Department of Biotechnology
inStem (Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine)

Highly Responsive Fluorescent Assemblies Allow for Unique, Multiparametric Sensing of the Phospholipid Membrane Environment.

Publication Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

January 28, 2019

Journal

Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)

Volume/Issue

25/6

ISSN

1521-3765

Despite decades-long extensive research, probes that provide a comprehensive description of the lipid membrane microenvironment are still lacking. Here, a “smart” pyrene-terpyridine probe for multiparametric sensing of lipid membranes is reported. The complexity of the associated local microenvironment can be described by the distinct features of the probe fluorescence. The self-assembly of the probe molecules in phospholipid bilayers was sensitive to membrane order and phase state. The self-assembled probes showed a unique emission, influenced by dye-dye interactions and excited-state charge transfer. Moreover, this emission was sensitive to interfacial hydration, with very specific changes in emission wavelengths and fluorescence lifetimes upon variation of lipid compositions and properties. In parallel, changes in the lipid order and hydration affected the ground-state interactions in the dye aggregates and, thus, could be measured through ratiometric changes in the excitation and emission readouts. In addition, fluorescence anisotropy measurements provided another way to study the nature of dye aggregates in lipid bilayers. Overall, this report demonstrates how multiple aspects of the membrane microenvironment can be sensed through the unique fluorescence signatures of this “smart” probe in lipid membranes, and it establishes a new paradigm in lipid-membrane sensing.

Alternate Journal

Chemistry

PubMed ID

30105837

Authors

Akash Gulyani
Nilanjan Dey
Santanu Bhattacharya

Keywords

Fluorescence Polarization
Water
Fluorescent Dyes
Lipid Bilayers
Phospholipids
Pyrenes
Spectrometry, Fluorescence