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- Gruhl, T., et al.
(författare)
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Ultrafast structural changes direct the first molecular events of vision
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 615, s. 939-944
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vision is initiated by the rhodopsin family of light-sensitive G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)(1). A photon is absorbed by the 11-cis retinal chromophore of rhodopsin, which isomerizes within 200 femtoseconds to the all-trans conformation(2), thereby initiating the cellular signal transduction processes that ultimately lead to vision. However, the intramolecular mechanism by which the photoactivated retinal induces the activation events inside rhodopsin remains experimentally unclear. Here we use ultrafast time-resolved crystallography at room temperature(3) to determine how an isomerized twisted all-trans retinal stores the photon energy that is required to initiate the protein conformational changes associated with the formation of the G protein-binding signalling state. The distorted retinal at a 1-ps time delay after photoactivation has pulled away from half of its numerous interactions with its binding pocket, and the excess of the photon energy is released through an anisotropic protein breathing motion in the direction of the extracellular space. Notably, the very early structural motions in the protein side chains of rhodopsin appear in regions that are involved in later stages of the conserved class A GPCR activation mechanism. Our study sheds light on the earliest stages of vision in vertebrates and points to fundamental aspects of the molecular mechanisms of agonist-mediated GPCR activation.
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| 3. |
- Balaz, M., et al.
(författare)
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Inhibition of Mevalonate Pathway Prevents Adipocyte Browning in Mice and Men by Affecting Protein Prenylation
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cell Metabolism. - : Elsevier BV. - 1550-4131 .- 1932-7420. ; 29:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent research focusing on brown adipose tissue (BAT) function emphasizes its importance in systemic metabolic homeostasis. We show here that genetic and pharmacological inhibition of the mevalonate pathway leads to reduced human and mouse brown adipocyte function in vitro and impaired adipose tissue browning in vivo. A retrospective analysis of a large patient cohort suggests an inverse correlation between statin use and active BAT in humans, while we show in a prospective clinical trial that fluvastatin reduces thermogenic gene expression in human BAT. We identify geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate as the key mevalonate pathway intermediate driving adipocyte browning in vitro and in vivo, whose effects are mediated by geranylgeranyltransferases (GGTases), enzymes catalyzing geranylgeranylation of small GTP-binding proteins, thereby regulating YAP1/TAZ signaling through F-actin modulation. Conversely, adipocyte-specific ablation of GGTase I leads to impaired adipocyte browning, reduced energy expenditure, and glucose intolerance under obesogenic conditions, highlighting the importance of this pathway in modulating brown adipocyte functionality and systemic metabolism.
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- Nogly, P., et al.
(författare)
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Retinal isomerization in bacteriorhodopsin captured by a femtosecond x-ray laser
- 2018
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 361:6398
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- INTRODUCTION Retinal is a light-sensitive protein ligand that is used by all domains of life to process the information and energy content of light. Retinal-binding proteins are integral membrane proteins that drive vital biological processes, including light sensing for spatial orientation and circadian clock adjustment, as well as maintaining electrochemical gradients through ion transport. They also form the basis for optogenetic manipulation of neural cells. How the protein environment guides retinal isomerization on a subpicosecond time scale toward a single high-yield product is a fundamental outstanding question in photobiology. RATIONALE Light-induced isomerization of retinal is among the fastest reactions known in biology. It has been widely studied by spectroscopic techniques to probe the evolution of spectral intermediates over time. Using x-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), it is now possible to observe ultrafast photochemical reactions and their induced molecular motions within proteins on scales of femtoseconds to milliseconds with near-atomic structural resolution. In this work, we used XFEL radiation to study the structural dynamics of retinal isomerization in the light-driven proton-pump bacteriorhodopsin (bR). The principal mechanism of isomerization in this prototypical retinal-binding protein has direct relevance for all other members of this important family of membrane proteins, and it provides insight into how protein environments catalyze photochemical reactions in general. RESULTS We collected high-resolution x-ray diffraction data from bR microcrystals injected across the femtosecond x-ray pulses of the Linac Coherent Light Source after excitation of the retinal chromophore by an optical laser pulse. X-ray diffraction images were sorted into temporal subgroups with a precision of about 200 fs. A series of 18 overlapping difference Fourier electron density maps reveal structural changes over the first picosecond of retinal photoexcitation. Complementary data for time delays of 10 ps and 8.33 ms allow us to resolve the later stages of the reaction. In combination with refined crystallographic structures at pump-probe delays corresponding to where the spectroscopically characterized I, J, K, and M intermediates form in solution, our time-resolved structural data reveal the trajectory of retinal isomerization and provide atomic details at key points along the reaction. The aspartic acid residues of the retinal counterion and functional water molecules in close proximity to the retinal Schiff base respond collectively to the formation and decay of the excited state. This collective motion sets the stage for retinal isomerization, which proceeds via a twisted retinal configuration. Quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations provide theoretical support for this structural evolution. CONCLUSION Our observations reveal how, concomitant with the formation of the earliest excited state, the retinal-binding pocket opens up in close proximity to the isomerizing bond. We propose that ultrafast charge transfer along retinal is a driving force for collective motions that contribute to the stereoselectivity and efficiency of retinal isomerization within a protein scaffold. Vibrational quake-like motions extending from retinal to the protein may also be a mechanism through which excess energy is released in a nonradiative fashion.
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- Gashi, S, et al.
(författare)
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Curvature and wrinkling of premixed flame kernels - comparisons of OHPLIF and DNS data
- 2005
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Ingår i: Symposium (International) on Combustion. - : Elsevier BV. - 0082-0784. ; 30, s. 809-817
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The effects of curvature and wrinkling on the growth of turbulent premixed flame kernels have been investigated using both 2D OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) and 3D direct numerical simulation (DNS). Comparisons of results between the two approaches show a high level of agreement, providing confidence in the simplified chemistry treatment employed in the DNS, and indicating that chemistry may have only a limited influence on the evolution of the freely propagating flame. This is in contrast to previous studies of the very early flame development where chemistry may be dominant. Statistics for curvature and wrinkling are presented in the form of probability density functions, and there is good agreement with previous findings. The limitations of 2D PLIF measurements of curvature are quantified by comparison with full 3D information obtained from the DNS. The usefulness of PLIF in providing data over a wide parameter range is illustrated using statistics obtained from both CH4/air and H-2/air mixtures, which show a markedly different behaviour due to their different thermo-diffusive properties. The results provide a demonstration of the combined power of PLIF and DNS for flame investigation. Each technique is shown to compensate for the weaknesses of the other and to reinforce the strengths of both.
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