Yellow Fluorescent Protein (YFP) Plasmids — EYFP, Venus and Citrine

Yellow fluorescent proteins (YFPs) are widely used reporter proteins in molecular biology for visualizing gene expression, protein localization, and dynamic cellular processes in live mammalian cells. They are derived from GFP and engineered to emit in the yellow spectral range (~527–530 nm), making them ideal for multicolor imaging applications alongside GFP and red fluorescent proteins.

This collection includes the most commonly used YFP variants:

EYFP (Enhanced Yellow Fluorescent Protein)
Venus YFP
Citrine YFP

These fluorescent proteins differ in brightness, maturation speed, pH stability, and photostability, allowing researchers to choose the optimal variant depending on experimental requirements.

Key Applications

YFP-based plasmids are widely used in:

Live-cell fluorescence imaging
Protein localization studies
Gene expression reporters
FRET (Förster Resonance Energy Transfer) assays
Co-expression experiments with GFP and RFP systems
Quantitative fluorescence microscopy

YFP Variants in This Collection

EYFP (Enhanced Yellow Fluorescent Protein)

EYFP is one of the earliest optimized GFP derivatives for yellow emission. It provides strong fluorescence but is more sensitive to pH and has slower maturation compared to newer variants.

Venus YFP

Venus is a fast-maturing YFP engineered for efficient folding and bright fluorescence at 37°C in mammalian cells. It is widely used in live-cell imaging due to its improved stability and rapid maturation kinetics.

Citrine YFP

Citrine is a further engineered YFP variant with improved resistance to environmental sensitivity, including reduced pH sensitivity and improved photostability, making it well suited for long-term imaging experiments.