International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Development and Applications of Superfolder and Split Fluorescent Protein Detection Systems in Biology Jean-Denis Pedelacq 1,* and Stéphanie Cabantous 2,* 1 Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31077 Toulouse, France 2 Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Toulouse (CRCT), Inserm, Université Paul Sabatier-Toulouse III, CNRS, 31037 Toulouse, France * Correspondence:
[email protected] (J.-D.P.);
[email protected] (S.C.) Received: 15 June 2019; Accepted: 8 July 2019; Published: 15 July 2019 Abstract: Molecular engineering of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) into a robust and stable variant named Superfolder GFP (sfGFP) has revolutionized the field of biosensor development and the use of fluorescent markers in diverse area of biology. sfGFP-based self-associating bipartite split-FP systems have been widely exploited to monitor soluble expression in vitro, localization, and trafficking of proteins in cellulo. A more recent class of split-FP variants, named « tripartite » split-FP,that rely on the self-assembly of three GFP fragments, is particularly well suited for the detection of protein–protein interactions. In this review, we describe the different steps and evolutions that have led to the diversification of superfolder and split-FP reporter systems, and we report an update of their applications in various areas of biology, from structural biology to cell biology. Keywords: fluorescent protein; superfolder; split-GFP; bipartite; tripartite; folding; PPI 1. Superfolder Fluorescent Proteins: Progenitor of Split Fluorescent Protein (FP) Systems Previously described mutations that improve the physical properties and expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) color variants in the host organism have already been the subject of several reviews [1–4] and will not be described here.