THE GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN

In just three years, the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the jell yfish Aequorea victoria has vaulted from obscurity to become one of th e most widely studied and exploited proteins in biochemistry and cell biology. Its amazing ability to generate a highly visible, efficiently emitting internal fluorophore is both intrinsically fascinating and t remendously valuable. High-resolution crystal structures of GFP offer unprecedented opportunities to understand and manipulate the relation between protein structure and spectroscopic function. GFP has become w ell established as a marker of gene expression and protein targeting i n intact cells and organisms. Mutagenesis and engineering of GFP into chimeric proteins are opening new vistas in physiological indicators, biosensors, and photochemical memories.