This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. DsRed, a brilliantly red fluorescent protein, was recently cloned from Discosoma coral (Matz et al (1999) Nature Biotech. 17: 969-973) by homology to the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) from the jellyfish Aequorea. Using computational methods, we have aided in the explanation for the structure and associated properties of DsRed.