Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
Volume 18, Issue 7, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/ijms18071174
Keywords
fluorescent protein; fluorescence; photoconversion; coral; mesophotic; FRET
Funding
- NERC SPITFIRE
- Tropical Marine Centre London [1502719]
- Natural Environment Research Council [NE/I01683X/1, NE/K00641X/1, NE/I012648/1]
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) [Wi1990/2-1]
- ASSEMBLE
- European Research Council under European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (ERC) [311179]
- Tropical Marine Centre London
- Tropic Marin, Wartenberg
- Natural Environment Research Council [NE/K00641X/1, NE/I01683X/1, NE/H012303/1, 1502719] Funding Source: researchfish
- NERC [NE/H012303/1, NE/I01683X/1, NE/K00641X/1] Funding Source: UKRI
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Photoconvertible fluorescent proteins (pcRFPs) are a group of fluorophores that undergo an irreversible green-to-red shift in emission colour upon irradiation with near-ultraviolet (near-UV) light. Despite their wide application in biotechnology, the high-level expression of pcRFPs in mesophotic and depth-generalist coral species currently lacks a biological explanation. Additionally, reduced penetration of near-UV wavelengths in water poses the question whether light-driven photoconversion is relevant in the mesophotic zone, or whether a different mechanism is involved in the post-translational pigment modification in vivo. Here, we show in a long-term mesocosm experiment that photoconversion in vivo is entirely dependent on near-UV wavelengths. However, a near-UV intensity equivalent to the mesophotic underwater light field at 80 m depth is sufficient to drive the process in vitro, suggesting that photoconversion can occur near the lower distribution limits of these corals. Furthermore, live coral colonies showed evidence of efficient Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET). Our simulated mesophotic light field maintained the pcRFP pool in a partially photoconverted state in vivo, maximising intra-tetrameric FRET and creating a long-range wavelength conversion system with higher quantum yield than other native RFPs. We hypothesise that efficient conversion of blue wavelengths, abundant at depth, into orange-red light could constitute an adaptation of corals to life in light-limited environments.
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