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PMID: 8144484 Published · ppublish English Comparative Study Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Use of transcriptional fusions to monitor gene expression: a cautionary tale.

Journal of bacteriology ·Vol. 176 ·No. 7 ·1994-04-00 ·Pages 2128-32

Forsberg AJ, Pavitt GD, Higgins CF

Abstract

Gene fusions are frequently used to facilitate studies of gene expression and promoter activity. We have found that certain reporter genes can, themselves, influence promoter activity. For example, the commonly used luxAB reporter genes can activate or repress transcription from a subset of promoters, generating data apparently at odds with those obtained with other reporter genes. These effects are probably related to an intrinsically curved DNA segment in the 5' coding sequence of the luxA gene. Thus, caution must be observed when one is interpreting results obtained with a single reporter gene system such as luxAB.

MeSH Terms
Artifacts Base Sequence Gene Expression/genetics Genes, Bacterial/genetics Genes, Reporter/genetics Luciferases/genetics Molecular Sequence Data Nucleic Acid Conformation Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics Transcription, Genetic
Chemicals
Recombinant Fusion Proteins Luciferases
Authors & Affiliations
3 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Forsberg A J
Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, United Kingdom.
Pavitt G D
Higgins C F
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Article Info
Journal
Journal of bacteriology
Abbr.
J Bacteriol
ISSN
0021-9193
DOI
10.1128/jb.176.7.2128-2132.1994
Published
1994-04-00
Pages
2128-32
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
2985120R
PMCID
PMC205324
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1128/jb.176.7.2128-2132.1994 PMC Full Text View journal details
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