Skip to main content
Biophysical Journal logoLink to Biophysical Journal
. 1993 Sep;65(3):1231–1234. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(93)81166-4

Thermal equilibration between the M and N intermediates in the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin.

S Druckmann 1, M P Heyn 1, J K Lanyi 1, M Ottolenghi 1, L Zimanyi 1
PMCID: PMC1225842  PMID: 8241403

Abstract

The stages in the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin (BR) involving the M and N intermediates are investigated using a double pulse excitation method. A first (cycling) pulse at 532 nm is followed, with an appropriate time delay, by a second pulse (337, 406, 446, or 470 nm) which induces the M-->BR back-photoreaction. After depletion by the second pulse a repopulation of M in the millisecond range is observed which is interpreted in terms of a thermal N-->M relaxation. It is thus concluded that a (thermal) M<-->N equilibrium accounts for the biphasic decay of M in the BR photocycle. Other models for this stage of the light-driven proton-pump are therefore unnecessary.

Full text

PDF
1233

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ames J. B., Mathies R. A. The role of back-reactions and proton uptake during the N----O transition in bacteriorhodopsin's photocycle: a kinetic resonance Raman study. Biochemistry. 1990 Aug 7;29(31):7181–7190. doi: 10.1021/bi00483a005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Butt H. J., Fendler K., Dér A., Bamberg E. Temperature jump study of charge translocation during the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle. Biophys J. 1989 Nov;56(5):851–859. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(89)82731-6. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dancsházy Z., Govindjee R., Ebrey T. G. Independent photocycles of the spectrally distinct forms of bacteriorhodopsin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Sep;85(17):6358–6361. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.17.6358. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Drachev L. A., Kaulen A. D., Komrakov AYu Interrelations of M-intermediates in bacteriorhodopsin photocycle. FEBS Lett. 1992 Nov 30;313(3):248–250. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(92)81202-w. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Druckmann S., Friedman N., Lanyi J. K., Needleman R., Ottolenghi M., Sheves M. The back photoreaction of the M intermediate in the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin: mechanism and evidence for two M species. Photochem Photobiol. 1992;56(6):1041–1047. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1992.tb09727.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fukuda K., Kouyama T. Photoreaction of bacteriorhodopsin at high pH: origins of the slow decay component of M. Biochemistry. 1992 Dec 1;31(47):11740–11747. doi: 10.1021/bi00162a010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gerwert K., Souvignier G., Hess B. Simultaneous monitoring of light-induced changes in protein side-group protonation, chromophore isomerization, and backbone motion of bacteriorhodopsin by time-resolved Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Dec 15;87(24):9774–9778. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.24.9774. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hanamoto J. H., Dupuis P., El-Sayed M. A. On the protein (tyrosine)-chromophore (protonated Schiff base) coupling in bacteriorhodopsin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Nov;81(22):7083–7087. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.22.7083. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kalisky O., Ottolenghi M., Honig B., Korenstein R. Environmental effects on formation and photoreaction of the M412 photoproduct of bacteriorhodopsin: implications for the mechanism of proton pumping. Biochemistry. 1981 Feb 3;20(3):649–655. doi: 10.1021/bi00506a031. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kouyama T., Nasuda-Kouyama A., Ikegami A., Mathew M. K., Stoeckenius W. Bacteriorhodopsin photoreaction: identification of a long-lived intermediate N (P,R350) at high pH and its M-like photoproduct. Biochemistry. 1988 Aug 9;27(16):5855–5863. doi: 10.1021/bi00416a006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lanyi J. K. Proton transfer and energy coupling in the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle. J Bioenerg Biomembr. 1992 Apr;24(2):169–179. doi: 10.1007/BF00762675. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lozier R. H., Xie A., Hofrichter J., Clore G. M. Reversible steps in the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Apr 15;89(8):3610–3614. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.8.3610. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mathies R. A., Lin S. W., Ames J. B., Pollard W. T. From femtoseconds to biology: mechanism of bacteriorhodopsin's light-driven proton pump. Annu Rev Biophys Biophys Chem. 1991;20:491–518. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bb.20.060191.002423. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Nagle J. F., Parodi L. A., Lozier R. H. Procedure for testing kinetic models of the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin. Biophys J. 1982 May;38(2):161–174. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(82)84543-8. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Oesterhelt D., Tittor J., Bamberg E. A unifying concept for ion translocation by retinal proteins. J Bioenerg Biomembr. 1992 Apr;24(2):181–191. doi: 10.1007/BF00762676. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Otto H., Marti T., Holz M., Mogi T., Lindau M., Khorana H. G., Heyn M. P. Aspartic acid-96 is the internal proton donor in the reprotonation of the Schiff base of bacteriorhodopsin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Dec;86(23):9228–9232. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.23.9228. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rothschild K. J. FTIR difference spectroscopy of bacteriorhodopsin: toward a molecular model. J Bioenerg Biomembr. 1992 Apr;24(2):147–167. doi: 10.1007/BF00762674. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Souvignier G., Gerwert K. Proton uptake mechanism of bacteriorhodopsin as determined by time-resolved stroboscopic-FTIR-spectroscopy. Biophys J. 1992 Nov;63(5):1393–1405. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(92)81722-8. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Tokaji Z., Dancsházy Z. Kinetics of the N intermediate and the two pathways of recovery of the ground-state of bacteriorhodopsin. FEBS Lett. 1992 Oct 26;311(3):267–270. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(92)81117-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Tokaji Z., Dancsházy Z. Light-induced, long-lived perturbation of the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin. FEBS Lett. 1991 Apr 9;281(1-2):170–172. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(91)80385-g. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Váró G., Lanyi J. K. Kinetic and spectroscopic evidence for an irreversible step between deprotonation and reprotonation of the Schiff base in the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle. Biochemistry. 1991 May 21;30(20):5008–5015. doi: 10.1021/bi00234a024. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Váró G., Lanyi J. K. Pathways of the rise and decay of the M photointermediate(s) of bacteriorhodopsin. Biochemistry. 1990 Mar 6;29(9):2241–2250. doi: 10.1021/bi00461a006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Váró G., Lanyi J. K. Thermodynamics and energy coupling in the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle. Biochemistry. 1991 May 21;30(20):5016–5022. doi: 10.1021/bi00234a025. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Biophysical Journal are provided here courtesy of The Biophysical Society

RESOURCES