Fluorescent proteins as tools to aid protein production

Abstract

Fluorescent proteins are genetically encoded, highly versatile reporters useful for monitoring various aspects of recombinant protein production. In addition to the widely popular green fluorescent protein (GFP) from Aequorea victoria, a variety of other fluorescent proteins have been discovered that display a wide range of spectral properties. Synthetic variants have also been developed to overcome limitations associated with their wild-type counterparts. Having a large repertoire of fluorescent proteins with diverse traits opens new opportunities for rapid monitoring and optimization of recombinant protein production.

Figure 1

Fluorescence spectra of EGFP variants and DsRed (reproduced with the permission of [5]).

Figure 2

Fluorescence of DsRed variants developed by Shaner et al [6] (from left to right, mHoneydew, mBanana, mOrange, tdTomato, mTangerine, mStrawberry, mCherry; reproduced with the permission of [6]; refer to the same reference for details).