Femto/Picosecond aser Sectroscopy of Bacteriorhodopsin

这项研究计划旨在阐明天然和一系列人工细菌视紫红质(BR)系统中光循环中间体的分子结构和动力学。在BR膜中工作的质子泵过程是由视网膜激发触发的，并将通过时间分辨激光测量跨膜蛋白质中选定氨基酸的振动和电子态性质来进行检测。以毫微微/皮(10-13秒至10-12秒)倍分辨率测量的振动拉曼光谱、吸收光谱和荧光光谱将用于确定发生的构象和构象变化。这些光循环与视觉的分子机制有关，并可能与设计和合成用于光学数据存储和快速光开关的新型光致变色材料有关。

This research program is intended to elucidate the molecular structure and dynamics of the photocycling intermediates in native, and in a series of artificial bacteriorhodopsin (BR) systems. The proton pumping process which operates in BR membranes is triggered by retinal excitation and will be examined with time- resolved laser measurements of the vibration and electronic state properties of selected amino acids in the trans-membrane protein. Vibrational Raman, absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies measured with femto/pico (10-13 sec to 10-12 sec) times resolution will be used to determine the configurational and conformational changes that occur. These photocycles are related to the molecular mechanism of vision and may have relevance to the design and synthesis of new photochromic material for optical data storage and fast optical switching.