Search results for "CHROMOPHORE"

Remote Control by π-Conjugation of the Emissive Properties of Fischer Carbene-BODIPY Dyads.

2016

The synthesis, structure, and complete characterization of mono- and bimetallic dyads joining Fischer carbene complexes and BODIPY chromophores are reported. In these organometallic species, the Fischer carbene complex is attached to the BODIPY moiety through a p-aminophenyl group linked at the C8 carbon atom of the BODIPY core. The photophysical properties, namely the corresponding UV/vis absorption and emission spectra of these new metal-carbene complexes, are analyzed and discussed. It is found that whereas the absorption of the considered dyads strongly resembles that of the parent 4-anilinyl-substituted BODIPY, the fluorescence emission is significantly reduced in these species, very l…

2020

Phytochrome proteins control the growth, reproduction, and photosynthesis of plants, fungi, and bacteria. Light is detected by a bilin cofactor, but it remains elusive how this leads to activation of the protein through structural changes. We present serial femtosecond X-ray crystallographic data of the chromophore-binding domains of a bacterial phytochrome at delay times of 1 ps and 10 ps after photoexcitation. The data reveal a twist of the D-ring, which leads to partial detachment of the chromophore from the protein. Unexpectedly, the conserved so-called pyrrole water is photodissociated from the chromophore, concomitant with movement of the A-ring and a key signaling aspartate. The chan…

Chromophore-Protein Interplay During the Phytochrome Photocycle Revealed by Step-Scan FTIR Spectroscopy

2018

Phytochrome proteins regulate many photoresponses of plants and microorganisms. Light absorption causes isomerization of the biliverdin chromophore, which triggers a series of structural changes to activate the signaling domains of the protein. However, the structural changes are elusive, and therefore the molecular mechanism of signal transduction remains poorly understood. Here, we apply two-color step-scan infrared spectroscopy to the bacteriophytochrome from Deinococcus radiodurans. We show by recordings in H2O and D2O that the hydrogen bonds to the biliverdin D-ring carbonyl become disordered in the first intermediate (Lumi-R) forming a dynamic microenvironment, then completely detach …

On the (un)coupling of the chromophore, tongue interactions, and overall conformation in a bacterial phytochrome

2018

Phytochromes are photoreceptors in plants, fungi, and various microorganisms and cycle between metastable red light-absorbing (Pr) and far-red light-absorbing (Pfr) states. Their light responses are thought to follow a conserved structural mechanism that is triggered by isomerization of the chromophore. Downstream structural changes involve refolding of the so-called tongue extension of the phytochrome-specific GAF-related (PHY) domain of the photoreceptor. The tongue is connected to the chromophore by conserved DIP and PRXSF motifs and a conserved tyrosine, but the role of these residues in signal transduction is not clear. Here, we examine the tongue interactions and their interplay with …

Coordination of the biliverdin D-ring in bacteriophytochromes.

2018

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…

2016

AbstractPhytochromes are a family of photoreceptors that control light responses of plants, fungi and bacteria. A sequence of structural changes, which is not yet fully understood, leads to activation of an output domain. Time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) can potentially shine light on these conformational changes. Here we report the room temperature crystal structure of the chromophore-binding domains of the Deinococcus radiodurans phytochrome at 2.1 Å resolution. The structure was obtained by serial femtosecond X-ray crystallography from microcrystals at an X-ray free electron laser. We find overall good agreement compared to a crystal structure at 1.35 Å resolution d…

Femtosecond structural dynamics drives the trans/cis isomerization in photoactive yellow protein

2016

Many biological processes depend on detecting and responding to light. The response is often mediated by a structural change in a protein that begins when absorption of a photon causes isomerization of a chromophore bound to the protein. Pande et al. used x-ray pulses emitted by a free electron laser source to conduct time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography in the time range of 100 fs to 3 ms. This allowed for the real-time tracking of the trans-cis isomerization of the chromophore in photoactive yellow protein and the associated structural changes in the protein.Science, this issue p. 725A variety of organisms have evolved mechanisms to detect and respond to light, in which the re…

Hydrogen Bond Fluctuations Control Photochromism in a Reversibly Photo-Switchable Fluorescent Protein

2015

Reversibly switchable fluorescent proteins (RSFPs) are essential for high-resolution microscopy of biological samples, but the reason why these proteins are photochromic is still poorly understood. To address this problem, we performed molecular dynamics simulations of the fast switching Met159Thr mutant of the RSFP Dronpa. Our simulations revealed a ground state structural heterogeneity in the chromophore pocket that consists of three populations with one, two, or three hydrogen bonds to the phenolate moiety of the chromophore. By means of non-adiabatic quantum mechanics/molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrated that the subpopulation with a single hydrogen bond is responsible for of…

Molecular balance forms of indium phthalocyanines in benzene and pyridine solution

2019

Abstract The electronic absorption spectra of In2Pc3, InPc2 and InPcI solid compounds after dissolvation in one of the most commonly used solvents, i.e.: benzene and pyridine have been measured. In benzene, the molecules of the diindium tripledecker phthalocyanine, In2Pc3, undergoes transformation to ionic couples [InPc]+[InPc2]-, whereas when the InPc2 compound is dissolvated, the molecules of the indium sandwiches, InPc2, remain relatively stable in the solvent. When the In2Pc3 compound is dissolvated in py, the inner Pc(2-) ring of diindium tripledecker phthalocyanine molecule undergoes disjunction and rejection. In the results of it in the solution the couple of chromophores, being in t…

Intramolecular charge transfer and enhanced quadratic optical non-linearities in push pull polyenes

1997

Abstract Push-pull polyenes, which have an electron-donating group (D) and an electron-withdrawing group (A) grafted on opposite ends of a conjugated polyenic chain, are of particular interest as model compounds for long-distance intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), as well as potent non-linear optical chromophores. Several series of push-pull polyenes of increasing length, combining aromatic donor moieties and various acceptor groups, have been prepared and studied. Their linear and non-linear optical properties have been investigated by performing electro-optical absorption measurements (FOAM) and electric-field-induced second-harmonic generation (EFISH) experiments in solution. Each mol…