Fluorescent Proteins: nature’s colorful gifts for live cell imaging
Fluorescent Proteins: nature’s colorful gifts for live cell imaging
Fluorescence of marine organisms has fascinated researchers since the early twentieth century. The successful application of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria in 1994 as genetically encoded marker resulted in a massive increase in interest for naturally fluorescent proteins. Methods are now established that allow the fast isolation of new genes encoding GFP-like proteins from marine creatures, resulting in an impressive array of glowing proteins with different biochemical and optical properties. Protein engineering has been applied to render natural variants into advanced optical tools for live cell imaging, promoting studies of protein localization and movement, gene activity, sensing of intra- and extracellular condition, and tracking of whole cells and organisms. Finally, photoactivatable proteins were discovered that enable pulse-chase experiments and live cell imaging of proteins with a resolution beyond the diffraction barrier of optical microscopy. Phylogenetic sequence analyses revealed interesting details about the molecular evolution of these proteins including the convergent evolution of colors. Marine organisms, especially corals, still harbor a huge number of GFP-like pigments, the majority of which are yet to be studied. Consequently, further important discoveries of useful marker proteins can be expected in the future.
Anthozoa, Color morph, Coral, dsRed, EosFP, Expression, Fluorescent protein, Function, GFP-like protein, Green fluorescent protein, IrisFP, Kaede, Light, Live cell imaging, mCherry, Mechnism, mRuby, Photoprotection, Red fluorescent protein, Reef corals, Regulation
978-3-642-23376-0
3-33
Wiedenmann, Jörg
ad445af2-680f-4927-90b3-589ac9d538f7
D’Angelo, Cecilia
0d35b03b-684d-43aa-a57a-87212ab07ee1
Nienhaus, G. Ulrich
64eb2ac6-4fa9-416c-a066-f096d79307cb
2012
Wiedenmann, Jörg
ad445af2-680f-4927-90b3-589ac9d538f7
D’Angelo, Cecilia
0d35b03b-684d-43aa-a57a-87212ab07ee1
Nienhaus, G. Ulrich
64eb2ac6-4fa9-416c-a066-f096d79307cb
Wiedenmann, Jörg, D’Angelo, Cecilia and Nienhaus, G. Ulrich
(2012)
Fluorescent Proteins: nature’s colorful gifts for live cell imaging.
In,
Jung, G.
(ed.)
Fluorescent Proteins II: Application of fluorescent protein technology.
(Springer Series on Fluorescence, 12)
Dordrecht, NL.
Springer, .
(doi:10.1007/4243_2011_21).
Record type:
Book Section
Abstract
Fluorescence of marine organisms has fascinated researchers since the early twentieth century. The successful application of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria in 1994 as genetically encoded marker resulted in a massive increase in interest for naturally fluorescent proteins. Methods are now established that allow the fast isolation of new genes encoding GFP-like proteins from marine creatures, resulting in an impressive array of glowing proteins with different biochemical and optical properties. Protein engineering has been applied to render natural variants into advanced optical tools for live cell imaging, promoting studies of protein localization and movement, gene activity, sensing of intra- and extracellular condition, and tracking of whole cells and organisms. Finally, photoactivatable proteins were discovered that enable pulse-chase experiments and live cell imaging of proteins with a resolution beyond the diffraction barrier of optical microscopy. Phylogenetic sequence analyses revealed interesting details about the molecular evolution of these proteins including the convergent evolution of colors. Marine organisms, especially corals, still harbor a huge number of GFP-like pigments, the majority of which are yet to be studied. Consequently, further important discoveries of useful marker proteins can be expected in the future.
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More information
Published date: 2012
Keywords:
Anthozoa, Color morph, Coral, dsRed, EosFP, Expression, Fluorescent protein, Function, GFP-like protein, Green fluorescent protein, IrisFP, Kaede, Light, Live cell imaging, mCherry, Mechnism, mRuby, Photoprotection, Red fluorescent protein, Reef corals, Regulation
Organisations:
Ocean and Earth Science
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 377015
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/377015
ISBN: 978-3-642-23376-0
PURE UUID: 52ce3725-2f91-4794-b1a8-bfed9ac38621
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Date deposited: 13 May 2015 10:05
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:28
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Author:
G. Ulrich Nienhaus
Editor:
G. Jung
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