FLUORESCENT PROTEINS FROM AQUATIC SPECIES

摘要

Provided are four new fluorescent proteins. The proteins were derived from t wo wild-type fluorescent proteins: a red fluorescent protein (RFP) that was isolated from Actinodiscus or Discosoma sp. 1 and a green fluorescent protei n (GFP) isolated from Montastraea cavernosa. Two mutant forms were generated from each wild-type protein. Each of the mutated forms has a higher fluorescence intensity than the respective wild-type form. The mutant forms of the fluorescent proteins allow for more sensitive detection of the fluorescence emitted by the proteins. Additionally, one of the mutant protei ns is more resistant to photobleaching than its wild-type protein. The inventio n also encompasses isolated nucleic acids encoding the mutant forms of the wil d- type RFP and GFP.