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Updated: Feb 1, 2026
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Imaging Membrane Potential with Two Types of Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Voltage Sensors
Published on: February 4, 2016
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VIPER is a genetically encoded peptide tag for fluorescence and electron microscopy
Julia K Doh1, Jonathan D White1, Hannah K Zane1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239.
Summary
This study introduces VIPER, a novel versatile interacting peptide (VIP) tag system. VIPER enables simultaneous visualization of proteins using fluorescence microscopy (FM) and electron microscopy (EM) for advanced cell biology research.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Microscopy Techniques
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Cell biology research requires visualizing proteins in their native cellular environment.
- Existing genetically encoded tags primarily support fluorescence microscopy (FM), with limited options for electron microscopy (EM).
- Simultaneous imaging by FM and EM (correlative light and electron microscopy - CLEM) is crucial for detailed cellular analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel genetically encoded tag system for simultaneous protein visualization by FM and EM.
- To demonstrate the utility of the VIPER system in imaging subcellular structures and cellular processes.
- To provide an alternative to immunolabeling for CLEM applications.
Main Methods:
- Development of the VIPER system, utilizing versatile interacting peptide (VIP) tags (CoilE and CoilR) forming a coiled-coil heterodimer.
- Application of VIPER for labeling proteins with diverse chemical reporters (organic fluorophores for FM, electron-dense nanoparticles for EM).
- Confocal FM and correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) were employed to validate VIPER's performance.
Main Results:
- VIPER successfully enabled highlighting of subcellular structures and imaging of receptor-mediated iron uptake via confocal FM.
- VIPER facilitated imaging of the iron uptake machinery using CLEM.
- VIPER demonstrated comparable or superior performance to immunolabeling in CLEM imaging.
Conclusions:
- VIPER is an enabling technology for labeling and tracking proteins using both FM and EM instrumentation.
- This versatile peptide tag system expands possibilities for studying protein localization and function.
- VIPER offers a valuable tool for protein targets intractable to traditional immunolabeling methods.
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