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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.
Commonly used reporter...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Monitoring Cell-autonomous Circadian Clock Rhythms of Gene Expression Using Luciferase Bioluminescence Reporters

Monitoring Cell-autonomous Circadian Clock Rhythms of Gene Expression Using Luciferase Bioluminescence Reporters

Published on: September 27, 2012

A modular platform for bioluminescent RNA tracking.

Lila P Halbers¹, Kyle H Cole², Kevin K Ng¹

¹Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.

Nature Communications

|November 18, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a novel bioluminescent RNA imaging platform. This method enables sensitive, single-copy detection of RNA in cells and live animals, overcoming limitations of fluorescent probes.

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Flexible Measurement of Bioluminescent Reporters Using an Automated Longitudinal Luciferase Imaging Gas- and Temperature-optimized Recorder ALLIGATOR

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Monitoring Cell-autonomous Circadian Clock Rhythms of Gene Expression Using Luciferase Bioluminescence Reporters

Monitoring Cell-autonomous Circadian Clock Rhythms of Gene Expression Using Luciferase Bioluminescence Reporters

Published on: September 27, 2012

Real-time Imaging of Single Engineered RNA Transcripts in Living Cells Using Ratiometric Bimolecular Beacons

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Published on: August 6, 2014

Flexible Measurement of Bioluminescent Reporters Using an Automated Longitudinal Luciferase Imaging Gas- and Temperature-optimized Recorder ALLIGATOR

Flexible Measurement of Bioluminescent Reporters Using an Automated Longitudinal Luciferase Imaging Gas- and Temperature-optimized Recorder ALLIGATOR

Published on: December 13, 2017

Area of Science:

Molecular Biology
Biotechnology
Biophysics

Background:

Understanding RNA biology necessitates in vivo transcript tracking.
Current fluorogenic probes face limitations in sensitivity, dynamic range, and depth due to excitation light and autofluorescence.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a novel bioluminescent platform for serial RNA imaging in vivo.
To overcome the limitations of existing fluorescent RNA detection methods.

Main Methods:

Engineered RNA tags to recruit luciferase fragments (RNA lanterns) upon transcription.
Utilized bioluminescence for photon production and imaging of RNA targets.
Demonstrated detection in both cellular and live animal models.

Main Results:

Achieved robust photon production from RNA targets in cells and live animals.
Enabled sensitive detection with only a single copy of the RNA tag.
Showcased a significant improvement over multi-copy fluorescent platforms.

Conclusions:

The developed bioluminescent platform provides a foundational tool for RNA visualization.
This technology allows for sensitive, serial imaging of RNA dynamics across scales.
Offers a promising alternative for in vivo RNA tracking in biological research.