Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
Abstract:
The in vivo identification and characterization of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are essential to understand cellular events in living organisms. In this review, we focus on protein complementation assays (PCAs) that have been developed to detect in vivo protein interactions as well as their modulation or spatial and temporal changes. The uses of PCAs are increasing, spanning different areas such as the study of biochemical networks, screening for protein inhibitors and determination of drug effects. Emphasis is given to approaches that rely on signals of spectroscopic nature (i.e. fluorescence or luminescence), the ones that are more directly related to bioimaging.