Proteins photophysics

Work on indole, tryptophan, etc. continues because of their relevance to the complex field of protein photophysics. Creed has produced reviews of the photophysics and photochemistry of near-u.v.-absorbing amino-acids, viz. tryptophan and its simple derivatives, tyrosine and its simple derivatives, and cysteine and its simple derivatives. The nature of the fluorescent state of methylated indole derivatives has been examined in detail by Meech et al. Another investigation on indole derivatives deals particularly with solvent and temperature effects. Fluorescence quenching of indole by dimethylfor-mamide has also been examined in detail. Fluorescence excitation spectra of indoles and van der Waals complexes by supersonic jets give microscopic solvent shifts of electronic origin and prominent vibrational excitation of L(, states. Conventional flash photolysis of 1-methylindole in water shows R, e p, and a triplet state to be formed. " Changes in the steady-state fluores-... 

Photophysics and Spectroscopy of Fluorophores in the Green Fluorescent Protein Family. 347... 

Merola F, Levy B, Demachy I, Pasquier H (2010) Photophysics and Spectroscopy of Fluorophores in the Green Fluorescent Protein Family. In Demchenko AP (ed) Advanced Fluorescence Reporters in Chemistry and Biology I. Springer Ser Fluoresc 8 347-383... 

The chromophore of ECFP does not bear the deprotonable phenol that is crucial to the photophysics of most AvGFP variants, and displays a markedly different spectroscopy. It has been quickly recognized that, despite its prominent interest in biological applications, the properties of this variant are suboptimal. Indeed, while the brightness of the protein is relatively low (eM = 32,000 M 1 cm-1, fluorescence emission is both spectrally and kinetically heterogeneous. The fluorescence comprises two major decay times at 3.6 ns and 1.3 ns... 

Jung G, Wiehler J, Zumbusch A (2005) The photophysics of green fluorescent protein influence of the key amino acids at positions 65, 203, and 222. Biophys J 88 1932-1947... 

Megley CM, Dickson LA, Maddalo SL, Chandler GJ, Zimmer M (2009) Photophysics and dihedral freedom of the chromophore in yellow, blue, and green fluorescent protein. J Phys ChemB 113 302-308... 

Smith, S. N. and Steer, R. P. (2001). The photophysics of Lissamine rhodamine-B sulphonyl chloride in aqueous solution implications for fluorescent protein-dye conjugates. J. Photochem. Photobiol. A Chem. 139, 151-156. 

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