Structure of The BLUF Protein TePixD Y8F Mutant

Objective TePixD (Tll0078) is a blue light -using flavin (BLUF) photoreceptor protein from Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP -1. TePixD protein has a conserved Tyr8-Gln50-Met93 triad around the FAD pocket to mediate the proton -coupled electron transfer (PCET) process. But the detailed light response mechanism needs further study. We aimed to elucidate the structure and biochemical properties of TePixD mutants at key light response sites to analyze the light response process of TePixD. Methods We employed X-ray crystallography to resolve the crystal structure of the TePixD Y8F mutant. The side chain of Tyr8 is involved in PCET while Phe8 in mutation loses the function due to the loss of its hydroxyl group. We compared the structure of TePixD Y8F mutation to TePixD wild type (WT) and its homology protein SyPixD Y8F. Using multi -angle light scattering (MALS), we analyzed the oligomerization of multiple TePixD mutations (Y8F, Q50L, W91F, Y8F/W91F, and Q50L/W91F), focusing specifically on mutational sites that are critical residues for the protein's photo response to dark and light conditions. Results We resolved the crystal structure of TePixD Y8F mutant at a resolution of 2.54 angstrom and found that it shares a similar overall structure with the TePixD WT but exhibits significant differences from the SyPixD Y8F structure. Biochemical analysis revealed differences in molecular mass and elution profiles between the TePixD mutants and the WT under dark and light conditions, indicating the perturbation on the light -induced conformational change by the mutants. Conclusion Our structure determination and biochemical analyses will add information to reveal the light response mechanism of BLUF proteins.