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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
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Detection of Protein Aggregation using Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy
Published on: April 25, 2021
mRuby, a bright monomeric red fluorescent protein for labeling of subcellular structures
Simone Kredel1, Franz Oswald, Karin Nienhaus
1Institute of General Zoology and Endocrinology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
Plos One
|February 6, 2009
Summary
mRuby, a bright red fluorescent protein, enables advanced cell imaging. This protein variant also revealed that peroxisomes are inherited in an ordered manner during cell division.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
- Genetics
Background:
- Red fluorescent proteins (RFPs) are valuable tools in cell biology.
- Engineering RFPs can enhance their properties for specific applications.
- Peroxisome inheritance during cell division is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the monomeric red fluorescent protein mRuby, a variant of eqFP611.
- To investigate the role of the C-terminal tail of eqFP611 as a peroxisomal targeting signal (PTS).
- To elucidate the mechanism of peroxisome inheritance during mammalian cell mitosis.
Main Methods:
- Protein engineering of eqFP611 to create mRuby.
- Spectroscopic characterization of mRuby's optical properties.
- Confocal microscopy to visualize peroxisomes during mitosis in mammalian cells.
- Utilizing mRuby fused to PTS to track peroxisome distribution.
Main Results:
- mRuby exhibits bright red fluorescence (excitation/emission 558/605 nm) with a 47 nm Stokes shift, high pH stability, and is ~10x brighter than EGFP in the endoplasmic reticulum.
- The C-terminal tail of eqFP611 functions as a peroxisomal targeting signal (PTS).
- Ordered inheritance of peroxisomes was observed in various mammalian cell types during mitosis, facilitated by clustering around spindle poles, ensuring equal organelle distribution.
Conclusions:
- mRuby is a superior red fluorescent marker for diverse cell biology applications due to its spectral properties and brightness.
- The discovery of ordered peroxisome inheritance provides new insights into organelle biogenesis and cell division.
- Understanding peroxisome biology is crucial, as these organelles are implicated in severe human diseases.
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