Professor Achillefs Kapanidis

Abstract:

Alternating-laser excitation (ALEX) spectroscopy has recently been added to the single-molecule spectroscopy toolkit. ALEX monitors interaction and stoichiometry of biomolecules, reports on biomolecular structure by measuring accurate Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) efficiencies, and allows sorting of subpopulations on the basis of stoichiometry and FRET. Here, we demonstrate that a simple combination of one continuous-wave donor-excitation laser and one directly modulated acceptor-excitation laser (Periodic Acceptor eXcitation) is sufficient to recapitulate the capabilities of ALEX while minimizing the cost and complexity associated with use of modulation techniques.

Abstract:

We introduce three-color alternating-laser excitation (3c-ALEX), a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) method that measures up to three intramolecular distances and complex interaction stoichiometries of single molecules in solution. This tool extends substantially the capabilities of two-color ALEX, which employs two alternating lasers to study molecular interactions (through probe stoichiometry S) and intramolecular distances (through FRET efficiency E), and sorts fluorescent molecules in multi-dimensional probe-stoichiometry and FRET-efficiency histograms. Probe-stoichiometry histograms allowed analytical sorting, identification, and selection of diffusing species; selected molecules were subsequently represented in FRET-efficiency histograms, generating up to three intramolecular distances. Using triply labeled DNAs, we established that 3c-ALEX enables 1), FRET-independent analysis of three-component interactions; 2), observation and sorting of singly, doubly, and triply labeled molecules simultaneously present in solution; 3), measurements of three intramolecular distances within single molecules from a single measurement; and 4), dissection of conformational heterogeneity with improved resolution compared to conventional single-molecule FRET. We also used 3c-ALEX to study large biomolecules such as RNA polymerase-DNA transcription complexes, and monitor the downstream translocation of RNA polymerase on DNA from two perspectives within the complex. This study paves the way for advanced single-molecule analysis of complex mixtures and biomolecular machinery.