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First published online December 5, 2007
doi: 10.1242/10.1242/jcs.005801

Journal of Cell Science 120, 4247-4260 (2007)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2007
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Commentary

Advances in fluorescent protein technology

Nathan C. Shaner1, George H. Patterson2 and Michael W. Davidson3

1 The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
2 Cell Biology and Metabolism Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
3 National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and Department of Biological Science, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA

e-mails: shaner{at}salk.edu; pattersg{at}mail.nih.gov; davidson{at}magnet.fsu.edu

Accepted 31 October 2007

Current fluorescent protein (FP) development strategies are focused on fine-tuning the photophysical properties of blue to yellow variants derived from the Aequorea victoria jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP) and on the development of monomeric FPs from other organisms that emit in the yellow-orange to far-red regions of the visible light spectrum. Progress toward these goals has been substantial, and near-infrared emitting FPs may loom over the horizon. The latest efforts in jellyfish variants have resulted in new and improved monomeric BFP, CFP, GFP and YFP variants, and the relentless search for a bright, monomeric and fast-maturing red FP has yielded a host of excellent candidates, although none is yet optimal for all applications. Meanwhile, photoactivatable FPs are emerging as a powerful class of probes for intracellular dynamics and, unexpectedly, as useful tools for the development of superresolution microscopy applications.

Key words: Fluorescent proteins, Mutagenesis, Optical highlighters, Photoactivation, Photoconversion, Photoswitching, Live-cell imaging






© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2007