Chromophore Transformations in Red Fluorescent Proteins

Chromophore transformations in red fluorescent proteins.

Red fluorescent proteins: chromophore formation and cellular applications.

In the last decade, a number of red fluorescent proteins (RFPs) that emit orange, red, and far-red fluorescence have been isolated from anthozoans (corals), and developed through directed molecular evolution. An attractive property possessed by some RFPs is that their red fluorescence can be turned on or modulated by illumination at specific wavelengths. Recent progress in the development of RF...

Chromophore Photoreduction in Red Fluorescent Proteins Is Responsible for Bleaching and Phototoxicity

Red fluorescent proteins (RFPs) are indispensable tools for deep-tissue imaging, fluorescence resonance energy transfer applications, and super-resolution microscopy. Using time-resolved optical spectroscopy this study investigated photoinduced dynamics of three RFPs, KillerRed, mRFP, and DsRed. In all three RFPs, a new transient absorption intermediate was observed, which decays on a microseco...

Common pathway for the red chromophore formation in fluorescent proteins and chromoproteins.

The mechanism of the chromophore maturation in members of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) family such as DsRed and other red fluorescent and chromoproteins was analyzed. The analysis indicates that the red chromophore results from a chemical transformation of the protonated form of the GFP-like chromophore, not from the anionic form, which appears to be a dead-end product. The data suggest ...

Tryptophan-based chromophore in fluorescent proteins can be anionic

Cyan fluorescent proteins (CFP) with tryptophan66-based chromophore are widely used for live cell imaging. In contrast to green and red fluorescent proteins, no charged states of the CFP chromophore have been described. Here, we studied synthetic CFP chromophore and found that its indole group can be deprotonated rather easily (pKa 12.4).We then reproduced this effect in the CFP mCerulean by pl...