Cl- -dependent photovoltage responses of bacteriorhodopsin: comparison of the D85T and D85S mutants and wild-type acid purple form.

Laser flash-induced photovoltage responses of the D85S and D85T mutants as well as of the wild-type acid blue form are similar and reflect intraprotein charge redistribution caused by retinal isomerization. The Cl- -induced transition of all of these blue forms into purple ones is accompanied by the appearance of electrogenic stages, which is probably associated with Cl- translocation in the cytoplasmic direction. Cl- translocation efficiency of these purple forms is much lower than that of the proton transport by the wild-type bacteriorhodopsin. The values of the efficiency do not exceed 15, 8 and 3% for the D85T, D85S and wild-type acid purple form, respectively. Cl- induces an additional electrogenic phase in the photovoltage responses of the D85S mutant and the wild-type acid purple form. This phase is supposed to be associated with the reversible Cl- movement in the extracellular direction. It is interesting that this component is absent in the photovoltage response of the D85T mutant which has, like halorhodopsin, a threonine residue at position 85.