User:RachelMiller8/sandbox

RLL comments
Overall I like the structure of this. I think you can expand on the structure (e.g. 13 beta sheets that make up a barrel, how same/different from GFP or dsRed or whatever you deem a good comparison. Add citations throughout the text and links to other Wikipedia articles about related GFP analogs.

= mCherry = mCherry is a member of the mFruits family of monomeric red fluorescent proteins (mRFPs). As a RFP, mCherry was derived from DsRed from Discosoma sea anemones unlike green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) which are often derived from Aequoera victoria jellyfish. Fluorescent proteins are used to tag components in the cell, so they can be studied using fluorescence spectroscopy. mCherry absorbs light between 540-590nm and emits light with in the range of 550-650nm.

Development
DsRed is the common name for the protein drFP583 which was isolated from Discosoma sea anemones, and is a tetrameric protein. Most red fluorescent proteins come from DsRed. DsRed had low photostability (resistance to change under the influence of radiant energy or light) and a low maturation rate. mRFP1 was derived from DsRed was a monomer so it was smaller, but its quantum yield and photostability was less than that of DsRed. mCherry and other mFruits have improved brightness and photostability over both DsRed and mRFP1. mCherry was developed through directed evolution from mRFP1. The mFruits in general were developed because while different colored proteins could be found from other anthozoans the proteins would mostly be tetramers and would require similar derivations to be done to it in order to make them useful fusion partners. As a result, the mFruits were derived from mRFP1 by adjusting key amino acids in order to adjust the excitation and emission wavelengths. Different colors allow for the tracking of different cell types, transcriptional activity, and fusion in proteins. mCherry has the longest wavelengths, the highest photostability, fastest maturation, excellent pH resistance, and is closest to mRFP1 in its excitation and emission maxima. However, mCherry has a lower quantum yield than mRFP1.

Structure
The gene for mCherry is 711bp long, and the protein is made up of 236 residues with a mass of 26.722 kDa. The crystal structure of mCherry was determined in 2006. It contains 3 alpha helices and 13 beta sheets. The chromophore in mCherry is made up of three amino acids which are post-translationally modified into an imidazolinone. The extended pi-electron conjugation gives mCherry its red-shifted absorbance and emission. The chromophore forms from a central helix which is shielded from solvent in an 11-stranded beta-barrel. This makes the environment around the chromophore in mCherry more hydrophobic than the environment around the chromophore is DsRed is. The end termini on mCherry are GFP-like which allows it to be incorporated in to systems where GFP can be used and mRFP1 could not have been used.

Other RFPs and mFruits:
mStrawberry

mOrange

DsRed

mRFP1

dTomato