TRITC

Fig. 20.1. Confocal images of whole mounts of the ovijector region of A suum stained with phalloidin-tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate (TRITC) to show muscle and with an anti-RFamide antiserum coupled to fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) to show FaRPergic nerves. (A) Main ventral nerve cord encircles opening of ovijector where it meets the body wall and is immunopositive for FaRPs. (B) Flat-fixed preparation of the ovijector showing circular muscles and tracts of parallel FaRPergic nerves (arrows). (C) Detail of the circular muscle of ovijector and associated nerves (arrows). (D) A FaRPergic cell body is localized in the ventral nerve cord at junction with ovijector and provides innervation to ovijector muscle.

Tetramethylrhodamine-5-(and 6)-isothiocyanate (TRITC) is one of the most popular fluorescent probes available. The isothiocyanate derivative of tetramethylrhodamine is synthesized by... 

Isothiocyanates react with nucleophiles such as amines, sulfhydryls, and the phenolate ion of tyrosine side chains (Podhradsky et al., 1979). The only stable product, however, is with primary amine groups, and so TRITC is almost entirely selective for modifying s- and N-terminal amines in proteins. The reaction involves attack of the nucleophile on the central, electrophilic... 

Figure 9.14 TRITC reacts with amine-containing molecules to create an isothiourea linkage.

TRITC is relatively insoluble in water, but it can be dissolved in DMF or DMSO as a concentrated stock solution prior to its addition to an aqueous reaction mixture. The isothiocyanate group is reasonably stable in aqueous solution for short periods, but will degrade by hydrolysis. TRITC also is more stable to photobleaching than FITC (Section 1, this chapter), and its absorption and emission spectra are less sensitive to environmental conditions, such as plT. It is best, however, to use only fresh reagent for modification purposes. Storage should be done under desiccated conditions, protected from light, and at -20°C. 

TRITC has been used in numerous applications involving fluorescence detection, including double-staining techniques with fluorescein-labeled probes (Mossberg and Ericsson, 1990), the synthesis of fluorescently labeled DNA probes (Smith et al., 1985), as a label in homogeneous... 

The level of TRITC modification in a macromolecule can be determined by measuring its absorbance at or near its characteristic absorption maximum ( 575nm). The number of fluor-ochrome molecules per molecule of protein is known as the F/P ratio. This value should be measured for all derivatives prepared with fluorescent tags. The ratio is especially important in predicting the behavior of antibodies labeled with TRITC. For a TRITC-labeled protein, the ratio of its absorbance at 575-280 nm should be between 0.3 and 0.7. 

A general protocol for the modification of proteins, particularly immunoglobulins, with TRITC is given below. Modifications to the amount of reagent added to the reaction may be done to optimize the F/P ratio. 

In a darkened lab, dissolve TRITC (Thermo Fisher) in dry DMSO at a concentration of lmg/ml. Do not use old TRITC, as breakdown of the isothiocyanate group over time may decrease coupling efficiency. Protect from light by wrapping in aluminum foil or using amber vials. 

In a darkened lab, slowly add 50 pi of TRITC solution to each ml of protein solution. Gently mix the protein solution as the TRITC is added. 

NHS-rhodamine is an amine-reactive fluorescent probe that contains a carboxy-succinimidyl ester group off the No. 5 or 6 carbons on rhodamine s lower-ring structure (Kellogg et al., 1988). The 5- and 6-isomers are virtually identical in their reactivity and fluorescent characteristics. Similar to TRITC (described previously), NHS-rhodamine can be used to label proteins and other macromolecules that contain primary amine groups. The isomeric forms of the fluorescent probe are available in mixed and purified forms (Invitrogen, Thermo Fisher). The pure forms are... 

The fluorescent properties of NHS-rhodamine are similar to TRITC. The wavelength of maximal absorbance or excitation for the reagent is 544 nm and its emission maximum is 576 nm, exhibiting a visual color of orange-red. Its molar extinction coefficient at 546 nm in a methanol environment is 63,000M 1cm 1. Other components in solution as well as the pH (in aqueous buffers) can change this value. 

The spectral characteristics of protein conjugates made with Lissamine rhodamine B derivatives are of longer wavelength than those of tetramethylrhodamine—more toward the red region of the spectrum. In addition, modified proteins have better chemical stability and are somewhat easier to purify than those made from TRITC (discussed previously). Lissamine derivatives also make more photostable probes than the fluorescein derivatives (Section 1, this chapter). 

In the preparation of 15 nm core-shell fluorescent silica particles, Ow et al. (2004) reported that the naked core (2.2 nm) alone produced a fluorescence intensity of less than the free dye in solution, presumably due to dye quenching. However, upon addition of the outer silica shell around the core, the brightness of the particles increased to 30 times that of the free dye (using tetramethylrhodamine-5-(and 6)-isothiocyanate (TRITC)). They speculate that shell may protect the core from solvent effects, as evidenced by a lack of spectral shift upon changing the solvent in which the particles are suspended. 

Proteins TCP0-H202-dyestuff (TRITC) Carbonate buffer (pH 9.0)... 

ABEI, M(4-ami nobutyl )-Methylisolu mi nol BSA, bovine serum albumin CL, chemiluminescence DNPO, tas-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)oxalate ECL, electrogenerated chemiluminescence EMMA, electrophoretically mediated microanalysis EY, eosine Y FR, lluorescamine HRP, horseradish peroxidase ILITC, isoluminol isothiocyanate LOD, limit of detection RITC, rhodamine B isothiocyanate TCPO, Mv-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate TEA, triethylamine TRITC, tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate. 

Consequently, the research work of Hara s group continued focusing on the improvement of protein determination using CE combined with online CL detection. By replacing EY by the Rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RITC) dye in the binary complexes formed with the proteins BSA or human serum albumin (HSA) and using a different imidazole buffer solution of pH 6, the sensitivity was increased [72], However, best detection limits for these determinations were found employing the tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate isomer (TRITC) dye, left for 4 h with a standard solution of BSA in acetonitrile followed by introduction into the capillary. For BSA, a detection limit of 6 nM was reached [73],... 

TEP TL TLC TMB TMP TMP TMPG TNS TPB TRIS TRITC TTAB UA USDA-FSIS Triethylphosphine Total luminescence Thin layer chromatography T etramethylbenzidine 2,4,6,8-Tetrathiomorpholinopyrimido [5,4-d] pyrimidine Trimethylphosphine S S -Trimethoxyphenylglyoxal Potassium 2-p-toluidinylnaphthalene-6-sulfonate Tetradecylpyridine bromide Tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane Tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate Tetradecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide Uric acid U.S. Department of Agriculture-Food Safety and Inspection Service... 

Figure 1.6 Solvent accessibility and photobleaching behaviour of nanoparticle synthesis intermediates. (A-C) Excitation and emission spectra of nanoparticle intermediates ((A) TRITC (B) core (C) core-shell) in ethanol (blue) and water (red). (D) Photobleaching behaviour of nanoparticle intermediates (blue, TRITC green, core red, core-shell) and fluorescein (black). All curves in (A)-(D) are normalized by the peak values. (Reproduced from ref. 13, with permission.)...

Organic dyes like fluorescein and TRITC and the majority of NIR fluorophores suffer from poor photostability [77]. In addition, many NIR dyes, such as clinically approved indocyanine green (ICG) reveal poor thermal stability in aqueous solution [78]. Moreover, the presence of ozone can result in dye decomposition as observed for Cy5 [79]. In the last years, many organic dyes like the Alexa dyes have been... 

Figure 14.2. Chemical structures of some commonly used organic fluorescent probes 1, fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate (FITC) 2, tetramethylrhodamine-5-isothiocyanate (TRITC) 3, 5-carboxyrhodamine B 4, rhodamine X isothiocyanate (XRITC) 5, malachite green isothiocyanate 6, eosin-5-isothiocyanate 7, 1-pyreneisothiocyanate 8, 7-dimethylaminocoumarin-4-acetic acid 9, CY5.180Su.

Fluorescence detection relies on the visualization of a secondary antibody that has been labeled with a fluorophore such as fluorescein (FITC), Texas Red, Tetramethyl rhodamine (TRITC), or R-phycoerythrin. Although this method of detection has a reduced sensitivity of twofold to fourfold compared to chemiluminescence detection, it presents a tenfold greater linear dynamic range, thus providing better linearity and better quantiflcation within the detection limits. Since secondary antibodies can be labeled with fluor-ophores of distinct colors, multiplexing (simultaneous detection of several antigens) of the same blot is feasible. 

Abbreviations AMCA, 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin B-PE, B phycoerythrin Cy, cyanine DAMC, diethylaminocoumarin FITC, fluorescein isothiocyanate RB-200-SC, lissamine rhodamine sulfonylchloride R-PE, R phycoerythrin SITS, 4-acetamido-4 -isothiocyanato-stilbene-2,2 -disulfonic acid TRITC, tetramethyl rhodamine isothiocyanate XRITC, rhodamine X isothiocyanate. Information obtained from refs. 2, 9, and 10. 

The red-emitting rhodamine derivatives are constructed around the same basic xanthene framework as is fluorescein (2). Tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate (TRITC) has been widely employed for immunofluorescence. Additional derivatives of rhodamine available for conjugation to antibodies include lissamine rhodamine sulfonyl chloride (RB-200-SC), rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RBITC), rhodamine X isothiocyanate (XRITC), and Texas... 

Recently, cyanine fluorochromes covering a wide spectral range have become available for immunofluorescence (13,14). The red-emitting fluoro-chrome Cyanine 3.18, which was shown to give a significantly brighter image than TRITC, lissamine rhodamine, Texas Red, or fluorescein under specific conditions of microscopy (7), provides a useful alternative to the rhodamines. Other useful substitutes for the rhodamines include the BODIPY TR and TMR, and Alexa 568 and 594 fluorochromes. The latter are newly introduced and appear to offer superior photostability. 

Two important factors determine the efficiency with which energy is transferred from the donor to the acceptor the extent of spectral overlap and the distance that separates the donor-acceptor pair (Fig. 2A). The spectral overlap for any particular pair (e.g., FITC-TRITC or FITC-PE) is constant. However, the rate of energy transfer is extremely sensitive to changes in distance because it is inversely proportional to the sixth power of the distance separating the two fluorochromes. By using the same donor-acceptor pair, FRET is useful for studying relative changes in either molecular conformation or intermolecular interactions. 

The second strategy uses combinations of different antibodies coupled to fluorochromes with distinct emission maxima (5,9). The most relevant fluoro-chromes for combined antigen detection are fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC abs. max. 494 nm, emiss. max. 517 nm), rhodamine isothiocyanate (TRITC ... 

---