retinaldehyde and cyclohexene

Xanthorhodopsin (xR) is a retinal protein that contains, in addition to the retinal chromophore, a carotenoid (salinixanthin) that functions as a light-harvesting antenna [Balashov, S. P., et al. (2005) Science 309, 2061-2064]. The center-center distance between the two polyene chains is 12-13 Å, but the distance between the two rings of retinal and salinixanthin is surprisingly small (~5 Å) with an angle of ~45° [Luecke, H., et al. (2008) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 105, 16561-16565]. We aimed to clarify the role of the β-ionone ring in the binding of retinal to apo-xR, as well as a possible role that the β-ionone ring plays in fixation of the salinixanthin 4-keto ring. The binding of native retinal and series of synthetic retinal analogues modified in the β-ionone ring to apo-xR was monitored by absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies. The results indicate that the β-ionone ring modification significantly affected formation of the retinal-protein covalent bond as well as the pigment absorption and CD spectra. It was observed that several retinal analogues, modified in the retinal β-ionone ring, did not bind to apo-xR and did not form the pigment. Also, none of these analogues induced the fixation of the salinixanthin 4-keto ring. In addition, we show that the native retinal within its binding site adopts exclusively the 6-s-trans ring-chain conformation.

Topics: Bacterial Proteins; Binding Sites; Carotenoids; Circular Dichroism; Cyclohexenes; Glycosides; Molecular Conformation; Norisoprenoids; Retinaldehyde; Rhodopsins, Microbial

All-trans-retinal, incorporated into dodecylammonium propionate, dodecylammonium 3-chloropropionate and dodecylammonium trifluoroacetate reversed micelles in cyclohexane containing different amounts of solubilized water, gave all-trans-N-retinylidene-n-dodecylamine. Formation of all-trans-N-retinylidene-n-dodecylamine was complete within a few minutes when all-trans-retinal was solubilized along with L-lysine in reversed-micellar dodecylammonium propionate in cyclohexane as compared to the several hours required for the comparable reaction to occur in the absence of lysine. In situ formed all-trans-N-retinylidene-n-dodecylamine was not protonated by the acidic moiety (i.e., propionate, 3-chloropropionate or trifluoroacetate anions) of dodecylammonium propionate, dodecylammonium 3-chloropropionate or dodecylammonium trifluoroacetate reversed micelles. Addition of propionic or 3-chloropropionic acid did not cause observable protonation of the reversed-micelle-incorporated all-trans-N-retinylidene-n-dedecylamine. Addition of strong trifluoroacetic acid to reversed micellar solutions of all-trans-N-retinylidene-n-dodecylamine caused protonation as well as hydrolysis to retinal. Retinylidene Schiff bases are protected from protonation by strongly held surfactant-ion pairs which may model proton channels whose function is controlled by protein conformational changes.

Topics: Cyclohexanes; Cyclohexenes; Micelles; Protons; Retinaldehyde; Rhodopsin; Schiff Bases