Gene Expression Technology

Reporter genes are widely used in molecular biology. In mammalian cells, expression of a gene encoding luciferase allows the monitoring of promoter activity through the measurement of light produced during catalysis. In yeast and procaryotic cells, the lacZ gene of Escherichia coli (encoding a β-galactosidase enzyme) is the most frequently used reporter gene. In the last decade, the use of genes encoding fluorescent proteins, such as the Aequorea green fluorescent protein (GFP), has become widespread. In Haemophilus influenzae , gene expression has been monitored successfully with both lacZ and gfp genes.