FRET in Cell Biology: Still Shining in the Age of Super-Resolution?

GRECCO, H E; VERVEER, P J

Chemphyschem

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH

Año: 2011 vol. 12 p. 484 - 490

1439-4235

Interest in imaging of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) in biological systems has been steadily increasing in the last 30 years. The ability to transduce a near-field interaction into a far-field signal has provided a unique optical tool to assess biological phenomena well below the resolution of standard optical microscopy. In recent years, sub-diffraction microscopy techniques have achieved maturation and are increasingly used in biological applications. As the resolution of these methods increases they will slowly encroach on the domains where FRET is now dominant. Herein we review the major applications in biological FRET imaging and we discuss the possibilities and challenges in the super-resolution era.