Analysis of the intracellular processing of proteins: application of fluorescence polarization and a novel fluorescent probe.

Previous studies indicated that fluorescein derivatized bovine serum albumin was an ideal probe to monitor the time-dependent kinetics of antigen processing in the murine macrophage cell line J774. Whereas previous work focused on fluorescence intensity measurements, the present study relied on fluorescence polarization to dissect the local environment of the fluorescent hapten-protein within the endocytic system of the cell. A steady increase in both fluorescence intensity and fluorescence polarization of the cell population was detected for the first 100 min. However, at 100 min, a plateau in both fluorescence intensity and polarization was observed and was followed by a decrease in fluorescence polarization and a corresponding increase in fluorescence intensity. Western blot analyses revealed that the decrease in fluorescence polarization was due to proteolytic degradation of the probe within the cell. Using a combination of in vitro experiments and an additional fluorescent probe, it was determined that the initial increase in fluorescence polarization was due to movement of the probe through a pH gradient within the cell, suggestive of transport through the endocytic system. By combining fluorescence polarization, flow cytometry, and a unique fluorescent enhancement substrate, these studies represented a novel approach for monitoring intracellular trafficking and processing of proteins within macrophages.