Open AccessExploiting Long-Lived Molecular Fluorescence
Author(s) -
Werner M. Nau,
Fang Huang,
Xiaojuan Wang,
Hüseyin Bakirci,
Gabriela Gramlich,
César Márquez
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
chimia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.387
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 2673-2424
pISSN - 0009-4293
DOI - 10.2533/000942903777679424
Subject(s) - fluorescence , intramolecular force , chromophore , quenching (fluorescence) , chemistry , photochemistry , fluorescence in the life sciences , kinetics , fluorescence spectroscopy , stereochemistry , optics , physics , quantum mechanics
Fluorophores based on the azo chromophore 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene, referred to as fluorazophores, display an exceedingly long fluorescence lifetime. Besides the use in time-resolved screening assays, where the long-lived fluorescence can be time-gated, thereby improving the signal to background ratio, a distinct application of fluorazophores lies in the area of biopolymer dynamics. For this purpose, one chain end is labeled with a fluorazophore and the other one with an efficient fluorescence quencher. The fluorescence lifetime of the probe/quencher-labeled peptide then reflects the kinetics of intramolecular end-to-end collision. Applications to polypeptides are described and control experiments which establish the nature of the quenching mechanism as a diffusive process requiring intimate probe/quencher contact are described.