Fox Lung Cells with mEmerald-VASP and mApple-LC Myosin
In this digital video sequence, fox lung (FoLu line) fibroblasts are shown expressing mEmerald fused to VASP and mApple fused to light chain myosin. Studies suggest that VASP, or vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein, is involved in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, adhesion of cells to the extracellular matrix, and cell motility. VASP is thought to play a critical role in filopodia formation. Two cyclic nucleotide-dependent kinases, PKA and PKG, are responsible for regulating VASP, which occurs in both phosphorylated and dephosphorylated forms.
The green fluorescent protein mEmerald is a high-performance EGFP variant that exhibits improved brightness and requires less time to mature than its parent protein. A fast photobleaching component, however, can make mEmerald poorly suited for some quantitative imaging applications. The red fluorescent protein employed to tag light chain myosin, mApple, is spectrally similar to mStrawberry, another member of the mFruit series of fluorescent proteins, but its photostability is significantly superior.