1
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Rajbongshi BK, Abdullah S, Lama B, Bhattacharyya HP, Sarma M. Regioselective and solvent-dependent photoisomerization induced internal conversion in red fluorescent protein chromophore analogues. RSC Adv 2024; 14:18373-18384. [PMID: 38860252 PMCID: PMC11163268 DOI: 10.1039/d4ra00988f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Photophysical properties of three red fluorescent protein (RFP) chromophore analogues are reported here. The three RFP chromophore analogues differ in the additional conjugation present in the RFP chromophore. The three chromophores do not exhibit any solvent effect in both absorption and fluorescence spectra. The photoirradiation experiments and recording of 1H NMR before and after irradiation on one of the three RFP model chromophores show isomerization of the (Z,E) diastereomer to the (E,E) diastereomer. Calculation of S0 and S1 potential energy curves shows the preference for isomerization through the exocyclic C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bond with Z-stereochemistry, thus corroborating the experimental results. The computational studies also suggest that torsional motion along the exocyclic C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bond pushes the molecules to a conical intersection, thus paving the pathway for radiationless deactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sheikh Abdullah
- Department of Chemistry, Cotton University Panbazar Guwahati Assam 781001 India
| | - Bittu Lama
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Assam 781039 India
| | | | - Manabendra Sarma
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Assam 781039 India
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2
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Liu XY, Wang SR, Fang WH, Cui G. Nuclear Quantum Effects on Nonadiabatic Dynamics of a Green Fluorescent Protein Chromophore Analogue: Ring-Polymer Surface-Hopping Simulation. J Chem Theory Comput 2024; 20:3426-3439. [PMID: 38656202 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Herein, we have used the "on-the-fly" ring-polymer surface-hopping simulation method with the centroid approximation (RPSH-CA), in combination with the multireference OM2/MRCI electronic structure calculations to study the photoinduced dynamics of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) chromophore analogue in the gas phase, i.e., o-HBI, at 50, 100, and 300 K with 1, 5, 10, and 15 beads (3600 1 ps trajectories). The electronic structure calculations identified five new minimum-energy conical intersection (MECI) structures, which, together with the previous one, play crucial roles in the excited-state decay dynamics of o-HBI. It is also found that the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) occurs in an ultrafast manner and is completed within 20 fs in all the simulation conditions because there is no barrier associated with this ESIPT process in the S1 state. However, the other excited-state dynamical results are strongly related to the number of beads. At 50 and 100 K, the nuclear quantum effects (NQEs) are very important; therefore, the excited-state dynamical results change significantly with the bead number. For example, the S1 decay time deduced from time-dependent state populations becomes longer as the bead number increases. Nevertheless, an essentially convergent trend is observed when the bead number is close to 10. In contrast, at 300 K, the NQEs become weaker and the above dynamical results converge very quickly even with 1 bead. Most importantly, the NQEs seriously affect the excited-state decay mechanism of o-HBI. At 50 and 100 K, most trajectories decay to the S0 state via perpendicular keto MECIs, whereas, at 300 K, only twisted keto MECIs are responsible for the excited-state decay. The present work not only comprehensively explores the temperature-dependent photoinduced dynamics of o-HBI, but also demonstrates the importance and necessity of NQEs in nonadiabatic dynamics simulations, especially at relatively low temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang-Yang Liu
- College of Chemistry and Material Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610068, China
| | - Sheng-Rui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Wei-Hai Fang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ganglong Cui
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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3
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Rasmusssen AP, Pedersen HB, Andersen LH. Excited-state dynamics and fluorescence lifetime of cryogenically cooled green fluorescent protein chromophore anions. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023. [PMID: 38048068 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp04696f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Time-resolved action spectroscopy together with a fs-pump probe scheme is used in an electrostatic ion-storage ring to address lifetimes of specific vibrational levels in electronically excited states. Here we specifically consider the excited-state lifetime of cryogenically cooled green fluorescent protein (GFP) chromophore anions which is systematically measured across the S0-S1 spectral region (450-482 nm). A long lifetime of 5.2 ± 0.3 ns is measured at the S0-S1 band origin. When exciting higher vibrational levels in S1, the lifetime changes dramatically. It decreases by more than two orders of magnitude in a narrow energy region ∼250 cm-1 (31 meV) above the 0-0 transition. This is attributed to the opening of internal conversion over an excited-state energy barrier. The applied experimental technique provides a new way to uncover even small energy barriers, which are crucial for excited-state dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne P Rasmusssen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark.
| | - Henrik B Pedersen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark.
| | - Lars H Andersen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark.
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4
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Krueger TD, Chen C, Fang C. Targeting Ultrafast Spectroscopic Insights into Red Fluorescent Proteins. Chem Asian J 2023; 18:e202300668. [PMID: 37682793 DOI: 10.1002/asia.202300668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Red fluorescent proteins (RFPs) represent an increasingly popular class of genetically encodable bioprobes and biomarkers that can advance next-generation breakthroughs across the imaging and life sciences. Since the rational design of RFPs with improved functions or enhanced versatility requires a mechanistic understanding of their working mechanisms, while fluorescence is intrinsically an ultrafast event, a suitable toolset involving steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques has become powerful in delineating key structural features and dynamic steps which govern irreversible photoconverting or reversible photoswitching RFPs, and large Stokes shift (LSS)RFPs. The pertinent cis-trans isomerization and protonation state change of RFP chromophores in their local environments, involving key residues in protein matrices, lead to rich and complicated spectral features across multiple timescales. In particular, ultrafast excited-state proton transfer in various LSSRFPs showcases the resolving power of wavelength-tunable femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS) in mapping a photocycle with crucial knowledge about the red-emitting species. Moreover, recent progress in noncanonical RFPs with a site-specifically modified chromophore provides an appealing route for efficient engineering of redder and brighter RFPs, highly desirable for bioimaging. Such an effective feedback loop involving physical chemists, protein engineers, and biomedical microscopists will enable future successes to expand fundamental knowledge and improve human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor D Krueger
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331-4003, USA
| | - Cheng Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331-4003, USA
| | - Chong Fang
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331-4003, USA
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5
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Chen MS, Mao Y, Snider A, Gupta P, Montoya-Castillo A, Zuehlsdorff TJ, Isborn CM, Markland TE. Elucidating the Role of Hydrogen Bonding in the Optical Spectroscopy of the Solvated Green Fluorescent Protein Chromophore: Using Machine Learning to Establish the Importance of High-Level Electronic Structure. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:6610-6619. [PMID: 37459252 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c01444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogen bonding interactions with chromophores in chemical and biological environments play a key role in determining their electronic absorption and relaxation processes, which are manifested in their linear and multidimensional optical spectra. For chromophores in the condensed phase, the large number of atoms needed to simulate the environment has traditionally prohibited the use of high-level excited-state electronic structure methods. By leveraging transfer learning, we show how to construct machine-learned models to accurately predict the high-level excitation energies of a chromophore in solution from only 400 high-level calculations. We show that when the electronic excitations of the green fluorescent protein chromophore in water are treated using EOM-CCSD embedded in a DFT description of the solvent the optical spectrum is correctly captured and that this improvement arises from correctly treating the coupling of the electronic transition to electric fields, which leads to a larger response upon hydrogen bonding between the chromophore and water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Yuezhi Mao
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Andrew Snider
- Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Merced, Merced, California 95343, United States
| | - Prachi Gupta
- Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Merced, Merced, California 95343, United States
| | - Andrés Montoya-Castillo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Tim J Zuehlsdorff
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
| | - Christine M Isborn
- Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Merced, Merced, California 95343, United States
| | - Thomas E Markland
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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6
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Fadini A, Hutchison CDM, Morozov D, Chang J, Maghlaoui K, Perrett S, Luo F, Kho JCX, Romei MG, Morgan RML, Orr CM, Cordon-Preciado V, Fujiwara T, Nuemket N, Tosha T, Tanaka R, Owada S, Tono K, Iwata S, Boxer SG, Groenhof G, Nango E, van Thor JJ. Serial Femtosecond Crystallography Reveals that Photoactivation in a Fluorescent Protein Proceeds via the Hula Twist Mechanism. J Am Chem Soc 2023. [PMID: 37418747 PMCID: PMC10375524 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c02313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Chromophore cis/trans photoisomerization is a fundamental process in chemistry and in the activation of many photosensitive proteins. A major task is understanding the effect of the protein environment on the efficiency and direction of this reaction compared to what is observed in the gas and solution phases. In this study, we set out to visualize the hula twist (HT) mechanism in a fluorescent protein, which is hypothesized to be the preferred mechanism in a spatially constrained binding pocket. We use a chlorine substituent to break the twofold symmetry of the embedded phenolic group of the chromophore and unambiguously identify the HT primary photoproduct. Through serial femtosecond crystallography, we then track the photoreaction from femtoseconds to the microsecond regime. We observe signals for the photoisomerization of the chromophore as early as 300 fs, obtaining the first experimental structural evidence of the HT mechanism in a protein on its femtosecond-to-picosecond timescale. We are then able to follow how chromophore isomerization and twisting lead to secondary structure rearrangements of the protein β-barrel across the time window of our measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisia Fadini
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Christopher D M Hutchison
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Dmitry Morozov
- Nanoscience Center and Department of Chemistry, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Jeffrey Chang
- Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Karim Maghlaoui
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Samuel Perrett
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Fangjia Luo
- RIKEN Spring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Jeslyn C X Kho
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Matthew G Romei
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - R Marc L Morgan
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Christian M Orr
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, U.K
| | - Violeta Cordon-Preciado
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Takaaki Fujiwara
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan
| | - Nipawan Nuemket
- RIKEN Spring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Takehiko Tosha
- RIKEN Spring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Rie Tanaka
- RIKEN Spring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Shigeki Owada
- RIKEN Spring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Kensuke Tono
- RIKEN Spring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - So Iwata
- RIKEN Spring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Steven G Boxer
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Gerrit Groenhof
- Nanoscience Center and Department of Chemistry, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Eriko Nango
- RIKEN Spring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan
| | - Jasper J van Thor
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
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7
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Fdez Galván I, Lindh R. Smooth Things Come in Threes: A Diabatic Surrogate Model for Conical Intersection Optimization. J Chem Theory Comput 2023. [PMID: 37192531 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The optimization of conical intersection structures is complicated by the nondifferentiability of the adiabatic potential energy surfaces. In this work, we build a pseudodiabatic surrogate model, based on Gaussian process regression, formed by three smooth and differentiable surfaces that can adequately reproduce the adiabatic surfaces. Using this model with the restricted variance optimization method results in a notable decrease of the overall computational effort required to obtain minimum energy crossing points.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Fdez Galván
- Department of Chemistry-BMC, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 576, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Roland Lindh
- Department of Chemistry-BMC, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 576, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
- Uppsala Center for Computational Chemistry (UC3), Uppsala University, P.O. Box 576, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
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8
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Zhu YH, Liu XX, Fang Q, Liu XY, Fang WH, Cui G. Multiple Photoisomerization Pathways of the Green Fluorescent Protein Chromophore in a Reversibly Photoswitchable Fluorescent Protein: Insights from Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics Simulations. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:2588-2598. [PMID: 36881005 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c00165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we have employed a combined CASPT2//CASSCF approach within the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) framework to explore the early time photoisomerization of rsEGFP2 starting from its two OFF trans states, i.e., Trans1 and Trans2. The results show similar vertical excitation energies to the S1 state in their Franck-Condon regions. Considering the clockwise and counterclockwise rotations of the C11-C9 bond, four pairs of the S1 excited-state minima and low-lying S1/S0 conical intersections were optimized, based on which we determined four S1 photoisomerization paths that are essentially barrierless to the relevant S1/S0 conical intersections leading to efficient excited-state deactivation to the S0 state. Most importantly, our work first identified multiple photoisomerization and excited-state decay paths, which must be seriously considered in the future. This work not only sheds significant light on the primary trans-cis photoisomerization of rsEGFP2 but also aids in the understanding of the microscopic mechanism of GFP-like RSFPs and the design of novel GFP-like fluorescent proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Hua Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xin-Xin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Qiu Fang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xiang-Yang Liu
- College of Chemistry and Material Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610068, China
| | - Wei-Hai Fang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ganglong Cui
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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9
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Mukherjee S, Manna P, Douglas N, Chapagain PP, Jimenez R. Conformational Dynamics of mCherry Variants: A Link between Side-Chain Motions and Fluorescence Brightness. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:52-61. [PMID: 36574626 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c05584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The 3-fold higher brightness of the recently developed mCherry-XL red fluorescent protein (FP) compared to its progenitor, mCherry, is due to a significant decrease in the nonradiative decay rate underlying its increased fluorescence quantum yield. To examine the structural and dynamic role of the four mutations that distinguish the two FPs and closely related variants, we employed microsecond time scale, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. The simulations revealed that the I197R mutation leads to the formation of multiple hydrogen-bonded contacts and increased rigidity of the β-barrel. In particular, mCherryXL showed reduced nanosecond time scale breathing of the gap between the β7 and β10-strands, which was previously shown to be the most flexible region of mCherry. Together with experimental results, the simulations also reveal steric interactions of residue 161 and a network of hydrogen-bonding interactions of the chromophore with residues at positions 59, 143, and 163 that are critical in perturbing the chromophore electronic structure. Finally, we shed light on the conformational dynamics of the conserved residues R95 and S146, which are hydrogen-bonded to the chromophore, and provide physical insights into the observed photophysics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that evaluates the conformational space for a set of closely related FPs generated by directed evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srijit Mukherjee
- JILA, University of Colorado, Boulder and National Institute of Standards and Technology, 440 UCB, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, 215 UCB, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Premashis Manna
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Nancy Douglas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, 215 UCB, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Prem P Chapagain
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, 11200 SW Eighth Street, CP204, Miami, Florida 33199, United States
| | - Ralph Jimenez
- JILA, University of Colorado, Boulder and National Institute of Standards and Technology, 440 UCB, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, 215 UCB, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
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10
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Addison K, Roy P, Bressan G, Skudaite K, Robb J, Bulman Page PC, Ashworth EK, Bull JN, Meech SR. Photophysics of the red-form Kaede chromophore. Chem Sci 2023; 14:3763-3775. [PMID: 37035701 PMCID: PMC10074405 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc00368j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The chromophore responsible for colour switching in the optical highlighting protein Kaede has unexpectedly complicated excited state dynamics, which are measured and analysed here. This will inform the development of new imaging proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiri Addison
- School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Palas Roy
- School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Giovanni Bressan
- School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Karolina Skudaite
- School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Josh Robb
- School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | | | - Eleanor K. Ashworth
- School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - James N. Bull
- School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Stephen R. Meech
- School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
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11
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Baxter J, Hutchison CD, Maghlaoui K, Cordon-Preciado V, Morgan RML, Aller P, Butryn A, Axford D, Horrell S, Owen RL, Storm SLS, Devenish NE, van Thor JJ. Observation of Cation Chromophore Photoisomerization of a Fluorescent Protein Using Millisecond Synchrotron Serial Crystallography and Infrared Vibrational and Visible Spectroscopy. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:9288-9296. [PMID: 36326150 PMCID: PMC9677427 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c06780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The chromophores of reversibly switchable fluorescent proteins (rsFPs) undergo photoisomerization of both the trans and cis forms. Concurrent with cis/trans photoisomerisation, rsFPs typically become protonated on the phenolic oxygen resulting in a blue shift of the absorption. A synthetic rsFP referred to as rsEospa, derived from EosFP family, displays the same spectroscopic behavior as the GFP-like rsFP Dronpa at pH 8.4 and involves the photoconversion between nonfluorescent neutral and fluorescent anionic chromophore states. Millisecond time-resolved synchrotron serial crystallography of rsEospa at pH 8.4 shows that photoisomerization is accompanied by rearrangements of the same three residues as seen in Dronpa. However, at pH 5.5 we observe that the OFF state is identified as the cationic chromophore with additional protonation of the imidazolinone nitrogen which is concurrent with a newly formed hydrogen bond with the Glu212 carboxylate side chain. FTIR spectroscopy resolves the characteristic up-shifted carbonyl stretching frequency at 1713 cm-1 for the cationic species. Electronic spectroscopy furthermore distinguishes the cationic absorption band at 397 nm from the neutral species at pH 8.4 seen at 387 nm. The observation of photoisomerization of the cationic chromophore state demonstrates the conical intersection for the electronic configuration, where previously fluorescence was proposed to be the main decay route for states containing imidazolinone nitrogen protonation. We present the full time-resolved room-temperature X-ray crystallographic, FTIR, and UV/vis assignment and photoconversion modeling of rsEospa.
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Affiliation(s)
- James
M. Baxter
- Department
of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, LondonSW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | | | - Karim Maghlaoui
- Department
of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, LondonSW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | | | - R. Marc L. Morgan
- Department
of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, LondonSW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Pierre Aller
- Research
Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton
Laboratory, DidcotOX11 0FAUnited Kingdom,Diamond
Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation
Campus, DidcotOX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Agata Butryn
- Research
Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton
Laboratory, DidcotOX11 0FAUnited Kingdom,Diamond
Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation
Campus, DidcotOX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Danny Axford
- Diamond
Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation
Campus, DidcotOX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Horrell
- Diamond
Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation
Campus, DidcotOX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Robin L. Owen
- Diamond
Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation
Campus, DidcotOX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Selina L. S. Storm
- Diamond
Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation
Campus, DidcotOX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas E. Devenish
- Diamond
Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation
Campus, DidcotOX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Jasper J. van Thor
- Department
of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, LondonSW7 2AZ, United Kingdom,
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12
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Gautier A. Fluorescence-Activating and Absorption-Shifting Tags for Advanced Imaging and Biosensing. Acc Chem Res 2022; 55:3125-3135. [PMID: 36269101 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.2c00098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Fluorescent labels and biosensors play central roles in biological and medical research. Targeted to specific biomolecules or cells, they allow noninvasive imaging of the machinery that govern cells and organisms in real time. Recently, chemogenetic reporters made of organic dyes specifically anchored to genetic tags have challenged the paradigm of fully genetically encoded fluorescent proteins. Combining the advantage of synthetic fluorophores with the targeting selectivity of genetically encoded tags, these chemogenetic reporters open new exciting prospects for studying cell biochemistry and biology. In this Account, we present the growing toolbox of fluorescence-activating and absorption-shifting tags (FASTs), small monomeric proteins of 14 kDa (125 amino acids residues) that can be used as markers to monitor gene expression and protein localization in live cells and organisms. Engineered by directed protein evolution from the photoactive yellow protein (PYP) from the bacterium Halorhodospira halophila, prototypical FAST binds and stabilizes the fluorescent state of live-cell compatible hydroxybenzylidene rhodanine chromophores. This class of chromophores are normally dark when free in solution or in cells because they dissipate light energy through nonradiative processes. The protein cavity of FAST allows the stabilization of the deprotonated state of the chromophore and blocks the chromophore into a planar conformation, which leads to highly fluorescent protein-chromophore assemblies. The use of such fluorogenic dyes (also called fluorogens) enables the imaging of FAST fusion proteins in cells with high contrast without the need to remove unbound ligands through separate washing steps. Fluorogens with various spectral properties exist nowadays allowing investigators to adjust the spectral properties of FAST to their experimental conditions. Molecular engineering allowed furthermore to generate membrane-impermeant fluorogens for the selective labeling of cell-surface proteins. Over the years, we generated a collection of FAST variants with expanded spectral properties or fluorogen selectivity using a concerted strategy involving molecular engineering and directed protein evolution. Moreover, protein engineering allowed us to adapt FASTs for the design of fluorescent biosensors. Circular permutation enabled the generation of FAST variants with increased conformational flexibility for the design of biosensors in which fluorogen binding is conditioned to the recognition of a given analyte. Bisection of FASTs into two complementary fragments allowed us furthermore to create split variants with reversible complementation that allow the detection and imaging of dynamic protein-protein interactions. We provide, here, a general overview of the current state of development of these different systems and their applications for advanced live cell imaging and biosensing and discuss potential future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Gautier
- Sorbonne Université, École Normale Supérieure, Université PSL, CNRS, Laboratoire des Biomolécules, LBM, 75005 Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, 75005 Paris, France
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13
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Roy Chowdhury P, Khodia S, Maity S. Solvent assisted excited-state deactivation pathways in isolated 2,7-diazaindole-S 1-3 (S = Water and Ammonia) complexes. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2022; 278:121285. [PMID: 35533603 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2022.121285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The role of solvent molecules in the deactivation of photo-excited 2,7-diazaindole (DAI) - (H2O)1-3 and DAI - (NH3)1-3 complexes were computationally investigated. An excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) path from the solvent to the DAI molecule was followed using the TD-DFT-D4 (B3LYP) level of theory. The computed potential energy profile of ESPT process has shown intersection between ππ* and nπ* states facilitated via relative stabilization of the nπ* state with decreasing N(7)-Hb bond length. The ESPT process, starting from the DAI-Sn (ππ*) state, crosses through a barrier ranging from 27 to 36 kJmol-1 for water complexes and 26-30 kJmol-1 for ammonia complexes. The energy of the excited state was rapidly decreased with a shorter N(7)-Hb bond length. Subsequently, a significant trend of finding a second intersection between the ground and the excited state was observed for all the complexes. The results firmly suggested a significant deactivation channel of excited azaindole derivatives. In the present system, two competing channels, ESPT and ESHT, were found to be energetically accessible. The energy barriers associated with the ESPT barriers for DAI-(H2O)1-3 complexes are similar to the ESHT barrier, depicting equal dominance of both processes. The increased basicity of the N(7) atom in the excited state resulted a facile ESPT process from the water to N(7) of the DAI molecule. However, DAI-(NH3)1-3 complexes show clear preference for ESHT over ESPT process owing to its higher gas-phase pKa value making it a poor proton donor. The above systems can be used as a model to computationally and experimentally investigate the competing radiative and deactivation pathways of photo-excited solvated complexes of N-H-bearing bio-relevant molecules via proton and hydrogen transfer reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saurabh Khodia
- Department of Chemistry, IIT Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy, Telangana 502285, India
| | - Surajit Maity
- Department of Chemistry, IIT Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy, Telangana 502285, India.
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14
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Boulanger SA, Chen C, Myasnyanko IN, Sokolov AI, Baranov MS, Fang C. Excited-State Dynamics of a meta-Dimethylamino Locked GFP Chromophore as a Fluorescence Turn-on Water Sensor †. Photochem Photobiol 2021; 98:311-324. [PMID: 34714942 DOI: 10.1111/php.13552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Strategic incorporation of a meta-dimethylamino (-NMe2 ) group on the conformationally locked green fluorescent protein (GFP) model chromophore (m-NMe2 -LpHBDI) has drastically altered molecular electronic properties, counterintuitively enhancing fluorescence of only the neutral and cationic chromophores in aqueous solution. A ˜200-fold decrease in fluorescence quantum yield of m-NMe2 -LpHBDI in alcohols (e.g., MeOH, EtOH and 2-PrOH) supports this GFP-derived compound as a fluorescence turn-on water sensor, with large fluorescence intensity differences between H2 O and ROH emissions in various H2 O/ROH binary mixtures. A combination of steady-state electronic spectroscopy, femtosecond transient absorption, ground-state femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS) and quantum calculations elucidates an intermolecular hydrogen-bonding chain between a solvent -OH group and the chromophore phenolic ring -NMe2 and -OH functional groups, wherein fluorescence differences arise from an extended hydrogen-bonding network beyond the first solvation shell, as opposed to fluorescence quenching via a dark twisted intramolecular charge-transfer state. The absence of a meta-NMe2 group twisting coordinate upon electronic excitation was corroborated by experiments on control samples without the meta-NMe2 group or with both meta-NMe2 and para-OH groups locked in a six-membered ring. These deep mechanistic insights stemming from GFP chromophore scaffold will enable rational design of organic, compact and environmentally friendly water sensors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cheng Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
| | - Ivan N Myasnyanko
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anatolii I Sokolov
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Mikhail S Baranov
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Chong Fang
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
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15
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Grigorenko BL, Domratcheva T, Polyakov IV, Nemukhin AV. Protonation States of Molecular Groups in the Chromophore-Binding Site Modulate Properties of the Reversibly Switchable Fluorescent Protein rsEGFP2. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:8263-8271. [PMID: 34424693 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c02415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The role of protonation states of the chromophore and its neighboring amino acid side chains of the reversibly switching fluorescent protein rsEGFP2 upon photoswitching is characterized by molecular modeling methods. Numerous conformations of the chromophore-binding site in computationally derived model systems are obtained using the quantum chemistry and QM/MM approaches. Excitation energies are computed using the extended multiconfigurational quasidegenerate perturbation theory (XMCQDPT2). The obtained structures and absorption spectra allow us to provide an interpretation of the observed structural and spectral properties of rsEGFP2 in the active ON and inactive OFF states. The results demonstrate that in addition to the dominating anionic and neutral forms of the chromophore, the cationic and zwitterionic forms may participate in the photoswitching of rsEGFP2. Conformations and protonation forms of the Glu223 and His149 side chains in the chromophore-binding site play an essential role in stabilizing specific protonation forms of the chromophore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bella L Grigorenko
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Tatiana Domratcheva
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Department of Biomolecular Mechanisms, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Igor V Polyakov
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Alexander V Nemukhin
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
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16
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Chen C, Tutol JN, Tang L, Zhu L, Ong WSY, Dodani SC, Fang C. Excitation ratiometric chloride sensing in a standalone yellow fluorescent protein is powered by the interplay between proton transfer and conformational reorganization. Chem Sci 2021; 12:11382-11393. [PMID: 34667546 PMCID: PMC8447875 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc00847a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural and laboratory-guided evolution has created a rich diversity of fluorescent protein (FP)-based sensors for chloride (Cl−). To date, such sensors have been limited to the Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein (avGFP) family, and fusions with other FPs have unlocked ratiometric imaging applications. Recently, we identified the yellow fluorescent protein from jellyfish Phialidium sp. (phiYFP) as a fluorescent turn-on, self-ratiometric Cl− sensor. To elucidate its working mechanism as a rare example of a single FP with this capability, we tracked the excited-state dynamics of phiYFP using femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) spectroscopy and target analysis. The photoexcited neutral chromophore undergoes bifurcated pathways with the twisting-motion-induced nonradiative decay and barrierless excited-state proton transfer. The latter pathway yields a weakly fluorescent anionic intermediate , followed by the formation of a red-shifted fluorescent state that enables the ratiometric response on the tens of picoseconds timescale. The redshift results from the optimized π–π stacking between chromophore Y66 and nearby Y203, an ultrafast molecular event. The anion binding leads to an increase of the chromophore pKa and ESPT population, and the hindrance of conversion. The interplay between these two effects determines the turn-on fluorescence response to halides such as Cl− but turn-off response to other anions such as nitrate as governed by different binding affinities. These deep mechanistic insights lay the foundation for guiding the targeted engineering of phiYFP and its derivatives for ratiometric imaging of cellular chloride with high selectivity. We discovered an interplay between proton transfer and conformational reorganization that powers a standalone fluorescent-protein-based excitation-ratiometric biosensor for chloride imaging.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University 153 Gilbert Hall Corvallis OR 97331-4003 USA https://fanglab.oregonstate.edu/
| | - Jasmine N Tutol
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas 800 West Campbell Road Richardson TX 75080 USA https://lab.utdallas.edu/dodani/
| | - Longteng Tang
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University 153 Gilbert Hall Corvallis OR 97331-4003 USA https://fanglab.oregonstate.edu/
| | - Liangdong Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University 153 Gilbert Hall Corvallis OR 97331-4003 USA https://fanglab.oregonstate.edu/
| | - Whitney S Y Ong
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas 800 West Campbell Road Richardson TX 75080 USA https://lab.utdallas.edu/dodani/
| | - Sheel C Dodani
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas 800 West Campbell Road Richardson TX 75080 USA https://lab.utdallas.edu/dodani/
| | - Chong Fang
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University 153 Gilbert Hall Corvallis OR 97331-4003 USA https://fanglab.oregonstate.edu/
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17
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Jones CM, List NH, Martínez TJ. Resolving the ultrafast dynamics of the anionic green fluorescent protein chromophore in water. Chem Sci 2021; 12:11347-11363. [PMID: 34667545 PMCID: PMC8447926 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc02508b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The chromophore of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) is critical for probing environmental influences on fluorescent protein behavior. Using the aqueous system as a bridge between the unconfined vacuum system and a constricting protein scaffold, we investigate the steric and electronic effects of the environment on the photodynamical behavior of the chromophore. Specifically, we apply ab initio multiple spawning to simulate five picoseconds of nonadiabatic dynamics after photoexcitation, resolving the excited-state pathways responsible for internal conversion in the aqueous chromophore. We identify an ultrafast pathway that proceeds through a short-lived (sub-picosecond) imidazolinone-twisted (I-twisted) species and a slower (several picoseconds) channel that proceeds through a long-lived phenolate-twisted (P-twisted) intermediate. The molecule navigates the non-equilibrium energy landscape via an aborted hula-twist-like motion toward the one-bond-flip dominated conical intersection seams, as opposed to following the pure one-bond-flip paths proposed by the excited-state equilibrium picture. We interpret our simulations in the context of time-resolved fluorescence experiments, which use short- and long-time components to describe the fluorescence decay of the aqueous GFP chromophore. Our results suggest that the longer time component is caused by an energetically uphill approach to the P-twisted intersection seam rather than an excited-state barrier to reach the twisted intramolecular charge-transfer species. Irrespective of the location of the nonadiabatic population events, the twisted intersection seams are inefficient at facilitating isomerization in aqueous solution. The disordered and homogeneous nature of the aqueous solvent environment facilitates non-selective stabilization with respect to I- and P-twisted species, offering an important foundation for understanding the consequences of selective stabilization in heterogeneous and rigid protein environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chey M Jones
- Department of Chemistry and the PULSE Institute, Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory 2575 Sand Hill Road Menlo Park CA 94025 USA
| | - Nanna H List
- Department of Chemistry and the PULSE Institute, Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory 2575 Sand Hill Road Menlo Park CA 94025 USA
| | - Todd J Martínez
- Department of Chemistry and the PULSE Institute, Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory 2575 Sand Hill Road Menlo Park CA 94025 USA
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18
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Boulanger SA, Chen C, Tang L, Zhu L, Baleeva NS, Myasnyanko IN, Baranov MS, Fang C. Shedding light on ultrafast ring-twisting pathways of halogenated GFP chromophores from the excited to ground state. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:14636-14648. [PMID: 34212170 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp02140k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Since green fluorescent protein (GFP) has revolutionized molecular and cellular biology for about three decades, there has been a keen interest in understanding, designing, and controlling the fluorescence properties of GFP chromophore (i.e., HBDI) derivatives from the protein matrix to solution. Amongst these cross-disciplinary efforts, the elucidation of excited-state dynamics of HBDI derivatives holds the key to correlating the light-induced processes and fluorescence quantum yield (FQY). Herein, we implement steady-state electronic spectroscopy, femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA), femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS), and quantum calculations to study a series of mono- and dihalogenated HBDI derivatives (X = F, Cl, Br, 2F, 2Cl, and 2Br) in basic aqueous solution, gaining new insights into the photophysical reaction coordinates. In the excited state, the halogenated "floppy" chromophores exhibit an anti-heavy atom effect, reflected by strong correlations between FQY vs. Franck-Condon energy (EFC) or Stokes shift, and knrvs. EFC, as well as a swift bifurcation into the I-ring (major) and P-ring (minor) twisting motions. In the ground state, both ring-twisting motions become more susceptible to sterics and exhibit spectral signatures from the halogen-dependent hot ground-state absorption band decay in TA data. We envision this type of systematic analysis of the halogenated HBDI derivatives to provide guiding principles for the site-specific modification of GFP chromophores, and expand design space for brighter and potentially photoswitchable organic chemical probes in aqueous solution with discernible spectral signatures throughout the photocycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean A Boulanger
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4003, USA.
| | - Cheng Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4003, USA.
| | - Longteng Tang
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4003, USA.
| | - Liangdong Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4003, USA.
| | - Nadezhda S Baleeva
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, Moscow 117997, Russia and Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Ostrovitianov 1, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Ivan N Myasnyanko
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, Moscow 117997, Russia and Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Ostrovitianov 1, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Mikhail S Baranov
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, Moscow 117997, Russia and Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Ostrovitianov 1, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Chong Fang
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4003, USA.
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19
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An Engineered Biliverdin-Compatible Cyanobacteriochrome Enables a Unique Ultrafast Reversible Photoswitching Pathway. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22105252. [PMID: 34065754 PMCID: PMC8156171 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22105252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs) are promising optogenetic tools for their diverse absorption properties with a single compact cofactor-binding domain. We previously uncovered the ultrafast reversible photoswitching dynamics of a red/green photoreceptor AnPixJg2, which binds phycocyanobilin (PCB) that is unavailable in mammalian cells. Biliverdin (BV) is a mammalian cofactor with a similar structure to PCB but exhibits redder absorption. To improve the AnPixJg2 feasibility in mammalian applications, AnPixJg2_BV4 with only four mutations has been engineered to incorporate BV. Herein, we implemented femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) and ground state femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (GS-FSRS) to uncover transient electronic dynamics on molecular time scales and key structural motions responsible for the photoconversion of AnPixJg2_BV4 with PCB (Bpcb) and BV (Bbv) cofactors in comparison with the parent AnPixJg2 (Apcb). Bpcb adopts the same photoconversion scheme as Apcb, while BV4 mutations create a less bulky environment around the cofactor D ring that promotes a faster twist. The engineered Bbv employs a reversible clockwise/counterclockwise photoswitching that requires a two-step twist on ~5 and 35 picosecond (ps) time scales. The primary forward Pfr → Po transition displays equal amplitude weights between the two processes before reaching a conical intersection. In contrast, the primary reverse Po → Pfr transition shows a 2:1 weight ratio of the ~35 ps over 5 ps component, implying notable changes to the D-ring-twisting pathway. Moreover, we performed pre-resonance GS-FSRS and quantum calculations to identify the Bbv vibrational marker bands at ~659,797, and 1225 cm-1. These modes reveal a stronger H-bonding network around the BV cofactor A ring with BV4 mutations, corroborating the D-ring-dominant reversible photoswitching pathway in the excited state. Implementation of BV4 mutations in other PCB-binding GAF domains like AnPixJg4, AM1_1870g3, and NpF2164g5 could promote similar efficient reversible photoswitching for more directional bioimaging and optogenetic applications, and inspire other bioengineering advances.
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20
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Tachibana SR, Tang L, Chen C, Zhu L, Takeda Y, Fushimi K, Seevers TK, Narikawa R, Sato M, Fang C. Transient electronic and vibrational signatures during reversible photoswitching of a cyanobacteriochrome photoreceptor. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2021; 250:119379. [PMID: 33401182 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2020.119379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 12/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs) are an emerging class of photoreceptors that are distant relatives of the phytochromes family. Unlike phytochromes, CBCRs have gained popularity in optogenetics due to their highly diverse spectral properties spanning the UV to near-IR region and only needing a single compact binding domain. AnPixJg2 is a CBCR that can reversibly photoswitch between its red-absorbing (15ZPr) and green-absorbing (15EPg) forms of the phycocyanobilin (PCB) cofactor. To reveal primary events of photoconversion, we implemented femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy with a homemade LED box and a miniature peristaltic pump flow cell to track transient electronic responses of the photoexcited AnPixJg2 on molecular time scales. The 525 nm laser-induced Pg-to-Pr reverse conversion exhibits a ~3 ps excited-state lifetime before reaching the conical intersection (CI) and undergoing further relaxation on the 30 ps time scale to generate a long-lived Lumi-G ground state intermediate en route to Pr. The 650 nm laser-induced Pr-to-Pg forward conversion is less efficient than reverse conversion, showing a longer-lived excited state which requires two steps with ~13 and 217 ps time constants to enter the CI region. Furthermore, using a tunable ps Raman pump with broadband Raman probe on both the Stokes and anti-Stokes sides, we collected the pre-resonance ground-state femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (GS-FSRS) data with mode assignments aided by quantum calculations. Key vibrational marker bands at ~850, 1050, 1615, and 1649 cm-1 of the Pr conformer exhibit a notable blueshift to those of the Pg conformer inside AnPixJg2, reflecting the PCB chromophore terminal D (major) and A (minor) ring twist along the primary photoswitching reaction coordinate. This integrated ultrafast spectroscopy and computational platform has the potential to elucidate photochemistry and photophysics of more CBCRs and photoactive proteins in general, providing the highly desirable mechanistic insights to facilitate the rational design of functional molecular sensors and devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean R Tachibana
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-4003, United States
| | - Longteng Tang
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-4003, United States
| | - Cheng Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-4003, United States
| | - Liangdong Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-4003, United States
| | - Yuka Takeda
- Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 422-8529 Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Keiji Fushimi
- Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 422-8529 Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Travis K Seevers
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-4003, United States
| | - Rei Narikawa
- Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 422-8529 Shizuoka, Japan; Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency, 332-0012 Saitama, Japan
| | - Moritoshi Sato
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, 153-8902 Tokyo, Japan; Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency, 332-0012 Saitama, Japan
| | - Chong Fang
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-4003, United States.
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21
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Liu Y, Chen Z, Wang X, Cao S, Xu J, Jimenez R, Chen J. Ultrafast spectroscopy of biliverdin dimethyl ester in solution: pathways of excited-state depopulation. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:19903-19912. [PMID: 32853308 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp02971h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Biliverdin is a bile pigment that has a very low fluorescence quantum yield in solution, but serves as a chromophore in far-red fluorescent proteins being developed for bio-imaging. In this work, excited-state dynamics of biliverdin dimethyl ether (BVE) in solvents were investigated using femtosecond (fs) and picosecond (ps) time-resolved absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. This study is the first fs timescale investigation of BVE in solvents, and therefore revealed numerous dynamics that were not resolved in previous, 200 ps time resolution measurements. Viscosity- and isotope-dependent experiments were performed to identify the contributions of isomerization and proton transfer to the excited-state dynamics. In aprotic solvents, a ∼2 ps non-radiative decay accounts for 95% of the excited-state population loss. In addition, a minor ∼30 ps emissive decay pathway is likely associated with an incomplete isomerization process around the C15[double bond, length as m-dash]C16 double bond that results in a flip of the D-ring. In protic solvents, the dynamics are more complex due to hydrogen bond interactions between solute and solvent. In this case, the ∼2 ps decay pathway is a minor channel (15%), whereas ∼70% of the excited-state population decays through an 800 fs emissive pathway. The ∼30 ps timescale associated with isomerization is also observed in protic solvents. The most significant difference in protic solvents is the presence of a >300 ps timescale in which BVE can decay through an emissive state, in parallel with excited-state proton transfer to the solvent. Interestingly, a small fraction of a luminous species, which we designate lumin-BVE (LBVE), is present in protic solvents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangyi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
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22
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Minezawa N, Nakajima T. Quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical trajectory surface hopping molecular dynamics simulation by spin-flip time-dependent density functional theory. J Chem Phys 2020; 152:024119. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5132879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Noriyuki Minezawa
- Computational Molecular Science Research Team, RIKEN Center for Computational Science, 7-1-26 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Takahito Nakajima
- Computational Molecular Science Research Team, RIKEN Center for Computational Science, 7-1-26 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
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23
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Park JW. Analytical Gradient Theory for Quasidegenerate N-Electron Valence State Perturbation Theory (QD-NEVPT2). J Chem Theory Comput 2019; 16:326-339. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.9b00919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jae Woo Park
- Department of Chemistry, Chungbuk National University (CBNU), Cheongju 28644, Korea
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Influence of the First Chromophore-Forming Residue on Photobleaching and Oxidative Photoconversion of EGFP and EYFP. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20205229. [PMID: 31652505 PMCID: PMC6829896 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20205229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)—one of the most widely applied genetically encoded fluorescent probes—carries the threonine-tyrosine-glycine (TYG) chromophore. EGFP efficiently undergoes green-to-red oxidative photoconversion (“redding”) with electron acceptors. Enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP), a close EGFP homologue (five amino acid substitutions), has a glycine-tyrosine-glycine (GYG) chromophore and is much less susceptible to redding, requiring halide ions in addition to the oxidants. In this contribution we aim to clarify the role of the first chromophore-forming amino acid in photoinduced behavior of these fluorescent proteins. To that end, we compared photobleaching and redding kinetics of EGFP, EYFP, and their mutants with reciprocally substituted chromophore residues, EGFP-T65G and EYFP-G65T. Measurements showed that T65G mutation significantly increases EGFP photostability and inhibits its excited-state oxidation efficiency. Remarkably, while EYFP-G65T demonstrated highly increased spectral sensitivity to chloride, it is also able to undergo redding chloride-independently. Atomistic calculations reveal that the GYG chromophore has an increased flexibility, which facilitates radiationless relaxation leading to the reduced fluorescence quantum yield in the T65G mutant. The GYG chromophore also has larger oscillator strength as compared to TYG, which leads to a shorter radiative lifetime (i.e., a faster rate of fluorescence). The faster fluorescence rate partially compensates for the loss of quantum efficiency due to radiationless relaxation. The shorter excited-state lifetime of the GYG chromophore is responsible for its increased photostability and resistance to redding. In EYFP and EYFP-G65T, the chromophore is stabilized by π-stacking with Tyr203, which suppresses its twisting motions relative to EGFP.
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25
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Park JW, Al-Saadon R, Strand NE, Shiozaki T. Imaginary Shift in CASPT2 Nuclear Gradient and Derivative Coupling Theory. J Chem Theory Comput 2019; 15:4088-4098. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.9b00368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jae Woo Park
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Chungbuk National University, Chungdae-ro 1, Cheongju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
| | - Rachael Al-Saadon
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Nils E. Strand
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Toru Shiozaki
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
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26
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Taylor MA, Zhu L, Rozanov ND, Stout KT, Chen C, Fang C. Delayed vibrational modulation of the solvated GFP chromophore into a conical intersection. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:9728-9739. [PMID: 31032505 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp01077g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Green fluorescent protein (GFP) has revolutionized bioimaging and life sciences. Its successes have inspired modification of the chromophore structure and environment to tune emission properties, but outside the protein cage, the chromophore is essentially non-fluorescent. In this study, we employ the tunable femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS) and transient absorption (TA) to map the energy dissipation pathways of GFP model chromophore (HBDI) in basic aqueous solution. Strategic tuning of the Raman pump to 550 nm exploits the stimulated emission band to enhance excited state vibrational motions as HBDI navigates the non-equilibrium potential energy landscape to pass through a conical intersection. The time-resolved FSRS uncovers prominent anharmonic couplings between a global out-of-plane bending mode of ∼227 cm-1 and two modes at ∼866 and 1572 cm-1 before HBDI reaches the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state on the ∼3 ps time scale. Remarkably, the wavelet transform analysis reveals a ∼500 fs delayed onset of the coupling peaks, in correlation with the emergence of an intermediate charge-separated state en route to the TICT state. This mechanism is corroborated by the altered coupling matrix for the HBDI Raman modes in the 50% (v/v) water-glycerol mixture, and a notable lengthening of the picosecond time constant. The real-time molecular "movie" of the general rotor-like HBDI isomerization reaction following photoexcitation represents a significant advance in comprehending the photochemical reaction pathways of the solvated GFP chromophore, therefore providing a crucial foundation to enable rational design of diverse nanomachines from efficient molecular rotors to bright fluorescent probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miles A Taylor
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, 153 Gilbert Hall, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4003, USA.
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27
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Park JW. Single-State Single-Reference and Multistate Multireference Zeroth-Order Hamiltonians in MS-CASPT2 and Conical Intersections. J Chem Theory Comput 2019; 15:3960-3973. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.9b00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jae Woo Park
- Department of Chemistry, Chungbuk National University (CBNU), Cheongju 28644, Korea
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28
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Tachibana SR, Tang L, Zhu L, Liu W, Wang Y, Fang C. Watching an Engineered Calcium Biosensor Glow: Altered Reaction Pathways before Emission. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:11986-11995. [PMID: 30449101 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b10587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Biosensors have become an indispensable tool set in life sciences. Among them, fluorescent protein-based biosensors have great biocompatibility and tunable emission properties but their development is largely on trial and error. To facilitate a rational design, we implement tunable femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy, aided by transient absorption and quantum calculations, to elucidate the working mechanisms of a single-site Pro377Arg mutant of an emission ratiometric Ca2+ biosensor based on a green fluorescent protein-calmodulin complex. Comparisons with the parent protein and the Ca2+-free/bound states unveil more structural inhomogeneity yet an overall faster excited-state proton-transfer (ESPT) reaction inside the Ca2+-bound biosensor. The correlated photoreactant and photoproduct vibrational modes in the excited state reveal more chromophore twisting and trapping in the Ca2+-bound state during ESPT and the largely conserved chromophore dynamics in the Ca2+-free state from parent protein. The uncovered structural dynamics insights throughout an ESPT reaction inside a calcium biosensor provide important design principles in maintaining a hydrophilic, less compact, and more homogeneous environment with directional H-bonding (from the chromophore to surrounding protein residues) via bioengineering methods to improve the ESPT efficiency and quantum yield while maintaining photostability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean R Tachibana
- Department of Chemistry , Oregon State University , Corvallis , Oregon 97331 , United States
| | - Longteng Tang
- Department of Chemistry , Oregon State University , Corvallis , Oregon 97331 , United States
| | - Liangdong Zhu
- Department of Chemistry , Oregon State University , Corvallis , Oregon 97331 , United States
| | - Weimin Liu
- Department of Chemistry , Oregon State University , Corvallis , Oregon 97331 , United States
| | - Yanli Wang
- Department of Chemistry , Oregon State University , Corvallis , Oregon 97331 , United States
| | - Chong Fang
- Department of Chemistry , Oregon State University , Corvallis , Oregon 97331 , United States
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29
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Gao A, Wang M, Ding J. Ultrafasttrans-cisphotoisomerization of the neutral chromophore in green fluorescent proteins: Surface-hopping dynamics simulation. J Chem Phys 2018; 149:074304. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5043246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Aihua Gao
- School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
| | - Meishan Wang
- School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
| | - Junxia Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
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30
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Lischka H, Nachtigallová D, Aquino AJA, Szalay PG, Plasser F, Machado FBC, Barbatti M. Multireference Approaches for Excited States of Molecules. Chem Rev 2018; 118:7293-7361. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 197] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hans Lischka
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dana Nachtigallová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry v.v.i., The Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610 Prague 6, Czech Republic
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Palacký University, 78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Adélia J. A. Aquino
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States
- Institute for Soil Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Peter-Jordan-Strasse 82, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Péter G. Szalay
- ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Felix Plasser
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
| | - Francisco B. C. Machado
- Departamento de Química, Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica, São José dos Campos 12228-900, São Paulo, Brazil
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31
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Snyder JW, Fales BS, Hohenstein EG, Levine BG, Martínez TJ. A direct-compatible formulation of the coupled perturbed complete active space self-consistent field equations on graphical processing units. J Chem Phys 2018; 146:174113. [PMID: 28477593 DOI: 10.1063/1.4979844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We recently developed an algorithm to compute response properties for the state-averaged complete active space self-consistent field method (SA-CASSCF) that capitalized on sparsity in the atomic orbital basis. Our original algorithm was limited to treating small to moderate sized active spaces, but the recent development of graphical processing unit (GPU) based direct-configuration interaction algorithms provides an opportunity to extend this to large active spaces. We present here a direct-compatible version of the coupled perturbed equations, enabling us to compute response properties for systems treated with arbitrary active spaces (subject to available memory and computation time). This work demonstrates that the computationally demanding portions of the SA-CASSCF method can be formulated in terms of seven fundamental operations, including Coulomb and exchange matrix builds and their derivatives, as well as, generalized one- and two-particle density matrix and σ vector constructions. As in our previous work, this algorithm exhibits low computational scaling and is accelerated by the use of GPUs, making possible optimizations and nonadiabatic dynamics on systems with O(1000) basis functions and O(100) atoms, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- James W Snyder
- Department of Chemistry and the PULSE Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - B Scott Fales
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Edward G Hohenstein
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The City College of New York, New York, New York 10031, USA
| | - Benjamin G Levine
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Todd J Martínez
- Department of Chemistry and the PULSE Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
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32
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Smyrnova D, Marín MDC, Olivucci M, Ceulemans A. Systematic Excited State Studies of Reversibly Switchable Fluorescent Proteins. J Chem Theory Comput 2018; 14:3163-3172. [PMID: 29772175 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.8b00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The reversibly switchable fluorescent proteins Dronpa, rsFastLime, rsKame, Padron, and bsDronpa feature the same chromophore but display a 40 nm variation in absorption maxima and an only 18 nm variation in emission maxima. In the present contribution, we employ QM/MM models to investigate the mechanism of such remarkably different spectral variations, which are caused by just a few amino acid replacements. We show that the models, which are based on CASPT2//CASSCF level of QM theory, reproduce the observed trends in absorption maxima, with only a 3.5 kcal/mol blue-shift, and in emission maxima, with an even smaller 1.5 kcal/mol blue-shift with respect to the observed quantities. In order to explain the variations across the series, we look at the chromophore's electronic structure change during absorption and emission. Such analysis indicates that a change in charge-transfer character, which is more pronounced during absorption, triggers a cascade of hydrogen-bond-network rearrangements, suggesting preparation to an isomerization event. We also show how the contribution of Arg 89 and Arg 64 residues to the chromophore conformational changes correlate with the spectral variations in absorption and emission. Furthermore, we describe how the conical intersection stability is related to the protein's photophysical properties. While for the Dronpa, rsFastLime, and rsKame triad, the stability correlates with the photoswitching speed, this does not happen for bsDronpa and Padron, suggesting a less obvious photoisomerization mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daryna Smyrnova
- Quantum Chemistry and Physical Chemistry Division, Department of Chemistry , KU Leuven , Celestijnenlaan 200F , B-3001 Heverlee , Belgium
| | - María Del Carmen Marín
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy , Universitá di Siena , via A. Moro 2 , I-53100 Siena , Italy.,Department of Chemistry , Bowling Green State University , Bowling Green , Ohio 43403 , United States
| | - Massimo Olivucci
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy , Universitá di Siena , via A. Moro 2 , I-53100 Siena , Italy.,Department of Chemistry , Bowling Green State University , Bowling Green , Ohio 43403 , United States
| | - Arnout Ceulemans
- Quantum Chemistry and Physical Chemistry Division, Department of Chemistry , KU Leuven , Celestijnenlaan 200F , B-3001 Heverlee , Belgium
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33
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Carrascosa E, Bull JN, Scholz MS, Coughlan NJA, Olsen S, Wille U, Bieske EJ. Reversible Photoisomerization of the Isolated Green Fluorescent Protein Chromophore. J Phys Chem Lett 2018; 9:2647-2651. [PMID: 29724104 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b01201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Fluorescent proteins have revolutionized the visualization of biological processes, prompting efforts to understand and control their intrinsic photophysics. Here we investigate the photoisomerization of deprotonated p-hydroxybenzylidene-2,3-dimethylimidazolinone anion (HBDI-), the chromophore in green fluorescent protein and in Dronpa protein, where it plays a role in switching between fluorescent and nonfluorescent states. In the present work, isolated HBDI- molecules are switched between the Z and E forms in the gas phase in a tandem ion mobility mass spectrometer outfitted for selecting the initial and final isomers. Excitation of the S1 ← S0 transition provokes both Z → E and E → Z photoisomerization, with a maximum response for both processes at 480 nm. Photodetachment is a minor channel at low light intensity. At higher light intensities, absorption of several photons in the drift region drives photofragmentation, through channels involving CH3 loss and concerted CO and CH3CN loss, although isomerization remains the dominant process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Carrascosa
- School of Chemistry , The University of Melbourne , Parkville , Victoria 3010 , Australia
| | - James N Bull
- School of Chemistry , The University of Melbourne , Parkville , Victoria 3010 , Australia
| | - Michael S Scholz
- School of Chemistry , The University of Melbourne , Parkville , Victoria 3010 , Australia
| | - Neville J A Coughlan
- School of Chemistry , The University of Melbourne , Parkville , Victoria 3010 , Australia
| | - Seth Olsen
- School of Chemistry , Monash University , Clayton , Victoria 3800 , Australia
| | - Uta Wille
- School of Chemistry , The University of Melbourne , Parkville , Victoria 3010 , Australia
| | - Evan J Bieske
- School of Chemistry , The University of Melbourne , Parkville , Victoria 3010 , Australia
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34
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Welborn VV, Van Voorhis T. Non-radiative deactivation of cytosine derivatives at elevated temperature. Mol Phys 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/00268976.2018.1457806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Troy Van Voorhis
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, MA, USA
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35
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Conyard J, Heisler IA, Chan Y, Bulman Page PC, Meech SR, Blancafort L. A new twist in the photophysics of the GFP chromophore: a volume-conserving molecular torsion couple. Chem Sci 2018; 9:1803-1812. [PMID: 29675225 PMCID: PMC5892128 DOI: 10.1039/c7sc04091a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Dynamics of a nonplanar GFP chromophore are studied experimentally and theoretically. Coupled torsional motion is responsible for the ultrafast decay.
The simple structure of the chromophore of the green fluorescent protein (GFP), a phenol and an imidazolone ring linked by a methyne bridge, supports an exceptionally diverse range of excited state phenomena. Here we describe experimentally and theoretically the photochemistry of a novel sterically crowded nonplanar derivative of the GFP chromophore. It undergoes an excited state isomerization reaction accompanied by an exceptionally fast (sub 100 fs) excited state decay. The decay dynamics are essentially independent of solvent polarity and viscosity. Excited state structural dynamics are probed by high level quantum chemical calculations revealing that the fast decay is due to a conical intersection characterized by a twist of the rings and pyramidalization of the methyne bridge carbon. The intersection can be accessed without a barrier from the pre-twisted Franck–Condon structure, and the lack of viscosity dependence is due to the fact that the rings twist in the same direction, giving rise to a volume-conserving decay coordinate. Moreover, the rotation of the phenyl, methyl and imidazolone groups is coupled in the sterically crowded structure, with the methyl group translating the rotation of one ring to the next. As a consequence, the excited state dynamics can be viewed as a torsional couple, where the absorbed photon energy leads to conversion of the out-of-plane orientation from one ring to the other in a volume conserving fashion. A similar modification of the range of methyne dyes may provide a new family of devices for molecular machines, specifically torsional couples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Conyard
- School of Chemistry , University of East Anglia , Norwich Research Park , Norwich NR4 7TJ , UK .
| | - Ismael A Heisler
- School of Chemistry , University of East Anglia , Norwich Research Park , Norwich NR4 7TJ , UK .
| | - Yohan Chan
- School of Chemistry , University of East Anglia , Norwich Research Park , Norwich NR4 7TJ , UK .
| | - Philip C Bulman Page
- School of Chemistry , University of East Anglia , Norwich Research Park , Norwich NR4 7TJ , UK .
| | - Stephen R Meech
- School of Chemistry , University of East Anglia , Norwich Research Park , Norwich NR4 7TJ , UK .
| | - Lluís Blancafort
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi , Departament de Química , Facultat de Ciències , Universitat de Girona , C/ M. A. Capmany 69 , 17003 Girona , Spain .
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36
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Guo WW, Fang YG, Fang Q, Cui GL. Mechanistic Insights into the Photophysics of Ortho-hydroxyl GFP Core Chromophores. CHINESE J CHEM PHYS 2017. [DOI: 10.1063/1674-0068/30/cjcp1709179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wei-wei Guo
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ye-guang Fang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Qiu Fang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Gang-long Cui
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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37
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Kajita K, Nakano H, Sato H. A theoretical study on the optical absorption of green fluorescent protein chromophore in solutions. MOLECULAR SIMULATION 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/08927022.2017.1315769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ken Kajita
- Department of Molecular Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nakano
- Department of Molecular Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Elements Strategy Initiative for Catalysts and Batteries (ESICB), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Sato
- Department of Molecular Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Elements Strategy Initiative for Catalysts and Batteries (ESICB), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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38
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Gozem S, Luk HL, Schapiro I, Olivucci M. Theory and Simulation of the Ultrafast Double-Bond Isomerization of Biological Chromophores. Chem Rev 2017; 117:13502-13565. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Samer Gozem
- Department
of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302, United States
| | - Hoi Ling Luk
- Chemistry
Department, Bowling Green State University, Overman Hall, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403, United States
| | - Igor Schapiro
- Fritz
Haber Center for Molecular Dynamics, Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Massimo Olivucci
- Chemistry
Department, Bowling Green State University, Overman Hall, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403, United States
- Dipartimento
di Biotecnologie, Chimica e Farmacia, Università di Siena, via A. Moro
2, 53100 Siena, Italy
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39
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Pirojsirikul T, Götz AW, Weare J, Walker RC, Kowalski K, Valiev M. Combined quantum-mechanical molecular mechanics calculations with NWChem and AMBER: Excited state properties of green fluorescent protein chromophore analogue in aqueous solution. J Comput Chem 2017; 38:1631-1639. [PMID: 28470855 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.24804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Combined quantum mechanical molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations have become a popular methodology for efficient and accurate description of large molecular systems. In this work we introduce our development of a QM/MM framework based on two well-known codes-NWChem and AMBER. As an initial application area we are focused on excited state properties of small molecules in an aqueous phase using an analogue of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) chromophore as a particular test case. Our approach incorporates high level coupled cluster theory for the analysis of excited states providing a reliable theoretical analysis of effects of an aqueous solvation environment on the photochemical properties of the GFP chromophore. Using a systematic approach, which involves comparison of gas phase and aqueous phase results for different protonation states and conformations, we resolve existing uncertainties regarding the theoretical interpretation of experimental data. We observe that the impact of aqueous environment on charged states generally results in blue shifts of the absorption spectra, but the magnitude of the effect is sensitive to both protonation state and conformation and can be rationalized based on charge movement into the area of higher/lower external electrostatic potentials. At neutral pH levels the experimentally observed absorption signal is most likely coming from the phenol protonated form. Our results also show that the high level electron correlated method is essential for a proper description of excited states of GFP. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teerapong Pirojsirikul
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California, 92093
| | - Andreas W Götz
- San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California, 92093
| | - John Weare
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California, 92093
| | - Ross C Walker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California, 92093.,GlaxoSmithKline, 1250 S. Collegeville Road, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, 19426
| | - Karol Kowalski
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P. O. Box 999, Richland, Washington, 99352
| | - Marat Valiev
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P. O. Box 999, Richland, Washington, 99352
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40
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Park JW, Shiozaki T. Analytical Derivative Coupling for Multistate CASPT2 Theory. J Chem Theory Comput 2017; 13:2561-2570. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.7b00018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jae Woo Park
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Toru Shiozaki
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
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41
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Smyrnova D, Zinovjev K, Tuñón I, Ceulemans A. Thermal Isomerization Mechanism in Dronpa and Its Mutants. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:12820-12825. [PMID: 28002952 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b10859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The photoswitching speed of the reversibly switchable fluorescent proteins (RSFPs) from the family of green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) changes upon mutation which is of direct importance for various high-resolution techniques. Dronpa is one of the most used RSFPs. Its point mutants rsFastLime (Dronpa V157G) and rsKame (Dronpa V157L) exhibit a striking difference in their photoswitching speed. Here the QM/MM on-the-fly string method is used in order to explore the details of the thermal isomerization mechanism. The four principal ways in which isomerization may occur have been scrutinized for each of the three proteins. It has been shown that thermal isomerization occurs via a one-bond-flip mechanism in all three proteins, although, in rsKame, where the chromophore is constrained more, the activation free energy difference between hula-twist and one-bond-flip is significantly smaller. Functional mode analysis has been applied to examine the motions of the amino acids during the isomerization. It clearly identifies the importance of Val/Leu 157 as well as the amino acids in the α-helix during the isomerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daryna Smyrnova
- Quantum Chemistry and Physical Chemistry Division, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven , Celestijnenlaan 200F, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Kirill Zinovjev
- Departament de Química Física, Universitat de València , 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Iñaki Tuñón
- Departament de Química Física, Universitat de València , 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Arnout Ceulemans
- Quantum Chemistry and Physical Chemistry Division, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven , Celestijnenlaan 200F, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
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42
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Nienhaus K, Nienhaus GU. Chromophore photophysics and dynamics in fluorescent proteins of the GFP family. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2016; 28:443001. [PMID: 27604321 DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/28/44/443001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Proteins of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) family are indispensable for fluorescence imaging experiments in the life sciences, particularly of living specimens. Their essential role as genetically encoded fluorescence markers has motivated many researchers over the last 20 years to further advance and optimize these proteins by using protein engineering. Amino acids can be exchanged by site-specific mutagenesis, starting with naturally occurring proteins as templates. Optical properties of the fluorescent chromophore are strongly tuned by the surrounding protein environment, and a targeted modification of chromophore-protein interactions requires a profound knowledge of the underlying photophysics and photochemistry, which has by now been well established from a large number of structural and spectroscopic experiments and molecular-mechanical and quantum-mechanical computations on many variants of fluorescent proteins. Nevertheless, such rational engineering often does not meet with success and thus is complemented by random mutagenesis and selection based on the optical properties. In this topical review, we present an overview of the key structural and spectroscopic properties of fluorescent proteins. We address protein-chromophore interactions that govern ground state optical properties as well as processes occurring in the electronically excited state. Special emphasis is placed on photoactivation of fluorescent proteins. These light-induced reactions result in large structural changes that drastically alter the fluorescence properties of the protein, which enables some of the most exciting applications, including single particle tracking, pulse chase imaging and super-resolution imaging. We also present a few examples of fluorescent protein application in live-cell imaging experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Nienhaus
- Institute of Applied Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Wolfgang Gaede-Straße 1, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
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43
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Acharya A, Bogdanov AM, Grigorenko BL, Bravaya KB, Nemukhin AV, Lukyanov KA, Krylov AI. Photoinduced Chemistry in Fluorescent Proteins: Curse or Blessing? Chem Rev 2016; 117:758-795. [PMID: 27754659 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Photoinduced reactions play an important role in the photocycle of fluorescent proteins from the green fluorescent protein (GFP) family. Among such processes are photoisomerization, photooxidation/photoreduction, breaking and making of covalent bonds, and excited-state proton transfer (ESPT). Many of these transformations are initiated by electron transfer (ET). The quantum yields of these processes vary significantly, from nearly 1 for ESPT to 10-4-10-6 for ET. Importantly, even when quantum yields are relatively small, at the conditions of repeated illumination the overall effect is significant. Depending on the task at hand, fluorescent protein photochemistry is regarded either as an asset facilitating new applications or as a nuisance leading to the loss of optical output. The phenomena arising due to phototransformations include (i) large Stokes shifts, (ii) photoconversions, photoactivation, and photoswitching, (iii) phototoxicity, (iv) blinking, (v) permanent bleaching, and (vi) formation of long-lived intermediates. The focus of this review is on the most recent experimental and theoretical work on photoinduced transformations in fluorescent proteins. We also provide an overview of the photophysics of fluorescent proteins, highlighting the interplay between photochemistry and other channels (fluorescence, radiationless relaxation, and intersystem crossing). The similarities and differences with photochemical processes in other biological systems and in dyes are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atanu Acharya
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California 90089-0482, United States
| | - Alexey M Bogdanov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry , Moscow, Russia.,Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy , Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | - Bella L Grigorenko
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University , Moscow, Russia.,Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences , Moscow, Russia
| | - Ksenia B Bravaya
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University , Boston, Massachusetts United States
| | - Alexander V Nemukhin
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University , Moscow, Russia.,Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences , Moscow, Russia
| | - Konstantin A Lukyanov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry , Moscow, Russia.,Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy , Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | - Anna I Krylov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California 90089-0482, United States
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44
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Li X, Chung LW, Li G. Multiscale Simulations on Spectral Tuning and the Photoisomerization Mechanism in Fluorescent RNA Spinach. J Chem Theory Comput 2016; 12:5453-5464. [PMID: 27685000 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.6b00578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Fluorescent RNA aptamer Spinach can bind and activate a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-like chromophore (an anionic DFHBDI chromophore) displaying green fluorescence. Spectroscopic properties, spectral tuning, and the photoisomerization mechanism in the Spinach-DFHBDI complex have been investigated by high-level QM and hybrid ONIOM(QM:AMBER) methods (QM method: (TD)DFT, SF-BHHLYP, SAC-CI, LT-DF-LCC2, CASSCF, or MS-CASPT2), as well as classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. First, our benchmark calculations have shown that TD-DFT and spin-flip (SF) TD-DFT (SF-BHHLYP) failed to give a satisfactory description of absorption and emission of the anionic DFHBDI chromophore. Comparatively, SAC-CI, LT-DF-LCC2, and MS-CASPT2 can give more reliable transition energies and are mainly used to further study the spectra of the anionic DFHBDI chromophore in Spinach. The RNA environmental effects on the spectral tuning and the photoisomerization mechanism have been elucidated. Our simulations show that interactions of the anionic cis-DFHBDI chromophore with two G-quadruplexes as well as a UAU base triple suppress photoisomerization of DFHBDI. In addition, strong hydrogen bonds between the anionic cis-DFHBDI chromophore and nearby nucleotides facilitate its binding to Spinach and further inhibit the cis-trans photoisomerization of DFHBDI. Solvent molecules, ions, and loss of key hydrogen bonds with nearby nucleotides could induce dissociation of the anionic trans-DFHBDI chromophore from the binding site. These results provide new insights into fluorescent RNA Spinach and may help rational design of other fluorescent RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Dalian 116023, China
| | - Lung Wa Chung
- Department of Chemistry, South University of Science and Technology of China , Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Guohui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Dalian 116023, China
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45
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Park JW, Rhee YM. Electric Field Keeps Chromophore Planar and Produces High Yield Fluorescence in Green Fluorescent Protein. J Am Chem Soc 2016; 138:13619-13629. [PMID: 27662359 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b06833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The green fluorescent protein and its designed variants fluoresce efficiently. Because the isolated chromophore is not fluorescent in a practical sense, it is apparent that the protein environment plays a crucial role in its efficiency. Because of various obstacles in studying excited state dynamics of complex systems, however, the detailed mechanism of this efficiency enhancement is not yet clearly elucidated. Here, by adopting excited state nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations together with an interpolated quantum chemical potential model of the chromophore, we find that the strong electric field from the protein matrix contributes dominantly to the motional restriction of the chromophore. The delay in twisting motion subsequently obstructs the nonradiative decay that competes with fluorescence, leading naturally to an enhancement in light-emitting efficiency. Surprisingly, steric constraints make only a minor contribution to these aspects. Through residue specific analyses, we identify a group of key residues that control the excited state behavior. Testing a series of mutant GFPs with different brightnesses also supports the view regarding the importance of protein electrostatics. Our findings may provide a useful guide toward designing new fluorescent chemical systems in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae Woo Park
- Center for Self-assembly and Complexity, Institute for Basic Science (IBS) , Pohang 37673, Korea.,Department of Chemistry, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) , Pohang 37673, Korea
| | - Young Min Rhee
- Center for Self-assembly and Complexity, Institute for Basic Science (IBS) , Pohang 37673, Korea.,Department of Chemistry, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) , Pohang 37673, Korea
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46
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Bhaskaran-Nair K, Valiev M, Deng SHM, Shelton WA, Kowalski K, Wang XB. Probing microhydration effect on the electronic structure of the GFP chromophore anion: Photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical investigations. J Chem Phys 2016; 143:224301. [PMID: 26671369 DOI: 10.1063/1.4936252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The photophysics of the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) chromophore is critically dependent on its local structure and on its environment. Despite extensive experimental and computational studies, there remain many open questions regarding the key fundamental variables that govern this process. One outstanding problem is the role of autoionization as a possible relaxation pathway of the excited state under different environmental conditions. This issue is considered in our work through combined experimental and theoretical studies of microsolvated clusters of the deprotonated p-hydroxybenzylidene-2,3-dimethylimidazolinone anion (HBDI(-)), an analog of the GFP chromophore. Through selective generation of microsolvated structures of predetermined size and subsequent analysis of experimental photoelectron spectra by high level ab initio methods, we are able to precisely identify the structure of the system, establish the accuracy of theoretical data, and provide reliable description of auto-ionization process as a function of hydrogen-bonding environment. Our study clearly illustrates the first few water molecules progressively stabilize the excited state of the chromophore anion against the autodetached neutral state, which should be an important trait for crystallographic water molecules in GFPs that has not been fully explored to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran Bhaskaran-Nair
- Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA
| | - Marat Valiev
- William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, K8-91, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - S H M Deng
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, K8-88, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - William A Shelton
- Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA
| | - Karol Kowalski
- William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, K8-91, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - Xue-Bin Wang
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, K8-88, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
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47
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Bose S, Chakrabarty S, Ghosh D. Effect of Solvation on Electron Detachment and Excitation Energies of a Green Fluorescent Protein Chromophore Variant. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:4410-20. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b03723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Samik Bose
- Physical
and Materials Chemistry
Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 411008, India
| | - Suman Chakrabarty
- Physical
and Materials Chemistry
Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 411008, India
| | - Debashree Ghosh
- Physical
and Materials Chemistry
Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 411008, India
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48
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Liu XY, Chang XP, Xia SH, Cui G, Thiel W. Excited-State Proton-Transfer-Induced Trapping Enhances the Fluorescence Emission of a Locked GFP Chromophore. J Chem Theory Comput 2016; 12:753-64. [PMID: 26744782 PMCID: PMC4750082 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.5b00894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
![]()
The chemical locking of the central
single bond in core chromophores
of green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) influences their excited-state
behavior in a distinct manner. Experimentally, it significantly enhances
the fluorescence quantum yield of GFP chromophores with an ortho-hydroxyl
group, while it has almost no effect on the photophysics of GFP chromophores
with a para-hydroxyl group. To unravel the underlying physical reasons
for this different behavior, we report static electronic structure
calculations and nonadiabatic dynamics simulations on excited-state
intramolecular proton transfer, cis–trans isomerization, and
excited-state deactivation in a locked ortho-substituted GFP model
chromophore (o-LHBI). On the basis of our previous and present results,
we find that the S1 keto species is responsible for the
fluorescence emission of the unlocked o-HBI and the locked o-LHBI
species. Chemical locking does not change the parts of the S1 and S0 potential energy surfaces relevant to enol–keto
tautomerization; hence, in both chromophores, there is an ultrafast
excited-state intramolecular proton transfer that takes only 35 fs
on average. However, the locking effectively hinders the S1 keto species from approaching the keto S1/S0 conical intersections so that most of trajectories are trapped in
the S1 keto region for the entire 2 ps simulation time.
Therefore, the fluorescence quantum yield of o-LHBI is enhanced compared
with that of unlocked o-HBI, in which the S1 excited-state
decay is efficient and ultrafast. In the case of the para-substituted
GFP model chromophores p-HBI and p-LHBI, chemical locking hardly affects
their efficient excited-state deactivation via cis–trans isomerization;
thus, the fluorescence quantum yields in these chromophores remain
very low. The insights gained from the present work may help to guide
the design of new GFP chromophores with improved fluorescence emission
and brightness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang-Yang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University , Beijing 100875, China and
| | - Xue-Ping Chang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University , Beijing 100875, China and
| | - Shu-Hua Xia
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University , Beijing 100875, China and
| | - Ganglong Cui
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University , Beijing 100875, China and
| | - Walter Thiel
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
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49
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Olsen S, Baranov MS, Baleeva NS, Antonova MM, Johnson KA, Solntsev KM. pH-Sensitive fluorophores from locked GFP chromophores by a non-alternant analogue of the photochemical meta effect. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016; 18:26703-26711. [DOI: 10.1039/c6cp02423h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We report the synthesis and characterization of a pH-sensitive fluorescence switch based on a conformationally-locked green fluorescent protein (GFP) chromophore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth Olsen
- School of Mathematics and Physics
- The University of Queensland
- Brisbane
- Australia
| | - Mikhail S. Baranov
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry
- Russian Academy of Sciences
- 117997 Moscow
- Russia
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
| | - Nadezhda S. Baleeva
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry
- Russian Academy of Sciences
- 117997 Moscow
- Russia
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
| | - Maria M. Antonova
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry
- Russian Academy of Sciences
- 117997 Moscow
- Russia
| | - Kenneth A. Johnson
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology
- The University of Texas at Austin
- USA
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50
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Snyder JW, Hohenstein EG, Luehr N, Martínez TJ. An atomic orbital-based formulation of analytical gradients and nonadiabatic coupling vector elements for the state-averaged complete active space self-consistent field method on graphical processing units. J Chem Phys 2015; 143:154107. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4932613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- James W. Snyder
- Department of Chemistry and The PULSE Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - Edward G. Hohenstein
- Department of Chemistry and The PULSE Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - Nathan Luehr
- Department of Chemistry and The PULSE Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - Todd J. Martínez
- Department of Chemistry and The PULSE Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
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