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On/off blinking and switching behaviour of single molecules of green fluorescent protein

Author

Listed:
  • Robert M. Dickson

    (University of California San Diego)

  • Andrew B. Cubitt

    (†Aurora Biosciences)

  • Roger Y. Tsien

    (University of California San Diego)

  • W. E. Moerner

    (University of California San Diego)

Abstract

Optical studies of individual molecules at low and room temperature can provide information about the dynamics of local environments in solids, liquids and biological systems unobscured by ensemble averaging1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14. Here we present a study of the photophysical behaviour of single molecules of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) derived from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria. Wild-type GFP and its mutant have attracted interest as fluorescent biological labels because the fluorophore may be formed in vivo15,16. GFP mutants immobilized in aereated aqueous polymer gels and excited by 488-nm light undergo repeated cycles of fluorescent emission (‘blinking’) on a timescale of several seconds—behaviour that would be unobservable in bulk studies. Eventually the individual GFP molecules reach a long-lasting dark state, from which they can be switched back to the original emissive state by irradiation at 405 nm. This suggests the possibility of using these GFPs as fluorescent markers for time-dependent cell processes, and as molecular photonic switches or optical storage elements, addressable on the single-molecule level.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert M. Dickson & Andrew B. Cubitt & Roger Y. Tsien & W. E. Moerner, 1997. "On/off blinking and switching behaviour of single molecules of green fluorescent protein," Nature, Nature, vol. 388(6640), pages 355-358, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:388:y:1997:i:6640:d:10.1038_41048
    DOI: 10.1038/41048
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    Cited by:

    1. Paolo Annibale & Stefano Vanni & Marco Scarselli & Ursula Rothlisberger & Aleksandra Radenovic, 2011. "Quantitative Photo Activated Localization Microscopy: Unraveling the Effects of Photoblinking," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-8, July.
    2. Omri Tau & Alice Henley & Anton N. Boichenko & Nadezhda N. Kleshchina & River Riley & Bingxing Wang & Danielle Winning & Ross Lewin & Ivan P. Parkin & John M. Ward & Helen C. Hailes & Anastasia V. Boc, 2022. "Liquid-microjet photoelectron spectroscopy of the green fluorescent protein chromophore," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    3. Tatsuya Morisaki & James G McNally, 2014. "Photoswitching-Free FRAP Analysis with a Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Tag," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(9), pages 1-9, September.
    4. Atanu Maiti & Cosmo Z. Buffalo & Saumya Saurabh & Felipe Montecinos-Franjola & Justin S. Hachey & William J. Conlon & Geraldine N. Tran & Bakar Hassan & Kylie J. Walters & Mikhail Drobizhev & W. E. Mo, 2023. "Structural and photophysical characterization of the small ultra-red fluorescent protein," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    5. Anchal Srivastava & R K Shukla & Nishant Kumar & Anu Katiyar, 2017. "Nanoparticles as Biomarkers and Biosensors," Current Trends in Biomedical Engineering & Biosciences, Juniper Publishers Inc., vol. 9(3), pages 43-46, September.

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