title: A genetic reporter system to gauge cell proliferation rate.
abstract: In higher eukaryotes, E2F transcription factors often drive expression of genes necessary for the cell cycle, notably the G1/S phase transition. With conventional transcriptional reporter systems, expression of a reporter gene from an E2F-responsive promoter would allow one to identify the fraction of cells making this transition. Here, we have engineered an E2F-responsive genetic reporter system that outputs the proliferation rate. The system takes advantage of the long half-lives of fluorescent protein reporters and output signal normalization. By doing so, it converts dynamic pulses of E2F activity into an analog output proportional to the proliferation rate. Such a system should be useful for applications involving high-throughput drug or genetic screens, investigation of cellular environment, and biological engineering.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan W S
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.forename: Clifford L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000235:genetics*; D048708:Cell Growth Processes / Q000235:genetics*; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D050684:E2F Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000235:genetics*; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D057166:High-Throughput Screening Assays; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008957:Models, Genetic; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D014161:Transduction, Genetic
chemical_list: D050684:E2F Transcription Factors