Generation of a versatile BiFC ORFeome library for analyzing protein–protein interactions in live Drosophila

Abstract

We present a set of fly lines, called 'multicolor BiFC library', which covers most of the <i>Drosophila</i> transcription factors for performing Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC). The multicolor BiFC library can be used to probe two different binary interactions simultaneously and is compatible for large-scale interaction screens. The library can also be coupled with established <i>Drosophila</i> genetic resources to analyze interactions in the developmentally relevant expression domain of each protein partner. We provide proof of principle experiments of these various applications, using Hox proteins in the live <i>Drosophila</i> embryo as a case study. Overall this novel collection of ready-to-use fly lines constitutes an unprecedented genetic toolbox for the identification and analysis of protein-protein interactions in vivo.