mCherry Fused to Human Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK)
mCherry is one of several "mFruit" fluorescent proteins developed from the first generation red fluorescent protein (mRFP1) via a directed evolution approach. The peak excitation and emission wavelengths of mCherry, which exhibits intrinsic brightness approximately half that of EGFP, are 587 and 610 nanometers, respectively. In the digital image above, mCherry fused to human focal adhesion kinase (FAK) highlights regions of contact between cells and the extracellular matrix. Research indicates that FAK plays an important role in integrin signaling, focal adhesion, and cell motility.