绿色荧光蛋白GFP在基因工程中的作用

绿色荧光蛋白GFP在基因工程中的作用

绿色荧光蛋白（Green fluorescent protein，GFP）是一种在紫外线或蓝光照射下发出亮绿色荧光的蛋白质。最当初GFP是从海洋水母维多利亚多管发光水母中分离出来的。GFP在细胞和分子生物学中，常作为报告基因用来检测转基因生物体中的基因表达。

绿色荧光蛋白 (GFP) 作为活细胞和生物体中的通用报告基因具有许多理想的特性。绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）有一个明显优势是，无需任何底物显色，在合适波段的激发光照射下，即可在活细胞中轻松观测到GFP表达。同时对被检测对象没有伤害。可以直接观测单个细胞中的基因表达，无需细胞裂解和随后的生化分析，并且可以避免由固定、染色和切片引起的组织变形。发色团的自催化形成和相对的光漂白抗性使GFP成为研究蛋白质相互作用、定位和运输的理想荧光标签。GFP的表达已在大肠杆菌（Escherichia coli）、酵母（yeast）、秀丽隐杆线虫（Caenorhabditis elegans）、果蝇（Drosophila）、以及各种哺乳动物和植物中得到证实。

GFP在植物中荧光表达的效果图

图一：绿色荧光蛋白GFP在根系的表达（在析浦GFPfinder-2101RB荧光手电筒照射下）

图二：绿色荧光蛋白在烟草叶片的表达（在析浦GFPfinder-2101RB荧光手电筒照射下）

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a protein that emits bright green fluorescence under ultraviolet or blue light irradiation. GFP was originally isolated from the marine jellyfish Aequorea Victoria. In cell and molecular biology, GFP is often used as a reporter gene to detect gene expression in genetically modified organisms.

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) has many desirable properties as a universal reporter gene in living cells and organisms. An obvious advantage of green fluorescent protein (GFP) is that it does not require any substrate, and GFP expression can be easily observed in living cells. At the same time, there is no harm to the detected object. Gene expression in single cells can be directly observed without the need for cell lysis and subsequent biochemical analysis, and tissue distortion caused by fixation, staining, and sectioning can be avoided. The autocatalytic formation of the chromophore and relative resistance to photobleaching make GFP an ideal fluorescent label for studying protein interactions, localization, and trafficking. The expression of GFP has been confirmed in Escherichia coli, yeast, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila, and various mammals and plants.