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LesMardis
Mardisde
del’IAB
l’IAB
Les
Mardi 14 septembre 2010
Tuesday 8 December 2015
Arnaud Gautier
ENS UMR8640 Pasteur, Paris
IAB Conference room 11 am
Semi-synthetic fluorescent proteins for in vivo imaging
Understanding how living systems are controlled and regulated requires effective imaging tools
to measure various aspects of cellular phenotype. Optical fluorescence microscopy is nowadays
the modality of choice for imaging living systems as it enables to visualize fluorescent entities
with high contrast. The recent developments in fluorescence microscopy enable now to observe
the dynamics of biological systems in 3D at subsecond resolution and at the diffraction limit or
below. Fluorescence imaging has benefited from the concomitant development of innovative
fluorescent probes and biosensors able to fluorescently label biomolecules and report on their
actions.
During this seminar, I will present the development of a new class of semi-synthetic fluorescent
reporters based on the concept of fluorogenicity - i.e. the ability of some chromophores to exhibit
strong fluorescence enhancement upon reaction or environment changes. Our reporter (dubbed
Y-FAST) is composed of a genetically encodable protein domain that binds selectively a
fluorogenic ligand (so-called fluorogen) and activates (i.e. turns on) its fluorescence. As the
fluorogen is invisible when free in solution, unspecific fluorescence background in cells remains
minimal even in the presence of an excess of fluorogen, ensuring high imaging contrast. Y-FAST
is as bright as common fluorescent proteins, exhibits good photostability and allows the efficient
labeling of proteins in various organelles and hosts. Upon fluorogen binding, fluorescence
appears instantaneously allowing to monitor rapid processes in near real-time. Y-FAST
distinguishes itself from other tagging systems because the fluorogen binding is highly dynamic
and fully reversible, which enables to rapidly label and unlabel proteins by addition and
withdrawal of the fluorogen, opening new opportunities for multiplexed imaging.
Invited by Laurence Lafanechère
Rond Point de La Chantourne, 38700 La Tronche (tram line B, stop: Grand Sablon)
The seminar is followed by discussions and exchanges with the speaker and a sandwich buffet is offered.
http://www-iab.ujf-grenoble.fr