TY - JOUR
T1 - Fluorescence spectroscopy of rhodopsins
T2 - Insights and approaches
AU - Alexiev, Ulrike
AU - Farrens, David L.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Grants SFB 449 and 1078 (to U. A.) and National Institute of health Grant EY015436 (to D.L.F.). We would like to thank Dr. T.Y. Kim for help in generating the figures and for critical discussions.
PY - 2014/5
Y1 - 2014/5
N2 - Fluorescence spectroscopy has become an established tool at the interface of biology, chemistry and physics because of its exquisite sensitivity and recent technical advancements. However, rhodopsin proteins present the fluorescence spectroscopist with a unique set of challenges and opportunities due to the presence of the light-sensitive retinal chromophore. This review briefly summarizes some approaches that have successfully met these challenges and the novel insights they have yielded about rhodopsin structure and function. We start with a brief overview of fluorescence fundamentals and experimental methodologies, followed by more specific discussions of technical challenges rhodopsin proteins present to fluorescence studies. Finally, we end by discussing some of the unique insights that have been gained specifically about visual rhodopsin and its interactions with affiliate proteins through the use of fluorescence spectroscopy. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Retinal Proteins - You can teach an old dog new tricks.
AB - Fluorescence spectroscopy has become an established tool at the interface of biology, chemistry and physics because of its exquisite sensitivity and recent technical advancements. However, rhodopsin proteins present the fluorescence spectroscopist with a unique set of challenges and opportunities due to the presence of the light-sensitive retinal chromophore. This review briefly summarizes some approaches that have successfully met these challenges and the novel insights they have yielded about rhodopsin structure and function. We start with a brief overview of fluorescence fundamentals and experimental methodologies, followed by more specific discussions of technical challenges rhodopsin proteins present to fluorescence studies. Finally, we end by discussing some of the unique insights that have been gained specifically about visual rhodopsin and its interactions with affiliate proteins through the use of fluorescence spectroscopy. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Retinal Proteins - You can teach an old dog new tricks.
KW - Fluorescence spectroscopy
KW - Retinal protein
KW - Site-directed fluorescence labeling
KW - Visual rhodopsin
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U2 - 10.1016/j.bbabio.2013.10.008
DO - 10.1016/j.bbabio.2013.10.008
M3 - Review article
C2 - 24183695
AN - SCOPUS:84897116696
SN - 0005-2728
VL - 1837
SP - 694
EP - 709
JO - Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Bioenergetics
JF - Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Bioenergetics
IS - 5
ER -