Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Chemistry Dissertations Department of Chemistry 8-25-2008 Design Genetic Fluorescent Probes to Detect Protease Activity and Calcium-Dependent Protein-Protein Interactions in Living Cells Ning Chen Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/chemistry_diss Part of the Chemistry Commons Recommended Citation Chen, Ning, "Design Genetic Fluorescent Probes to Detect Protease Activity and Calcium-Dependent Protein-Protein Interactions in Living Cells." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2008. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/chemistry_diss/43 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Chemistry at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Chemistry Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. DESIGN GENETIC FLUORESCENT PROBES TO DETECT PROTEASE ACTIVITY AND CALCIUM-DEPENDENT PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS IN LIVING CELLS by NING CHEN Under the Direction of Professor Jenny J. Yang ABSTRACT Proteases are essential for regulating a wide range of physiological and pathological processes. The imbalance of protease activation and inhibition will result in a number of major diseases including cancers, atherosclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases. Although fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based protease probes, a small molecular dye and other methods are powerful, they still have drawbacks or limitations for providing significant information about the dynamics and pattern of endogenous protease activation and inhibition in a single living cell or in vivo. Currently protease sensors capable of quantitatively measuring specific protease activity in real time and monitoring activation and inhibition of enzymatic activity in various cellular compartments are highly desired.