Red fluorescent proteins (RFPs) are often probes of choice for living tissue microscopy and whole-body imaging. When choosing a specific RFP variant, the priority may be given to the fluorescence brightness, maturation rate, monomericity, excitation/emission wavelengths, and low toxicity, which are rarely combined in an optimal way in a single protein. If additional requirements such as prolonged fluorescence lifetime and/or blinking ability are applied, the available repertoire of probes could dramatically narrow. Since the entire diversity of conventional single-component RFPs belongs to just a few phylogenetic lines (DsRed-, eqFP578- and eqFP611-derived being the major ones), it is not unexpected that their advantageous properties are split between close homologs. In such cases, a systematic mutagenetic analysis focusing on variant-specific amino acid residues can shed light on the origins of the distinctness between related RFPs and may aid in consolidating their strengths in new RFP variants. For instance, the protein FusionRed, despite being efficient in fluorescence labeling thanks to its good monomericity and low cytotoxicity, has undergone considerable loss in fluorescence brightness/lifetime compared to the parental mKate2. In this contribution, we describe a fast-maturing monomeric RFP designed semi-rationally based on the mKate2 and FusionRed templates that outperforms both its parents in terms of molecular brightness, has extended fluorescence lifetime, and displays a spontaneous blinking pattern that is promising for nanoscopy use.

The rapid development of new microscopy techniques for cell biology has exposed the need for genetically encoded fluorescent tags with special properties. Fluorescent biomarkers of the same color and spectral range and different fluorescent lifetimes (FLs) became useful for fluorescent lifetime image microscopy (FLIM). One such tag, the green fluorescent protein BrUSLEE (Bright Ultimately Short Lifetime Enhanced Emitter), having an extremely short subnanosecond component of fluorescence lifetime (FL~0.66 ns) and exceptional fluorescence brightness, was designed for FLIM experiments. Here, we present the X-ray structure and discuss the structure-functional relations of BrUSLEE. Its development from the EGFP (enhanced green fluorescent proteins) precursor (FL~2.83 ns) resulted in a change of the chromophore microenvironment due to a significant alteration in the side chain conformations. To get further insight into molecular details explaining the observed differences in the photophysical properties of these proteins, we studied their structural, dynamic, and electric properties by all-atom molecular-dynamics simulations in an aqueous solution. It has been shown that compared to BrUSLEE, the mobility of the chromophore in the EGFP is noticeably limited by nonbonded interactions (mainly H-bonds) with the neighboring residues.

We describe an engineered violet fluorescent protein from the lancelet Branchiostoma floridae (bfVFP). This is the first example of a GFP-like fluorescent protein with a stable fluorescent chromophore lacking an imidazolinone ring; instead, it consists of oxidized tyrosine 68 flanked by glycine 67 and alanine 69. bfVFP contains the simplest chromophore reported in fluorescent proteins and was generated from the yellow protein lanFP10A2 by two synergetic mutations, S148H and C166I. The chromophore structure was confirmed crystallographically and by high-resolution mass spectrometry. The photophysical characteristics of bfVFP (323/430 nm, quantum yield 0.33, and Ec 14,300 M-1  cm-1 ) make it potentially useful for multicolor experiments to expand the excitation range of available FP biomarkers and Förster resonance energy transfer with blue and cyan fluorescent protein acceptors.

For the whole GFP family, a few cases, when a single mutation in the chromophore environment strongly inhibits maturation, were described. Here we study EYFP-F165G - a variant of the enhanced yellow fluorescent protein - obtained by a single F165G replacement, and demonstrated multiple fluorescent states represented by the minor emission peaks in blue and yellow ranges (similar to 470 and similar to 530 nm), and the major peak at similar to 330 nm. The latter has been assigned to tryptophan fluorescence, quenched due to excitation energy transfer to the mature chromophore in the parental EYFP protein. EYFP-F165G crystal structure revealed two general independent routes of post-translational chemistry, resulting in two main states of the polypeptide chain with the intact chromophore forming triad (similar to 85%) and mature chromophore (similar to 15%). Our experiments thus highlighted important stereochemical role of the 165th position strongly affecting spectral characteristics of the protein. On the basis of the determined EYFP-F165G three-dimensional structure, new variants with similar to 2-fold improved brightness were engineered. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Research Network of Computational and Structural Biotechnology.

The crystal structure of monomeric red fluorescent protein FusionRed (λex/λem 580/608 mn) has been determined at 1.09 Å resolution and revealed two alternative routes of post-translational chemistry, resulting in distinctly different products. The refinement occupancies suggest the 60:40 ratio of the mature Met63-Tyr64-Gly65 chromophore and uncyclized chromophore-forming tripeptide with the protein backbone cleaved between Met63 and the preceding Phe62 and oxidized Cα-Cβ bond of Tyr64. We analyzed the structures of FusionRed and several related red fluorescent proteins, identified structural elements causing hydrolysis of the peptide bond, and verified their impact by single point mutagenesis. These findings advance the understanding of the post-translational chemistry of GFP-like fluorescent proteins beyond the canonical cyclization-dehydration-oxidation mechanism. They also show that impaired cyclization does not prevent chromophore-forming tripeptide from further transformations enabled by the same set of catalytic residues. Our mutagenesis efforts resulted in inhibition of the peptide backbone cleavage, and a FusionRed variant with ~30% improved effective brightness.

Super-resolution fluorescent imaging in living cells remains technically challenging, largely due to the photodecomposition of fluorescent tags. The recently suggested protein-PAINT is the only super-resolution technique available for prolonged imaging of proteins in living cells. It is realized with complexes of fluorogen-activating proteins, expressed as fusions, and solvatochromic synthetic dyes. Once photobleached, the dye in the complex is replaced with a fresh fluorogen available in the sample. With suitable kinetics, this replacement creates fluorescence blinking required for attaining super-resolution and overcomes photobleaching associated with the loss of an irreplaceable fluorophore. Here we report on the rational design of two protein-PAINT tags based on the 1.58 Å crystal structure of the DiB1:M739 complex, an improved green-emitting DiB3/F74V:M739 and a new orange-emitting DiB3/F53L:M739. They outperform previously reported DiB-based tags to become best in class biomarkers for protein-PAINT. The new tags advance protein-PAINT from the proof-of-concept to a reliable tool suitable for prolonged super-resolution imaging of intracellular proteins in fixed and living cells and two-color PAINT-like nanoscopy with a single fluorogen.

GFP-like proteins from lancelets (lanFPs) is a new and least studied group that already generated several outstanding biomarkers (mNeonGreen is the brightest FP to date) and has some unique features. Here, we report the study of four homologous lanFPs with GYG and GYA chromophores. Until recently, it was accepted that the third chromophore-forming residue in GFP-like proteins should be glycine, and efforts to replace it were in vain. Now, we have the first structure of a fluorescent protein with a successfully matured chromophore that has alanine as the third chromophore-forming residue. Consideration of the protein structures revealed two alternative routes of posttranslational transformation, resulting in either chromophore maturation or hydrolysis of GYG/GYA tripeptide. Both transformations are catalyzed by the same set of catalytic residues, Arg88 and Glu35–Wat–Glu211 cluster, whereas the residues in positions 62 and 102 shift the equilibrium between chromophore maturation and hydrolysis.

GFP-like proteins from lancelets (lanFPs) is a new and least studied group that already generated several outstanding biomarkers (mNeonGreen is the brightest FP to date) and has some unique features. Here, we report the study of four homologous lanFPs with GYG and GYA chromophores. Until recently, it was accepted that the third chromophore-forming residue in GFP-like proteins should be glycine, and efforts to replace it were in vain. Now, we have the first structure of a fluorescent protein with a successfully matured chromophore that has alanine as the third chromophore-forming residue. Consideration of the protein structures revealed two alternative routes of posttranslational transformation, resulting in either chromophore maturation or hydrolysis of GYG/GYA tripeptide. Both transformations are catalyzed by the same set of catalytic residues, Arg88 and Glu35-Wat-Glu211 cluster, whereas the residues in positions 62 and 102 shift the equilibrium between chromophore maturation and hydrolysis.

The conversion of starch to maltose is catalysed in plants by β-amylase. The enzymatic mechanism has been well-characterized for the soybean and barley enzymes, which utilise a glutamic acid-glutamate pair. In the present study, we present a surprise observation of maltotetraose at the active site, the presence of which elucidates the clear role of Thr344 as a conformational "switch" between substrate binding and product release during hydrolysis. This observation is confirmed by the selection of maltotetraose by the crystallized enzyme although that carbohydrate was present in only trace amounts. The conformation of the residues in the substrate-binding site changed upon substrate binding, leading to the movement of threonine, glutamic acid, and the loop conformation, elucidating a missing link in the existing mechanism. By aligning our substrate-free and maltotetraose-bound structures with other existing structures, the sequence of events from substrate binding to hydrolysis can be visualized. Apart from this, the evolutionary relationship among β-amylases of bacterial and amyloplastic origin could be established. The presence of a sugar-binding domain in the bacterial enzyme and its absence in the plant counterpart could be attributed to a carbohydrate-rich environment. Interestingly, cladogram analysis indicates the presence of N-terminal additions in some plant β-amylases. Based on sequence similarity, we postulate that the role of such additions is important for the regulation of enzymatic activity, particularly under stress conditions.

The fluorescent protein from Dendronephthya sp. (DendFP) is a member of the Kaede-like group of photoconvertible fluorescent proteins with a His62-Tyr63-Gly64 chromophore-forming sequence. Upon irradiation with UV and blue light, the fluorescence of DendFP irreversibly changes from green (506 nm) to red (578 nm). The photoconversion is accompanied by cleavage of the peptide backbone at the C(α)-N bond of His62 and the formation of a terminal carboxamide group at the preceding Leu61. The resulting double C(α)=C(β) bond in His62 extends the conjugation of the chromophore π system to include imidazole, providing the red fluorescence. Here, the three-dimensional structures of native green and photoconverted red forms of DendFP determined at 1.81 and 2.14 Å resolution, respectively, are reported. This is the first structure of photoconverted red DendFP to be reported to date. The structure-based mutagenesis of DendFP revealed an important role of positions 142 and 193: replacement of the original Ser142 and His193 caused a moderate red shift in the fluorescence and a considerable increase in the photoconversion rate. It was demonstrated that hydrogen bonding of the chromophore to the Gln116 and Ser105 cluster is crucial for variation of the photoconversion rate. The single replacement Gln116Asn disrupts the hydrogen bonding of Gln116 to the chromophore, resulting in a 30-fold decrease in the photoconversion rate, which was partially restored by a further Ser105Asn replacement.

Phototoxic fluorescent proteins represent a sparse group of genetically encoded photosensitizers that could be used for precise light-induced inactivation of target proteins, DNA damage, and cell killing. Only two such GFP-based fluorescent proteins (FPs), KillerRed and its monomeric variant SuperNova, were described up to date. Here, we present a crystallographic study of their two orange successors, dimeric KillerOrange and monomeric mKillerOrange, at 1.81 and 1.57 Å resolution, respectively. They are the first orange-emitting protein photosensitizers with a tryptophan-based chromophore (Gln65-Trp66-Gly67). Same as their red progenitors, both orange photosensitizers have a water-filled channel connecting the chromophore to the β-barrel exterior and enabling transport of ROS. In both proteins, Trp66 of the chromophore adopts an unusual trans-cis conformation stabilized by H-bond with the nearby Gln159. This trans-cis conformation along with the water channel was shown to be a key structural feature providing bright orange emission and phototoxicity of both examined orange photosensitizers.

A green-emitting fluorescent variant, NowGFP, with a tryptophan-based chromophore (Thr65-Trp66-Gly67) was recently developed from the cyan mCerulean by introducing 18 point mutations. NowGFP is characterized by bright green fluorescence at physiological and higher pH and by weak cyan fluorescence at low pH. Illumination with blue light induces irreversible photoconversion of NowGFP from a green-emitting to a cyan-emitting form. Here, the X-ray structures of intact NowGFP at pH 9.0 and pH 4.8 and of its photoconverted variant, NowGFP_conv, are reported at 1.35, 1.18 and 2.5 Å resolution, respectively. The structure of NowGFP at pH 9.0 suggests the anionic state of Trp66 of the chromophore to be the primary cause of its green fluorescence. At both examined pH values Trp66 predominantly adopted a cis conformation; only ∼ 20% of the trans conformation was observed at pH 4.8. It was shown that Lys61, which adopts two distinct pH-dependent conformations, is a key residue playing a central role in chromophore ionization. At high pH the side chain of Lys61 forms two hydrogen bonds, one to the indole N atom of Trp66 and the other to the carboxyl group of the catalytic Glu222, enabling an indirect noncovalent connection between them that in turn promotes Trp66 deprotonation. At low pH, the side chain of Lys61 is directed away from Trp66 and forms a hydrogen bond to Gln207. It has been shown that photoconversion of NowGFP is accompanied by decomposition of Lys61, with a predominant cleavage of its side chain at the C(γ)-C(δ) bond. Lys61, Glu222, Thr203 and Ser205 form a local hydrogen-bond network connected to the indole ring of the chromophore Trp66; mutation of any of these residues dramatically affects the spectral properties of NowGFP. On the other hand, an Ala150Val replacement in the vicinity of the chromophore indole ring resulted in a new advanced variant with a 2.5-fold improved photostability.