Evolving trends in biosciences: Multi-purpose proteins - GFP and GFP-like proteins

Abstract

The sea is considered as holding a clue to many known and unknown biologically active compounds. A family of protein named Green Fluorescent Proteins (GFP)-like proteins, initially isolated from marine organisms, started a trend in biotechnological research, which is expanding day-by-day. A gross review of the same is presented in this article dealing with their occurrence, chemistry, applications, phylogenic analysis and the Indian perspective. These proteins are present in a wide variety of marine organisms, from corals to jellyfish. Chromophore in these proteins is composed of three amino acid residues, Ser65–Try66–Gly67, and requires molecular oxygen for its maturation. Its applications include use in in vivo imaging as well as in plant biology. Thus, the protein has become one of the most important tools used in contemporary biosciences. Though the very first protein identified was from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria in the 1960s, the list is ever-expanding with not only the fluorescent but also the non-fluorescent proteins being connected to the same superfamily. Hence, they also offer help in the phylogenetic analysis of different organisms, to know which period of evolution has diverted a particular species. As GFP-like proteins have numerous applications under their spectrum, they can be aptly called as ‘multi-purpose proteins