Hidden electronic excited state of enhanced green fluorescent protein

J Phys Chem B. 2008 Mar 13;112(10):2761-3. doi: 10.1021/jp711628u. Epub 2008 Feb 15.

Abstract

Precise two-photon absorption spectra of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the mutants sapphire-GFP (T203I) and enhanced GFP (S65T/F64L), as well as a model compound for the chromophore, 4'-hydroxybenzylidene-2,3-dimethylimidazolinone (HBDI) were measured by multiplex two-photon absorption spectroscopy. The observed TPA bands of the anionic forms of enhanced GFP and HBDI were significantly shifted to the higher energy compared with the lowest-energy bands in one-photon absorption spectra. This result indicated the existence of a hidden electronic excited state in the vicinity of the lowest excited singlet (S1) state of the anionic form of the GFP chromophore, which is the origin of the blue shift of the two-photon absorption spectra as well as two-photon fluorescence excitation spectra.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Electrons*
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / chemistry*
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Molecular Structure
  • Spectrophotometry
  • Static Electricity

Substances

  • enhanced green fluorescent protein
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins