Photoelectrochemical Verification of Proton-Releasing Groups in Bacteriorhodopsin

Light-induced transient currents of bacteriorhodopsin (bR) and its mutants (D96N, D85N, E204Q and E194Q) were measured at the interface of an electrode and the aqueous solution in an electrochemical cell. The transient positive (cathodic) and negative (anodic) photocurrents generated upon the onsets of continuous illumination and of turning off light, respectively, were investigated at different electrolyte pH. The wild type exhibits both positive and negative responses, with the sign of the response inverted at pH lt 5. In D85N the response is entirely suppressed, while D96N lacks the negative response. Laser pulse excitation (532 nm) of bR and the mutants showed the response rise time of the positive transient to be uniformly about 100 μs, indicating that the response is linked to the L to M transition in the photocycle. According to these results the positive and negative signals originate from the proton release and uptake reactions, respectively. Photoexcitation of the mutants E204Q and E194Q that lack protonatable residues at position 204 and 194, respectively, produced a negative response at neutral pH, which indicates that in these proteins proton uptake precedes proton release. This result is consistent with our observations made earlier with pH indicator dyes and demonstrates that Glu-204 and Glu-194 constitute the terminal proton release complex in the extracellular region of bR.