Streamlined yeast colorimetric reporter activity assays using scanners andplate readers

Two-hybrid systems have become favored tools for detection and analysis of protein interactions because of their low cost and eas of use compared to b iochemical or biophysical interaction technologies. It is possible to augme nt the utility of two-hybrid systems and derivative systems such as dual-ba it tow-hybrid systems by adapting strategies that speed the analysis of the relative strength of a series of protein-protein associations. This report describes two simple techniques that employ either a flatbed scanner or a plate reader to quantitate the activity of colorimetric reporters such as L acZ or GusA commonly used in two-hybrid approaches.