Versatile Interacting Peptide (VIP) Tags for Labeling Proteins with Bright Chemical Reporters.

ABSTRACT: Fluorescence microscopy is an essential tool for the biosciences, enabling the direct observation of proteins in their cellular environment. New methods that facilitate attachment of photostable synthetic fluorophores with genetic specificity are needed to advance the frontiers of biological imaging. Here, we describe a new set of small, selective, genetically encoded tags for proteins based on a heterodimeric coiled-coil interaction between two peptides: CoilY and CoilZ. Proteins expressed as a fusion to CoilZ were selectively labeled with the complementary CoilY fluorescent probe peptide. Fluorophore-labeled target proteins were readily detected in cell lysates with high specificity and sensitivity. We found that these versatile interacting peptide (VIP) tags allowed rapid and specific d

SUBMITTER: Zane HK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5785092 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature