La spectroscopie de fluorescence de molécule individuelle a révolutionné le domaine des sciences biophysiques, en permettant la visualisation des interactions moléculaires dynamiques et des caractéristiques nanoscopiques avec une haute résolution spatio-temporelle. Le contrôle des réactions enzymatiques et l'étude de la dynamique de diffusion de molécules individuelles permet de comprendre l'influence et le contrôle de ces entités nanoscopiques sur plusieurs processus biophysiques. La nanophotonique basée sur la plasmonique offre des nouvelles opportunités de suivi d'évènements à molécule unique, puisque il est possible de confiner des champs électromagnétiques dans les hotspots à nano-échelle, à dimensions spatiales comparables à une molécule unique. Dans ce projet de thèse, nous explorons plusieurs plateformes de nanoantennas photoniques avec des hotspots, et nous avons démontré les applications dans l'amélioration de la spectroscopie de fluorescence de molécule individuelle. En utilisant la fluorescence burst analysis, l'analyse de fluctuations temporelle de fluorescence,TCSPC, nous quantifions les facteurs d'amélioration de fluorescence, les volumes de détection de nanoantennas; ainsi, nous discutons l'accélération de fluorescence photo dynamique. En alternative aux structures plasmoniques, des antennes diélectriques basées sur les dimères en silicone ont aussi démontré d'améliorer la détection de fluorescence à molécule unique, pour des concentrations micro molaires physiologiquement pertinentes. En outre, nous explorons des systèmes planaires antennas in box pour l'investigation de la dynamique de diffusion de la PE et de la SM dans les membranes des cellules vivantes. / Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy has revolutionized the field of biophysical sciences by enabling visualization of dynamic molecular interactions and nanoscopic features with high spatiotemporal resolution. Monitoring enzymatic reactions and studying diffusion dynamics of individual molecules help us understand how these nanoscopic entities influence and control various biochemical processes. Nanophotonic antennas can efficiently localize electromagnetic radiation into nanoscale spatial dimensions comparable to single bio-molecules. These confined illumination hotspots there by offer the opportunity to follow single-molecule events at physiological expression levels. In this thesis, we explore various photonic nanoantenna platforms and demonstrate their application in enhanced single-molecule fluorescence detection. Using fluorescence burst analysis, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), time-correlated TCSPC measurements, and near field simulations, we quantify nanoantenna detection volumes, fluorescence enhancement factors and discuss the fluorescence photodynamic accelerations mediated by optical antennas. Further, using resonant planar antenna-in-box devices we investigate the diffusion dynamics of phosphoethanolamine and sphingomyelin on the plasma membrane of living cells and discuss the results in the context of lipid rafts. Together with cholesterol depletion experiments, we provide evidence of cholesterol-induced nanodomain partitioning within less than 10~nm diameters and characteristic times being ~100 microseconds.

Gegenstand dieser Diplomarbeit ist die Untersuchung der Dynamik in dünnen Polymerfilmen anhand von einzelnen Molekülen. Zu diesem Zweck wurden dünne Filme (kleiner 100nm) hergestellt und mittels Einzelmoleküldetektion und zeitaufgelöster Einzelphotonenzählung analysiert, was eine orts- und zeitaufgelöste Untersuchung einzelner Farbstoffmoleküle ermöglicht. Ziel war es, festzustellen ob, und auf welchem Weg, die Dynamik der Umgebung in Fluktuationen der Fluoreszenzlebensdauer einzelner Moleküle sichtbar wird. Neben der Evaluierung der Untersuchungsmethoden wurden in dieser Arbeit zwei Arten von Sensormolekülen - DiD und Malachit Grün - näher untersucht. / The subject of this diploma thesis is the analysis of dynamics in thin polymer films using single molecules. Thin polymer films (less than 100nm) were produced and analysed by Single Molecule Detection (SMD) and Time Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC). This allows a spatial and time resolved investigation of the single dye molecule. The aim was to ascertain if, and in which way, the dynamics of the environment are reflected by fluctuations of the fluorescence lifetime of the single molecule. In addition to evaluating the investigation methods two kinds of molecules - DiD and Malachite Green - were also analysed.

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All cells maintain essential metal nutrients at optimal levels by metal homeostasis. P-type ATPases, a crucial superfamily of integral membrane proteins, are involved in the active transport of metal ions across biological membranes driven by the motive force of ATP- hydrolysis. The PIB-type ATPase subfamily, also called CPx-ATPases, fulfills a key role in heavy metal homoeostasis among the most widespread species from bacteria to human. In humans, the defect in copper transporters is the direct cause of severe neurological and hepatic disorders such as Wilson and Menkes diseases, therefore, understanding the molecular function of these pumps is of paramount importance in human health. Cu+-ATPases have two transmembrane metal binding sites (TM-MBS) and three cytosolic domains, namely the actuator (A-domain) and phosphorylation and nucleotide-binding domain (PN), and regulatory N-terminal heavy metal binding domain (HMBD). Here, we have studied the Legionella pneumophila CopA (LpCopA) and its isolated cytosolic domains to improve our understanding of the functional interaction of the protein domains during metal transport relate this to the known structure of this ATPase. To elucidate how cytosolic ligands (Cu+ and nucleotide) stimulate the interactions among the cytosolic domains and may transmit conformational changes to the TM-MBS, the interactions among recombinant isolated cytosolic domains were first examined biochemically by co-purification and spectroscopically by circular dichroism, time-resolved fluorescence and site-directed fluorescent labeling assays. The Cu+-dependent interaction between the A-domain and HMBD has been postulated as a mechanism for activating the ATPase cycle. This question was addressed here by studying copper-dependent interactions between the isolated expressed domains. Spectroscopic evidence is provided that an HMBD-A complex is formed in the presence of Cu+ which binds with 100-200 nM affinity to the recombinant HMBD. In contrast, the A-domain interacts with the PN domain in a nucleotide-dependent fashion. This molecular recognition is required for the dephosphorylation step in the catalytic cycle. The interaction was investigated in more detail by the use of a decameric peptide derived from the PN-binding interface of the A-domain and carrying the conserved TGE-motif involved in dephosphorylation. Its binding to the isolated PN domain in a weakly nucleotide-dependent manner, is demonstrated here by stopped-flow fluorescence spectroscopy. Several ATPase assays were modified to assess the functionality of the PN-domain and full length LpCopA. The peptide was found to reduce the catalytic turnover of full length LpCopA. This agrees with the expected slowing down of the reformation of the PN-A-domain interaction since the peptide occupies their binding interface. Thus, the synthetic peptide provides a means to study specifically the influence of PN-A-domain interactions on the structure and function of LpCopA. This was done by time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) method. The time-dependent Stokes shift of the environmentally sensitive fluorophore BADAN which was covalently attached to the conserved CPC-motif in the TM-MBS was measured. The data indicate that the interior of the ATPase is hydrated and the mobility of the intra-protein water varies from high to low at C382 at the “luminal side” and C384 at the “cytosolic side” of the TM-MBS, respectively. This finding is consistent with the recent MD simulation of LpCopA, bringing the first experimental evidence on a luminal-open conformation of E2~P state. The A-domain-derived decapeptide, although binding to the cytosolic head piece, induces structural changes also at the TM-MBS. The peptide-stabilized state (with a disrupted PN-A interface) renders the C384 environment more hydrophobic as evidenced by TCSPC. Taken together, the data from cytosolic domain interactions, ATPase assays and of time-dependent Stoke shift analyses of BADAN-labeled LpCopA reveal the presence of hydrated intramembraneous sites whose degree of hydration is regulated by the rearrangement of cytosolic domains, particularly during the association and dissociation of the PN-A domains. Copper affects this arrangement by inducing the linkage of the A-domain to the HMBD. The latter appears to play not only an autoinhibitory but also a chaperone-like role in transferring Cu+ to the TM-MBS during catalytic turnover.

All cells maintain essential metal nutrients at optimal levels by metal homeostasis. P-type ATPases, a crucial superfamily of integral membrane proteins, are involved in the active transport of metal ions across biological membranes driven by the motive force of ATP- hydrolysis. The PIB-type ATPase subfamily, also called CPx-ATPases, fulfills a key role in heavy metal homoeostasis among the most widespread species from bacteria to human. In humans, the defect in copper transporters is the direct cause of severe neurological and hepatic disorders such as Wilson and Menkes diseases, therefore, understanding the molecular function of these pumps is of paramount importance in human health. Cu+-ATPases have two transmembrane metal binding sites (TM-MBS) and three cytosolic domains, namely the actuator (A-domain) and phosphorylation and nucleotide-binding domain (PN), and regulatory N-terminal heavy metal binding domain (HMBD). Here, we have studied the Legionella pneumophila CopA (LpCopA) and its isolated cytosolic domains to improve our understanding of the functional interaction of the protein domains during metal transport relate this to the known structure of this ATPase. To elucidate how cytosolic ligands (Cu+ and nucleotide) stimulate the interactions among the cytosolic domains and may transmit conformational changes to the TM-MBS, the interactions among recombinant isolated cytosolic domains were first examined biochemically by co-purification and spectroscopically by circular dichroism, time-resolved fluorescence and site-directed fluorescent labeling assays. The Cu+-dependent interaction between the A-domain and HMBD has been postulated as a mechanism for activating the ATPase cycle. This question was addressed here by studying copper-dependent interactions between the isolated expressed domains. Spectroscopic evidence is provided that an HMBD-A complex is formed in the presence of Cu+ which binds with 100-200 nM affinity to the recombinant HMBD. In contrast, the A-domain interacts with the PN domain in a nucleotide-dependent fashion. This molecular recognition is required for the dephosphorylation step in the catalytic cycle. The interaction was investigated in more detail by the use of a decameric peptide derived from the PN-binding interface of the A-domain and carrying the conserved TGE-motif involved in dephosphorylation. Its binding to the isolated PN domain in a weakly nucleotide-dependent manner, is demonstrated here by stopped-flow fluorescence spectroscopy. Several ATPase assays were modified to assess the functionality of the PN-domain and full length LpCopA. The peptide was found to reduce the catalytic turnover of full length LpCopA. This agrees with the expected slowing down of the reformation of the PN-A-domain interaction since the peptide occupies their binding interface. Thus, the synthetic peptide provides a means to study specifically the influence of PN-A-domain interactions on the structure and function of LpCopA. This was done by time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) method. The time-dependent Stokes shift of the environmentally sensitive fluorophore BADAN which was covalently attached to the conserved CPC-motif in the TM-MBS was measured. The data indicate that the interior of the ATPase is hydrated and the mobility of the intra-protein water varies from high to low at C382 at the “luminal side” and C384 at the “cytosolic side” of the TM-MBS, respectively. This finding is consistent with the recent MD simulation of LpCopA, bringing the first experimental evidence on a luminal-open conformation of E2~P state. The A-domain-derived decapeptide, although binding to the cytosolic head piece, induces structural changes also at the TM-MBS. The peptide-stabilized state (with a disrupted PN-A interface) renders the C384 environment more hydrophobic as evidenced by TCSPC. Taken together, the data from cytosolic domain interactions, ATPase assays and of time-dependent Stoke shift analyses of BADAN-labeled LpCopA reveal the presence of hydrated intramembraneous sites whose degree of hydration is regulated by the rearrangement of cytosolic domains, particularly during the association and dissociation of the PN-A domains. Copper affects this arrangement by inducing the linkage of the A-domain to the HMBD. The latter appears to play not only an autoinhibitory but also a chaperone-like role in transferring Cu+ to the TM-MBS during catalytic turnover.

Ce travail porte sur l'étude de nouvelles molécules fluorescentes à base de liquides ioniques, conçues pour la détection et la discrimination neutron gamma. Ces molécules ont été excitées par divers rayonnements, de manière à mesurer la fluorescence émise à l'échelle de la nanoseconde. D'un point de vue fondamental, nous avons décrit les différents processus conduisant à l'émission de lumière par un milieu lorsque celui-ci est traversé par un rayonnement. Pour cela, nous avons décomposé les causes de l'émission de lumière en deux familles distinctes impliquant d'une part, les phénomènes d'excitation moléculaire rapides, observables au travers de la composante rapide de la fluorescence et, d'autre part, les phénomènes résultant de l'ionisation, directe ou indirecte, produisant des paires de charges dont la recombinaison peut être suivie en temps au travers de la composante différée. Nous avons ensuite montré, grâce à un modèle adapté à la phase dense, que la recombinaison des paires pouvait suivre plusieurs lois en puissances inverses du temps, caractéristiques des processus gouvernant leur disparition. D'un point de vue expérimental, une étude systématique des liquides ioniques scintillants, sur l'influence du cation, de l'anion et de la longueur de la chaîne alkyle, a été réalisée afin de déterminer le meilleur discriminateur. Nos résultats nous ont permis de présenter un modèle simple de recombinaison des charges et impliquent que les recombinaisons observées sont, dans ces matériaux, des phénomènes intramoléculaires ou très localisés. D'autre part, l'influence du cation est prédominante et la meilleure discrimination est observée pour le cation imidazolium.

Dans une première partie, nous mesurons l'affinité de l'interaction entre [Ru(pby)2dppz]2+ et l'ADN en utilisant la luminescence induite lors de la complexation. Nous étudions l'évolution de l'affinité lorsque la force ionique de la solution augmente. Dans une deuxième partie, nous modifions les extrémités d'un double brin d'ADN en y greffant des fluorophores. De la mesure de transfert d'énergie non-radiative entre ces fluorophores, nous étudions l'évolution de la longueur du complexe. Nous effectuons un dosage d'un double brin de 15 paires de bases d'ADN par le complexe ruthéné. Nous nous servons de la luminescence induite par l'intercalation du groupement dppz. Cependant, l'incrément de luminescence par groupement intercalé n'est pas connu, et nous ne pouvons pas le mesurer en saturant le brin d'ADN. Nous utilisons alors une technique mise au point par Nishida [Method for Measuring the Binding of Small Molecules to Proteins from Binding-Induced Alterations of Physical-Chemical Properties], dans laquelle deux titrations de deux solutions d'ADN de deux concentrations différentes sont effectuées. En utilisant le fait que, lorsque deux solutions d'ADN complexé par le composé ruthéné, possèdent la même luminescence par paire de base , le taux de complexation de ces deux solutions doit être le même, nous pouvons alors déterminer, sans hypothèse supplémentaire, le taux de complexation de l'ADN. De l'évolution de ce taux en fonction avec la concentration de ligand, nous déduisons son affinité pour l'ADN. Nous étudions maintenant le changement de longueur d'un double brin d'ADN de 15 paires de bases, modifié à ses deux extrémités par deux fluorophores : Alexa488 et Alexa568. Lorsque Alexa 488 est porté dans un état excité, il peut se désexciter en transférant de l'énergie de manière non-radiative à Alexa568, qui se désexcite alors en émettant des photons de plus faibles énergie que ceux émis par Alexa488. L'efficacité de ce transfert d'énergie peut être quantifié à partir de la mesure des intensités émises à basse et haute énergie. Elle dépend a priori de l'efficacité couplage (et en conséquence de la distance) entre les deux fluorophores. Nous effectuons des mesures de temps de vie des états excités de chacun des fluorophores. Nous avons observé que l'addition de ligand a pour conséquence une forte inhibition quenching des fluorophores. De l'analyse de l'évolution du temps de vie du fluorophore donneur d'une part et de celui du fluorophore accepteur d'autre part, nous déduisons l'évolution de l'efficacité du transfert d'énergie en fonction de la concentration de ligand. Nous confrontons les résultats obtenus par chacune de ces analyses, et en déduisons finalement, en nous servant de l'analyse de l'équilibre effectuée dans la première partie, l'évolution de la longueur de la chaîne en fonction du taux de complexation / This Ph.D thesis is mainly divided in to 2 parts. The first part is luminescence study, we are interested in the affinity constant (Ka) change under different salinity environments when the complexation of [Ru(bpy)2dppz]2+-DNA arrive equilibrium. In the second part, we focus our attention on the kinetic study by fluorescence which comes from the fluorophore. The distance change between 2 fluorophores is explored when [Ru(bpy)2dppz]2+ intercalates into DNA, which lead to the variation of DNA conformation. Any changes in DNA conformation will be reflected by the efficiency change of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Quantitative analysis on the Ru(bpy)2dppz]2+-DNA interaction will be built in the second part. In the first part, the interaction of [Ru(bpy)2dppz]2+ with DNA is studied in a wide range of DNA / [Ru(bpy)2dppz]2+ ratios by using the luminescence signal which comes from complex. The affinity constant (Ka) is explored under different chloride sodium concentration (NaCl=[0, 100 mM]), when the complexation reaches equilibrium. Nishida method is employed to compute the value of Ka without any hypothesis. The value of affinity constant is at the level scale of 106 M-1 which is basically identical to the other researcher’s results. Ka decreased with increasing the concentration of NaCl as we expected. Quantitative analysis on the Ru(bpy)2dppz]2+-DNA interaction will be done in the second part. DNA was modified by different fluorophores at its extremities, 5’ end and 3’ end were labeled with alexa488 (seen as donor) and alexa568 (seen as acceptor), respectively. Our goal is to study the efficiency change of FRET and the change of distance between 2 fluorophores with fluorescence technique when one Ruthenium molecule intercalate in to DAN base pair. Two methods will be employed to achieve our idea. One is that the efficiency of FRET can be computed from the donor emission (alexa488), the other is the efficiency of FRET can be calculated from the acceptor emission (acceptor), the efficiency of FRET is highly dependent on the distance of 2 fluorophores (), any changes in distance will cause the efficiency change. The FRET efficiency decreased when the [Ru(bpy)2dppz]2+ intercalated into DNA structure, which also meant that the distance between 2 fluorohore increased.

Hyaluronan is a chemical, which can be qualified as essential for vertebrates. It is a part of the extracellular matrix in most of tissues and also a major component of some other tissues. Besides of the mechanical functions this compound is important for many biological processes such as growth of tumor cells. The objective of this thesis was development of carrier systems containing native hyaluronan and hydrophobic drugs. For purposes of this work fluorescence probes (pyrene, prodan, perylene, DPH, mereocynine 540) instead of drugs were used. By using further mentioned sophisticated methods the properties of these systems were studied. The systems were prepared by freeze-drying. The effect of freeze-drying on support of interactions was observed by fluorescence spectrometry (steady-state and time-resolved). The stability of freeze-dried systems was determined by zeta potential, which was measured by electrophoretic light scattering. Cakes obtained by freeze-drying were analyzed by several methods. First one was effluence gas chromatography connected with FT-IR spectrometry. In this method the present of tertiary butyl alcohol in product was observed. The cakes were also analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, which can provide the information about the surface and elemental constitution of the material. The results of this work can shed light on the area of developing of drugs with targeted distribution of active compound.

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