Professor Aaron Engelhart

Fluorescent proteins are ubiquitous tools in modern biochemistry. For over 30 years, fluorescent proteins, such as those found in the jellyfish Aequorea victoria and the sea pansy Renilla reniformis, have provided invaluable tools for biochemists to image and track arbitrary proteins of interest. In recent years, a number of researchers have been working towards developing imaging tools for RNA, such as RNA-binding proteins fused with GFP, and RNA aptamers that bind small molecules and activate their fluorescence. These tools have had considerable successes in RNA imaging and as sensors. This group is working to develop advanced RNA imaging tools, towards achieving a robust, general tool for imaging arbitrary RNAs of interest, particularly in challenging systems, such as mammalian cells and whole organisms.