[Campbell Biology P.425] Why did the researchers choose to use a 'reporter gene' instead of ... | Practice Question

Why did the researchers choose to use a 'reporter gene' instead of directly measuring the expression of the mPGES-1 gene itself in this experiment?

  • A: The mPGES-1 gene is too difficult to isolate from human cells.
  • B: The cells used in the experiment already express their own mPGES-1 gene, which could confuse the results.
  • C: The reporter gene mRNA product is more stable than mPGES-1 mRNA.
  • D: The reporter gene is directly responsible for synthesizing prostaglandin.

Explanation

The text explicitly states: ' The mPGES-1 gene itself couldn't be used to measure expression levels because the cells express their own mPGES-1 gene, and the mRNA from that gene would confuse the results. ' This indicates that using a reporter gene avoids confounding results from endogenous gene expression.