Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy

Abstract

Abstract Fluorescent lifetime imaging microscopy is a powerful tool to enhance the contrast in images of biological samples and to investigate the local environment of a fluorochrome. FLIM allows the detection of protein‐protein interactions and their biochemical state by the quantitative detection of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between molecules in living cells or tissues. The availability of different spectral variants of the visible fluorescent proteins (VFPs) allows the investigation of molecular activities and protein‐protein interactions in living cells by FRET as measured by FLIM.