We intend to screen substances that impact promoter actvity. People usually have a promoter/luciferase gene construct and read luciferase activity with a luminometer. Besides LacZ, CAT and GFP, are there other alternatives which does not need a luminometer?
Have you considered Spinach and similar RNA aptamer-based fluorophores? It works like GFP in that it produces single-cell signals. The nice thing about it is that in principle, it reports mRNA production rather than downstream protein translation.
http://www.jaffreylab.org/Pages/Spinach.aspx
SEAP (secreted alkaline phosphatase) has been used as a reporter for live cells. You can sample the growth medium and do periodic sampling over time without killing the cells, but you can't get single-cell data.
http://www.invivogen.com/seap-reporter-gene-system
Thanks Karmella, I knew SEAP superficially but not of Spinach. I will take a look.
Thank you very much.
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