Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026
12:01
Techniques for Processing Eyes Implanted With a Retinal Prosthesis for Localized Histopathological Analysis
Published on: August 2, 2013
Blue-fluorescent antibodies.
A Simeonov1, M Matsushita, E A Juban
1Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute and the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 13, 2000
Summary
Researchers developed a new method using catalytic antibodies to control photochemical reactions on excited states. This innovation utilizes optical sensors to monitor protein-ligand interactions, paving the way for antibody-based diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Photochemistry
- Immunology
Background:
- Catalytic antibodies traditionally control ground-state reactions.
- Control over excited-state potential energy surfaces remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a novel principle and method for antibodies to direct photophysical and photochemical events on excited-state potential energy surfaces.
- To introduce chemically reactive optical sensors for monitoring protein-ligand dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Eliciting monoclonal antibodies using a trans-stilbene hapten.
- Utilizing a chemically reactive optical sensor to report on active site dynamics.
- Analyzing fluorescent spectral behavior of antibody-bound trans-stilbene substrate.
Main Results:
- Several antibodies exhibited blue fluorescence, indicating an excited-state complex (exciplex) formation.
- Antibodies demonstrated control over the trans-stilbene isomerization coordinate.
- Dynamic coupling between trans-stilbene isomerization and active-site residues was observed.
Conclusions:
- Antibodies can effectively direct photochemical events on excited-state potential energy surfaces.
- Chemically reactive optical sensors provide insights into protein-ligand interactions.
- This work represents a step towards antibody-based photochemical sensors for diagnostics.
Related Concept Videos
00:42Cross-reactivity
Overview
01:33Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
In 1971, Peter Perlman and Eva Engvall developed an Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA or EIA). ELISA differs from western blot in that the assays are conducted in microtiter plates or in vivo rather than on an absorbent membrane.
There are many different types of ELISAs, but they all involve an antibody molecule whose constant region binds an enzyme, leaving the variable region free to bind its specific antigen. Enzyme-substrate reaction allows the antigen to be visualized or quantified.
There are many different types of ELISAs, but they all involve an antibody molecule whose constant region binds an enzyme, leaving the variable region free to bind its specific antigen. Enzyme-substrate reaction allows the antigen to be visualized or quantified.
01:12Immunofluorescence Microscopy
A fluorescence microscope uses fluorescent chromophores called fluorochromes, which can absorb energy from a light source and then emit this energy as visible light. Fluorochromes include naturally fluorescent substances (such as chlorophylls) and fluorescent stains that are added to the specimen to create contrast. Dyes such as Texas red and FITC are examples of fluorochromes. Other examples include the nucleic acid dyes 4’,6’-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), and acridine orange.
The...
The...
01:22Immunocytochemistry and Immunohistochemistry
Immunocytochemistry (ICC) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) are techniques that use antibodies to check for specific proteins or antigens in a sample. The technique was first published by Albert Coons in 1941 to detect the presence of pneumococcal antigen in tissue sections from mice infected with Pneumococcus. Immunocytochemistry helps localization of proteins or antigens in individual cells like blood cells, stem cells, etc., while immunohistochemistry does the same for tissue samples.
These...
These...
01:22Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways
At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category, whereas...
01:24Color Vision
Color perception begins in the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. Two main theories explain how colors are seen: the trichromatic theory and the opponent-process theory. The trichromatic theory, proposed by Thomas Young in 1802 and extended by Hermann von Helmholtz in 1852, suggests that color vision is based on three types of cone receptors in the retina. These cones are sensitive to different but overlapping ranges of wavelengths corresponding to red, blue, and green.