Chemists design new way to fluorescently label proteins

MIT researchers have designed a fluorescent probe that can be targeted to different locations within a cell. Here, the probe is labeling only proteins in the cell membrane. Image: Katharine White and Tao Uttamapinant CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Since the 1990s, a green fluorescent protein known simply as GFP has revolutionized cell biology. Originally found in a Pacific Northwest jellyfish, GFP allows scientists to visualize proteins inside of cells and track them as they go about their business. Two years ago, biologists who discovered and developed the protein as a laboratory tool won a Nobel Prize for their work. However, using GFP as a fluorescent probe has one major drawback ? the protein is so bulky that it can interfere with the proteins it's labeling, preventing them from doing their normal tasks or reaching their intended destinations.