Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Reporter Genes

Reporter Genes

Reporter genes are a type of protein-coding gene that are often tagged to a gene of interest. Once inside a target cell, reporter genes usually produce visually identifiable characteristics like fluorescence and luminescence when expressed along with the gene of interest. Thus, reporter genes “report” the presence or absence of genes of interest in an organism, determine the gene expression pattern, or track the physical location of a DNA segment or protein in the cell.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Stalled Progress in HIV Prevention for Trans Women in San Francisco: A Call for Upstream Solutions and Renewed Support for Public Health and Human Rights.

AIDS and behavior·2026

Same author

Multi-level Risks Associated with Partner and Client Violence Among Trans Women Who Do Sex Work in San Francisco, 2023-2024.

AIDS and behavior·2026

Same author

Oropouche virus RNA persistence and antibody kinetics: a multi-specimen, genomic and serological analysis.

Journal of travel medicine·2026

Same author

Understanding the role of overdose witnesses: responses and characteristics of people who inject drugs in Oakland and San Francisco.

Harm reduction journal·2026

Same author

Shifting Patterns of Injection Drug Use in San Francisco, United States: implications for Getting to Zero HIV Infections.

Substance use & misuse·2026

Same author

CRISPR-Cas9 trans-cleavage is hindered by a flanked R-loop, an elongated spacer, and an inactive HNH domain.

Nature communications·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 6, 2026

High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies

High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies

Published on: January 10, 2019

Measuring Plasmid Conjugation Using Fluorescent Reporters.

Carolina Palencia-Gandara¹, Raul Ruiz¹, Raul Fernandez-Lopez²

¹Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, Universidad de Cantabria-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Santander, Cantabria, Spain.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)

|October 5, 2019

Summary

We present three fluorescence-based methods for detecting plasmid conjugation, offering faster, high-throughput, and direct visualization alternatives to traditional techniques.

Keywords:

Bacterial conjugation Flow cytometry Fluorescent proteins Plasmid conjugation SeqA

More Related Videos

Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli

Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli

Published on: March 24, 2023

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Published on: December 14, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 6, 2026

High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies

High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies

Published on: January 10, 2019

Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli

Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli

Published on: March 24, 2023

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Published on: December 14, 2019

Area of Science:

Molecular Biology
Microbiology
Biotechnology

Background:

Traditional methods for detecting plasmid conjugation are often labor-intensive and time-consuming.
There is a growing need for faster and more efficient methods in biological research.
Fluorescence-based techniques offer advantages in speed, automation, and visualization.

Purpose of the Study:

To describe three novel fluorescence-based methods for the detection and quantitation of plasmid conjugation.
To provide alternatives to traditional, labor-intensive methods.
To highlight the utility of fluorescence in high-throughput screening and direct visualization.

Main Methods:

Flow cytometry for rapid and reliable detection of plasmid conjugation.
Fluorescence expression analysis for high-throughput screening of plasmid transfer.
Microscopic visualization for direct observation of plasmid transfer processes.

Main Results:

Flow cytometry provides a faster alternative to traditional plating methods for assessing plasmid conjugation.
Fluorescence expression enables efficient high-throughput analysis of conjugation events.
Microscopy allows for direct visualization and understanding of the dynamics of plasmid transfer.

Conclusions:

Fluorescence-based methods significantly improve the efficiency and scope of plasmid conjugation studies.
These techniques facilitate automation and high-throughput analysis, accelerating research.
Direct visualization offers deeper insights into the mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer.