Evidence map›Paper›PMID 18234806›Full record

ArticleBiophysical journal2008

Dark states in monomeric red fluorescent proteins studied by fluorescence correlation and single molecule spectroscopy.

Jelle Hendrix, Cristina Flors, Peter Dedecker, Johan Hofkens, Yves Engelborghs

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Biophysical journal, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
64citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

64 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. PEG-mCherry interactions beyond classical macromolecular crowding.Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society · 2025
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4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Jelle HendrixLaboratory of Biomolecular Dynamics, Department of Chemistry, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
Cristina Flors
Peter Dedecker
Johan Hofkens
Yves Engelborghs

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Monomeric red fluorescent proteins (mRFPs) have become indispensable tools for studying protein dynamics, interactions and functions in the cellular environment. Their emission spectrum can be well separated from other fluorescent proteins, and their monomeric structure preserves the natural function of fusion proteins. However, previous photophysical studies of some RFPs have shown the presence of light-induced dark states that can complicate the interpretation of cellular experiments. In this article, we extend these studies to mRFP1, mCherry, and mStrawberry by means of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and prove that this light-driven intensity flickering also occurs in these proteins. Furthermore, we show that the flickering in these proteins is pH-dependent. Single molecule spectroscopy revealed reversible transitions from a bright to a dark state in several timescales, even up to seconds. Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy showed multiexponential decays, consistent with a "loose" conformation. We offer a structural basis for the fluorescence flickering using known crystal structures and point out that the environment of Glu-215 is critical for the pH dependence of the flickering in RFPs. We apply dual-color fluorescence correlation spectroscopy inside live cells to prove that this flickering can seriously hamper cellular measurements if the timescales of the flickering and diffusion are not well separated.

Indexed as

ArtifactsModels, ChemicalModels, MolecularComputer SimulationLightLuminescent ProteinsMicroscopy, Fluorescence, MultiphotonProtein ConformationRed Fluorescent ProteinSpectrometry, FluorescenceLuminescent ProteinsRed Fluorescent Protein

Identifiers

PMID18234806
PMCPMC2367191

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.