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PubMed2005

Laser induced fluorescence photobleaching anemometer for microfluidic devices.

We have developed a novel, non-intrusive fluid velocity measurement method based on photobleaching of a fluorescent dye for microfluidic devices. The residence time of the fluorescent dye in a laser beam depends on the flow velocity and approximately corresponds to the decaying time of the photobleaching of the dye in the laser beam. The residence time is inversely proportional to the flow velocity. The fluorescence intensity increases with the flow velocity due to the decrease of the residence time. A calibration curve between fluorescence intensity and known flow velocity should be obtained first. The calibration relationship is then used to calculate the flow velocity directly from the measured fluorescence intensity signal. The new method can measure the velocity very quickly and is easy to use. It is demonstrated for both pressure driven flow and electroosmotic flow.

Calibration↗

PubMed2004

Reduced photobleaching of chromophores close to a metal surface.

The photobleaching of chromophores in front of a metal film is measured by recording the emitted fluorescence intensity from an ensemble of chromophores as a function of time. A strong dependence of the photostability on the distance from the metal surface is found. The experimental data are well described in a classical electromagnetic model with the additional assumption that photobleaching occurs at a constant rate from the excited state. The metal interface influences the photostability of the chromophores in two ways, first by altering the excitation rate by local enhancement of the electromagnetic field and second by altering the electromagnetic decay rate.

Electromagnetic Fields↗

PubMed2005

Characterization of Photofrin photobleaching for singlet oxygen dose estimation during photodynamic therapy of MLL cells in vitro.

A singlet oxygen dose model is developed for PDT with Photofrin. The model is based on photosensitizer photobleaching kinetics, and incorporates both singlet oxygen and non-singlet oxygen mediated bleaching mechanisms. To test our model, in vitro experiments were performed in which MatLyLu (MLL) cells were incubated in Photofrin and then irradiated with 532 nm light. Photofrin fluorescence was monitored during treatment and, at selected fluence levels, cell viability was determined using a colony formation assay. Cell survival correlated well to calculated singlet oxygen dose, independent of initial Photofrin concentration or oxygenation. About 2 x 10(8) molecules of singlet oxygen per cell were required to reduce the surviving fraction by 1/e. Analysis of the photobleaching kinetics suggests that the lifetime of singlet oxygen in cells is 0.048 +/- 0.005 micros. The generation of fluorescent photoproducts was not a result of singlet oxygen reactions exclusively, and therefore did not yield additional information to aid in quantifying singlet oxygen dose.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2004

Intracellular macromolecular mobility measured by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching with confocal laser scanning microscopes.

Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a widely used tool for estimating mobility parameters of fluorescently tagged molecules in cells. Despite the widespread use of confocal laser scanning microscopes (CLSMs) to perform photobleaching experiments, quantitative data analysis has been limited by lack of appropriate practical models. Here, we present a new approximate FRAP model for use on any standard CLSM. The main novelty of the method is that it takes into account diffusion of highly mobile molecules during the bleach phase. In fact, we show that by the time the first postbleach image is acquired in a CLSM a significant fluorescence recovery of fast-moving molecules has already taken place. The model was tested by generating simulated FRAP recovery curves for a wide range of diffusion coefficients and immobile fractions. The method was further validated by an experimental determination of the diffusion coefficient of fluorescent dextrans and green fluorescent protein. The new FRAP method was used to compare the mobility rates of fluorescent dextrans of 20, 40, 70, and 500 kDa in aqueous solution and in the nucleus of living HeLa cells. Diffusion coefficients were lower in the nucleoplasm, particularly for higher molecular weight dextrans. This is most likely caused by a sterical hindrance effect imposed by nuclear components. Decreasing the temperature from 37 to 22 degrees C reduces the dextran diffusion rates by approximately 30% in aqueous solution but has little effect on mobility in the nucleoplasm. This suggests that spatial constraints to diffusion of dextrans inside the nucleus are insensitive to temperature.

Dextrans↗

PubMed2004

Enhanced macromolecular diffusion in brain extracellular space in mouse models of vasogenic edema measured by cortical surface photobleaching.

Diffusion of solutes and macromolecules in brain extracellular space (ECS) is important for normal brain function and efficient drug delivery, and is thought to be impaired in edematous brain. Here we measured the diffusion of an inert macromolecular fluorescent marker (FITC-dextran, 70 kDa) in the ECS by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching after staining the exposed cerebral cortex in vivo. In a brain tumor model of vasogenic (leaky capillary) edema, FITC-dextran diffusion was reduced more than fourfold in hypercellular tumor and surrounding astrogliotic tissue; however, diffusion in brain away from the tumor was approximately 30% faster than in normal contralateral brain. The increased diffusion was abolished by dexamethasone pretreatment. Enhanced ECS diffusion was also found in uninjured brain near a region of leaky brain vessels produced by focal cortical freeze injury. In contrast, ECS diffusion was slowed more than sixfold in cytotoxic brain edema caused by anoxia. Diffusion results were related semiquantitatively to ECS volume fraction and matrix viscosity from in vitro photobleaching studies in a model system consisting of silica particles in a fluorescent water/glycerol matrix. Our data provide in vivo evidence for enhanced ECS diffusion in vasogenic brain edema, yet greatly slowed diffusion in cytotoxic edema and in and around tumors.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Minimizing photobleaching during confocal microscopy of fluorescent probes bound to chromatin: role of anoxia and photon flux.

Exposure to light can destroy the ability of a molecule to fluoresce. Such photobleaching limits the use of fluorescence and confocal microscopy in biological studies. Loss of fluorescence decreases the signal-to-noise ratio and so image resolution; it also prevents the acquisition of meaningful data late during repeated scanning (e.g. when collecting three-dimensional images). The aim of this work was to investigate the role of oxygen in the photobleaching of fluorophores bound to DNA in fixed cells, and to explore whether anoxia could minimize such bleaching. Anoxia significantly reduced bleaching rates and changed the order of reaction of both propidium iodide (an intercalator) and chromomycin A3 (a minor-groove binder) bound to DNA; it afforded the greatest protection at low photon fluxes. However, it had no effect on the bleaching of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) covalently attached to a histone and so bound to DNA, probably because the protein shielded the chromophore from oxygen. Bleaching of all three fluorophores depended on photon flux. Practical ways of minimizing bleaching were examined, and examples of three-dimensional images of DNA marked by propidium and GFP (collected under standard and optimized conditions) are presented.

Cells, Cultured↗

PubMed2005

Determining diffusion coefficients in inhomogeneous tissues using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching.

Diffusion plays an important role in the transport of nutrients and signaling molecules in cartilaginous tissues. Diffusion coefficients can be measured by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). Available methods to analyze FRAP data, however, assume homogeneity in the environment of the bleached area and neglect geometrical restrictions to diffusion. Hence, diffusion coefficients in inhomogeneous materials, such as most biological tissues, cannot be assessed accurately. In this study, a new method for analyzing data from FRAP measurements has been developed, which is applicable to inhomogeneous tissues. It is based on a fitting procedure of the intensity recovery after photobleaching with a two-dimensional finite element analysis, which includes Fick's law for diffusion. The finite element analysis can account for distinctive diffusivity in predefined zones, which allows determining diffusion coefficients in inhomogeneous samples. The method is validated theoretically and experimentally in both homogeneous and inhomogeneous tissues and subsequently applied to the proliferation zone of the growth plate. Finally, the importance of accounting for inhomogeneities, for appropriate assessment of diffusivity in inhomogeneous tissues, is illustrated.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

Effects of organelle shape on fluorescence recovery after photobleaching.

The determination of diffusion coefficients from fluorescence recovery data is often complicated by geometric constraints imposed by the complex shapes of intracellular compartments. To address this issue, diffusion of proteins in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is studied using cell biological and computational methods. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experiments are performed in tissue culture cells expressing GFP-KDEL, a soluble, fluorescent protein, in the ER lumen. The three-dimensional (3D) shape of the ER is determined by confocal microscopy and computationally reconstructed. Within these ER geometries diffusion of solutes is simulated using the method of particle strength exchange. The simulations are compared to experimental FRAP curves of GFP-KDEL in the same ER region. Comparisons of simulations in the 3D ER shapes to simulations in open 3D space show that the constraints imposed by the spatial confinement result in two- to fourfold underestimation of the molecular diffusion constant in the ER if the geometry is not taken into account. Using the same molecular diffusion constant in different simulations, the observed speed of fluorescence recovery varies by a factor of 2.5, depending on the particular ER geometry and the location of the bleached area. Organelle shape considerably influences diffusive transport and must be taken into account when relating experimental photobleaching data to molecular diffusion coefficients. This novel methodology combines experimental FRAP curves with high accuracy computer simulations of diffusion in the same ER geometry to determine the molecular diffusion constant of the solute in the particular ER lumen.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Diffusional anisotropy in collagenous tissues: fluorescence imaging of continuous point photobleaching.

Molecular transport in avascular collagenous tissues such as articular cartilage occurs primarily via diffusion. The presence of ordered structures in the extracellular matrix may influence the local transport of macromolecules, leading to anisotropic diffusion depending on the relative size of the molecule and that of extracellular matrix structures. Here we present what we believe is a novel photobleaching technique for measuring the anisotropic diffusivity of macromolecules in collagenous tissues. We hypothesized that macromolecular diffusion is anisotropic in collagenous tissues, depending on molecular size and the local organization of the collagen structure. A theoretical model and experimental protocol for fluorescence imaging of continuous point photobleaching was developed to measure diffusional anisotropy. Significant anisotropy was observed in highly ordered collagenous tissues such as ligament, with diffusivity ratios>2 along the fiber direction compared to the perpendicular direction. In less-ordered tissues such as articular cartilage, diffusional anisotropy was dependent on site in the tissue and size of the diffusing molecule. Anisotropic diffusion was also dependent on the size of the diffusing molecule, with greatest anisotropy observed for larger molecules. These findings suggest that diffusional transport of macromolecules is anisotropic in collagenous tissues, with higher rates of diffusion along primary orientation of collagen fibers.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Glucocorticoid receptor mutants demonstrate increased motility inside the nucleus of living cells: time of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is an integrated measure of receptor function.

Natural mutations of the human glucocorticoid receptor (GR) isoform alpha cause the glucocorticoid resistance syndrome. Mutant receptors may have abnormal interactions with the ligand, target DNA sequences, and/or multiple intracellular proteins, as well as aberrant nucleocytoplasmic trafficking. Using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) analysis, all GR pathologic mutant receptors examined, as well as 2 synthetic GR mutants lacking the activation function (AF)-1 or the ligand-binding domain (and hence the AF-2), had defective transcriptional activity and dynamic motility defects inside the nucleus of living cells. In the presence of dexamethasone, these mutants displayed a curtailed 50% recovery time (t 1/2) after photobleaching and, hence, significantly increased intranuclear motility and decreased "chromatin retention." The t 1/2 values of the mutants correlated positively with their transcriptional activities and depended on the GR domain affected. GRbeta, a natural splice variant of the GR gene, also demonstrated a shorter t 1/2 than GRalpha. The motility responsiveness of the natural and artificial mutant receptors examined, and of GRbeta, to the proteasomal inhibitor MG-132 also depended on the mutant domain. Thus, mutant glucocorticoid receptors possess dynamic motility defects in the nucleus, possibly caused by their inability to properly interact with all key partner nuclear molecules necessary for full activation of glucocorticoid-responsive genes.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Fluorescent photobleaching of endogenous protoporphyrin IX in yeast cells].

Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae accumulate in the presence of chelator 2,2'-dipyridyl, two fractions of photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX, which fluoresce with maxima at 625 and 635 nm. The two fractions were found to differ from each other in the dynamics and character of fluorescence photobleaching. In contrast to the protoporphyrin IX that fluoresces with a maximum at 625 nm, the protoporphyrin IX fraction that fluoresces with a maximum at 635 nm is more photolable; in addition, upon photobleaching of its fluorescence, a new maximum at 675 nm appears.

2,2'-Dipyridyl↗

PubMed1997

Photobleaching during and re-appearance after photodynamic therapy of topical ALA-induced fluorescence in UVB-treated mouse skin.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) induced by topically applied 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) seems a promising alternative for the treatment of superficial non-melanoma skin cancer and actinic keratosis. In this study, the kinetics of new PpIX fluorescence arising after a PDT treatment that had photobleached the original fluorescence were determined. Our purpose was to examine the feasibility of multiple irradiations, following a single topical ALA application, to increase PDT efficacy. In addition, photobleaching during PDT and the fluorescence spectra during and after PDT were studied. As a model we used hairless mice with and without UVB-induced skin lesions. ALA was applied to the skin for 4 hr. An illumination was delivered either immediately after application or 6 hr after the end of the application (at interval of maximum fluorescence). During PDT, the fluorescence of normal skin decreased at a faster rate than the fluorescence of the skin lesions. In the fluorescence study after PDT, the areas treated immediately post-application showed a fluorescence increase over time similar to that in non-treated areas on the same mice. A remarkable result was that the fluorescence of areas treated at maximum fluorescence increased, whereas the fluorescence of non-treated areas did not increase over time. With both treatment intervals the new fluorescence showed a characteristic PpIX spectrum. Our results demonstrate that a second illumination, when new PpIX fluorescence has been formed, may increase PDT efficacy after topical ALA application. This finding has been demonstrated previously for systemic ALA administration.

Administration, Topical↗

PubMed1993

Measurement of restricted rotational diffusion of fluorescent lipids in supported planar phospholipid monolayers using angle-dependent polarized fluorescence photobleaching recovery.

A theory describing the shapes of polarized fluorescence photobleaching recovery (PFPR) curves for a population of fluorophores undergoing restricted rotational diffusion in two-dimensional systems such as planar membranes has been developed. In this model, restricted rotational diffusion of the fluorophores is described by using reflective boundary conditions, in which the fluorophores are assumed to diffuse freely but only within an angular space of width 2 omega. The magnitude and apparent rate of the PFPR postbleach fluorescence curves are a function of both omega and the angle between the bleaching and observation beam polarizations psi. It is shown that estimates of the degree of rotational restriction omega may be obtained from changes in the psi-dependent postbleach fluorescence intensities. Using angle-dependent PFPR, slow rotational reorientations of the fluorescent lipid analogue 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine in distearoylphosphatidylcholine Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers deposited on octadecyltrichlorosilane-treated fused quartz were measured. As theoretically predicted for a rotationally restricted fluorophore population, both the initial F psi (0) and final F psi (infinity) postbleach fluorescence intensities varied as a function of psi, and no measurable change in the postbleach fluorescence intensities was observed for psi = 45 degrees. Using the theory for restricted rotational motion, the psi-dependent variations of the final fluorescence intensities F psi (infinity) obtained at two bleaching intensities gave an average apparent omega approximately 52 degrees. However, to adequately fit the F psi (0) data, inclusion of the theoretical effects of rapid (faster than the duration of the photobleaching pulse) fluorophore dynamics was also required. Best fits of the F psi (0) and F psi (infinity) data were obtained when the fluorophores were assumed to rapidly wobble within a cone of semiangle delta approximately 30 degrees-50 degrees while slowly rotating within an angular space defined by semiangle omega approximately 35 degrees-60 degrees. Subsequent analysis of the time- and psi-dependent changes in the post-bleach fluorescence curves F psi (t) gave apparent diffusion coefficients ranging from D approximately 10(-3) s-1 to 4 x 10(-2) s-1.

Carbocyanines↗

PubMed1993

Microtubule behavior in PC12 neurites: variable results obtained with photobleach technology.

We have examined the effects of various means of photobleaching on the recovery of fluorescence, movement, and morphology of the microtubules in the neurites of rhodamine-tubulin-injected PC12 cells. We find that, depending on power of and time of exposure to the bleaching beam, we can generate at least three different patterns of fluorescence recovery in regenerating PC12 neurites. If bleaching is performed with a relatively low-power beam for an extended period, fluorescence in polymer recovers very little after 1 hour. Under these conditions, however, tubulin immunostaining is seen extending through the bleach zone, and microtubules are present through the bleached zone in thin section electron micrographs. If bleaching is performed with a high-power laser, for 0.5-5 seconds, fluorescence recovery also is quite slow, but electron microscopic observations reveal that no microtubules extend through the bleached region of the neurite, and the uranyl acetate-stained cytoplasm appears more electron lucent than in the unbleached neurite. Finally, if bleaching is performed by very brief exposure to a high-intensity laser beam, resulting in an incomplete reduction of fluorescence intensity through the bleach zone, fluorescence recovery occurs within 20-30 minutes, and immunostained microtubules appear intact through the bleach zone; electron microscopy confirms that microtubules extend through the bleached zone of such neurites. In all three cases, movement of the bleach zone is observed in approximately half of the experimental neurites. These results indicate that highly variable microtubule behaviors can be obtained with photobleach technology, presumably due to different levels and pathways of photodamage generated by different bleach protocols. Nevertheless, it is clear that both turnover and movement of microtubules occur in PC12 neurites, and both are likely to be involved in neurite maintenance and growth.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Filipin staining of lipoproteins in polyacrylamide gels: sensitivity and photobleaching of the fluorophore and its use in a double staining method.

We have developed a double staining procedure in which polyacrylamide gels are first stained with filipin to identify lipoproteins, and then with Coomassie Brilliant Blue (CBB) to identify proteins. Filipin staining when performed at 37 degrees C is both more rapid and more sensitive than previously published procedures. After only 5 min, 20 ng of low density lipoprotein (LDL) unesterified cholesterol/mm3 of band volume could be detected, and after 12 h, sensitivity reached 0.8 ng/mm3. A semilogarithmic relationship was found between the amount of LDL unesterified cholesterol applied and filipin fluorescence. Although rapid photobleaching of the fluorophore occurred during UV transillumination of these gels, such photobleaching actually resulted in maximizing of the signal:noise ratio, resulting in better definition of bands. Treatment of gels with filipin had no deleterious effects on the subsequent staining with CBB. This dual staining procedure should prove useful for studies in which both lipoproteins and proteins in plasma need to be documented in the same gel.

Cholesterol↗

PubMed2001

On the Use of Pattern Fluorescence Photobleaching Recovery with Modulation Detection to Obtain Colloidal Size Distributions.

Fluorescence photobleaching recovery, long a staple tool of complex fluid experimentation, is discussed as a method for size characterization of colloidal particles. Specific comparisons are made to dynamic light scattering, which is often used for sizing particles despite some important limitations. The capabilities of fluorescence photobleaching recovery for size determination are demonstrated for aggregating core-shell silica-polypeptide composite particles suspended in polar organic solvents. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1993

A technique for the estimation of plasma flow in single capillaries using photobleached dyes.

In order to estimate plasma flow in single capillaries, an "indicator bolus" was optically inserted into individual microvessels of the hamster cremaster muscle. This was accomplished using short-duration (200 msec), argon laser pulses to photobleach a 5-microns segment of fluorochrome circulating with the plasma. The subsequent motion of the bleached plasma bolus was then tracked using photomultipliers positioned at three sites along the capillary. The transient passage of the dye appeared as a steep fall in light intensity as the downstream edge of the bleached area entered the sensor field, followed by a steep rise in light intensity as trailing unbleached plasma flowed under the sensor. The behavior of light intensity as the photobleached bolus flowed past a sensor was analyzed using a theoretical model developed to predict the behavior of this type of plasma flow indicator in single capillaries. The characteristic time, tau, which equals the capillary segment volume divided by the plasma flow, was taken as an estimate of plasma flow. The model predicts that, for this system, tau of the capillary corresponds closely to the time at which 50% of the full sensor response to the bolus is attained, that is, the t50. The ratio between the t50 and the characteristic time is found to be a function of the relative sensor width and the flow velocity profile. A procedure is also described to assess the flow velocity profile from in vivo measurements. Using this technique, the ratio of the velocity of the red cell compared to that of plasma is found to be about 1.3.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Concentration/response effect of 2,2', 4,4', 5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl on cell-cell communication in vitro: assessment by fluorescence redistribution after photobleaching ("FRAP").

Inhibition of gap junction-mediated cell-cell communication might be a mechanism for several types of cellular dysfunctions, including tumor promotion. Although many different assays have been designed to measure gap junction-mediated intercellular communication, we applied a new technique, termed Fluorescence Redistribution After Photobleaching ("FRAP"), to assess the ability of a known tumor promoter, 2,2', 4,4', 5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl (245-HBB), to inhibit cell-cell communication in a concentration-dependent manner. WB-F344 (rat epithelial) cells were plated at low density, exposed to noncytotoxic concentrations of 1, 5, or 20 micrograms 245-HBB/ml medium, and stained with 6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate. Single cells in pairs or clusters of touching cells in each exposure group were examined with FRAP. The results revealed an inverse correlation between the degree of fluorescence redistribution in photobleached cells and the concentration of 245-HBB. Therefore, FRAP appears to be a sensitive and rapid technique for determining complete or partial inhibition of chemically induced intercellular communication in vitro. These results also provide further evidence for the ability of 245-HBB to inhibit gap junction-mediated cell-cell communication in a concentration-dependent manner.

Cell Communication↗