Molecular scale conductance photoswitching in engineered bacteriorhodopsin.

Journal article

Bacteriorhodopsin (BR) is a robust light-driven proton pump embedded in the purple membrane of the extremophilic archae Halobacterium salinarium . Its photoactivity remains in the dry state, making BR of significant interest for nanotechnological use. Here, in a novel configuration, BR was depleted from most of its endogenous lipids and covalently and asymmetrically anchored onto a gold electrode through a strategically located and highly responsive cysteine mutation; BR has no indigenous cys...

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Authors: Berthoumieu, O; Patil, A; Xi, W; Aslimovska, L; Davis, J

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Nano letters
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 899-903
• Publication date: 2012-02-01
• DOI: 10.1021/nl203965w
• EISSN: 1530-6992
• ISSN: 1530-6984
• Language: English
• Keywords: Nanotechnology; Photochemical Processes; Models, Molecular; Surface Plasmon Resonance; Electric Conductivity; Bacteriorhodopsins; Protein Engineering; Microscopy, Atomic Force; Electrodes; Gold; Halobacterium salinarum