Comprehensive Review on Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation and Its Application in Deciphering Protein-Protein...

Area of Science:

• Cellular Biology
• Molecular Biology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Cell signaling pathways regulate fundamental cellular processes like growth, differentiation, and death.
• Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are central to signal transmission and regulation within these pathways.
• Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of PPIs is key to deciphering signal transduction mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the technical advancements of Bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC).
• To analyze the application of BiFC in elucidating PPIs within key cell signaling pathways.
• To explore BiFC's utility in studying plant hormone signaling pathways.

Main Methods:

• Bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) for direct visualization of PPIs in living cells.
• Review of studies utilizing BiFC to identify and characterize PPIs in various signaling pathways.
• Integration of BiFC with techniques like CRISPR-Cas9 and advanced microscopy.

Main Results:

• BiFC has been successfully applied to uncover novel PPIs in diverse organisms and signaling contexts.
• The review details BiFC's role in understanding established pathways such as TOR, PI3K/Akt, Wnt/β-catenin, NF-κB, and MAPK.
• BiFC applications extend to plant hormone signaling, including ethylene, auxin, Gibberellin, and abscisic acid pathways.

Conclusions:

• BiFC is a powerful imaging tool for studying PPIs in real-time within living cells.
• The technology holds significant potential for biological research, drug development, and disease diagnostics.
• Combining BiFC with emerging technologies will deepen our understanding of complex cell signaling networks.