Chinese Bulletin of Botany ›› 2015, Vol. 50 ›› Issue (3): 394-404.DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1259.2015.00394

• SPECIAL TOPIC • Previous Articles    

pH-sensitive Fluorescent Proteins and Their Applications in Plant Cell Biology

Yiqun Xue1, Kai Song1, Lusheng Fan1, Yinglang Wan2, Jinxing Lin1, 2, *   

  1. 1Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
    2College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
  • Received:2014-06-04 Accepted:2014-09-09 Online:2015-05-01 Published:2015-04-08
  • Contact: Lin Jinxing
  • About author:

    ? These authors contributed equally to this paper

Abstract: pHluorin is a pH-sensitive variant of green fluorescent protein; its fluorescence signals display a strong pH dependence. Since the codon usage was optimized and the site of aberrant splicing was removed, pHluorin and its derivatives have been successfully expressed and used in animal, plant and fungi cells. These pH sensors have helped shed light on measure of the difference in pH of cellular microenvironment and many cell functions for which intracellular pH is an important modulator. Here, we review the characteristics of known pHluorins and their applications in cell biology, particularly plant cell biology. With the improvements in pHluorins by genetic engineering and the advancing in detection technology, the future for pHluorins in plant science is exciting.