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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
08:55
Visualizing Intracellular SNARE Trafficking by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy
Published on: December 29, 2017
Dynamics of secretory membrane trafficking
1Section on Organelle Biology, Cell Biology & Metabolism Branch, Division of Intramural Research, NICHD, NIH, Building 18T, Room 101, 18 Library Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-5430, USA. jlippin@helix.nih.gov
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|April 20, 2005
Summary
Green fluorescent protein (GFP) technology revolutionized cell biology, enabling researchers to track proteins within living cells. This advancement provides new insights into intracellular membrane trafficking and organelle dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Intracellular membrane trafficking and organelle dynamics are crucial cellular processes.
- Understanding these processes requires methods to visualize and track molecules in living cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the impact of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) technology on studying intracellular membrane trafficking.
- To explain how GFP-based techniques offer new ways to investigate organelle dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) technology to tag individual proteins.
- Employing GFP-based techniques like selective photobleaching and time-lapse imaging with various GFP color variants.
Main Results:
- Enabled monitoring of tagged proteins within living cells.
- Facilitated investigation of protein localization, transport intermediate origins/fates, and trafficking pathway extents.
- Provided novel insights into the organization and function of secretory and endocytic pathways.
Conclusions:
- GFP technology has transformed the study of intracellular membrane trafficking.
- Advanced GFP techniques offer unprecedented capabilities for dissecting cellular transport mechanisms and organelle dynamics.
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