Early-stage dynamics of chloride ion–pumping rhodopsin revealed by a femtosecond X-ray laser

Ji Hye Yun, Xuanxuan Li, Jianing Yue, Jae Hyun Park, Zeyu Jin, Chufeng Li, Hao Hu, Yingchen Shi, Suraj Pandey, Sergio Carbajo, Sébastien Boutet, Mark S. Hunter, Mengning Liang, Raymond G. Sierra, Thomas J. Lane, Liang Zhou, Uwe Weierstall, Nadia A. Zatsepin, Mio Ohki, Jeremy R.H. TameSam Yong Park, John C.H. Spence, Wenkai Zhang, Marius Schmidt, Weontae Lee, Haiguang Liu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Chloride ion–pumping rhodopsin (ClR) in some marine bacteria utilizes light energy to actively transport Cl into cells. How the ClR initiates the transport is elusive. Here, we show the dynamics of ion transport observed with time-resolved serial femtosecond (fs) crystallography using the Linac Coherent Light Source. X-ray pulses captured structural changes in ClR upon flash illumination with a 550 nm fs-pumping laser. High-resolution structures for five time points (dark to 100 ps after flashing) reveal complex and coordinated dynamics comprising retinal isomerization, water molecule rearrangement, and conformational changes of various residues. Combining data from time-resolved spectroscopy experiments and molecular dynamics simulations, this study reveals that the chloride ion close to the Schiff base undergoes a dissociation–diffusion process upon light-triggered retinal isomerization.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere2020486118
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume118
Issue number13
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 30 2021

Keywords

  • Light-driven chloride-pumping rhodopsin
  • Serial femtosecond crystallography
  • Time-resolved crystallography
  • X-ray free-electron laser

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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