Binding of a monoclonal antibody and its Fab fragment to supported phospholipid monolayers measured by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy.

The association of an anti-dinitrophenyl monoclonal antibody and its Fab fragment with supported phospholipid monolayers composed of a mixture of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and dinitrophenyl-conjugated dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine has been characterized with total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. The surface densities of bound antibodies were measured as a function of the antibody and Fab solution concentrations, and as a function of the solution concentration of dinitrophenylglycine. The apparent association constant of Fab fragments with surface-associated haptens was approximately 10-fold lower than the association constant for haptens in solution, and the apparent surface association constant for intact antibodies was only approximately 10-fold higher than the constant for Fab fragments. Data analysis with simple theoretical models indicated that, at most antibody surface densities, 50-90% of membrane-associated intact antibodies were attached to the surface by two antigen binding sites

Binding kinetics of an anti-dinitrophenyl monoclonal Fab on supported phospholipid monolayers measured by total internal reflection with fluorescence photobleaching recovery.

Fluorescence photobleaching recovery with total internal reflection illumination (TIR-FPR) has been used to measure the dissociation kinetics of a fluorescein-labeled anti-dinitrophenyl monoclonal Fab specifically bound to supported monolayers composed of a mixture of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and dinitrophenyl-conjugated dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine. The fluorescence recovery curves were not monoexponential; when analyzed as a sum of two exponentials, the rates and fractional recoveries were approximately 1 s-1 (approximately 50%) and approximately 0.1 s-1 (approximately 30%). The data did not change as a function of the Fab solution concentration, indicating that the fluorescence recovery curves were not influenced by the rate of diffusion in bulk solution. Also, the recovery curves were independent of the size of the illuminated area, indicating that surface diffusion did not significantly contribute to the rate and shape of the fluorescence recovery. The measured off rates and apparent association constant (1.6 x 10(5) M-1) were analyzed with the theoretical formalism for a proposed mechanism that accounts for the nonmonoexponential kinetics

Rifampicin-Independent Interactions between the Pregnane X Receptor Ligand Binding Domain and Peptide Fragments of Coactivator and Corepressor Proteins

[Image: see text] The pregnane X receptor (PXR), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, regulates the expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes in a ligand-dependent manner. The conventional view of nuclear receptor action is that ligand binding enhances the receptor’s affinity for coactivator proteins, while decreasing its affinity for corepressors. To date, however, no known rigorous biophysical studies have been conducted to investigate the interaction among PXR, its coregulators, and ligands. In this work, steady-state total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) and total internal reflection with fluorescence recovery after photobleaching were used to measure the thermodynamics and kinetics of the interaction between the PXR ligand binding domain and a peptide fragment of the steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1) in the presence and absence of the established PXR agonist, rifampicin. Equilibrium dissociation and dissociation rate constants of ~5 μM and ~2 s(−1), respectively, were obtained in the presence and absence of rifampicin, indicating that the ligand does not enhance the affinity of the PXR and SRC-1 fragments. Additionally, TIRFM was used to examine the interaction between PXR and a peptide fragment of the corepressor protein, the silencing mediator for retinoid and thyroid receptors (SMRT). An equilibrium dissociation constant of ~70 μM was obtained for SMRT in the presence and absence of rifampicin. These results strongly suggest that the mechanism of ligand-dependent activation in PXR differs significantly from that seen in many other nuclear receptors

Dynamics of nonspecific adsorption of insulin to erythrocyte membranes

Molecules may arrive at targets (receptors, enzymes, etc.) localized on a membrane surface by first adsorbing onto the surface and then surface diffusing to the targets. The flux rate of molecules arriving at targets via this mechanism depends on the surface diffusion coefficient of the molecules and, in some circumstances, on the adsorption/desorption kinetics. The technique of total internal reflection with fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (TIR-FRAP) was used here to study these rate parameters of fluorescein-labeled insulin (f-insulin) interacting with erythrocyte ghosts. Ghosts were adhered to polylysine coated slides for TIR illumination. Some ghosts became flattened and unsealed on the polylysine so that both extracellular and cytoplasmic sides of the membrane were openly exposed to the solution. An aluminum thin film between the polylysine and the fused silica of a slide quenched ‘background’ fluorescence from f-insulin adsorbed directly onto the polylysine. An interference fringe pattern from two intersecting and totally internally reflecting laser beams provided surface-selective excitation with a spatial variation of illumination intensity across a ghost for surface diffusion measurements. Measured characteristic values of desorption rate constants ranged from 0.043 to 270 s −1 . According to a preexisting theoretical model, the largest desorption rate constant in this range would result in some increase in the total flux rate to a perfect sink target due to capture from the surface, provided that the surface diffusion coefficient was ≥ about 10 −8 cm 2 /s. However, based on TIR-FRAP measurements on our system, we estimate that the surface diffusion coefficient is less than about 5×10 −10 cm 2 /s. The combination of novel techniques presented here may prove valuable to other workers seeking to make diffusive and chemical kinetic rate parameter measurements of biomolecules at biological cell membranes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44908/1/10895_2004_Article_BF00865284.pd