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Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Mechanical Studies on Spectral Tuning Mechanisms of Visual Pigments and Other Photoactive Proteins †
Author(s) -
Altun Ahmet,
Yokoyama Shozo,
Morokuma Keiji
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-1097.2008.00308.x
Subject(s) - bacteriorhodopsin , rhodopsin , visual phototransduction , retinal , quantum , absorption spectroscopy , pigment , chemistry , materials science , photochemistry , biophysics , optics , physics , biology , biochemistry , membrane , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
The protein environments surrounding the retinal tune electronic absorption maximum from 350 to 630 nm. Hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods can be used in calculating excitation energies of retinal in its native protein environments and in studying the molecular basis of spectral tuning. We hereby review recent QM/MM results on the phototransduction of bovine rhodopsin, bacteriorhodopsin, sensory rhodopsin II, nonretinal photoactive yellow protein and their mutants.