Everyone has been at the beach and has seen a jellyfish wash up onto the shore or float by you in the ocean. Chances are though, you have never seen a jellyfish glow. A special type of jellyfish called Aequorea Victoria, which is found in the pacific northwest, has a very special trait. This jelly fish can glow! The glow is actually known as Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). This protein is solely responsible for the jellyfish's glow. The flow appears around the outer rim of the jellyfish. This protein emits a glow because GFP transduces from energy transfer. The blue chemiluminescence of auqourin into the green fluorescent light. From the discovery of this protein , scientists have been able to use GFP as a tracking agent, which is very interesting. GFP has been inserted into many subjects of study, including other species such as frogs and even humans. Studies done with GFP include attaching it to a protein or cell of study in cancer patients and tracking cells in other diseases. This protein has significantly advanced biological studies. GFP is an organic substance that is able to work as a tracking devices in cells, and it got rid of dyes, that may have been toxic or altering the function of cells or proteins. For more information you can click on this link.
This was an interesting article. I never knew jellyfish had GFP. GFP has transformed biomedical research.
ReplyDelete