Marking cells with infrared fluorescent proteins to preserve photoresponsiveness in the retina.

ABSTRACT: Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and its derivatives are broadly used in biomedical experiments for labeling particular cells or molecules. In the mouse retina, the light (~500 nm) used to excite GFP can also lead to photoreceptor bleaching (peak ~500 nm), which diminishes photoreceptor-mediated synaptic transmission in the retinal network. To overcome this problem, we investigated the use of infrared fluorescent protein (iRFP) as a marker since it is excited by light in the near-infrared range that would not damage the photoresponsiveness of the retina. Initially, we tested iRFP expression in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells to confirm that conventional fluorescence microscopy can detect iRFP fluorescence. We next introduced the iRFP plasmid into adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV-2) a

SUBMITTER: Fyk-Kolodziej B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4477279 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature