Methods for monitoring signaling molecules in cellular compartments

- Intracellular dynamics must be tightly regulated with great precision.
- Fluorescent/bioluminescent proteins are powerful tools for their observation.
- Imaging based on them enables observation with high spatiotemporal resolution.
- New techniques will further lead deeper understanding and novel findings.

Cells, irrespective of whether they are from multicellular or single-celled organisms, must communicate with the external environment through dynamic regulation of their internal metabolism, which are critical for their survival. Fluorescent and bioluminescent proteins, and related genetic engineering technologies, have provided new opportunities to investigate the molecular dynamics of cells and their internal compartments, with high spatio-temporal resolution. In this review article, since there is a sufficient number of previous reviews summarizing the history of their development and the techniques behind them, here we will focus on molecular features or technologies that have the potential to further open novel investigations of cellular and subcellular dynamics.

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