Theoretical Studies of Fluorescent Proteins

描述（由申请人提供）：对绿色荧光（GF）和其他光敏蛋白进行研究，重点是阐明光化学循环和质子转移机制，这些质子转移机制被认为是在这些重要生化标志物中观察到的复杂光谱和相关行为的基础。在这一领域的文献的快速增长的身体进行了研究，并选择快速荧光和相关的测量在单分子和体相解释的研究计划，采用理论和计算方法。注意是针对不同的行为的突变体的GFP，光活性的黄色蛋白，和最近开发的“非天然”的氨基酸荧光探针的内部溶剂化在特定的蛋白质位点。GFP作为一种可克隆的非侵入性标记物，可以在活细胞中作为基因表达和蛋白质定位的报告者，在检测蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用中，以及作为各种生理条件的细胞内传感器，其公认的重要性表明其研究可以更普遍地提供对蛋白质性质的广泛介绍。更好地了解GFP的详细工作可能有助于开发用于特定目的的新的改进的荧光标记物，包括从单细胞到全身扫描水平的转移检测，以及其他潜在的诊断益处。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Studies are performed of green fluorescent (GF) and other photoactive proteins, with emphasis on elucidating the photochemical cycles and mechanisms of proton transfer thought to underlie the complex spectroscopic and related behaviors observed in these important biochemical markers. The rapidly growing body of literature in this area is studied, and selected fast-fluorescence and related measurements in both single-molecule and bulk phases interpreted in a research program employing theoretical and computational methods. Attention is addressed to differing behaviors of mutant variants of GFP, of photoactive yellow proteins, and of recently developed "non-natural" amino acid fluorescent probes of internal solvation at specific protein sites. The recognized importance of GFP as a cloneable 'non-invasive marker, which can be employed in living cells as a reporter of gene expression and protein localization, in the detection of protein-protein interactions, and as an intra-cellular sensor of various physiological conditions, suggests its study can provide a broadly-based introduction to the properties of proteins more generally. Better understanding of the detailed workings of GFP may contribute to development of new improved fluorescent markers for specified purposes, including detection of metastases from single-cell to whole-body scanning levels, among other potential diagnostic benefits.