Name: monitoring stub1-mediated pexophagy
Uploaded: 2023-05-12T12:35:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Monitoring Stub1-Mediated Pexophagy at JoVE.com

This work was supported in part by a MOST 111-2311-B-001-019-MY3 research grant from the National Science and Technology Council in Taiwan.

1. Preparation of cells expressing diKillerRed or self-labeling proteins (SLPs) in the peroxisome lumen
<ol>
	<li>Seed the desired cells on glass-bottomed cell culture dishes. For the experiment here, seed 2 x 105 human SHSY5Y cells in 840 &#181;L of culture medium (DMEM/F-12 supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 1% penicillin/streptomycin) or 6 x 104 mouse NIH3T3 cells in 840 &#181;L of culture medium (DMEM supplemented with 10% bovine serum and 1% penicillin/streptomycin)...

<ol>
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M., Lodhi, I. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Peroxisomal+dysfunction+in+age-related+diseases.">Peroxisomal dysfunction in age-related diseases.</a> Trends in Endocrinology &amp; Metabolism. 28 (4), 297-308 (2017).</li><li>Fransen, M., Nordgren, M., Wang, B., Apanasets, O., Veldhoven, P. P. 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F., Subramani, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pexophagy:+The+selective+degradation+of+peroxisomes.">Pexophagy: The selective degradation of peroxisomes.</a> International Journal of Cell Biology. 2012, 512721 (2012).</li><li>Germain, K., Kim, P. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pexophagy:+A+model+for+selective+autophagy.">Pexophagy: A model for selective autophagy.</a> International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 21 (2), 578 (2020).</li><li>Kim, P. K., Hailey, D. W., Mullen, R. T., Lippincott-Schwartz, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Ubiquitin+signals+autophagic+degradation+of+cytosolic+proteins+and+peroxisomes.">Ubiquitin signals autophagic degradation of cytosolic proteins and peroxisomes.</a> Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105 (52), 20567-20574 (2008).</li><li>Yamashita, S., Abe, K., Tatemichi, Y., Fujiki, Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+membrane+peroxin+PEX3+induces+peroxisome-ubiquitination-linked+pexophagy.">The membrane peroxin PEX3 induces peroxisome-ubiquitination-linked pexophagy.</a> Autophagy. 10 (9), 1549-1564 (2014).</li><li>Nordgren, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Export-deficient+monoubiquitinated+PEX5+triggers+peroxisome+removal+in+SV40+large+T+antigen-transformed+mouse+embryonic+fibroblasts.">Export-deficient monoubiquitinated PEX5 triggers peroxisome removal in SV40 large T antigen-transformed mouse embryonic fibroblasts.</a> Autophagy. 11 (8), 1326-1340 (2015).</li><li>Zhang, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=ATM+functions+at+the+peroxisome+to+induce+pexophagy+in+response+to+ROS.">ATM functions at the peroxisome to induce pexophagy in response to ROS.</a> Nature Cell Biology. 17 (10), 1259-1269 (2015).</li><li>Chen, B. -. H., Chang, Y. -. J., Lin, S., Yang, W. Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Hsc70/Stub1+promotes+the+removal+of+individual+oxidatively+stressed+peroxisomes.">Hsc70/Stub1 promotes the removal of individual oxidatively stressed peroxisomes.</a> Nature Communications. 11 (1), 5267 (2020).</li><li>Hung, Y. H., Chen, L. M., Yang, J. Y., Yang, W. Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Spatiotemporally+controlled+induction+of+autophagy-mediated+lysosome+turnover.">Spatiotemporally controlled induction of autophagy-mediated lysosome turnover.</a> Nature Communications. 4, 2111 (2013).</li><li>Mageswaran, S. K., Yang, W. Y., Chakrabarty, Y., Oikonomou, C. M., Jensen, G. 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Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Bit-by-bit+autophagic+removal+of+parkin-labelled+mitochondria.">Bit-by-bit autophagic removal of parkin-labelled mitochondria.</a> Nature Communications. 4, 2428 (2013).</li><li>Los, G. V., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=HaloTag:+A+novel+protein+labeling+technology+for+cell+imaging+and+protein+analysis.">HaloTag: A novel protein labeling technology for cell imaging and protein analysis.</a> ACS Chemical Biology. 3 (6), 373-382 (2008).</li><li>Lismont, C., Walton, P. A., Fransen, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Quantitative+monitoring+of+subcellular+redox+dynamics+in+living+mammalian+cells+using+RoGFP2-based+probes.">Quantitative monitoring of subcellular redox dynamics in living mammalian cells using RoGFP2-based probes.</a> Methods in Molecular Biology. 1595, 151-164 (2017).</li><li>Nordgren, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Potential+limitations+in+the+use+of+KillerRed+for+fluorescence+microscopy.">Potential limitations in the use of KillerRed for fluorescence microscopy.</a> Journal of Microscopy. 245 (3), 229-235 (2012).</li></ol>

This protocol details how to trigger Stub1-mediated pexophagy within cell cultures by elevating peroxisomal ROS levels with light. As the protocol relies on dye-assisted ROS generation, one needs to ensure sufficient expression of diKillerRed-VKSKL or dye-labeled SLP ligand staining within the cells of interest. Given that different cell types or cells of different genetic backgrounds can harbor peroxisomes with slightly different properties, one may need to tune the exact illumination conditions to ensure the induction ...

Peroxisomes are single-membrane-bound organelles present in most eukaryotic cells. Peroxisomes are a metabolic compartment essential for carrying out the beta-oxidation of very long-chain fatty acids, purine catabolism, and ether phospholipid and bile acid synthesis1. Peroxisome-derived acetyl-CoA controls lipid homeostasis by regulating the central signaling in metabolism2. Therefore, it is no surprise that compromised peroxisomal functions are implied in various diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, aging, cancers, obesity, and diabetes3,4,5. An essential process in the maintenance of peroxisomal operation is pexophagy. Pexophagy is a catabolic process for the selective turnover of peroxisomes by autophagy. Cells use pexophagy to help control the quantity and quality of peroxisomes, thereby ensuring proper peroxisomal function. A recent study demonstrated that peroxisome loss caused by mutations in PEX1 peroxisomal biogenesis factors 1 and 6 results from uncontrolled pexophagy6. Notably, 65% of all peroxisome biogenesis disorder (PBD) patients harbor deficiencies in the peroxisomal AAA ATPase complex, composed of PEX1, PEX6, and PEX26 in mammalian cells7.
A number of methods can be used to initiate and study pexophagy. In yeast, pexophagy is triggered when the supplied nutrients are switched from peroxisome-dependent carbon sources to peroxisome-independent carbon sources (to lower cellular peroxisome numbers)8. For example, the transfer of methanol-grown Pichia pastoris cells from methanol medium to glucose medium and ethanol medium induces micropexophagy and macropexophagy, respectively8,9,10. Micropexophagy sequesters clustered peroxisomes for degradation by remodeling the vacuole to form cup-like vacuolar sequestration membranes and a lid-like structure termed the micropexophagy-specific membrane apparatus (MIPA). In macropexophagy, individual peroxisomes are engulfed by double-membrane structures known as pexophagosomes, followed by fusion with the vacuole for degradation8,9,10. The phosphorylation of pexophagy receptors, such as Atg36p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Atg30p in Pichia pastoris, is critical for the receptors to recruit core autophagy machinery and to facilitate peroxisomal targeting to autophagosomes8,11.
In mammalian cells, pexophagy can be induced by ubiquitination. Tagging the peroxisomal membrane proteins PMP34 or PEX3 with ubiquitin on the cytosolic side induces pexophagy12. The overexpression of PEX3 induces peroxisome ubiquitination and peroxisome elimination by lysosomes13. In addition, the fusion of PEX5 with a C-terminal EGFP impairs the export of monoubiquitinated PEX5 and results in pexophagy14. On the other hand, pexophagy can also be triggered by H2O2 treatment. Peroxisomes produce reactive oxygen species (ROS); specifically, the peroxisomal enzyme Acox1, which catalyzes the initial step of beta-oxidation of very long-chain fatty acids (&#62; 22 carbon), produces not only acetyl-CoA but also peroxisomal ROS. In response to the heightened ROS levels under H2O2 treatment, mammalian cells activate pexophagy to lower the ROS production and alleviate stress. It has been reported that H2O2 treatment drives the recruitment of ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) to peroxisomes. ATM then phosphorylates PEX5 to promote peroxisomal turnover by pexophagy15.
Since peroxisomes are ROS-generating centers, they are also prone to ROS damage. ROS-elicited peroxisomal injuries force cells to activate pexophagy to initiate peroxisome quality control pathways (removal of the damaged peroxisome by autophagy). Here, we outline an approach for the on-demand triggering of ROS-elicited peroxisomal injury. The protocol takes advantage of light-activated ROS production within organelles16,17,18,19,20 (Figure 1). Dye-labeled peroxisomes are illuminated, leading to ROS production within the peroxisomal lumen, which specifically triggers peroxisomal injury. Using this protocol, it is shown that ROS-stressed peroxisomes are removed through a ubiquitin-dependent degradation pathway. ROS-stressed peroxisomes recruit the ubiquitin E3 ligase Stub1 to allow their engulfment into autophagosomes for individual removal by pexophagy16. One can use this protocol to compare the fate of injured and healthy peroxisomes within the same cell by time-lapse microscopy. The method can also be used to globally damage all the peroxisomes (in all cells) on a culture dish, allowing for the biochemical analysis of the pexophagy pathway.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>35 mm culture dish with a 20 mm diameter glass microwell&#160;</td>
			<td>MatTek</td>
			<td>P35G-1.5-20-C</td>
			<td>20 mm glass bottomed</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3-AT)</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>A8056</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>bovine serum</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>16170060</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cell culture incubator</td>
			<td>Nuaire</td>
			<td>NU-4750</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>diKillerRed-PTS1</td>
			<td>Academia Sinica</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>made by appending the KillerRed tandem dimer with PTS1(VKSKL)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dulbecco&#39;s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM)</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>11965092</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dulbecco&#39;s Modified Eagle Medium/Nutrient Mixture F-12 (DMEM/F-12)</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>11330032</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EGFP-C1</td>
			<td>Clontech</td>
			<td>pEGFP-C1</td>
			<td>The backbone of EGFP-C1 was used for cloning EGFP-Stub1, EGFP-Hsp70, EGFP-p62</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EGFP-Hsp70</td>
			<td>Academia Sinica</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Hsp70 gene (HSPA1A) PCR amplified from HeLa cDNA and cloned into EGFP-C1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EGFP-LC3B</td>
			<td>Addgene</td>
			<td>11546</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EGFP-p62</td>
			<td>Academia Sinica</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>generated by inserting the human SQSTM1 gene (through PCR amplification of the HeLa cell cDNA) into EGFP-C1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EGFP-Stub1</td>
			<td>Academia Sinica</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>generated by inserting the mouse Stub1 gene (through PCR amplification of the total mouse kidney cDNA) into EGFP-C1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EGFP-Ub</td>
			<td>Addgene</td>
			<td>11928</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>fetal bovine serum</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>10437028</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HaloTag TMR ligand&#160;</td>
			<td>Promega</td>
			<td>G8252</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HaloTag-PTS1</td>
			<td>Academia Sinica</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>PTS1 appended and cloned into EGFP-C1 backbone</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HEPES</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>15630080</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Inverted Confocal Microscope&#160;</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td>FV3000RS</td>
			<td>405 nm Ex, 488 nm Ex, 561 nm Ex,&#160; microscope with a TOKAI HIT chamber incubator and the UNIV2-D35 dish attachment</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Janelia Fluor 646 HaloTag Ligand</td>
			<td>Promega</td>
			<td>GA1120</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>LED</td>
			<td>VitaStar</td>
			<td>PAR64</td>
			<td>80 W, 555-570 nm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>lipofectamine 2000&#160;</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>11668</td>
			<td>transfection reagent</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NIH3T3 cell</td>
			<td>ATCC</td>
			<td>CRL-1658</td>
			<td>adherent</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Opti-MEM</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>319850</td>
			<td>reduced serum media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>penicillin/streptomycin</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>15140</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PMP34-TagBFP</td>
			<td>Academia Sinica</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>PMP34 PCR amplified from HeLa cDNA and cloned intoTagBFP-C (Evrogen FP171)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>roGFP2-PTS1</td>
			<td>Academia Sinica</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>generated by appending eroGFP (taken from Addgene plasmid 20131) with the amino acid sequence VKSKL, and cloned into the EGFP-C1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SHSY5Y cell</td>
			<td>ATCC</td>
			<td>CRL-2266</td>
			<td>adherent</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

monitoring stub1-mediated pexophagy

Mammalian cells can turn over peroxisomes through Stub1-mediated pexophagy. The pathway potentially permits cellular control of the quantity and quality of peroxisomes. During this process, heat shock protein 70 and the ubiquitin E3 ligase, Stub1, translocate onto peroxisomes to be turned over to initiate pexophagy. The Stub1 ligase activity allows the accumulation of ubiquitin and other autophagy-related modules on targeted peroxisomes. Elevating reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels within the peroxisomal lumen can activate Stub1-mediated pexophagy. One can, therefore, use dye-assisted ROS generation to trigger and monitor this pathway. This article outlines the procedures for using two classes of dyes, fluorescent proteins and synthetic fluorophores, to initiate pexophagy within mammalian cell cultures. These dye-assisted ROS generation-based protocols can not only be used to target all the peroxisomes within a cell population globally but can also permit the manipulation of individual peroxisomes within single cells. We also describe how Stub1-mediated pexophagy can be followed using live-cell microscopy.

The Stub1-mediated pexophagy induction scheme shown here takes advantage of dye-assisted ROS generation within the peroxisome lumen. This operation requires minimal light intensities. Peroxisomes containing fluorescent proteins or dyes can, therefore, be illuminated using standard laser-scanning confocal microscopes. Focal illumination leads to instantaneous and localized ROS production within individual peroxisomes, as indicated by the fluorescent reporter roGFP2-VKSKL (Figure 9).&#160;We d...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Monitoring Stub1-Mediated Pexophagy at JoVE.com

Monitoring Stub1-Mediated Pexophagy

This protocol provides instructions for triggering and monitoring Stub1-mediated pexophagy in live cells.

Mammalian cells can turn over peroxisomes through Stub1-mediated pexophagy. The pathway potentially permits cellular control of the quantity and quality ...

Peroxisomes carry out beta oxidation and are prone to ROS damage. This method allows to investigate how cells deal with ROS-stressed peroxisomes. This protocol is not only used to globally target all the peroxisomes within a cell population but can also permit the manipulation of the individual peroxisomes within single cells.Dye-assisted ROS generation can also be used to target organelles outside of peroxisomes to probe how cells deal with organelle injuries. To begin, seed two times 10 to the fifth human SHSY5Y cells or six times 10 to the fourth mouse NIH H3T3 cells in 840 microliters of culture medium on glass-bottomed 35-millimeter culture dishes with a 20-millimeter diameter glass microwell. Grow the cells under 5%carbon dioxide at 37 degrees Celsius for 24 hours.Next, transfect the cells with desired plasmids using a transfection reagent or SHSY5Y cell transfection. Dilute plasmids in 55 microliters of serum-free DMEM/F-12 and dilute one microliter of transfection reagent in 55 microliters of serum-free DMEM/F-12. Combine the diluted DNA with the diluted reagent.Mix gently and incubate for 30 minutes at room temperature. Add the complex to the 20-millimeter microwell previously plated with 100 microliters of culture medium containing SHSY5Y cells without antibiotics. Gently shake the dish back and forth.Perform NIH 3T3 cell transfection as demonstrated before but substitute reduced serum medium instead of serum-free DMEM/F-12 for plasmid dilution and transfection reagent. After two hours of transfection, remove the transfection reagent-containing medium and add one milliliter of fresh culture medium. Incubate the NIH 3T3 or SHSY5Y cells at 37 degrees Celsius and 5%carbon dioxide for 24 hours.For light-activated ROS production, at 24 hours post transfection remove the culture medium and add 10 microliters of 200 nanomolar HaloTag TMR ligand or 200 nanomolar Janelia Fluor 646 HaloTag ligand onto the 20-millimeter glass microwell. Transfer the dish to a 37 degrees Celsius and 5%carbon dioxide incubator and leave it for one hour to stain the cells. After one hour, remove the staining medium thoroughly and add one milliliter of fresh culture medium.Place a glass-bottomed dish containing the desired cells on a laser scanning confocal microscope equipped with a stage-top incubator. In the software, click on Tool Window, choose Ocular, and click on the DIA button to turn on the transmitted light. View the dish through the microscope eyepiece and bring the cells into focus by turning the focus knob.Choose LSM and click on the Dye Detector Select button. Double click on the desired dyes in the pop-up window to select the appropriate laser and filter settings for imaging the cells. Click on Live4x in the Live panel to initiate fast laser scanning to start screening for the fluorescent signals of the cells.Move the stage around using the joystick controller and locate the medium diKillerRed VKSKL or SLP-VKSKL-expressing cells to apply ROS stress on the peroxisomes. Acquire an image of the desired cell. Click on Tool Window and choose LSM Stimulation.Then click on the ellipse button and in the Live Image window use the mouse to draw an ROI of 15 micrometers in diameter containing the desired peroxisomes to which ROS stress will be applied. To apply ROS stress, use 561 nanometers for cells with the diKillerRed VKSKL or TMR-labeled SLP ligand and use 640 nanometers for cells stained with the Janelia Fluor 646-labeled SLP ligand. Select the laser wavelength for applying the ROS stress.Enter the desired laser percentage and the duration. For ROS production in the peroxisomes, click on Acquire and then the Stimulation button to initiate the scanning with 561 or 640 nanometers of light through the ROIs for 30 seconds each. This stimulation corresponds to approximately 5%laser power settings for 561 and 640 nanometers.After 30 seconds of laser illumination, peroxisomes within the ROIs lose their diKillerRed VKSKL, TMR, or Janelia Fluor 646 signals. This signal loss allows for distinguishing the illuminated and non-illuminated peroxisomes within the cell. To monitor the pexophagean live cells, follow the translocation of EGFP-tagged Stub1, Hsp70, ubiquitin, p62, or LC3B onto the illuminated or ROS-stressed peroxisomes by time lapse imaging using 10-minute intervals between frames.Focal illumination leads to instantaneous and localized ROS production within individual peroxisomes as indicated by the fluorescent reporter roGFP2-VKSKL. The diKillerRed VKSKL image was taken after all the roGFP2-VKSKL measurements were done to indicate the damaged peroxisomes'location. The data also show that unilluminated peroxisomes are not affected, indicating the precision of the methodology.This methodology was used to monitor Stub1-mediated pexophagy. During this process, Hsp70, Stub1, ubiquitinated proteins, autophagy adapters p62 and LC3B appear subsequently in ROS-stressed peroxisomes to drive pexophagy. Using the same strategy, it was possible to simultaneously damage all the peroxisomes on a culture dish for the biochemical characterization of Stub1-mediated pexophagy.Before LED illumination, EGFP-ubiquitin fluorescence was homogenous in the cytoplasm and did not colocalize with the peroxisomes. After nine hours of LED illumination, the EGFP-ubiquitin signals accumulated onto all the peroxisomes in the cells grown in a confocal dish. Using this protocol, we found that ROS-stressed peroxisomes are removed through a ubiquitin-dependent degradation pathway.ROS-stressed peroxisomes recruit the ubiquitin E3 ligase Stub1 to allow their removal by pexophagy.

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

Monitoring Actin Disassembly with Time-lapse Microscopy

Functional Imaging with Reinforcement, Eyetracking, and Physiological Monitoring

We use functional brain imaging (fMRI) to study neural circuits that underlie decision-making.  To understand how outcomes affect decision processes, simple perceptual tasks are combined with appetitive and aversive reinforcement.  However, the use of reinforcers such as juice and airpuffs can create challenges for fMRI.  Reinforcer delivery can cause head movement, which creates artifacts in the fMRI signal.  Reinforcement can also lead to changes in heart rate and respiration that are mediated by autonomic pathways.  Changes in heart rate and respiration can directly affect the fMRI (BOLD) signal in the brain and can be confounded with signal changes that are due to neural activity.  In this presentation, we demonstrate methods for administering reinforcers in a controlled manner, for stabilizing the head, and for measuring pulse and respiration.

This presentation demonstrates the use of fMRI to study neural circuits that underlie decision-making. Simple perceptual tasks are combined with appetitive and aversive reinforcements to investigate how outcomes affect decision processes.

We use functional brain imaging (fMRI) to study neural circuits that underlie decision-making.  To understand how outcomes affect decision processes, ...

Monitoring Plant Hormones During Stress Responses

Plant hormones and related signaling compounds play an important role in the regulation of plant responses to various environmental stimuli and stresses. Among the most severe stresses are insect herbivory, pathogen infection, and drought stress. For each of these stresses a specific set of hormones and/or combinations thereof are known to fine-tune the responses, thereby ensuring the plant's survival. The major hormones involved in the regulation of these responses are jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), and abscisic acid (ABA). To better understand the role of individual hormones as well as their potential interaction during these responses it is necessary to monitor changes in their abundance in a temporal as well as in a spatial fashion. For the easy, sensitive, and reproducible quantification of these and other signaling compounds we developed a method based on vapor phase extraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis (1, 2, 3, 4). After extracting these compounds from the plant tissue by acidic aqueous 1-propanol mixed with dichloromethane the carboxylic acid-containing compounds are methylated, volatilized under heat, and collected on a polymeric absorbent. After elution into a sample vial the analytes are separated by gas chromatography and detected by chemical ionization mass spectrometry. The use of appropriate internal standards then allows for the simple quantification by relating the peak areas of analyte and internal standard.

A simple method is provided that allows for the rapid extraction and analysis of multiple plant hormones from small tissue samples. The procedure uses vapor phase extraction as the solemn purification step. Samples are analyzed by GC/MS with chemical ionization that produces mainly (M+1)+ ions.

Plant hormones and related signaling compounds play an important role in the regulation of plant responses to various environmental stimuli and stresses. ...

Monitoring Acupuncture Effects on Human Brain by fMRI

Functional MRI is used to study the effects of acupuncture on the BOLD response and the functional connectivity of the human brain.  Results demonstrate that acupuncture mobilizes a limbic-paralimbic-neocortical network and its anti-correlated sensorimotor/paralimbic network at multiple levels of the brain and that the hemodynamic response is influenced by the psychophysical response.  Physiological monitoring may be performed to explore the peripheral response of the autonomic nerve function. This video describes the studies performed at LI4 (hegu), ST36 (zusanli) and LV3 (taichong), classical acupoints that are commonly used for modulatory and pain-reducing actions. Some issues that require attention in the applications of fMRI to acupuncture investigation are noted.

FMRI and physiological monitoring is used to study the effects of Acupuncture on the central and peripheral nervous systems. Acupuncture mobilizes a limbic-paralimbic-neocortical network, with great overlap with the default mode network, to modulate neurological activity, possibly related to its autonomic effect in the peripheral nervous system.

Functional MRI is used to study the effects of acupuncture on the BOLD response and the functional connectivity of the human brain.  Results demonstrate ...

Monitoring Heart Function in Larval Drosophila melanogaster for Physiological Studies

We present various methods to record cardiac function in the larval Drosophila. The approaches allow heart rate to be measured in unrestrained and restrained whole larvae. For direct control of the environment around the heart another approach utilizes the dissected larvae and removal of the internal organs in order to bathe the heart in desired compounds. The exposed heart also allows membrane potentials to be monitored which can give insight of the ionic currents generated by the myocytes and for electrical conduction along the heart tube. These approaches have various advantages and disadvantages for future experiments that are discussed. The larval heart preparation provides an additional model besides the Drosophila skeletal NMJ to investigate the role of intracellular calcium regulation on cellular function. Learning more about the underlying ionic currents that shape the action potentials in myocytes in various species, one can hope to get a handle on the known ionic dysfunctions associated to specific genes responsible for various diseases in mammals.

Monitoring Heart Function in Larval Drosophila melanogaster for Physiological Studies

We present various ways to monitor heart function in the larva of Drosophila for assessing questions dealing with the function of gap junctions, ion channel mutations, modulation of pacemaker activity and pharmacological studies.

We present various methods to record cardiac function in the larval Drosophila. The approaches allow heart rate to be measured in unrestrained  and  ...

Bioassays for Monitoring Insecticide Resistance

Pest resistance to pesticides is an increasing problem because pesticides are an integral part of high-yielding production agriculture. When few products are labeled for an individual pest within a particular crop system, chemical control options are limited. Therefore, the same product(s) are used repeatedly and continual selection pressure is placed on the target pest. There are both financial and environmental costs associated with the development of resistant populations. The cost of pesticide resistance has been estimated at approximately $ 1.5 billion annually in the United States. This paper will describe protocols, currently used to monitor arthropod (specifically insects) populations for the development of resistance. The adult vial test is used to measure the toxicity to contact insecticides and a modification of this test is used for plant-systemic insecticides. In these bioassays, insects are exposed to technical grade insecticide and responses (mortality) recorded at a specific post-exposure interval. The mortality data are subjected to Log Dose probit analysis to generate estimates of a lethal concentration that provides mortality to 50% (LC50) of the target populations and a series of confidence limits (CL's) as estimates of data variability. When these data are collected for a range of insecticide-susceptible populations, the LC50 can be used as baseline data for future monitoring purposes. After populations have been exposed to products, the results can be compared to a previously determined LC50 using the same methodology.

This manuscript demonstrates and discusses techniques used to survey pesticide susceptibility and detect resistance to contact and systemic pesticides in arthropod pests.

Pest resistance to pesticides is an increasing problem because pesticides are an integral part of high-yielding production agriculture. When few products ...

Long-term Lethal Toxicity Test with the Crustacean Artemia franciscana

Our research activities target the use of biological methods for the evaluation of environmental quality, with particular reference to saltwater/brackish water and sediment. The choice of biological indicators must be based on reliable scientific knowledge and, possibly, on the availability of standardized procedures. In this article, we present a standardized protocol that used the marine crustacean Artemia to evaluate the toxicity of chemicals and/or of marine environmental matrices. Scientists propose that the brine shrimp (Artemia) is a suitable candidate for the development of a standard bioassay for worldwide utilization. A number of papers have been published on the toxic effects of various chemicals and toxicants on brine shrimp (Artemia). The major advantage of this crustacean for toxicity studies is the overall availability of the dry cysts; these can be immediately used in testing and difficult cultivation is not demanded1,2. Cyst-based toxicity assays are cheap, continuously available, simple and reliable and are thus an important answer to routine needs of toxicity screening, for industrial monitoring requirements or for regulatory purposes3. The proposed method involves the mortality as an endpoint. The numbers of survivors were counted and percentage of deaths were calculated. Larvae were considered dead if they did not exhibit any internal or external movement during several seconds of observation4. This procedure was standardized testing a reference substance (Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate); some results are reported in this work. This article accompanies a video that describes the performance of procedural toxicity testing, showing all the steps related to the protocol.

Long-term Lethal Toxicity Test with the Crustacean Artemia franciscana

This study concerns the development and standardization of a valuable methodological protocol to determine long-term (14 days) lethal toxicity exerted by chemical substances, industrial wastewater or sewage and liquid environmental samples on the saltwater crustacean, Artemia franciscana.

Our research activities target the use of biological methods for the evaluation of environmental quality, with particular reference to saltwater/brackish ...

Coupled Assays for Monitoring Protein Refolding in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Proteostasis, defined as the combined processes of protein folding/biogenesis, refolding/repair, and degradation, is a delicate cellular balance that must be maintained to avoid deleterious consequences 1. External or internal factors that disrupt this balance can lead to protein aggregation, toxicity and cell death. In humans this is a major contributing factor to the symptoms associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's diseases 10. It is therefore essential that the proteins involved in maintenance of proteostasis be identified in order to develop treatments for these debilitating diseases. This article describes techniques for monitoring in vivo protein folding at near-real time resolution using the model protein firefly luciferase fused to green fluorescent protein (FFL-GFP). FFL-GFP is a unique model chimeric protein as the FFL moiety is extremely sensitive to stress-induced misfolding and aggregation, which inactivates the enzyme 12. Luciferase activity is monitored using an enzymatic assay, and the GFP moiety provides a method of visualizing soluble or aggregated FFL using automated microscopy. These coupled methods incorporate two parallel and technically independent approaches to analyze both refolding and functional reactivation of an enzyme after stress. Activity recovery can be directly correlated with kinetics of disaggregation and re-solubilization to better understand how protein quality control factors such as protein chaperones collaborate to perform these functions. In addition, gene deletions or mutations can be used to test contributions of specific proteins or protein subunits to this process. In this article we examine the contributions of the protein disaggregase Hsp104 13, known to partner with the Hsp40/70/nucleotide exchange factor (NEF) refolding system 5, to protein refolding to validate this approach.

Coupled Assays for Monitoring Protein Refolding in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

This article describes the use of a firefly luciferase-GFP fusion protein to investigate in vivo protein folding in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using this reagent, refolding of a model heat-denatured protein can be monitored simultaneously by fluorescence microscopy and an enzymatic assay to probe the roles of proteostasis network components in protein quality control.

Proteostasis, defined as the combined processes of protein folding/biogenesis, refolding/repair, and degradation, is a delicate cellular balance that must ...

Selected Reaction Monitoring Mass Spectrometry for Absolute Protein Quantification

Absolute quantification of target proteins within complex biological samples is critical to a wide range of research and clinical applications. This protocol provides step-by-step instructions for the development and application of quantitative assays using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mass spectrometry (MS). First, likely quantotypic target peptides are identified based on numerous criteria. This includes identifying proteotypic peptides, avoiding sites of posttranslational modification, and analyzing the uniqueness of the target peptide to the target protein. Next, crude external peptide standards are synthesized and used to develop SRM assays, and the resulting assays are used to perform qualitative analyses of the biological samples. Finally, purified, quantified, heavy isotope labeled internal peptide standards are prepared and used to perform isotope dilution series SRM assays. Analysis of all of the resulting MS data is presented. This protocol was used to accurately assay the absolute abundance of proteins of the chemotaxis signaling pathway within RAW 264.7 cells (a mouse monocyte/macrophage cell line). The quantification of Gi2 (a heterotrimeric G-protein &#945;-subunit) is described in detail.

This protocol describes how to perform absolute quantification assays of target proteins within complex biological samples using selected reaction monitoring. It was used to accurately quantify proteins of the mouse macrophage chemotaxis signaling pathway. Target peptide selection, assay development, and qualitative and quantitative assays are described in detail.

Absolute quantification of target proteins within complex biological samples is critical to a wide range of research and clinical applications. This ...

Detection of Intracellular Gene Expression in Live Cells of Murine, Human and Porcine Origin Using Fluorescence-labeled Nanoparticles

The reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) has successfully been performed in different mammalian species including mouse, rat, human, pig and others. The verification of iPS clones mainly relies on the detection of the endogenous expression of different pluripotency genes. These genes mostly represent transcription factors which are located in the cell nucleus. Traditionally, the proof of their endogenous expression is supplied by immunohistochemical staining after fixation of the cells. This approach requires replicate cultures of each clone at this early stage to preserve validated clones for further experiments. The present protocol describes an approach with gene-specific nanoparticles which allows the evaluation of intracellular gene expression directly in live cells by fluorescence. The nanoparticles consist of a central gold particle coupled to a capture strand carrying a sequence complementary to the target mRNA as well as a quenched reporter strand. These nanoparticles are actively endocytosed and the target mRNA displaces the reporter strand which then start to fluoresce. Therefore, specific target gene expression can be detected directly under the microscope. In addition, the emitted fluorescence allows the identification, isolation and enrichment of cells expressing a specific gene by flow cytometry. This method can be applied directly to live cells in culture without any manipulation of the target cells.

This manuscript describes a novel technique which allows the detection of intracellular gene expression after endocytosis of fluorescence-labeled nanoparticles directly in live cells. The method does not require manipulation of the cells and is not restricted with respect to the target gene or species.

The reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) has successfully been performed in different mammalian species including mouse, ...