Structure of bacteriorhodopsin in the acidified membrane and at high ionic strength: resonance Raman study

Resonance Raman (RR) spectra of the retinylidene Schiffs base (SB) chromophore of bacteriorhodopsin (BR) were obtained from purple membrane (PM) suspensions of Halobacteriumhalobium in three different equilibrium states: (1) the native state at neutral pH; (2) BR-605, the acidified membrane at pH 2; (3) BR-565(Cl−) or BR-545 (F−), at low pH and high ionic strength. In the native state the retinyl chromophore is stabilized by an ion-pair complex of the protonated SB group with a negative carboxylate counterion (A−) of the protein, giving . In the acidic form, BR-605, it is inferred from the RR spectra that the chromophore is immobilized. This is ascribed to a breakdown of the ionic interaction by protonation of A−. In the two (3) forms the RR spectra show that the original structure of the chromophore in the native state is reestablished, which is attributed to the formation of complexes with the anions. It thus turns out from RR spectroscopic evidence that the retinyl chromophore in BR is largely governed...