Green fluorescent protein (Aequorea victoria) (GFP (occasionally avGFP for wild-type from Aequorea victoria))

Green fluorescent protein from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria is a 238-amino-acid protein that exhibits green fluorescence when exposed to light, due to an internal autocatalytic post-translational modification of the tripeptide Ser65-Tyr66-Gly67, forming the chromophore within a tightly packed beta-barrel protein scaffold[1][4][5][6][7][9]. The chromophore forms spontaneously without requiring external cofactors, making GFP a powerful molecular marker in live cell imaging, gene expression, and protein localization studies in nearly all biological research fields. Natural biological function in the jellyfish is to transduce blue chemiluminescence from aequorin (upon calcium binding) into green fluorescent light, supporting bioluminescence at the organism level[9]. GFP is not a receptor, enzyme, or therapeutic target. Its importance centers on its use as a lab tool, enabling noninvasive real-time tracking of cellular processes in model organisms and cell culture[1][7].

Other names

Green fluorescent proteinGFPavGFP (wild-type)luminescent jellyfish protein