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Journal of Physical Chemistry B, Vol.117, No.44, 13725-13730, 2013
Full Color Modulation of Firefly Luciferase through Engineering with Unified Stark Effect
The firefly luciferase has been a unique marking tool used in various bioimaging techniques. Extensive color modulation is strongly required to meet special marking demands; however, intentional and accurate wavelength tuning has yet to be achieved. Here, we demonstrate that the color shift of the firefly chromophore (OxyLH(2)-1) by internal and external fields can be described as a unified Stark shift. Electrostatic microenvironmental effects on fluorescent spectroscopy are modeled in vacuo through effective electric fields by using time-dependent density functional theory. A complete visible fluorescence spectrum of firefly chromophore is depicted, which enables one to control the emission in a specific color. As an application, the widely observed pH-correlated color shift is proved to be associated with the local Stark field generated by the trace water ions (vicinal hydronium and hydroxide ions) at active sites close to the OxyLH(2)-1.