6533b7d8fe1ef96bd126af08

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Conserved histidine and tyrosine determine spectral responses through the water network in Deinococcus radiodurans phytochrome

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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 and spectroscopy, respectively. 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 and spectroscopy, respectively. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s). Phytochromes are red light-sensing photoreceptor proteins that bind a bilin chromophore. Here, we investigate the role of a conserved histidine (H260) and tyrosine (Y263) in the chromophore-binding domain (CBD) of Deinococcus radiodurans phytochrome (DrBphP). Using crystallography, we show that in the H260A variant, the missing imidazole side chain leads to increased water content in the binding pocket. On the other hand, Y263F mutation reduces the water occupancy around the chromophore. Together, these changes in water coordination alter the protonation and spectroscopic properties of the biliverdin. These results pinpoint the importance of this conserved histidine and tyrosine, and the related water network, for the function and applications of phytochromes. Peer reviewed