The original variant occurs naturally in the coral genus Discosoma, and is named DsRed.
Several new variants have been developed using directed mutagenesis[1] which fluoresce orange, red, and far-red.
[3] RFP is frequently used in molecular biology research as a fluorescent marker, for a variety of purposes.
Additionally, DsRed exists in a tetrameric form, which can affect the function of proteins to which it is attached.
Genetic engineering has improved the utility of RFP by increasing the speed of fluorescence development and creating monomeric variants.