Visualizing Gene-Expression Patterns

This tutorial describes methods used to detect when and where genes are expressed in cells and tissues.

To understand what a gene does, particularly its role in an organism's development, scientists want to know where and when the gene is turned on. This Click & Learn explores different ways of detecting a gene’s product: protein. The methods shown use antibodies linked to a fluorescent molecule, messenger RNA (mRNA) with a complementary DNA or RNA probe linked to a protein tag, or reporter genes that are expressed with the gene of interest.