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When exposed to a fluorescence excitation flashlight, these aggregating anemones (Anthopleura elegantissima) light up due to their natural expression of green fluorescent protein.

The Scientist Staff

Aug 26, 2015

NIGHTSEA, CHARLES MAZEL

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To flag neurons that have experienced genotoxic stress, researchers developed an in vivo sensor using an adeno-associated viral vector, called PRISM. Because a cell’s DNA damage response (DDR)—which activates in response to stressors such as environmental toxins or the buildup of misfolded proteins—also responds to invading pathogens, PRISM has an easier time transfecting cells whose damage response mechanisms are preoccupied with existing DNA damage. Once inside, the virus hijacks the neuron’s DNA replication machinery, which reverts an engineered frameshift mutation in the virus and thereby prompts the production of a fluorescent protein that can be observed via microscopy.

Infographic: DNA Damage Viewed with Unprecedented Clarity

DNA Damage Viewed with Unprecedented Clarity

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Green-tinged image of fly eye with shiny and black portions

New CRISPR Technique Causes Few Unintended Mutations in Fruit Flies

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