Biofluorescence

Biofluorescence is fluorescence exhibited by a living organism: part of the organism absorbs light or other radiation at one wavelength and emits visible light at another, usually longer. The absorbed radiation is often blue or ultraviolet, while the light emitted is typically green, red, or anything in between. Biofluorescence requires an external light source and a fluorescent biomolecular substance, which is often one or more proteins, but can consist of other biomolecules.

A perceptible example of fluorescence occurs when the absorbed radiation is ultraviolet, thus invisible to the human eye, while the emitted light is in the visible spectrum; this gives the fluorescent substance a distinct color that can only be seen when it is exposed to UV light.

Since biofluorescence was discovered in Aequorea victoria and the green fluorescent protein structure was resolved, many other organisms have been shown to exhibit biofluorescence and many new fluorescent proteins have been discovered.^[1]^[2]^[3]

^ Labas, Y. A.; Gurskaya, N. G.; Yanushevich, Y. G.; Fradkov, A. F.; Lukyanov, K. A.; Lukyanov, S. A.; Matz, M. V. (2002-04-02). "Diversity and evolution of the green fluorescent protein family". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 99 (7): 4256–4261. Bibcode:2002PNAS...99.4256L. doi:10.1073/pnas.062552299. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 123635. PMID 11929996.
^ Alieva, Naila O.; Konzen, Karen A.; Field, Steven F.; Meleshkevitch, Ella A.; Hunt, Marguerite E.; Beltran-Ramirez, Victor; et al. (2008-07-16). El-Shemy, Hany A. (ed.). "Diversity and Evolution of Coral Fluorescent Proteins". PLOS ONE. 3 (7): e2680. Bibcode:2008PLoSO...3.2680A. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002680. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 2481297. PMID 18648549.
^ Chudakov, Dmitriy M.; Matz, Mikhail V.; Lukyanov, Sergey; Lukyanov, Konstantin A. (July 2010). "Fluorescent Proteins and Their Applications in Imaging Living Cells and Tissues". Physiological Reviews. 90 (3): 1103–1163. doi:10.1152/physrev.00038.2009. ISSN 0031-9333. PMID 20664080.

[1] Labas, Y. A.; Gurskaya, N. G.; Yanushevich, Y. G.; Fradkov, A. F.; Lukyanov, K. A.; Lukyanov, S. A.; Matz, M. V. (2002-04-02). "Diversity and evolution of the green fluorescent protein family". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 99 (7): 4256–4261. Bibcode:2002PNAS...99.4256L. doi:10.1073/pnas.062552299. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 123635. PMID 11929996.

[2] Alieva, Naila O.; Konzen, Karen A.; Field, Steven F.; Meleshkevitch, Ella A.; Hunt, Marguerite E.; Beltran-Ramirez, Victor; et al. (2008-07-16). El-Shemy, Hany A. (ed.). "Diversity and Evolution of Coral Fluorescent Proteins". PLOS ONE. 3 (7): e2680. Bibcode:2008PLoSO...3.2680A. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002680. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 2481297. PMID 18648549.

[:6-3] Chudakov, Dmitriy M.; Matz, Mikhail V.; Lukyanov, Sergey; Lukyanov, Konstantin A. (July 2010). "Fluorescent Proteins and Their Applications in Imaging Living Cells and Tissues". Physiological Reviews. 90 (3): 1103–1163. doi:10.1152/physrev.00038.2009. ISSN 0031-9333. PMID 20664080.

[1]

[2]

[3]