as a model of rhodopsin, where p-cyclodextrin plays a role of a binding pocket. On the basis of analysis of the chemical shift differences for the model compound in the presence and in the absence of adamantane carboxylate, it has been shown that the derivative of 3-amino-p-cyclodextrin forms dimer in water and retinoid is inserted into p-cyclodextrin cavity [31]. 

The values of the 15N CP MAS chemical shift of Lys296 nitrogen bonded to retinal via the —C=N bond ( Schiff base) was equal to 155.4 ppm for rhodopsin and 282.8 ppm for metarhodopsin (relative to 5.6 M aqueous NH4C1).70 The results proved the imine bond polarisation, which facilitates Schiff base hydrolysis. The comparison between chemical shifts for metarhodopsin and model compounds suggested that Schiff base linkage of the all-frans retinal chromophore in Metall is in a polar environment. 

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. 

The evidence to-date shows that vertebrate photoreception is mediated by a closely related group of proteins termed opsins. These are G protein-coupled receptors characterized by their ability to bind a vitamin A based chromophore ( -cis-retinal) via a Schiff base linkage using a lysine residue in the 7th transmembrane a helix (Fig. 1). The primary events of image detection by the rods and cones occurs with the absorption of a photon of light by ll-r/r-retinal and its photoisomerization to the AUtrans state (Bums Baylor 2001, Menon et al 2001). Although photoreception is best understood in retinal rods and cones, photoreception is not confined to these structures. In non-mammalian... 

It became of interest to see if we could obtain any indication of Schiff base formation with the polymer. Since spectroscopic probes would be obscured with the actual substrate, oxalacetate, because of the progress of the decarboxylation reaction (32), we have examined instead the spectra of oxalacetate-4-ethyl ester in solutions of the same modified poly-(ethylenimine) PEIQ—NH2. Such solutions develop a new absorption band at 290 nm. Furthermore, this band is essentially abolished if NaBH4 is added to the solution (Fig. 21). As is well known, NaBH4 reduces Schiff base linkages to amine groups.43-44... 

FIGURE 18-5 Pyridoxal phosphate, the prosthetic group of aminotransferases. (a) Pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) and its aminated form, pyri-doxamine phosphate, are the tightly bound coenzymes of aminotransferases. The functional groups are shaded, (b) Pyridoxal phosphate is bound to the enzyme through noncovalent interactions and a Schiff-base linkage to a Lys residue at the active site. The steps in the formation of a Schiff base from a primary amine and a carbonyl group... 

Actual cross- linking reaction is not based on the simple mechanism that Schiff base linkages are formed at both ends of monomeric GA. Instead, the polymerization of GA, via aldol condensation, proceeds in parallel with the cross- linking reaction. 

Figure 14-6 Drawing showing pyridoxal phosphate (shaded) and some surrounding protein structure in the active site of cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase. This is the low pH form of the enzyme with an N-protonated Schiff base linkage of lysine 258 to the PLP. The tryptophan 140 ring lies in front of the coenzyme. Several protons, labeled Ha, Hb, and Hd are represented in NMR spectra by distinct resonances whose chemical shifts are sensitive to changes in the active site.169...

These carotenoids have a limited distribution and occur as complexes, perhaps in Schiff base linkage, with proteins. Astaxanthin protein complexes with absorption maxima ranging from 410 nm to 625 nm or more provide the color to the lobster s exoskeleton.130132 Whereas most naturally occurring carotenoids have all-E double bonds, mono-Z isomers of canthaxanthin are found in the colored carotenopro-teins of the brine shrimp Artemesia.133... 

Figure 23-40 (A) Diagram of a vertebrate rod cell. From Abrahamson and Fager.446 (B) Electron micrograph of a longitudinal section of the outer segment of a retinal rod of a rat. There are 600-2000 discs per rod and 2 x 104 and 8 x 10s rhodopsin molecules per disc. Courtesy of John E. Dowling. (C) Enlarged section from Dratz and Hargrave.451 (D) Schematic drawing of rhodopsin. The two a helices in the front have been partly cut away to reveal the 11-c/s retinal in protonated Schiff base linkage to lysine 296. From Nathans.448 Courtesy of Jeremy Nathans.

The visual chromophores. Rhodopsin has been an object of scientific interest for over 100 years.462 Wald and associates469 470 established that rhodopsin contains 11-ds-retinal bound to the opsin in Schiff base linkage (Eq. 23-36). When native rhodopsin is treated with sodium borohydride, little reduction is observed. However, after the protein is bleached by light, reduction of the Schiff base linkage becomes rapid, and the retinal is incorporated into a secondary amine, which was identified as arising from Lys 296. 

Amino groups on proteins may be reacted with the bis-aldehyde compound glutaraldehyde to form activated derivatives able to cross-link with other proteins. The reaction mechanism for this modification proceeds by one of several possible routes. In the first option, one of the aldehyde ends can form a Schiff base linkage with e-amines... 

Glutaraldehyde is among the earliest homobifunctional cross-linkers employed for protein conjugation (Chapter 4, Section 6.2). It reacts with amine groups through several routes, including the formation of Schiff base linkages, which can be reduced... 

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