Blue protein with red fluorescence.
The walleye (Sander vitreus) is a golden yellow fish that inhabits the Northern American lakes. The recent sightings of the blue walleye and the correlation of its sighting to possible increased UV radiation have been proposed earlier. The underlying molecular basis of its adaptation to increased UV radiation is the presence of a protein (Sandercyanin)-ligand complex in the mucus of walleyes. Degradation of heme by UV radiation results in the formation of Biliverdin IXα (BLA), the chromophore bound to Sandercyanin. We show that Sandercyanin is a monomeric protein that forms stable homotetramers on addition of BLA to the protein. A structure of the Sandercyanin-BLA complex, purified from the fish mucus, reveals a glycosylated protein with a lipocalin fold. This protein-ligand complex absorbs light in the UV region (λmaxof 375 nm) and upon excitation at this wavelength emits in the red region (λmaxof 675 nm). Unlike all other known biliverdin-bound fluorescent proteins, the chromophore is noncovalently bound to the protein. We provide here a molecular rationale for the observed spectral properties of Sandercyanin.
National Center for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India 560065.
Swagatha
S
Ghosh
Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242.
Chi-Li
CL
Yu
Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242.
Daniel J
DJ
Ferraro
Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore, India 560065.
Sai
S
Sudha
Department of Chemical, Biological & Macromolecular Sciences, S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700 098, India.
Samir Kumar
SK
Pal
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Washington County, WI 53095.
Wayne F
WF
Schaefer
Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242.
David T
DT
Gibson
Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242; Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore, India 560065; ramas@instem.res.in.
S
S
Ramaswamy
D001664:Biliverdine / Q000737:chemistry; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D005453:Fluorescence; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry
D011506:Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D001664:Biliverdine
Sandercyanin; UV radiation; blue protein; red fluorescent protein; walleye
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