Li, Gene-WeiXie, Xiaoliang2013-03-122011Li, Gene-Wei and X. Sunney Xie. 2012. Central dogma at the single-molecule level in living cells. Nature 475(7356): 308-315.0028-0836http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:10386976Gene expression originates from individual DNA molecules within living cells. Like many single-molecule processes, gene expression and regulation are stochastic, that is, sporadic in time. This leads to heterogeneity in the messenger RNA and protein copy numbers in a population of cells with identical genomes. With advanced single-cell fluorescence microscopy, it is now possible to quantify transcriptomes and proteomes with single-molecule sensitivity. Dynamic processes such as transcription factor binding, transcription and translation can be monitored in real time, providing quantitative descriptions of gene expression and regulation, and the demonstration that a single-molecule event can determine the phenotype of a cell.en-USJournal Article2013-03-1210.1038/nature10315