Fluorescent-protein-based biosensors: modulation of energy transfer as a design principle

Different fluorescence-based techniques are used to study the protein dynamics in living cells. These techniques include FRAP, FRET, and PET.
Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a fluorescent-protein-based detection technique used to quantify protein movement rates within the cell. This method exposes a small portion of the cell to an intense laser beam. The laser beam causes permanent photobleaching of the fluorophore-tagged proteins in the exposed region. As the bleached...

Reporter genes are a type of protein-coding gene that are often tagged to a gene of interest. Once inside a target cell, reporter genes usually produce visually identifiable characteristics like fluorescence and luminescence when expressed along with the gene of interest. Thus, reporter genes “report” the presence or absence of genes of interest in an organism, determine the gene expression pattern, or track the physical location of a DNA segment or protein in the cell.
Commonly used reporter...

Photoluminescence offers a wide range of applications due to its inherent sensitivity and selectivity. This technique allows for both direct and indirect analyses of the analyte. Direct quantitative analysis is possible when the analyte exhibits a favorable quantum yield for fluorescence or phosphorescence. However, an indirect analysis may be feasible if the analyte is not fluorescent or phosphorescent, or if the quantum yield is unfavorable. Indirect methods include reacting the analyte with...