What color excites GFP?

Excitation of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)

Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) is a bioluminescent marker used extensively in molecular and cellular biology for imaging and tracking gene expression. The color that excites GFP is in the blue to ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Specifically, GFP is most efficiently excited by light at a wavelength of 395 nm (near ultraviolet), with a secondary peak at 475 nm (blue light).

GFP absorbs this light and then emits it at a longer wavelength in the green part of the spectrum, typically around 509 nm. This property of GFP, where it absorbs light of one color and emits light of another, is known as fluorescence. The excitation of GFP by specific wavelengths of light is crucial for its use in various biological and medical research applications, allowing scientists to visualize and track the expression of genes tagged with GFP under a fluorescence microscope.

The ability to excite GFP with light of specific wavelengths and observe its green emission has made it an invaluable tool in the study of cellular processes, enabling researchers to tag proteins, observe gene expression in real-time, and study the dynamics of cellular events with high specificity and sensitivity.