Even though superresolution microscopy indicates that size of plasma membrane rafts is <20 nm, those structures have never been observed. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is therefore still the most powerful optical method for characterization of such domains. In this letter we investigate relation between nanodomain affinity of a donor-acceptor (D/A) pair and the detectable nanodomain size/area. We show that probes with high affinity to the liquid-ordered (L(o)) phase are required for detecting domain sizes of a few nanometers, and/or domains that occupy a few percent of the bilayer area. A combination of donors and acceptors that prefer different phases is the more favorable approach. For instance, a D/A pair with the distribution constant of donors K(D) = 5 and acceptors K(A) = 0.01 can resolve a broad spectrum of nanodomain sizes. On the other hand, currently available donors and acceptors that prefer the same phase, either the liquid-disordered (L(d)) or L(o) phase, are not so convenient for determining domain sizes <20 nm. Here the detection limits of FRET experiments employing several commonly used D/A pairs have been investigated.

• MeSH
• časové faktory MeSH
• cholerový toxin chemie   MeSH
• elektrony MeSH
• fykoerythrin chemie   MeSH
• karbocyaniny chemie   MeSH
• lipidové dvojvrstvy chemie   MeSH
• membránové mikrodomény chemie   MeSH
• metoda Monte Carlo MeSH
• nanočástice chemie   MeSH
• perylen chemie   MeSH
• reprodukovatelnost výsledků MeSH
• rezonanční přenos fluorescenční energie metody   MeSH
• rhodaminy chemie   MeSH
• sloučeniny boru chemie   MeSH
• velikost částic MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH