Thermal denaturing of bacteriorhodopsin by X-Ray scattering from oriented purple membranes

We present a temperature-dependent x-ray diffraction study of thin films of purple membranes (PMs) with the native membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin (BR). The high degree of alignment with respect to the silicon substrates allows for the application of modern interface-sensitive scattering techniques. Here we focus on the structural changes of BR in PMs at the thermal denaturing transition. A partial unfolding of the helices is observed rather than the complete unfolding process known from helix to coil transitions. While BR remains threaded into the lipid bilayer in the denatured state, changes in the short-range lateral structures are associated with the partial unfolding of the transmembrane helices.