Photocobilins integrate B₁₂ and bilin photochemistry for enzyme control.

ABSTRACT: Photoreceptor proteins utilise chromophores to sense light and trigger a biological response. The discovery that adenosylcobalamin (or coenzyme B₁₂) can act as a light-sensing chromophore heralded a new field of B₁₂-photobiology. Although microbial genome analysis indicates that photoactive B₁₂-binding domains form part of more complex protein architectures, regulating a range of molecular-cellular functions in response to light, experimental evidence is lacking. Here we identify and characterise a sub-family of multi-centre photoreceptors, termed photocobilins, that use B₁₂ and biliverdin (BV) to sense light across the visible spectrum. Crystal structures reveal close juxtaposition of the B₁₂ and BV chromophores, an arrangement that f

SUBMITTER: Zhang S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10979010 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature