Photobleaching and photoactivation: following protein dynamics in living cells.
Cell biology is being transformed by the use of fluorescent proteins as fusion tags to track protein behaviour in living cells. Here, we discuss the techniques of photobleaching and photoactivation, which can reveal the location and movement of proteins. Widespread applications of these fluorescent-based methods are revealing new aspects of protein dynamics and the biological processes that they regulate.
Lippincott-Schwartz
Jennifer
J
Cell Biology and Metabolism Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. jlippin@helix.nih.gov
Altan-Bonnet
Nihal
N
Patterson
George H
GH
D000818:Animals; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006801:Humans; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D038761:Photobleaching; D010777:Photochemistry; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D011506:Proteins