Directed evolution of bright mutants of an oxygen-independent flavin-binding fluorescent protein from Pseudomonas putida.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Fluorescent reporter proteins have revolutionized our understanding of cellular bioprocesses by enabling live cell imaging with exquisite spatio-temporal resolution. Existing fluorescent proteins are predominantly based on the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and related analogs. However, GFP-family proteins strictly require molecular oxygen for maturation of fluorescence, which precludes their application for investigating biological processes in low-oxygen environments. A new class of oxygen-independent fluorescent reporter proteins was recently reported based on flavin-binding photosensors from Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas putida. However, flavin-binding fluorescent proteins show very limited brightness, which restricts their utility as biological imaging probes.<

SUBMITTER: Mukherjee A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3488000 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature