1
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Piatkevich KD, Boyden ES. Optogenetic control of neural activity: The biophysics of microbial rhodopsins in neuroscience. Q Rev Biophys 2023; 57:e1. [PMID: 37831008 DOI: 10.1017/s0033583523000033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Optogenetics, the use of microbial rhodopsins to make the electrical activity of targeted neurons controllable by light, has swept through neuroscience, enabling thousands of scientists to study how specific neuron types contribute to behaviors and pathologies, and how they might serve as novel therapeutic targets. By activating a set of neurons, one can probe what functions they can initiate or sustain, and by silencing a set of neurons, one can probe the functions they are necessary for. We here review the biophysics of these molecules, asking why they became so useful in neuroscience for the study of brain circuitry. We review the history of the field, including early thinking, early experiments, applications of optogenetics, pre-optogenetics targeted neural control tools, and the history of discovering and characterizing microbial rhodopsins. We then review the biophysical attributes of rhodopsins that make them so useful to neuroscience - their classes and structure, their photocycles, their photocurrent magnitudes and kinetics, their action spectra, and their ion selectivity. Our hope is to convey to the reader how specific biophysical properties of these molecules made them especially useful to neuroscientists for a difficult problem - the control of high-speed electrical activity, with great precision and ease, in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiryl D Piatkevich
- School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Edward S Boyden
- McGovern Institute and Koch Institute, Departments of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Media Arts and Sciences, and Biological Engineering, K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics and Center for Neurobiological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
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2
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Lee CY, Chen KW, Chiang CL, Kao HY, Yu HC, Lee HC, Chen WL. Improved production of β-carotene in light-powered Escherichia coli by co-expression of Gloeobacter rhodopsin expression. Microb Cell Fact 2023; 22:207. [PMID: 37817206 PMCID: PMC10563301 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-023-02212-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Providing sufficient and usable energy for the cell factory has long been a heated issue in biosynthesis as solar energy has never been rooted out from the strategy for improvement, and turning Escherichia coli (E. coli) into a phototrophic host has multiple captivating qualities for biosynthesis. In this study, β-carotene was a stable compound for production in E. coli with the expression of four enzymes (CrtE, CrtB, CrtI, CrtY) for production due to its light-harvesting feature as an antenna pigment and as an antioxidant and important precursor for human health. The expression of Gloeobacter rhodopsin (GR) in microbial organisms was proved to have potential for application. RESULTS The expression of fusion protein, GR-GFP, in E. coli showed visible GFP signal under fluorescent microscopy, and its in vivo proton pumping activity signal can be detected in induced photocurrent by electrodes on the chip under intervals of illumination. To assess the phototrophic synthesis ability of the host strain compared to wild-type and vector control strain in chemostat batch with illumination, the expression of red fluorescent protein (RFP) as a target protein showed its yield improvement in protein assay and also reflected its early dominance in RFP fluorescence signal during the incubation, whereas the synthesis of β-carotene also showed yield increase by 1.36-fold and 2.32-fold compared with its wildtype and vector control strain. To investigate the effect of GR-GFP on E. coli, the growth of the host showed early rise into the exponential phase compared to the vector control strain and glucose turnover rate was elevated in increased glucose intake rate and upregulation of ATP-related genes in glycolysis (PtsG, Pgk, Pyk). CONCLUSION We reported the first-time potential application of GR in the form of fusion protein GR-GFP. Expression of GR-GFP in E. coli improved the production of β-carotene and RFP. Our work provides a strain of E. coli harboring phototrophic metabolism, thus paving path to a more sustainable and scalable production of biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao-Yu Lee
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Bioengineering, Department of Biological Science & Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300093, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Wen Chen
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Bioengineering, Department of Biological Science & Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300093, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Lu Chiang
- Department of Civil Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300093, Taiwan
| | - Hsuan-Yu Kao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300093, Taiwan
- Department of Civil Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300093, Taiwan
| | - Hao-Cheng Yu
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Bioengineering, Department of Biological Science & Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300093, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Ching Lee
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Bioengineering, Department of Biological Science & Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300093, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Liang Chen
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Bioengineering, Department of Biological Science & Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300093, Taiwan.
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3
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Meng X, Ganapathy S, van Roemburg L, Post M, Brinks D. Voltage Imaging with Engineered Proton-Pumping Rhodopsins: Insights from the Proton Transfer Pathway. ACS PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY AU 2023; 3:320-333. [PMID: 37520318 PMCID: PMC10375888 DOI: 10.1021/acsphyschemau.3c00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Voltage imaging using genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) has taken the field of neuroscience by storm in the past decade. Its ability to create subcellular and network level readouts of electrical dynamics depends critically on the kinetics of the response to voltage of the indicator used. Engineered microbial rhodopsins form a GEVI subclass known for their high voltage sensitivity and fast response kinetics. Here we review the essential aspects of microbial rhodopsin photocycles that are critical to understanding the mechanisms of voltage sensitivity in these proteins and link them to insights from efforts to create faster, brighter and more sensitive microbial rhodopsin-based GEVIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Meng
- Department
of Imaging Physics, Delft University of
Technology, 2628 CJ Delft, The
Netherlands
| | - Srividya Ganapathy
- Department
of Imaging Physics, Delft University of
Technology, 2628 CJ Delft, The
Netherlands
- Department
of Pediatrics & Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD School of Medicine, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Lars van Roemburg
- Department
of Imaging Physics, Delft University of
Technology, 2628 CJ Delft, The
Netherlands
| | - Marco Post
- Department
of Imaging Physics, Delft University of
Technology, 2628 CJ Delft, The
Netherlands
| | - Daan Brinks
- Department
of Imaging Physics, Delft University of
Technology, 2628 CJ Delft, The
Netherlands
- Department
of Molecular Genetics, Erasmus University
Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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4
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Hososhima S, Mizutori R, Abe-Yoshizumi R, Rozenberg A, Shigemura S, Pushkarev A, Konno M, Katayama K, Inoue K, Tsunoda SP, Béjà O, Kandori H. Proton-transporting heliorhodopsins from marine giant viruses. eLife 2022; 11:78416. [PMID: 36065640 PMCID: PMC9448325 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhodopsins convert light into signals and energy in animals and microbes. Heliorhodopsins (HeRs), a recently discovered new rhodopsin family, are widely present in archaea, bacteria, unicellular eukaryotes, and giant viruses, but their function remains unknown. Here, we report that a viral HeR from Emiliania huxleyi virus 202 (V2HeR3) is a light-activated proton transporter. V2HeR3 absorbs blue-green light, and the active intermediate contains the deprotonated retinal Schiff base. Site-directed mutagenesis study revealed that E191 in TM6 constitutes the gate together with the retinal Schiff base. E205 and E215 form a PAG of the Schiff base, and mutations at these positions converted the protein into an outward proton pump. Three environmental viral HeRs from the same group as well as a more distantly related HeR exhibited similar proton-transport activity, indicating that HeR functions might be diverse similarly to type-1 microbial rhodopsins. Some strains of E. huxleyi contain one HeR that is related to the viral HeRs, while its viruses EhV-201 and EhV-202 contain two and three HeRs, respectively. Except for V2HeR3 from EhV-202, none of these proteins exhibit ion transport activity. Thus, when expressed in the E. huxleyi cell membranes, only V2HeR3 has the potential to depolarize the host cells by light, possibly to overcome the host defense mechanisms or to prevent superinfection. The neuronal activity generated by V2HeR3 suggests that it can potentially be used as an optogenetic tool, similarly to type-1 microbial rhodopsins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoko Hososhima
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology
| | - Ritsu Mizutori
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology
| | - Rei Abe-Yoshizumi
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology
| | | | - Shunta Shigemura
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology
| | | | - Masae Konno
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology
| | - Kota Katayama
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology
- OptoBioTechnology Research Center, Nagoya Institute of Technology
| | - Keiichi Inoue
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology
| | - Satoshi P Tsunoda
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology
- OptoBioTechnology Research Center, Nagoya Institute of Technology
| | - Oded Béjà
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
| | - Hideki Kandori
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology
- OptoBioTechnology Research Center, Nagoya Institute of Technology
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5
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Abstract
Optogenetics has revolutionized not only neuroscience but also had an impact on muscle physiology and cell biology. Rhodopsin-based optogenetics started with the discovery of the light-gated cation channels, called channelrhodopsins. Together with the light-driven ion pumps, these channels allow light-mediated control of electrically excitable cells in culture tissue and living animals. They can be activated (depolarized) or silenced (hyperpolarized) by light with incomparably high spatiotemporal resolution. Optogenetics allows the light manipulation of cells under electrode-free conditions in a minimally invasive manner. Through modern genetic techniques, virus-induced transduction can be performed with extremely high cell specificity in tissue and living animals, allowing completely new approaches for analyzing neural networks, behavior studies, and investigations of neurodegenerative diseases. First clinical trials for the optogenetic recovery of vision are underway.This chapter provides a comprehensive description of the structure and function of the different light-gated channels and some new light-activated ion pumps. Some of them already play an essential role in optogenetics while others are supposed to become important tools for more specialized applications in the future.At the moment, a large number of publications are available concerning intrinsic mechanisms of microbial rhodopsins. Mostly they describe CrChR2 and its variants, as CrChR2 is still the most prominent optogenetic tool. Therefore, many biophysically and biochemically oriented groups contributed to the overwhelming mass of information on this unique ion channel's molecular mechanism. In this context, the function of new optogenetic tools is discussed, which is essential for rational optimization of the optogenetic approach for an eventual biomedical application. The comparison of the effectivity of ion pumps versus ion channels is discussed as well.Applications of rhodopsins-based optogenetic tools are also discussed in the chapter. Because of the enormous number of these applications in neuroscience, only exemplary studies on cell culture neural tissue, muscle physiology, and remote control of animal behavior are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Alekseev
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Valentin Gordeliy
- Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS), Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, Grenoble, France
| | - Ernst Bamberg
- Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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6
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Hososhima S, Kandori H, Tsunoda SP. Ion transport activity and optogenetics capability of light-driven Na+-pump KR2. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256728. [PMID: 34506508 PMCID: PMC8432791 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
KR2 from marine bacteria Krokinobacter eikastus is a light-driven Na+ pumping rhodopsin family (NaRs) member that actively transports Na+ and/or H+ depending on the ionic state. We here report electrophysiological studies on KR2 to address ion-transport properties under various electrochemical potentials of Δ[Na+], ΔpH, membrane voltage and light quality, because the contributions of these on the pumping activity were less understood so far. After transient expression of KR2 in mammalian cultured cells (ND7/23 cells), photocurrents were measured by whole-cell patch clamp under various intracellular Na+ and pH conditions. When KR2 was continuously illuminated with LED light, two distinct time constants were obtained depending on the Na+ concentration. KR2 exhibited slow ion transport (τoff of 28 ms) below 1.1 mM NaCl and rapid transport (τoff of 11 ms) above 11 mM NaCl. This indicates distinct transporting kinetics of H+ and Na+. Photocurrent amplitude (current density) depends on the intracellular Na+ concentration, as is expected for a Na+ pump. The M-intermediate in the photocycle of KR2 could be transferred into the dark state without net ion transport by blue light illumination on top of green light. The M intermediate was stabilized by higher membrane voltage. Furthermore, we assessed the optogenetic silencing effect of rat cortical neurons after expressing KR2. Light power dependency revealed that action potential was profoundly inhibited by 1.5 mW/mm2 green light illumination, confirming the ability to apply KR2 as an optogenetics silencer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoko Hososhima
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Hideki Kandori
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Japan
- OptoBio Technology Research Center, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Satoshi P. Tsunoda
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Japan
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
- * E-mail:
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7
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Rokitskaya TI, Maliar N, Kovalev KV, Volkov O, Gordeliy VI, Antonenko YN. Rhodopsin Channel Activity Can Be Evaluated by Measuring the Photocurrent Voltage Dependence in Planar Bilayer Lipid Membranes. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2021; 86:409-419. [PMID: 33941063 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297921040039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The studies of the functional properties of retinal-containing proteins often include experiments in model membrane systems, e.g., measurements of electric current through planar bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) with proteoliposomes adsorbed on one of the membrane surfaces. However, the possibilities of this method have not been fully explored yet. We demonstrated that the voltage dependence of stationary photocurrents for two light-sensitive proteins, bacteriorhodopsin (bR) and channelrhodopsin 2 (ChR2), in the presence of protonophore had very different characteristics. In the case of the bR (proton pump), the photocurrent through the BLM did not change direction when the polarity of the applied voltage was switched. In the case of the photosensitive channel protein ChR2, the photocurrent increased with the increase in voltage and the current polarity changed with the change in the voltage polarity. The protonophore 4,5,6,7-tetrachloro-2-trifluoromethyl benzimidazole (TTFB) was more efficient in the maximizing stationary photocurrents. In the presence of carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), the amplitude of the measured photocurrents for bR significantly decreased, while in the case of ChR2, the photocurrents virtually disappeared. The difference between the effects of TTFB and CCCP was apparently due to the fact that, in contrast to TTFB, CCCP transfers protons across the liposome membranes with a higher rate than through the decane-containing BLM used as a surface for the proteoliposome adsorption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana I Rokitskaya
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
| | - Nina Maliar
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russia
| | - Kirill V Kovalev
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russia.,Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS), Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, Grenoble, 38044, France
| | - Oleksandr Volkov
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Juelich, 52425, Germany.,JuStruct: Jülich Center for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Juelich, 52425, Germany
| | - Valentin I Gordeliy
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701, Russia.,Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS), Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, Grenoble, 38044, France.,Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Juelich, 52425, Germany.,JuStruct: Jülich Center for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Juelich, 52425, Germany
| | - Yuri N Antonenko
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
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8
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Berselli G, Gimenez A, O’Connor A, Keyes TE. Robust Photoelectric Biomolecular Switch at a Microcavity-Supported Lipid Bilayer. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:29158-29169. [PMID: 34121400 PMCID: PMC8289237 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c06798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Biomolecular devices based on photo-responsive proteins have been widely proposed for medical, electrical, and energy storage and production applications. Also, bacteriorhodopsin (bR) has been extensively applied in such prospective devices as a robust photo addressable proton pump. As it is a membrane protein, in principle, it should function most efficiently when reconstituted into a fully fluid lipid bilayer, but in many model membranes, lateral fluidity of the membrane and protein is sacrificed for electrochemical addressability because of the need for an electroactive surface. Here, we reported a biomolecular photoactive device based on light-activated proton pump, bR, reconstituted into highly fluidic microcavity-supported lipid bilayers (MSLBs) on functionalized gold and polydimethylsiloxane cavity array substrates. The integrity of reconstituted bR at the MSLBs along with the lipid bilayer formation was evaluated by fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy, yielding a protein lateral diffusion coefficient that was dependent on the bR concentration and consistent with the Saffman-Delbrück model. The photoelectrical properties of bR-MSLBs were evaluated from the photocurrent signal generated by bR under continuous and transient light illumination. The optimal conditions for a self-sustaining photoelectrical switch were determined in terms of protein concentration, pH, and light switch frequency of activation. Overall, a significant increase in the transient current was observed for lipid bilayers containing approximately 0.3 mol % bR with a measured photo-current of 250 nA/cm2. These results demonstrate that the platforms provide an appropriate lipid environment to support the proton pump, enabling its efficient operation. The bR-reconstituted MSLB model serves both as a platform to study the protein in a highly addressable biomimetic environment and as a demonstration of reconstitution of seven-helix receptors into MSLBs, opening the prospect of reconstitution of related membrane proteins including G-protein-coupled receptors on these versatile biomimetic substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme
B. Berselli
- School of Chemical Sciences, National
Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City
University, Dublin D09 FW22, Ireland
| | - Aurélien
V. Gimenez
- School of Chemical Sciences, National
Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City
University, Dublin D09 FW22, Ireland
| | - Alexandra O’Connor
- School of Chemical Sciences, National
Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City
University, Dublin D09 FW22, Ireland
| | - Tia E. Keyes
- School of Chemical Sciences, National
Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City
University, Dublin D09 FW22, Ireland
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9
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Charge Transport by Light-Activated Rhodopsins Determined by Electrophysiological Recordings. Methods Mol Biol 2020. [PMID: 32865739 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0830-2_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Electrophysiological experiments are required to determine the ion transport properties of light-activated currents from microbial rhodopsin expressing cells. The recordings set the quantitative basis for correlation with spectroscopic data and for understanding of channel gating, ion transport vectoriality, or ion selectivity. This chapter focuses on voltage-clamp recordings of channelrhodopsin-2-expressing cells, and it will describe different illumination protocols that reveal the kinetic properties of gating. While the opening and closing reaction is determined from a single turnover upon a short laser flash, desensitization of the light-gated currents is studied under continuous illumination. Recovery from the desensitized state is probed after prolonged illumination with a subsequent light activation upon different dark intervals. Compiling the experimental data will define a minimum number of states in kinetic schemes used to describe the light-gated currents in channelrhodopsins, and emphasis will be given on how to correlate the results with the different time-resolved spectroscopic experiments.
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10
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Engineered Passive Potassium Conductance in the KR2 Sodium Pump. Biophys J 2019; 116:1941-1951. [PMID: 31036257 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Light-driven sodium pumps (NaRs) are microbial rhodopsins that utilize light energy to actively transport sodium ions out of the cell. Here, we used targeted mutagenesis and electrophysiological methods in living cells to demonstrate that NaRs can be converted into light-activated cation channels by molecular engineering. Specifically, introduction of the R109Q mutation into the sodium ion pump of Dokdonia eikasta (KR2) results in passive ion conductance, with a high preference for potassium over sodium ions. However, in this mutant, residual active outward pumping of sodium ions competes with passive inward transport of potassium. Channel-like behavior could also be achieved by introduction of other mutations into the KR2 counterion complex, and further, these modifications were transferrable to other NaRs. Combining the R109Q replacement with modifications at position S70 removed the residual sodium pumping and greatly enhanced the channel-like activity. However, passive photocurrents were only observed in leak mutants if the KR2 counterions, D116 and D251, were deprotonated, which was only observed under alkaline conditions. Overall, our results reveal that interactions between R109 and the nearby residues, L75, S70, D116, and D251, prevent passive backflow during ion transport in NaRs.
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11
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Fudim R, Szczepek M, Vierock J, Vogt A, Schmidt A, Kleinau G, Fischer P, Bartl F, Scheerer P, Hegemann P. Design of a light-gated proton channel based on the crystal structure of Coccomyxa rhodopsin. Sci Signal 2019; 12:12/573/eaav4203. [PMID: 30890657 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aav4203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The light-driven proton pump Coccomyxa subellipsoidea rhodopsin (CsR) provides-because of its high expression in heterologous host cells-an opportunity to study active proton transport under controlled electrochemical conditions. In this study, solving crystal structure of CsR at 2.0-Å resolution enabled us to identify distinct features of the membrane protein that determine ion transport directivity and voltage sensitivity. A specific hydrogen bond between the highly conserved Arg83 and the nearby nonconserved tyrosine (Tyr14) guided our structure-based transformation of CsR into an operational light-gated proton channel (CySeR) that could potentially be used in optogenetic assays. Time-resolved electrophysiological and spectroscopic measurements distinguished pump currents from channel currents in a single protein and emphasized the necessity of Arg83 mobility in CsR as a dynamic extracellular barrier to prevent passive conductance. Our findings reveal that molecular constraints that distinguish pump from channel currents are structurally more confined than was generally expected. This knowledge might enable the structure-based design of novel optogenetic tools, which derive from microbial pumps and are therefore ion specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Fudim
- Experimental Biophysics, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstr. 42, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Michal Szczepek
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Group Protein X-ray Crystallography & Signal Transduction, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes Vierock
- Experimental Biophysics, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstr. 42, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Arend Vogt
- Experimental Biophysics, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstr. 42, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrea Schmidt
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Group Protein X-ray Crystallography & Signal Transduction, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gunnar Kleinau
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Group Protein X-ray Crystallography & Signal Transduction, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Fischer
- Experimental Biophysics, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstr. 42, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Franz Bartl
- Biophysical Chemistry, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstr. 42, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Patrick Scheerer
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Group Protein X-ray Crystallography & Signal Transduction, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Peter Hegemann
- Experimental Biophysics, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstr. 42, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
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12
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Engelhard C, Chizhov I, Siebert F, Engelhard M. Microbial Halorhodopsins: Light-Driven Chloride Pumps. Chem Rev 2018; 118:10629-10645. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Igor Chizhov
- Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Hannover Medical School, OE8830 Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Friedrich Siebert
- Institut für Molekulare Medizin und Zellforschung, Sektion Biophysik, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herderstr. 9, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Martin Engelhard
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology, Otto Hahn Str. 11, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
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13
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O'Banion CP, Lawrence DS. Optogenetics: A Primer for Chemists. Chembiochem 2018; 19:1201-1216. [DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Colin P. O'Banion
- Department of Chemistry; Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry and; Department of Pharmacology; University of North Carolina; Chapel Hill NC 27599 USA
| | - David S. Lawrence
- Department of Chemistry; Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry and; Department of Pharmacology; University of North Carolina; Chapel Hill NC 27599 USA
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14
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Tsunoda SP, Prigge M, Abe-Yoshizumi R, Inoue K, Kozaki Y, Ishizuka T, Yawo H, Yizhar O, Kandori H. Functional characterization of sodium-pumping rhodopsins with different pumping properties. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0179232. [PMID: 28749956 PMCID: PMC5531490 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Accepted: 05/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Sodium pumping rhodopsins (NaRs) are a unique member of the microbial-type I rhodopsin family which actively transport Na+ and H+ depending on ionic condition. In this study, we surveyed 12 different NaRs from various sources of eubacteria for their electrophysiological as well as spectroscopic properties. In mammalian cells several of these NaRs exhibited a Na+ based pump photocurrent and four interesting candidates were chosen for further characterization. Voltage dependent photocurrent amplitudes revealed a membrane potential-sensitive turnover rate, indicating the presence of an electrically-charged intermediate(s) in the photocycle reaction. The NaR from Salinarimonas rosea DSM21201 exhibited a red-shifted absorption spectrum, and slower kinetics compared to the first described sodium pump, KR2. Although the ratio of Na+ to H+ ion transport varied among the NaRs we tested, the NaRs from Flagellimonas sp_DIK and Nonlabens sp_YIK_SED-11 showed significantly higher Na+ selectivity when compared to KR2. All four further investigated NaRs showed a functional expression in dissociated hippocampal neuron culture and hyperpolarizing activity upon light-stimulation. Additionally, all four NaRs allowed optical inhibition of electrically-evoked neuronal spiking. Although efficiency of silencing was 3–5 times lower than silencing with the enhanced version of the proton pump AR3 from Halorubrum sodomense, our data outlines a new approach for hyperpolarization of excitable cells without affecting the intracellular and extracellular proton environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi P. Tsunoda
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
- Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan
- OptoBioTechnology Research Center, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Matthias Prigge
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Rei Abe-Yoshizumi
- Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan
- OptoBioTechnology Research Center, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Keiichi Inoue
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
- Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan
- OptoBioTechnology Research Center, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan
- Department of Frontier Materials, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yuko Kozaki
- Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan
- OptoBioTechnology Research Center, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Toru Ishizuka
- Department of Developmental Biology and Neurosciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Science, Sendai, Japan
| | - Hiromu Yawo
- Department of Developmental Biology and Neurosciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Science, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ofer Yizhar
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Hideki Kandori
- Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan
- OptoBioTechnology Research Center, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan
- * E-mail:
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15
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Conversion of a light-driven proton pump into a light-gated ion channel. Sci Rep 2015; 5:16450. [PMID: 26597707 PMCID: PMC4657025 DOI: 10.1038/srep16450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 10/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Interest in microbial rhodopsins with ion pumping activity has been revitalized in the context of optogenetics, where light-driven ion pumps are used for cell hyperpolarization and voltage sensing. We identified an opsin-encoding gene (CsR) in the genome of the arctic alga Coccomyxa subellipsoidea C-169 that can produce large photocurrents in Xenopus oocytes. We used this property to analyze the function of individual residues in proton pumping. Modification of the highly conserved proton shuttling residue R83 or its interaction partner Y57 strongly reduced pumping power. Moreover, this mutation converted CsR at moderate electrochemical load into an operational proton channel with inward or outward rectification depending on the amino acid substitution. Together with molecular dynamics simulations, these data demonstrate that CsR-R83 and its interacting partner Y57 in conjunction with water molecules forms a proton shuttle that blocks passive proton flux during the dark-state but promotes proton movement uphill upon illumination.
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16
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García-Martínez J, Brunk M, Avalos J, Terpitz U. The CarO rhodopsin of the fungus Fusarium fujikuroi is a light-driven proton pump that retards spore germination. Sci Rep 2015; 5:7798. [PMID: 25589426 PMCID: PMC4295100 DOI: 10.1038/srep07798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhodopsins are membrane-embedded photoreceptors found in all major taxonomic kingdoms using retinal as their chromophore. They play well-known functions in different biological systems, but their roles in fungi remain unknown. The filamentous fungus Fusarium fujikuroi contains two putative rhodopsins, CarO and OpsA. The gene carO is light-regulated, and the predicted polypeptide contains all conserved residues required for proton pumping. We aimed to elucidate the expression and cellular location of the fungal rhodopsin CarO, its presumed proton-pumping activity and the possible effect of such function on F. fujikuroi growth. In electrophysiology experiments we confirmed that CarO is a green-light driven proton pump. Visualization of fluorescent CarO-YFP expressed in F. fujikuroi under control of its native promoter revealed higher accumulation in spores (conidia) produced by light-exposed mycelia. Germination analyses of conidia from carO(-) mutant and carO(+) control strains showed a faster development of light-exposed carO(-) germlings. In conclusion, CarO is an active proton pump, abundant in light-formed conidia, whose activity slows down early hyphal development under light. Interestingly, CarO-related rhodopsins are typically found in plant-associated fungi, where green light dominates the phyllosphere. Our data provide the first reliable clue on a possible biological role of a fungal rhodopsin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge García-Martínez
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, E-41012 Seville, Spain
| | - Michael Brunk
- Department of Biotechnology and Biophysics, Biocenter, Julius Maximilian University Würzburg, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Javier Avalos
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, E-41012 Seville, Spain
| | - Ulrich Terpitz
- Department of Biotechnology and Biophysics, Biocenter, Julius Maximilian University Würzburg, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany
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17
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Berndt A, Lee SY, Ramakrishnan C, Deisseroth K. Structure-guided transformation of channelrhodopsin into a light-activated chloride channel. Science 2014; 344:420-4. [PMID: 24763591 PMCID: PMC4096039 DOI: 10.1126/science.1252367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 264] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Using light to silence electrical activity in targeted cells is a major goal of optogenetics. Available optogenetic proteins that directly move ions to achieve silencing are inefficient, pumping only a single ion per photon across the cell membrane rather than allowing many ions per photon to flow through a channel pore. Building on high-resolution crystal-structure analysis, pore vestibule modeling, and structure-guided protein engineering, we designed and characterized a class of channelrhodopsins (originally cation-conducting) converted into chloride-conducting anion channels. These tools enable fast optical inhibition of action potentials and can be engineered to display step-function kinetics for stable inhibition, outlasting light pulses and for orders-of-magnitude-greater light sensitivity of inhibited cells. The resulting family of proteins defines an approach to more physiological, efficient, and sensitive optogenetic inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andre Berndt
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Soo Yeun Lee
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Charu Ramakrishnan
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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18
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Wang T, Oppawsky C, Duan Y, Tittor J, Oesterhelt D, Facciotti MT. Stable closure of the cytoplasmic half-channel is required for efficient proton transport at physiological membrane potentials in the bacteriorhodopsin catalytic cycle. Biochemistry 2014; 53:2380-90. [PMID: 24660845 PMCID: PMC4004217 DOI: 10.1021/bi4013808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
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The bacteriorhodopsin (BR) Asp96Gly/Phe171Cys/Phe219Leu
triple
mutant has been shown to translocate protons 66% as efficiently as
the wild-type protein. Light-dependent ATP synthesis in haloarchaeal
cells expressing the triple mutant is 85% that of the wild-type BR
expressing cells. Therefore, the functional activity of BR seems to
be largely preserved in the triple mutant despite the observations
that its ground-state structure resembles that of the wild-type M
state (i.e., the so-called cytoplasmically open state) and that the
mutant shows no significant structural changes during its photocycle,
in sharp contrast to what occurs in the wild-type protein in which
a large structural opening and closing occurs on the cytoplasmic side.
To resolve the contradiction between the apparent functional robustness
of the triple mutant and the presumed importance of the opening and
closing that occurs in the wild-type protein, we conducted additional
experiments to compare the behavior of wild-type and mutant proteins
under different operational loads. Specifically, we characterized
the ability of the two proteins to generate light-driven proton currents
against a range of membrane potentials. The wild-type protein showed
maximal conductance between −150 and −50 mV, whereas
the mutant showed maximal conductance at membrane potentials >+50
mV. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the triple mutant were
also conducted to characterize structural changes in the protein and
in solvent accessibility that might help to functionally contextualize
the current–voltage data. These simulations revealed that the
cytoplasmic half-channel of the triple mutant is constitutively open
and dynamically exchanges water with the bulk. Collectively, the data
and simulations help to explain why this mutant BR does not mediate
photosynthetic growth of haloarchaeal cells, and they suggest that
the structural closing observed in the wild-type protein likely plays
a key role in minimizing substrate back flow in the face of electrochemical
driving forces present at physiological membrane potentials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Genome Center, 451 East Health Science Drive, University of California , Davis, California 95616-8816, United States
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19
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Venkatachalam V, Brinks D, Maclaurin D, Hochbaum D, Kralj J, Cohen AE. Flash memory: photochemical imprinting of neuronal action potentials onto a microbial rhodopsin. J Am Chem Soc 2014; 136:2529-37. [PMID: 24428326 PMCID: PMC3985752 DOI: 10.1021/ja411338t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
We developed a technique, "flash memory", to record a photochemical imprint of the activity state--firing or not firing--of a neuron at a user-selected moment in time. The key element is an engineered microbial rhodopsin protein with three states. Two nonfluorescent states, D1 and D2, exist in a voltage-dependent equilibrium. A stable fluorescent state, F, is reached by a photochemical conversion from D2. When exposed to light of a wavelength λ(write), population transfers from D2 to F, at a rate determined by the D1 ⇌ D2 equilibrium. The population of F maintains a record of membrane voltage which persists in the dark. Illumination at a later time at a wavelength λ(read) excites fluorescence of F, probing this record. An optional third flash at a wavelength λ(reset) converts F back to D2, for a subsequent write-read cycle. The flash memory method offers the promise to decouple the recording of neural activity from its readout. In principle, the technique may enable one to generate snapshots of neural activity in a large volume of neural tissue, e.g., a complete mouse brain, by circumventing the challenge of imaging a large volume with simultaneous high spatial and high temporal resolution. The proof-of-principle flash memory sensors presented here will need improvements in sensitivity, speed, brightness, and membrane trafficking before this goal can be realized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veena Venkatachalam
- Departments
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physics, and School of Engineering
and Applied
Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Daan Brinks
- Departments
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physics, and School of Engineering
and Applied
Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Dougal Maclaurin
- Departments
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physics, and School of Engineering
and Applied
Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Daniel Hochbaum
- Departments
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physics, and School of Engineering
and Applied
Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Joel Kralj
- Departments
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physics, and School of Engineering
and Applied
Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Adam E. Cohen
- Departments
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physics, and School of Engineering
and Applied
Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
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20
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Lórenz-Fonfría VA, Heberle J. Channelrhodopsin unchained: structure and mechanism of a light-gated cation channel. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2013; 1837:626-42. [PMID: 24212055 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2013.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2013] [Revised: 10/21/2013] [Accepted: 10/30/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The new and vibrant field of optogenetics was founded by the seminal discovery of channelrhodopsin, the first light-gated cation channel. Despite the numerous applications that have revolutionised neurophysiology, the functional mechanism is far from understood on the molecular level. An arsenal of biophysical techniques has been established in the last decades of research on microbial rhodopsins. However, application of these techniques is hampered by the duration and the complexity of the photoreaction of channelrhodopsin compared with other microbial rhodopsins. A particular interest in resolving the molecular mechanism lies in the structural changes that lead to channel opening and closure. Here, we review the current structural and mechanistic knowledge that has been accomplished by integrating the static structure provided by X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy with time-resolved spectroscopic and electrophysiological techniques. The dynamical reactions of the chromophore are effectively coupled to structural changes of the protein, as shown by ultrafast spectroscopy. The hierarchical sequence of structural changes in the protein backbone that spans the time range from 10(-12)s to 10(-3)s prepares the channel to open and, consequently, cations can pass. Proton transfer reactions that are associated with channel gating have been resolved. In particular, glutamate 253 and aspartic acid 156 were identified as proton acceptor and donor to the retinal Schiff base. The reprotonation of the latter is the critical determinant for channel closure. The proton pathway that eventually leads to proton pumping is also discussed. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Retinal Proteins - You can teach an old dog new tricks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Víctor A Lórenz-Fonfría
- Freie Universität Berlin, Experimental Molecular Biophysics, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Joachim Heberle
- Freie Universität Berlin, Experimental Molecular Biophysics, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
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21
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Vogt A, Wietek J, Hegemann P. Gloeobacter rhodopsin, limitation of proton pumping at high electrochemical load. Biophys J 2013; 105:2055-63. [PMID: 24209850 PMCID: PMC3824519 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2013.08.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2013] [Revised: 08/05/2013] [Accepted: 08/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We studied the photocurrents of a cyanobacterial rhodopsin Gloeobacter violaceus (GR) in Xenopus laevis oocytes and HEK-293 cells. This protein is a light-driven proton pump with striking similarities to marine proteorhodopsins, including the D121-H87 cluster of the retinal Schiff base counterion and a glutamate at position 132 that acts as a proton donor for chromophore reprotonation during the photocycle. Interestingly, at low extracellular pH(o) and negative voltage, the proton flux inverted and directed inward. Using electrophysiological measurements of wild-type and mutant GR, we demonstrate that the electrochemical gradient limits outward-directed proton pumping and converts it into a purely passive proton influx. This conclusion contradicts the contemporary paradigm that at low pH, proteorhodopsins actively transport H(+) into cells. We identified E132 and S77 as key residues that allow inward directed diffusion. Substitution of E132 with aspartate or S77 with either alanine or cysteine abolished the inward-directed current almost completely. The proton influx is likely caused by the pK(a) of E132 in GR, which is lower than that of other microbial ion pumping rhodopsins. The advantage of such a low pK(a) is an acceleration of the photocycle and high pump turnover at high light intensities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Peter Hegemann
- Institute of Biology, Experimental Biophysics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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22
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Bamann C, Bamberg E, Wachtveitl J, Glaubitz C. Proteorhodopsin. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2013; 1837:614-25. [PMID: 24060527 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2013.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2013] [Revised: 09/11/2013] [Accepted: 09/13/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Proteorhodopsins are the most abundant retinal based photoreceptors and their phototrophic function might be relevant in marine ecosystems. Here, we describe their remarkable molecular properties with a special focus on the green absorbing variant. Its distinct features include a high pKa value of the primary proton acceptor stabilized through an interaction with a conserved histidine, a long-range interaction between the cytoplasmic EF loop and the chromophore entailing a particular mode of color tuning and a variable proton pumping vectoriality with complex voltage-dependence. The proteorhodopsin family represents a profound example for structure-function relationships. Especially the development of a biophysical understanding of green proteorhodopsin is an excellent example for the unique opportunities offered by a combined approach of advanced spectroscopic and electrophysiological methods. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Retinal Proteins-You can teach an old dog new tricks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Bamann
- Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Max-von-Laue Straße 3, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Ernst Bamberg
- Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Max-von-Laue Straße 3, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Josef Wachtveitl
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Max-von-Laue Straße 7, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Clemens Glaubitz
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Institute for Biophysical Chemistry & Centre for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Max-von-Laue Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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23
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Geibel S, Lörinczi È, Bamberg E, Friedrich T. Voltage dependence of proton pumping by bacteriorhodopsin mutants with altered lifetime of the M intermediate. PLoS One 2013; 8:e73338. [PMID: 24019918 PMCID: PMC3760879 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2013] [Accepted: 07/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The light-driven proton pump bacteriorhodopsin (BR) from Halobacterium salinarum is tightly regulated by the [H(+)] gradient and transmembrane potential. BR exhibits optoelectric properties, since spectral changes during the photocycle are kinetically controlled by voltage, which predestines BR for optical storage or processing devices. BR mutants with prolonged lifetime of the blue-shifted M intermediate would be advantageous, but the optoelectric properties of such mutants are still elusive. Using expression in Xenopus oocytes and two-electrode voltage-clamping, we analyzed photocurrents of BR mutants with kinetically destabilized (F171C, F219L) or stabilized (D96N, D96G) M intermediate in response to green light (to probe H(+) pumping) and blue laser flashes (to probe accumulation/decay of M). These mutants have divergent M lifetimes. As for BR-WT, this strictly correlates with the voltage dependence of H(+) pumping. BR-F171C and BR-F219L showed photocurrents similar to BR-WT. Yet, BR-F171C showed a weaker voltage dependence of proton pumping. For both mutants, blue laser flashes applied during and after green-light illumination showed reduced M accumulation and shorter M lifetime. In contrast, BR-D96G and BR-D96N exhibited small photocurrents, with nonlinear current-voltage curves, which increased strongly in the presence of azide. Blue laser flashes showed heavy M accumulation and prolonged M lifetime, which accounts for the strongly reduced H(+) pumping rate. Hyperpolarizing potentials augmented these effects. The combination of M-stabilizing and -destabilizing mutations in BR-D96G/F171C/F219L (BR-tri) shows that disruption of the primary proton donor Asp-96 is fatal for BR as a proton pump. Mechanistically, M destabilizing mutations cannot compensate for the disruption of Asp-96. Accordingly, BR-tri and BR-D96G photocurrents were similar. However, BR-tri showed negative blue laser flash-induced currents even without actinic green light, indicating that Schiff base deprotonation in BR-tri exists in the dark, in line with previous spectroscopic investigations. Thus, M-stabilizing mutations, including the triple mutation, drastically interfere with electrochemical H(+) gradient generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Geibel
- Max-Planck-Institute of Biophysics, Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Èva Lörinczi
- Max-Planck-Institute of Biophysics, Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ernst Bamberg
- Max-Planck-Institute of Biophysics, Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Thomas Friedrich
- Max-Planck-Institute of Biophysics, Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Technical University of Berlin, Institute of Chemistry, Berlin, Germany
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24
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Mechanism of voltage-sensitive fluorescence in a microbial rhodopsin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:5939-44. [PMID: 23530193 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1215595110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial rhodopsins were recently introduced as genetically encoded fluorescent indicators of membrane voltage. An understanding of the mechanism underlying this function would aid in the design of improved voltage indicators. We asked, what states can the protein adopt, and which states are fluorescent? How does membrane voltage affect the photostationary distribution of states? Here, we present a detailed spectroscopic characterization of Archaerhodopsin 3 (Arch). We performed fluorescence spectroscopy on Arch and its photogenerated intermediates in Escherichia coli and in single HEK293 cells under voltage-clamp conditions. These experiments probed the effects of time-dependent illumination and membrane voltage on absorption, fluorescence, membrane current, and membrane capacitance. The fluorescence of Arch arises through a sequential three-photon process. Membrane voltage modulates protonation of the Schiff base in a 13-cis photocycle intermediate (M ⇌ N equilibrium), not in the ground state as previously hypothesized. We present experimental protocols for optimized voltage imaging with Arch, and we discuss strategies for engineering improved rhodopsin-based voltage indicators.
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25
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Zhang F, Vierock J, Yizhar O, Fenno LE, Tsunoda S, Kianianmomeni A, Prigge M, Berndt A, Cushman J, Polle J, Magnuson J, Hegemann P, Deisseroth K. The microbial opsin family of optogenetic tools. Cell 2012; 147:1446-57. [PMID: 22196724 PMCID: PMC4166436 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 403] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2011] [Revised: 11/17/2011] [Accepted: 12/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The capture and utilization of light is an exquisitely evolved process. The single-component microbial opsins, although more limited than multicomponent cascades in processing, display unparalleled compactness and speed. Recent advances in understanding microbial opsins have been driven by molecular engineering for optogenetics and by comparative genomics. Here we provide a Primer on these light-activated ion channels and pumps, describe a group of opsins bridging prior categories, and explore the convergence of molecular engineering and genomic discovery for the utilization and understanding of these remarkable molecular machines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Zhang
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
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26
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Schkolnik G, Utesch T, Salewski J, Tenger K, Millo D, Kranich A, Zebger I, Schulz C, Zimányi L, Rákhely G, Mroginski MA, Hildebrandt P. Mapping local electric fields in proteins at biomimetic interfaces. Chem Commun (Camb) 2011; 48:70-2. [PMID: 22080181 DOI: 10.1039/c1cc13186a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We present a novel approach for determining the strength of the electric field experienced by proteins immobilised on membrane models. It is based on the vibrational Stark effect of a nitrile label introduced at different positions on engineered proteins and monitored by surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gal Schkolnik
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. PC14, Strasse des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany
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27
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Kleinlogel S, Terpitz U, Legrum B, Gökbuget D, Boyden ES, Bamann C, Wood PG, Bamberg E. A gene-fusion strategy for stoichiometric and co-localized expression of light-gated membrane proteins. Nat Methods 2011; 8:1083-8. [DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2011] [Accepted: 09/19/2011] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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28
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Yizhar O, Fenno L, Zhang F, Hegemann P, Diesseroth K. Microbial opsins: a family of single-component tools for optical control of neural activity. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2011; 2011:top102. [PMID: 21363959 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.top102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTIONMembers of the microbial opsin gene family have emerged recently as crucial tools for “optogenetics,” a new neuroscience technology. “Optogenetics” can be defined as the integration of optics and genetics to control well-defined events (such as action potentials) within specified cells (such as a targeted class of projection neurons) in living tissues (such as the brains of freely behaving mammals). In this article, we focus on the diversity of the microbial opsin genes and the structure–function properties of their corresponding proteins.
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29
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del Rosario RCH, Oppawsky C, Tittor J, Oesterhelt D. Modeling the membrane potential generation of bacteriorhodopsin. Math Biosci 2010; 225:68-80. [PMID: 20188746 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2010.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2009] [Revised: 02/10/2010] [Accepted: 02/13/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The archaeon Halobacterium salinarum can grow phototrophically with only light as its energy source. It uses the retinal containing and light-driven proton pump bacteriorhodopsin to enhance the membrane potential which drives the ATP synthase. Therefore, a model of the membrane potential generation of bacteriorhodopsin is of central importance to the development of a mathematical model of the bioenergetics of H. salinarum. To measure the current produced by bacteriorhodopsin at different light intensities and clamped voltages, we expressed the gene in Xenopus laevis oocytes. We present current-voltage measurements and a mathematical model of the current-voltage relationship of bacteriorhodopsin and its generation of the membrane potential. The model consists of three intermediate states, the BR, L, and M states, and comparisons between model predictions and experimental data show that the L to M reaction must be inhibited by the membrane potential. The model is not able to fit the current-voltage measurements when only the M to BR phase is membrane potential dependent, while it is able to do so when either only the L to M reaction or both reactions (L to M and M to BR) are membrane potential dependent. We also show that a decay term is necessary for modeling the rate of change of the membrane potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo C H del Rosario
- Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Membrane Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
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30
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Bamann C, Gueta R, Kleinlogel S, Nagel G, Bamberg E. Structural guidance of the photocycle of channelrhodopsin-2 by an interhelical hydrogen bond. Biochemistry 2010; 49:267-78. [PMID: 20000562 DOI: 10.1021/bi901634p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) is a light-gated cation channel and a member of the family of retinylidene photoreceptors. Since the demonstration of light-induced depolarization of ChR2-expressing animal cell membranes, it was increasingly exploited for light triggering of action potentials. ChR2 conducts cations upon light absorption that embodies retinal isomerization as the primary reaction and a structurally unknown opening mechanism. It is evident from spectroscopic data that protonation reactions at the Schiff base are part of the photocycle, comparable to other microbial-type rhodopsins. However, the connection between the processes at the chromophore site and the channel's pore remained enigmatic. Here, we use slow mutants of ChR2 that we generated by disturbing a postulated hydrogen bond when mutating C128 in the transmembrane (TM) helix 3 and D156 in TM helix 4. The lifetime of the mutants' open state is increased more than 100 times. We investigated the spectral properties of the slow mutants. Whereas the deprotonation of the Schiff base (yielding P390) occurs on the same time scale as that of the wild type, reprotonation to P520 is retarded in the slow mutants and their photocycle is split, leading to the presence of two photointermediates, P390 and P520, in the open state. The photoreactions of P390 and P520 lead to a quenching of the current in electrophysiological measurements. We conclude that the putative hydrogen bond between C128 and D156 is an important structural determinant of the channel's closing reaction. Furthermore, we show that the D156A mutant is even more suitable for light control of excitable cells than C128A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Bamann
- Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysik, Max-von-Laue Strasse 3, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany.
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31
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De Biase PM, Paggi DA, Doctorovich F, Hildebrandt P, Estrin DA, Murgida DH, Marti MA. Molecular basis for the electric field modulation of cytochrome C structure and function. J Am Chem Soc 2010; 131:16248-56. [PMID: 19886701 DOI: 10.1021/ja906726n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Cytochrome c (Cyt) is a small soluble heme protein with a hexacoordinated heme and functions as an electron shuttle in the mitochondria and in early events of apoptosis when released to the cytoplasm. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we show here that biologically relevant electric fields induce an increased mobility and structural distortion of key protein segments that leads to the detachment of the sixth axial ligand Met80 from the heme iron. This electric-field-induced conformational transition is energetically and entropically driven and leads to a pentacoordinated high spin heme that is characterized by a drastically lowered reduction potential as well as by an increased peroxidase activity. The simulations provide a detailed atomistic picture of the structural effects of the electric field on the structure of Cyt, which allows a sound interpretation of recent experimental results. The observed conformational change may modulate the electron transfer reactions of Cyt in the mitochondria and, furthermore, may constitute a switch from the redox function in the respiratory chain to the peroxidase function in the early events of apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo M De Biase
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica, y Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, INQUIMAE-CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. 2, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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32
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Lörinczi É, Verhoefen MK, Wachtveitl J, Woerner AC, Glaubitz C, Engelhard M, Bamberg E, Friedrich T. Voltage- and pH-Dependent Changes in Vectoriality of Photocurrents Mediated by Wild-type and Mutant Proteorhodopsins upon Expression in Xenopus Oocytes. J Mol Biol 2009; 393:320-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.07.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2009] [Revised: 06/15/2009] [Accepted: 07/17/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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33
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El Alaoui Faris MD, Lacoste D, Pécréaux J, Joanny JF, Prost J, Bassereau P. Membrane tension lowering induced by protein activity. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2009; 102:038102. [PMID: 19257398 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.102.038102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2008] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Using videomicroscopy we present measurements of the fluctuation spectrum of giant vesicles containing bacteriorhodopsin pumps. When the pumps are activated, we observe a significant increase of the fluctuations in the low wave vector region, which we interpret as due to a lowering of the effective tension of the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- M D El Alaoui Faris
- Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche; CNRS, UMR 168; Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, F-75248 France
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34
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Dynamics of voltage profile in enzymatic ion transporters, demonstrated in electrokinetics of proton pumping rhodopsin. Biophys J 2008; 95:5005-13. [PMID: 18621842 DOI: 10.1529/biophysj.107.125260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
H(+)-pumping rhodopsins mediate a primordial conversion of light to metabolic energy. Bacteriorhodopsin from Halobacterium salinarium is the first identified and (biochemically) best-studied H(+)-pumping rhodopsin. The electrical properties of H(+)-pumping rhodopsins, however, are known in more detail for the homolog Acetabularia rhodopsin, isolated from the eukaryotic green alga Acetabularia acetabulum. Based on data from Acetabularia rhodopsin we present a general reaction kinetic model of H(+)-pumping rhodopsins with only seven independent parameters, which fits the kinetic properties of photocurrents as functions of light, transmembrane voltage, internal and external pH, and time. The model describes fast photoisomerization of retinal with simultaneous H(+) transfer to an H(+) acceptor, reprotonation of retinal from the intracellular face via an H(+) donor, and proton release to the extracellular space via an H(+) release complex. The voltage sensitivities of the individual reaction steps and their temporal changes are treated here by a novel approach, whereby--as in an Ohmic voltage divider--the effective portions of the total transmembrane voltage decrease with the relative velocities of the individual reaction steps. This analysis quantitatively infers dynamic changes of the voltage profile and of the pK values of the H(+)-binding sites involved.
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35
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Bombarda E, Becker T, Ullmann GM. Influence of the Membrane Potential on the Protonation of Bacteriorhodopsin: Insights from Electrostatic Calculations into the Regulation of Proton Pumping. J Am Chem Soc 2006; 128:12129-39. [PMID: 16967962 DOI: 10.1021/ja0619657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Proton binding and release are elementary steps for the transfer of protons within proteins, which is a process that is crucial in biochemical catalysis and biological energy transduction. Local electric fields in proteins affect the proton binding energy compared to aqueous solution. In membrane proteins, also the membrane potential affects the local electrostatics and can thus be crucial for protein function. In this paper, we introduce a procedure to calculate the protonation probability of titratable sites of a membrane protein in the presence of a membrane potential. In the framework of continuum electrostatics, we use a modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation to include the influence of the membrane potential. Our method considers that in a transmembrane protein each titratable site is accessible for protons from only one side of the membrane depending on the hydrogen bond pattern of the protein. We show that the protonation of sites receiving their protons from different sides of the membrane is differently influenced by the membrane potential. In addition, the effect of the membrane potential is combined with the effect of the pH gradient resulting from proton pumping. Our method is applied to bacteriorhodopsin, a light-activated proton pump. We find that the proton pumping of this protein might be regulated by Asp115, a conserved residue for which no function has been identified yet. According to our calculations, the interaction of Asp115 with Asp85 leads to the protonation of the latter if the pH gradient or the membrane potential becomes too large. Since Asp85 is the primary proton acceptor in the photocycle, bacteriorhodopsin molecules in which Asp85 is protonated cannot pump protons. Furthermore, we estimate how the membrane potential affects the energetics of the individual proton-transfer reactions of the photocycle. Most reactions, except the initial proton transfer from the Schiff base to Asp85, are influenced. Our calculations give new insights into the mechanism with which bacteriorhodopsin senses the membrane potential and the pH gradient and how the proton pumping is regulated by these parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Bombarda
- Structural Biology/Bioinformatics, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, BGI, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
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36
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Tsunoda SP, Ewers D, Gazzarrini S, Moroni A, Gradmann D, Hegemann P. H+ -pumping rhodopsin from the marine alga Acetabularia. Biophys J 2006; 91:1471-9. [PMID: 16731558 PMCID: PMC1518632 DOI: 10.1529/biophysj.106.086421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2006] [Accepted: 05/18/2006] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
An opsin-encoding cDNA was cloned from the marine alga Acetabularia acetabulum. The cDNA was expressed in Xenopus oocytes into functional Acetabularia rhodopsin (AR) mediating H+ carried outward photocurrents of up to 1.2 microA with an action spectrum maximum at 518 nm (AR518). AR is the first ion-pumping rhodopsin found in a plant organism. Steady-state photocurrents of AR are always positive and rise sigmoidally from negative to positive transmembrane voltages. Numerous kinetic details (amplitudes and time constants), including voltage-dependent recovery of the dark state after light-off, are documented with respect to their sensitivities to light, internal and external pH, and the transmembrane voltage. The results are analyzed by enzyme kinetic formalisms using a simplified version of the known photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin (BR). Blue-light causes a shunt of the photocycle under H+ reuptake from the extracellular side. Similarities and differences of AR with BR are pointed out. This detailed electrophysiological characterization highlights voltage dependencies in catalytic membrane processes of this eukaryotic, H+ -pumping rhodopsin and of microbial-type rhodopsins in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi P Tsunoda
- Experimentelle Biophysik, Fachbereich für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
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37
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Ross JA, Zvyagin AV, Heckenberg NR, Upcroft J, Upcroft P, Rubinsztein-Dunlop H. Measurement of action spectra of light-activated processes. JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL OPTICS 2006; 11:014008. [PMID: 16526885 DOI: 10.1117/1.2161172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
We report on a new experimental technique suitable for measurement of light-activated processes, such as fluorophore transport. The usefulness of this technique is derived from its capacity to decouple the imaging and activation processes, allowing fluorescent imaging of fluorophore transport at a convenient activation wavelength. We demonstrate the efficiency of this new technique in determination of the action spectrum of the light mediated transport of rhodamine 123 into the parasitic protozoan Giardia duodenalis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin A Ross
- University of Queensland, Centre for Biophotonics and Laser Science, School of Physical Sciences, Saint Lucia, 4072 Queensland, Australia.
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38
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Klare JP, Bordignon E, Doebber M, Fitter J, Kriegsmann J, Chizhov I, Steinhoff HJ, Engelhard M. Effects of solubilization on the structure and function of the sensory rhodopsin II/transducer complex. J Mol Biol 2005; 356:1207-21. [PMID: 16410012 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2005.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2005] [Revised: 12/02/2005] [Accepted: 12/04/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Lipid-protein interactions are known to play a crucial role in structure and physiological activity of integral membrane proteins. However, current technology for membrane protein purification necessitates extraction from the membrane into detergent micelles. Also, due to experimental protocols, most of the data available for membrane proteins is obtained using detergent-solubilized samples. Stable solubilization of membrane proteins is therefore an important issue in biotechnology as well as in biochemistry and structural biology. An understanding of solubilization effects on structural and functional properties of specific proteins is of utmost relevance for the evaluation and interpretation of experimental results. In this study, a comparison of structural and kinetic data obtained for the archaebacterial photoreceptor/transducer complex from Natronomonas pharaonis (NpSRII/NpHtrII) in detergent-solubilized and lipid-reconstituted states is presented. Laser flash photolysis, fluorescence spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy data reveal considerable influence of solubilization on the photocycle kinetics of the receptor protein and on the structure of the transducer protein. Especially the protein-membrane proximal region and the protein-protein interfacial domains are sensitive towards non-native conditions. These data demonstrate that relevance of biochemical and structural information obtained from solubilized membrane proteins or membrane protein complexes has to be evaluated carefully.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johann P Klare
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Physiologie Otto-Hahn-Str. 11, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
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39
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Abstract
Two rhodopsins with intrinsic ion conductance have been identified recently in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. They were named "channelrhodopsins" ChR1 and ChR2. Both were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, and their properties were studied qualitatively by two electrode voltage clamp techniques. ChR1 is specific for H+, whereas ChR2 conducts Na+, K+, Ca2+, and guanidinium. ChR2 responds to the onset of light with a peak conductance, followed by a smaller steady-state conductance. Upon a second stimulation, the peak is smaller and recovers to full size faster at high external pH. ChR1 was reported to respond with a steady-state conductance only but is demonstrated here to have a peak conductance at high light intensities too. We analyzed quantitatively the light-induced conductance of ChR1 and developed a reaction scheme that describes the photocurrent kinetics at various light conditions. ChR1 exists in two dark states, D1 and D2, that photoisomerize to the conducting states M1 and M2, respectively. Dark-adapted ChR1 is completely arrested in D1. M1 converts into D1 within milliseconds but, in addition, equilibrates with the second conducting state M2 that decays to the second dark state D2. Thus, light-adapted ChR1 represents a mixture of D1 and D2. D2 thermally reconverts to D1 in minutes, i.e., much slower than any reaction of the two photocycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Hegemann
- Experimentelle Biophysik, Fachbereich für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
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40
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Mostafa HIA. Heterogeneity based on bending of purple membrane containing bacteriorhodopsin. FEBS Lett 2004; 571:134-40. [PMID: 15280031 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2004.06.066] [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: 05/18/2004] [Revised: 06/16/2004] [Accepted: 06/17/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The first and second derivatives of dielectric spectra have evidenced the existence of two interacting states of purple membrane (PM) that respond differently to the intensity of illuminating light providing, this way, underlying consequences to the heterogeneous behavior of bacteriorhodopsin (bR). It is of particular interest to note that the rotational diffusion coefficient of PM has exhibited non-linearity versus light intensity. The explored non-linearity in electrical properties beers, thereby, on changes in PM size. The non-linear variations in PM bending might initiate, in consequence, variations in the dipole moment (permanent and induced) and dc-conductivity of PM patches. Proposal based on PM bending has been introduced to correlate the light intensity effect to the PM lipid environment. Modulation of the global structure of PM and, in turn, its electrical properties by an external perturbation (e.g., light) could be of interest in biotechnological applications based on optoelectronic properties of bR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamdy I A Mostafa
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, 12613 Giza, Egypt.
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41
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Calimet N, Ullmann GM. The Influence of a Transmembrane pH Gradient on Protonation Probabilities of Bacteriorhodopsin: The Structural Basis of the Back-Pressure Effect. J Mol Biol 2004; 339:571-89. [PMID: 15147843 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2004.03.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2003] [Revised: 12/22/2003] [Accepted: 03/22/2004] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Bacteriorhodopsin pumps protons across a membrane using the energy of light. The proton pumping is inhibited when the transmembrane proton gradient that the protein generates becomes larger than four pH units. This phenomenon is known as the back-pressure effect. Here, we investigate the structural basis of this effect by predicting the influence of a transmembrane pH gradient on the titration behavior of bacteriorhodopsin. For this purpose we introduce a method that accounts for a pH gradient in protonation probability calculations. The method considers that in a transmembrane protein, which is exposed to two different aqueous phases, each titratable residue is accessible for protons from one side of the membrane depending on its hydrogen-bond pattern. This method is applied to several ground-state structures of bacteriorhodopsin, which residues already present complicated titration behaviors in the absence of a proton gradient. Our calculations show that a pH gradient across the membrane influences in a non-trivial manner the protonation probabilities of six titratable residues which are known to participate in the proton transfer: D85, D96, D115, E194, E204, and the Schiff base. The residues connected to one side of the membrane are influenced by the pH on the other side because of their long-range electrostatic interactions within the protein. In particular, D115 senses the pH at the cytoplasmic side of the membrane and transmits this information to D85 and the Schiff base. We propose that the strong electrostatic interactions found between D85, D115, and the Schiff base as well as the interplay of their respective protonation states under the influence of a transmembrane pH gradient are responsible for the back-pressure effect on bacteriorhodopsin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Calimet
- IWR-Computational Molecular Biophysics, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 368, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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42
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Manoj AG, Narayan KS. Opto-electrical processes in a conducting polymer–bacteriorhodopsin system. Biosens Bioelectron 2004; 19:1067-74. [PMID: 15018962 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2003.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2003] [Revised: 09/09/2003] [Accepted: 10/09/2003] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In this report, we highlight the opto-electrical processes at a conducting polymer-bacteriorhodopsin (bR) interface in presence of a voltage bias. Oriented bR on a conducting polymer substrate forms a unique hybrid system where the oxidation state of the polymer controls the optically activated proton gradient in the bR side. The internal conversion of the intermediate deprotonated M-state and the proton transfer/transport of bR at the interface can be controlled by the electrostatic environment and leads to interesting device features in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- A G Manoj
- Molecular Electronics Laboratory, Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560064, India
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43
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Wackerbarth H, Hildebrandt P. Redox and conformational equilibria and dynamics of cytochrome c at high electric fields. Chemphyschem 2003; 4:714-24. [PMID: 12901303 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.200200618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Cytochrome c (Cyt-c) adsorbed in the electrical double layer of the Ag electrode/electrolyte interface has been studied by stationary and time-resolved surface-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy to analyse the effect of strong electric fields on structure and reaction equilibria and dynamics of the protein. In the potential range between +0.1 and -0.55 V (versus saturated calomel electrode), the adsorbed Cyt-c forms a potential-dependent reversible equilibrium between the native state B1 and a conformational state B2. The redox potentials of the bis-histidine-coordinated six-coordinated low-spin and five-coordinated high-spin substates of B2 were determined to be -0.425 and -0.385 V, respectively, whereas the additional six-coordinated aquo-histidine-coordinated high-spin substate was found to be redox-inactive. The redox potential for the conformational state B1 was found to be the same as in solution in agreement with the structural identity of the adsorbed B1 and the native Cyt-c. For all three redox-active species, the formal heterogeneous electron transfer rate constants are small and of the same order of magnitude (3-13 s-1), which implies that the rate-limiting step is largely independent of the redox-site structure. These findings, as well as the slow and potential-dependent transitions between the various conformational (sub-)states, can be rationalized in terms of an electric field-induced increase of the activation energy for proton-transfer steps linked to protein structural reorganisation. Further increasing the electric field strength by shifting the electrode potential above +0.1 V leads to irreversible structural changes that are attributed to an unfolding of the polypeptide chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hainer Wackerbarth
- Danmarks Tekniske Universitet Biouorganisk Kemi Bygning 207, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark
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44
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Rivas L, Hippler-Mreyen S, Engelhard M, Hildebrandt P. Electric-field dependent decays of two spectroscopically different M-states of photosensory rhodopsin II from Natronobacterium pharaonis. Biophys J 2003; 84:3864-73. [PMID: 12770892 PMCID: PMC1302968 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-3495(03)75114-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2002] [Accepted: 01/22/2003] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory rhodopsin II (NpSRII) from Natronobacterium pharaonis was studied by resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopic techniques. Using gated 413-nm excitation, time-resolved RR measurements of the solubilized photoreceptor were carried out to probe the photocycle intermediates that are formed in the submillisecond time range. For the first time, two M-like intermediates were identified on the basis of their C=C stretching bands at 1568 and 1583 cm(-1), corresponding to the early M(L)(400) state with a lifetime of 30 micro s and the subsequent M(1)(400) state with a lifetime of 2 ms, respectively. The unusually high C=C stretching frequency of M(1)(400) has been attributed to an unprotonated retinal Schiff base in a largely hydrophobic environment, implying that the M(L)(400) --> M(1)(400) transition is associated with protein structural changes in the vicinity of the chromophore binding pocket. Time-resolved surface enhanced resonance Raman experiments of NpSRII electrostatically bound onto a rotating Ag electrode reveal that the photoreceptor runs through the photocycle also in the immobilized state. Surface enhanced resonance Raman spectra are very similar to the RR spectra of the solubilized protein, ruling out adsorption-induced structural changes in the retinal binding pocket. The photocycle kinetics, however, is sensitively affected by the electrode potential such that at 0.0 V (versus Ag/AgCl) the decay times of M(L)(400) and M(1)(400) are drastically slowed down. Upon decreasing the potential to -0.4 V, that corresponds to a decrease of the interfacial potential drop and thus of the electric field strength at the protein binding site, the photocycle kinetics becomes similar to that of NpSRII in solution. The electric-field dependence of the protein structural changes associated with the M-state transitions, which in the present spectroscopic work is revealed on a molecular level, appears to be related to the electric-field control of bacteriorhodopsin's photocycle, which has been shown to be of functional relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Rivas
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, P-2781-901 Oeiras, Portugal
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45
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Wang G, Porschke D. Dipole Reversal in Bacteriorhodopsin and Separation of Dipole Components. J Phys Chem B 2003. [DOI: 10.1021/jp027510v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Guangyu Wang
- Max Planck Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dietmar Porschke
- Max Planck Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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46
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Abstract
Proton channels exist in a wide variety of membrane proteins where they transport protons rapidly and efficiently. Usually the proton pathway is formed mainly by water molecules present in the protein, but its function is regulated by titratable groups on critical amino acid residues in the pathway. All proton channels conduct protons by a hydrogen-bonded chain mechanism in which the proton hops from one water or titratable group to the next. Voltage-gated proton channels represent a specific subset of proton channels that have voltage- and time-dependent gating like other ion channels. However, they differ from most ion channels in their extraordinarily high selectivity, tiny conductance, strong temperature and deuterium isotope effects on conductance and gating kinetics, and insensitivity to block by steric occlusion. Gating of H(+) channels is regulated tightly by pH and voltage, ensuring that they open only when the electrochemical gradient is outward. Thus they function to extrude acid from cells. H(+) channels are expressed in many cells. During the respiratory burst in phagocytes, H(+) current compensates for electron extrusion by NADPH oxidase. Most evidence indicates that the H(+) channel is not part of the NADPH oxidase complex, but rather is a distinct and as yet unidentified molecule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E Decoursey
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Physiology, Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
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47
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Friedrich T, Geibel S, Kalmbach R, Chizhov I, Ataka K, Heberle J, Engelhard M, Bamberg E. Proteorhodopsin is a light-driven proton pump with variable vectoriality. J Mol Biol 2002; 321:821-38. [PMID: 12206764 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-2836(02)00696-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Proteorhodopsin, a homologue of archaeal bacteriorhodopsin (BR), belongs to a newly identified family of retinal proteins from marine bacteria, which could play an important role in the energy balance of the biosphere. We cloned the cDNA sequence of proteorhodopsin by chemical gene synthesis, expressed the protein in Escherichia coli cells, purified and reconstituted the protein in its functional active state. The photocycle characteristics were determined by time-resolved absorption and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The pH-dependence of the absorption spectrum indicates that the pK(a) of the primary acceptor of the Schiff base proton (Asp97) is 7.68. Generally, the photocycle of proteorhodopsin is similar to that of BR, although an L-like photocycle intermediate was not detectable. Whereas at pH>7 an M-like intermediate is formed upon illumination, at pH 5 no M-like intermediate could be detected. As the photocycle kinetics do not change between the acidic and alkaline state of proteorhodopsin, the only difference between these two forms is the protonation status of Asp97. This is corroborated by time-resolved FT-IR spectroscopy, which demonstrates that proton transfer from the retinal Schiff base to Asp97 is observed at alkaline pH, but the other vibrational changes are essentially pH-independent.After reconstitution into proteoliposomes, light-induced proton currents of proteorhodopsin were measured in a compound membrane system where proteoliposomes were adsorbed to planar lipid bilayers. Our results show that proteorhodopsin is a light-driven proton pump with characteristics similar to those of BR at alkaline pH. However, at acidic pH, the direction of proton pumping is inverted. Complementary experiments were carried out on proteorhodopsin expressed heterologously in Xenopus laevis oocytes under voltage clamp conditions. The following results were obtained. (1) At alkaline pH, proteorhodopsin mediates outwardly directed proton pumping like BR. (2) The direction of proton pumping can be inverted, when Asp97 is protonated. (3) The current can be inverted by changes of the polarity of the applied voltage. (4) The light intensity-dependence of the photocurrents leads to the conclusion that the alkaline form of proteorhodopsin shows efficient proton pumping after sequential excitation by two photons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Friedrich
- Max-Planck-Institute of Biophysics, Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Kennedyallee 70, D-60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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48
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Nagel G, Ollig D, Fuhrmann M, Kateriya S, Musti AM, Bamberg E, Hegemann P. Channelrhodopsin-1: a light-gated proton channel in green algae. Science 2002; 296:2395-8. [PMID: 12089443 DOI: 10.1126/science.1072068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 735] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Phototaxis and photophobic responses of green algae are mediated by rhodopsins with microbial-type chromophores. We report a complementary DNA sequence in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that encodes a microbial opsin-related protein, which we term Channelopsin-1. The hydrophobic core region of the protein shows homology to the light-activated proton pump bacteriorhodopsin. Expression of Channelopsin-1, or only the hydrophobic core, in Xenopus laevis oocytes in the presence of all-trans retinal produces a light-gated conductance that shows characteristics of a channel selectively permeable for protons. We suggest that Channelrhodopsins are involved in phototaxis of green algae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Nagel
- Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysik, Kennedyallee 70, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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