Structural highlights
Function
RFP_DISSP Thought to play a role in photoprotection of the coral's resident symbiont microalgae's photosystems from photoinhibition caused by high light levels found near the surface of coral reefs. In deeper water, the fluorescence may be to convert blue light into longer wavelengths more suitable for use in photosynthesis by the microalgal symbionts.[1]
Evolutionary Conservation
Check, as determined by ConSurfDB. You may read the explanation of the method and the full data available from ConSurf.
Publication Abstract from PubMed
The red fluorescent protein DsRed has been extensively engineered for use as an in vivo research tool. In fast maturing DsRed variants, the chromophore maturation half-time is approximately 40 min, compared to approximately 12 h for wild-type DsRed. Further, DsRed has been converted from a tetramer into a monomer, a task that entailed mutating approximately 20% of the amino acids. These engineered variants of DsRed have proven extremely valuable for biomedical research, but the structural basis for the improved characteristics has not been thoroughly investigated. Here we present a 1.7 A crystal structure of the fast maturing tetrameric variant DsRed.T4. We also present a biochemical characterization and 1.6 A crystal structure of the monomeric variant DsRed.M1, also known as DsRed-Monomer. Analysis of the crystal structures suggests that rearrangements of Ser69 and Glu215 contribute to fast maturation, and that positioning of the Lys70 side chain modulates fluorescence quantum yield. Despite the 45 mutations in DsRed.M1 relative to wild-type DsRed, there is a root-mean-square deviation of only 0.3 A between the two structures. We propose that novel intramolecular interactions in DsRed.M1 partially compensate for the loss of intermolecular interactions found in the tetramer.
Structural rearrangements near the chromophore influence the maturation speed and brightness of DsRed variants.,Strongin DE, Bevis B, Khuong N, Downing ME, Strack RL, Sundaram K, Glick BS, Keenan RJ Protein Eng Des Sel. 2007 Nov;20(11):525-34. Epub 2007 Oct 25. PMID:17962222[2]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
See Also
References
- ↑ Matz MV, Fradkov AF, Labas YA, Savitsky AP, Zaraisky AG, Markelov ML, Lukyanov SA. Fluorescent proteins from nonbioluminescent Anthozoa species. Nat Biotechnol. 1999 Oct;17(10):969-73. PMID:10504696 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/13657
- ↑ Strongin DE, Bevis B, Khuong N, Downing ME, Strack RL, Sundaram K, Glick BS, Keenan RJ. Structural rearrangements near the chromophore influence the maturation speed and brightness of DsRed variants. Protein Eng Des Sel. 2007 Nov;20(11):525-34. Epub 2007 Oct 25. PMID:17962222 doi:10.1093/protein/gzm046
