Identification of a Fluorescent Protein from Rhacostoma Atlantica

Abstract

We have cloned a novel fluorescent protein from the jellyfish Rhacostoma atlantica. The closest known related fluorescent protein is the Phialidium yellow fluorescent protein, with only a 55% amino acid sequence identity. A somewhat unusual alanine-tyrosine-glycine amino acid sequence forms the presumed chromophore of the novel protein. The protein has an absorption peak at 466 nm and a fluorescence emission peak at 498 nm. The fluorescence quantum yield was measured to be 0.77 and the extinction coefficient is 58 200 M(-1) cm(-1) . Several mutations were identified that shift the absorption peak to about 494 nm and the emission peak to between 512 and 514 nm.