Structure–Function Relationships in Fluorescent Marker Proteins of the Green Fluorescent Protein Family - Fluorescent Proteins: From Understanding to Design - page 234

Structure-Function Relationships in Fluorescent
Marker Proteins of the Green Fluorescent
Protein Family

G. Ulrich Nienhaus, Karin Nienhaus, and J org Wiedenmann

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Abstract GFP-like proteins, originally cloned from marine animals, are geneti-
cally encoded fluorescence markers that have become indispensable tools for the
life sciences. The search for GFP-like proteins with novel and improved properties
is ongoing, driven by the persistent need for advanced and specialized fluorescence
labels for cellular imaging. The 3D structures of these proteins are overall similar.
However, considerable variations have been found in the covalent structures and
the stereochemistry of the chromophore, which govern essential optical properties
such as the absorption/emission wavelengths. A detailed understanding of the
structure and dynamics of GFP-like proteins greatly aids in the rational engineering
of advanced fluorescence marker proteins. In this chapter, we summarize the
present knowledge of the structural diversity of GFP-like proteins and discuss
how structure and dynamics govern their optical properties.

Keywords Chromophore Fluorescent protein GFP

Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
2 Molecular Structure of GFP-Like Proteins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
2.1 The -Can Fold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

2.2 The Chromophore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

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G.U. Nienhaus ( )

Institute of Applied Physics and Center for Functional Nanostructures, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology (KIT), Wolfgang-Gaede-Str. 1, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
and
Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 West Green Street,
Urbana, IL 61801, USA
e-mail: [e-mail]
K. Nienhaus
Institute of Applied Physics and Center for Functional Nanostructures, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology (KIT), Wolfgang-Gaede-Str. 1, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
J. Wiedenmann
National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK

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