Using nonfluorescent Förster resonance energy transfer acceptors in protein binding studies

The purpose of this article is to highlight the versatility of nonfluorescent Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) acceptors in determination of protein equilibrium dissociation constants and kinetic rates. Using a nonfluorescent acceptor eliminates the necessity to spectrally isolate the donor fluorescence when performing binding titrations covering a broad range of reagent concentrations. Moreover, random distribution of the donor and acceptor chromophores on the surface of proteins increases the probability of FRET occurring on their interaction. Three high-affinity antibodies are presented in this study as characteristic protein systems. Monoclonal antibody (mAb) 106.3 binds brain natriuretic peptide (BNP)5–13(C10A) and full-length BNP1–32 with the dissociation constants 0.26 ± 0.01 and 0.05 ± 0.02 nM, respectively, which was confirmed by kinetic measurements. For anti-hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) mAb 8F11, studied at two incorporation ratios (IRs = 1.9 and 3.8) of the nonfluorescent FRET acceptor, K_D values of 0.04 ± 0.02 and , respectively, were obtained. Likewise, the binding of goat anti-hamster immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody was not affected by conjugation and yielded K_D values of 1.26 ± 0.04, 1.25 ± 0.05, and 1.14 ± 0.04 nM at IRs of 1.7, 4.7, and 8.1, respectively. We conclude that this FRET-based method offers high sensitivity, practical simplicity, and versatility in protein binding studies.