Proteins of the GFP (green fluorescent protein) family have revolutionized life sciences because they allow the tagging of biological samples in a non-invasive genetically encoded way. ‘Phototransformable’ fluorescent proteins, in particular, have recently attracted widespread interest, as their fluorescence state can be finely tuned by actinic light, a property central to the development of super-resolution microscopy. Beyond microscopy applications, phototransformable fluorescent proteins are also exquisite tools to investigate fundamental protein dynamics. Using light to trigger processes such as photoactivation, photoconversion, photoswitching, blinking and photobleaching allows the exploration of the conformational landscape in multiple directions. In the present paper, we review how structural dynamics of phototransformable fluorescent proteins can be monitored by combining X-ray crystallography, in crystallo optical spectroscopy and simulation tools such as quantum chemistry/molecular mechanics hybrid approaches. Besides their usefulness to rationally engineer better performing fluorescent proteins for nanoscopy and other biotechnological applications, these investigations provide fundamental insights into protein dynamics.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
June 2012
-
Cover Image
Cover Image
- PDF Icon PDF LinkFront Matter
- PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
Conference Article|
May 22 2012
Photoactivated structural dynamics of fluorescent proteins
Dominique Bourgeois;
Dominique Bourgeois
1
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (emaildominique.bourgeois@ibs.fr).
Search for other works by this author on:
Aline Regis-Faro;
Aline Regis-Faro
1Pixel Team, IBS, Institut de Biologie Structurale Jean-Pierre Ebel, CEA, CNRS, Université Joseph Fourier, 41 rue Jules Horowitz, F-38027 Grenoble, France, and Institut de Recherches en Technologies et Sciences pour le Vivant, iRTSV, Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire et Végétale, CNRS/CEA/INRA/UJF, Grenoble, 38054, France
Search for other works by this author on:
Virgile Adam
Virgile Adam
1Pixel Team, IBS, Institut de Biologie Structurale Jean-Pierre Ebel, CEA, CNRS, Université Joseph Fourier, 41 rue Jules Horowitz, F-38027 Grenoble, France, and Institut de Recherches en Technologies et Sciences pour le Vivant, iRTSV, Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire et Végétale, CNRS/CEA/INRA/UJF, Grenoble, 38054, France
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
February 15 2012
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2012 Biochemical Society
2012
Biochem Soc Trans (2012) 40 (3): 531–538.
Article history
Received:
February 15 2012
Citation
Dominique Bourgeois, Aline Regis-Faro, Virgile Adam; Photoactivated structural dynamics of fluorescent proteins. Biochem Soc Trans 1 June 2012; 40 (3): 531–538. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20120002
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Captcha Validation Error. Please try again.