Near-Infrared Fluorescent Proteins and Their Applications.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Molecular Biology
• Biophysics

Background:

• Mammalian tissues exhibit high transparency and low autofluorescence in the near-infrared (NIR) spectrum, enabling deep tissue imaging.
• Bacterial phytochromes have been engineered into NIR fluorescent probes, utilizing biliverdin, a natural mammalian metabolite.
• These probes offer genetically encoded fluorescence, similar to GFP-like proteins, for biological research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the properties and applications of NIR fluorescent proteins, reporters, and biosensors.
• To analyze the requirements for expressing these probes in mammalian cells.
• To discuss structural features and molecular engineering of NIR fluorescent probes.

Main Methods:

• Review of photophysical and biochemical properties of NIR fluorescent proteins.
• Analysis of engineering strategies for NIR fluorescent probes.
• Compilation of applications in cellular and whole-body imaging.

Main Results:

• NIR fluorescent proteins demonstrate potential for micro- and macroscale in vivo imaging.
• Engineered probes are suitable for expression in mammalian cells.
• Applications span molecular studies, tissue visualization, and advanced imaging techniques.

Conclusions:

• NIR fluorescent proteins represent a significant advancement for in vivo imaging in biology and biomedicine.
• Their design based on natural chromophores facilitates endogenous expression and imaging.
• Integration with techniques like photoacoustic tomography enhances their utility in complex imaging scenarios.