Diese Arbeit wurde von NIH Zuschusses GM68418 unterstützt.

Die Autoren erklären, dass sie keine finanziellen Interessen haben.

In den letzten Jahren haben viele Studien unterschiedliche quantitative Mikroskopie - Assays für fixierte Zellen entwickelt. 42 Die Fortschritte in der Biologie Zentromer-Kinetochor erfordert oft ein Verständnis für die Zentromer-spezifischen oder kinetochore spezifische Funktion von Proteinen , von denen subzellulärer räumlich-zeitliche Regulation die wechselnden Funktionen widerspiegelt diese Proteine ​​während des Zellzyklus. Daher entwickelten wir hier Methoden der IIF-Färbung und einer quantit...

&quot;Zentromere&quot; wurden klassisch definiert als Regionen unterdrückter meiotischen Rekombination in der Genetik und später als primäre Einschnürung der mitotischen Chromosomen erkannt, die während der Mitose eine wesentliche Rolle bei der genauen Chromosomensegregation spielt. &quot;Kinetochore&quot; wurden als die Mehrschichtstrukturen beschrieben, die an der Oberfläche des Zentromeren an Mikrotubuli binden, wie durch Elektronenmikroskopie ergab; &quot;Kinetochore&quot; wurden später als die hochmolekularen Komplex definiert, die am Zentromer von mitotischen Chromosomen lokalisiert. Trotz einer dramatischen Divergenz der Zentromer-DNA-Sequenzen unter den Wirbeltieren, kinetochore Struktur und Zusammensetzung sind hoch konserviert. Eine dynamische Wechselwirkung zwischen Mikrotubuli und dem Spindel kinetochore für treue Segregation der Chromosomen während der Mitose erforderlich ist, und Defekte in Zentromer-kinetochore Funktion führen zu Aneuploidie und damit Krebs. Das Zentromer in den meisten Eukaryotenhat keine DNA-Sequenz definiert, wird aber von großen Arrays (0,3-5 Mb) repetitiver DNA alphoid bestehend aus 171-bp α-Satelliten-DNA zusammengesetzt ist. Außer in Bäckerhefe wird Zentromer Identität nicht von der DNA - Sequenz erreicht , sondern durch die Anwesenheit eines speziellen Nukleosomen, die die Histon - H3 - Variante CENH3 (Zentromer - Protein A [CENP-A] in Menschen) enthält. 5 CENP-A Nukleosomen lokalisieren zu der Innenplatte von Säugetier Kinetochore 7 und binden sich an das 171-bp - α-Satelliten - DNA. Aktive Romeren erfordern CENP-A-haltigen Nukleosomen die Rekrutierung eines konstitutiven Zentromer-assoziierten Netzwerk (CCAN) und die kinetochore Proteine ​​zu richten, die zusammen die Befestigung der Chromosomen auf die mitotische Spindel und nachfolgenden Zyklus Progression durch den Spindel-Checkpoint zu regulieren. In Anbetracht der obigen Beweis, CENP-A wurde vorgeschlagen , die epigenetische Markierung der Zentromer zu 8; jedoch ist der Prozess, mit dem CENP-A i inkorporiertnto Zentromer-DNA und die Faktoren für diese Integration verantwortlich sind noch nicht gut charakterisiert. Eine kurze Zentromer-Targeting - Domäne (CATD) in der Histon liegt Region CENP-A falten, und Ersatz des entsprechenden Bereichs von H3 mit dem CATD reicht aus, um direkten H3 an den Zentromer. 9 Mehrere Studien legten nahe , funktionelle Rolle für die post-translationale Modifikation (PTM) von CENP-A - 12-16; jedoch haben die molekularen Mechanismen dieser PTMs von CENP-A in der Einstellung zum Zentromeren noch nicht aufgeklärt. Wir bereits berichtet , dass CUL4A-RBX1-COPS8 E3 - Ligase - Aktivität für CENP-A K124 Ubiquitinierung und Lokalisierung von CENP-A bis Romeren erforderlich ist. 17 Die Entdeckung und Charakterisierung von kinetochore Proteine ​​, um neue Erkenntnisse in Bezug auf die Chromosomensegregation geführt. 18 Mehr als 100 kinetochore Komponenten in Zellen von Wirbeltieren durch verschiedene Ansätze identifiziert worden. 19,20 Ein unterStehen wie Kinetochore montieren und Funktion kommt auch von der Charakterisierung der zellulären Funktionen jedes Zentromer-Kinetochor - Proteinen und Protein-Protein - Netzwerk innerhalb von Zellen. 19 Direkte Visualisierung und fortschrittliche Bildgebungsverfahren in der Fluoreszenzmikroskopie liefern bemerkenswerte Auflösung von Zentromer-Kinetochor Komponenten und ermöglichen direkte Beobachtung der spezifischen molekularen Komponenten der Zentromer und Kinetochore. Darüber hinaus Methoden der indirekten Immunfluoreszenz (IIF) Färbung spezifische Antikörper verwenden, sind von entscheidender Bedeutung für diese Beobachtungen. Doch trotz zahlreicher Berichte über IIF - Protokolle, einige im Detail Probleme spezifischer Zentromer-Kinetochor Proteine ​​diskutiert. 1-4 So entwickeln und Berichtsmethoden IIF - Färbung und einer quantitativen IIF - Assay spezifisch jedes Zentromer-Kinetochor Protein analysieren ist extrem wichtig. In IIF Färbung sollte man mit dem Färbungsprotokoll gehen Verlust des Proteins von Interesse zu vermeiden oderder Rest der Zelle. Jedoch zerstört Fixierung Antigenstellen gelegentlich und verschiedenen Antikörper-Antigen - Kombinationen arbeiten schlecht mit einem Fixiermittel, aber sehr gut mit einer anderen, 21 und die Wahl des Fixierungs hängt weitgehend von der Protein (e) von Interesse. Aus diesem Grund sind verschiedene Fixiermittel Methoden entscheidend in IIF-Färbung von Zentromer-Kinetochor-Proteinen. Hier optimierte Verfahren der indirekten Immunofluoreszenz (IIF) -Färbung und einem Assay Lokalisation von endogenem Zentromer-kinetochore Proteine ​​zu adressieren, einschließlich CENP-A und FLAG-markiertem exogenem CENP-A-Proteine, und die Quantifizierung dieser Proteine ​​in menschlichen Zellen entwickelt wurden. Diese Verfahren können zur Analyse der Zentromer-kinetochore Proteine ​​in anderen Spezies verwendet werden.

immunofluorescence analysis of endogenous and exogenous centromere-kinetochore proteins

"Centromeres" and "kinetochores" refer to the site where chromosomes associate with the spindle during cell division. Direct visualization of centromere-kinetochore proteins during the cell cycle remains a fundamental tool in investigating the mechanism(s) of these proteins. Advanced imaging methods in fluorescence microscopy provide remarkable resolution of centromere-kinetochore components and allow direct observation of specific molecular components of the centromeres and kinetochores. In addition, methods of indirect immunofluorescent (IIF) staining using specific antibodies are crucial to these observations. However, despite numerous reports about IIF protocols, few discussed in detail problems of specific centromere-kinetochore proteins.1-4 Here we report optimized protocols to stain endogenous centromere-kinetochore proteins in human cells by using paraformaldehyde fixation and IIF staining. Furthermore, we report protocols to detect Flag-tagged exogenous CENP-A proteins in human cells subjected to acetone or methanol fixation. These methods are useful in detecting and quantifying endogenous centromere-kinetochore proteins and Flag-tagged CENP-A proteins, including those in human cells.

Immunfluoreszenz - Analyse von endogenen CENP-A unterstützt die Hypothese , dass CUL4A-E3 - Ligase für die Lokalisierung von CENP-A bis Romeren erforderlich ist Unsere jüngsten Studien zeigten , dass CUL4A-RBX1-COPS8 E3 - Ligase - Aktivität für die Ubiquitinierung von Lysin 124 (K124) auf CENP-A und Lokalisierung von CENP-A bis Romeren 17 zunächst erforderlich ist. Die Interphase-...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Immunofluorescence Analysis of Endogenous and Exogenous Centromere-kinetochore Proteins at JoVE.com

Immunofluorescence Analysis of Endogenous and Exogenous Centromere-kinetochore Proteins

Here we report protocols to detect endogenous and exogenous centromere-kinetochore proteins in human cells and quantify these protein levels at centromeres-kinetochores by indirect immunofluorescent staining through the use of fixation (paraformaldehyde, acetone, or methanol fixation).

Immunofluoreszenz-Analyse von endogener und exogener Zentromer-Proteine ​​kinetochore

"Centromeres" and "kinetochores" refer to the site where chromosomes associate with the spindle during cell division. Direct visualization of ...

immunofluorescence-analysis-endogenous-exogenous-centromere

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

15.1K Aufrufe.  Nationwide Children's Hospital. Here we report protocols to detect endogenous and exogenous centromere-kinetochore proteins in human cells and quantify these protein levels at centromeres-kinetochores by indirect immunofluorescent staining through the use of fixation (paraformaldehyde, acetone, or methanol fixation).

Serie: Immunofluorescence Analysis of Endogenous and Exogenous Centromere-kinetochore Proteins

A Neuronal and Astrocyte Co-Culture Assay for High Content Analysis of Neurotoxicity

High Content Analysis (HCA) assays combine cells and detection reagents with automated imaging and powerful image analysis algorithms, allowing measurement of multiple cellular phenotypes within a single assay. In this study, we utilized HCA to develop a novel assay for neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicity assessment represents an important part of drug safety evaluation, as well as being a significant focus of environmental protection efforts. Additionally, neurotoxicity is also a well-accepted in vitro marker of the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Recently, the application of HCA to neuronal screening has been reported. By labeling neuronal cells with &beta;III-tubulin, HCA assays can provide high-throughput, non-subjective, quantitative measurements of parameters such as neuronal number, neurite count and neurite length, all of which can indicate neurotoxic effects. However, the role of astrocytes remains unexplored in these models. Astrocytes have an integral role in the maintenance of central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis, and are associated with both neuroprotection and neurodegradation when they are activated in response to toxic substances or disease states. GFAP is an intermediate filament protein expressed predominantly in the astrocytes of the CNS. Astrocytic activation (gliosis) leads to the upregulation of GFAP, commonly accompanied by astrocyte proliferation and hypertrophy. This process of reactive gliosis has been proposed as an early marker of damage to the nervous system. The traditional method for GFAP quantitation is by immunoassay. This approach is limited by an inability to provide information on cellular localization, morphology and cell number. We determined that HCA could be used to overcome these limitations and to simultaneously measure multiple features associated with gliosis - changes in GFAP expression, astrocyte hypertrophy, and astrocyte proliferation - within a single assay. In co-culture studies, astrocytes have been shown to protect neurons against several types of toxic insult and to critically influence neuronal survival. Recent studies have suggested that the use of astrocytes in an in vitro neurotoxicity test system may prove more relevant to human CNS structure and function than neuronal cells alone. Accordingly, we have developed an HCA assay for co-culture of neurons and astrocytes, comprised of protocols and validated, target-specific detection reagents for profiling &beta;III-tubulin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). This assay enables simultaneous analysis of neurotoxicity, neurite outgrowth, gliosis, neuronal and astrocytic morphology and neuronal and astrocytic development in a wide variety of cellular models, representing a novel, non-subjective, high-throughput assay for neurotoxicity assessment. The assay holds great potential for enhanced detection of neurotoxicity and improved productivity in neuroscience research and drug discovery.

This article describes a novel protocol and reagent set designed for sensitive measurement of neurotoxic effects of compounds and treatments on co-cultures of neurons and astrocytes using high content analysis. Results demonstrate that high content analysis represents an exciting novel technology for neurotoxicity assessment.

Eine Neuronale und Astrocyte Co-Kultur-Assay für High Content Analyse der Neurotoxizität

High Content Analysis (HCA) assays combine cells and detection reagents with automated imaging and powerful image analysis algorithms, allowing ...

Forschung

Biologie

ReAsH/FlAsH Labeling and Image Analysis of Tetracysteine Sensor Proteins in Cells

Fluorescent proteins and dyes are essential tools for the study of protein trafficking, localization and function in cells. While fluorescent 
proteins such as green fluorescence protein (GFP) have been extensively used as fusion partners to proteins to track the properties of a protein of interest1, recent 
developments with smaller tags enable new functionalities of proteins to be examined in cells such as conformational change and protein-association 2, 3. One small 
tag system involves a tetracysteine motif (CCXXCC) genetically inserted into a target protein, which binds to biarsenical dyes, ReAsH (red fluorescent) and FlAsH 
(green fluorescent), with high specificity even in live cells 2. The TC/biarsenical dye system offers far less steric constraints to the host protein than 
fluorescent proteins which has enabled several new approaches to measure conformational change and protein-protein interactions 4-7. We recently developed 
a novel application of TC tags as sensors of oligomerization in cells expressing mutant huntingtin, which when mutated aggregates in neurons in Huntington 
disease 7. Huntingtin was tagged with two fluorescent dyes, one a fluorescent protein to track protein location, and the second a TC tag which only 
binds biarsenical dyes in monomers. Hence, changes in colocalization between protein and biarsenical dye reactivity enabled submicroscopic oligomer 
content to be spatially mapped within cells. Here, we describe how to label TC-tagged proteins fused to a fluorescent protein (Cherry, GFP or CFP) 
with FlAsH or ReAsH in live mammalian cells and how to quantify the two color fluorescence (Cherry/FlAsH, CFP/FlAsH or GFP/ReAsH combinations).

The biarsenical dyes FlAsH and ReAsH bind specifically to tetracysteine motifs in proteins and can selectively label proteins in live cells. Recently this labeling strategy has been used to develop sensors for different protein conformations or oligomeric states. We describe the labeling approach and methods to quantitatively analyze binding.

ReAsH / Flash Labeling und Bildanalyse von Tetracysteinmotiv Sensor Proteinen in Zellen

Fluorescent proteins and dyes are essential tools for the study of protein trafficking, localization and function in cells.  While fluorescent 
proteins ...

Pull-down of Calmodulin-binding Proteins

Calcium (Ca2+) is an ion vital in regulating cellular function through a variety of mechanisms. Much of Ca2+ signaling is mediated through the calcium-binding protein known as calmodulin (CaM)1,2. CaM is involved at multiple levels in almost all cellular processes, including apoptosis, metabolism, smooth muscle contraction, synaptic plasticity, nerve growth, inflammation and the immune response. A number of proteins help regulate these pathways through their interaction with CaM. Many of these interactions depend on the conformation of CaM, which is distinctly different when bound to Ca2+ (Ca2+-CaM) as opposed to its Ca2+-free state (ApoCaM)3.
While most target proteins bind Ca2+-CaM, certain proteins only bind to ApoCaM. Some bind CaM through their IQ-domain, including neuromodulin4, neurogranin (Ng)5, and certain myosins6. These proteins have been shown to play important roles in presynaptic function7, postsynaptic function8, and muscle contraction9, respectively. Their ability to bind and release CaM in the absence or presence of Ca2+ is pivotal in their function. In contrast, many proteins only bind Ca2+-CaM and require this binding for their activation. Examples include myosin light chain kinase10, Ca2+/CaM-dependent kinases (CaMKs)11 and phosphatases (e.g. calcineurin)12, and spectrin kinase13, which have a variety of direct and downstream effects14.
The effects of these proteins on cellular function are often dependent on their ability to bind to CaM in a Ca2+-dependent manner. For example, we tested the relevance of Ng-CaM binding in synaptic function and how different mutations affect this binding. We generated a GFP-tagged Ng construct with specific mutations in the IQ-domain that would change the ability of Ng to bind CaM in a Ca2+-dependent manner. The study of these different mutations gave us great insight into important processes involved in synaptic function8,15. However, in such studies, it is essential to demonstrate that the mutated proteins have the expected altered binding to CaM.
Here, we present a method for testing the ability of proteins to bind to CaM in the presence or absence of Ca2+, using CaMKII and Ng as examples. This method is a form of affinity chromatography referred to as a CaM pull-down assay. It uses CaM-Sepharose beads to test proteins that bind to CaM and the influence of Ca2+ on this binding. It is considerably more time efficient and requires less protein relative to column chromatography and other assays. Altogether, this provides a valuable tool to explore Ca2+/CaM signaling and proteins that interact with CaM.

Calmodulin (CaM) pull-down assay is an effective way to investigate the interaction of CaM with various proteins. This method uses CaM-sepharose beads for efficient and specific analysis of CaM-binding proteins. This provides an important tool to explore CaM signaling in cellular function.

Pull-down von Calmodulin-bindende Proteine

Calcium (Ca2+) is an ion vital in regulating cellular function through a variety of mechanisms. Much of Ca2+ signaling is mediated through the ...

Analysis of Apoptosis in Zebrafish Embryos by Whole-mount Immunofluorescence to Detect Activated Caspase 3

Whole-mount immunofluorescence to detect activated Caspase 3 (Casp3 assay) is useful to identify cells undergoing either intrinsic or extrinsic apoptosis in zebrafish embryos. The whole-mount analysis provides spatial information in regard to tissue specificity of apoptosing cells, although sectioning and/or colabeling is ultimately required to pinpoint the exact cell types undergoing apoptosis. The whole-mount Casp3 assay is optimized for analysis of fixed embryos between the 4-cell stage and 32 hr-post-fertilization and is useful for a number of applications, including analysis of zebrafish mutants and morphants, overexpression of mutant and wild-type mRNAs, and exposure to chemicals. Compared to acridine orange staining, which can identify apoptotic cells in live embryos in a matter of hours, Casp3 and TUNEL assays take considerably longer to complete (2-4 days). However, because of the dynamic nature of apoptotic cell formation and clearance, analysis of fixed embryos ensures accurate comparison of apoptotic cells across multiple samples at specific time points. We have also found the Casp3 assay to be superior to analysis of apoptotic cells by the whole-mount TUNEL assay in regard to cost and reliability. Overall, the Casp3 assay represents a robust, highly reproducible assay in which to analyze apoptotic cells in early zebrafish embryos.

Certain genetic perturbations or exposure to toxins can disrupt normal developmental processes leading to death of specific cell types. The analysis of activated Caspase 3 by whole-mount immunofluorescence in zebrafish embryos reveals stage- and tissue-specific localization of cells specifically undergoing apoptosis.

Die Analyse der Apoptose in Zebrafischembryonen von Whole-mount Immunfluoreszenz an aktivierte Caspase 3 Detect

Whole-mount immunofluorescence to detect activated Caspase 3 (Casp3 assay) is useful to identify cells undergoing either intrinsic or extrinsic apoptosis ...

Enrichment of Extracellular Matrix Proteins from Tissues and Digestion into Peptides for Mass Spectrometry Analysis

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex meshwork of cross-linked proteins that provides biophysical and biochemical cues that are major regulators of cell proliferation, survival, migration, etc. The ECM plays important roles in development and in diverse pathologies including cardio-vascular and musculo-skeletal diseases, fibrosis, and cancer. Thus, characterizing the composition of ECMs of normal and diseased tissues could lead to the identification of novel prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers and potential novel therapeutic targets. However, the very nature of ECM proteins (large in size, cross-linked and covalently bound, heavily glycosylated) has rendered biochemical analyses of ECMs challenging. To overcome this challenge, we developed a method to enrich ECMs from fresh or frozen tissues and tumors that takes advantage of the insolubility of ECM proteins. We describe here in detail the decellularization procedure that consists of sequential incubations in buffers of different pH and salt and detergent concentrations and that results in 1) the extraction of intracellular (cytosolic, nuclear, membrane and cytoskeletal) proteins and 2) the enrichment of ECM proteins. We then describe how to deglycosylate and digest ECM-enriched protein preparations into peptides for subsequent analysis by mass spectrometry.

This protocol describes a procedure for enriching ECM proteins from tissues or tumors and deglycosylating and digesting the ECM-enriched preparations into peptides to analyze their protein composition by mass spectrometry.

Anreicherung von extrazellulären Matrixproteinen aus Gewebe und Verdauung in Peptide für Massenspektrometrie-Analyse

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex meshwork of cross-linked proteins that provides biophysical and biochemical cues that are major regulators of ...

Use of Enzymatic Biosensors to Quantify Endogenous ATP or H2O2 in the Kidney

Enzymatic microelectrode biosensors have been widely used to measure extracellular signaling in real-time. Most of their use has been limited to brain slices and neuronal cell cultures. Recently, this technology has been applied to the whole organs. Advances in sensor design have made &#160;possible the measuring of&#160;cell signaling in blood-perfused in vivo kidneys. The present protocols list the steps needed to measure ATP and H2O2 signaling in the rat kidney interstitium. Two separate sensor designs are used for the ex vivo and in vivo protocols. Both types of sensor&#160;are coated with&#160;a thin enzymatic biolayer on top of a permselectivity layer to give fast responding, sensitive and selective biosensors. The permselectivity layer protects the signal from the interferents in biological tissue, and the enzymatic layer utilizes&#160;the sequential catalytic reaction of glycerol kinase and glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase in the presence of ATP to produce H2O2. The set of sensors used for the ex vivo studies further detected analyte by oxidation of H2O2 on a platinum/iridium (Pt-Ir) wire electrode. The sensors for the&#160;in vivo studies are instead based on the reduction of H2O2 on a mediator coated gold electrode designed for blood-perfused tissue. Final concentration changes&#160;are detected by real-time amperometry followed by calibration to known concentrations of analyte. Additionally, the specificity of the amperometric signal can be confirmed by the addition of enzymes such as catalase and apyrase that break down H2O2 and ATP correspondingly. These sensors also rely heavily on accurate calibrations before and after each experiment. The following two protocols establish the study of real-time detection of ATP and H2O2 in kidney tissues, and can be further modified to extend the described method for use in other biological preparations or whole organs.

Use of Enzymatic Biosensors to Quantify Endogenous ATP or H2O2 in the Kidney

Enzymatic microelectrode biosensors enable real-time measurements of extracellular cell signaling in biologically-relevant concentrations. The following protocols extend the applications of biosensors to the ex vivo and in vivo detection of ATP and H2O2 in the kidney.

Verwendung enzymatischer Biosensoren auf endogenes ATP oder H Quantifizieren<sub&gt; 2</sub&gt; O<sub&gt; 2</sub&gt; In der Niere

Enzymatic microelectrode biosensors have been widely used to measure extracellular signaling in real-time. Most of their use has been limited to brain ...

Removal of Exogenous Materials from the Outer Portion of Frozen Cores to Investigate the Ancient Biological Communities Harbored Inside

The cryosphere offers access to preserved organisms that persisted under past environmental conditions. In fact, these frozen materials could reflect conditions over vast time periods and investigation of biological materials harbored inside could provide insight of ancient environments. To appropriately analyze these ecosystems and extract meaningful biological information from frozen soils and ice, proper collection and processing of the frozen samples is necessary. This is especially critical for microbial and DNA analyses since the communities present may be so uniquely different from modern ones. Here, a protocol is presented to successfully collect and decontaminate frozen cores. Both the absence of the colonies used to dope the outer surface and exogenous DNA suggest that we successfully decontaminated the frozen cores and that the microorganisms detected were from the material, rather than contamination from drilling or processing the cores.

The cryosphere offers access to preserved organisms that persisted under past environmental conditions. A protocol is presented to collect and decontaminate permafrost cores of soils and ice. The absence of exogenous colonies and DNA suggest that microorganisms detected represent the material, rather than contamination from drilling or processing.

Entfernen von exogenen Materialien aus dem äußeren Teil der gefrorenen Kerne der Antike biologische Gemeinschaften beherbergte Innen zur Untersuchung

The cryosphere offers access to preserved organisms that persisted under past environmental conditions. In fact, these frozen materials could reflect ...

Laboratory Protocol for Genetic Gut Content Analyses of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Using Group-specific rDNA Primers

Analyzing food webs is essential for a better understanding of ecosystems. For example, food web interactions can undergo severe changes caused by the invasion of non-indigenous species. However, an exact identification of field predator-prey interactions is difficult in many cases. These analyses are often based on a visual evaluation of gut content or the analysis of stable isotope ratios (&#948;15N and &#948;13C). Such methods require comprehensive knowledge about, respectively, morphologic diversity or isotopic signature from individual prey organisms, leading to obstacles in the exact identification of prey organisms. Visual gut content analyses especially underestimate soft bodied prey organisms, because maceration, ingestion and digestion of prey organisms make identification of specific species difficult. Hence, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based strategies, for example the use of group-specific primer sets, provide a powerful tool for the investigation of food web interactions. Here, we describe detailed protocols to investigate the gut contents of macroinvertebrate consumers from the field using group-specific primer sets for nuclear ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA). DNA can be extracted either from whole specimens (in the case of small taxa) or out of gut contents of specimens collected in the field. Presence and functional efficiency of the DNA templates need to be confirmed directly from the tested individual using universal primer sets targeting the respective subunit of DNA. We also demonstrate that consumed prey can be determined further down to species level via PCR with unmodified group-specific primers combined with subsequent single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analyses using polyacrylamide gels. Furthermore, we show that the use of different fluorescent dyes as labels enables parallel screening for DNA fragments of different prey groups from multiple gut content samples via automated fragment analysis.

Most common gut content analyses of macroinvertebrates are visual. Requiring intense knowledge about morphological diversity of prey organisms, they miss soft bodied prey and, due to strong comminution of prey, are nearly impossible for some organisms, including amphipods. We provide detailed, novel genetic approaches for macroinvertebrate prey identification in the diet of amphipods.

Laborprotokoll für genetische Darm Inhaltsanalysen der aquatischen Makroinvertebraten Using gruppenspezifische rDNA Primer

Analyzing food webs is essential for a better understanding of ecosystems. For example, food web interactions can undergo severe changes caused by the ...

Co-immunoprecipitation Assay Using Endogenous Nuclear Proteins from Cells Cultured Under Hypoxic Conditions

Low oxygen levels (hypoxia) trigger a variety of adaptive responses with the Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) complex acting as a master regulator. HIF-1 consists of a heterodimeric oxygen-regulated &#945; subunit (HIF-1&#945;) and constitutively expressed &#946; subunit (HIF-1&#946;) also known as aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT), regulating genes involved in diverse processes including angiogenesis, erythropoiesis and glycolysis. The identification of HIF-1 interacting proteins is key to the understanding of the hypoxia signaling pathway. Besides the regulation of HIF-1&#945; stability, hypoxia also triggers the nuclear translocation of many transcription factors including HIF-1&#945; and ARNT. Notably, most of the current methods used to study such protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are based on systems where protein levels are artificially increased through protein overexpression. Protein overexpression often leads to non-physiological results arising from temporal and spatial artifacts. Here we describe a modified co-immunoprecipitation protocol following hypoxia treatment using endogenous nuclear proteins, and as a proof of concept, to show the interaction between HIF-1&#945; and ARNT. In this protocol, the hypoxic cells were harvested under hypoxic conditions and the Dulbecco's Phosphate-Buffered Saline (DPBS) wash buffer was also pre-equilibrated to hypoxic conditions before usage to mitigate protein degradation or protein complex dissociation during reoxygenation. In addition, the nuclear fractions were subsequently extracted to concentrate and stabilize endogenous nuclear proteins and avoid possible spurious results often seen during protein overexpression. This protocol can be used to demonstrate endogenous and native interactions between transcription factors and transcriptional co-regulators under hypoxic conditions.

Here we describe a co-immunoprecipitation protocol to study protein-protein interactions between endogenous nuclear proteins under hypoxic conditions. This method is suitable for demonstration of the interactions between transcription factors and transcriptional co-regulators at hypoxia.

Co-Immunopräzipitation Assay mit endogenen nuklearen Proteinen aus Zellen kultiviert unter hypoxischen Bedingungen

Low oxygen levels (hypoxia) trigger a variety of adaptive responses with the Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) complex acting as a master regulator. ...

Visualizing and Tracking Endogenous mRNAs in Live Drosophila melanogaster Egg Chambers

Fluorescence-based imaging techniques, in combination with developments in light microscopy, have revolutionized how cell biologists conduct live cell imaging studies. Methods for detecting RNAs have expanded greatly since seminal studies linked site-specific mRNA localization to gene expression regulation. Dynamic mRNA processes can now be visualized via approaches that detect mRNAs, coupled with microscopy set-ups that are fast enough to capture the dynamic range of molecular behavior. The molecular beacon technology is a hybridization-based approach capable of direct detection of endogenous transcripts in living cells. Molecular beacons are hairpin-shaped, internally quenched, single-nucleotide discriminating nucleic acid probes, which fluoresce only upon hybridization to a unique target sequence. When coupled with advanced fluorescence microscopy and high-resolution imaging, they enable one to perform spatial and temporal tracking of intracellular movement of mRNAs. Although this technology is the only method capable of detecting endogenous transcripts, cell biologists have not yet fully embraced this technology due to difficulties in designing such probes for live cell imaging. A new software application, PinMol, allows for enhanced and rapid design of probes best suited to efficiently hybridize to mRNA target regions within a living cell. In addition, high-resolution, real-time image acquisition and current, open source image analysis software allow for a refined data output, leading to a finer evaluation of the complexity underlying the dynamic processes involved in the mRNA&#39;s life cycle.
Here we present a comprehensive protocol for designing and delivering molecular beacons into Drosophila melanogaster egg chambers. Direct and highly specific detection and visualization of endogenous maternal mRNAs is performed via spinning disc confocal microscopy. Imaging data is processed and analyzed using object detection and tracking in Icy software to obtain details about the dynamic movement of mRNAs, which are transported and localized to specialized regions within the oocyte.

Visualizing and Tracking Endogenous mRNAs in Live Drosophila melanogaster Egg Chambers

Here, we present a protocol for the visualization, detection, analysis and tracking of endogenous mRNA trafficking in live Drosophila melanogaster egg chamber using molecular beacons, spinning disc confocal microscopy, and open-source analysis software.

Visualisierung und Verfolgung endogenes mRNAs in Live Drosophila melanogaster Eierkammern

Fluorescence-based imaging techniques, in combination with developments in light microscopy, have revolutionized how cell biologists conduct live cell ...

Immunofluoreszenz-Analyse von endogener und exogener Zentromer-Proteine ​​kinetochore

Immunofluoreszenz-Analyse von endogener und exogener Zentromer-Proteine kinetochore