GFP - The Magic Fluorescent Protein

Much of the bright fluorescence in corals and their relatives (cnidarians - anemones, zoanthids, corallimorpharians, etc.) arises from proteins that belong to a group now referred to as 'green fluorescent protein' (GFP). Green is certainly the most common color found in these animals, but there are many other colors. The name is tied up in the history of the discovery of these special proteins in Aequorea victoria, a bioluminescent jellyfish, and is now used to refer loosely to the entire family of related proteins, no matter what color they fluoresce.

What's so special about GFP? Most natural fluorescence does not come directly from a protein, but from other molecules that are attached after the protein has been made by the cell. This means that in order to become fluorescent not only would an organism have to make the right protein, but would also need to do some additional chemistry, having the right substances available to the protein. What is magic about GFP is that the fluorescence comes directly from the protein itself, with no additional chemistry needed. If a cell makes the protein, it becomes fluorescent. This property makes GFP incredibly valuable for a wide range of applications in biomedical and genetic research, where it serves as a marker for genetic activity. Several companies sell GFP's derived from corals and other organisms. Don't worry - it is not necessary to harvest large numbers of corals from the reef to meet the demand. The gene for the GFP can be transferred to bacteria, and colonies of bacteria can be used to grow supplies of the gene. GFP for research is available commercially.

There is a need for new GFP's in order to have better properties, such as new colors, brighter fluorescence, improved resistance to photobleaching, better compatibility for a wider range of experiments, and more, and some scientists are using NightSea equipment for exactly this purpose.

There are many, many web sites dealing with GFP applications in research. A few links to start you off:

GFP applications page - lots of links here

Mikhail Matz research group at the Whitney Laboratory

Marc Zimmer's GFP page at Connecticut College

Two books have recently been published that describe the fascinating history of the scientific steps that led to the realization of the nature and significance of GFP. I have read both and can recommend them wholeheartedly.

Glowing Genes: A Revolution in Biotechnology, by Marc Zimmer, Prometheus Books

Aglow in the Dark: The Revolutionary Science of Biofluorescence , by Vincent Pieribone and David F. Gruber, Harvard University Press