Really odd question

[jebbypal]

Okay, if anyone has any friends on their flists that are in research or just happen to know a lot about gene expression, I'd really appreciate it if you direct them here. My specialty is immunology even if my project is control of gene expression and I'm far from an expert on this but the question is driving me nuts and I can't think of anyone RL to ask about it yet.


Okay, so here's the deal --- I'm looking at the expression of a gene and all the promoter studies have been done via LPS, PMA, or CD3 stimulation. However, it is known that a cytokine can upregulate it's expression and is debated whether the cytokine actually induces expression on it's own (arguments being ELISA doesn't detect, RNA depends on which cell type you look at, and possibilities of endotoxin/lps contamination). However, it does act synergistically with LPS to increase expression.

However, by luciferase studies, the cytokine can't drive luciferase expression through any combo of the expressed genes promoter or intronic sequences. I do know that cytokine treatment causes alteration in histone modifications.

Soo, are there genes in which you can drive gene expression without being able to get a positive result from a luciferase assay?

Comments

[verrucaria.livejournal.com]

Heh, thanks for adding me, but I'm afraid that I'll be quite useless to you. I'm really largely an amateur when it comes to gene expression. You should post your dilemma to communities such as lab_gripes, _scientists_, genepool, biology, or in some biochem/molecular forum. I'm more into phylogenetics and stuff (but sometimes seem clueless even about that). Good luck!

Where do you go to school?

[jebbypal]

LOL, well I was looking around for communities like that and just saw that you had a bunch of algae stuff on your user info -- I'm a sucker for phycology even though no one knows what I'm talking about since I took it in college.

I'm at U Penn (aka the votech of the ivy leagues). You?

Thanks for the names of the communities -- random word searching with biology and gene in them wasn't getting LJ to cooperate. And I'm tired of googling my question and not getting answers.

[verrucaria.livejournal.com]

I'm at this tiny little research school called Clark University, scrambling to finish up my master's thesis (some phylogenetics and some real time PCR type stuff with diatoms). Next semester I'll be starting at UConn doing systematics of desert soil chlorophyta. Riveting, I know, but I like making trees. My work will combine molecular and morphological approaches. Thus far, I haven't done anything with morphology in algae. Will have a lot to learn.

Well, UPenn has something of a name, and hopefully your advisor will hook you up with all the contacts you need. I'll have a lot more problems coming out of UConn (if I survive). Granted, not very many other schools out there are big on algal phylogenetics/systematics, but then there isn't so much demand for that kind of stuff. We'll see.