Promega has signed an agreement with Leica Microsystems to enable fluorescent imaging of proteins in live cells.
Promega will develop fluorescent ligands for its HaloTag fusion proteins, which will be used to label proteins within live cells so they can be visualised with Leica's TCS STED (stimulated emission depletion) super-resolution microscope.
Developed in the laboratory of Dr Stefan Hell of the Max-Planck Institute in Germany, STED microscopy enables the investigation of structural details below the 100nm range.
The Leica TCS STED is the first commercially available STED light microscope and was launched in 2007.
Commonly used fluorescent proteins such as GFP are not optimal for use with high-powered STED technology as they are prone to photo-bleaching and lack appropriate spectral properties.
In addition, alternative methods of labelling proteins with fluorescent antibodies are only applicable for fixed cells.
Therefore, the agreement between Promega and Leica Microsystems will enable imaging of proteins within live cells at sub 100nm range.
Dr Georgyi Los, lead scientist for imaging products at Promega, said: 'Our HaloTag technology enables covalent linkage of various fluorescent dyes to proteins expressed in cells, allowing us to develop and select optimal dyes for this technology and improving cell imaging for our customers.' Promega has been working with Leica Microsystems since 2006 to develop ways of labelling proteins within cells using its proprietary HaloTag technology.
