Conformation heterogeneity in proteins as an origin of heterogeneous fluorescence decays, illustrated by native and denatured ribonuclease T1

We examined the frequency-domain intensity decays of the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence (Trp-59) from ribonuclease T1 (EC 3.1.27.3) (RNAase T1). At pH 5.5 in the native state (below 30 degrees C), the intensity decay of the single tryptophan residue is a single-exponential process. Conditions which result in protein unfolding were found to induce more complex intensity decays. At temperatures above 40 degrees C, or in the presence of guanidine hydrochloride, the intensity decays became obviously double exponential. In general, the main effect of temperature or guanidine was to induce a second subnanosecond component in the intensity decay. The increased complexity of the decays could not be explained by a unimodal distribution of decay times. These results indicate that conformational dispersion of protein structure can be one origin of the multi-exponential decays which are generally observed for protein fluorescence.     

Effect of amino substitution on the excited state dynamics of uracil.

The excited state deactivation of two amino-substituted uracils, 5-aminouracil (5AU) and 6-aminouracil (6AU) in aqueous solution was studied by femtosecond fluorescence upconversion. The fluorescence of 6AU decays as fast as that of uracil with a unique time constant of about 100 femtoseconds. The fluorescence of 5AU exhibits a more complex behavior, fundamentally different from what we found in any other uracils: the decays are globally slower (up to several picoseconds) and depend strongly on the wavelength. This difference is attributed to the particular character of the amino group, affecting the out-of-plane motion of the 5-substituent which has been shown to be crucial for the ultrafast internal conversion occurring in uracils. Our observations indicate instead the formation of a transient fluorescent state which in turn is deactivated by a different relaxation process specific to the amino group.     

Ultrafast light-induced response of photoactive yellow protein chromophore analogues.

The fluorescence decays of several analogues of the photoactive yellow protein (PYP) chromophore in aqueous solution have been measured by femtosecond fluorescence up-conversion and the corresponding time-resolved fluorescence spectra have been reconstructed. The native chromophore of PYP is a thioester derivative of p-coumaric acid in its trans deprotonated form. Fluorescence kinetics are reported for a thioester phenyl analogue and for two analogues where the thioester group has been changed to amide and carboxylate groups. The kinetics are compared to those we previously reported for the analogues bearing ketone and ester groups. The fluorescence decays of the full series are found to lie in the 1-10 ps range depending on the electron-acceptor character of the substituent, in good agreement with the excited-state relaxation kinetics extracted from transient absorption measurements. Steady-state photolysis is also examined and found to depend strongly on the nature of the substituent. While it has been shown that the ultrafast light-induced response of the chromophore in PYP is controlled by the properties of the protein nanospace, the present results demonstrate that, in solution, the relaxation dynamics and pathway of the chromophore is controlled by its electron donor-acceptor structure: structures of stronger electron donor-acceptor character lead to faster decays and less photoisomerisation.     

Intravital estimation of doxorubicin accumulation in various types of cell cultures

An extractionless procedure was developed for intravital quantitative estimation of doxorubicin (DR) accumulation in cell cultures with using fluorescence measurements. DR accumulation in a monolayer culture was evaluated by a decrease in the fluorescence of the incubation medium or by the total inhibition of the fluorescence of the cells and medium in the suspension medium. It was shown that there was a definite range of the doses from 3.10(-8) to 2.10(-6) M at which the accumulation kinetics recorded subsequently in one bottle for any two concentrations of the above ranges did not depend on the antibiotic dose. In this connection, the procedure was approved for quantitative estimation of DR accumulation in the same cells before and after modifying effects.     

Influence of secondary structure on the decay kinetics of fluorescent donor-acceptor labelled peptides

Time-resolved fluorescence decays from a series of methoxynaphthalene labelled peptides in ethyl acetate were monitored over the temperature range −40 to 60°C. The quenching effect of a piperidone acceptor group placed at various positions along the peptide chain relative to the fluorescent methoxynaphthalene donor was studied. In this moderately polar solvent the mechanism of quenching is most likely electron transfer, although a Dexter exchange mechanism cannot be ruled out. Both donor and acceptor moieties were covalently attached to the side-chains of glutamic acid residues. These were either placed adjacently, in the case of a dipeptide, or separated by three and six amino acids within a 12 and 15 amino-acid oligopeptide, respectively. The presence of the piperidone group resulted in a reduction in the fluorescence lifetime and a change from a simple monoexponential decay to more complex behaviour. This was found to vary reversibly with temperature and not to be caused by impurities. Modelling of the fluorescence decays was carried out using either the sum of two exponentials or a distribution of decays. For the dipeptide the best fit was a distribution while in the case of the 12-mer two clearly distinguishable populations could be observed. The results for the 15-mer were equivocal. Importantly, regardless of the fitting method used the quenching rate was found to be fastest for the 12-mer. The slower quenching rates observed for the dipeptide compared to the oligopeptides provide strong evidence that secondary structure promotes better electronic coupling between the donor and acceptor. The biexponential fluorescence behaviour for the 12 amino-acid oligopeptide is ascribed to two slowly (>10ns) interconverting conformational states. Comparison with circular dichroism and infrared obtained in acetonitrile indicates these two conformers are likely to be an -helix and a 3(10)-helix with electronic coupling strongest in the latter case.     

6-Mercaptopurine and Daunorubicin Double Drug Liposomes—Preparation,Drug-Drug Interaction and Characterization

This article addresses and investigates the dual incorporation of daunorubicin (DR) and 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) in liposomes for better chemotherapy. These drugs are potential candidates for interaction due to the quinone (H acceptor) and hydroxyl (H donor) groups on DR and 6-MP, respectively. Interactions between the two drugs in solution were monitored by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Interaction between the two drugs inside the liposomes was evaluated by HPLC (for 6-MP) and by fluorescence spectroscopy (for daunorubicin) after phospholipase-mediated liposome lysis. Our results provide evidence for the lack of interaction between the two drugs in solution and in liposomes. The entrapment efficiencies of 6-MP in the neutral Phosphatidyl choline (PC):Cholesterol (Chol):: 2:1 and anionic PC:Chol:Cardiolipin (CL) :: 4:5:1 single and double drug liposomes were found to be 0.4% and 1.5% (on average), respectively. The entrapment efficiencies of DR in the neutral and anionic double drug liposomes were found to be 55% and 31%, respectively. The corresponding entrapment of daunorubicin in the single drug liposomes was found to be 62% on average. Our thin layer chromatography (TLC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results suggest stability of lipid and liposomes, thus pointing plausible existence of double drug liposomes. Cytotoxicity experiments were performed by using both single drug and double drug liposomes. By comparing the results of phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy, it was observed that the double drug liposomes were internalized in the jurkat and Hut78 (highly resistant cell line) leukemia cells as viewed by the fluorescence of daunorubicin. The cytotoxicity was dose dependent and had shown a synergistic effect when double drug liposome was used.     

6-mercaptopurine and daunorubicin double drug liposomes-preparation, drug-drug interaction and characterization

This article addresses and investigates the dual incorporation of daunorubicin (DR) and 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) in liposomes for better chemotherapy. These drugs are potential candidates for interaction due to the quinone (H acceptor) and hydroxyl (H donor) groups on DR and 6-MP, respectively. Interactions between the two drugs in solution were monitored by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Interaction between the two drugs inside the liposomes was evaluated by HPLC (for 6-MP) and by fluorescence spectroscopy (for daunorubicin) after phospholipase-mediated liposome lysis. Our results provide evidence for the lack of interaction between the two drugs in solution and in liposomes. The entrapment efficiencies of 6-MP in the neutral Phosphatidyl choline (PC):Cholesterol (Chol):: 2:1 and anionic PC:Chol:Cardiolipin (CL) :: 4:5:1 single and double drug liposomes were found to be 0.4% and 1.5% (on average), respectively. The entrapment efficiencies of DR in the neutral and anionic double drug liposomes were found to be 55% and 31%, respectively. The corresponding entrapment of daunorubicin in the single drug liposomes was found to be 62% on average. Our thin layer chromatography (TLC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results suggest stability of lipid and liposomes, thus pointing plausible existence of double drug liposomes. Cytotoxicity experiments were performed by using both single drug and double drug liposomes. By comparing the results of phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy, it was observed that the double drug liposomes were internalized in the jurkat and Hut78 (highly resistant cell line) leukemia cells as viewed by the fluorescence of daunorubicin. The cytotoxicity was dose dependent and had shown a synergistic effect when double drug liposome was used.     

Application of a reference convolution method to tryptophan fluorescence in proteins. A refined description of rotational dynamics

A reference method for the deconvolution of polarized fluorescence decay data is described. Fluorescence lifetime determinations for p-terphenyl, p-bis[2-(5-phenyloxazolyl)]benzene and N-acetyltryptophanamide (AcTrpNH2) show that with this method more reliable fits of the decays can be made than with the scatterer method, which is most frequently used. Analysis of the AcTrpNH2 decay with p-terphenyl as the reference compound yields an excellent fit with lifetimes of 2.985 ns for AcTrpNH2 and 1.099 ns for p-terphenyl (20 degrees C), whereas the AcTrpNH2 decay cannot be satisfactorily fitted when the scatterer method is used. The frequency of the detected photons is varied to determine the conditions where pulse pile-up starts to affect the measured decays. At detection frequencies of 5 kHz and 15 kHz, which corresponds to 1.7% and 5% respectively of the rate of the excitation photons no effects are found. Decays measured at 30 kHz (10%) are distorted, indicating that pile-up effects play a role at this frequency. The fluorescence and fluorescence anisotropy decays of the tryptophan residues in the proteins human serum albumin, horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase and lysozyme have been reanalysed with the reference method. The single tryptophan residue of the albumin is shown to be characterized by a triple-exponential fluorescence decay. The anisotropy decay of albumin was found to be mono-exponential with a rotational correlation time of 26 ns (20 degrees C). The alcohol dehydrogenase has two different tryptophan residues to which single lifetimes are assigned. It is found that the rotational correlation time for the dehydrogenase changes with excitation wavelength (33 ns for lambda ex = 295 nm and 36 ns for lambda ex = 300 nm at 20 degrees C), indicating a nonspherical protein molecule. Lysozyme has six tryptophan residues, which give rise to a triple-exponential fluorescence decay. A single-exponential decay with a rotational correlation time of 3.8 ns is found for the anisotropy. This correlation time is significantly shorter than that arising from the overall rotation and probably originates from intramolecular, segmental motion.     

The proinflammatory CD14+CD16+DR++ monocytes are a major source of TNF

In human blood two monocyte populations can be distinguished, i.e., the CD14(++)CD16(-)DR(+) classical monocytes and the CD14(+)CD16(+)DR(++) proinflammatory monocytes that account for only 10% of all monocytes. We have studied TNF production in these two types of cells using three-color immunofluorescence and flow cytometry on whole peripheral blood samples stimulated with either LPS or with the bacterial lipopeptide S-(2,3-bis(palmitoyloxy)-(2-RS)-propyl)-N-palmitoyl-(R)-Cys-(S)-Ser-(S)-Lys(4)-OH,trihydrochloride (Pam3Cys). After stimulation with LPS the median fluorescence intensity for TNF protein was 3-fold higher in the proinflammatory monocytes when compared with the classical monocytes. After stimulation with Pam3Cys they almost exclusively responded showing 10-fold-higher levels of median fluorescence intensity for TNF protein. The median fluorescence intensity for Toll-like receptor 2 cell surface protein was found 2-fold higher on CD14(+)CD16(+)DR(++) monocytes, which may explain, in part, the higher Pam3Cys-induced TNF production by these cells. When analyzing secretion of TNF protein into the supernatant in PBMCs after depletion of CD16(+) monocytes we found a reduction of LPS-induced TNF by 28% but Pam3Cys-induced TNF was reduced by 64%. This indicates that the minor population of CD14(+)CD16(+) monocytes are major producers of TNF in human blood.     

Interpretation of fluorescence decays using a power-like model

A power-like decay function, characterized by the mean excited-state lifetime and relative variance of lifetime fluctuation around the mean value, was applied in analysis of fluorescence decays measured with the aid of time-correlated single photon counting. We have examined the fluorescence decay, in neutral aqueous medium, of tyrosine (L-tyrosine and N-acetyl-L-tyrosinamide), and of the tyrosine residues in a tryptophan-free protein, the enzyme purine nucleoside phosphorylase from Escherichia coli in a complex with formycin A (an inhibitor), and orthophosphate (a co-substrate). Tryptophan fluorescence decay was examined in neutral aqueous medium for L-tryptophan, N-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide, and for two tryptophan residues in horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase. To detect solvent effect, fluorescence decay of Nz-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide in aqueous medium was compared with that in dioxan. Hitherto, complex fluorescence decays have usually been analyzed with the aid of a multiexponential model, but interpretation of the individual exponential terms (i.e., pre-exponential amplitudes and fluorescence lifetimes), has not been adequately characterized. In such cases the intensity decays were also analyzed in terms of the lifetime distribution as a consequence of an interaction of fluorophore with environment. We show that the power-like decay function, which can be directly obtained from the gamma distribution of fluorescence lifetimes, is simpler and provides good fits to highly complex fluorescence decays as well as to a purely single-exponential decay. Possible interpretation of the power-like model is discussed.     

Real‐time detection of cellular death receptor‐4 activation by fluorescence resonance energy transfer

Targeted therapy involving the activation of death receptors DR4 and/or DR5 by its ligand, TRAIL, can selectively induce apoptosis in certain tumor cells. In order to profile the dynamic activation or trimerization of TRAIL–DR4 in live cells in real‐time, the development of an apoptosis reporter cell line is essential. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology via a FRET pair, cyan fluorescence protein (CFP) and yellow fluorescence protein (YFP), was used in this study. DR4‐CFP and DR4‐YFP were stably expressed in human lung cancer PC9 cells. Flow cytometer sorting and limited dilution coupled with fluorescence microscopy were used to select a monoclonal reporter cell line with high and compatible expression levels of DR4‐CFP and DR4‐YFP. FRET experiments were conducted and FRET efficiencies were monitored according to the Siegel's YFP photobleaching FRET protocol. Upon TRAIL induction a significant increase in FRET efficiencies from 5% to 9% demonstrated the ability of the DR4‐CFP/YFP reporter cell line in monitoring the dynamic activation of TRAIL pathways. 3D reconstructed confocal images of DR4‐CFP/YFP reporter cells exhibited a colocalized expression of DR4‐CFP and DR4‐YFP mainly on cell membranes. FRET results obtained during this study complements the use of epi‐fluorescence microscopy for FRET analysis. The real‐time FRET analysis allows the dynamic profiling of the activation of TRAIL pathways by using the time‐lapse fluorescence microscopy. Therefore, DR4‐CFP/YFP PC9 reporter cells along with FRET technology can be used as a tool for anti‐cancer drug screening to identify compounds that are capable of activating TRAIL pathways. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 1396–1404. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Fluorescence decay of 1-methylpyrene in small unilamellar l-alpha-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles. A temperature and concentration dependence study

The fluorescence decay kinetics of 1-methylpyrene in small unilamellar l-alpha-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles above the phase transition temperature has been studied as a function of concentration and temperature. When the 1-methylpyrene/phospholipid ratio equals 1:2000 no excimer is observed and the fluorescence decay is monoexponential. When this ratio is equal to or higher than 1 200, excimer is observed and the monomer and excimer decays can be adequately described by two exponential terms. The deviation of the monomer decays from monoexponentiality cannot be described by a model where the diffusion-controlled excimer formation is time dependent. The observed decays are compatible with the excimer formation scheme which is valid in an isotropic medium. The activation energy of excimer formation is found to be 29-9 +/-1.4 kJ mol . The (apparent) excimer formation constant and the excimer lifetime at different temperatures have been determined. The diffusion coefficient associated with the excimer formation process varies between 2 x 10(-10) m(2)/s at 70 degrees C to 4 x 10(-11) m(2)/s at 25 degrees C.     

Phase-fluorimetry study on dielectric relaxation of human serum albumin

The dielectric relaxation (DR) of human serum albumin (HSA) was studied by the method of phase-fluorometry. The protein environment of the single tryptophan in HSA shows a relatively low-speed DR of sub-ns characteristic time. This relaxation can be measured as a decaying red-shift of the time-resolved fluorescence emission spectra. The details of calculations of time-emission matrices (TEM) and comparison to the fluorescence data of the reference solution of N-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide (NATA) are also presented.     

A subnanosecond-pulse fluorometric study of the CA2+ and MG2+ induced conformational changes on S-100a protein

The fluorescence parameters of the single tryptophan residue (Trp 90 alpha) in S-100a (alpha beta) protein have been studied by steady state fluorimetry and by subnanosecond fluorescence decays excited by pulsed-picosecond laser system. At pHs 7.1 and 8.5, double exponential decays were consistently observed. At both pHs, Ca2+ and to a less extent Mg2+ ions proved to modify the percentage contribution of the two decaying species. The interest of the finding is discussed.     

Death Receptor 5 and Neuroproliferation

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand or Apo2 ligand is a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily of cytokines that induces apoptosis upon binding to its death domain-containing transmembrane receptors, death receptors 4 and 5 (DR4, DR5). However, DR5 is also expressed in the developing CNS where it appears to play a role unrelated to apoptosis, and instead may be involved in the regulation of neurogenesis. We report on the distribution of DR5 expression in mouse hippocampus, cerebellum, and rostral migratory stream (RMS) of olfactory bulb from embryonic (E) day 16 (E16) to postnatal (P) day (P180). At E16, DR5-positive cells were distributed widely in embryonic hippocampus with strong immunostaining in the developing dentate gyrus. In newborn hippocampus, DR5-positive cells were predominantly located in proliferative zones, such as dentate gyrus, subventricular zone, and RMS. After postnatal day 7 (P7), the number of DR5-positive cells decreased, and cells with intense fluorescence were primarily restricted to the subgranular layer (SGL), although the granular cell layer showed weak fluorescence. After P30, only few DR5-positive cells were found in SGL, and mature granule cells were negative for DR5 expression. To address whether DR5 expression is a restricted to progenitor cells and newborn neurons, we performed 5-bromo-deoxyuridine labeling. We report that proliferative cells in the SGL selectively express DR5, with lower levels of expression in cells positive for doublecortin, a marker of newborn neurons. In addition, the stem cells in intestine, cerebellum, and RMS were also demonstrated to be DR5-positive. In the meantime, in cerebellum, DR5-positive cells were also positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein, a marker of proliferative Bergmann cells. We conclude that DR5 is selectively expressed by neuroprogenitor cells and newborn neurons, suggesting that the DR5 death receptor is likely to play a key role in neuroproliferation and differentiation.     

Physical properties of the fluorescent sterol probe dehydroergosterol

Spectroscopic studies were performed on the fluorescent sterol probes ergosta-5,7,9(11),22-tetraen-3 beta-ol (dehydroergosterol) and cholesta-5,7,9(11)-trien-3 beta-ol (cholestatrienol). In most isotropic solvents, these molecules exhibited a single lifetime near 300 ps. Fluorescence lifetimes in 2-propanol were independent of emission wavelength and independent of excitation wavelength. Excited state behavior of these probes appears relatively simple. In isotropic solvents, dehydroergosterol fluorescence emission underwent at most a small Stokes shift as solvent polarity was modified. Time-resolved anisotropy decays indicated that dehydroergosterol decay was monoexponential, with rotational correlation times dependent on solvent viscosity. When incorporated into L-alpha-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes at a concentration of 0.9 mol%, dehydroergosterol fluorescence lifetime decreased at the phase transition of this phospholipid indicating that the sterol probe was detecting physical changes of the bulk phospholipids. Furthermore, total fluorescence decays and anisotropy decays were sensitive to the environment of the sterol. Dehydroergosterol and cholestatrienol are thus useful probes for monitoring sterol behavior in biological systems.     

Impact of crop management on intraspecific diversity of Pseudomonas corrugata in bulk soil

Colonization at sugar beet root surfaces by seedling-inoculated biocontrol strain Pseudomonas fluorescens DR54 and native soil bacteria was followed over a period of 3 weeks using a combination of immunofluorescence (DR54-targeting specific antibody) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (rRNA-targeting Eubacteria EUB338 probe) techniques with confocal laser scanning microscopy. The dual staining protocol allowed cellular activity (ribosomal number) to be recorded in both single cells and microcolonies of strain DR54 during establishment on the root. After 2 days, the population density of strain DR54 reached a constant level at the root basis. From this time, however, high cellular activity was only found in few bacteria located as single cells, whereas all microcolony-forming cells occurring in aggregates were still active. In contrast, a low density of strain DR54 was observed at the root tip, but here many of the bacteria located as single cells were active. The native population of soil bacteria, comprising a diverse assembly of morphologically different forms and size classes, initiated colonization at the root basis only after 2 days of incubation. Hence the dual staining protocol allowed direct microscopic studies of early root colonization by both inoculant and native soil bacteria, including their differentiation into active and non-active cells and into single or microcolony-forming cells.     

Determination of time-resolved fluorescence emission spectra and anisotropies of a fluorophore-protein complex using frequency-domain phase-modulation fluorometry

We report the first time-resolved fluorescence emission spectra and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropies obtained using frequency-domain fluorescence spectroscopy. We examined the fluorophore p-2-toluidinyl-6-naphthalenesulfonic acid (TNS) in viscous solvents and bound to the heme site of apomyoglobin using multifrequency phase fluorometers. Fluorescence phase shift and modulation data were obtained at modulation frequencies ranging from 1 to 200 MHz. For time-resolved emission spectra, the impulse response for the decay of intensity at each emission wavelength was obtained from the frequency response of the sample at the same emission wavelength. The decays have negative pre-exponential factors, consistent with a time-dependent spectral shift to longer wavelengths. These multiexponential decays were used to construct the time-resolved emission spectra, which were found to be in good agreement with earlier spectra obtained from time-domain measurements. Additionally, time-resolved anisotropies were obtained from the frequency-dependent phase angle differences between the parallel and perpendicularly polarized components of the emission. The rotational correlation times of TNS bound to apomyoglobin are consistent with those expected for this probe rigidly bound to the protein. TNS in propylene glycol also displayed a single exponential decay of anisotropy. These results, in conjunction with the previous successful resolution of multiexponential decays of fluorescence intensity (Lakowicz, J. R., Gratton, E., Laczko, G., Cherek, H., and Limkeman, M. (1984) Biophys. J., in press; Gratton, E., Lakowicz, J. R., Maliwal, B. P., Cherek, H., Laczko, G., and Limkeman, M. (1984) Biophys. J., in press) demonstrate that frequency-domain measurements provide information which is, at a minimum, equivalent to that obtainable from time-domain measurements.     

Two-dimensional diffusion of amphiphiles in phospholipid monolayers at the air-water interface.

Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy has been used to examine lateral diffusion in dipalmitoyl-L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dimyristoyl-L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) monolayers at the air-water interface, by studying the fluorescence quenching of a pyrene-labeled phospholipid (pyrene-DPPE) by two amphiphilic quenchers. Steady-state fluorescence measurements revealed pyrene-DPPE to be homogeneously distributed in the DMPC lipid matrix for all measured surface pressures and only in the liquid-expanded (LE) phase of the DPPC monolayer. Time-resolved fluorescence decays for pyrene-DPPE in DMPC and DPPC (LE phase) in the absence of quencher were best described by a single-exponential function, also suggesting a homogeneous distribution of pyrene-DPPE within the monolayer films. Addition of quencher to the monolayer film produced nonexponential decay behavior, which is adequately described by the continuum theory of diffusion-controlled quenching in a two-dimensional environment. Steady-state fluorescence measurements yielded lateral diffusion coefficients significantly larger than those obtained from time-resolved data. The difference in these values was ascribed to the influence of static quenching in the case of the steady-state measurements. The lateral diffusion coefficients obtained in the DMPC monolayers were found to decrease with increasing surface pressure, reflecting a decrease in monolayer fluidity with compression.