This work was supported by National Science Foundation (MCB 1021831, JM) and J. &amp; E. Biomedical Research Program (Florida Department of Health, JM).

1. Sample Preparations
<ol>
	<li>Carry out the sample preparation and all sample manipulations in a dark room to prevent an unwanted uncaging.</li>
	<li>Solubilize DM-nitrophen ((1-(2-nitro-4,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N,N,N',N'-tetrakis [(oxy-carbonyl) methyl]-1,2-ethanediamine) in 50 mM HEPES buffer, 100 mM KCl, pH 7.0 to a final concentration of 400 &#181;M (&#949;350nm = 4330 M-1cm-1 9).</li>
	<li>Add CaCl2 from the 0.1 M stock solution to achieve a desirable ratio of [C...

<ol>
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S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+photoacoustic+calorimetric+study+of+horse+myoglobin.">A photoacoustic calorimetric study of horse myoglobin.</a> Bioph. Chem. 37 (1-3), 73-79 (1990).</li><li>Belogortseva, N., Rubio, M., Terrell, W., Miksovska, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+contribution+of+heme+propionate+groups+to+the+conformational+dynamics+associated+with+CO+photodissociation+from+horse+heart+myoglobin.">The contribution of heme propionate groups to the conformational dynamics associated with CO photodissociation from horse heart myoglobin.</a> J. Inorg. Biochem. 101 (7), 977-986 (2007).</li><li>Mik&#353;ovsk&#225;, J., Suquet, C., Satterlee, J. D., Larsen, R. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Characterization+of+Conformational+Changes+Coupled+to+Ligand+Photodissociation+from+the+Heme+Binding+Domain+of+FixL.">Characterization of Conformational Changes Coupled to Ligand Photodissociation from the Heme Binding Domain of FixL.</a> Biochemistry. 44 (30), 10028-10036 (2005).</li><li>Miksovska, J., Gennis, R. B., Larsen, R. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Photothermal+studies+of+CO+photodissociation+from+mixed+valence+Escherichia+coli+cytochrome+bo3.">Photothermal studies of CO photodissociation from mixed valence Escherichia coli cytochrome bo3.</a> FEBS Lett. 579 (14), 3014-3018 (2005).</li><li>Losi, A., Michler, I., G&#228;rtner, W., Braslavsky, S. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Time-resolved+Thermodynamic+Changes+Photoinduced+in+5,12-trans-locked+Bacteriorhodopsin.+Evidence+that+Retinal+Isomerization+is+Required+for+Protein+Activation.">Time-resolved Thermodynamic Changes Photoinduced in 5,12-trans-locked Bacteriorhodopsin. Evidence that Retinal Isomerization is Required for Protein Activation.</a> Photochem. Photobiol. 72, 590-597 (2000).</li><li>Kondoh, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Light-Induced+Conformational+Changes+in+Full-Length+Arabidopsis+thaliana+Cryptochrome.">Light-Induced Conformational Changes in Full-Length Arabidopsis thaliana Cryptochrome.</a> J. Mol. Biol. 413 (1), 128-137 (2011).</li><li>Kaplan, J. H., Ellis-Davies, G. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Photolabile+chelators+for+the+rapid+photorelease+of+divalent+cations.">Photolabile chelators for the rapid photorelease of divalent cations.</a> Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85 (17), 6571-6575 (1988).</li><li>Eisenberg, H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Equation+for+the+Refractive+Index+of+Water.">Equation for the Refractive Index of Water.</a> J. Chem. Phys. 43 (11), 3887-3892 (1965).</li><li>Ellis-Davies, G. C., Kaplan, J. H., Barsotti, R. 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The authors have nothing to disclose.

The physical principle behind photothermal methods is that a photo-excited molecule dissipates excess energy via vibrational relaxation to the ground state, resulting in thermal heating of the surrounding solvent1,12. For solvents such as water, this produces a rapid volume expansion (&#916;Vth). Excited-state molecules may also undergo photochemical processes that result in nonthermal volume changes (&#916;Vnonth) due to bond cleavage/formation and/or changes in molecular structure that ...

Photo-thermal methods such as photoacoustic calorimetry, photothermal beam deflection (PDB), and transient grating coupled with nanosecond laser excitation represent a powerful alternative to transient optical spectroscopies for time-resolved studies of short-lived intermediates1,2. In contrast to optical techniques, such as transient absorption and IR spectroscopy, that monitor the time profile of absorption changes in the chromophore surrounding; photothermal techniques detect the time-dependence of heat/volume changes and therefore are valuable tools for investigating time profiles of optically "silent" processes. So far, photoacoustic calorimetry and transient grating has been successfully applied to study conformational dynamics of photo-induced processes including diatomic ligand migration in globins3,4, ligand interactions with oxygen sensor protein FixL5, electron and proton transport in heme-copper oxidases6 and photosystem II as well as photo-isomerization in rhodopsin7 and conformational dynamics in cryptochrome8.
To expand the application of photothermal techniques to biological systems that are lacking an internal chromophore and/or fluorophore, the PBD technique was combined with the use of caged compound to photo-trigger an increase in ligand/substrate concentration within few microseconds or faster, depending on the caged compound. This approach allows monitoring of dynamics and energetics of structural changes associated with the ligand/substrate binding to proteins that are lacking an internal fluorophore or chromophore and on time-scale that are not accessible by commercial stop-flow instruments. Here an application of PBD to monitor the thermodynamics of the cage compound, Ca2+DM-nitrophen, photo-cleavage as well as the kinetics for Ca2+ association to the C-terminal domain of the neuronal calcium sensor Downstream Regulatory Element Antagonist Modulator (DREAM) is presented. The Ca2+ is photo-released from Ca2+DM-nitrophen within 10 &#956;sec and rebinds to an unphotolysed cage with a time constant of ~300 &#956;sec. On the other hand, in the presence of apoDREAM an additional kinetic occurring on the millisecond time-scale is observed and reflects the ligand binding to the protein. The application of PBD to probe conformational transitions in biological systems has been somehow limited due the instrumental difficulties; e.g. arduous alignment of the probe and pump beam to achieve a strong and reproducible PBD signal. However, a meticulous design of an instrumentation set-up, a precise control of the temperature, and a careful alignment of the probe and pump beam provide a consistent and robust PBD signal that allows monitoring of time-resolved volume and enthalpy changes on a broad time-scale from 10 &#181;sec to approximately 200 msec. In addition, modifications of the experimental procedure to assure the detection of sample and reference traces under identical temperature, buffer composition, optical cell orientation, laser power,&#160;etc. significantly reduces the experimental error in measured reaction volumes and enthalpies.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="639">
	<colgroup>
		<col />
		<col />
		<col /> 
		<col />
	</colgroup>
	<tbody>
		<tr height="84">
			<td height="84" style="height:84px;width:216px;">1-(4,5-Dimethoxy-2-Nitrophenyl)-1,2-Diaminoethane-N,N,N&#39;,N&#39;-Tetraacetic Acid</td>
			<td style="width:84px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">D-6814</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">DM-nitrophen, cage calcium compound, keep stock solutions in dark to prevent photodissociation,</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="80">
			<td height="80" style="height:80px;width:216px;">4-(2-Hydroxyethyl)piperazine-1-ethanesulfonic acid, N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)piperazine-N&#8242;-(2-ethanesulfonic acid)</td>
			<td style="width:84px;">Sigma Adrich</td>
			<td>0909C</td>
			<td>HEPES buffer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Potassium ferricyanide(III)</td>
			<td style="width:84px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">702587</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">reference compound for PBD measurments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;"> </td>
			<td style="width:84px;"> </td>
			<td style="width:119px;"> </td>
			<td style="width:220px;"> </td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Sodium chromate</td>
			<td style="width:84px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">307831</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">reference compound for PBD measurments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;">He-Ne Laser Diode 5mW 635nm </td>
			<td style="width:84px;">Edmund Optics</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">54-179</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">use as a probe beam for PBD measurments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;">Oscilloscope, </td>
			<td style="width:84px;">LeCroy</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">Wave Surfer 42Xs</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">400 MHz bandwith</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Nd:YAG laser</td>
			<td style="width:84px;">Continuum</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">ML II</td>
			<td>pump beam for PBD measurments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="44">
			<td height="44" style="height:44px;width:216px;">M355; Nd:YAG laser mirror</td>
			<td style="width:84px;">Edmund Optics</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">47-324</td>
			<td>laser mirror for 355 nm laser line</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="44">
			<td height="44" style="height:44px;width:216px;">M1 and M2; Laser diode mirror</td>
			<td style="width:84px;">Edmund Optics</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">43-532</td>
			<td>visilbe laser flat mirror, wavelength range 300-700 nm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;">P1 and P2; Iris Diaphragm</td>
			<td style="width:84px;">Edmind Optics</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">62-649</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">pin hole to shape the probe and pum beams</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="84">
			<td height="84" style="height:84px;">L1; bi-convex lens</td>
			<td style="width:84px;">Thorlabs</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">LB1844</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">a lens to focus the probe beam at the detector, EFL 50 mm, wavelength range 350 - 2000 nm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;">DM, dichroic mirror</td>
			<td style="width:84px;">Thorlab </td>
			<td style="width:119px;">DMLP505</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">a longpass dichroic mirror with a cutoff wavelength of 505 nm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">F1; Edge filter</td>
			<td style="width:84px;">Andower </td>
			<td style="width:119px;">500FH90-25</td>
			<td>a long pass filter with a cutoff wavelength of 500 nm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Temperature-controlled cuvette holder</td>
			<td style="width:84px;">Quantum Northwest</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">FLASH 300</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

submillisecond conformational changes in proteins resolved by photothermal beam deflection

Photothermal beam deflection together with photo-acoustic calorimetry and thermal grating belongs to the family of photothermal methods that monitor the time-profile volume and enthalpy changes of light induced conformational changes in proteins on microsecond to millisecond time-scales that are not accessible using traditional stop-flow instruments. In addition, since overall changes in volume and/or enthalpy are probed, these techniques can be applied to proteins and other biomacromolecules that lack a fluorophore and or a chromophore label. To monitor dynamics and energetics of structural changes associated with Ca2+ binding to calcium transducers, such neuronal calcium sensors, a caged calcium compound, DM-nitrophen, is employed to photo-trigger a fast (&#964; &#60; 20 &#956;sec) increase in free calcium concentration and the associated volume and enthalpy changes are probed using photothermal beam deflection technique.

A representative example of PBD traces for Ca2+ photo-release from Ca2+DM-nitrophen is shown in Figure 3. The fast phase corresponds to the photo-cleavage of Ca2+DM-nitrophen and Ca2+ liberation, whereas the slow phase reflects Ca2+ binding to the nonphotolysed cage. The plot of the sample PBD amplitude for the fast and slow phase scaled to the amplitude of the reference compound as a function of the temperature depended factor [Cp&#961;/(...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Submillisecond Conformational Changes in Proteins Resolved by Photothermal Beam Deflection at JoVE.com

Submillisecond Conformational Changes in Proteins Resolved by Photothermal Beam Deflection

Here we report an application of the photothermal beam deflection technique in combination with a caged calcium compound, DM-nitrophen, to monitor microsecond and millisecond dynamics and energetics of structural changes associated with the calcium association to a neuronal calcium sensor, Downstream Regulatory Element Antagonist Modulator.

Photothermal beam deflection together with photo-acoustic calorimetry and thermal grating belongs to the family of photothermal methods that monitor the ...

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8.9K Views.  Florida International University. Here we report an application of the photothermal beam deflection technique in combination with a caged calcium compound, DM-nitrophen, to monitor microsecond and millisecond dynamics and energetics of structural changes associated with the calcium association to a neuronal calcium sensor, Downstream Regulatory Element Antagonist Modulator. 