Gemini, a bifunctional enzymatic and fluorescent reporter of gene expression.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The development of collections of quantitatively characterized standard biological parts should facilitate the engineering of increasingly complex and novel biological systems. The existing enzymatic and fluorescent reporters that are used to characterize biological part functions exhibit strengths and limitations. Combining both enzymatic and fluorescence activities within a single reporter protein would provide a useful tool for biological part characterization.

Methodology/principal findings

Here, we describe the construction and quantitative characterization of Gemini, a fusion between the beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) alpha-fragment and the N-terminus of full-length green fluorescent protein (GFP). We show that Gemini exhibits functional beta-gal activity, wh

SUBMITTER: Martin L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2766624 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature