0000000000373041
AUTHOR
Jessica Rumfeldt
The structural effect between the output module and chromophore-binding domain is a two-way street via the hairpin extension.
AbstractSignal transduction typically starts with either ligand binding or cofactor activation, eventually affecting biological activities in the cell. In red light-sensing phytochromes, isomerization of the bilin chromophore results in regulation of the activity of diverse output modules. During this process, several structural elements and chemical events influence signal propagation. In our study, we have studied the full-length bacteriophytochrome from Deinococcus radiodurans as well as a previously generated optogenetic tool where the native histidine kinase output module has been replaced with an adenylate cyclase. We show that the composition of the output module influences the stabi…
Conserved histidine and tyrosine determine spectral responses through the water network in Deinococcus radiodurans phytochrome
Funding Information: This work was supported by Academy of Finland grants 285461 (H.T.), 330678 (H.T., J.R.), 277194 (H.L.), and 290677 (S.M.). We acknowledge the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) for providing synchrotron access for crystal data collection. We thank Prof. Janne Ihalainen (University of Jyväskylä) for all the help in all aspects of the paper, Prof. Gerrit Groenhof (University of Jyväskylä) for support, and Prof. Nikolai V. Tkachenko (Tampere University) for help and facilities for time-resolved absorption spectroscopy. We also thank M.Sc. Alli Liukkonen (University of Jyväskylä) and Dr. Heikki Häkkänen (University of Jyväskylä) for the assistance in laboratory …
The Interconnecting Hairpin Extension "Arm": An Essential Allosteric Element of Phytochrome Activity
In red-light sensing phytochromes, isomerization of the bilin chromophore triggers structural and dynamic changes across multiple domains, ultimately leading to control of the output module (OPM) activity. In between, a hairpin structure, "arm", extends from an interconnecting domain to the chromophore region. Here, by removing this protein segment in a bacteriophytochrome from Deinococcus radiodurans (DrBphP), we show that the arm is crucial for signal transduction. Crystallographic, spectroscopic, and biochemical data indicate that this variant maintains the properties of DrBphP in the resting state. Spectroscopic data also reveal that the armless systems maintain the ability to respond t…
The hairpin extension controls solvent access to the chromophore binding pocket in a bacterial phytochrome: a UV-vis absorption spectroscopy study.
AbstractSolvent access to the protein interior plays an important role in the function of many proteins. Phytochromes contain a specific structural feature, a hairpin extension that appears to relay structural information from the chromophore to the rest of the protein. The extension interacts with amino acids near the chromophore, and hence shields the chromophore from the surrounding solvent. We envision that the detachment of the extension from the protein surface allows solvent exchange reactions in the vicinity of the chromophore. This can facilitate for example, proton transfer processes between solvent and the protein interior. To test this hypothesis, the kinetics of the protonation…
UV-Vis Spectroscopy Reveals a Correlation Between Y263 and BV Protonation States in Bacteriophytochromes
Red‐light photosensory proteins, phytochromes, link light activation to biological functions by interconverting between two conformational states. For this, they undergo large‐scale secondary and tertiary changes which follow small‐scale Z to E bond photoisomerization of the covalently bound bilin chromophore. The complex network of amino acid interactions in the chromophore‐binding pocket plays a central role in this process. Highly conserved Y263 and H290 have been found to be important for the photoconversion yield, while H260 has been identified as important for bilin protonation and proton transfer steps. Here, we focus on the roles these amino acids are playing in preserving the chemi…
UV‐Vis Spectroscopy Reveals a Correlation Between Y263 and BV Protonation States in Bacteriophytochromes
Red-light photosensory proteins, phytochromes, link light activation to biological functions by interconverting between two conformational states. For this, they undergo large-scale secondary and tertiary changes which follow small-scale Z to E bond photoisomerization of the covalently bound bilin chromophore. The complex network of amino acid interactions in the chromophore-binding pocket plays a central role in this process. Highly conserved Y263 and H290 have been found to be important for the photoconversion yield, while H260 has been identified as important for bilin protonation and proton transfer steps. Here, we focus on the roles these amino acids are playing in preserving the chemi…
Site-by-site tracking of signal transduction in an azidophenylalanine-labeled bacteriophytochrome with step-scan FTIR spectroscopy
Signal propagation in photosensory proteins is a complex and multidimensional event. Unraveling such mechanisms site-specifically in real time is an eligible but a challenging goal. Here, we elucidate the site-specific events in a red-light sensing phytochrome using the unnatural amino acid azidophenylalanine, vibrationally distinguishable from all other protein signals. In canonical phytochromes, signal transduction starts with isomerization of an excited bilin chromophore, initiating a multitude of processes in the photosensory unit of the protein, which eventually control the biochemical activity of the output domain, nanometers away from the chromophore. By implementing the label in pri…
Coordination of the biliverdin D-ring in bacteriophytochromes.
Phytochrome proteins translate light into biochemical signals in plants, fungi and microorganisms. Light cues are absorbed by a bilin chromophore, leading to an isomerization and a rotation of the D-ring. This relays the signal to the protein matrix. A set of amino acids, which is conserved across the phytochrome superfamily, holds the chromophore in the binding pocket. However, the functional role of many of these amino acids is not yet understood. Here, we investigate the hydrogen bonding network which surrounds the D-ring of the chromophore in the resting (Pr) state. We use UV/vis spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography to compare the photosensory domains…