Luminescent polypeptides.
Jieyu BaoChuanye TongMengxuan HeHaoke ZhangPublished in: Luminescence : the journal of biological and chemical luminescence (2023)
Polypeptides, as biomacromolecules, hold immense potential in various biological applications, such as tissue engineering, immunomodulating agents, and target binding. Among these applications, the attention towards luminescent polypeptides has grown significantly, owing to their ability to visualize biological processes effectively. In this perspective, we have compiled information on three distinct types of luminescent polypeptides: natural fluorescent proteins, luminophores-bioconjugated polypeptides, and synthesized polypeptides with clusteroluminescence. Lastly, we shed light on the significance and prospects of clusteroluminescent polypeptides, which are expected to emerge as crucial new-generation bioluminophores, offering high emission efficiency and tunable emission wavelengths.