Flourescent Proteins in Sea Creatures

A new study in deep ocean science has used knowledge about sea creatures, specifically those which use fluorescent light, to be of use medically for humans. Because of previous research that discovered firstly that certain marine animals glow and also that certain molecules achieve this glow, scientists have recently applied this to biomedical research and florescent proteins in the marine animals. Within living tissues and cells, such proteins can be used to create images of processes within the human body. They can effectively be used as cellular markers, highlighting and illuminating cells so that bodily processes can be tracked visibly, courtesy of the bright, many-hued colors of florescent proteins. While most research has been done on marine animals in lighter oceans, such as within coral reefs in the tropical reefs, further research is being attempted in the deep, lightless depths of the ocean. Scientists from the company NightSea have explored the Gulf of Mexico with a submarine and discovered a new species of an animal that resembles an anemone that emits green fluorescent light. The protein it contains, labeled cerFP505, can be applied in mammalian cells at body temperature, as a cellular marker, making it extremely useful for “super-resolution microscopy.”
Unfamiliar terms:
Microscopy: The use of the microscope in scientific investigation; the branch of science or technology that deals with this; in super-resolution microscopy, the creation of two-dimensional images that pinpoint the location of fluorescently labeled proteins with extremely high resolution.
Reaction:
This article serves as another example of how a greater understanding of the planet, specifically the ocean, and its inhabitants is beneficial for humans. Hopefully because this is so, if only for this reason, people can take into account the “value” of the oceans and the planet, if only to help humans survive or thrive. Of course, at the same time, I also hope this discovery encourages people to develop a greater appreciation and respect for creatures and animals, not only because they “serve” us but because they are interesting and mind-boggling and wonderful in their existence.
References:
Public Library of Science. "Biomedical Research Profits From Exploration Of Deep Sea." ScienceDaily 27 November 2008. 5 March 2009 .