Difficulty in Measuring Gene Expression

In part characterization, one important measurement is the level of expression of a protein as it directly affects the activities of the constructs we interpret. It is always a fine balance between disrupting the normal cell vitality and having sufficient expression to produce clear and resolved signals. The conventional approach to measure gene expression is through quantitative PCR, where cDNA of the mRNA transcripts are amplified to indicate expression level. However, due to the fundamental fluctuations of expression level and cell activities across different cells, seeking a house-keeping gene is often necessary to provide a common basis of measurement.

 Diversifying Measurement

Hence, to explore the different ways and explore different method, we diversified our approaches to measuring specifically gene editing events. From the traditional sequencing analysis to luciferase luminescence reporter and to attempt to use bacteria survival. We believe our methods of measurement can be integrated into one complete toolkit for measuring gene editing activities.