Topological adaptation of heliorhodopsins enables exogenous second-antenna acquisition in monoderm phototrophs
Daniil A. Kornilov, Sergey S. Bukhdruker, Roman Astashkin, Fedor Tsybrov, Mikhail B. Shevtsov, Siarhei M. Bukhalovich, Sergey Ivashchenko, Anatolii Mikhailov, Egor V. Zinovev, Vitaliy Golybev, Yury L. Ryzhykau, Alexey V. Vlasov, Maksim Rulev, Valentin I. Borshchevskiy, Pavel K. Kuzmichev, , Valentin Gordeliy
The paper identifies a conserved carotenoid-binding site in heliorhodopsins, revealing their role in light harvesting through exogenous xanthophyll recruitment due to inverted membrane topology.
bioRxiv · Nov 27, 2025 · PreprintBiochemistry