title: β-Galactosidase staining of lacZ fusion proteins in whole tissue preparations.
abstract: The lacZ gene product, β-galactosidase, has classically been used as a reporter of gene expression. β-Galactosidase activity can be detected using a chromogenic substrate, X-gal, which leaves an intense blue precipitate when cleaved by the enzyme. Insertion of the lacZ coding DNA targeted into a specific gene creates a β-galactosidase-tagged fusion protein that is expressed under the endogenous promoter. Analysis of the hybrid protein takes advantage of the chromogenic detection system, as the distribution and relative abundance of the expressed protein can be efficiently visualized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Renping
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D007763:Lac Operon / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D016707:Tissue Fixation / Q000379:methods*; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D001616:beta-Galactosidase