1
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Salvadori G, Mazzeo P, Accomasso D, Cupellini L, Mennucci B. Deciphering Photoreceptors Through Atomistic Modeling from Light Absorption to Conformational Response. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168358. [PMID: 37944793 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168358] [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] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we discuss the successes and challenges of the atomistic modeling of photoreceptors. Throughout our presentation, we integrate explanations of the primary methodological approaches, ranging from quantum mechanical descriptions to classical enhanced sampling methods, all while providing illustrative examples of their practical application to specific systems. To enhance the effectiveness of our analysis, our primary focus has been directed towards the examination of applications across three distinct photoreceptors. These include an example of Blue Light-Using Flavin (BLUF) domains, a bacteriophytochrome, and the orange carotenoid protein (OCP) employed by cyanobacteria for photoprotection. Particular emphasis will be placed on the pivotal role played by the protein matrix in fine-tuning the initial photochemical event within the embedded chromophore. Furthermore, we will investigate how this localized perturbation initiates a cascade of events propagating from the binding pocket throughout the entire protein structure, thanks to the intricate network of interactions between the chromophore and the protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Salvadori
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Patrizia Mazzeo
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Davide Accomasso
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Cupellini
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Benedetta Mennucci
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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2
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Pu R, Wang Z, Zhu R, Jiang J, Weng TC, Huang Y, Liu W. Investigation of Ultrafast Configurational Photoisomerization of Bilirubin Using Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:809-816. [PMID: 36655842 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c03535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Phototherapy is an efficient and safe way to reduce high levels of free 4Z,15Z-bilirubin (ZZ-BR) in the serum of newborns. The success of BR phototherapy lies in photoinduced configurational and structural isomerization processes that form excretable isomers. However, the physical picture of photoinduced photoisomerization of ZZ-BR is still unclear. Here, we strategically implement tunable femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy and several time-resolved electronic spectroscopies, assisted by quantum chemical calculations, to dissect the detailed primary configurational isomerization dynamics of free ZZ-BR in organic solvents. The results of this study demonstrate that upon photoexcitation, ultrafast configurational isomerization proceeds by a volume-conserving "hula twist", followed by intramolecular hydrogen-bond distortion and large-scale rotation of the two dipyrrinone halves of the ZZ-BR isomer in a few picoseconds. After that, most of the population recovers back to ZZ-BR, and a very small amount is converted into stable BR isomers via structural isomerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruihua Pu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- STU and SIOM Joint Laboratory for Superintense Lasers and the Applications, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Ziyu Wang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- STU and SIOM Joint Laboratory for Superintense Lasers and the Applications, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Ruixue Zhu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Jiaming Jiang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Tsu-Chien Weng
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Yifan Huang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Weimin Liu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- STU and SIOM Joint Laboratory for Superintense Lasers and the Applications, Shanghai 201210, China
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3
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Ashworth E, Coughlan NJA, Hopkins WS, Bieske EJ, Bull JN. Excited-State Barrier Controls E → Z Photoisomerization in p-Hydroxycinnamate Biochromophores. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:9028-9034. [PMID: 36149746 PMCID: PMC9549896 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Molecules based on the deprotonated p-hydroxycinnamate moiety are widespread in nature, including serving as UV filters in the leaves of plants and as the biochromophore in photoactive yellow protein. The photophysical behavior of these chromophores is centered around a rapid E → Z photoisomerization by passage through a conical intersection seam. Here, we use photoisomerization and photodissociation action spectroscopies with deprotonated 4-hydroxybenzal acetone (pCK-) to characterize a wavelength-dependent bifurcation between electron autodetachment (spontaneous ejection of an electron from the S1 state because it is situated in the detachment continuum) and E → Z photoisomerization. While autodetachment occurs across the entire S1(ππ*) band (370-480 nm), E → Z photoisomerization occurs only over a blue portion of the band (370-430 nm). No E → Z photoisomerization is observed when the ketone functional group in pCK- is replaced with an ester or carboxylic acid. The wavelength-dependent bifurcation is consistent with potential energy surface calculations showing that a barrier separates the Franck-Condon region from the E → Z isomerizing conical intersection. The barrier height, which is substantially higher in the gas phase than in solution, depends on the functional group and governs whether E → Z photoisomerization occurs more rapidly than autodetachment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor
K. Ashworth
- School
of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Neville J. A. Coughlan
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
- WaterMine
Innovation, Inc., Waterloo, Ontario N0B 2T0, Canada
| | - W. Scott Hopkins
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
- WaterMine
Innovation, Inc., Waterloo, Ontario N0B 2T0, Canada
| | - Evan J. Bieske
- School
of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - James N. Bull
- School
of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
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4
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Gromov EV, Domratcheva T. Four resonance structures elucidate double-bond isomerisation of a biological chromophore. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:8535-8544. [DOI: 10.1039/d0cp00814a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Four resonance structures determining the electronic structure of the chromophore’s ground and first excited states. Changing the relative energies of the structures by hydrogen-bonding interactions tunes all chromophore’s photochemical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeniy V. Gromov
- Max-Planck Institute for Medical Research
- Jahnstraße 29
- 69120 Heidelberg
- Germany
| | - Tatiana Domratcheva
- Max-Planck Institute for Medical Research
- Jahnstraße 29
- 69120 Heidelberg
- Germany
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5
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Zhao L, Liu J, Zhou P. Does the wavelength dependent photoisomerization process of the p‑coumaric acid come out from the electronic state dependent pathways? SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2019; 211:203-211. [PMID: 30544011 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2018.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Similar to the anion photoactive yellow protein (PYP) chromophore, the neutral form of the PYP chromophore was also found to exhibit a the wavelength-dependent photoisomerization quantum yield. The isomerization quantum yield increases with the increasing excitation energy on the S1 state, while decreases when being excited to the S2 state. Does this wavelength dependent product yield come out from the specific reaction pathways of the S1 and S2 states? This would mean that, the relaxation pathway of the S2 state is distinct from that of the S1 state and does not involve twisting motion. Does it break Kasha's rule by exhibiting a direct transition from the S2 state to the ground state? The underlying mechanism needs further in. In this article, we employed the on-the-fly dynamics simulations and static electronic structure calculations to reveal the deactivation mechanism of the neutral form of the PYP chromophore. Our results indicated that the CC twisting motion dominates the S1 state decay process. In contrast, for the decay process of the S2 state, an ultrafast transition from the S2 to the S1 state through a planar conical intersection is observed, and the excess energy activates a new reaction channel to the ground state characterized by a puckering distortion of the ring. This pathway competes with the photoisomerization channel. No direct transition from S2 to S0 is observed, hence Kasha's rule is valid for this process. Our calcualtions can provide a reasonable explanation of the wavelength-dependent isomerization quantum yield of neutral PYP chromophore, and we hope it can provide theoretical foundations for comparing the effect of protonation state on the dynamcal behaviors of PYP chromophore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhao
- School of Science, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, Shandong, China.
| | - Jianyong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China.
| | - Panwang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China.
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6
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Henley
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, UK
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7
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Gozem S, Luk HL, Schapiro I, Olivucci M. Theory and Simulation of the Ultrafast Double-Bond Isomerization of Biological Chromophores. Chem Rev 2017; 117:13502-13565. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Samer Gozem
- Department
of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302, United States
| | - Hoi Ling Luk
- Chemistry
Department, Bowling Green State University, Overman Hall, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403, United States
| | - Igor Schapiro
- Fritz
Haber Center for Molecular Dynamics, Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Massimo Olivucci
- Chemistry
Department, Bowling Green State University, Overman Hall, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403, United States
- Dipartimento
di Biotecnologie, Chimica e Farmacia, Università di Siena, via A. Moro
2, 53100 Siena, Italy
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8
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García-Prieto FF, Muñoz-Losa A, Fdez Galván I, Sánchez ML, Aguilar MA, Martín ME. QM/MM Study of Substituent and Solvent Effects on the Excited State Dynamics of the Photoactive Yellow Protein Chromophore. J Chem Theory Comput 2017; 13:737-748. [PMID: 28072537 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.6b01069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Substituent and solvent effects on the excited state dynamics of the Photoactive Yellow Protein chromophore are studied using the average solvent electrostatic potential from molecular dynamics (ASEP/MD) method. Four molecular models were considered: the ester and thioester derivatives of the p-coumaric acid anion and their methylated derivatives. We found that the solvent produces dramatic modifications on the free energy profile of the S1 state: 1) Two twisted structures that are minima in the gas phase could not be located in aqueous solution. 2) Conical intersections (CIs) associated with the rotation of the single bond adjacent to the phenyl group are found for the four derivatives in water solution but only for thio derivatives in the gas phase. 3) The relative stability of minima and CIs is reverted with respect to the gas phase values, affecting the prevalent de-excitation paths. As a consequence of these changes, three competitive de-excitation channels are open in aqueous solution: the fluorescence emission from a planar minimum on S1, the trans-cis photoisomerization through a CI that involves the rotation of the vinyl double bond, and the nonradiative, nonreactive, de-excitation through the CI associated with the rotation of the single bond adjacent to the phenyl group. In the gas phase, the minima are the structures with the lower energy, while in solution these are the conical intersections. In solution, the de-excitation prevalent path seems to be the photoisomerization for oxo compounds, while thio compounds return to the initial trans ground state without emission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco F García-Prieto
- Área de Química Física, University of Extremadura , Avda. Elvas s/n, Edif. José Ma Viguera Lobo 3a planta, Badajoz, 06006 Spain
| | - Aurora Muñoz-Losa
- Área de Química Física, University of Extremadura , Avda. Elvas s/n, Edif. José Ma Viguera Lobo 3a planta, Badajoz, 06006 Spain
| | - Ignacio Fdez Galván
- Department of Chemistry-Ångström, The Theoretical Chemistry Programme, Uppsala University , Box 518, 751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - M Luz Sánchez
- Área de Química Física, University of Extremadura , Avda. Elvas s/n, Edif. José Ma Viguera Lobo 3a planta, Badajoz, 06006 Spain
| | - Manuel A Aguilar
- Área de Química Física, University of Extremadura , Avda. Elvas s/n, Edif. José Ma Viguera Lobo 3a planta, Badajoz, 06006 Spain
| | - M Elena Martín
- Área de Química Física, University of Extremadura , Avda. Elvas s/n, Edif. José Ma Viguera Lobo 3a planta, Badajoz, 06006 Spain
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9
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Tuna D, Lu Y, Koslowski A, Thiel W. Semiempirical Quantum-Chemical Orthogonalization-Corrected Methods: Benchmarks of Electronically Excited States. J Chem Theory Comput 2016; 12:4400-22. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.6b00403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Deniz Tuna
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
| | - You Lu
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
| | - Axel Koslowski
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
| | - Walter Thiel
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
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10
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Parkes MA, Phillips C, Porter MJ, Fielding HH. Controlling electron emission from the photoactive yellow protein chromophore by substitution at the coumaric acid group. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016; 18:10329-36. [PMID: 27025529 DOI: 10.1039/c6cp00565a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how the interactions between a chromophore and its surrounding protein control the function of a photoactive protein remains a challenge. Here, we present the results of photoelectron spectroscopy measurements and quantum chemistry calculations aimed at investigating how substitution at the coumaryl tail of the photoactive yellow protein chromophore controls competing relaxation pathways following photoexcitation of isolated chromophores in the gas phase with ultraviolet light in the range 350-315 nm. The photoelectron spectra are dominated by electrons resulting from direct detachment and fast detachment from the 2(1)ππ* state but also have a low electron kinetic energy component arising from autodetachment from lower lying electronically excited states or thermionic emission from the electronic ground state. We find that substituting the hydrogen atom of the carboxylic acid group with a methyl group lowers the threshold for electron detachment but has very little effect on the competition between the different relaxation pathways, whereas substituting with a thioester group raises the threshold for electron detachment and appears to 'turn off' the competing electron emission processes from lower lying electronically excited states. This has potential implications in terms of tuning the light-induced electron donor properties of photoactive yellow protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Parkes
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, UK.
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11
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García-Prieto FF, Muñoz-Losa A, Luz Sánchez M, Elena Martín M, Aguilar MA. Solvent effects on de-excitation channels in the p-coumaric acid methyl ester anion, an analogue of the photoactive yellow protein (PYP) chromophore. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016; 18:27476-27485. [DOI: 10.1039/c6cp03541h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Environmental effects on the deactivation channels of the PYP chromophore in the gas phase and water solution are compared at the CASPT2//CASSCF/cc-pVDZ level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aurora Muñoz-Losa
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry
- Faculty of Chemistry
- University of Vienna
- A-1090 Vienna
- Austria
| | - M. Luz Sánchez
- Área de Química Física
- University of Extremadura
- 06006 Badajoz
- Spain
| | - M. Elena Martín
- Área de Química Física
- University of Extremadura
- 06006 Badajoz
- Spain
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12
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Tuna D, Lefrancois D, Wolański Ł, Gozem S, Schapiro I, Andruniów T, Dreuw A, Olivucci M. Assessment of Approximate Coupled-Cluster and Algebraic-Diagrammatic-Construction Methods for Ground- and Excited-State Reaction Paths and the Conical-Intersection Seam of a Retinal-Chromophore Model. J Chem Theory Comput 2015; 11:5758-81. [PMID: 26642989 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.5b00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
As a minimal model of the chromophore of rhodopsin proteins, the penta-2,4-dieniminium cation (PSB3) poses a challenging test system for the assessment of electronic-structure methods for the exploration of ground- and excited-state potential-energy surfaces, the topography of conical intersections, and the dimensionality (topology) of the branching space. Herein, we report on the performance of the approximate linear-response coupled-cluster method of second order (CC2) and the algebraic-diagrammatic-construction scheme of the polarization propagator of second and third orders (ADC(2) and ADC(3)). For the ADC(2) method, we considered both the strict and extended variants (ADC(2)-s and ADC(2)-x). For both CC2 and ADC methods, we also tested the spin-component-scaled (SCS) and spin-opposite-scaled (SOS) variants. We have explored several ground- and excited-state reaction paths, a circular path centered around the S1/S0 surface crossing, and a 2D scan of the potential-energy surfaces along the branching space. We find that the CC2 and ADC methods yield a different dimensionality of the intersection space. While the ADC methods yield a linear intersection topology, we find a conical intersection topology for the CC2 method. We present computational evidence showing that the linear-response CC2 method yields a surface crossing between the reference state and the first response state featuring characteristics that are expected for a true conical intersection. Finally, we test the performance of these methods for the approximate geometry optimization of the S1/S0 minimum-energy conical intersection and compare the geometries with available data from multireference methods. The present study provides new insight into the performance of linear-response CC2 and polarization-propagator ADC methods for molecular electronic spectroscopy and applications in computational photochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deniz Tuna
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung , 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
| | - Daniel Lefrancois
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, University of Heidelberg , 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Łukasz Wolański
- Department of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Technology , 50370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Samer Gozem
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Igor Schapiro
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg & Labex NIE, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR 7504 , Strasbourg 67034, France
| | - Tadeusz Andruniów
- Department of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Technology , 50370 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Andreas Dreuw
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, University of Heidelberg , 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Massimo Olivucci
- Department of Chemistry, Bowling Green State University , Bowling Green, Ohio 43402, United States.,Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Chimica e Farmacia, Universitá de Siena , 53100 Siena, Italy
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13
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Hamada N, Tan Z, Kanematsu Y, Inazumi N, Nakamura R. Influence of a chromophore analogue in the protein cage of a photoactive yellow protein. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2015; 14:1722-8. [PMID: 26178816 DOI: 10.1039/c5pp00176e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Time-resolved spectra of a photoactive yellow protein (PYP) containing cyano-p-coumaric acid (CHCA) were recorded. To understand the mechanism of photo-isomerization, an electron-withdrawing CN group was introduced into the PYP to alter the C[double bond, length as m-dash]C double bond character. Free CHCA chromophores in aqueous solution underwent photo-isomerization whereas PYP with a bound CHCA (PYP-CN) exhibited no photocycle at acidic or alkaline pH or in urea and other solutions. Furthermore, no photocycle was observed with PYP mutants after illumination. This phenomenon cannot be fully explained by the electron-withdrawing properties of the CN group. We conclude that the CHCA chromophore in PYP was locked in the protein cage and that the CN group interacted with the protein residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norio Hamada
- Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Laboratory (e-square), Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
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