Tb3+ as Fluorescent Probe in the Study of the Interaction of Other Lanthanide Ions with Trichosanthin

The interaction of lanthanide (Ln³⁺)ions with trchosanthin(TCS)was investi-gated using Tb³⁺ as fluorescent probe.The metal-binding sites of the protein were probed by means of adding the Tb³⁺ into the protein solutions.If other Ln³⁺ ions exist in the Tb³⁺ protein complex system, they would compete against Tb³⁺ in the binding sites of the protein, and so the fluorescence intensity of Tb³⁺ decreased,which is called quenching effect.The quencliing effect is related to the ionic radii of the Ln³⁺ ions and energy transfer from Tb³⁺ protein to Ln³⁺ ions.Based on the ex-perimental results,a schematic of the energy transfer from protein-Tb³⁺ complex to protein-Ln³⁺ complex is suggested.