A genetically encoded "live-cell" probe designed by researchers from Tokyo Tech has been able to identify phosphorylated Ser2 in the enzyme RNA polymerase II, subsequently identifying sites of the elongation phase of active transcription in living cells. This probe could be used to specifically image transcription elongation in real time in living animals, furthering gene regulation research by leaps and bounds.
In nuclei of all eukaryotic cells, an enzyme known as RNA polymerase II...