Reporter Gene Expression Assays
Reporter genes are nucleic acid sequences encoding easily assayed proteins. They are used to accompany other coding regions whose protein products are difficult to assay.
The most commonly used reporter genes are:
- GFP (green fluorescent protein): Fluorescence emission after excitation.
- LUC (luciferase): Oxidizes luciferin, emitting photons at 560 nm.
- CAT (chloramphenicol acetyltransferase): Transfers radioactive acetyl groups to chloramphenicol; detection by thin layer chromatography and autoradiography.
- GAL (b-galactosidase): Hydrolyzes colorless galactosides to yield colored products.
- GUS (b-glucuronidase): Hydrolyzes colorless glucuronides to yield
colored products.
Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)
The green fluorescent protein
(GFP) from the jellyfish Aequorea Victoria is a frequently used reporter
protein for monitoring gene expression and protein localization in a variety
of cells and organisms. Applications using GFP reporters have expanded
due to the availability of mutants with altered spectral properties. Now
there are a number of GFP variants known with excitation maxima ranging
from blue to red excitation. The GFP emission can be effectively detected
and measured by a In-Vivo & In-Vitro Imaging System
GFP expression living mouse
mouse lung
mouse liver
