Site-specific labeling of proteins for single-molecule FRET by combining chemical and enzymatic modification

Protein Sci. 2006 Mar;15(3):640-6. doi: 10.1110/ps.051851506. Epub 2006 Feb 1.

Abstract

An often limiting factor for studying protein folding by single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is the ability to site-specifically introduce a photostable organic FRET donor (D) and a complementary acceptor (A) into a polypeptide chain. Using alternating-laser excitation and chymotrypsin inhibitor 2 as a model, we show that chemical labeling of a unique cysteine, followed by enzymatic modification of a reactive glutamine in an N-terminally appended substrate sequence recognition tag for transglutaminase (TGase) affords stoichiometrically D-/A-labeled protein suitable for single-molecule FRET experiments. Thermodynamic data indicate that neither the presence of the TGase tag nor D/A labeling perturbs protein stability. As the N terminus in proteins is typically solvent accessible, a TGase tag can (in principle) be appended to any protein of interest by genetic engineering. Two-step chemical/enzymatic labeling may thus represent a simple, low-cost, and widely available strategy for D/A labeling of proteins for FRET-based single-molecule protein folding studies, even for non-protein-experts laboratories.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Cysteine / chemistry
  • Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer*
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Glutamine / chemistry
  • Peptides / chemistry
  • Peptides / genetics
  • Plant Proteins
  • Protein Engineering / methods*
  • Protein Folding*
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
  • Thermodynamics
  • Transglutaminases

Substances

  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Peptides
  • Plant Proteins
  • chymotrypsin inhibitor 2
  • Glutamine
  • Transglutaminases
  • Cysteine