FRET-enhanced photostability allows improved single-molecule tracking of proteins and protein complexes in live mammalian cells.
Srinjan BasuLisa-Maria NeedhamDavid LandoEdward J R TaylorKai J WohlfahrtDevina ShahWayne BoucherYi Lei TanLawrence E BatesOlga TkachenkoJulie CramardB Christoffer LagerholmChristian EggelingBrian HendrichDave KlenermanSteven F LeeErnest D LauePublished in: Nature communications (2018)
A major challenge in single-molecule imaging is tracking the dynamics of proteins or complexes for long periods of time in the dense environments found in living cells. Here, we introduce the concept of using FRET to enhance the photophysical properties of photo-modulatable (PM) fluorophores commonly used in such studies. By developing novel single-molecule FRET pairs, consisting of a PM donor fluorophore (either mEos3.2 or PA-JF549) next to a photostable acceptor dye JF646, we demonstrate that FRET competes with normal photobleaching kinetic pathways to increase the photostability of both donor fluorophores. This effect was further enhanced using a triplet-state quencher. Our approach allows us to significantly improve single-molecule tracking of chromatin-binding proteins in live mammalian cells. In addition, it provides a novel way to track the localization and dynamics of protein complexes by labeling one protein with the PM donor and its interaction partner with the acceptor dye.
Keyphrases
- single molecule
- living cells
- particulate matter
- atomic force microscopy
- air pollution
- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- protein protein
- heavy metals
- binding protein
- energy transfer
- amino acid
- gene expression
- fluorescent probe
- dna damage
- transcription factor
- genome wide
- high resolution
- small molecule
- solar cells
- mass spectrometry
- human immunodeficiency virus
- photodynamic therapy
- quantum dots
- hepatitis c virus
- case control
- fluorescence imaging