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A long lifetime component in the tryptophan fluorescence of some proteins

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Abstract

The tryptophan fluorescence of two membrane proteins (outer membrane protein A and lactose permease), a 21-residue hydrophobic peptide, three soluble proteins (rat serum albumin, ribonuclease TI, and azurin), and N-acetyltryptophanamide (NATA) was investigated by time-resolved measurements extended over 65 ns. A long lifetime component with a characteristic time of 25 ns and an amplitude below 1% was found for outer membrane protein A, lactose permease, the peptide in lipid membranes, and azurin in water, but not for rat serum albumin, ribonuclease TI, and NATA in water. When outer membrane protein A was dissolved and unfolded in guanidinum hydrochloride, the long lifetime component disappeared. Hence, a hydrophobic environment seems to be a necessary requirement for the long lifetime component to be present. However, NATA dissolved in butanol does not exhibit the long lifetime component, while the peptide dissolved in the same solvent under conditions which preserve its helical structure does show the long lifetime. Thus, a regular secondary structure for the polypetide chain to which the tryptophan residue belongs seems to be a second necessary requirement for the long lifetime component to be present. The long lifetime component may therefore be seen in the context of protein substates.

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Abbreviations

OmpA:

outer membrane protein A

LP:

lactose permease

RSA:

rat serum albumin

RNAse TI:

ribonuclease TI

P21:

21-residue peptide

NATA:

N-acetyltryptophanamide

PTP:

paraterphenyl

POPE:

palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylethanolamine

POPC:

palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine

POPG:

palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylglycerol

GdHCI:

guanidinium hydrochloride

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Author notes

  1. Lars Konermann

    Present address: Max-Planck-Institut fur Strahlenchemie, Stiftstrasse 34-36, D-45470, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut fur Biologic, Abteilung Membranbiochemie, Corrensstrasse 38, D-72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Klaus Döring, Lars Konermann, Thomas Surrey & Fritz Jähnig

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  1. Klaus Döring
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  2. Lars Konermann
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  3. Thomas Surrey
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  4. Fritz Jähnig
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Correspondence to: F. Jähnig

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Döring, K., Konermann, L., Surrey, T. et al. A long lifetime component in the tryptophan fluorescence of some proteins. Eur Biophys J 23, 423–432 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00196829

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00196829

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