Recombinant proteins containing tetracysteine tags can be successively labeled in living cells with different colors of biarsenical
fluorophores so that older and younger protein molecules can be sharply distinguished by both fluorescence and electron microscopy.
«We basically deconstruct the targeting molecule into little pieces and scatter them around
the fluorophore so that in three dimensions it's a very compact molecule,» says Frangioni, who coined the novel arrangement «structure - inherent targeting.»