Developing a Redox-Sensitive Red Fluorescent Protein Biosensor

Redox environments are of particular interest, especially in the mitochondria with its highly reducing environment and its role as the central processing unit of apoptosis. Monitoring of mitochondrial redox environments is crucial to the study of apoptotic disorders. Reporting of the thiol/disulfide status in live cells was made possible with the development of redox-sensitive green fluorescent protein (roGFP). We aim to develop a red version redox-sensitive fluorescent protein (roRFP). Expanding the array of redox-sensitive proteins with a red version will enable simultaneous visualization of multiple reducing intracellular compartments. mKeima is a monomeric red fluorescent protein that absorbs light maximally at 440nm and emits red light at 620nm. This large Stokes shift is dramatically decreased in acidic environments. By following protocol similar to that used in the development of roGFP, surface residues at key positions were changed to cysteines and random mutagenesis was performed on varying excitation species of mKeima. Mutants were screened and a ratiometric variant of mKeima was identified (roRFP2) which exhibits changes in its spectral properties as a result of changes in the thiol/disulfide equilibrium. Preliminary fluorescence spectroscopy measurements of roRFP2 indicate a highly reducing redox potential of −330mV indicating it may be a useful probe in reducing subcellular compartments such as mitochondria or in the cytoplasm. By employing vector recombination of shuttle vector PYX142, we successfully targeted roRFP2 in vivo to the mitochondria and cytoplasm of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Expression of roRFP2 was visualized using fluorescence microscopy. Thus, through mutagenesis and residue substitution we successfully created a red version redox sensitive biosensor that tested effectively as a ratiometric indicator and expressed in the mitochondria and cytoplasm of S. cerevisiae. Moreover, the redox potential of roRFP2 is significantly more negative than the widely used roGFPs.