Issue 3, 2021

Fluorescent proteins of the EosFP clade: intriguing marker tools with multiple photoactivation modes for advanced microscopy

Abstract

Optical fluorescence microscopy has taken center stage in the exploration of biological structure and dynamics, especially on live specimens, and super-resolution imaging methods continue to deliver exciting new insights into the molecular foundations of life. Progress in the field, however, crucially hinges on advances in fluorescent marker technology. Among these, fluorescent proteins (FPs) of the GFP family are advantageous because they are genetically encodable, so that live cells, tissues or organisms can produce these markers all by themselves. A subclass of them, photoactivatable FPs, allow for control of their fluorescence emission by light irradiation, enabling pulse-chase imaging and super-resolution microscopy. In this review, we discuss FP variants of the EosFP clade that have been optimized by amino acid sequence modification to serve as markers for various imaging techniques. In general, two different modes of photoactivation are found, reversible photoswitching between a fluorescent and a nonfluorescent state and irreversible green-to red photoconversion. First, we describe their basic structural and optical properties. We then summarize recent research aimed at elucidating the photochemical processes underlying photoactivation. Finally, we briefly introduce various advanced imaging methods facilitated by specific EosFP variants, and show some exciting sample applications.

Graphical abstract: Fluorescent proteins of the EosFP clade: intriguing marker tools with multiple photoactivation modes for advanced microscopy

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
21 Janv. 2021
Accepted
27 Marts 2021
First published
31 Marts 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Chem. Biol., 2021,2, 796-814

Fluorescent proteins of the EosFP clade: intriguing marker tools with multiple photoactivation modes for advanced microscopy

K. Nienhaus and G. U. Nienhaus, RSC Chem. Biol., 2021, 2, 796 DOI: 10.1039/D1CB00014D

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements