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Malakar P, Gholami S, Aarabi M, Rivalta I, Sheves M, Garavelli M, Ruhman S. Retinal photoisomerization versus counterion protonation in light and dark-adapted bacteriorhodopsin and its primary photoproduct. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2136. [PMID: 38459010 PMCID: PMC10923925 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46061-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Discovered over 50 years ago, bacteriorhodopsin is the first recognized and most widely studied microbial retinal protein. Serving as a light-activated proton pump, it represents the archetypal ion-pumping system. Here we compare the photochemical dynamics of bacteriorhodopsin light and dark-adapted forms with that of the first metastable photocycle intermediate known as "K". We observe that following thermal double isomerization of retinal in the dark from bio-active all-trans 15-anti to 13-cis, 15-syn, photochemistry proceeds even faster than the ~0.5 ps decay of the former, exhibiting ballistic wave packet curve crossing to the ground state. In contrast, photoexcitation of K containing a 13-cis, 15-anti chromophore leads to markedly multi-exponential excited state decay including much slower stages. QM/MM calculations, aimed to interpret these results, highlight the crucial role of protonation, showing that the classic quadrupole counterion model poorly reproduces spectral data and dynamics. Single protonation of ASP212 rectifies discrepancies and predicts triple ground state structural heterogeneity aligning with experimental observations. These findings prompt a reevaluation of counter ion protonation in bacteriorhodopsin and contribute to the broader understanding of its photochemical dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Partha Malakar
- Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401, Israel
| | - Samira Gholami
- Dipartimento di Chimica industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, 40136, Bologna, Italy
| | - Mohammad Aarabi
- Dipartimento di Chimica industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, 40136, Bologna, Italy
| | - Ivan Rivalta
- Dipartimento di Chimica industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, 40136, Bologna, Italy
- ENSL, CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie UMR 5182, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364, Lyon, France
| | - Mordechai Sheves
- Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel.
| | - Marco Garavelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, 40136, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Sanford Ruhman
- Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401, Israel.
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Zhao X, Li J, Luo J, Liu J. Significant Acceleration of E-Z Photoisomerization induced by Molecular Planarity Breaking. Chem Phys Lett 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cplett.2023.140480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2023]
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Retinal chromophore charge delocalization and confinement explain the extreme photophysics of Neorhodopsin. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6652. [PMID: 36333283 PMCID: PMC9636224 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33953-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The understanding of how the rhodopsin sequence can be modified to exactly modulate the spectroscopic properties of its retinal chromophore, is a prerequisite for the rational design of more effective optogenetic tools. One key problem is that of establishing the rules to be satisfied for achieving highly fluorescent rhodopsins with a near infrared absorption. In the present paper we use multi-configurational quantum chemistry to construct a computer model of a recently discovered natural rhodopsin, Neorhodopsin, displaying exactly such properties. We show that the model, that successfully replicates the relevant experimental observables, unveils a geometrical and electronic structure of the chromophore featuring a highly diffuse charge distribution along its conjugated chain. The same model reveals that a charge confinement process occurring along the chromophore excited state isomerization coordinate, is the primary cause of the observed fluorescence enhancement.
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Borji S, Vahedpour M. Quantum chemical design of near-infrared retinal-based pigments and evaluating their vibronic/electronic properties. COMPUT THEOR CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.comptc.2022.113835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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de Grip WJ, Ganapathy S. Rhodopsins: An Excitingly Versatile Protein Species for Research, Development and Creative Engineering. Front Chem 2022; 10:879609. [PMID: 35815212 PMCID: PMC9257189 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.879609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The first member and eponym of the rhodopsin family was identified in the 1930s as the visual pigment of the rod photoreceptor cell in the animal retina. It was found to be a membrane protein, owing its photosensitivity to the presence of a covalently bound chromophoric group. This group, derived from vitamin A, was appropriately dubbed retinal. In the 1970s a microbial counterpart of this species was discovered in an archaeon, being a membrane protein also harbouring retinal as a chromophore, and named bacteriorhodopsin. Since their discovery a photogenic panorama unfolded, where up to date new members and subspecies with a variety of light-driven functionality have been added to this family. The animal branch, meanwhile categorized as type-2 rhodopsins, turned out to form a large subclass in the superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors and are essential to multiple elements of light-dependent animal sensory physiology. The microbial branch, the type-1 rhodopsins, largely function as light-driven ion pumps or channels, but also contain sensory-active and enzyme-sustaining subspecies. In this review we will follow the development of this exciting membrane protein panorama in a representative number of highlights and will present a prospect of their extraordinary future potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem J. de Grip
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Department of Biophysical Organic Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
- Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Srividya Ganapathy
- Department of Imaging Physics, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
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Gruber E, Kabylda AM, Nielsen MB, Rasmussen AP, Teiwes R, Kusochek PA, Bochenkova AV, Andersen LH. Light Driven Ultrafast Bioinspired Molecular Motors: Steering and Accelerating Photoisomerization Dynamics of Retinal. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:69-73. [PMID: 34958197 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c10752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Photoisomerization of retinal protonated Schiff base in microbial and animal rhodopsins are strikingly ultrafast and highly specific. Both protein environments provide conditions for fine-tuning the photochemistry of their chromophores. Here, by combining time-resolved action absorption spectroscopy and high-level electronic structure theory, we show that similar control can be gained in a synthetically engineered retinal chromophore. By locking the dimethylated retinal Schiff base at the C11═C12 double bond in its trans configuration (L-RSB), the excited-state decay is rendered from a slow picosecond to an ultrafast subpicosecond regime in the gas phase. Steric hindrance and pretwisting of L-RSB are found to be important for a significant reduction in the excited-state energy barriers, where isomerization of the locked chromophore proceeds along C9═C10 rather than the preferred C11═C12 isomerization path. Remarkably, the accelerated excited-state dynamics also becomes steered. We show that L-RSB is capable of unidirectional 360° rotation from all-trans to 9-cis and from 9-cis to all-trans in only two distinct steps induced by consecutive absorption of two 600 nm photons. This opens a way for the rational design of red-light-driven ultrafast molecular rotary motors based on locked retinal chromophores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Gruber
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Adil M Kabylda
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Anne P Rasmussen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Ricky Teiwes
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Pavel A Kusochek
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Lars H Andersen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Liang R, Yu JK, Meisner J, Liu F, Martinez TJ. Electrostatic Control of Photoisomerization in Channelrhodopsin 2. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:5425-5437. [PMID: 33794085 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c00058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Channelrhodopsin 2 (ChR2) is the most commonly used tool in optogenetics. Because of its faster photocycle compared to wild-type (WT) ChR2, the E123T mutant of ChR2 is a useful optogenetic tool when fast neuronal stimulation is needed. Interestingly, in spite of its faster photocycle, the initial step of the photocycle in E123T (photoisomerization of retinal protonated Schiff base or RPSB) was found experimentally to be much slower than that of WT ChR2. The E123T mutant replaces the negatively charged E123 residue with a neutral T123 residue, perturbing the electric field around the RPSB. Understanding the RPSB photoisomerization mechanism in ChR2 mutants will provide molecular-level insights into how ChR2 photochemical reactivity can be controlled, which will lay the foundation for improving the design of optogenetic tools. In this work, we combine ab initio nonadiabatic dynamics simulation, excited state free energy calculation, and reaction path search to comprehensively characterize the RPSB photoisomerization mechanism in the E123T mutant of ChR2. Our simulation agrees with previous experiments in predicting a red-shifted absorption spectrum and significant slowdown of photoisomerization in the E123T mutant. Interestingly, our simulations predict similar photoisomerization quantum yields for the mutant and WT despite the differences in excited-state lifetime and absorption maximum. Upon mutation, the neutralization of the negative charge on the E123 residue increases the isomerization barrier, alters the reaction pathway, and changes the relative stability of two fluorescent states. Our findings provide new insight into the intricate role of the electrostatic environment on the RPSB photoisomerization mechanism in microbial rhodopsins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruibin Liang
- Department of Chemistry and The PULSE Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Jimmy K Yu
- Department of Chemistry and The PULSE Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
- Biophysics Program, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Jan Meisner
- Department of Chemistry and The PULSE Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Fang Liu
- Department of Chemistry and The PULSE Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Todd J Martinez
- Department of Chemistry and The PULSE Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
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