Green fluorescent proteins are light-induced electron donors

Proteins of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) family are well known due to their unique biochemistry and extensive use as in vivo markers. Here, we discovered a new feature of GFPs of diverse origins to act as the light-induced electron donors in photochemical reactions with various electron acceptors, including biologically relevant ones. Moreover, this process accompanying with green-to-red GFP photoconversion can be observed in living cells without additional treatment.

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