Site-specific solid-state NMR detection of hydrogen-deuterium exchange reveals conformational changes in a 7-helical transmembrane protein

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy is an efficient tool for following conformational dynamics of membrane proteins at atomic resolution. We used this technique for the site-specific detection of light-induced hydrogen-deuterium exchange in the lipid-embedded heptahelical transmembrane photosensor Anabaena sensory rhodopsin to pinpoint the location of its conformational changes upon activation. We show that the light-induced conformational changes result in a dramatic, but localized, increase in the exchange in the transmembrane regions. Most notably, the cytoplasmic half of helix G and the cytoplasmic ends of helices B and C exchange more extensively, probably as a result of their relative displacement in the activated state, allowing water to penetrate into the core of the protein. These light-induced rearrangements must provide the structural basis for the photosensory function of Anabaena sensory rhodopsin.