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A green to red photoconvertible protein as an analyzing tool for early vertebrate development
Author(s) -
Wacker Stephan A.,
Oswald Franz,
Wiedenmann Jörg,
Knöchel Walter
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/dvdy.20955
Subject(s) - biology , vertebrate , microbiology and biotechnology , lineage (genetic) , developmental biology , recombinant dna , computational biology , embryonic stem cell , gene , evolutionary biology , genetics
Lineage labeling is one of the most important techniques in developmental biology. Most recently, a set of photoactivatable fluorescent proteins originating from marine cnidarians became available. Here, we introduce the application of the green to red photoconvertible protein EosFP as a novel technique to analyze early vertebrate development. Both injection of EosFP mRNA and purified, recombinant EosFP followed by a light‐driven green to red conversion allow lineage labeling in virtually any temporal and spatial dimension during embryonic development for at least 2 weeks. Specific staining of cells from nonsurface layers is greatly facilitated by light‐driven conversion of EosFP compared with traditional methods. Therefore, green to red photoactivatable proteins promise to be a powerful tool with the potential to satisfy the increasing demand for methods enabling detailed phenotypical analyses after manipulations of morphogenetic events, gene expression, or signal transduction. Developmental Dynamics 236:473–480, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.