Ultrafast quenching of tryptophan fluorescence in proteins: Interresidue and intrahelical electron transfer

Quenching of tryptophan fluorescence in proteins has been critical to the understanding of protein dynamics and enzyme reactions using tryptophan as a molecular optical probe. We report here our systematic examinations of potential quenching residues with more than 40 proteins. With site-directed mutation, we placed tryptophan to desired positions or altered its neighboring residues to screen quenching groups among 20 amino acid residues and of peptide backbones. With femtosecond resolution, we observed the ultrafast quenching dynamics within 100 ps and identified two ultrafast quenching groups, the carbonyl- and sulfur-containing residues. The former is glutamine and glutamate residues and the later is disulfide bond and cysteine residue. The quenching by the peptide-bond carbonyl group as well as other potential residues mostly occurs in longer than 100 ps. These ultrafast quenching dynamics occur at van der Waals distances through intraprotein electron transfer with high directionality. Following optimal molecular orbital overlap, electron jumps from the benzene ring of the indole moiety in a vertical orientation to the LUMO of acceptor quenching residues. Molecular dynamics simulations were invoked to elucidate various correlations of quenching dynamics with separation distances, relative orientations, local fluctuations and reaction heterogeneity. These unique ultrafast quenching pairs, as recently found to extensively occur in high-resolution protein structures, may have significant biological implications.     

Influence of redoxinert counterions on photoinduced intermolecular electron transfer rates in dichloromethane

Rate constants k_q of the fluorescence quenching of 9,10-dicyanoanthracene by bromide and chloride ions and of 9-cyanoanthracene by bromide ions were determined in the low polar solvent dichloromethane with a series of tetra-alkylammonium counterions. Cation size dependent electron transfer rate constants k_et were derived from k_q, and were fitted to a nonadiabatic electron transfer model equation. Because of ion pair formation in dichloromethane electrostatic interactions of the redoxinert countercations during electron transfer were considered. Accordingly, the position of the countercation within the precursor complex had to be described.

The electronic coupling matrix element derived by fitting of the experimental data is in satisfactory agreement with results of simple quantum chemical calculations.     

Photochemical deprotection of nitro-substituted benzenesulfenates via photoinduced electron transfer

The photochemical deprotection of alkyl 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfenate or alkyl 2-nitrobenzenesulfenate was successfully achieved by addition of triethylamine, while it was unsuccessful without triethylamine. The sulfur-oxygen bond cleavage is thought to occur heterolytically in the sulfenate anion radical produced by photoinduced electron transfer with triethylamine.     

Tuning the photoinduced electron transfer in near-infrared heptamethine cyanine dyes

An efficient photoinduced electron transfer (PET) system in near-infrared region was described. The PET in heptamethine cyanine dyes was tuned by changing the electron-donating ability of the substituent at the central position of the polymehine chain. 4-Aminophenylthio-substitution led to an efficient PET and the lowest fluorescence quantum yield. The acetylation, protonation or transition metal cation coordination of the amino group could recover fluorescence greatly via suppressing the PET.     

First examples of hypervalent enhancement of photoallylation by allylsilicon compounds via photoinduced electron transfer

Hypervalency (pentacoordination) of silicon atom enhanced photoallylation of 1,2-diketones with allylsilicon reagents, while normal tetracoordinated ones could not. This reaction seems to proceed via photoinduced electron transfer from the silicon reagent to the photoexcited ketone judged from its reactivity and selectivity.     

Theoretical study of long range electron transfer in Phthalimide–Peptide–Methyl Aminoacetate Model molecules

Long-range electron transfer (ET) matrix elements (V_PS), rate constants (k_ET) and reorganization energies for ET from phthalimide radical (pha) moiety to methyl aminoacetate radical (aa) moiety in pa–(gly)_n = 0–6–aa (pa = C₆H₄(CO)₂N–(CH₂CO), gly = glycine, aa = HNCH₂COOCH₃) ionic molecules have been investigated using two-state variational method (TSVM) and classical rate model. Calculations on V_PS reveal that the overlap between the frontier orbitals of two diabatic states is quite small, which leads to a small value of V_PS. k_ET has a minimum at the range n = 1–3 for β-strand conformation, but linearly increases as the peptide chain length (n) increases for pro II-helix conformation. These results are in good agreement with the experimental predictions. Relevant ET mechanisms are elucidated. The transition energies for charge transfer in such systems are also calculated to test the influences of local dipoles on the potentials of the donor and acceptor. For comparison electron couplings in [pa–(gly)_n = 1,3–aa]⁺ cations are calculated and the effects of electron correlation on inner reorganization energies in pha + pha^−/+ self-exchange reactions are examined at different levels of theory respectively. Calculated results are discussed also.     

Rational design of novel photoinduced electron transfer type fluorescent probes for sodium cation

We have developed novel fluorescence probes for sodium cation based on photoinduced electron transfer (PeT). In this study, we rationally designed new probes and succeeded in achieving fluorescence enhancement upon sodium ion binding by reducing the HOMO energy level of the chelator group within the probe molecule. Our new probes show low pH dependency, possibly because of their simple structures. Our results confirm the value of rational probe design based on PeT.     

Fluorescence resonance energy-transfer affects the determination of the affinity between ligand and proteins obtained by fluorescence quenching method

The interaction between esculin and serum albumins was investigated to illustrate that the fluorescence resonance energy-transfer (FRET) affects the determination of the binding constants obtained by fluorescence quenching method. The binding constants (K_a) obtained by the double-logarithm curve for esculin–BSA and esculin–HSA were 1.02 × 10⁷ and 2.07 × 10⁴ L/mol, respectively. These results from synchronous fluorescence showed that the Tyr and Trp residues of HSA were affected more deeply than those in BSA. The excitation profile of esculin showed that in the presence of BSA and HSA, the S₀ → S₁ transition of esculin () appears, which is similar to the of BSA and HSA. The critical distance (R₀) between BSA and esculin is higher than that of HSA, which showed that the affinity of esculin and HSA should be higher than that of BSA. After centrifugation, the concentrations of esculin bound to albumins were determined by means of the fluorescence of esculin. It was found that much more esculin was bound to HSA than to BSA. However, the bound models for BSA and HSA are almost the same. The concentration of esculin bound to serum albumin at first decreased with the addition of esculin and then increased. From above results, it can be concluded that the affinity of esculin and HSA should be higher than that of esculin and BSA. This example showed that in the presence of FRET, the binding constants between ligands and proteins based on fluorescence quenching might be deviated.     

Absorption and fluorescence characteristics of photo-activated adenylate cyclase nano-clusters from the amoeboflagellate Naegleria gruberi NEG-M strain

The spectroscopic characteristics of BLUF (BLUF = sensor of blue light using flavin) domain containing soluble adenylate cyclase (nPAC = Naegleria photo-activated cyclase) samples from the amoeboflagellate Naegleria gruberi NEG-M strain is studied at room temperature. The absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic development in the dark was investigated over two weeks. Attenuation coefficient spectra, fluorescence quantum distributions, fluorescence quantum yields, and fluorescence excitation distributions were measured. Thawing of frozen nPAC samples gave solutions with varying protein nano-cluster size and varying flavin, tyrosine, tryptophan, and protein color-center emission. Protein color-center emission was observed in the wavelength range of 360-900 nm with narrow emission bands of small Stokes shift and broad emission bands of large Stokes shift. The emission spectra evolved in time with protein nano-cluster aging.     

A theoretical study on the quenching mechanisms of triplet state riboflavin by tryptophan and tyrosine

The reactions of tryptophan (Trp) and tyrosine (Tyr) with endogenous photosensitizer riboflavin (RF) have gained much interest for their crucial roles in various photobiological processes. In this paper, the quenching mechanisms of triplet state RF by Trp and Tyr have been explored employing density functional theory calculations. It is revealed that the H-atom transfer reaction from Trp and Tyr to triplet state RF is more favorable on thermodynamic grounds compared with direct energy transfer or direct electron transfer pathways. During the photosensitization, RF can photogenerate various reactive oxygen species (ROS) as intermediates, while the present study provides some deeper insights into the photosensitizing behaviors of triplet state RF by reacting directly with Trp and Tyr.     

Simultaneous analysis of riboflavin and aromatic amino acids in beer using fluorescence and multivariate calibration methods

The study demonstrates an application of the front-face fluorescence spectroscopy combined with multivariate regression methods to the analysis of fluorescent beer components. Partial least-squares regressions (PLS1, PLS2, and N-way PLS) were utilized to develop calibration models between synchronous fluorescence spectra and excitation-emission matrices of beers, on one hand, and analytical concentrations of riboflavin and aromatic amino acids, on the other hand. The best results were obtained in the analysis of excitation-emission matrices using the N-way PLS2 method. The respective correlation coefficients, and the values of the root mean-square error of cross-validation (RMSECV), expressed as percentages of the respective mean analytic concentrations, were: 0.963 and 14% for riboflavin, 0.974 and 4% for tryptophan, 0.980 and 4% for tyrosine, and 0.982 and 19% for phenylalanine.     

A possible role of histidine residues in long-range electron transfer in proteins

Metal–histidine complexes are recurrent structural motifs in proteins exhibiting long-range electron transfer (ET), being involved both as electron donor or acceptor groups and as bridges which mediate ET between other cofactors. That observation suggests that the histidine residue could play an active role in ET, beyond that of simply binding the metal ion. Density functional theory and ab initio computations, performed on a simplified model system of the ET chain in semisynthetic Zinc cytochromes, confirm that expectation, suggesting that the nitrogen site of the histidine ring can exchange both a proton and a whole hydrogen atom with its redox partners. This finoling indicates that proton-assisted ET appears to be a plausible mechanism in this system.Contribution to Jacopo Tomasi Honorary Issue     

Femtosecond studies of tryptophan fluorescence dynamics in proteins: local solvation and electronic quenching

We report our systematic examination of tryptophan fluorescence dynamics in proteins with femtosecond resolution. Distinct patterns of femtosecond-resolved fluorescence transients from the blue to the red side of emission have been characterized to distinguish local ultrafast solvation and electronic quenching. It is shown that tryptophan is an ideal local optical probe for hydration dynamics and protein-water interactions as well as an excellent local molecular reporter for ultrafast electron transfer in proteins, as demonstrated by a series of biological systems, here in melittin, human serum albumin, and human thioredoxin, and at lipid interfaces. These studies clarify the assignments in the literature about the ultrafast solvation or quenching dynamics of tryptophan in proteins. We also report a new observation of solvation dynamics at far red-side emission when the relaxation of the local environment is slower than 1 ps. These results provide a molecular basis for using tryptophan as a local molecular probe for ultrafast protein dynamics in general.     

A non-Marcus model for electrostatic fluctuations in long range electron transfer

We propose a new model for the elementary act of electron transfer between two species in solution. The central idea is that the solution in the immediate vicinity of each species may be represented by an equivalent circuit consisting of a Debye circuit shunted by a resistor. Based on this insight, we derive a new formula for the one-dimensional potential energy profile of a coupled donor–acceptor pair at finite (but large) separation d, along a charge-fluctuation reaction co-ordinate, at fixed radii of the transition states. The corresponding reorganisation energy of the reaction is also derived, and it is found to differ from that in the Marcus theory. In particular, the new model predicts that the reorganisation energy is independent of the static dielectric constant of the solution, whereas the old model predicts a strong dependence. The difference is traced to the fact that the Marcus theory omits consideration of the work required to form the charge fluctuations and focuses instead on the work required to localise the charge fluctuations. In general, the equivalent circuit approach permits many of the difficult-to-derive equations of non-equilibrium polarisation theory to be written down by inspection.     

Electron-transfer fluorescence quenching processes in coaggregates between excited N-alkylcarbazoles as electron donors and 2, 4-dinitrophenyl carboxylates or pentafluorophenyl carboxylates as acceptors

Electron-transfer processes facilitated by hydrophobic-lipophilic interaction ( HLI) between excited N-alkylcar-bazoles (1-n, n=4, 8, 12, 16) as electron donors and 2,4-dintrophenyl carboxylates (2-n, n = 4, 8, 12, 16) or pentafluorophenyl carboxylates (3-n, n = 4, 8, 12, 16) as electron acceptors have been investigated by means of fluorescence spectroscopy in aqueous or aquiorgano binary mixtures. The fluorescence quenching of -n * by 2-n or -n indicates that preassociation precedes the electron transfer. The extent of HLI-driven coaggregation of the acceptor and the donor may be assessed from the B value of the equation I0/I = A B [Q]. The chain-length effect and possibly also a chain-fold-ability effect, as well as the solvent aggregating power (SAgP) effect have been observed. Comparison of the quenching constants (B) for 1-n * /2-n combinations and 1-n * / 3-n combinations shows that the order of increasing R values for the quenching processes is 3-n < 2-n.     

Solvent effects on the fluorescence quenching of tryptophan by amides via electron transfer. Experimental and computational studies

Hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics (QM-MM) calculations [Callis and Liu, J. Phys. Chem. B 2004, 108, 4248-4259] make a strong case that the large variation in tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence yields in proteins is explained by ring-to-backbone amide electron transfer, as predicted decades ago. Quenching occurs in systems when the charge transfer (CT) state is brought below the fluorescing state (1L(a)) as a result of strong local electric fields. To further test this hypothesis, we have measured the fluorescence quantum yield in solvents of different polarity for the following systems: N-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide (NATA), an analogue for Trp in a protein; N-acetyl-L-tryptophan ethyl ester (NATE), wherein the Trp amide is replaced by an ester group, lowering the CT state energy; and 3-methylindole (3MI), a control wherein this quenching mechanism cannot take place. Experimental yields in water are 0.31, 0.13, and 0.057 for 3MI, NATA, and NATE, respectively, whereas, in the nonpolar aprotic solvent dioxane, all three have quantum yields near 0.35, indicating the absence of electron transfer. In alkyl alcohols the quantum yield for NATA and NATE is between that found for water and that found for dioxane, and it is surprisingly independent of chain length (varying from methanol to decanol), revealing that microscopic H-bonding, and not the bulk dielectric constant, dictates the electron transfer rate. QM-MM calculations indicate that, when averaged over the six rotamers, the greatly increased quenching found in water relative to dioxane can be attributed mainly to the larger fluctuations of the energy gap in water. These experiments and calculations are in complete accord with quenching by a solvent stabilized charge transfer from ring to amide state in proteins.     

吖啶橙-罗丹明6G共振能量转移荧光猝灭法测定尿中1-羟基芘

建立了吖啶橙(AO)-罗丹明6G(R6G)共振能量转移荧光猝灭法测定尿中1-羟基芘的新方法.在λex/λem=470/556nm,十二烷基苯磺酸钠(SDBS)存在下,AO-R6G能够发生有效的能量转移,使R6G的荧光大大增强;1-羟基芘(1-OHP)的加入使R6G的荧光猝灭.方法的线性范围是21.3～982 μg/L;检出限为6.4 μg/L;平行7次测定相对标准偏差为0.98%～2.0%;回收率为96.0%～104.4%.该方法用于锅炉工尿样中1-羟基芘的测定,结果与常规的高效液相色谱法一致.     

Intermolecular vs. intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer from nucleotides in DNA to acridinium ion derivatives in relation with DNA cleavage

Photoirradiation of various 10-methylacridinium ions (AcrR⁺, R = H, ⁱPr, and Ph) intercalated in DNA results in ultrafast intramolecular electron transfer, followed by rapid back electron transfer between AcrR⁺ and nucleotides in DNA. The electron-transfer dynamics in DNA were monitored by femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. Both acridinyl radical and nucleotide radical cations, formed in the photoinduced electron transfer in DNA, were successfully detected in an aqueous solution. These transient absorption spectra were assigned by the comparison with those of DNA nucleotide radical cations, which were obtained by the intermolecular electron-transfer oxidation of nucleotides with the electron-transfer state of 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion (Acr–Mes⁺) produced upon photoexcitation of Acr⁺–Mes. Photoinduced cleavage of DNA with various acridinium ions (AcrR⁺, R = H, ⁱPr, Ph, and Mes) has also been examined by agarose gel electrophoresis, which indicates that the rapid intramolecular back electron transfer between acridinyl radical and nucleotide radical cation in DNA suppresses the DNA cleavage as compared with the intermolecular electron-transfer oxidation of nucleotides with Acr–Mes⁺.     

Studies of interaction between colchicine and bovine serum albumin by fluorescence quenching method

We investigated the interaction between colchicine and bovine serum albumin (BSA) by fluorescence and UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy. In the mechanism discussion, it was proved that the fluorescence quenching of BSA by colchicine is a result of the formation of colchicine–BSA complex; van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonds play a major role in stabilizing the complex. The modified Stern–Volmer quenching constant K_a and corresponding thermodynamic parameters ΔH, ΔG, ΔS at different temperatures were calculated. The distance r between donor (BSA) and acceptor (colchicine) was obtained according to fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET).