通过基因工程技术将古紫质4(archaerhodopsin-4,Aa4)膜蛋白的基因转入本身不表达该蛋白质、也不表达玉红素的嗜盐菌株L33中,去除了天然菌株xz515所获得的AR4膜蛋白脂环境中的玉红素,优化了AR4的光致变色性能.将重组古紫质4包埋于聚乙烯醇中制成复合膜,并通过提高体系的pH值,延长了M态的寿命,进一步实现了简单图案记录,验证了该活性蛋白质与聚合物的复合材料具有光信息存储功能.
A gene of a membrane protein, Archaerhodopsin-4 (AR4), was expressed into an H. salinarum strain L133,which is negative for synthesis of bacterio-opsin and whose lipid environment is free of carotenoid. The carotenoid has three characterized absorption peaks at 480,508 and 544 nm which cover the absorption peak of membrane protein AR4 at 5700 nm at the ground state, in contrast to the wide-type AR4 isolated from the conventional strain H. sp. xz515 ,the recombinant AR4 removed the binded carotenoid .The underlying photochromic properties of the recombinant AR4 was thus improved, and the contrast between M410 intermediate and ground state was greatly enhanced. Composite films were further made by embedding the recombinant AR4 into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). By enhancing its pH, the decay of the M intermediate was slowed down. A simple pattern recording as an optical information storage material was also realized by the compostie films. During this process, light was illuminated into the composite covered with a mask, and the pattern in the mask was observed even after removing the mask. Hence, this paper demonstrates that the polymer technique and gene engineering could be combined to prepare information materials with both the biological activities of proteins and the good processing properties of polymers.