Phototrophy by antenna-containing rhodopsin pumps in aquatic environments

Abstract

Energy transfer from light-harvesting ketocarotenoids to the light-driven proton pump xanthorhodopsins has been previously demonstrated in two unique cases: an extreme halophilic bacterium1 and a terrestrial cyanobacterium2 . Attempts to fnd carotenoids that bind and transfer energy to abundant rhodopsin proton pumps3 from marine photoheterotrophs have thus far failed4–6 . Here we detected light energy transfer from the widespread hydroxylated carotenoids zeaxanthin and lutein to the retinal moiety of xanthorhodopsins and proteorhodopsins using functional metagenomics combined with chromophore extraction from the environment. The light-harvesting carotenoids transfer up to 42% of the harvested energy in the violetor blue-light range to the green-light absorbing retinal chromophore. Our data suggest that these antennas may have a substantial efect on rhodopsin phototrophy in the world’s lakes, seas and oceans. However, the functional implications of our fndings are yet to be discovered