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Photoreactions of bacteriorhodopsin

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Abstract

Bacteriorhodopsin is a membrane-bound light energy transducer which generates an electrochemical proton gradient. It undergoes a cyclic photoreaction in which five intermediates have been identified. During the cycle it releases a proton from one surface of the membrane and takes up a proton on the opposite surface. The active chromophore consists of retinal bound through a Schiff base to the protein. The Schiff base is deprotonized during the photoreaction cycle and appears to be involved in the transport of protons through the membrane. The retinal may also undergo an isomerization.

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References

  1. Lozier, R. H., Niederberger, W., Bogomolni, R. A., Hwang, S.-B., Stoeckenius, W.: Kinetics and stoichiometry of light-induced proton release and uptake from purple membrane fragments, Halobacterium halobium cell envelopes, and phospholipid vesicles containing oriented purple membrane. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) (in press) 1976

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiovascular Research Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, 94122, San Francisco, California

    Walther Stoeckenius, Richard H. Lozier & Werner Niederberger

  2. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA

    Walther Stoeckenius, Richard H. Lozier & Werner Niederberger

Authors
  1. Walther Stoeckenius
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  2. Richard H. Lozier
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  3. Werner Niederberger
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Additional information

This work was supported by NASA Grant NSG-7151 and NHLI Grant HL-06285

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Stoeckenius, W., Lozier, R.H. & Niederberger, W. Photoreactions of bacteriorhodopsin. Biophys. Struct. Mechanism 3, 65–68 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00536456

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00536456

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