Spectroscopic studies of model photo-receptors: validation of a nanosecond time-resolved micro-spectrophotometer design using photoactive yellow protein and α-phycoerythrocyanin.

ABSTRACT: Time-resolved spectroscopic experiments have been performed with protein in solution and in crystalline form using a newly designed microspectrophotometer. The time-resolution of these experiments can be as good as two nanoseconds (ns), which is the minimal response time of the image intensifier used. With the current setup, the effective time-resolution is about seven ns, determined mainly by the pulse duration of the nanosecond laser. The amount of protein required is small, on the order of 100 nanograms. Bleaching, which is an undesirable effect common to photoreceptor proteins, is minimized by using a millisecond shutter to avoid extensive exposure to the probing light. We investigate two model photoreceptors, photoactive yellow protein (PYP), and α-phycoerythrocyanin (α-PEC), on diffe

SUBMITTER: Purwar N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3794812 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature