Introduction Eye on development Neuronal espionage Cancer tracking with QDs GFPs Cell division: Still life Cell division: In motion Riding signaling waves Data mining The immune response Cells' inner workings Imaging insect breathing		Credit: M. Wang and Science This remarkable image, from the 13 December 2002 Science, shows a group of about 30 tadpole-stage tunicate (Ciona intestinalis) embryos 12 to 14 hours after fertilization -- and graphically illustrates the biological insights available using fluorescent proteins, such as the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria. GFPs can be fused to virtually any gene or protein of interest to analyze its geography, movement, and chemistry within the cell. Here, the embryos possess a fusion gene consisting of GFP attached to part of the Brachyury gene, which directs GFP expression in the notochord cells of the tadpole tails. In the 4 April 2003 special issue of Science, J. Lippincott-Schwartz and G. H. Patterson review fluorescent protein technology's historical development and burgeoning uses.
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