Fluorescent protein basis for bluish coral

"Molecular and cellular biologists are familiar with the
popular green fluorescent protein, first isolated from a jellyfish, which is
used by researchers to label internal structures in living cells," said Jim
Remington, of the university's Institute of Molecular Biology.

"However,
it is less well known that the dramatic coloration of coral reef formations is
largely due to four closely related classes of proteins: cyan, green, yellow and
red fluorescent proteins. In addition, a fifth class of protein is not
fluorescent, but conveys a deep purple coloration to the tentacles of sea
anemones and similar animals."

The findings are published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.