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Heterologous coexpression of the blue light receptor psRII and its transducer pHtrII from Natronobacterium pharaonis in the Halobacterium salinarium strain Pho81/w restores negative phototaxis
Author(s) -
Lüttenberg B,
Wolff E.K,
Engelhard M
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(98)00322-6
Subject(s) - phototaxis , halorhodopsin , halobacterium salinarum , bacteriorhodopsin , halobacteriaceae , biology , halobacterium , action spectrum , photoprotein , blue light , biophysics , strain (injury) , transduction (biophysics) , biochemistry , bioluminescence , genetics , optics , anatomy , physics , membrane
The photophobic receptor (psRII) and its transducer pHtrII from Natronobacterium pharaonis were heterologously coexpressed in the phototaxis‐deficient Halobacterium salinarium strain Pho81/w which lacks all four bacterial rhodopsins, i.e. the two ion pumps bacteriorhodopsin and halorhodopsin as well as the two sensory pigments SRI and SRII. This genetically transformed Pho81/w strain showed a photophobic response upon illumination with blue light. The action spectrum of the psRII/pHtrII mediated phototactic behavior was determined in the range of 420–600 nm. The shape of the action spectrum was similar to the absorption spectrum of psRII, clearly indicating that the psRII‐specific photophobic response in Pho81/w was restored. These results suggest that the pharaonis photoreceptor‐transducer complex (psRII/pHtrII) is functionally competent to substitute the corresponding salinarium receptor system. Although the two archaea are phylogenetically quite distant from each other the two signal transduction chains are homologous systems which can replace each other.