Imaging into the future: visualizing gene expression and protein interactions with fluorescent proteins

Since its introduction into heterologous organisms as a marker of gene expression, the green fluorescent protein (GFP) has led a dramatic revolution in cell, developmental and neurobiology. By allowing breathtaking visualization of fluorescent fusion proteins as they move within and between cells, GFP has fundamentally transformed the spatial analysis of protein function. Now, new GFP technologies allow far more than simple observations of fusion protein localization. The growing family of fluorescent protein variants is enabling more sophisticated studies of protein function and illuminating wide-ranging processes from gene expression to second-messenger cascades and intercellular signalling. Together with advances in microscopy, new GFP-based experimental approaches are forging a second GFP revolution.