Multi-Color Single Molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (smFret)

The assembly of multi-protein complexes is a vital part of intracellular biology. High resolution methods for characterizing such multi-protein complexes are required to understand functions of these complexes at the mechanistic level. Single molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer is a promising method for both characterizing protein conformations and co-localizing different members of such multi-protein complexes. We present our progress towards developing an instrument for three and four color FRET studies at the single molecule level. This method will be useful for characterizing multi-protien complexes.