Detection of a Water Molecule in the Active-Site of Bacteriorhodopsin: Hydrogen Bonding Changes during the Primary Photoreaction

FTIR-difference spectroscopy in combination with site-directed mutagenesis has been used to investigate the role of water during the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin. At least one water molecule is detected which undergoes an increase in H-bonding during the primary bR→K phototransition. Bands due to water appear in the OH stretch region of the bR→K FTIR-difference spectrum which downshift by approximately 12 cm^-1 when the sample is hydrated with H₂¹⁸O. In contrast to ²H₂O, the H₂¹⁸O-induced shift is not complete, even after 24 h of hydration. This indicates that even though water is still able to exchange protons with the outside medium, it is partially trapped in the interior of the protein. In the mutant Y57D, these bands are absent while a new set of bands appear at much lower frequencies which undergo H₂¹⁸O-induced shifts. It is concluded that the water molecule we detect is located inside the bR active-site and may interact with Tyr-57. The change in its hydrogen-bonding strength is most likely due to the photoinduced all-trans→13-cis isomerization of the retinal chromophore and the associated movement of the positively charged Schiff base during the bR→K transition. In contrast, a second water molecule, whose infrared difference bands are not affected by the Y57D mutation, appears to undergo a decrease in hydrogen bonding during the K→L and L→M transitions.