A far-red fluorescent protein evolved from a cyanobacterial phycobiliprotein

What is it about?

This paper describes the evolution of a new class of fluorescent protein evolved from a phycobiliprotein from a cyanobacterium. The phycobilisome harvests light and converts it into energy. The new fluorescent protein, smURFP, is biophysically the brightest far-red or near-infrared fluorescent protein created so far and has comparable brightness to the jellyfish derived enhanced green fluorescent protein.

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Why is it important?

For ~16 years, researchers have struggled to create a red fluorescent protein that is as bright as the green fluorescent proteins from jellyfish and failed. The new fluorescent protein, smURFP, is also extremely photostable without a special selection. To show utility, a far-red and near-infrared fluorescent ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator was created (Movies are spectacular!: http://www.nature.com/nmeth/journal/vaop/ncurrent/fig_tab/nmeth.3935_SV1.html http://www.nature.com/nmeth/journal/vaop/ncurrent/fig_tab/nmeth.3935_SV2.html).