Photobleaching of fluorophores is one of the key problems in fluorescence microscopy. Overcoming ... more Photobleaching of fluorophores is one of the key problems in fluorescence microscopy. Overcoming the limitation of the maximum number of photons, which can be detected from a single emitter, would allow one to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and thus the temporal and spatial resolution in fluorescence imaging. It would be a breakthrough for many applications of fluorescence spectroscopy, which are unachievable up to now. So far, the only approach for diminishing the effect of photobleaching has been to enhance the photostability of an emitter. Here, we present a fundamentally new solution for increasing the number of photons emitted by a fluorophore. We show that, by exposing a single SiO 2 nanoparticle to UV illumination, one can create new luminescent centers within this particle. By analogy with nanodiamonds, SiO 2 nanoparticles can possess luminescent defects in their regular SiO 2 structure. However, due to the much weaker chemical bonds, it is possible to generate new defects in SiO 2 nanostructures using UV light. This allows for the reactivation of the nanoparticle's fluorescence after its photobleaching.
We present the results of a comprehensive photoluminescence study of defect centres in single SiO... more We present the results of a comprehensive photoluminescence study of defect centres in single SiO2 nanoparticles. We show that the photo-physical properties of the luminescent centres strongly resemble those of single dye molecules. However, these properties exhibit a large variability from particle to particle due to the different local chemical environment around each centre of each particle. This variability provides new insight into the complex photo-physics of single quantum emitters embedded into a random chemical environment. Moreover, a better understanding of the fundamental mechanism of the photoluminescence of defect centres in SiO2 structure is paramount for their application as white-light sources, non-toxic labels for bio-imaging, or for combining them with metallic and semiconductor nanostructures.
The emission properties of most fluorescent emitters, such as dye molecules or solid-state color ... more The emission properties of most fluorescent emitters, such as dye molecules or solid-state color centers, can be well described by the model of an oscillating electric dipole. However, the orientations of their excitation and emission dipoles are, in most cases, not parallel. Although single molecule excitation and emission dipole orientation measurements have been performed in the past, no experimental method has so far looked at the three-dimensional excitation and emission dipole geometry of individual emitters simultaneously. We present the first experimental study, using defocused imaging in conjunction with radially polarized excitation scanning, to measure both the excitation as well as emission dipole orientations of single molecules, which allows us to sample the distribution of their mutual orientation. We find an unexpectedly broad distribution of the angle between both dipoles which we attribute to the interaction between the observed molecules and the substrate they are immobilized on.
The nuclear pore complex mediates nucleocytoplasmic transport of macromolecules in eukaryotic cel... more The nuclear pore complex mediates nucleocytoplasmic transport of macromolecules in eukaryotic cells. Transport through the pore is restricted by a hydrophobic selectivity filter comprising disordered phenylalanine-glycine-rich repeats of nuclear pore proteins. Exchange through the pore requires specialized transport receptors, called exportins and importins, that interact with cargo proteins in a RanGTP-dependent manner. These receptors are highly flexible superhelical structures composed of HEAT-repeat motifs that adopt various degrees of extension in crystal structures. Here, we performed molecular-dynamics simulations using crystal structures of Importin-β in its free form or in complex with nuclear localization signal peptides as the starting conformation. Our simulations predicted that initially compact structures would adopt extended conformations in hydrophilic buffers, while contracted conformations would dominate in more hydrophobic solutions, mimicking the environment of the nuclear pore. We confirmed this experimentally by Förster resonance energy transfer experiments using dual-fluorophore-labeled Importin-β. These observations explain seemingly contradictory crystal structures and suggest a possible mechanism for cargo protection during passage of the nuclear pore. Such hydrophobic switching may be a general principle for environmental control of protein function.
We developed a stand-alone cryostat with optical access to the sample which can be adapted to any... more We developed a stand-alone cryostat with optical access to the sample which can be adapted to any epi-fluorescence microscope for single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging. The cryostat cools the sample to a cryogenic temperature of 89 K, and allows for imaging single molecules using an air objective with a numerical aperture of 0.7. An important property of this system is its excellent thermal and mechanical stability, enabling long-time observations of samples over several hours with negligible drift. Using this system, we performed photo-bleaching studies of Atto647N dye molecules, and find an improvement of the photostability of these molecules by more than two orders of magnitude. The resulting increased photon numbers of several millions allow for single-molecule localization accuracy of sub-nanometer.
Inorganic carbon nanomaterials, also called carbon nanodots, exhibit a strong photoluminescence w... more Inorganic carbon nanomaterials, also called carbon nanodots, exhibit a strong photoluminescence with unusual properties and, thus, have been the focus of intense research. Nonetheless, the origin of their photoluminescence is still unclear and the subject of scientific debates. Here, we present a single particle comprehensive study of carbon nanodot photoluminescence, which combines emission and lifetime spectroscopy, defocused emission dipole imaging, azimuthally polarized excitation dipole scanning, nanocavity-based quantum yield measurements, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. We find that photoluminescent carbon nanodots behave as electric dipoles, both in absorption and emission, and that their emission originates from the recombination of photogenerated charges on defect centers involving a strong coupling between the electronic transition and collective vibrations of the lattice structure.
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a powerful spectroscopic technique for studying sa... more Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a powerful spectroscopic technique for studying samples at dilute fluorophore concentrations down to single molecules. The standard way of data acquisition, at such low concentrations, is an asynchronous photon counting mode that generates data only when a photon is detected. A significant problem is how to efficiently convert such asynchronously recorded photon count data into a FCS curve. This problem becomes even more challenging for more complex correlation analysis such as the recently introduced combination of FCS and time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC). Here, we present, analyze, and apply an algorithm that is highly efficient and can easily be adapted to arbitrarily complex correlation analysis.
Single Molecule Spectroscopy and Superresolution Imaging VII, 2014
ABSTRACT One major limitation of single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy is the finite residenc... more ABSTRACT One major limitation of single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy is the finite residence time of diffusing molecules in the confocal detection volume. The time ranges in the order of milliseconds. This has typical size of femtoliter. Here, we present a concept of extending the residence time using nanochannels of ca. 60 nm x 60 nm cross-section to restrict the molecular motion. We use solid-state nanochannels of silicon and silicon dioxide. This work is aimed to use for dual-focus fluorescence detection combining Anti-Brownian ELectrophoretic or ABEL trap to actively trap single molecule.
Imaging, Manipulation, and Analysis of Biomolecules and Cells: Fundamentals and Applications Iii, 2005
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is an important technique for studying analyte molecu... more Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is an important technique for studying analyte molecules on a single molecule level in solution. The core molecular characteristic that is addressed by FCS is the translational diffusion coefficient of the analyte molecules, which can be used for studying molecular binding interactions or conformational changes of macromolecules. We present a thorough theoretical analysis of the FCS
Ultrasensitive and Single-Molecule Detection Technologies, 2006
ABSTRACT We present a new method for precisely measuring diffusion coefficients of fluorescent mo... more ABSTRACT We present a new method for precisely measuring diffusion coefficients of fluorescent molecules at nanomolar concentrations. The method is based on a modified Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS)-setup which is robust against many artifacts that are inherent to standard FCS 1, 2. The core idea of the new method is the introduction of an external ruler by generating two laterally shifted and overlapping laser foci at a fixed and known distance. Data fitting is facilitated by ab initio calculations of resulting correlation curves and subsequent affine transformation of these curves to match the measured auto- and cross-correlation functions. The affine transformation coefficient along the time axis then directly yields the correct diffusion coefficient. This method is not relying on the rather inexact assumption of a 3D Gaussian shaped detection volume. We measured the diffusion coefficient of the red fluorescent dye Atto-655 (Atto-Tec GmbH) in water and compared the obtained value with results from Gradient Pulsed Field NMR (GPF-NMR).
Photobleaching of fluorophores is one of the key problems in fluorescence microscopy. Overcoming ... more Photobleaching of fluorophores is one of the key problems in fluorescence microscopy. Overcoming the limitation of the maximum number of photons, which can be detected from a single emitter, would allow one to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and thus the temporal and spatial resolution in fluorescence imaging. It would be a breakthrough for many applications of fluorescence spectroscopy, which are unachievable up to now. So far, the only approach for diminishing the effect of photobleaching has been to enhance the photostability of an emitter. Here, we present a fundamentally new solution for increasing the number of photons emitted by a fluorophore. We show that, by exposing a single SiO 2 nanoparticle to UV illumination, one can create new luminescent centers within this particle. By analogy with nanodiamonds, SiO 2 nanoparticles can possess luminescent defects in their regular SiO 2 structure. However, due to the much weaker chemical bonds, it is possible to generate new defects in SiO 2 nanostructures using UV light. This allows for the reactivation of the nanoparticle's fluorescence after its photobleaching.
We present the results of a comprehensive photoluminescence study of defect centres in single SiO... more We present the results of a comprehensive photoluminescence study of defect centres in single SiO2 nanoparticles. We show that the photo-physical properties of the luminescent centres strongly resemble those of single dye molecules. However, these properties exhibit a large variability from particle to particle due to the different local chemical environment around each centre of each particle. This variability provides new insight into the complex photo-physics of single quantum emitters embedded into a random chemical environment. Moreover, a better understanding of the fundamental mechanism of the photoluminescence of defect centres in SiO2 structure is paramount for their application as white-light sources, non-toxic labels for bio-imaging, or for combining them with metallic and semiconductor nanostructures.
The emission properties of most fluorescent emitters, such as dye molecules or solid-state color ... more The emission properties of most fluorescent emitters, such as dye molecules or solid-state color centers, can be well described by the model of an oscillating electric dipole. However, the orientations of their excitation and emission dipoles are, in most cases, not parallel. Although single molecule excitation and emission dipole orientation measurements have been performed in the past, no experimental method has so far looked at the three-dimensional excitation and emission dipole geometry of individual emitters simultaneously. We present the first experimental study, using defocused imaging in conjunction with radially polarized excitation scanning, to measure both the excitation as well as emission dipole orientations of single molecules, which allows us to sample the distribution of their mutual orientation. We find an unexpectedly broad distribution of the angle between both dipoles which we attribute to the interaction between the observed molecules and the substrate they are immobilized on.
The nuclear pore complex mediates nucleocytoplasmic transport of macromolecules in eukaryotic cel... more The nuclear pore complex mediates nucleocytoplasmic transport of macromolecules in eukaryotic cells. Transport through the pore is restricted by a hydrophobic selectivity filter comprising disordered phenylalanine-glycine-rich repeats of nuclear pore proteins. Exchange through the pore requires specialized transport receptors, called exportins and importins, that interact with cargo proteins in a RanGTP-dependent manner. These receptors are highly flexible superhelical structures composed of HEAT-repeat motifs that adopt various degrees of extension in crystal structures. Here, we performed molecular-dynamics simulations using crystal structures of Importin-β in its free form or in complex with nuclear localization signal peptides as the starting conformation. Our simulations predicted that initially compact structures would adopt extended conformations in hydrophilic buffers, while contracted conformations would dominate in more hydrophobic solutions, mimicking the environment of the nuclear pore. We confirmed this experimentally by Förster resonance energy transfer experiments using dual-fluorophore-labeled Importin-β. These observations explain seemingly contradictory crystal structures and suggest a possible mechanism for cargo protection during passage of the nuclear pore. Such hydrophobic switching may be a general principle for environmental control of protein function.
We developed a stand-alone cryostat with optical access to the sample which can be adapted to any... more We developed a stand-alone cryostat with optical access to the sample which can be adapted to any epi-fluorescence microscope for single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging. The cryostat cools the sample to a cryogenic temperature of 89 K, and allows for imaging single molecules using an air objective with a numerical aperture of 0.7. An important property of this system is its excellent thermal and mechanical stability, enabling long-time observations of samples over several hours with negligible drift. Using this system, we performed photo-bleaching studies of Atto647N dye molecules, and find an improvement of the photostability of these molecules by more than two orders of magnitude. The resulting increased photon numbers of several millions allow for single-molecule localization accuracy of sub-nanometer.
Inorganic carbon nanomaterials, also called carbon nanodots, exhibit a strong photoluminescence w... more Inorganic carbon nanomaterials, also called carbon nanodots, exhibit a strong photoluminescence with unusual properties and, thus, have been the focus of intense research. Nonetheless, the origin of their photoluminescence is still unclear and the subject of scientific debates. Here, we present a single particle comprehensive study of carbon nanodot photoluminescence, which combines emission and lifetime spectroscopy, defocused emission dipole imaging, azimuthally polarized excitation dipole scanning, nanocavity-based quantum yield measurements, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. We find that photoluminescent carbon nanodots behave as electric dipoles, both in absorption and emission, and that their emission originates from the recombination of photogenerated charges on defect centers involving a strong coupling between the electronic transition and collective vibrations of the lattice structure.
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a powerful spectroscopic technique for studying sa... more Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a powerful spectroscopic technique for studying samples at dilute fluorophore concentrations down to single molecules. The standard way of data acquisition, at such low concentrations, is an asynchronous photon counting mode that generates data only when a photon is detected. A significant problem is how to efficiently convert such asynchronously recorded photon count data into a FCS curve. This problem becomes even more challenging for more complex correlation analysis such as the recently introduced combination of FCS and time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC). Here, we present, analyze, and apply an algorithm that is highly efficient and can easily be adapted to arbitrarily complex correlation analysis.
Single Molecule Spectroscopy and Superresolution Imaging VII, 2014
ABSTRACT One major limitation of single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy is the finite residenc... more ABSTRACT One major limitation of single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy is the finite residence time of diffusing molecules in the confocal detection volume. The time ranges in the order of milliseconds. This has typical size of femtoliter. Here, we present a concept of extending the residence time using nanochannels of ca. 60 nm x 60 nm cross-section to restrict the molecular motion. We use solid-state nanochannels of silicon and silicon dioxide. This work is aimed to use for dual-focus fluorescence detection combining Anti-Brownian ELectrophoretic or ABEL trap to actively trap single molecule.
Imaging, Manipulation, and Analysis of Biomolecules and Cells: Fundamentals and Applications Iii, 2005
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is an important technique for studying analyte molecu... more Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is an important technique for studying analyte molecules on a single molecule level in solution. The core molecular characteristic that is addressed by FCS is the translational diffusion coefficient of the analyte molecules, which can be used for studying molecular binding interactions or conformational changes of macromolecules. We present a thorough theoretical analysis of the FCS
Ultrasensitive and Single-Molecule Detection Technologies, 2006
ABSTRACT We present a new method for precisely measuring diffusion coefficients of fluorescent mo... more ABSTRACT We present a new method for precisely measuring diffusion coefficients of fluorescent molecules at nanomolar concentrations. The method is based on a modified Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS)-setup which is robust against many artifacts that are inherent to standard FCS 1, 2. The core idea of the new method is the introduction of an external ruler by generating two laterally shifted and overlapping laser foci at a fixed and known distance. Data fitting is facilitated by ab initio calculations of resulting correlation curves and subsequent affine transformation of these curves to match the measured auto- and cross-correlation functions. The affine transformation coefficient along the time axis then directly yields the correct diffusion coefficient. This method is not relying on the rather inexact assumption of a 3D Gaussian shaped detection volume. We measured the diffusion coefficient of the red fluorescent dye Atto-655 (Atto-Tec GmbH) in water and compared the obtained value with results from Gradient Pulsed Field NMR (GPF-NMR).
Uploads