Improved fluorescent amino acids for cellular imaging

New research conducted by researchers in the lab of Penn's E. James Petersson in collaboration with Oregon State University and the University of Washington describes how proteins in living cells can be engineered to include synthetic fluorescent amino acids that are bright, long-lasting, and have properties that sense their environment. This work can help biologists study proteins more easily, with implications for understanding the mechanisms of complex neurological diseases. The results were published in Chemical Science with two associated studies published in eLife and Scientific Reports.