7 October 2008

Chemistry Nobel for green jellyfish protein

The 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to three scientists who isolated green fluorescent protein (GFP), which is now used by researchers worldwide

A fluorescent protein from the crystal jellyfish (Aequorea victoria), native to the northern Pacific Ocean, nabbed the Nobel Prize in Chemistry today.

By linking the gene that encodes the green fluorescent protein (GFP) to other genes, scientists can track cells and organisms in exquisite detail.

Image: Markus Nolf, Wikimedia Commons

The original GFP works just fine for a jellyfish's luminescence, but over the past two decades, scientists have genetically engineered GFP to glow brighter, longer, and even in different colours.

Here, bacteria in a Petri dish express different-coloured versions of the protein.

Image: Nathan Shaner, Paul Steinbach, Roger Tsien, Wikimedia Commons

More complex organisms like these mice have been genetically engineered to express GFP in every cell of their body.

Image: University of Pennsylvania


Recently, scientists engineered several rhesus macaques to express GFP, along with a protein that pre-disposes the animals to Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder. The researchers used GFP to confirm that the monkeys had received the disease-causing gene.

Image: Anthony Chan, Yerkes National Primate Research Center

The GFP protein itself is made of 238 amino acids. Its barrel-like shape is key to its fluorescent properties.

Image: Alexander Brandt, Wikimedia Commons

Here, baker's yeast activate two different versions of GFP, red and green, on their surface membranes.

When red and green proteins collide in the cell, they create a yellow-ish hue. This helps scientists to determine when two proteins are in the same general location in a cell.

Image: Masur, Wikimedia Commons

This stunning image of mouse brain cells - the brainbow - combines jellyfish proteins with fluorescent proteins from corals.

By mixing and matching green, red, yellow and orange fluorescent proteins, scientists created about 90 distinct colours. This palette can help trace the complex web of connections between brain cells.

Image: Jean Livet et al, Harvard University