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Nature Biotechnology 20, 28–29 (1 January 2002) | doi:10.1038/nbt0102-28

Negotiating the speed bumps to fluorescence

S. James Remington

Two new studies use directed evolution to develop more rapidly maturing fluorescent proteins. Most fluorescent proteins (FP) are slow starters. The relatively long maturation period following protein synthesis before the appearance of fluorescence severely limits their utility in studying biological processes that take place in mere seconds to minutes.