1932

Abstract

Both the transcription of mRNAs from genes and their subsequent translation into proteins are inherently stochastic biochemical events, and this randomness can lead to substantial cell-to-cell variability in mRNA and protein numbers in otherwise identical cells. Recently, a number of studies have greatly enhanced our understanding of stochastic processes in gene expression by utilizing new methods capable of counting individual mRNAs and proteins in cells. In this review, we examine the insights that these studies have yielded in the field of stochastic gene expression. In particular, we discuss how these studies have played in understanding the properties of bursts in gene expression. We also compare the array of different methods that have arisen for single mRNA and protein detection, highlighting their relative strengths and weaknesses. In conclusion, we point out further areas where single-molecule techniques applied to gene expression may lead to new discoveries.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.biophys.37.032807.125928
2009-06-09
2024-10-08
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.biophys.37.032807.125928
Loading
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.biophys.37.032807.125928
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Review Article
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error