Luciferase and green fluorescent protein reporter genes as tools to determine protein abundance and intracellular dynamics

Abstract

To get insight into molecular mechanisms governing plant development, the dynamics of abundance and cellular localisation of signalling components need to be understood. Luciferase and green fluorescent protein (GFP)-derived reporters are suitable markers to determine dynamic signalling processes in vivo. Here, analysis of phytochrome A (phyA) photoreceptor dynamics during early seedling development is used as an example of how in vitro and in vivo luciferase assays as well as GFP-imaging can be used to probe signalling dynamics.