Intrinsic Tryptophan Emission Research Articles

Biophysical Characterization of the Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase of Leishmania major and Effect of the P95S Mutation.

Nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDK; EC 2.7.4.6) are enzymes required for maintaining intracellular levels of nucleosides triphosphates (NTP) through transfer the γ-phosphoryl group from a NTP to a NDP. The enzyme is associated with several biological functions including prevention of host ATP-mediated cytolysis during pathogenic infections. Here we present the biophysical characterization of NDK from Leishmania major and the effect of a mutation on the protein structure in solution. The structural stability was analyzed since this secreted protein may act in different microenvironments at various stages of the parasite life cycle. LmNDK and P95S mutant were subjected to denaturation with pH and guanidine. Structural transitions were monitored by circular dichroism and intrinsic fluorescence tryptophan emission. Our results showed that the LmNDK is more structurally stable than other described NDKs and that the catalytically active P95S mutant in the Kpn loop presented a decrease in protein stability, indicating the importance of this proline for maintenance of the LmNDK structure.

A simple three-dimensional-focusing, continuous-flow mixer for the study of fast protein dynamics

We present a simple, yet flexible microfluidic mixer with a demonstrated mixing time as short as 80 μs that is widely accessible because it is made of commercially available parts. To simplify the study of fast protein dynamics, we have developed an inexpensive continuous-flow microfluidic mixer, requiring no specialized equipment or techniques. The mixer uses three-dimensional, hydrodynamic focusing of a protein sample stream by a surrounding sheath solution to achieve rapid diffusional mixing between the sample and sheath. Mixing initiates the reaction of interest. Reactions can be spatially observed by fluorescence or absorbance spectroscopy. We characterized the pixel-to-time calibration and diffusional mixing experimentally. We achieved a mixing time as short as 80 μs. We studied the kinetics of horse apomyoglobin (apoMb) unfolding from the intermediate (I) state to its completely unfolded (U) state, induced by a pH jump from the initial pH of 4.5 in the sample stream to a final pH of 2.0 in the sheath solution. The reaction time was probed using the fluorescence of 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate (1,8-ANS) bound to the folded protein. We observed unfolding of apoMb within 760 μs, without populating additional intermediate states under these conditions. We also studied the reaction kinetics of the conversion of pyruvate to lactate catalyzed by lactate dehydrogenase using the intrinsic tryptophan emission of the enzyme. We observe sub-millisecond kinetics that we attribute to Michaelis complex formation and loop domain closure. These results demonstrate the utility of the three-dimensional focusing mixer for biophysical studies of protein dynamics.

Conjugates of Bovine Serum Albumin with Chitin Oligosaccharides Prepared through the Maillard Reaction

Chitin neoglycoconjugates (BSA-CO) were obtained by the conjugation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with chitin oligosaccharides (CO) through the Maillard reaction (nonenzymatic glycation). CO produced by acid hydrolysis of chitin were fractionated using an ultrafiltration membrane system (1-3 kDa cutoff). The Maillard reaction was carried out by heating a freeze-dried mixture containing BSA and CO at 60 °C (under 43% relative humidity for 6 and 12 h). BSA-CO were characterized by available amino groups content, intrinsic tryptophan emission spectra, gel electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry. Biological assays included interaction with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and with bacterial adhesins of Escherichia coli K88+ and Salmonella choleraesuis. Glycation of BSA was revealed by reduction of available amino groups and fluorescence intensity and also retarded migration through SDS-PAGE. Conjugation of BSA with chitin oligomers appeared to be time dependent and was confirmed by mass spectrometry, by which molecular mass increase for monomers and dimers was observed. Monomers were estimated to contain either one or two glycation sites (at 6 and 12 h of treatment, respectively), with one or two tetrasaccharide units attached. Consequently, dimers showed two or four glycation sites. BSA-CO presented biological recognition by WGA and E. coli K88+ and S. cholerasuis adhesins. The strategy used in this work represents a simple method to obtain glycoconjugates to study applications involving protein-carbohydrate recognition.

Structural Analysis of Heptameric Alpha-Hemolysin under Extreme Conditions that Facilitate Nucleic Acid Translocation

Protein nanopores are under intense investigation as sensors of various analytes, particularly for the rapid analysis of genomic material. In several important applications, notably ultrarapid sequencing, nucleic acids must be analyzed in unfolded single-stranded form. Therefore, conditions were examined that cause the denaturation of double stranded DNA (dsDNA), and single stranded DNA (ssDNA) and RNA with secondary structure. The behavior of the heptameric α-hemolysin (αHL) pore was investigated under alkaline pH conditions (8.0-13.0) and in varying concentrations of urea (0-8 M). The structural stability of the pore was examined by SDS-PAGE, intrinsic tryptophan emission fluorescence (ITFE) spectroscopy and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The pH studies revealed that the heptamer is resistant to structural change at up to pH 12.0. Electrical recordings revealed that DNA is capable of translocating through the pore at pH 11.7, a value at which its secondary structure is lost [1]. Studies conducted at various urea concentrations revealed that a substantial fraction of the heptamer remains stable in 8 M urea. At urea concentrations above 4.0 M, the secondary structure of single stranded DNA/RNA is denatured [2], permitting translocation.[1] Zimmer C. Alkaline denaturation of DNA's from various sources. Biochim Biophys Acta.161 (2), 584-586 (1968).[2] Levine, L., J. A. Gordon, and W. P. Jencks. The relationship of structure to the effectiveness of denaturing agents for deoxyribonucleic acid. Biochemistry 2, 168-175 (1963).

Cross-Correlation of Fluorescence-Quenching and Infrared Absorption in the Study of Protein Ligand Binding Sites

We have developed a generalized multidimensional spectoscopic approach to investigate long range conformational coupling in proteins. It employs the integration of fluorescence emission and infrared absorption data recorded simultaneously from the same protein sample that undergoes conformational transitions in response to an external perturbation. Long range coupling in the signal transfer through rhodopsin has recently been identified by Fluorescence-IR-cross-correlation. Using 2D-cross-correlation techniques, the kinetic asynchronicity of the emission from natural or artificial site-specific fluorophores relative to the secondary structure-sensitive IR-absorption bands can be determined. Thereby, IR absorptions can be identified in a model-free and unbiased way that can be assigned to secondary-strutural elements that become specifically stabilized by ligand interactions. Here, we demonstrate in a cytoskeletal protein the correlation of the loss of ligand-dependent static quenching of intrinsic tryptophan emission during thermal unfolding with the loss of structure monitored by FTIR spectroscopy. The high signal to noise ratio in 2D-correlation and the “synchronicity tagging” of the IR bands through their correlation with an independent monitor of ligand dissociation allows detecting ligand protein interactions with an accuracy that is not achieved by FTIR-spectroscopy alone. In addition, topological information can be obtained from the emission wavelength of the tryptophans that become gradually unquenched during temperature-induced ligand dissociation. Fluorescence-IR-cross-correlation spectroscopy thus extends the IR-based conformational analysis by the inclusion of site-specific information on local physical parameters (polarity, electrostatics, etc.) specifically affecting the emission of fluorophores. We show how this approach provides structural information on flavonoid binding to actin, a cytoskeletal and nuclear protein that has recently been shown to respond to the binding of these natural compounds by flavonoid-specific conformational changes.

Metal-Enhanced Intrinsic Fluorescence of Proteins on Silver Nanostructured Surfaces toward Label-Free Detection

In recent years metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) using silver particles has been reported for a number of fluorophores emitting at visible wavelengths. However it was generally thought that silver particles would always quench fluorescence at shorter wavelengths. We now report the observation of metal-enhanced fluorescence of the tryptophan analogue N-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide (NATA) on silver nano-structured surfaces. NATA is a model for the intrinsic tryptophan emission from proteins. We have also studied the effects of silver nanostructures on the emission of N-acetyl-L-tyrosinamide (NATA-tyr). In the case of NATA we observed increased emission, decrease in fluorescence lifetimes, and increase in photostability when NATA was embedded in 15 nm thick spin-casted poly(vinyl alcohol) film on silver nanostructured surfaces. We have also investigated the effects of silver nanostructures on the emission from thin poly(vilnyl alcohol) films containing NATA-tyr. However, we have observed no increase in fluorescence signal for NATA-tyr on silver nanostructures. To understand these results we performed numerical calculations using the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) technique to model a tryptophan-wavelength dipole near a spherical silver particle. Our calculations reveal an enhancement of the power of the radiated emission by the excited-state fluorophore in proximity to a 100 nm silver nanoparticle covering the emission spectra of NATA and NATA-tyr. These calculations show a clear wavelength dependence with the specific spectral region displaying low-enhancement at the shorter NATA-tyr wavelength and higher enhancement at NATA emission wavelength. Our FDTD calculations also reveal that excited fluorophores in the near-field of a 100 nm silver nanoparticle can induce enhancement fields of varying degrees of the intensity of the near-fields around the particle that is dependent on the wavelength of the emission. We believe this enhanced near-fields play a role in our observation of MEF from metal surfaces. The enhanced emission of NATA on silver nanostructures suggests that the extension of MEF to the UV region opens new possibilities to study tryptophan-containing proteins without labeling with longer wavelength fluorophores towards label free detection of biomolecules.

Label-free detection of protein interactions using deep UV fluorescence lifetime microscopy

We present a label-free detection of protein interaction between β-galactosidase from Escherichia coli ( Ecβ-Gal) and monoclonal anti- Ecβ-Gal using deep UV laser-based fluorescence lifetime microscopy. The native fluorescence from intrinsic tryptophan emission was observed after one-photon excitation at 266 nm. Applying the time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) method, we investigated the mean fluorescence lifetime and lifetime distributions from tryptophan residues in Ecβ-Gal protein, monoclonal anti- Ecβ-Gal, and corresponding complex. The results demonstrate that deep UV laser-based fluorescence lifetime microscopy is useful for sensitive identification of biological macromolecules interaction using intrinsic fluorescence.

Label-Free Detection of Single Protein Molecules Using Deep UV Fluorescence Lifetime Microscopy

We present the detection of single beta-galactosidase molecules from Escherichia coli (Ecbeta Gal) using deep UV laser-based fluorescence lifetime microscopy. The native fluorescence from intrinsic tryptophan emission has been observed after one-photon excitation at 266 nm. Applying the time-resolved single-photon counting method, we investigated the fluorescence lifetime distribution and the bursts of autofluorescence photons from tryptophan residues in Ecbeta Gal protein as well as fluorescence correlation spectroscopy of Ecbeta Gal. The results demonstrate that deep UV laser-based fluorescence lifetime microscopy is useful for identification of biological macromolecules at the single-molecule level using intrinsic fluorescence.

Spectroscopic characterization of the EF-hand domain of phospholipase C δ1: Identification of a lipid interacting domain

The interaction of the isolated EF-hand domain of phospholipase C δ1 with arachidonic acid (AA) was characterized using circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence spectroscopy. The far-UV CD spectral changes indicate that AA binds to the EF domain. The near-UV CD spectra suggest that the orientations of aromatic residues in the peptide are affected when AA binds to the protein. The fluorescence of the single intrinsic tryptophan located in EF1 was enhanced by the addition of dodecylmaltoside (DDM) and AA suggesting that this region of the protein is involved in hydrophobic interactions. In the presence of a low concentration of DDM it was found that AA induced a change in fluorescence resonance energy transfer, which is indicative of a conformational change. The lipid induced conformational change may play a role in calcium binding because the isolated EF-hand domain did not bind Ca 2+ in the absence of lipids, but Ca 2+-dependent changes in the intrinsic tryptophan emission were observed when free fatty acids were present. These studies identify specific EF-hand domains as allosteric regulatory domains that require hydrophobic ligands such as lipids.

Subunit interface mutation disrupting an aromatic cluster in Plasmodium falciparum triosephosphate isomerase: effect on dimer stability.

A mutation at the dimer interface of Plasmodium falciparum triosephosphate isomerase (PfTIM) was created by mutating a tyrosine residue at position 74, at the subunit interface, to glycine. Tyr74 is a critical residue, forming a part of an aromatic cluster at the interface. The resultant mutant, Y74G, was found to have considerably reduced stability compared with the wild-type protein (TIMWT). The mutant was found to be much less stable to denaturing agents such as urea and guanidinium chloride. Fluorescence and circular dichroism studies revealed that the Y74G mutant and TIMWT have similar spectroscopic properties, suggestive of similar folded structures. Further, the Y74G mutant also exhibited a concentration-dependent loss of enzymatic activity over the range 0.1-10 microM. In contrast, the wild-type enzyme did not show a concentration dependence of activity in this range. Fluorescence quenching of intrinsic tryptophan emission was much more efficient in case of Y74G than TIMWT, suggestive of greater exposure of Trp11, which lies adjacent to the dimer interface. Analytical gel filtration studies revealed that in Y74G, monomeric and dimeric species are in dynamic equilibrium, with the former predominating at low protein concentration. Spectroscopic studies established that the monomeric form of the mutant is largely folded. Low concentrations of urea also drive the equilibrium towards the monomeric form. These studies suggest that the replacement of tyrosine with a small residue at the interface of triosephosphate isomerase weakens the subunit-subunit interactions, giving rise to structured, but enzymatically inactive, monomers at low protein concentration.

Equilibrium and pressure-jump relaxation studies of the conformational transitions of P13MTCP1.

The conformational transitions of a small oncogene product, p13(MTCP1), have been studied by high-pressure fluorescence of the intrinsic tryptophan emission and high-pressure 1D and 2D 1H-15N NMR. While the unfolding transition monitored by fluorescence is cooperative, two kinds of NMR spectral changes were observed, depending on the pressure range. Below approximately 200 MPa, pressure caused continuous, non-linear shifts of many of the 15N and 1H signals, suggesting the presence of an alternate folded conformer(s) in rapid equilibrium (tau<<ms) with the basic native structure. Above approximately 200 MPa, pressure caused a sharp decrease in the intensity of the folded proteins signals, while the peaks corresponding to disordered structures increased, yielding a free energy of unfolding change of 6.0 kcal/mol and associated volume change of -100 ml/mol, in agreement with the fluorescence result. Differential scanning calorimetry also reveals two transitions between 21 and 65 degrees C, confirming the existence of an additional species under mildly denaturing conditions. We report here a real-time observation of pressure-jump unfolding kinetics by 2D NMR spectroscopy on P13MTCP1 made possible due to its very long relaxation times at high pressure revealed by fluorescence studies. Within the dead-time after the pressure-jump, the NMR spectra of the native conformer changed to those of the transient conformational species, identified in the equilibrium studies, demonstrating the equivalence between a transient species and an equilibrium excited state. After these rapid spectral changes, the intensities of all of the individual 15N-1H cross-peaks decreased gradually, and those of the disordered structure increased, consistent with the slow relaxation to the unfolded form at this pressure. Rate constants of unfolding monitored at individual amide sites within the beta-barrel were similar to those obtained from fluorescence and from side-chain protons in the hydrophobic core region, consistent with nearly cooperative unfolding. However, some heterogeneity in the apparent unfolding rate constants is apparent across the sequence and can be understood as non-uniform effects of pressure on the unfolding rate constant due to non-uniform hydration.

Two-photon excitation microscopy of tryptophan-containing proteins.

We have examined the feasibility of observing single protein molecules by means of their intrinsic tryptophan emission after two-photon excitation. A respiratory protein from spiders, the 24-meric hemocyanin, containing 148 tryptophans, was studied in its native state under almost in vivo conditions. In this specific case, the intensity of the tryptophan emission signals the oxygen load, allowing one to investigate molecular cooperativity. As a system with even higher tryptophan content, we also investigated latex spheres covered with the protein avidin, resulting in 340 tryptophans per sphere. The ratio of the fluorescence quantum efficiency to the bleaching efficiency was found to vary between 2 and 180 after two-photon excitation for tryptophan free in buffer solution, in hemocyanin, and in avidin-coated spheres. In the case of hemocyanin, this ratio leads to about four photons detected before photobleaching. Although this number is quite small, the diffusion of individual protein molecules could be detected by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. In avidin-coated spheres, the tryptophans exhibit a higher photostability, so that even imaging of single spheres becomes possible. As an unexpected result of the measurements, it was discovered that the population of the oxygenated state of hemocyanin can be changed by means of a one-photon process with the same laser source that monitors this population in a two-photon process.

Radiative Decay Engineering: 2. Effects of Silver Island Films on Fluorescence Intensity, Lifetimes, and Resonance Energy Transfer

Metallic surfaces can have unusual effects on fluorophores such as increasing or decreasing the rates of radiative decay and the rates of resonance energy transfer (RET). In the present article we describe the effects of metallic silver island films on the emission spectra, lifetimes, and energy transfer for several fluorophores. The fluorophores are not covalently coupled to the silver islands so that there are a range of fluorophore-to-metal distances. We show that proximity of fluorophores to the silver islands results in increased fluorescence intensity, with the largest enhancement for the lowest-quantum-yield fluorophores. Importantly, the metal-induced increases in intensity are accompanied by decreased lifetimes and increased photostability. These effects demonstrate that the silver islands have increased the radiative decay rates of the fluorophore. For solvent-sensitive fluorophores the emission spectra shifted to shorted wavelengths in the presence of the silver islands, which is consistent with a decrease of the apparent lifetime for fluorophores near the metal islands. We also observed an increased intensity and blue spectral shift for the protein human glyoxalase, which displays a low quantum yield for its intrinsic tryptophan emission. In this case the blue shift is thought to be due to increased emission from a buried low-quantum-yield tryptophan residue. Increased intensities were also observed for the intrinsic emission of the nucleic acid bases adenine and thymine and for single-stranded 15-mers poly(T) and poly(C). And finally, we observed increased RET for donors and acceptors in solution and when bound to double-helical DNA. These results demonstrate that metallic particles can be used to modify the emission from intrinsic and extrinsic fluorophores in biochemical systems.

Homing in on the Role of Transition Metals in the HNH Motif of Colicin Endonucleases

The cytotoxic domain of the bacteriocin colicin E9 (the E9 DNase) is a nonspecific endonuclease that must traverse two membranes to reach its cellular target, bacterial DNA. Recent structural studies revealed that the active site of colicin DNases encompasses the HNH motif found in homing endonucleases, and bound within this motif a single transition metal ion (either Zn(2+) or Ni(2+)) the role of which is unknown. In the present work we find that neither Zn(2+) nor Ni(2+) is required for DNase activity, which instead requires Mg(2+) ions, but binding transition metals to the E9 DNase causes subtle changes to both secondary and tertiary structure. Spectroscopic, proteolytic, and calorimetric data show that, accompanying the binding of 1 eq of Zn(2+), Ni(2+), or Co(2+), the thermodynamic stability of the domain increased substantially, and that the equilibrium dissociation constant for Zn(2+) was less than or equal to nanomolar, while that for Co(2+) and Ni (2+) was micromolar. Our data demonstrate that the transition metal is not essential for colicin DNase activity but rather serves a structural role. We speculate that the HNH motif has been adapted for use by endonuclease colicins because of its involvement in DNA recognition and because removal of the bound metal ion destabilizes the DNase domain, a likely prerequisite for its translocation across bacterial membranes.

A comparative picosecond-resolved fluorescence study of tryptophan residues in iron-sulfur proteins

The fluorescence intensity and anisotropy decays of the intrinsic tryptophan emission from six Fe/S proteins (ranging from the very simplest ones to enzyme complexes containing one, two or more Trp residues) were measured. All proteins were examined in the reduced and the oxidized state. In either redox state each protein exhibits ultrarapid tryptophan fluorescence decay on the picosecond timescale contributing up to 93% of the total decay. Correlation times in the range of 1 ns or less were found for all six iron-sulfur proteins reflecting internal Trp motion. In addition, some proteins exhibit longer correlation times reflecting segmental motion and overall protein tumbling. The ultrarapid fluorescence decay in iron-sulfur proteins indicates efficient radiationless energy transfer between distant tryptophan residues and iron-sulfur clusters. Such an energy transfer mechanism can be accounted for by referring to the three-dimensional structures of rubredoxin and ferredoxin in calculating the transfer efficiency of the single tryptophan—iron-sulfur couple.

Dissociation of F-actin induced by hydrostatic pressure.

F-actin purified from rabbit skeletal muscle undergoes reversible dissociation when subjected to hydrostatic pressures up to 240 MPa. Dissociation and reversibility were detected by the following procedures: fluorescence spectral changes observed under pressure, when either intrinsic tryptophan or pyrenyl emission of N-(1-pyrenyl)iodoacetamide-labeled actin were monitored; electron microscopy of samples fixed under pressure; size-exclusion HPLC of pressurized actin. The effect of pressure upon F-actin that had been polymerized in the presence of either Mg2+, Ca2+ or K+ was studied. The standard volume changes for the association of actin subunits, calculated from pressure/dissociation curves were 74 +/- 14 ml/mol for Mg-F-actin, 79 +/- 12 ml/mol for Ca-F-actin and 328 +/- 63 ml/mol for K-F-actin, indicating that actin subunits are packed differently in the polymer depending on which cation is present. All pressure/dissociation data could be fitted by a model for dissociation of a dimer, which suggests that in the F-actin filament there is a predominant intersubunit interaction interface, most likely the head-to-tail intrastrand interaction between two subunits which repeats itself along the polymer. A tenfold change in total protein concentration from 20 micrograms to 200 micrograms/ml Mg-F-actin did not cause a change in the pressure required for half-maximal dissociation. This indicates a heterogeneity of free energy of association among actin monomers in the Mg-F-actin polymer, suggesting that, in addition to the predominant intersubunit interaction, the disordered interactions in the filament significantly contribute to the heterogeneity of microenvironments in the interface between the subunits.

Dimerization kinetics of the IgE-class antibodies by divalent haptens. I. The Fab-hapten interactions

The binding of divalent haptens to IgE-class antibodies leads predominantly to their oligomerization into open and closed dimers. Kinetics of the open dimer formation was investigated by fluorescence titrations of Fab fragments of monoclonal DNP-specific IgE antibodies with divalent haptens having different spacer length (gamma = 14-130 A). Binding was monitored by quenching of intrinsic tryptophan emission of the Fab. Addition of divalent haptens with short spacers (gamma = 14-21 A) to the Fabs at rates larger than a distinct threshold value caused a significant decrease of Fab-binding site occupation in the initial phase of the titration. This finding was interpreted to reflect a nonequilibrium state of hapten-Fab-binding. Such nonequilibrium titrations were analyzed by inserting a kinetic model into a theory of antibody aggregation as presented by Dembo and Golstein (Histamine release due to bivalent penicilloyl haptens. 1978. J. Immunol. 121, 345). Fitting of this model to the fluorescence titrations yielded dissociation rate constants of 7.8 x 10(-3) s-1 and 6 x 10(-3) s-1 for the Fab dimers formed by the flexible divalent haptens N alpha, N epsilon-di(dinitrophenyl)-L-lysine (gamma = 16 A) and bis(N beta-2,4-dinitrophenyl-alanyl)-meso-diamino-succinate (gamma = 21 A). Making the simplifying assumption that a single step binding equilibrium prevails, the corresponding dimer formation rate constants were calculated to be 1.9 x 10(5) M-1 s-1 and 1.1 x 10(4) M-1 s-1, respectively. In contrast, all haptens with spacers longer than 40 A (i.e., bis(N alpha-2,4-dinitrophenyl-tri-D-alanyl)-1,7-diamino-heptane, and di(N epsilon-2,4-dinitrophenyl)-6-aminohexanoate-aspartyl-(prolyl)n-L-l ysyl (n = 24, 27, 33) exhibit a relative fast dimerization rate of the Fab fragments (greater than 7 x 10(6) M-1 s-1). These observations were interpreted as being caused by orientational constraints set by the limited solid angle of the reaction between the macromolecular reactants. Thus, ligands having better access to the binding site would react faster.

Dimerization kinetics of the IgE-class antibodies by divalent haptens. II. The interactions between intact IgE and haptens

Interactions between a monoclonal, DNP-specific IgE molecules (hybridoma A2) and divalent DNP-haptens in solution cause aggregation of the former predominantly into closed rings of two IgE and two divalent haptens (Schweitzer-Stenner, R., A. Licht, I. Lüscher, and I. Pecht. 1987. Biochemistry. 26:3602-3612). The time course of this process was now investigated by titrating the A2-IgE with divalent DNP-haptens having long and rigid oligoproline spacers (di(N epsilon-2,4-dinitrophenyl)-6-amino-hexanoate-aspartyl-(prolyl)n-L-ly- syl; n = 24, 27, 33). Binding was expressed in quenching of the IgE intrinsic tryptophan emission. As shown in the preceding paper, hapten addition to the IgE-A2 at rates faster than a distinct threshold value led to nonequilibrium titrations (NETs) from which kinetic processes slower than 2 s-1 can be resolved. Analysis of these titrations shows that the dimeric rings open at rates of approximately 10(-2) s-1, independent of the divalent hapten's spacer length. The ring closure rate, however, decreases with spacer length. The latter observation was qualitatively rationalized in terms of the diffusion process of a Gaussian chain which relates the ring closure rate constant to the expectation value for the distance between the free ends of the respective open chain.

Role of protein-protein interactions in the regulation of transcription by trp repressor investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy

In the present work, we have characterized the protein--protein interactions in the trp repressor (TR) from Escherichia coli using fluorescence spectroscopy. The steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy of repressor labeled with 5-(dimethylamino)naphthalene-1-sulfonamide (DNS) was used to monitor subunit equilibria in the absence and presence of corepressor. In the absence of tryptophan, the repressor is in equilibrium between tetramers and dimers in the concentration range studied (approximately 0.04-40 microM in dimer). Binding of corepressor resulted in a marked destabilization of the tetramer. The beginning of a dimer-monomer dissociation transition was observed by monitoring the decrease in the intrinsic tryptophan emission energy upon dilution below 0.1 microM in dimer, indicating an upper limit for the dimer-dissociation constant near 1 nM. DNA titrations with a 26 base pair sequence containing the trp EDCBA operator performed in the absence and presence of the corepressor are consistent with a 1:1 dimer/operator stoichiometry in the presence of tryptophan, while the aporepressor binds with TR dimer/DNA stoichiometries greater than one and which depend upon both the concentration of protein and that of the operator. Using the multiple observable parameters available in fluorescence, we have thus carried out a thorough investigation of the coupled equilibria in this bacterial repressor. Our results are consistent with a physiologically relevant thermodynamic role for tetramerization in the regulatory function of the trp repressor. The present results which have brought to light novel protein--protein interactions in the trp repressor system indicate that fluorescence spectroscopic methods could prove quite useful in the study of the role of protein--protein interactions in eukaryotic systems as well.

Fluorescence intensity and anisotropy decays of the intrinsic tryptophan emission of hemoglobin measured with a 10-GHz fluorometer using front-face geometry on a free liquid surface

We measured the intensity and anisotropy decays of the intrinsic tryptophan emission from hemoglobin solutions obtained using a 10-GHz frequency-domain fluorometer and a specially designed cuvette which allows front-face excitation on a free liquid surface. The cuvette eliminates reflections and stray emissions, which become significant for low-intensity fluorescence such as in hemoglobin. Three lifetimes are detectable in the subnanosecond range. The average lifetime of hemoglobin emission is ligand dependent. The measured values of average lifetimes are 91, 174, and 184 ps for deoxy-, oxy-, and carboxyhemoglobin, respectively. Fluorescence anisotropy decays of oxy-, deoxy-, and carbonmonoxyhemoglobin can be fitted with up to three correlation times. When three components are used, the floating initial anisotropyr o is, in each case, higher than the steady-state anisotropy of tryptophan in vitrified solution. For deoxy hemoglobin it is close to 0.4. The data are consistent with an initial loss of anisotropy from 0.4 to about 0.3 occurring in the first 2 ps.