Photonic Potential of Haloarchaeal Pigment Bacteriorhodopsin for Future Electronics: A Review

Abstract

Haloarchaea are known for its adaptation in extreme saline environment. Halophilic archaea produces carotenoid pigments and proton pumps to protect them from extremes of salinity. Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is a light-driven proton pump that resides in the membrane of haloarchaea Halobacterium salinarum. The photocycle of Bacteriorhodopsin passes through several states from K to O, finally liberating ATP for host's survival. Extensive studies on Bacteriorhodopsin photocycle has provided in depth knowledge on their sequential mechanism of converting solar energy into chemical energy inside the cell. This ability of Bacteriorhodopsin to harvest sunlight has now been experimented to exploit the unexplored and extensively available solar energy in various biotechnological applications. Currently, bacteriorhodopsin finds its importance in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC), logic gates (integrated circuits, IC's), optical switching, optical memories, storage devices (random access memory, RAM), biosensors, electronic sensors and optical microcavities. This review deals with the optical and electrical applications of the purple pigment Bacteriorhodopsin.

S-Layer Protein for Resistive Switching and Flexible Nonvolatile Memory Device

“…5,6 Previous research with biomolecules like proteins has already been reported for the development of transistors, 7 memory devices, 8 biosensors, 9 and light-emitting diodes. 10 Resistive switching devices based on azurin, 11 silk fibroin, 12 egg albumin, 13 ferritin, 14 and bacteriorhodopsin 15 have also been studied.…”

“…Moreover, biological processes are dynamic, efficient, and precise and hence can be used as biomimetic alternatives in the field of molecular electronics. , Previous research with biomolecules like proteins has already been reported for the development of transistors, memory devices, biosensors, and light-emitting diodes . Resistive switching devices based on azurin, silk fibroin, egg albumin, ferritin, and bacteriorhodopsin have also been studied.…”

Efficient non-cytotoxic fluorescent staining of halophiles

“…Exposed to a hostile environment, halophiles evolved unique biomechanisms, which make them very exciting scientific objects. Probably, the most important is the example of bacteriorhodopsin – a photoactivatable retinal membrane protein with unique properties, including stability at high concentration of salt (up to 5M), protease resistance, tolerance to high temperatures (upto 140 °C when dry) 1 and to a broad range of pH (at least 3–10) 2 . Bacteriorhodopsin has become the most studied membrane protein, often serving as a “model” for all other membrane proteins (see for instance 3 – 8 ).…”

Bacteriorhodopsin‐Based Biophotovoltaic Devices Driven by Chemiluminescence as Endogenous Light Source

“…Under the illumination of blue light, M 410 can be directly converted back to bR 570 and the decay time is reduced from milliseconds to hundreds of nanoseconds which matches with the decay time from bR 570 to M 410 , resulting in accelerated photocycle and steady photocurrent. Under nature sunlight, bR performs its original photocycle, and it cannot realize the directly return to bR 570 from the M 410 through the shortcut . Besides, in some extreme conditions, such as the deep sea and polar night, light is not sufficient.…”