Accurate measurement of the amount of specific protein a cell produces is important for investigating basic molecular processes.

Researchers have developed a technique that allows for quantitation of protein levels in single cells in vivo. This protein quantitation ratioing (PQR) technique uses a genetic tag that produces a stoichiometric ratio of a fluorescent protein reporter and the protein of interest during protein translation.

The fluorescence intensity is proportional to the number of molecules produced of the protein of interest and is used to determine the relative amount of protein within the cell.

They use PQR to quantify protein expression of different genes using quantitative imaging, electrophysiology, and phenotype.

The authors use genome editing to insert Protein Quantitation Reporters into endogenous genomic loci in three different genomes for quantitation of endogenous protein levels.

The PQR technique will allow for a wide range of quantitative experiments examining gene-to-phenotype relationships with greater accuracy.

http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/abstract/S2211-1247(15)01363-7