Regensburg 2019 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 3: Bioimaging and biospectroscopy I
BP 3.2: Talk
Monday, April 1, 2019, 09:45–10:00, H11
Time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy of European Robin Cryptochrome 4. — •Anitta Rose Thomas1, Jingjing Xu2,3, Henrik Mouritsen2,3, and Christoph Lienau1 — 1Institut for Physics,Carl Von Ossietzky University Oldenburg — 2Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences,Carl Von Ossietzky University Oldenburg — 3Research Center for Neurosensory Sciences,Carl Von Ossietzky University Oldenburg
Cryptochrome proteins are special candidates for sensing the direction of the earth magnetic field due to the radical pair mechanism. While it is known that blue light absorption by the chromophore Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide(FAD), non- covalently bound to Cryptochrome, is initiating radical pair formation, it is challenging to probe the crucial chromophore-protein binding by all-optical means. Here, we study binding between FAD and European Robin Cryptochrome 4, the most likely candidate for avian magnetoreception, using time resolved fluorescence anisotropy measurement with 100 ps time resolution. The measurements show that the binding of FAD inside the Cryptochrome protein cage essentially locks the alignment of the optically excited transition dipole and effectively suppresses its rotational relaxation. The results give partial access to the electron transfer of the photo excited FAD chromophore which is faster than 100 ps.