A second conserved GAF domain cysteine is required for the blue/green photoreversibility of cyanobacteriochrome Tlr0924 from Thermosynechococcus elongatus

作者：Rockwell Nathan C; Njuguna Stephanie Lane; Roberts Laurel; Castillo Elenor; Parson Victoria L; Dwojak Sunshine; Lagarias J Clark^*; Spiller Susan C

来源：Biochemistry, 2008, 47(27): 7304-7316.

DOI：10.1021/bi800088t

Phytochromes are widely occurring red/far-red photoreceptors that utilize a linear tetrapyrrole (bilin) chromophore covalently bound within a knotted PAS-GAF domain pair. Cyanobacteria also contain more distant relatives of phytochromes that lack this knot, such as the phytochrome-related cyanobacteriochromes implicated to function as blue/green switchable photoreceptors. In this study, we characterize the cyanobacteriochrome Tlr0924 from the thermophilic cypobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus. Full-length Tlr0924 exhibits blue/green photoconversion across a broad range of temperatures, including physiologically relevant temperatures for this organism. Spectroscopic characterization of Tlr0924 demonstrates that its green-absorbing state is in equilibrium with a labile, spectrally distinct blue-absorbing species. The photochemically generated blue-absorbing state is in equilibrium with another species absorbing at longer wavelengths, giving a total of 4 states. Cys499 is essential for this behavior, because mutagenesis of this residue results in red-absorbing mutant biliproteins. Characterization of the C499D mutant protein by absorbance and CD spectroscopy supports the conclusion that its bilin chromophore adopts a similar conformation to the red-light-absorbing P-r form of phytochrome. We propose a model photocycle in which Z/E photoisomerization of the 15/16 bond modulates formation of a reversible thioether linkage between Cys499 and C10 of the chromophore, providing the basis for the blue/green switching of cyanobacteriochromes.

• 出版日期2008-7-8