Lability of Stationary and Time-Resolved Optical Properties of the Conformationally Locked CFP Chromophore Derivative

The solvatochromic behavior of a model compound mimicking the chromophore of cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) in the spectral and time domains has been studied. Analysis of the time-resolved fluorescence signal, carried out in 40 solvents belonging to different classes, showed that the lipophilic environment promotes an increase, while aromatic solvents and tertiary amines, a decrease in the fluorescence lifetime of the chromophore. Based on this study, the possible rational design of CFP-like proteins was proposed.