Inferring gene expression dynamics from reporter protein levels.

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Systems Biology
• Biophysics

Background:

• Reporter protein assays are widely used to study gene expression dynamics.
• Direct visual inspection of reporter protein data can be unreliable for estimating temporal dynamics, especially when protein half-life is similar to expression timescales.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a general mathematical method for inferring gene expression dynamics from reporter protein assays.
• To reconstruct protein synthesis patterns without assuming specific regulatory mechanisms.

Main Methods:

• A novel mathematical method was developed to analyze time-series data from reporter protein assays and cell populations.
• The method focuses on reconstructing the protein synthesis rate.

Main Results:

• The developed method reliably infers gene expression dynamics, outperforming direct visual inspection.
• The method is robust to various error types and applicable across diverse cell types and reporter systems.
• Uncertainty in reporter protein decay rates was identified as a key limitation.

Conclusions:

• The presented mathematical method offers a robust and generalizable approach for analyzing gene expression dynamics.
• Improved estimates of reporter protein decay rates will further enhance the accuracy of this method for reconstructing temporal gene expression patterns.