Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Dual-Color Fluorescence Cross-Correlation Spectroscopy to Study Protein-Protein Interaction and Protein Dynamics in Live Cells
Published on: December 11, 2021
Two-photon excitation fluorescence correlation spectroscopy of diffusion for Gaussian-Lorentzian volumes
1ENEA, via Anguillarese 301, S. Maria di Galeria, Rome, Italy. michele.marrocco@casaccia.enea.it
Abstract:
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is valuable in many scientific domains where diffusion plays a fundamental role. One important experimental realization is based on fluorescence induced by two-photon excitation (TPE). In comparison with one-photon excitation (OPE), TPE-FCS defines better the interrogation volume and the background noise is sensibly reduced. Within this context and for overfilled objective lenses, the three-dimensional Gaussian (3DG) approximation, according to which the spectroscopic interaction is spatially defined by Gaussian profiles only, guarantees a simple analytical data interpretation. By contrast, the volume illuminated by the laser beam focused with partially filled objective lenses follows a Gaussian-Lorentzian (GL) distribution that is taken into account by means of numerical methods only. Here we show that contrary to common belief, the assumption of a GL volume does not hamper analytical treatment of TPE-FCS. Differences and similarities in comparison with the 3DG approximation are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Atomic Spectroscopy: Absorption, Emission, and Fluorescence
Molecular Spectroscopy: Absorption and Emission
Protein Dynamics in Living Cells
Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a fluorescent-protein-based detection technique used to quantify protein movement rates within the cell. This method exposes a small portion of the cell to an intense laser beam. The laser beam causes permanent photobleaching of the fluorophore-tagged proteins in the exposed region. As the bleached...
Atomic Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Fluorescence and Phosphorescence: Instrumentation
2D NMR: Overview of Heteronuclear Correlation Techniques

