title: Firefly luciferase as a reporter to study gene expression in Streptococcus mutans.
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.
authors.affiliation: 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
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000201:enzymology; D015870:Gene Expression; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D008156:Luciferases; C036655:1,3-alpha-D-glucan synthase; D005964:Glucosyltransferases