So, I came up with a crazy idea. Actually, my brain put together some random information, data, and combined it into an interesting idea of which I partook of it to be a fun, interesting idea.

 

Would it be possible to insert the GFP gene into flora of the human body (gut, skin, etc) and have them live on the body, reproduce, and glow?

 

So, in general, my idea is like this:

 

1. Take some bacteria from my mouth

2. Insert the GFP gene into them

3. Swish the bacteria back into my mouth

4. Smile and walk away

 

Now if I spit on the ground in a room, wait maybe 20 seconds, and then turn off the lights, then my spit should glow. Right?

If that's not right, isn't there a way this could be done?

 

It'd be so cool and trendy.

Several things:

1) you need to isolate a pure culture first. establishing working protocols on a community is nigh impossible

2) you have to find an isolate that is amendable to genetic manipulation, possibly requiring the development of new vectors

3) chances your modified beast won't propagate and just vanish

if you spit on the ground a) the amount of GFP bacteria will be near zero (even if everything else works). Also GFP requires excitation light in the blue range. So you won't see anything in the end (even with excitation).

 

You could sterilize your mouth and hope that your new strain colonizes it properly (even if only transiently). None of which I would recommend you to do, of course.