Domanov Y. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer in membrane systems

The dissertation combines theoretical and experimental studies of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) in model lipid and proteolipid membranes. The emphasis is made on the development and application of FRET as a quantitative tool. The theoretical part of dissertation is devoted to construction of a system of models for energy transfer between chromophores distributed in membrane systems with various geometries occurring in biophysical studies of protein-lipid or drug-lipid interactions. The uncertainties in the distance estimation resulting from the unknown mutual orientation of the donor and acceptor transition moments are analyzed. A method has been developed allowing structural and binding parameters to be recovered by global analysis of two-dimensional array of steady-state FRET data in the special case where energy acceptors distribute between aqueous and lipid phases while donors are embedded in the membrane at a known depth. The above theoretical models and methodological approaches have been employed to monitor cytochrome c and hemoglobin interactions with bilayer phospholipid membranes.