Chapter 18.3, Problem 2MQ

Summary Introduction

The cells of bacteria can be altered by genetic engineering in order to make them autofluorescent. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) is composed of 238 amino acid residues and exhibits bright green fluorescence when it is exposed in light in the ultraviolet range. A gene which encodes the GFP can be inserted into any cultured bacterial genome. The GFP tagged bacterial cells fluoresce green under the ultraviolet microscopy when the gene (gfp) is expressed.