Imaging protein interactions with bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) in plant and mammalian cells and tissues.

ABSTRACT: FRET is a well established method for cellular and subcellular imaging of protein interactions. However, FRET obligatorily necessitates fluorescence excitation with its concomitant problems of photobleaching, autofluorescence, phototoxicity, and undesirable stimulation of photobiological processes. A sister technique, bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET), avoids these problems because it uses enzyme-catalyzed luminescence; however, BRET signals usually have been too dim to image effectively in the past. Using a new generation electron bombardment-charge-coupled device camera coupled to an image splitter, we demonstrate that BRET can be used to image protein interactions in plant and animal cells and in tissues; even subcellular imaging is possible. We have applied this technolo

SUBMITTER: Xu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1891211 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature