Harnessing miniature optics to visualise dynamic gene expression in real-time in living animals

基因表达是一个分子过程？会开启和关闭基因吗在我们的细胞中，从而调节蛋白质的生产，使我们的有机体正常运作。?记者？诸如荧光素酶和GFP（今年因其发现而获得诺贝尔奖）的蛋白质产生光，其结果是它们的表达可以以准确和生理相容的方式容易地检测。目前，我们可以用非侵入性工具看到活的麻醉动物的光发射，从而能够量化表达。这些方法有局限性，包括需要麻醉（这可能会改变基因表达）和相对较差的分辨率。建立一个大幅度改进的系统，在有意识的动物中提供高分辨率的使用所需的基本组件已经存在（光纤，微透镜，微型检测系统）。通过生物学家和光学物理学家的共同努力，我们建议迈出实现这一目标的第一步，我们建议使用表达荧光素酶和eGFP的转基因大鼠作为开发这项技术的工具。

Gene expression is a molecular process that ?switches genes on and off? in our cells, thereby regulating the production of proteins for the correct functioning of our organism. ?Reporter? proteins such us luciferase and GFP (the Nobel Prize was awarded this year for its discovery), produce light as a consequence of which their expression can be readily detected in a manner that is accurate and physiologically compatible. Currently we can see light emission from live, anaesthetised animals with non-invasive tools and are thus able to quantify expression. These methods have limitations including the requirement for anaesthesia (which can alter gene expression) and relatively poor resolution. The basic components required to establish a substantially improved system to deliver high-resolution use in the conscious animal already exist (fibre optics, micro-lenses, miniature detection systems). Through a joint effort between biologists and optical physicists we propose to take the first step to realising that goal and we propose to use transgenic rats that express luciferase and eGFP as tools for developing this technology.