Forward Photodynamics of the Noncanonical Red/Green NpR3784 Cyanobacteriochrome from Nostoc punctiforme

Biochemistry. 2019 May 7;58(18):2297-2306. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b01274. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Abstract

Cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs) make up a diverse family of cyanobacterial photoreceptors distantly related to the phytochrome photoreceptors of land plants. At least two lineages of CBCRs have reacquired red-absorbing dark states similar to the phytochrome Pr resting state but are coupled to green-absorbing light-adapted states rather than the canonical far-red-absorbing light-adapted state. One such lineage includes the canonical red/green (R/G) CBCRs that includes AnPixJg2 (UniProtKB Q8YXY7 ) and NpR6012g4 (UniProtKB B2IU14 ) that have been extensively characterized. Here we examine the forward Pr photodynamics of NpR3784 (UniProtKB B2J457 ), a representative member of the second R/G CBCR subfamily. Using broadband transient absorption pump-probe spectroscopy, we characterize both primary (100 fs to 10 ns) and secondary (10 ns to 1 ms) forward (Pr → Pg) photodynamics and compare the results to temperature-jump cryokinetics measurements. Our studies show that primary isomerization dynamics occur on an ∼10 ps timescale, yet remarkably, the red-shifted primary Lumi-Rf photoproduct found in all photoactive canonical R/G CBCRs examined to date is extremely short-lived in NpR3784. These results demonstrate that differences in reaction pathways reflect the evolutionary history of R/G CBCRs despite the convergent evolution of their photocycle end products.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Kinetics
  • Light*
  • Nostoc / metabolism*
  • Nostoc / radiation effects
  • Photochemical Processes / radiation effects
  • Photoreceptors, Microbial / metabolism*
  • Photoreceptors, Microbial / radiation effects
  • Spectrophotometry

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Photoreceptors, Microbial