Thoughts on Fluorescence Recovery Analysis

The inherent tendency of fluorescent molecules to photobleach has been turned into a very powerful tool for the study of molecular trafficking. By targeting a region of interest for laser-mediated photobleaching, biologists can study how fast the molecules go in and out of the bleached zone and deduce molecular turnover rate from the fluorescence recovery. If a certain type of molecules turns over very fast within the bleached zone, the fluorescence recovery will be rapid.