Total internal reflection with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy: combined surface reaction and solution diffusion

Total internal reflection with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (TIR-FCS) is a method for measuring the surface association/dissociation rates and absolute densities of fluorescent molecules at the interface of solution and a planar substrate. This method can also report the apparent diffusion coefficient and absolute concentration of fluorescent molecules very close to the surface. An expression for the fluorescence fluctuation autocorrelation function in the absence of contributions from diffusion through the evanescent wave, in solution, has been published previously (N. L. Thompson, T. P. Burghardt, and D. Axelrod. 1981, Biophys. J. 33:435-454). This work describes the nature of the TIR-FCS autocorrelation function when both surface association/dissociation kinetics and diffusion through the evanescent wave contribute to the fluorescence fluctuations. The fluorescence fluctuation autocorrelation function depends in general on the kinetic association and dissociation rate constants, the surface site density, the concentration of fluorescent molecules in solution, the solution diffusion coefficient, and the depth of the evanescent field. Both general and approximate expressions are presented.     

Ligand-receptor kinetics measured by total internal reflection with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

Total internal reflection excitation used in combination with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (TIR-FCS) is a method for characterizing the dynamic behavior and absolute concentrations of fluorescent molecules near or at the interface of a planar substrate and a solution. In this work, we demonstrate for the first time the use of TIR-FCS for examining the interaction kinetics of fluorescent ligands in solution which specifically and reversibly associate with receptors in substrate-supported planar membranes. Fluorescence fluctuation autocorrelation functions were obtained for a fluorescently labeled IgG reversibly associating with the mouse receptor FcgammaRII, which was purified and reconstituted into substrate-supported planar membranes. Data were obtained as a function of the IgG solution concentration, the Fc receptor surface density, the observation area size, and the incident intensity. Best fits of the autocorrelation functions to appropriate theoretical forms gave measures of the average surface density of bound IgG, the local solution concentration of IgG, the kinetic rate constant for surface dissociation, and the rate of diffusion through the depth of the evanescent field. The average number of observed fluorescent molecules, both in solution and bound to the surface, scaled with the solution concentration of IgG, observation area size, and Fc receptor surface density as expected. The dissociation rate constant and rate of diffusion through the evanescent field agree with previous results, and all measured parameters were independent of the incident intensity.     

Total internal reflection with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

Total internal reflection-fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (TIR-FCS) is an emerging technique that is used to measure events at or near an interface, including local fluorophore concentrations, local translational mobilities and the kinetic rate constants that describe the association and dissociation of fluorophores at the interface. TIR-FCS is also an extremely promising method for studying dynamics at or near the basal membranes of living cells. This protocol gives a general overview of the steps necessary to construct and test a TIR-FCS system using either through-prism or through-objective internal reflection geometry adapted for FCS. The expected forms of the autocorrelation function are discussed for the cases in which fluorescent molecules in solution diffuse through the depth of the evanescent field, but do not bind to the surface of interest, and in which reversible binding to the surface also occurs.     

Measuring surface dynamics of biomolecules by total internal reflection fluorescence with photobleaching recovery or correlation spectroscopy.

The theoretical basis of a new technique for measuring equilibrium adsorption/desorption kinetics and surface diffusion of fluorescent-labeled solute molecules at solid surfaces has been developed. The technique combines total internal reflection fluorescence (TIR) with either fluorescence photobleaching recovery (FPR) or fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). A laser beam totally internally reflects at a solid/liquid interface; the shallow evanescent field in the liquid excites the fluorescence of surface adsorbed molecules. In TIR/FPR, adsorbed molecules are bleaching by a flash of the focused laser beam; subsequent fluorescence recovery is monitored as bleached molecules exchange with unbleached ones from the solution or surrounding nonilluminated regions of the surface. In TIR/FCS, spontaneous fluorescence fluctuations due to individual molecules entering and leaving a well-defined portion of the evanescent field are autocorrelated. Under appropriate experimental conditions, the rate constants and surface diffusion coefficient can be readily obtained from the TIR/FPR and TIR/FCS curves. In general, the shape of the theoretical TIR/FPR and TIR/FCS curves depends in a complex manner upon the bulk and surface diffusion coefficients, the size of the iluminated or observed region, and the adsorption/desorption/kinetic rate constants. The theory can be applied both to specific binding between immobilized receptors and soluble ligands, and to nonspecific adsorption processes. A discussion of experimental considerations and the application of this technique to the adsorption of serum proteins on quartz may be found in the accompanying paper (Burghardt and Axelrod. 1981. Biophys. J. 33:455).     

Lateral mobility of membrane-binding proteins in living cells measured by total internal reflection fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

Total internal reflection fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (TIR-FCS) allows us to measure diffusion constants and the number of fluorescent molecules in a small area of an evanescent field generated on the objective of a microscope. The application of TIR-FCS makes possible the characterization of reversible association and dissociation rates between fluorescent ligands and their receptors in supported phospholipid bilayers. Here, for the first time, we extend TIR-FCS to a cellular application for measuring the lateral diffusion of a membrane-binding fluorescent protein, farnesylated EGFP, on the plasma membranes of cultured HeLa and COS7 cells. We detected two kinds of diffusional motion-fast three-dimensional diffusion (D(1)) and much slower two-dimensional diffusion (D(2)), simultaneously. Conventional FCS and single-molecule tracking confirmed that D(1) was free diffusion of farnesylated EGFP close to the plasma membrane in cytosol and D(2) was lateral diffusion in the plasma membrane. These results suggest that TIR-FCS is a powerful technique to monitor movement of membrane-localized molecules and membrane dynamics in living cells.     

Determination of the two-dimensional interaction rate constants of a cytokine receptor complex

Ligand-receptor interactions within the plane of the plasma membrane play a pivotal role for transmembrane signaling. The biophysical principles of protein-protein interactions on lipid bilayers, though, have hardly been experimentally addressed. We have dissected the interactions involved in ternary complex formation by ligand-induced cross-linking of the subunits of the type I interferon (IFN) receptors ifnar1 and ifnar2 in vitro. The extracellular domains ifnar1-ectodomain (EC) and ifnar2-EC were tethered in an oriented manner on solid-supported lipid bilayers. The interactions of IFNalpha2 and several mutants, which exhibit different association and dissociation rate constants toward ifnar1-EC and ifnar2-EC, were monitored by simultaneous label-free detection and surface-sensitive fluorescence spectroscopy. Surface dissociation rate constants were determined by measuring ligand exchange kinetics, and by measuring receptor exchange on the surface by fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Strikingly, approximately three-times lower dissociation rate constants were observed for both receptor subunits compared to the dissociation in solution. Based on these directly determined surface-dissociation rate constants, the surface-association rate constants were assessed by probing ligand dissociation at different relative surface concentrations of the receptor subunits. In contrast to the interaction in solution, the association rate constants depended on the orientation of the receptor components. Furthermore, the large differences in association kinetics observed in solution were not detectable on the surface. Based on these results, the key roles of orientation and lateral diffusion on the kinetics of protein interactions in plane of the membrane are discussed.     

Binding kinetics of an anti-dinitrophenyl monoclonal Fab on supported phospholipid monolayers measured by total internal reflection with fluorescence photobleaching recovery.

Fluorescence photobleaching recovery with total internal reflection illumination (TIR-FPR) has been used to measure the dissociation kinetics of a fluorescein-labeled anti-dinitrophenyl monoclonal Fab specifically bound to supported monolayers composed of a mixture of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and dinitrophenyl-conjugated dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine. The fluorescence recovery curves were not monoexponential; when analyzed as a sum of two exponentials, the rates and fractional recoveries were approximately 1 s-1 (approximately 50%) and approximately 0.1 s-1 (approximately 30%). The data did not change as a function of the Fab solution concentration, indicating that the fluorescence recovery curves were not influenced by the rate of diffusion in bulk solution. Also, the recovery curves were independent of the size of the illuminated area, indicating that surface diffusion did not significantly contribute to the rate and shape of the fluorescence recovery. The measured off rates and apparent association constant (1.6 x 10(5) M-1) were analyzed with the theoretical formalism for a proposed mechanism that accounts for the nonmonoexponential kinetics.     

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. II. An experimental realization

This paper describes the first experimental application of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, a new method for determining chemical kinetic constants and diffusion coefficients. These quantities are measured by observing the time behaviour of the tiny concentration fluctuations which occur spontaneously in the reaction system even when it is in equilibrium. The equilibrium of the system is not disturbed during the experiment. The diffusion coefficients and chemical rate constants which determine the average time behaviour of these spontaneous fluctuations are the same as those sought by more conventional methods including temperature-jump or other perturbation techniques. The experiment consists essentially in measuring the variation with time of the number of molecules of specified reactants in a defined open volume of solution. The concentration of a reactant is measured by its fluorescence; the sample volume is defined by a focused laser beam which excites the fluorescence. The fluorescent emission fluctuates in proportion with the changes in the number of fluorescent molecules as they diffuse into and out of the sample volume and as they are created or eliminated by the chemical reactions. The number of these reactant molecules must be small to permit detection of the concentration fluctuations. Hence the sample volume is small (10^?8 ml) and the concentration of the solutes is low (～ 10^?9 M). We have applied this technique to the study of two prototype systems: the simple example of pure diffusion of a single fluorescent species, rhodamine 6G, and the more interesting but more challenging example of the reaction of macromolecular DNA with the drug ethidium bromide to form a fluorescent complex. The increase of the fluorescence of the ethidium bromide upon formation of the complex permits the observation of the decay of concentration fluctuations via the chemical reaction and consequently the determination of chemical rate constants.     

Direct Observation and Quantitative Analysis of Lck Exchange between Plasma Membrane and Cytosol in Living T Cells

Palmitoylation represents a common motif for anchorage of cytosolic proteins to the plasma membrane. Being reversible, it allows for controlled exchange between cytosolic and plasma membrane-bound subpopulations. In this study, we present a live cell single molecule approach for quantifying the exchange kinetics of plasma membrane and cytosolic populations of fluorescently labeled Lck, the key Src family kinase involved in early T cell signaling. Total internal reflection (TIR) fluorescence microscopy was employed for confining the analysis to membrane-proximal molecules. Upon photobleaching Lck-YFP in TIR configuration, fluorescence recovery proceeds first via the cytosol outside of the evanescent field, so that in the early phase fluorescence signal arises predominantly from membrane-proximal cytosolic Lck. The diffusion constant of each molecule allowed us to distinguish whether the molecule has already associated with the plasma membrane or was still freely diffusing in the cytosol. From the number of molecules that inserted during the recovery time we quantified the insertion kinetics: on average, membrane-proximal molecules within the evanescent field needed ∼400 ms to be inserted. The average lifetime of Lck in the plasma membrane was estimated at 50 s; together with the mobility of 0.26 μm²/s this provides sufficient time to explore the surface of the whole T cell before dissociation into the cytosol. Experiments on palmitoylation-deficient Lck mutants yielded similar on-rates, but substantially increased off-rates. We discuss our findings based on a model for the plasma membrane association and dissociation kinetics of Lck, which accounts for reversible palmitoylation on cysteine 3 and 5.     

Motion of myosin fragments during actin-activated ATPase: fluorescence correlation spectroscopy study.

The rates of the translational motion of myosin fragments, heavy meromyosin (HMM), and heavy meromyosin subfragment-1 (HMM S-1) were measured during actin-activated ATPase reaction by the method of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. This technique monitors the random fluctuations in the concentration of fluorescent molecules in an open volume which result from the translational diffusion of the molecular species under observation. The statistical behavior of the fluctuations is represented in the form of the autocorrelation function, which is related to the translational diffusion coefficient of the fluorescent molecules. The translational motion of fluorescently labeled myosin fragments was progressively slowed down after additions of increasing amounts of actin in the presence of excess MgATP. When these results are interpreted according to a simple binding scheme, the extent of the retardation can be used to obtain the apparent association constant for binding of S-1 and HMM to actin in the presence of MgATP. In 0.1M KCl and at 23°C, the apparent association constants were determined as K_app^HMM = 2.2 × 10⁴M^?1 and K_app^S-1 = 8.8 × 10³ for HMM and S-1, respectively.     

Translational diffusion of bovine prothrombin fragment 1 weakly bound to supported planar membranes: measurement by total internal reflection with fluorescence pattern photobleaching recovery.

Previous work has shown that bovine prothrombin fragment 1 binds to substrate-supported planar membranes composed of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylserine (PS) in a Ca(2+)-specific manner. The apparent equilibrium dissociation constant is 1-15 microM, and the average membrane residency time is approximately 0.25 s-1. In the present work, fluorescence pattern photobleaching recovery with evanescent interference patterns (TIR-FPPR) has been used to measure the translational diffusion coefficients of the weakly bound fragment 1. The results show that the translational diffusion coefficients on fluid-like PS/PC planar membranes are on the order of 10(-9) cm2/s and are reduced when the fragment 1 surface density is increased. Control measurements were carried out for fragment 1 on solid-like PS/PC planar membranes. The dissociation kinetics were similar to those on fluid-like membranes, but protein translational mobility was not detected. TIR-FPPR was also used to measure the diffusion coefficient of the fluorescent lipid NBD-PC in fluid-like PS/PC planar membranes. In these measurements, the diffusion coefficient was approximately 10(-8) cm2/s, which is consistent with that measured by conventional fluorescence pattern photobleaching recovery. This work represents the first measurement of a translational diffusion coefficient for a protein weakly bound to a membrane surface.     

New approaches for the analysis of molecular recognition using the IAsys evanescent wave biosensor

Trends in the analysis of molecular recognition using the IAsys evanescent wave biosensor are outlined. Diversification of sensor surface chemistry, an open cuvette format and the advent of robotics controlled by intelligent software are widening the range and throughput of applications. Analyses of binding and dissociation are now carried out across a wide spectrum of biomolecules, including protein, nucleic acid, carbohydrate and lipid. Determinations are obtained from a range of experimental formats. These include qualitative 'yes/no' screening assays, through semi quantitative ranking of kinetic association, dissociation and equilibrium constants for a family of binding partners, to deriving constants comparable with those which would be obtained in free solution. A dependence of the initial rate of biomolecular association on concentration allows analyte concentration to be measured--an increasingly common application class. This is often employed in situations where a rapid determination is required The ability to recover bound analyte from the sensor surface in sufficient amounts for subsequent characterization is opening up new routes to the parallel analysis of structure and function.     

Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy: application to substrate-supported planar membranes

The use of total internal reflection illumination in fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) is reviewed with emphasis on application to fluorescent macromolecules that specifically and reversibly bind to planar model membranes supported on glass or quartz substrates. Several methods for characterizing macromolecular motion and organization are discussed: the measurement of equilibrium binding curves to obtain values for equilibrium binding constants; the measurement of fluorescence photobleaching recovery curves to obtain values of kinetic rate constants and surface diffusion coefficients; and the measurement of fluorescence intensities as a function of the evanescent field polarization to characterize orientational order. Applications to cell-substrate contact regions are summarized and future directions of TIRFM are outlined. Correspondence to: N. L. Thompson     

Evanescent wave biosensors

Optical biosensors, based on evanescent wave technology, are analytical devices that measure the interactions between biomolecules in real time, without the need for any labels. Specific ligands are immobilized to a sensor surface, and a solution of receptor or antibody is injected over the top. Binding is measured by recording changes in the refractive index, caused by the molecules interacting near the sensor surface within the evanescent field. Evanescent wave-based biosensors are being used to study an increasing number of applications in the life sciences, including the binding and dissociation kinetics of antibodies and receptor-ligand pairs, protein-DNA and DNA-DNA interactions, epitope mapping, phage display libraries, and whole cell- and virus-protein interactions. There are currently four commercially available avanescent wave biosensors on the market. This article describes the technology behind their sensing techniques, as well as the range of applications in which they are employed.     

Brownian dynamics simulations of fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy

We have developed a program for the simulation of the fluorescence fluctuations as detected from highly diluted samples of (bio)molecules. The model is applied to translational diffusion and takes into account the hydrodynamic interactions. The solution concentration is kept constant by assuming periodic boundary conditions and spans here the range 0.5< C < 10 nM. We show that the fluorescence correlation functions can be accurately computed on systems of limited size (a few molecules per simulation box) by simulating for a total time approximately 100-300 times the diffusion relaxation time of the fluorescence autocorrelation function. The model is applied also to the simulation of the scanning fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and of the photon counting histograms for the confocal collection configuration. Scanning FCS simulations of highly diluted samples (C approximately equals 0.5 nM) show anticorrelation effects in the autocorrelation functions of the fluorescence signal that are less evident for higher concentrations. We suggest here that this effect may be due to the non-uniform occupancy of the scanning area by the fluorophores.     

Intramolecular Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy in a Feedback Tracking Microscope

We derive the statistics of the signals generated by shape fluctuations of large molecules studied by feedback tracking microscopy. We account for the influence of intramolecular dynamics on the response of the tracking system and derive a general expression for the fluorescence autocorrelation function that applies when those dynamics are linear. We show that in comparison to traditional fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, tracking provides enhanced sensitivity to translational diffusion, molecular size, heterogeneity, and long-timescale decays. We demonstrate our approach using a three-dimensional tracking microscope to study genomic λ-phage DNA molecules with various fluorescence label configurations.     

Anomalous diffusion of fluorescent probes inside living cell nuclei investigated by spatially-resolved fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

We have investigated spatial variations of the diffusion behavior of the green fluorescent protein mutant EGFP (F64L/S65T) and of the EGFP-beta-galactosidase fusion protein in living cells with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Our fluorescence correlation spectroscopy device, in connection with a precision x-y translation stage, provides submicron spatial resolution and a detection volume smaller than a femtoliter. The fluorescence fluctuations in cell lines expressing EGFP are caused by molecular diffusion as well as a possible internal and a pH-dependent external protonation process of the EGFP chromophore. The latter processes result in two apparent nonfluorescent states that have to be taken into account when evaluating the fluorescence correlation spectroscopy data. The diffusional contribution deviates from ideal behavior and depends on the position in the cell. The fluorescence correlation spectroscopy data can either be evaluated as a two component model with one fraction of the molecules undergoing free Brownian motion with a diffusion coefficient approximately five times smaller than in aqueous solution, and another fraction diffusing one or two orders of magnitude slower. This latter component is especially noticeable in the nuclei. Alternatively, we can fit the data to an anomalous diffusion model where the time dependence of the diffusion serves as a measure for the degree of obstruction, which is large especially in nuclei. Possible mechanisms for this long tail behavior include corralling, immobile obstacles, and binding with a broad distribution of binding affinities. The results are consistent with recent numerical models of the chromosome territory structure in the cell nucleus.     

Dual-color fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy for multicomponent diffusional analysis in solution.

The present paper describes a new experimental scheme for following diffusion and chemical reaction systems of fluorescently labeled molecules in the nanomolar concentration range by fluorescence correlation analysis. In the dual-color fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy provided here, the concentration and diffusion characteristics of two fluorescent species in solution as well as their reaction product can be followed in parallel. By using two differently labeled reaction partners, the selectivity to investigate the temporal evolution of reaction product is significantly increased compared to ordinary one-color fluorescence autocorrelation systems. Here we develop the theoretical and experimental basis for carrying out measurements in a confocal dual-beam fluorescence correlation spectroscopy setup and discuss conditions that are favorable for cross-correlation analysis. The measurement principle is explained for carrying out DNA-DNA renaturation kinetics with two differently labeled complementary strands. The concentration of the reaction product can be directly determined from the cross-correlation amplitude.     

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and quantitative cell biology

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) analyzes fluctuations in fluorescence within a small observation volume. Autocorrelation analysis of FCS fluctuation data can be used to measure concentrations, diffusion properties, and kinetic constants for individual fluorescent molecules. Photon count histogram analysis of fluorescence fluctuation data can be used to study oligomerization of individual fluorescent molecules. If the FCS observation volume is positioned inside a living cell, these parameters can be measured in vivo. FCS can provide the requisite quantitative data for analysis of molecular interaction networks underlying complex cell biological processes.     

Visualizing single molecules inside living cells using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy

Over the past 10 years, advances in laser and detector technologies have enabled single fluorophores to be visualized in aqueous solution. Here, we describe methods based on total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) that we have developed to study the behavior of individual protein molecules within living mammalian cells. We have used cultured myoblasts that were transiently transfected with DNA plasmids encoding a target protein fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP). Expression levels were quantified from confocal images of control dilutions of GFP and cells with 1-100 nM GFP were then examined using TIRFM. An evanescent field was produced by a totally internally reflected, argon ion laser beam that illuminated a shallow region (50-100 nm deep) at the glass-water interface. Individual GFP-tagged proteins that entered the evanescent field appeared as individual, diffraction-limited spots of light, which were clearly resolved from background fluorescence. Molecules that bound to the basal cell membrane remained fixed in position for many seconds, whereas those diffusing freely in the cytoplasm disappeared within a few milliseconds. We developed automated detection and tracking methods to recognize and characterize the behavior of single molecules in recorded video sequences. This enabled us to measure the kinetics of photobleaching and lateral diffusion of membrane-bound molecules.