Protocol describes a split luciferase complementation assay used to study the interaction of proteins in cells. In the split protein strategy, a single reporter protein/enzyme (firefly luciferase [Fluc]) is cleaved into amino-terminal and carboxy-terminal halves; each half is fused to one of two interacting proteins, X & Y. Physical interactions between the two proteins reconstitute the functional reporter protein, leading to enzymatic activities that can be measured by in vitro or in vivo assay