Excitation of the L intermediate of bacteriorhodopsin: electric responses to test x-ray structures.

ABSTRACT: The L intermediate of bacteriorhodopsin was excited, and its electrical response was measured. Two positive components were found in it with respect to the direction of proton pumping: an unresolved fast component, and a slower one (tau=7 micros) of small amplitude. The fast component was assigned to a charge motion corresponding to reisomerization of the retinal moiety, whereas the slow one was attributed to charge rearrangements reestablishing the ground state. Because three x-ray crystallographic structures have recently been reported for the L intermediate, it seemed important to calculate the intramolecular dipole moment changes associated to bR-->L for all three structures, so as to compare them with similar quantities determined from the electrical signals. The results are discussed

SUBMITTER: Toth-Boconadi R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1403183 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature