CommentaryReporter gene technology: the future looks bright
Section snippets
Reporter gene technology
The term reporter gene is used to define a gene with a readily measurable phenotype that can be distinguished easily over a background of endogenous proteins [6]. Generally, such reporters are selected on the basis of the sensitivity, dynamic range, convenience, and reliability of their assay 6, 7, 8, 9. Reporter gene technology involves controlling the activity of such genes by defined cis-regulatory sequences (response elements), which are responsive to alterations in gene regulation and
Reporter genes
Table 1summarises some of the advantages and disadvantages of the most commonly used reporter genes and further details about specific assays and detection methods have been the subject of reviews elsewhere 7, 8, 9, 13, 14. In general, reporter genes have the advantage of low background activity in cells but amplify the signal from the cell surface to produce a highly sensitive, often easily detectable, response. The choice of reporter, however, will depend on the cell line used (endogenous
Promoter analysis
Reporter gene technology was first used as a method for analysing the activity of cis-acting genetic elements such as enhancers and promoters in the upstream regions of genes. Indeed, there are many recent studies utilising the technology in this way. For example, transcription elements responsible for the basal and tissue-specific expression of receptor genes (e.g. β1-adrenergic 37, 38, m1 muscarinic [39], luteinising hormone [40], CC chemokine [41], angiotensin II type 1 [42], and
Future prospects
The challenge facing cell and molecular biologists is to decipher how cellular events occur and are regulated at the single cell and organismal level. This will require the development of simple, sensitive, noninvasive methods for the visualisation of cellular events, and the versatility of the reporter gene technology in this regard has been highlighted in the numerous, although not exhaustive, set of applications covered in this and other reviews 13, 19, 20. The advantages of these assays are
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