An orange fluorescent protein with a large Stokes shift for single-excitation multicolor FCCS and FRET imaging

J Am Chem Soc. 2012 May 9;134(18):7913-23. doi: 10.1021/ja3018972. Epub 2012 Apr 24.

Abstract

Multicolor imaging based on genetically encoded fluorescent proteins (FPs) is a powerful approach to study several dynamic processes in a live cell. We report a monomeric orange FP with a large Stokes shift (LSS), called LSSmOrange (excitation/emission at 437/572 nm), which fills up an existing spectral gap between the green-yellow and red LSSFPs. Brightness of LSSmOrange is five-fold larger than that of the brightest red LSSFP and similar to the green-yellow LSSFPs. LSSmOrange allows numerous multicolor applications using a single-excitation wavelength that was not possible before. Using LSSmOrange we developed four-color single-laser fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy, solely based on FPs. The quadruple cross-correlation combined with photon counting histogram techniques allowed quantitative single-molecule analysis of particles labeled with four FPs. LSSmOrange was further applied to simultaneously image two Förster resonance energy transfer pairs, one of which is the commonly used CFP-YFP pair, with a single-excitation laser line. The combination of LSSmOrange-mKate2 and CFP-YFP biosensors enabled imaging of apoptotic activity and calcium fluctuations in real time. The LSSmOrange mutagenesis, low-temperature, and isotope effect studies revealed a proton relay for the excited-state proton transfer responsible for the LSS phenotype.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Survival
  • Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer / methods
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Luminescent Proteins / analysis*
  • Luminescent Proteins / genetics
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence / methods*
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / analysis
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Spectrometry, Fluorescence / methods*
  • Transfection

Substances

  • Luminescent Proteins
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins