Editing Reporter gene (section)

==Common Reporter Genes==
To introduce a reporter gene into an organism, scientists place the reporter gene and the gene of interest in the same [[DNA construct]] to be inserted into the cell or organism. For [[bacteria]] or [[Prokaryote|prokaryotic cells]] in culture, this is usually in the form of a circular DNA molecule called a [[plasmid]]. For [[viruses]], this is known as a [[viral vector]]. It is important to use a reporter gene that is not natively expressed in the cell or organism under study, since the expression of the reporter is being used as a marker for successful uptake of the gene of interest.<ref name=":5" />

Commonly used reporter genes that induce visually identifiable characteristics usually involve [[Fluorescence|fluorescent]] and [[Luminescence|luminescent]] proteins. Examples include the gene that encodes jellyfish [[green fluorescent protein]] (GFP), which causes [[Cell (biology)|cells]] that express it to glow green under blue or ultraviolet light, the enzyme [[luciferase]], which catalyzes a reaction with [[luciferin]] to produce light,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=van Thor |first1=Jasper J. |last2=Gensch |first2=Thomas |last3=Hellingwerf |first3=Klaas J. |last4=Johnson |first4=Louise N. |date=January 2002 |title=Phototransformation of green fluorescent protein with UV and visible light leads to decarboxylation of glutamate 222 |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nsb739 |journal=Nature Structural Biology |language=en |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=37–41 |doi=10.1038/nsb739 |pmid=11740505 |issn=1545-9985|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and the red fluorescent protein from the gene [[dsRed]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Soboleski |first1=Mark R. |last2=Oaks |first2=Jason |last3=Halford |first3=William P. |date=2005 |title=Green fluorescent protein is a quantitative reporter of gene expression in individual eukaryotic cells |journal=The FASEB Journal |language=en |volume=19 |issue=3 |pages=440–442 |doi=10.1096/fj.04-3180fje |doi-access=free |issn=1530-6860 |pmc=1242169 |pmid=15640280}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Smale |first=Stephen T. |date=2010-05-01 |title=Luciferase Assay |url=https://cshprotocols.cshlp.org/content/2010/5/pdb.prot5421 |journal=Cold Spring Harbor Protocols |language=en |volume=2010 |issue=5 |pages=pdb.prot5421 |doi=10.1101/pdb.prot5421 |issn=1940-3402 |pmid=20439408|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jach |first1=Guido |last2=Binot |first2=Elke |last3=Frings |first3=Sabine |last4=Luxa |first4=Kerstin |last5=Schell |first5=Jeff |date=2001 |title=Use of red fluorescent protein from Discosoma sp. (dsRED) as a reporter for plant gene expression |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-313X.2001.01153.x |journal=The Plant Journal |language=en |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=483–491 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-313X.2001.01153.x |pmid=11737785 |issn=1365-313X|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Qixiang |last2=Walawage |first2=Sriema L. |last3=Tricoli |first3=David M. |last4=Dandekar |first4=Abhaya M. |last5=Leslie |first5=Charles A. |date=2015-05-01 |title=A red fluorescent protein (DsRED) from Discosoma sp. as a reporter for gene expression in walnut somatic embryos |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00299-015-1749-1 |journal=Plant Cell Reports |language=en |volume=34 |issue=5 |pages=861–869 |doi=10.1007/s00299-015-1749-1 |bibcode=2015PCelR..34..861Z |issn=1432-203X|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last1=Mikkelsen |first1=Lisbeth |last2=Sarrocco |first2=Sabrina |last3=Lübeck |first3=Mette |last4=Jensen |first4=Dan Funck |date=2003-06-01 |title=Expression of the red fluorescent protein DsRed-Express in filamentous ascomycete fungi |url=https://academic.oup.com/femsle/article-abstract/223/1/135/515928?redirectedFrom=fulltext |journal=FEMS Microbiology Letters |volume=223 |issue=1 |pages=135–139 |doi=10.1016/S0378-1097(03)00355-0 |pmid=12799012 |issn=0378-1097}}</ref> The [[GUS reporter system|GUS]] gene has been commonly used in plants, but luciferase and [[Green fluorescent protein|GFP]] are becoming more common.<ref name=":7">{{Citation |last1=Hull |first1=Gillian A. |title=The β-Glucuronidase (gus) Reporter Gene System |date=1995 |work=Plant Gene Transfer and Expression Protocols |pages=125–141 |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Heddwyn |url=https://link.springer.com/protocol/10.1385/0-89603-321-X:125 |access-date=2025-04-04 |place=Totowa, NJ |publisher=Springer New York |language=en |doi=10.1385/0-89603-321-x:125 |isbn=978-1-59259-536-5 |last2=Devic |first2=Martine|pmid=8563799 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite journal |last1=Koo |first1=Jachoon |last2=Kim |first2=Yumi |last3=Kim |first3=Jeongsik |last4=Yeom |first4=Miji |last5=Lee |first5=In Chul |last6=Nam |first6=Hong Gil |date=2007-08-01 |title=A GUS/Luciferase Fusion Reporter for Plant Gene Trapping and for Assay of Promoter Activity with Luciferin-Dependent Control of the Reporter Protein Stability |url=https://academic.oup.com/pcp/article-abstract/48/8/1121/1846797?redirectedFrom=fulltext |journal=Plant and Cell Physiology |volume=48 |issue=8 |pages=1121–1131 |doi=10.1093/pcp/pcm081 |pmid=17597079 |issn=0032-0781}}</ref>

A common reporter in bacteria is the [[Escherichia coli|''E. coli'']] [[Lac operon|''lacZ'']] gene, which encodes the protein [[beta-galactosidase]].<ref name=":5" /> This enzyme causes bacteria expressing the gene to appear blue when grown on a medium that contains the [[substrate analog]] [[X-gal]]. An example of a selectable marker, which is also a reporter in bacteria, is the [[chloramphenicol acetyltransferase]] (CAT) gene, which confers resistance to the antibiotic [[chloramphenicol]].<ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |last=Smale |first=Stephen T. |date=2010-05-01 |title=Chloramphenicol Acetyltransferase Assay |url=https://cshprotocols.cshlp.org/content/2010/5/pdb.prot5422 |journal=Cold Spring Harbor Protocols |language=en |volume=2010 |issue=5 |pages=pdb.prot5422 |doi=10.1101/pdb.prot5422 |issn=1940-3402 |pmid=20439409|url-access=subscription }}</ref>