Illuminating Molecular Processes in Living Cells

Lately, scientists have explored approaches to developing fluorescent and/or bioluminescent indicators to pinpoint cellular processes in single living cells. These analytical methods have become a key technology for visualizing and detecting what was otherwise unseen in live cells. The target signaling included second messengers, protein phosphorylations, protein–protein interactions, and protein localizations.     

Dendrimers and combinatorial chemistry—tools for fluorescent enhancement in protease assays

FRET based systems are some of the best methods available to detect and monitor proteolytic activity. To enhance fluorescent signals and hence assay sensitivity, two different systems were developed using two different dendrimeric constructs. In the first case, a triple branched dendrimer bearing three dansyl groups was used to enhance assay sensitivity and showed a significant enhancement of fluorescence following enzymatic cleavage. In another example, a tris-fluorescein probe, that undergoes self-quenching, was utilized in a combinatorial library synthesis to map the substrate specificity of proteases.     

Studies on fluorenscence resonance energy transfer between CdS nanoparticles and DOCAI dyes

The water-soluble CdS nanoparticles were synthesized in aqueous solution. A novel fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) system with CdS nanoparticles as energy donors and 3,30-diethyl-oxadicarbocyanine iodide (DOCAI) dyes as energy accepter has been developed.     

Intramolecular dimers: a new design strategy for fluorescence-quenched probes

Fluorogenic probes dual-labeled with reporter and quencher dyes use a change in fluorescence to monitor biochemical events (e.g., substrate binding or enzyme digestion). Such events change the reporter-quencher distance, which affects fluorescence. Recently, it is has been shown that static quenching through intramolecular dimers is an important mechanism that can sometimes be more efficient than F?rster resonance energy transfer (FRET).     

半导体纳米粒子与金纳米粒子间荧光共振能量转移研究

采用水相法合成的CdTe半导体纳米粒子作为能量给体, 通过Schiff碱反应将单链DNA连接到表面. 采用柠檬酸钠还原氯金酸法制取的Au纳米粒子作为能量受体, 通过Au—S键将单链DNA连接到表面. 通过DNA链间的杂交, 构建了荧光共振能量转移体系(FRET). 测定了CdTe-DNA、 探针体系和探针体系+目标DNA的荧光强度. 结果表明, 探针体系的荧光强度最弱, 加入目标DNA后, 体系荧光增强, 表明该体系的构建是成功的.     

Förster Resonance Energy Transfer Investigations Using Quantum‐Dot Fluorophores

F?rster resonance energy transfer (FRET), which involves the nonradiative transfer of excitation energy from an excited donor fluorophore to a proximal ground-state acceptor fluorophore, is a well-characterized photophysical tool. It is very sensitive to nanometer-scale changes in donor-acceptor separation distance and their relative dipole orientations. It has found a wide range of applications in analytical chemistry, protein conformation studies, and biological assays. Luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots, QDs) are inorganic fluorophores with unique optical and spectroscopic properties that could enhance FRET as an analytical tool, due to broad excitation spectra and tunable narrow and symmetric photoemission. Recently, there have been several FRET investigations using luminescent QDs that focused on addressing basic fundamental questions, as well as developing targeted applications with potential use in biology, including sensor design and protein conformation studies. Herein, we provide a critical review of those developments. We discuss some of the basic aspects of FRET applied to QDs as both donors and acceptors, and highlight some of the advantages offered (and limitations encountered) by QDs as energy donors and acceptors compared to conventional dyes. We also review the recent developments made in using QD bioreceptor conjugates to design FRET-based assays.