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Bleaching of bacteriorhodopsin by continuous light
Author(s) -
Dancsházy Zsolt,
Tokaji Zsolt,
Dér András
Publication year - 1999
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(99)00487-1
Subject(s) - bacteriorhodopsin , photobleaching , chemistry , dissociation (chemistry) , photochemistry , biophysics , biological system , optics , fluorescence , biochemistry , physics , biology , membrane
A new two step photobleaching process is observed under continuous illumination of bacteriorhodopsin. This photobleaching is considerable even at physiological temperatures and becomes large at 50–60°C. The photobleaching also increases with increasing pH from 7 to 10. We suggest that the bleaching at its final stage could be due to the dissociation of the retinal and a local thermal denaturation‐like process. These facts may question the generally held belief that BR is a stable protein in vivo for a long period of time. Our results may have relevance also to practical applications of bacteriorhodopsin where the stability of bacteriorhodopsin is a key issue. In certain instances, the use of bacteriorhodopsin may require cooled conditions. Here, we defined the conditions under which bacteriorhodopsin is stable. The permanent photobleaching offers a new way of picture imaging and information input for bacteriorhodopsin‐based optical devices.