Abstract
Two important marker proteins used in plant gene expression studies are green fluorescent protein (GFP) and β-glucuronidase (GUS). We have compared the utility of each in the analysis of a relatively weakArabidopsis thaliana promoter. The background green fluorescence of arabidopsis tissues and organs has been catalogued. This background fluorescence makes it difficult to detect weak promoter activity driving GFP, a problem compounded by the lack of amplification of the GFP signal. In the case of β-glucuronidase, due to diffusion of the enzymatic product, GUS may over-report promoter activity. However, because of the enzymatic amplification of the signal and the low β-glucuronidase activity of untransformed arabidopsis tissues, weak promoter activity is more easily and more accurately detected using GUS.
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Mantis, J., Tague, B.W. Comparing the utility of β-glucuronidase and green fluorescent protein for detection of weak promoter activity inArabidopsis thaliana . Plant Mol Biol Rep 18, 319–330 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02825059
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02825059