Deactivation and proton transfer in light-induced metarhodopsin II/metarhodopsin III conversion: a time-resolved fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study

Vertebrate rhodopsin shares with other retinal proteins the 11-cis-retinal chromophore and the light-induced 11-cis/trans isomerization triggering its activation pathway. However, only in rhodopsin the retinylidene Schiff base bond to the apoprotein is eventually hydrolyzed, making a complex regeneration pathway necessary. Metabolic regeneration cannot be short-cut, and light absorption in the active metarhodopsin (Meta) II intermediate causes anti/syn isomerization around the retinylidene linkage rather than reversed trans/cis isomerization. A new deactivating pathway is thereby triggered, which ends in the Meta III "retinal storage" product. Using time-resolved Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, we show that the identified steps of receptor activation, including Schiff base deprotonation, protein structural changes, and proton uptake by the apoprotein, are all reversed. However, Schiff base reprotonation is much faster than the activating deprotonation, whereas the protein structural changes are slower. The final proton release occurs with pK approximately 4.5, similar to the pK of a free Glu residue and to the pK at which the isolated opsin apoprotein becomes active. A forced deprotonation, equivalent to the forced protonation in the activating pathway, which occurs against the unfavorable pH of the medium, is not observed. This explains properties of the final Meta III product, which displays much higher residual activity and is less stable than rhodopsin arising from regeneration with 11-cis-retinal. We propose that the anti/syn conversion can only induce a fast reorientation and distance change of the Schiff base but fails to build up the full set of dark ground state constraints, presumably involving the Glu(134)/Arg(135) cluster.     

Resonance Raman studies of bovine metarhodopsin I and metarhodopsin II

The resonance Raman spectra of bovine metarhodopsin I and metarhodopsin II have been measured. The spectra are compared with model chromophore resonance Raman data. It was found that metarhodopsin I is linked to opsin via a protonated Schiff base linkage, whereas metarhodopsin II is linked by an unprotonated Schiff base. A recent suggestion that the chromophore of metarhodopsin II is retinal is explicitly disproved. The chromophores of both metarhodopsins are found to have an essentially all-trans conformation. The basic mechanism for color regulation in both forms appears to be electron delocalization. The data tend to support the model of cis-trans isomerization as the primary mechanism for vision. Also, the conclusions and inferences of this work on energy uses and storage by rhodopsin in neural generation are discussed.     

The pK of Schiff base deprotonation in bacteriorhodopsin.

Kinetic resonance Raman spectroscopy as a function of pH has been utilized to determine the pK of Schiff base deprotonation during the bacteriorhodopsin photochemical cycle. It is shown that the pK of Schiff base deprotonation is between 9.9 and 10.3, microseconds after light absorption and is >12 before photon initiation of photochemical cycling associated with proton pumping.     

Proton movement and photointermediate kinetics in rhodopsin mutants

The role of ionizable amino acid side chains in the bovine rhodopsin activation mechanism was studied in mutants E134Q, E134R/R135E, H211F, and E122Q. All mutants exhibited bathorhodopsin stability on the 30 ns to 1 micros time scale similar to that of the wild type. Lumirhodopsin decay was also similar to that of the wild type except for the H211F mutant where early decay (20 micros) to a second form of lumirhodopsin was seen, followed by formation of an extremely long-lived Meta I(480) product (34 ms), an intermediate which forms to a much reduced extent, if at all, in dodecyl maltoside suspensions of wild-type rhodopsin. A smaller amount of a similar long-lived Meta I(480) product was seen after photolysis of E122Q, but E134Q and E134R/R135Q displayed kinetics much more similar to those of the wild type under these conditions (i.e., no Meta I(480) product). These results support the idea that specific interaction of His211 and Glu122 plays a significant role in deprotonation of the retinylidene Schiff base and receptor activation. Proton uptake measurements using bromcresol purple showed that E122Q was qualitatively similar to wild-type rhodopsin, with at least one proton being released during lumirhodopsin decay per Meta I(380) intermediate formed, followed by uptake of at least two protons per rhodopsin bleached on a time scale of tens of milliseconds. Different results were obtained for H211F, E134Q, and E134R/R135E, which all released approximately two protons per rhodopsin bleached. These results show that several ionizable groups besides the Schiff base imine are affected by the structural changes involved in rhodopsin activation. At least two proton uptake groups and probably at least one proton release group in addition to the Schiff base are present in rhodopsin.     

Signaling states of rhodopsin. Formation of the storage form,metarhodopsin III,from active metarhodopsin II

Vertebrate rhodopsin consists of the apoprotein opsin and the chromophore 11-cis-retinal covalently linked via a protonated Schiff base. Upon photoisomerization of the chromophore to all-trans-retinal, the retinylidene linkage hydrolyzes, and all-trans-retinal dissociates from opsin. The pigment is eventually restored by recombining with enzymatically produced 11-cis-retinal. All-trans-retinal release occurs in parallel with decay of the active form, metarhodopsin (Meta) II, in which the original Schiff base is intact but deprotonated. The intermediates formed during Meta II decay include Meta III, with the original Schiff base reprotonated, and Meta III-like pseudo-photoproducts. Using an intrinsic fluorescence assay, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy, we investigated Meta II decay in native rod disk membranes. Up to 40% of Meta III is formed without changes in the intrinsic Trp fluorescence and thus without all-trans-retinal release. NADPH, a cofactor for the reduction of all-trans-retinal to all-trans-retinol, does not accelerate Meta II decay nor does it change the amount of Meta III formed. However, Meta III can be photoconverted back to the Meta II signaling state. The data are described by two quasi-irreversible pathways, leading in parallel into Meta III or into release of all-trans-retinal. Therefore, Meta III could be a form of rhodopsin that is stored away, thus regulating photoreceptor regeneration.     

Kinetics and pH Dependence of Light-Induced Deprotonation of the Schiff Base of Rhodopsin: Possible Coupling to Proton Uptake and Formation of the Active Form of Meta II

In this paper we first review what is known about the kinetics of Meta II formation, the role and stoichiometry of protons in Meta II formation, the kinetics of the light-induced changes of proton concentration, and the site of proton uptake. We then go on to compare the processes that lead to the deprotonation of the Schiff base in bacteriorhodopsin with rhodopsin. We point out that the similarity of the signs of the light-induced electrical signals from the two kinds of oriented pigment molecules could be explained by bacteriorhodopsin releasing a proton from its extracellular side while rhodopsin taking up a proton on its cytoplasmic side. We then examined the pH dependence of both the absorption spectrum of the unphotolyzed state and the amplitude and kinetics of Meta II formation in bovine rhodopsin. We also measured the effect of deuteration and azide on Meta II formation. We concluded that the pK _a of the counter-ion to the Schiff base of bovine rhodopsin and of a surface residue that takes up a proton upon photolysis are both less than 4 in the unphotolyzed state. The data on pH dependence of Meta II formation indicated that the mechanisms involved are more complicated than just two sequential, isospectral forms of Meta II in the bleaching sequence. Finally we examined the evidence that, like in bacteriorhodopsin, the protonation of the Schiff bases's counter-ion (Glu113) is coupled to the changing of the pK _a of a protonatable surface group, called Z for rhodopsin and tentatively assigned to Glu134. We conclude that there probably is such a coupling, leading to the formation of the active form of Meta II.     

Investigations of the rhodopsin/Meta I and rhodopsin/Meta II transitions of bovine rod outer segments by means of kinetic infrared spectroscopy

We have applied our recently developed technique of flash induced kinetic infrared spectroscopy to the rhodopsin/Meta I and rhodopsin/Meta II transitions. Features of the infrared spectrum reflecting the C=C-vibration and the isomeric form of the chromophore are in agreement with resonant Raman experiments. Different results are obtained for the C=N-vibration of the Schiff base retinal opsin link. They are interpreted in terms of a Schiff base protonated via an hydrogen bond. A proton transfer in the excited state is suggested to explain the deviating results. In addition we have obtained spectral changes which cannot be attributed to molecular changes in the chromophore. We assume that these spectral features reflect molecular events in the protein part of rhodopsin.     

On the mechanism of hydrogen-deuterium exchange in bacteriorhodopsin.

Continuous-flow resonance Raman experiments carried out in bacteriorhodopsin show that the exchange of a deuteron on the Schiff base with a proton takes place in times shorter than 3 ms. Exchange mechanisms based on a base-catalyzed deprotonation followed by reprotonation of the Schiff base are excluded. A mechanism is suggested in which a water molecule interacts directly with the Schiff base deuteron in a concerted exchange mechanism. It appears that in the dark, the binding site is more accessible to neutral water molecules than to charged protons.     

Role of the cytoplasmic domain in Anabaena sensory rhodopsin photocycling: vectoriality of Schiff base deprotonation

Light-induced electric signals in intact E. coli cells generated by heterologously expressed full-length and C-terminally truncated versions of Anabaena sensory rhodopsin (ASR) demonstrate that the charge movements within the membrane-embedded part of the molecule are stringently controlled by the cytoplasmic domain. In particular, truncation inverts the direction of proton movement during Schiff base deprotonation from outward to cytoplasmic. Truncation also alters faster charge movements that occur before Schiff base deprotonation. Asp(217) as previously shown by FTIR serves as a proton acceptor in the truncated ASR but not in the full-length version, and its mutation to Asn restores the natural outward direction of proton movement. Introduction of a potential negative charge (Ser(86) to Asp) on the cytoplasmic side favors a cytoplasmic direction of proton release from the Schiff base. In contrast, mutation of the counterion Asp(75) to Glu reverses the photocurrent to the outward direction in the truncated pigment, and in both truncated and full-length versions accelerates Schiff base deprotonation more than 10-fold. The communication between the cytoplasmic domain and the membrane-embedded photoactive site of ASR demonstrated here is likely to derive from the receptor's use of a cytoplasmic protein for signal transduction, as has been suggested previously from binding studies.     

Resonance Raman spectroscopy of octopus rhodopsin and its photoproducts

We report here the resonance Raman spectra of octopus rhodopsin and its photoproducts, bathorhodopsin and acid metarhodopsin. These studies were undertaken in order to make comparisons with the well-studied bovine pigments, so as to understand the similarities and the differences in pigment structure and photochemical processes between vertebrates and invertebrates. The flow method was used to obtain the Raman spectrum of rhodopsin at 13 degrees C. The bathorhodopsin spectrum was obtained by computer subtraction of the spectra containing different photostationary mixtures of rhodopsin, isorhodopsin, hypsorhodopsin, and bathorhodopsin, obtained at 12 K using the pump-probe technique and from measurements at 80 K. Like their bovine counterparts, the Schiff base vibrational mode appears at approximately 1660 cm-1 in octopus rhodopsin and the photoproducts, bathorhodopsin and acid metarhodopsin, suggesting a protonated Schiff base linkage between the chromophore and the protein. Differences between the Raman spectra of octopus rhodopsin and bathorhodopsin indicate that the formation of bathorhodopsin is associated with chromophore isomerization. This inference is substantiated by the chromophore chemical extraction data which show that, like the bovine system, octopus rhodopsin is an 11-cis pigment, while the photoproducts contain an all-trans pigment, in agreement with previous work. The octopus rhodopsin and bathorhodopsin spectra show marked differences from their bovine counterparts in other respects, however. The differences are most dramatic in the structure-sensitive fingerprint and the HOOP regions. Thus, it appears that although the two species differ in the specific nature of the chromophore-protein interactions, the general process of visual transduction is the same.     

The pKa of the protonated Schiff bases of gecko cone and octopus visual pigments.

A visual pigment is composed of retinal bound to its apoprotein by a protonated Schiff base linkage. Light isomerizes the chromophore and eventually causes the deprotonation of this Schiff base linkage at the meta II stage of the bleaching cycle. The meta II intermediate of the visual pigment is the active form of the pigment that binds to and activates the G protein transducin, starting the visual cascade. The deprotonation of the Schiff base is mandatory for the formation of meta II intermediate. We studied the proton binding affinity, pKa, of the Schiff base of both octopus rhodopsin and the gecko cone pigment P521 by spectral titration. Several fluorinated retinal analogs have strong electron withdrawing character around the Schiff base region and lower the Schiff base pKa in model compounds. We regenerated octopus and gecko visual pigments with these fluorinated and other retinal analogs. Experiments on these artificial pigments showed that the spectral changes seen upon raising the pH indeed reflected the pKa of the Schiff base and not the denaturation of the pigment or the deprotonation of some other group in the pigment. The Schiff base pKa is 10.4 for octopus rhodopsin and 9.9 for the gecko cone pigment. We also showed that although the removal of Cl- ions causes considerable blue-shift in the gecko cone pigment P521, it affects the Schiff base pKa very little, indicating that the lambda max of visual pigment and its Schiff base pKa are not tightly coupled.     

Resonance raman spectroscopy of an ultraviolet-sensitive insect rhodopsin

We present the first visual pigment resonance Raman spectra from the UV-sensitive eyes of an insect, Ascalaphus macaronius (owlfly). This pigment contains 11-cis-retinal as the chromophore. Raman data have been obtained for the acid metarhodopsin at 10 degrees C in both H2O and D2O. The C = N stretching mode at 1660 cm-1 in H2O shifts to 1631 cm-1 upon deuteriation of the sample, clearly showing a protonated Schiff base linkage between the chromophore and the protein. The structure-sensitive fingerprint region shows similarities to the all-trans-protonated Schiff base of model retinal chromophores, as well as to the octopus acid metarhodopsin and bovine metarhodopsin I. Although spectra measured at -100 degrees C with 406.7-nm excitation, to enhance scattering from rhodopsin (lambda max 345 nm), contain a significant contribution from a small amount of contaminants [cytochrome(s) and/or accessory pigment] in the sample, the C = N stretch at 1664 cm-1 suggests a protonated Schiff base linkage between the chromophore and the protein in rhodopsin as well. For comparison, this mode also appears at approximately 1660 cm-1 in both the vertebrate (bovine) and the invertebrate (octopus) rhodopsins. These data are particularly interesting since the absorption maximum of 345 nm for rhodopsin might be expected to originate from an unprotonated Schiff base linkage. That the Schiff base linkage in the owlfly rhodopsin, like in bovine and in octopus, is protonated suggests that a charged chromophore is essential to visual transduction.     

Structural impact of the E113Q counterion mutation on the activation and deactivation pathways of the G protein-coupled receptor rhodopsin

Disruption of an interhelical salt bridge between the retinal protonated Schiff base linked to H7 and Glu113 on H3 is one of the decisive steps during activation of rhodopsin. Using previously established stabilization strategies, we engineered a stabilized E113Q counterion mutant that converted rhodopsin to a UV-absorbing photoreceptor with deprotonated Schiff base and allowed reconstitution into native-like lipid membranes. Fourier-transform infrared difference spectroscopy reveals a deprotonated Schiff base in the photoproducts of the mutant up to the active state Meta II, the absence of the classical pH-dependent Meta I/Meta II conformational equilibrium in favor of Meta II, and an anticipation of active state features under conditions that stabilize inactive photoproduct states in wildtype rhodopsin. Glu181 on extracellular loop 2, is found to be unable to maintain a counterion function to the Schiff base on the activation pathway of rhodopsin in the absence of the primary counterion, Glu113. The Schiff base becomes protonated in the transition to Meta III. This protonation is, however, not associated with a deactivation of the receptor, in contrast to wildtype rhodopsin. Glu181 is suggested to be the counterion in the Meta III state of the mutant and appears to be capable of stabilizing a protonated Schiff base in Meta III, but not of constraining the receptor in an inactive conformation.     

NMR probes of vectoriality in the proton-motive photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin: evidence for an 'electrostatic steering' mechanism

In recent years, significant progress has been made in elucidating the structure of bacteriorhodopsin. However, the molecular mechanism by which vectorial proton motion is enforced remains unknown. Given the advantages of a protonated Schiff base for both photoisomerization and thermal reisomerization of the chromophore, a five-state proton pump can be rationalized in which the switch in the connectivity of the Schiff base between the two sides of the membrane is decoupled from double bond isomerization. This decoupling requires tight control of the Schiff base until it is deprotonated and decisive release after it is deprotonated. NMR evidence has been obtained for both the tight control and the decisive release: strain develops in the chromophore in the first half of the photocycle and disappears after deprotonation. The strain is associated with a strong interaction between the Schiff base and its counterion, an interaction that is broken when the Schiff base deprotonates. Thus the counterion appears to play a critical role in energy transduction, controlling the Schiff base in the first half of the photocycle by 'electrostatic steering'. NMR also detects other events during the photocycle, but it is argued that these are secondary to the central mechanism.     

Chromophore structure in lumirhodopsin and metarhodopsin I by time-resolved resonance Raman microchip spectroscopy.

Time-resolved resonance Raman microchip flow experiments have been performed on the lumirhodopsin (Lumi) and metarhodopsin I (Meta I) photointermediates of rhodopsin at room temperature to elucidate the structure of the chromophore in each species as well as changes in protein-chromophore interactions. Transient Raman spectra of Lumi and Meta I with delay times of 16 micros and 1 ms, respectively, are obtained by using a microprobe system to focus displaced pump and probe laser beams in a microfabricated flow channel and to detect the scattering. The fingerprint modes of both species are very similar and characteristic of an all-trans chromophore. Lumi exhibits a relatively normal hydrogen-out-of-plane (HOOP) doublet at 951/959 cm(-1), while Meta I has a single HOOP band at 957 cm(-1). These results suggest that the transitions from bathorhodopsin to Lumi and Meta I involve a relaxation of the chromophore to a more planar all-trans conformation and the elimination of the structural perturbation that uncouples the 11H and 12H wags in bathorhodopsin. Surprisingly, the protonated Schiff base C=N stretching mode in Lumi (1638 cm(-1)) is unusually low compared to those in rhodopsin and bathorhodopsin, and the C=ND stretching mode shifts down by only 7 cm(-1) in D2O buffer. This indicates that the Schiff base hydrogen bonding is dramatically weakened in the bathorhodopsin to Lumi transition. However, the C=N stretching mode in Meta I is found at 1654 cm(-1) and exhibits a normal deuteration-induced downshift of 24 cm(-1), identical to that of the all-trans protonated Schiff base. The structural relaxation of the chromophore-protein complex in the bathorhodopsin to Lumi transition thus appears to drive the Schiff base group out of its hydrogen-bonded environment near Glu113, and the hydrogen bonding recovers to a normal solvated PSB value but presumably a different hydrogen bond acceptor with the formation of Meta I.     

Effect of iodination on the pK of Schiff base deprotonation and M412 production in purple membrane

Previously, kinetic resonance Raman measurements as a function of pH have been used to demonstrate that, microseconds after light absorption, the pK of Schiff base deprotonation during the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle is 10.2 ± 0.3, whereas before the light event, the pK is > 12 (2). In this investigation, we have iodinated purple membrane suspensions and have found that the pK of Schiff base deprotonation in the photocycle has been lowered to between 7 and 8 for iodinated bacteriorhodopsin. These results, together with our previous data on the pK of Schiff base deprotonation, suggest that the amino acid tyrosine could be a critical component in the deprotonation mechanism.     

Structure of the retinal chromophore in the hRL intermediate of halorhodopsin from resonance raman spectroscopy

Time-resolved resonance Raman spectra of the hRL intermediate of halorhodopsin have been obtained. The structurally sensitive fingerprint region of the hRL spectrum is very similar to that of bacteriorhodopsin's L550 intermediate, which is known to have a 13-cis configuration. This indicates that hRL contains a 13-cis chromophore and that an all-trans----13-cis isomerization occurs in the halorhodopsin photocycle. hRL exhibits a Schiff base stretching mode at 1644 cm-1, which shifts to 1620 cm-1 in D2O. This demonstrates that the Schiff base linkage to the protein is protonated. The insensitivity of the C-C stretching mode frequencies to N-deuteriation suggests that the Schiff base configuration is anti. The 24 cm-1 shift of the Schiff base mode in D2O indicates that the Schiff base proton in hRL has a stronger hydrogen-bonding interaction with the protein than does hR578.     

pH dependence of photolysis intermediates in the photoactivation of rhodopsin mutant E113Q

Glutamic acid at position 113 in bovine rhodopsin ionizes to form the counterion to the protonated Schiff base (PSB), which links the 11-cis-retinylidene chromophore to opsin. Photoactivation of rhodopsin requires both Schiff base deprotonation and neutralization of Glu-113. To better understand the role of electrostatic interactions in receptor photoactivation, absorbance difference spectra were collected at time delays from 30 ns to 690 ms after photolysis of rhodopsin mutant E113Q solubilized in dodecyl maltoside at different pH values at 20 degrees C. The PSB form (pH 5. 5, lambda(max) = 496 nm) and the unprotonated Schiff base form (pH 8. 2, lambda(max) = 384 nm) of E113Q rhodopsin were excited using 477 nm or 355 nm light, respectively. Early photointermediates of both forms of E113Q were qualitatively similar to those of wild-type rhodopsin. In particular, early photoproducts with spectral shifts to longer wavelengths analogous to wild-type bathorhodopsin were seen. In the case of the basic form of E113Q, the absorption maximum of this intermediate was at 408 nm. These results suggest that steric interaction between the retinylidene chromophore and opsin, rather than charge separation, plays the dominant role in energy storage in bathorhodopsin. After lumirhodopsin, instead of deprotonating to form metarhodopsin I(380) on the submillisecond time scale as is the case for wild type, the acidic form of E113Q produced metarhodopsin I(480), which decayed very slowly (exponential lifetime = 12 ms). These results show that Glu-113 must be present for efficient deprotonation of the Schiff base and rapid visual transduction in vertebrate visual pigments.     

Transition of rhodopsin into the active metarhodopsin II state opens a new light-induced pathway linked to Schiff base isomerization

Rhodopsin bears 11-cis-retinal covalently bound by a protonated Schiff base linkage. 11-cis/all-trans isomerization, induced by absorption of green light, leads to active metarhodopsin II, in which the Schiff base is intact but deprotonated. The subsequent metabolic retinoid cycle starts with Schiff base hydrolysis and release of photolyzed all-trans-retinal from the active site and ends with the uptake of fresh 11-cis-retinal. To probe chromophore-protein interaction in the active state, we have studied the effects of blue light absorption on metarhodopsin II using infrared and time-resolved UV-visible spectroscopy. A light-induced shortcut of the retinoid cycle, as it occurs in other retinal proteins, is not observed. The predominantly formed illumination product contains all-trans-retinal, although the spectra reflect Schiff base reprotonation and protein deactivation. By its kinetics of formation and decay, its low temperature photointermediates, and its interaction with transducin, this illumination product is identified as metarhodopsin III. This species is known to bind all-trans-retinal via a reprotonated Schiff base and forms normally in parallel to retinal release. We find that its generation by light absorption is only achieved when starting from active metarhodopsin II and is not found with any of its precursors, including metarhodopsin I. Based on the finding of others that metarhodopsin III binds retinal in all-trans-C(15)-syn configuration, we can now conclude that light-induced formation of metarhodopsin III operates by Schiff base isomerization ("second switch"). Our reaction model assumes steric hindrance of the retinal polyene chain in the active conformation, thus preventing central double bond isomerization.     

Flash-induced kinetic infrared spectroscopy applied to biochemical systems

A flash photolysis apparatus with monitoring infrared beam is described allowing measurements of relative transmission changes of 10^–3 in times of a few milliseconds. The investigation of the photodissociation of CO-myoglobin confirms the results obtained by static infrared difference spectroscopy. The application of our method to the rhodopsin/Meta II transition reveals signals which can tentatively be ascribed to the disappearance of the C=C-band of the protonated N-retinylidene Schiff base in rhodopsin. The developed method will be compared with other existing methods of kinetic vibronic spectroscopy such as kinetic resonance Raman spectroscopy and kinetic Fourier infrared spectroscopy.