A detailed understanding of physiological functions requires real-time insights into cellular organization and communication. Fluorescence imaging is a key tool to achieve this, particularly through the use of probes such as fluorescent proteins from the GFP family. These proteins have the advantage of being genetically encoded and fully biocompatible. We contribute to the development of new fluorescent proteins, primarily cyan and yellow variants, which we use to study various biological phenomena, notably through Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) and its detection via fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM).

Our projects require an environment enabling experiments that range from biochemistry or molecular and cellular biology to in vitro photophysical studies and fluorescence imaging, available through the SpICy technical platform.

Structure of fluorescent proteins and confocal images. Fluorescent proteins targeted to the membrane: Aquamarine on the left ([Erard 2013), Addgene: pAquaN1, Plasmid #42888, pProEX-Aqua, Plasmid #42889) and tdLanYFP on the right [Bousmah 2021].

Our activities are divided into three main areas:

• • • • • • • • A fundamental understanding of the structure-photophysical and photochemical property relationships in fluorescent proteins for engineering new fluorescent proteins with enhanced performance.
              • The development of genetically encoded biosensors.
              • The development of analytical methods usable in living cells based on fluorescence lifetime spectro-imaging (FLIM and FLIM-FRET).