a-step-beyond-bret-fluorescence-unbound-excitation-from-luminescence

A Step Beyond BRET: Fluorescence by Unbound Excitation from Luminescence (FUEL)

Fluorescence by Unbound Excitation from Luminescence (FUEL) is a radiative excitation-emission process that produces increased signal and contrast ...

Institut Pasteur

Energy transfer mechanisms represent the basis for an array of valuable tools to infer interactions in vitro and in vivo, enhance detection or resolve interspecies distances such as with resonance. Based upon our own previously published studies and new results shown here we present a novel framework describing for the first time a model giving a view of the biophysical relationship between Fluorescence by Unbound Excitation from Luminescence (FUEL), a conventional radiative excitation-emission process, and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer. We show here that in homogeneous solutions and in fluorophore-targeted bacteria, FUEL is the dominant mechanism responsible for the production of red-shifted photons. The minor resonance contribution was ascertained by comparing the intensity of the experimental signal to its theoretical resonance counterpart. Distinctive features of the in vitro FUEL signal include a macroscopic depth dependency, a lack of enhancement upon targeting at a constant fluorophore concentration cf and a non-square dependency on cf. Significantly, FUEL is an important, so far overlooked, component of all resonance phenomena which should guide the design of appropriate controls when elucidating interactions. Last, our results highlight the potential for FUEL as a means to enhance in vivo and in vitro detection through complex media while alleviating the need for targeting.

In vitro characterization of Fluorescence by Unbound Excitation from Luminescence: broadening the scope of energy transfer.

A restricted set of aerobic bacteria dominated by the Acinetobacter genus was identified in murine intestinal colonic crypts. The vicinity of such bacteria with intestinal stem cells could indicate that they protect the crypt against cytotoxic and genotoxic signals. Genome analyses of these bacteria were performed to better appreciate their biodegradative capacities.

Comparative genomic analysis of Acinetobacter strains isolated from murine colonic crypts.

Rhinoscleroma is a human specific chronic granulomatous infection of the nose and upper airways caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. rhinoscleromatis. Although considered a rare disease, it is endemic in low-income countries where hygienic conditions are poor. A hallmark of this pathology is the appearance of atypical foamy monocytes called Mikulicz cells. However, the pathogenesis of rhinoscleroma remains poorly investigated. Capsule polysaccharide (CPS) is a prominent virulence factor in bacteria. All K. rhinoscleromatis strains are of K3 serotype, suggesting that CPS can be an important driver of rhinoscleroma disease. In this study, we describe the creation of the first mutant of K. rhinoscleromatis, inactivated in its capsule export machinery. Using a murine model recapitulating the formation of Mikulicz cells in lungs, we observed that a K. rhinoscleromatis CPS mutant (KR cps-) is strongly attenuated and that mice infected with a high dose of KR cps- are still able to induce Mikulicz cells formation, unlike a K. pneumoniae capsule mutant, and to partially recapitulate the characteristic strong production of IL-10. Altogether, the results of this study show that CPS is a virulence factor of K. rhinoscleromatis not involved in the specific appearance of Mikulicz cells.

Régis Tournebize

Plate-Forme d'Imagerie Dynamique,
Imagopole,
Unité INSERM U786,
Unité de Pathogénie Microbienne Moléculaire,
Plate-Forme d'Imagerie Dynamique, Imagopole

Institut Pasteur

A Step Beyond BRET: Fluorescence by Unbound Excitation from Luminescence (FUEL)

Régis Tournebize

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Plate-Forme d&#39;Imagerie Dynamique,Imagopole,Unité INSERM U786,Unité de Pathogénie Microbienne Moléculaire,Plate-Forme d&#39;Imagerie Dynamique, Imagopole

Institut Pasteur

A Step Beyond BRET: Fluorescence by Unbound Excitation from Luminescence (FUEL)

Plate-Forme d'Imagerie Dynamique,
Imagopole,
Unité INSERM U786,
Unité de Pathogénie Microbienne Moléculaire,
Plate-Forme d'Imagerie Dynamique, Imagopole