Patent ID: 7993879

Claim:
A fluorescent fusion protein indicator comprising: a binding protein moiety having an analyte-binding region which binds an analyte and causes the indicator to change conformation upon exposure to the analyte and wherein the binding protein moiety further includes a peptide-binding region for binding a target peptide moiety; a linker polypeptide moiety between about 1 amino acid residue and about 30 amino acid residues in length that links the binding protein and the target peptide moiety; a target peptide moiety; a donor fluorescent protein moiety; and an acceptor fluorescent protein moiety; wherein the binding protein moiety, the linker polypeptide moiety, the target peptide moiety, the donor fluorescent protein moiety, and the acceptor fluorescent protein moiety together form a single polypeptide chain in which one of the donor fluorescent protein moiety or the acceptor fluorescent protein moiety is located at the carboxy terminus of the single polypeptide chain and the other of the donor fluorescent protein moiety or the acceptor fluorescent protein moiety is located at the amino terminus of the single polypeptide chain; and wherein the donor fluorescent protein moiety and the acceptor fluorescent protein moiety change position relative to each other when the analyte binds to the analyte-binding region, altering fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the donor fluorescent protein moiety and the acceptor fluorescent protein moiety when the donor fluorescent protein moiety and the acceptor fluorescent protein moiety when the donor fluorescent protein moiety is excited and the donor fluorescent protein moiety and the acceptor fluorescent protein moiety are Aequorea -related or Renilla -related fluorescent protein moieties.