Red fluorescent protein (RFP)

Red fluorescent protein (RFP) is a member of the green fluorescent protein (GFP)-like family of proteins, originally isolated from the coral Discosoma sp., where the wild-type version is known as DsRed [1, 3]. It functions as a fluorophore that emits red-orange light when excited by specific wavelengths, a property derived from an internal chromophore formed by the post-translational modification of three amino acids [1, 6]. In its natural coral environment, RFP is believed to play a role in photoprotection or the conversion of light for symbiotic algae [9]. In the field of biotechnology, RFP serves as a critical reporter gene and molecular tag, allowing researchers to visualize protein localization, track cell lineages, and monitor gene expression in living systems [2, 5]. While RFP is not a therapeutic target for treating human diseases, it is an indispensable tool in drug discovery and disease modeling, particularly for imaging tumor progression and neurodegeneration [7, 11]. Some variants, especially the tetrameric DsRed, can be cytotoxic by interfering with protein folding or suppressing anti-apoptotic factors like Bcl-xL [13, 15]. Interestingly, recent research has shown that certain covalent kinase inhibitors, such as osimertinib and afatinib, can irreversibly disrupt RFP fluorescence, which has been utilized to track drug penetration in three-dimensional tumor models [12, 14].

Other names

DsReddrFP583mCherrymRubymKateTagRFPmOrangemStrawberrymPlumtdTomato

Fluorescence disruption via covalent binding to the protein matrix or chromophore environment