Structural highlights
Function
[RFP_DISSP] Thought to play a role in photoprotection of the coral's resident symbiont microalgae's photosystems from photoinhibition caused by high light levels found near the surface of coral reefs. In deeper water, the fluorescence may be to convert blue light into longer wavelengths more suitable for use in photosynthesis by the microalgal symbionts.[1]
Evolutionary Conservation
Check, as determined by ConSurfDB. You may read the explanation of the method and the full data available from ConSurf.
Publication Abstract from PubMed
Green fluorescent protein (GFP) has rapidly become a standard tool for investigating a variety of cellular activities, and has served as a model system for understanding spectral tuning in chromophoric proteins. Distant homologs of GFP in reef coral and anemone display two new properties of the fluorescent protein family: dramatically red-shifted spectra, and oligomerization to form tetramers. We now report the 1.9 A crystal structure of DsRed, a red fluorescent protein from Discosoma coral. DsRed monomers show similar topology to GFP, but additional chemical modification to the chromophore extends the conjugated pi-system and likely accounts for the red-shifted spectra. Oligomerization of DsRed occurs at two chemically distinct protein interfaces to assemble the tetramer. The DsRed structure reveals the chemical basis for the functional properties of red fluorescent proteins and provides the basis for rational engineering of this subfamily of GFP homologs.
The structural basis for red fluorescence in the tetrameric GFP homolog DsRed.,Wall MA, Socolich M, Ranganathan R Nat Struct Biol. 2000 Dec;7(12):1133-8. PMID:11101896[2]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
References
- ↑ Matz MV, Fradkov AF, Labas YA, Savitsky AP, Zaraisky AG, Markelov ML, Lukyanov SA. Fluorescent proteins from nonbioluminescent Anthozoa species. Nat Biotechnol. 1999 Oct;17(10):969-73. PMID:10504696 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/13657
- ↑ Wall MA, Socolich M, Ranganathan R. The structural basis for red fluorescence in the tetrameric GFP homolog DsRed. Nat Struct Biol. 2000 Dec;7(12):1133-8. PMID:11101896 doi:10.1038/81992
