Structures of photointermediates and their implications for the proton pump mechanism

Abstract

It is widely accepted that bacteriorhodopsin undergoes global conformational changes during its photocycle. In this review, the structural properties of the M and N intermediates are described in detail. Based on the clarified global conformational change, we propose a model for the molecular mechanism of the proton pump. The global structural change is suggested to be a key component in establishing vectorial proton transport.