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Singlet oxygen photosensitisation by GFP mutants: oxygen accessibility to the chromophore

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Abstract

Aiming at the rational development of genetically-encoded photosensitisers, the production of singlet oxygen has been assessed for a number of class-2 Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) mutants by means of time-resolved near-infrared luminescence detection. The accessibility of molecular oxygen to the chromophore seems to play a major role in the ability of GFPs to photosensitise singlet oxygen and this can be modulated by introducing specific mutations such as replacement of His148 by a less bulky amino acid. GFPs are also good singlet oxygen quenchers, hence further developments in this area should also seek to eliminate those amino acids with the highest quenching ability, particularly those at the protein surface and in the vicinity of the chromophore.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grup d’EngiyneriaMolecular, Institut Químic de Sarrià, Via Augusta 390, 08017, Barcelona, Spain

    Ana Jiménez-Banzo, Xavier Ragàs & Santi Nonell

  2. Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Parma and NEST, Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR, Italy

    Stefania Abbruzzetti & Cristiano Viappiani

  3. Dipartimento di Biochimica e Biologia Molecolare, Università degli Studi di Parma, Italy

    Barbara Campanini

  4. School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Joseph Black Building, The King’s Building, West Mains Road, EH9 3JJ, Edinburgh, UK

    Cristina Flors

Authors
  1. Ana Jiménez-Banzo
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  2. Xavier Ragàs
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  3. Stefania Abbruzzetti
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  4. Cristiano Viappiani
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  5. Barbara Campanini
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  6. Cristina Flors
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  7. Santi Nonell
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Correspondence to Santi Nonell.

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This article is published as part of a themed issue on photofunctional proteins: from understanding to engineering.

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Jiménez-Banzo, A., Ragàs, X., Abbruzzetti, S. et al. Singlet oxygen photosensitisation by GFP mutants: oxygen accessibility to the chromophore. Photochem Photobiol Sci 9, 1336–1341 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1039/c0pp00125b

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/c0pp00125b

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