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Updated: May 15, 2026
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Assessing Protein Interactions in Live-Cells with FRET-Sensitized Emission
Published on: April 22, 2021
Anti-fading media for live cell GFP imaging
Alexey M Bogdanov1, Elena I Kudryavtseva, Konstantin A Lukyanov
1Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia.
Plos One
|January 4, 2013
Summary
Vitamins in cell culture media accelerate Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (EGFP) photobleaching. Removing riboflavin and pyridoxal, or adding the antioxidant rutin, significantly improves EGFP photostability for microscopy.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
- Microscopy
Background:
- Photostability is crucial for fluorescent dyes in microscopy.
- Vitamins in imaging media accelerate photobleaching of Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (EGFP).
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify specific vitamins that reduce EGFP photostability.
- Evaluate antioxidants for enhancing EGFP photostability in live cell microscopy.
Main Methods:
- Tested individual vitamins from Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) for their effect on EGFP photostability.
- Assessed the impact of the antioxidant rutin on EGFP photostability in complete and vitamin-depleted DMEM.
Main Results:
- Riboflavin and pyridoxal were identified as the primary vitamins decreasing EGFP photostability.
- Rutin significantly enhanced EGFP photostability, even surpassing that in vitamin-depleted medium.
Conclusions:
- DMEM formulations lacking riboflavin and pyridoxal offer improved GFP photostability.
- Rutin is a potent enhancer of EGFP photostability, enabling new possibilities for live cell imaging.
