English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Photoactivation in the Photoactive Yellow Protein, a bacterial blue-light photoreceptor, proceeds via photoisomerization of the double C═C bond in the covalently attached chromophore. Quantum chemistry calculations, however, have suggested that in addition to double-bond photoisomerization, the isolated chromophore and many of its analogues can isomerize around a single C-C bond as well. Whereas double-bond photoisomerization has been observed with X-ray crystallography, experimental evidence of single-bond photoisomerization is currently lacking. Therefore, we have synthesized a chromophore analogue, in which the formal double bond is covalently locked in a cyclopentenone ring, and carried out transient absorption spectroscopy experiments in combination with nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations to reveal that the locked chromophore isomerizes around the single bond upon photoactivation. Our work thus provides experimental evidence of single-bond photoisomerization in a photoactive yellow protein chromophore analogue and suggests that photoisomerization is not restricted to the double bonds in conjugated systems. This insight may be useful for designing light-driven molecular switches or motors.

Photoactive Yellow Protein Chromophore Photoisomerizes around a Single Bond if the Double Bond Is Locked