1: Biophys J  1977 Dec;20(3):289-305 

A theory of fluorescence polarization decay in membranes.

Kinosita K Jr, Kawato S, Ikegami A.

Decay of fluorescence polarization after an impulsive excitation is correlated
with wobbling motion of fluorescent molecules in membranes. The motion is
characterized by two parameters, a "wobbling diffusion constant" and a "degree
of orientational constraint" both of which can be determined directly from
experimentally obtained decay. Detailed discussion, including theoretically
calculated time-courses of polarization decay, is given for several types of
molecules embedded in lipid bilayers; these types cover a large part of
fluorescent probes available at present. The theory is useful for the analysis
of fluorescence polarization decay in any system where the orientation of
fluorophore is restricted by the surrounding structure.

PMID: 922121 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]