Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026
Imaging Cell Shape Change in Living Drosophila Embryos
Published on: March 30, 2011
Live Imaging of mRNA Transcription in Drosophila Embryos
Carmina Angelica Perez-Romero1,2, Huy Tran1,3, Mathieu Coppey4
1Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Nuclear Dynamics, Paris, France.
Abstract:
Live imaging has been used in recent years for the understanding of dynamic processes in biology, such as embryo development. This was made possible by a combination of advancements in microscopy, leading to improved signal-to-noise ratios and better spatial and temporal resolutions, and by the development of new fluorescence markers, allowing for the quantification of protein expression and transcriptional dynamics in vivo. Here we describe a general protocol, which can be used in standard confocal microscopes to image early Drosophila melanogaster embryos, in order to learn about the transcriptional dynamics of a fluorescently labeled RNA.
Related Concept Videos
02:51mRNA Stability and Gene Expression
Cis-acting Elements involved in mRNA stability
01:10Transcription
Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence. Additionally, many other proteins and regulatory sequences are involved in the proper synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA). Regulation of transcription is responsible for the differentiation of all the different types of cells and often for the proper cellular response to environmental signals.
Transcription Can Produce Different Kinds...
02:01pre-mRNA Processing
Once about 20-40 ribonucleotides have been joined together by RNA polymerase, a group of enzymes adds a “cap” to the 5’ end of the growing transcript. In this process, a 5’ phosphate is replaced by modified guanosine that has a methyl group attached to it (7-Methyl...
02:31Nuclear Export of mRNA
02:42Transcription Attenuation in Prokaryotes
There are several different mechanisms used to attenuate transcription. In ribosome mediated...
02:35Transcription Elongation Factors
The transcription elongation is regulated via pausing of RNA polymerase on several occasions during transcription. In bacteria, these halts are necessary because the transcription of DNA into mRNA is coupled to the translation of that mRNA...