Transfluor Technology

Animations and Videos

Transfluor is based on the discovery that, upon activation by ligand binding, virtually all GPCRs rapidly undergo deactivation or "desensitization" by a common pathway. The Transfluor technology monitors receptor activity by detecting movement of arrestin, a cytoplasmic protein involved in receptor desensitization. By attaching a fluorescent protein (FP) to arrestin, the recycling of the receptor can be monitored.

With the Transfluor technology, arrestin-GFP is dispersed throughout the cytosol in unstimulated cells. Upon ligand binding with the GPCR, the arrestin-GFP quickly translocates from the cytosol to the cell membrane and then into clatharin-coated pits at the membrane. The receptor then internalizes into endocytic vesicles prior to reprocessing and returns to the cell membrane. Pits and vesicles can be imaged and quantified by commercially-available image analysis instrumentation, such as ImageXpress Micro or ImageXpress 5000A, forming the basis for a universal, high-throughput, high-content assay for all GPCRs (known and orphan).

• View a Transfluor technology video (4 MB) [MOV] (requires QuickTime)
• View an animation of the desensitization process and how Transfluor works
  (10 MB) [SWF] (requires Flash)

Download a free copy of the QuickTime player from the Apple web site.
Download a free copy of the Flash player, from the Macromedia web site.

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