A Multipronged Bioengineering, Spectroscopic and Theoretical Approach in Unravelling the Excited-State Dynamics of the Archetype Mycosporine Amino Acid.

Abstract

Mycosporine glycine (MyG) was produced by the fermentation of a purposely engineered bacterial strain and isolated from this sustainable source. The ultrafast spectroscopy of MyG was then investigated in its native, zwitterionic form (MyGzwitter), via femtosecond transient electronic absorption spectroscopy. Complementary nonadiabatic (NAD) simulations suggest that, upon photoexcitation to the lowest excited singlet state (S1), MyGzwitter undergoes efficient nonradiative decay to repopulate the electronic ground state (S0). We propose an initial ultrafast ring-twisting mechanism toward an S1/S0 conical intersection, followed by internal conversion to S0 and subsequent vibrational cooling. This study illuminates the workings of the archetype mycosporine, providing photoprotection, in the UV-B range, to organisms such as corals, macroalgae, and cyanobacteria. This study also contributes to our growing understanding of the photoprotection mechanisms of life.