Direct observation of frequency modulated transcription in single cells using light activation.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 24069527.
- Also identified by DOI 10.7554/eLife.00750 and PMC identifier 3780543.
- Licence recorded as CC0.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Single-cell analysis has revealed that transcription is dynamic and stochastic, but tools are lacking that can determine the mechanism operating at a single gene. Here we utilize single-molecule observations of RNA in fixed and living cells to develop a single-cell model of steroid-receptor mediated gene activation. We determine that steroids drive mRNA synthesis by frequency modulation of transcription. This digital behavior in single cells gives rise to the well-known analog dose response across the population. To test this model, we developed a light-activation technology to turn on a single steroid-responsive gene and follow dynamic synthesis of RNA from the activated locus. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00750.001.
Medical subject headings
- Light
- Transcription, Genetic