Bunt Gertrude, Wouters Fred S
Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine, Molecular Biology of Neuronal Signals, Göttingen, Germany.
Int Rev Cytol. 2004;237:205-77. doi: 10.1016/S0074-7696(04)37005-1.
The major task of modern cell biology is to identify the function and relation of the many different gene products, discovered by genomics and proteomics approaches, in the context of the living cell. To achieve this goal, an increasing toolbox of custom-designed biosensors based on fluorescent labels is available to study the molecular activities of the cellular machinery. An overview of the current status of the young field of molecular-cellular physiology is presented that includes the application of fluorescent labels in the design of biosensors and the major detection schemes used to extract their sensing information. In particular, the use of the photophysical phenomenon of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) as a powerful indicator of cellular biochemical events is discussed. In addition, we will point out the challenges and directions of the field and project the short-term future for the application of fluorescence-based biosensors in biology.
现代细胞生物学的主要任务是在活细胞环境中确定通过基因组学和蛋白质组学方法发现的众多不同基因产物的功能及相互关系。为实现这一目标，基于荧光标记的定制生物传感器工具库不断增加，可用于研究细胞机制的分子活性。本文综述了分子细胞生理学这一年轻领域的现状，包括荧光标记在生物传感器设计中的应用以及用于提取传感信息的主要检测方案。特别讨论了福斯特共振能量转移（FRET）这一光物理现象作为细胞生化事件有力指标的应用。此外，我们将指出该领域的挑战与方向，并展望基于荧光的生物传感器在生物学中应用的短期未来。
