Green fluorescent protein as a reporter to monitor gene expression and food colonization by Aspergillus flavus

Research was conducted to examine the feasibility of using the green fluorescent protein (GFP) of Aequorea victoria as a tag to follow the growth of Aspergillus flavus. One of the advantages of using GFP as an in vivo reporter for monitoring dynamic processes in cells or organisms is its ability to be measured directly without additional substrates, cofactors or proteins. Results indicate that the use of modified GFP in strains of A. flavus could facilitate the detection of the fungus in substrates.