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. 1981 Oct;36(1):73–91. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(81)84717-0

Measurement of rotational motion in membranes using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching.

L M Smith, R M Weis, H M McConnell
PMCID: PMC1327577  PMID: 7284556

Abstract

A method has been developed for the measurement of the rotational motion of membrane components. In this method fluorescent molecules whose transition dipole moments lie in a given direction are preferentially destroyed with a short intense burst of polarized laser radiation. The fluorescence intensity, excited with a low intensity observation beam of polarized laser radiation, changes with time as the remaining fluorescent molecules rotate. The feasibility of the method has been demonstrated in a study of the rotation of the fluorescent lipid probe, dil ([bis,-2-(N-octadecyl-3,3-dimethyl-1-benzo[b]pyrrole]-trimethincyanine iodide) incorporated into membranes composed of distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and 0.20 mol% cholesterol, below the main chain-melting transition temperatures of the phosphatidylcholines. Rotation times in the 0.6-800 s range were observed. The fluorescence recovery (or decay) curves are in satisfactory agreement with theoretical calculations.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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