Stability and Regeneration of Rhodopsin Absorption Spectra at an Air-Water Interface

Abstract

Vision, Rhodopsin, Monolayers, Membranes, Photobiology Stability and regenerability of the absorption spectrum of CTAB solubilized rhodopsin at an air-water interface is studied. The spectral properties of rhodopsin films in the dark are stable more than 150 minutes. When rhodopsin is bleached (40 -50%) and maintained in highly com pressed films recovery of the spectrum is observed. The recovery is 57% to 100% of the pigment present before irradiation. At low surface pressure or if the films are expanded after irradiation there is no observable recovery.

Structure of Rhodopsin in Monolayers at the Air−Water Interface: a PM-IRRAS and X-Ray Reflectivity Study

“…Membrane proteins which are embedded in a lipid bilayer have been purified and spread at air-water interfaces. For example, purified proteins such as rhodopsin (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9), photosystem II reaction center (10)(11)(12)(13), photosystem II core complex (PSII CC) (14,15), and the serotonin receptor (16,17) have been studied at the airwater interface. Moreover, liposomes containing membrane proteins (18,19) and whole biomembranes such as rod outer segment (ROS) disk membranes (4,8,20,21), purple membranes (22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29), sarcoplasmic reticulum (30,31), erythrocyte membranes (30,32), intestinal brush border (32), cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli (32), myelin (33), and axolemma membrane (34,35) have been studied in monolayers at the air-water interface.…”