中性红与去离子化紫膜（蓝膜）的相互作用

本文研究了带有正电荷的质子化中性红使去离子化紫膜（蓝膜）再生为紫膜的能力,以及再生紫膜的光化学性质,并从结合中性红的光谱特性中,探讨了结合位的微环境特点,实验结果说明,中性红具有使蓝膜再生为紫膜的能力,但再生紫膜与天然紫膜相比有较慢的光循环速率和较低的质子泵效率,结合至蓝膜上的中性红吸收最大值相对于自由中性红有明显的蓝移,说明了结合中性红是以双体形式存在于亲水环境中,文中讨论了紫膜上金属离子结合位     

中性红再生紫膜的光化学性质

研究了中性红再生紫膜从先适应状态到暗适应状态的反应及再生紫膜中中性红的光吸收变化。实验结果说明紫膜上的金属离子结合位点可能深入膜内的质子通道,与构成质子通道的一些重要氨基酸残基相互作用。紫膜经去离子化处理变成蓝膜后,带有正电荷的质子化中性红也可以占据此金属离子结合位点,使蓝膜再生为紫膜。但金属离子与结合位点具有更强的亲和力,使蓝膜再生为紫膜的能力比质子化中性红强。     

Mg~(2 )离子对紫膜表面电位效应的自旋探针—ESR研究

本文根据带正电荷自旋探针CAT_(12)在紫膜结合相和水相的分布,利用自旋探针顺磁共振(ESR)技术测定了Mg~(2 )对紫膜表面电位的影响,我们的结果表明紫膜具有σ为3.02×10~(-4)Ch-arges/(?)~2的表面电荷密度.据此σ用Gouy-Chapman理论计算得到Mg~(2 )离子浓度与表面电位((?)_i)的关系与实验结果极为一致,这表明离子通过表面电位的变化引起紫膜的表面pH值的改变从而影响紫膜的结构与功能,Mg~(2 )对紫膜表面电位的影响明显地比K~ 要大,说明镁离子可能在紫膜的结构与功能中有更为重要的作用.     

Mg~(2+)离子对紫膜表面电位效应的自旋探针—ESR研究

本文根据带正电荷自旋探针CAT_(12)在紫膜结合相和水相的分布,利用自旋探针顺磁共振(ESR)技术测定了Mg~(2+)对紫膜表面电位的影响,我们的结果表明紫膜具有σ为3.02×10~(-4)Ch-arges/(?)~2的表面电荷密度.据此σ用Gouy-Chapman理论计算得到Mg~(2+)离子浓度与表面电位((?)_i)的关系与实验结果极为一致,这表明离子通过表面电位的变化引起紫膜的表面pH值的改变从而影响紫膜的结构与功能,Mg~(2+)对紫膜表面电位的影响明显地比K~+要大,说明镁离子可能在紫膜的结构与功能中有更为重要的作用.     

离子强度、温度及表面活性剂Triton X-100对紫膜质子泵效率的影响

用毫秒级闪光动力学光谱仪研究了离子强度、温度及表面活性剂Triton X-100对紫膜质子泵效率的影响。结果表明:紫膜溶液中适量离子的加入可使其质子泵效率(H~+/M_(412))显著提高(纯水中,H~+/M_(412)—0.56,而在150mM KCl中可达—1.3),高价离子的影响显然远大于低价离子;在5℃—50℃的较大温度范围内,紫膜的质子泵效率变化不大,但当温度升至60℃以上时,紫膜的质子泵效率迅速下降直至为零;非离子表面活性剂Triton X-100的加入对紫膜的质子泵效率影响不大,仅随Triton量的增加而略微下降。以上实验现象,直接或间接地说明了离子在紫膜质子泵功能中的重要作用。就此对离子及脂在紫膜质子泵中的作用机制进行了进一步的探讨。     

pH对紫膜表面电位的影响

用荧光标记物1,8-AMS与紫膜结合,测量了能化态和非能化态下紫膜表面电位随介质pH的变化.在pH5.5以下,紫膜表面电位随pH的降低而下降,但囊泡中的紫膜表面电位变化幅度较大;在pH5.5以上,处于非能化态的紫膜(无论是紫膜碎片还是处于囊泡中)的表面电位都没有明显变化,处于能化态时,紫膜碎片的表面电位在pH9.2出现一个峰.     

光电响应对紫膜外表面[k~+]依赖性与质子泵效率相关

本文研究发现,不锈钢／电沉积紫膜薄膜／含水胶（电介质）／铜型菌紫质光电池的光电响应对紫膜外表面的钾离子浓度的依赖性与质子泵效率的这种依赖性成相关性。这种相关性说明：１．膜中菌紫质的光电响应主要来自质子泵运而非钾离子直接的贡献;２．存在一合适的离子浓度使菌紫质的光电响应有极大值;３．作用在外表面的离子主要影响质子释放结构域     

酶切菌紫质(bR)C端对紫膜光循环和质子泵效率的影响

本文研究紫膜悬浮液经低剂量木瓜蛋酶处理去掉菌紫质(Bacteriorhodopsin简写bR)分子C-末端后。其光循环产物和质子泵效率的变化。实验发现经酶切后,M_(412)产物中慢衰减组份M_(412)降低了20％,O_(640)降低了50％,而质子泵效率降低了70％。双光脉冲实验表明酶解作用并不影响光循环周期。这些事实说明了去C-端所引起的质子泵效率降低,不是通过光循环的途径而产生的。介质中离子强度对正常紫膜和酶解紫膜的质子泵效率有明显不同的影响 说明了C端在不同盐浓度中的构象对质子泵行为有很重要的作用。     

光电响应对紫膜外表面[k~ ]依赖性与质子泵效率相关

本文研究发现,不锈钢／电沉积紫膜薄膜／含水胶（电介质）／铜型菌紫质光电池的光电响应对紫膜外表面的钾离子浓度的依赖性与质子泵效率的这种依赖性成相关性。这种相关性说明：１．膜中菌紫质的光电响应主要来自质子泵运而非钾离子直接的贡献;２．存在一合适的离子浓度使菌紫质的光电响应有极大值;３．作用在外表面的离子主要影响质子释放结构域     

紫膜表面电荷数的测量

以CAT₁₂为自旋探针,用ESR自旋标记法测量了不同表面pH时酰化前后紫膜表面负电荷密度,以酰化所屏蔽的表面电荷数为标准,计算了表面pH4-11时单位菌紫质紫膜两侧的总负电荷数.结果表明:表面pH5-9时为9,表面pH≥10及表面pH < 5时增大.结果有力支持了膜表面5个二价阳离子结合位点的模型.     

Light-induced currents from oriented purple membrane: II. Proton and cation contributions to the photocurrent

The sign of B2, the micro-second component of the photocurrent from oriented purple membrane, is that of positive charge moving away from the purple membrane in the direction of proton release. B2 could be due to internal dipole or proton movement, proton release, or metal cation release. We found that the waveform of B2 is virtually insensitive to changes in the salt concentration as long as it is >40 mM KCl, >5 mM CaCl₂, or >0.5 mM LaCl₃. However, below these limits, B2's apparent rate of decay increases as the salt concentration decreases without any change in the initial amplitude. This salt dependence suggests that B2 is due to a positive charge, either a metal cation or a proton, moving from the membrane into the solution. That the positive charge is not a metal cation is suggested by the waveform of B2 remaining unchanged upon replacing the cations both in solution and in the binding sites of the purple membrane. Direct evidence that the positive charge movement is due to protons was obtained by examining the correlation of B2 with the proton dependent processes of bacteriorhodopsin in buffers and dyes. Based on these observations, we suggest that most, if not all, of the intrinsic B2 component of the photocurrent at moderate salt concentration is due to proton release.

The photocurrents from purple membranes whose surface potential has been reduced by delipidation or chemical modification of carboxyl groups with methyl esters were found to be only modestly changed. This suggests that the salt effect is not through its modulation of the surface potential. Rather, we propose that in low salt B2 represents the sum of a proton release from the surface of the purple membrane and a second current component, due to cations moving back towards the membrane, which is only important in low salt. The cation counter current is induced by proton release which creates a transient uncompensated negative charge on the membrane.

     

Mechanism and Role of Divalent Cation Binding of Bacteriorhodopsin

Several observations have already suggested that the carboxyl groups are involved in the association of divalent cations with bacteriorhodopsin (Chang et al., 1985). Here we show that at least part of the protons released from deionized purple membrane (`blue membrane') samples when salt is added are from carboxyl groups. We find that the apparent pK of magnesium binding to purple membrane in the presence of 0.5 mM buffer is 5.85. We suggest this is the pK of the carboxyl groups shifted from their usual pK because of the proton concentrating effect of the large negative surface potential of the purple membrane. Divalent cations may interact with negatively charged sites on the surface of purple membrane through the surface potential and/or through binding either by individual ligands or by conformation-dependent chelation. We find that divalent cations can be released from purple membrane by raising the temperature. Moreover, purple membrane binds only about half as many divalent cations after bleaching. Neither of these operations is expected to decrease the surface potential and thus these experiments suggest that some specific conformation in purple membrane is essential for the binding of a substantial fraction of the divalent cations. Divalent cations in purple membrane can be replaced by monovalent, (Na⁺ and K⁺), or trivalent, (La⁺⁺⁺) cations. Flash photolysis measurements show that the amplitude of the photointermediate, O, is affected by the replacement of the divalent cations by other ions, especially by La⁺⁺⁺. The kinetics of the M photointermediate and light-induced H⁺ uptake are not affected by Na⁺ and K⁺, but they are drastically lengthened by La⁺⁺⁺ substitution, especially at alkaline pHs. We suggest that the surface charge density and thus the surface potential is controlled by divalent cation binding. Removal of the cations (to make deionized blue membrane) or replacement of them (e.g. La⁺⁺⁺-purple membrane) changes the surface potential and hence the proton concentration near the membrane surface. An increase in local proton concentration could cause the protonation of critical carboxyl groups, for example the counter-ion to the protonated Schiff's base, causing the red shift associated with the formation of both deionized and acid blue membrane. Similar explanations based on regulation of the surface proton concentration can explain many other effects associated with the association of different cations with bacteriorhodopsin.     

Reversible inhibition of proton release activity and the anesthetic-induced acid-base equilibrium between the 480 and 570 nm forms of bacteriorhodopsin.

In purple membrane added with general anesthetics, there exists an acid-base equilibrium between two spectral forms of the pigment: bR570 and bR480 (apparent pKa = 7.3). As the purple 570 nm bacteriorhodopsin is reversibly transformed into its red 480 nm form, the proton pumping capability of the pigment reversibly decreases, as indicated by transient proton release measurements and proton translocation action spectra of mixture of both spectral forms. It happens in spite of a complete photochemical activity in bR480 that is mostly characterized by fast deprotonation and slow reprotonation steps and which, under continuous illumination, bleaches with a yield comparable to that of bR570. This modified photochemical activity has a correlated specific photoelectrical counterpart: a faster proton extrusion current and a slower reprotonation current. The relative areas of all photocurrent phases are reduced in bR480, most likely because its photochemistry is accompanied by charge movements for shorter distances than in the native pigment, reflecting a reversible inhibition of the pumping activity.     

Effects of modification of the tyrosine residues of bacteriorhodopsin with tetranitromethane.

Treatment of the purple membrane of Halobacterium halobium with tetranitromethane led to modification of tyrosine residues. Modification of more than 3-4 tyrosine residues per bacteriorhodopsin monomer caused a decrease in the light-induced proton-pumping ability of purple membrane in synthetic lipid vesicles, loss of the sharp X-ray-diffraction patterns characteristic of the crystal lattice, loss of the absorbance maximum at 560 nm, and change in the buoyant density of the membrane. No modification of lipid was detected. These changes were interpreted as a gradual denaturation of the protein component such that when 8-9 tyrosine residues are modified, no proton pumping is observed. Modification of less than 3-4 tyrosine residues with tetranitromethane caused an increse in light-induced proton pumping. It was possible to generate partly modified purple membrane which had completely lost the property of diffracting X-rays into the sharp pattern observed with native purple membrane, but which still retained the ability to pump protons in a vectorial manner. Retention of crystal lattice is not essential for proton pumping.     

Glycocardiolipin modulates the surface interaction of the proton pumped by bacteriorhodopsin in purple membrane preparations

Glycocardiolipin is an archaeal analogue of mitochondrial cardiolipin, having an extraordinary affinity for bacteriorhodopsin, the photoactivated proton pump in the purple membrane of Halobacterium salinarum. Here purple membranes have been isolated by osmotic shock from either cells or envelopes of Hbt. salinarum. We show that purple membranes isolated from envelopes have a lower content of glycocardiolipin than standard purple membranes isolated from cells. The properties of bacteriorhodopsin in the two different purple membrane preparations are compared; although some differences in the absorption spectrum and the kinetic of the dark adaptation process are present, the reduction of native membrane glycocardiolipin content does not significantly affect the photocycle (M-intermediate rise and decay) as well as proton pumping of bacteriorhodopsin. However, interaction of the pumped proton with the membrane surface and its equilibration with the aqueous bulk phase are altered.     

Synthetic pigment analogues of the purple membrane protein.

Nonphysiological analogues of retinal have been shown to form pigments in reactions with the apoprotein of the purple membrane of Halobacterium halobium. Both the all-trans and 13-cis isomers of a retinal analogue, having an elongated chain with an extra double bond, formed pigments. Unlike the native all-trans and 13-cis retinal1-based pigments, the new pigments were not interconvertible with each other and were unstable against hydroxylamine. When incorporated into phospholipid vesicles, they showed no proton pumping activity upon illumination. The ability of the extended-length retinal to form pigments contrasts with its nonreactivity with opsin (apoprotein of rhodopsin), suggesting a less stringent binding site for the purple membrane chromophore. All-trans retinal2 also combined with bleached purple membrane to form a blue pigment absorbing at ca. 590 nm. Like the native purple membrane, the blu membrane showed proton pumping activity upon illumination in phospholipid vesicles.     

Surface pH controls purple-to-blue transition of bacteriorhodopsin. A theoretical model of purple membrane surface.

We have developed a surface model of purple membrane and applied it in an analysis of the purple-to-blue color change of bacteriorhodopsin which is induced by acidification or deionization. The model is based on dissociation and double layer theory and the known membrane structure. We calculated surface pH, ion concentrations, charge density, and potential as a function of bulk pH and concentration of mono- and divalent cations. At low salt concentrations, the surface pH is significantly lower than the bulk pH and it becomes independent of bulk pH in the deionized membrane suspension. Using an experimental acid titration curve for neutral, lipid-depleted membrane, we converted surface pH into absorption values. The calculated bacteriohodopsin color changes for acidification of purple, and titrations of deionized blue membrane with cations or base agree well with experimental results. No chemical binding is required to reproduce the experimental curves. Surface charge and potential changes in acid, base and cation titrations are calculated and their relation to the color change is discussed. Consistent with structural data, 10 primary phosphate and two basic surface groups per bacteriorhodopsin are sufficient to obtain good agreement between all calculated and experimental curves. The results provide a theoretical basis for our earlier conclusion that the purple-to-blue transition must be attributed to surface phenomena and not to cation binding at specific sites in the protein.     

Glycocardiolipin modulates the surface interaction of the proton pumped by bacteriorhodopsin in purple membrane preparations

Glycocardiolipin is an archaeal analogue of mitochondrial cardiolipin, having an extraordinary affinity for bacteriorhodopsin, the photoactivated proton pump in the purple membrane of Halobacterium salinarum. Here purple membranes have been isolated by osmotic shock from either cells or envelopes of Hbt. salinarum. We show that purple membranes isolated from envelopes have a lower content of glycocardiolipin than standard purple membranes isolated from cells. The properties of bacteriorhodopsin in the two different purple membrane preparations are compared; although some differences in the absorption spectrum and the kinetic of the dark adaptation process are present, the reduction of native membrane glycocardiolipin content does not significantly affect the photocycle (M-intermediate rise and decay) as well as proton pumping of bacteriorhodopsin. However, interaction of the pumped proton with the membrane surface and its equilibration with the aqueous bulk phase are altered.