Firefly luciferase as a reporter to study gene expression in Streptococcus mutans. |
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Authors: | S D Goodman Q Gao |
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Institution: | Department of Basic Sciences, University of Southern California School of Dentistry, 925 West 34th Street, Los Angeles, California 90089-0641, USA. sgoodman@hsc.usc.edu |
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Abstract: | The utility of firefly luciferase as a reporter was tested in Streptococcus mutans. Under control of an endogenous promoter, the luciferase coding sequence was strongly expressed, while a promoterless version was indistinguishable from the background. Luciferase activity was easily extracted and the assay rapid and reproducible. In addition, the half-life of luciferase activity was found to be comparable to those of other frequently used reporters. Thus, firefly luciferase can readily be used as a reporter in S. mutans, a useful alternative to methods requiring radioactive isotopes. |
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