Lentiviral Biosensors for Real-Time Visualisation of Proteins in Live Cells

Merck Millipore has launched a suite of LentiBrite™ lentiviral biosensors, pre-packaged lentiviral particles encoding proteins fluorescently tagged with green or red fluorescent protein (GFP or RFP). The initial group of biosensors will encode proteins responsible for cell structure such as actin and tubulin, a central marker of autophagy (degradation of a cell’s own components) – LC3, and proteins that mark the onset of apoptosis (programmed cell death). Future offerings will focus on neuroscience and nuclear proteins. The biosensors enable detection of the presence or
absence of a particular protein, as well as the subcellular location of the protein in live cells under various states either by fluorescent microscopy or time-lapse video capture. Use of lentivirus to deliver fluorescently tagged
proteins into cells offers higher efficiencies of transfection as compared with traditional chemical-based and other non-viral-based methods. In addition, the virus particles can be used to transfect dividing, non-dividing,
and difficult-to-transfect cells, such as primary and stem cells, leading to long-term, stable expression of the transgene with low immunogenicity.

“With the LentiBrite™ pre-packaged lentiviral biosensors, researchers are able to easily and efficiently
transfect cells and then visualise protein localisation without disruption to cellular function,” described Lucas
Armstrong, PhD R&D Manager of New Product Development. “Researchers can watch the real time
movement of proteins involved in critical functions that are often altered in disease states such as cancer or
induced through modulation.”