Reporter gene assays are experimental setups where a reporter gene is linked to a regulatory sequence of a gene of interest. When a toxicant affects the transcriptional activity of that regulatory sequence, the reporter gene's expression changes accordingly. Commonly used reporter genes include luciferase, green fluorescent protein (GFP), and β-galactosidase. The activity of these reporters is easy to quantify, making them ideal for high-throughput screening.
