A better fluorescent protein for whole-body imaging

Whole-body imaging with fluorescent proteins is a powerful technology with many applications in small animals. Brighter, red-shifted proteins can make whole-body imaging more sensitive owing to reduced absorption by tissues and less scatter. A new protein called Katushka has been isolated. It is the brightest known protein with emission at wavelengths longer than 620 nm. This new protein offers the potential for noninvasive whole-body imaging of numerous cellular and molecular processes in live animals.     

Single amino acid replacement transforms mCherry to a far-red fluorescent protein

Far-red fluorescent proteins are beneficial for imaging in mammals. Here, starting from mCherry, the most commonly used among the different types of red fluorescent proteins (RFP), not having a H-bond network in its original form, we sought to recover the hydrogen bond network in mCherry. By comparing the structure of wtGFP and mCherry, we focused on a few key residues involved in a proton wire, and discovered an I197T mutant that showed a more red-shifted fluorescence. The detailed optical and photo-switching properties of related engineered RFPs are described. This study will guide further development of monomeric far-red FPs.     

Bright monomeric red fluorescent protein with an extended fluorescence lifetime

Fluorescent proteins have become extremely popular tools for in vivo imaging and especially for the study of localization, motility and interaction of proteins in living cells. Here we report TagRFP, a monomeric red fluorescent protein, which is characterized by high brightness, complete chromophore maturation, prolonged fluorescence lifetime and high pH-stability. These properties make TagRFP an excellent tag for protein localization studies and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) applications.     

Coding region of far-red fluorescent protein katushka contains a strong donor splice site

Computer analysis predicted a strong donor splice site within the 3'-part of the far-red fluorescent protein Katushka coding region. To test the functional activity of this site a model vector has been constructed. This vector encoded Katushka and green fluorescent protein TagGFP2 with a gene fragment of tafazzin in between. Normal splicing of this pre-mRNA should result in a frameshift between Katushka and TagGFP2. Alternatively, after splicing at internal katushka donor splice site appearance of Katushka-TagGFP2 fusion protein was expected. Expression of this construct in a mammalian cell culture led to bright red and green fluorescence. Therefore, katushka-specific donor splice site is functional. Disruption of this splice site by several silent substitutions resulted in red-only fluorescent cells that corresponded to normal splicing. The mutant katushka can be used for visualization of pre-mRNA splicing at single cell level by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry.     

Biochemical and in vivo characterization of a small, membrane-permeant, caspase-activatable far-red fluorescent peptide for imaging apoptosis

Apoptosis is an important process involved in diverse developmental pathways, homeostasis, and response to therapy for a variety of diseases. Thus, noninvasive methods to study regulation and to monitor cell death in cells and whole animals are desired. To specifically detect apoptosis in vivo, a novel cell-permeable activatable caspase substrate, TcapQ647, was synthesized and Km, kcat, and Ki values were biochemically characterized. Specific cleavage of TcapQ647 by effector caspases was demonstrated using a panel of purified recombinant enzyme assays. Of note, caspase 3 was shown to cleave TcapQ647 with a kcat 7-fold greater than caspase 7 and 16-fold greater than caspase 6. No evidence of TcapQ647 cleavage by initiator caspases was observed. In KB 3-1 or Jurkat cells treated with cytotoxic agents or C6-ceramide, TcapQ647 detected apoptosis in individual- and population-based fluorescent cell assays in an effector caspase inhibitor-specific manner. Further, only background fluorescence was observed in cells incubated with dTcapQ647, a noncleavable all d-amino acid control peptide. Finally, in vivo experiments demonstrated the utility of TcapQ647 to detect parasite-induced apoptosis in human colon xenograft and liver abscess mouse models. Thus, TcapQ647 represents a sensitive, effector caspase-specific far-red "smart" probe to noninvasively monitor apoptosis in vivo.     

The coding region of far-red fluorescent protein Katushka contains a strong donor splice site

Computer analysis of the sequence encoding the red fluorescent protein Katushka revealed a strong donor splice site in the 3′-terminal region. A model vector encoding protein Katushka and green fluorescent protein TagGFP2 separated by a fragment of the gene tafazzin, has been constructed for experimental verification of the functional activity of this site. Splicing of this pre-mRNA should lead to the frameshift between the Katushka and TagGFP2 proteins in the case of normal splicing of the tafazzin sequence. In the case of the use of the donor splice site within a katushka sequence, it should lead to the appearance of the fusion protein Katushka-TagGFP2. Flow cytometry showed that the expression of this construct in mammalian cells led to bright red and green fluorescence. Therefore, the splice site within the gene katushka is really functional. Disruption of this splice site using site-directed mutagenesis, without changing the amino acid sequence of the Katushka protein, led to the disappearance of the green signal that corresponds to the normal splicing of tafazzin. Mutant variant of the coding sequence of the Katushka protein can be used for the analysis of pre-mRNA splicing in individual cells using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytofluorimetry.     

Novel fluorescent protein from Discosoma coral and its mutants possesses a unique far-red fluorescence

A novel gene for advanced red-shifted protein with an emission maximum at 593 nm was cloned from Discosoma coral. The protein, named dsFP593, is highly homologous to the recently described GFP-like protein drFP583 with an emission maximum at 583 nm. Using the remarkable similarity of the drFP583 and dsFP593 genes, we performed a 'shuffling' procedure to generate a pool of mutants consisting of various combinations of parts of both genes. One 'hybrid gene' was chosen for subsequent random mutagenesis, which resulted in a mutant variant with a uniquely red-shifted emission maximum at 616 nm.     

Copper sensing based on the far-red fluorescent protein, HcRed, from Heteractis crispa

In this article, we report for the first time on the copper (Cu(2+)) binding characteristics of the far-red fluorescent protein, HcRed, and its application in the development of a reagentless sensing system for copper. The far-red emission of HcRed (lambda(max) = 645 nm) where background cellular fluorescence is low should prove to be advantageous in the development of the sensing system. In the studies performed in our laboratory, we found that the fluorescence of HcRed is quenched in the presence of copper ions (Cu(2+)). The results obtained through UV-visible and circular dichroism spectra generated in the presence and absence of copper, as well as Stern-Volmer plots at different temperatures, indicate static quenching of HcRed fluorescence in the presence of copper, possibly through the formation of a copper-protein complex. On the basis of this observation, we developed a reagentless sensing system for the detection of copper(II) based on HcRed as the biosensing element. A detection limit for Cu(2+) in the nanomolar range was obtained. HcRed was found to bind copper ions selectively when compared with other divalent ions. A dissociation constant of 3.6muM was observed for copper binding. Histidine and cysteine residues are commonly involved in copper binding within proteins; therefore, to investigate the role of these amino acids present in HcRed, we chemically modified Cys and His residues using iodoacetamide and diethyl pyrocarbonate, respectively. The effect of copper addition on the fluorescence of the chemically modified HcRed was investigated. The His modification of HcRed substantially affected copper ion binding, pointing to histidine as the possible amino acid residue involved in the binding of copper ions in HcRed. A purification strategy for HcRed was also developed based on a copper immobilized affinity column without the addition of any affinity tag on the protein. The HcRed-based copper sensing system can potentially be employed to perform intracellular copper detection by genetically encoding the biosensing element or can be employed in environmental sensing.     

A crystallographic study of bright far-red fluorescent protein mKate reveals pH-induced cis-trans isomerization of the chromophore

The far-red fluorescent protein mKate (lambda(ex), 588 nm; lambda(em), 635 nm; chromophore-forming triad Met(63)-Tyr(64)-Gly(65)), originating from wild-type red fluorescent progenitor eqFP578 (sea anemone Entacmaea quadricolor), is monomeric and characterized by the pronounced pH dependence of fluorescence, relatively high brightness, and high photostability. The protein has been crystallized at a pH ranging from 2 to 9 in three space groups, and four structures have been determined by x-ray crystallography at the resolution of 1.75-2.6 A. The pH-dependent fluorescence of mKate has been shown to be due to reversible cis-trans isomerization of the chromophore phenolic ring. In the non-fluorescent state at pH 2.0, the chromophore of mKate is in the trans-isomeric form. The weakly fluorescent state of the protein at pH 4.2 is characterized by a mixture of trans and cis isomers. The chromophore in a highly fluorescent state at pH 7.0/9.0 adopts the cis form. Three key residues, Ser(143), Leu(174), and Arg(197) residing in the vicinity of the chromophore, have been identified as being primarily responsible for the far-red shift in the spectra. A group of residues consisting of Val(93), Arg(122), Glu(155), Arg(157), Asp(159), His(169), Ile(171), Asn(173), Val(192), Tyr(194), and Val(216), are most likely responsible for the observed monomeric state of the protein in solution.     

GFP-like chromoproteins as a source of far-red fluorescent proteins.

We have employed a new approach to generate novel fluorescent proteins (FPs) from red absorbing chromoproteins. An identical single amino acid substitution converted novel chromoproteins from the species Anthozoa (Heteractis crispa, Condylactis gigantea, and Goniopora tenuidens) into far-red FPs (emission lambda(max)=615-640 nm). Moreover, coupled site-directed and random mutagenesis of the chromoprotein from H. crispa resulted in a unique far-red FP (HcRed) that exhibited bright emission at 645 nm. A clear red shift in fluorescence of HcRed, compared to drFP583 (by more than 60 nm), makes it an ideal additional color for multi-color labeling. Importantly, HcRed is excitable by 600 nm dye laser, thus promoting new detection channels for multi-color flow cytometry applications. In addition, we generated a dimeric mutant with similar maturation and spectral properties to tetrameric HcRed.     

一种新型亚酞菁荧光探针的合成、表征及动物活体成像研究

以4-氨基邻苯二腈、无水ZnCl2、叶酸等为原料,经固相合成法制备了三取代氨基亚酞菁锌(NH2-Sub-PcZn),进一步通过酰胺反应合成了叶酸修饰的三取代氨基亚酞菁锌(FA-Pc)。采用MTT方法评价了NH2-Sub-PcZn、FA-Pc以及四取代氨基酞菁锌(NH2-Pc-Zn)对Hela细胞的毒性,毒性试验表明,加入2 mg/mL FA-Pc,Hela细胞的抑制率超过60%;同时研究了FA-Pc的活体成像特性,近红外荧光成像结果表明,FA-Pc定向聚集在裸鼠的肿瘤肝肾部位且可以稳定12 h。因此说明FA-Pc可用于活体肝癌的选择性成像。     

The 2.1A crystal structure of the far-red fluorescent protein HcRed: inherent conformational flexibility of the chromophore

We have determined the crystal structure of HcRed, a far-red fluorescent protein isolated from Heteractis crispa, to 2.1A resolution. HcRed was observed to form a dimer, in contrast to the monomeric form of green fluorescent protein (GFP) or the tetrameric forms of the GFP-like proteins (eqFP611, Rtms5 and DsRed). Unlike the well-defined chromophore conformation observed in GFP and the GFP-like proteins, the HcRed chromophore was observed to be considerably mobile. Within the HcRed structure, the cyclic tripeptide chromophore, Glu(64)-Tyr(65)-Gly(66), was observed to adopt both a cis coplanar and a trans non-coplanar conformation. As a result of these two conformations, the hydroxyphenyl moiety of the chromophore makes distinct interactions within the interior of the beta-can. These data together with a quantum chemical model of the chromophore, suggest the cis coplanar conformation to be consistent with the fluorescent properties of HcRed, and the trans non-coplanar conformation to be consistent with non-fluorescent properties of hcCP, the chromoprotein parent of HcRed. Moreover, within the GFP-like family, it appears that where conformational freedom is permissible then flexibility in the chromophore conformation is possible.     

pHuji,a pH-sensitive red fluorescent protein for imaging of exo- and endocytosis

Fluorescent proteins with pH-sensitive fluorescence are valuable tools for the imaging of exocytosis and endocytosis. The Aequorea green fluorescent protein mutant superecliptic pHluorin (SEP) is particularly well suited to these applications. Here we describe pHuji, a red fluorescent protein with a pH sensitivity that approaches that of SEP, making it amenable for detection of single exocytosis and endocytosis events. To demonstrate the utility of the pHuji plus SEP pair, we perform simultaneous two-color imaging of clathrin-mediated internalization of both the transferrin receptor and the β2 adrenergic receptor. These experiments reveal that the two receptors are differentially sorted at the time of endocytic vesicle formation.     

Deep-red fluorescent imaging probe for bacteria

A versatile deep-red fluorescent imaging probe is described that is comprised of a bis(zinc(II)-dipicolylamine) targeting unit covalently attached to a pentamethine carbocyanine fluorophore with Cy5-like spectroscopic properties. A titration assay based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer is used to prove that the probe selectively associates with anionic vesicle membranes whose composition mimics bacterial cell membranes. Whole-body optical imaging experiments show that the probe associates with the surfaces of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria cells, and it can target the site of bacterial infection in a living mouse. In vivo accumulation at the infection site and subsequent clearance occurs more quickly than a structurally related near-infrared bis(zinc(II)-dipicolylamine) probe. The fact that the same deep-red probe molecule can be used for spectroscopic assays, cell microscopy, and in vivo imaging studies, is an important and attractive technical feature.     

Bright oligothiophene N-succinimidyl esters for efficient fluorescent labeling of proteins and oligonucleotides

The synthesis of multicolor fluorescent oligothiophene N-succinimidyl esters (TSEs) is reported, and their optical properties are discussed with the aid of ab initio calculations. The esters were coupled to proteins and to 3'-amino-modified oligonucleotides in mild conditions and with similar modalities. A comparative study of the bioconjugate of IgG1 anti-CD3 antibody labeled with a blue fluorescent TSE and with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) is reported, showing that the former achieves higher photoluminescence intensity and optical stability than the latter. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments with TSE-labeled oligonucleotides and examples of cellular imaging via TSE-labeled proteins are reported.