The orientation of bacteriorhodopsin in the purple membrane of Halobacterium halobium has been studied by proteolytic degradation of purple membrane sheets, reconstituted vesicles, and whole cells, with the following results: (i) Bacteriorhodopsin in purple membrane sheets is cleaved at a single site by Pronase or trypsin; a polypeptide segment of about 15 amino acids is lost from the carboxyl ...

The extremely halophilic archaeon Halobacterium NRC-1 can switch from aerobic energy production (energy from organic compounds) to anaerobic phototrophy (energy from light) by induction of purple membrane biogenesis. The purple membrane is made up of multiple copies of a 1:1 complex of bacterioopsin (Bop) and retinal called bacteriorhodopsin that functions as a light-driven proton pump. A light...

Purple membrane (lambda max = 568 nm) can be converted to blue membrane (lambda max = 605 nm) by either acid titration or deionization. Partially delipidated purple membrane, containing only 25% of the initial lipid phosphorus, could be converted to a blue form by acid titration but not by deionization. This reversible transition of delipidated membrane did not require the presence of other cat...

Bacteriorhodopsin is a model system for membrane proteins. This seven transmembrane helical protein is embedded within a membrane structure called purple membrane. Its structural stability against mechanical stress was recently investigated by atomic force microscopy experiments, in which single proteins were extracted from the purple membrane. Here, we study this process by all-atom molecular ...

Bacteriorhodopsin is a model system for membrane proteins. This seven transmembrane helical protein isembedded within a membrane structure called purple membrane. Its structural stability against mechanical stress was recentlyinvestigated by atomic force microscopy experiments, in which single proteins were extracted from the purple membrane. Here,we study this process by all-atom m...

INTRODUCTION .............................................................. 682 PURPLE MEMBRANE ....................................................... 683 BACTEBRIORHODOPSIN: A LIGHT-DRIVEN PUMP FOR PROTONS ..... ..... 686 SECONDARY GRADIENTS: TRANSMEMBRANE MOVEMENTS OF Na+, K', AND Cl................................................................... 689 AMINO ACID TRANSPORT ............... ....

Treatment of the purple membrane of Halobacterium halobium with tetranitromethane led to modification of tyrosine residues. Modification of more than 3-4 tyrosine residues per bacteriorhodopsin monomer caused a decrease in the light-induced proton-pumping ability of purple membrane in synthetic lipid vesicles, loss of the sharp X-ray-diffraction patterns characteristic of the crystal lattice, l...