Name: density gradient ultracentrifugation for investigating endocytic recycling in mammalian cells
Uploaded: 2021-06-30T13:15:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Density Gradient Ultracentrifugation for Investigating Endocytic Recycling in Mammalian Cells at JoVE.com

This work was supported by funds from the Research Grants Council Hong Kong, CUHK direct grant scheme, United College endowment fund, and the TUYF Charitable Trust. The figures in this work were adapted from our previous publication, &#34;ARF6-Rac1 signaling-mediated neurite outgrowth is potentiated by the neuronal adaptor FE65 through orchestrating ARF6 and ELMO1&#34; published in the FASEB Journal in October 2020.

1. Mammalian cell culture and transfection
<ol>
	<li>Plate 2 x 106 cells in a 100 mm culture dish. Use four dishes for each transfection. 
	NOTE: The number of cells required may vary for different cell lines. Optimization may be necessary before proceeding to the isolation step.</li>
	<li>The next day, transfect the cells with Lipofectamine according to the manufacturer&#39;s instructions.</li>
</ol>
2. Cell harvest
<ol>
	<li>Discard the culture medium 48 h post-transfection.<...

<ol>
	<li>Elkin, S. R., Lakoduk, A. M., Schmid, S. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Endocytic+pathways+and+endosomal+trafficking:+a+primer.">Endocytic pathways and endosomal trafficking: a primer.</a> Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift. 166 (7-8), 196-204 (2016).</li><li>Kumari, S., Mg, S., Mayor, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Endocytosis+unplugged:+multiple+ways+to+enter+the+cell.">Endocytosis unplugged: multiple ways to enter the cell.</a> Cell Research. 20 (3), 256-275 (2010).</li><li>Naslavsky, N., Caplan, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+enigmatic+endosome+-+sorting+the+ins+and+outs+of+endocytic+trafficking.">The enigmatic endosome - sorting the ins and outs of endocytic trafficking.</a> Journal of Cell Science. 131 (13), (2018).</li><li>Cullen, P. J., Steinberg, F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=To+degrade+or+not+to+degrade:+mechanisms+and+significance+of+endocytic+recycling.">To degrade or not to degrade: mechanisms and significance of endocytic recycling.</a> Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology. 19, 679-696 (2018).</li><li>Weeratunga, S., Paul, B., Collins, B. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Recognising+the+signals+for+endosomal+trafficking.">Recognising the signals for endosomal trafficking.</a> Current Opinion in Cell Biology. 65, 17-27 (2020).</li><li>Khan, I., Steeg, P. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Endocytosis:+a+pivotal+pathway+for+regulating+metastasis.">Endocytosis: a pivotal pathway for regulating metastasis.</a> British Journal of Cancer. 124 (1), 66-75 (2021).</li><li>Grant, B. D., Donaldson, J. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pathways+and+mechanisms+of+endocytic+recycling.">Pathways and mechanisms of endocytic recycling.</a> Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology. 10 (9), 597-608 (2009).</li><li>Maxfield, F. R., McGraw, T. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Endocytic+recycling.">Endocytic recycling.</a> Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology. 5 (2), 121-132 (2004).</li><li>McDonald, F. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Explosion+in+the+complexity+of+membrane+protein+recycling.">Explosion in the complexity of membrane protein recycling.</a> American Journal of Physiology. Cell Physiology. 320 (4), 483-494 (2021).</li><li>O'Sullivan, M. J., Lindsay, A. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Endosomal+Recycling+pathway-at+the+crossroads+of+the+cell.">The Endosomal Recycling pathway-at the crossroads of the cell.</a> International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 21 (17), 6074 (2020).</li><li>D'Souza-Schorey, C., Li, G., Colombo, M. I., Stahl, P. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+regulatory+role+for+ARF6+in+receptor-mediated+endocytosis.">A regulatory role for ARF6 in receptor-mediated endocytosis.</a> Science. 267 (5201), 1175-1178 (1995).</li><li>Schweitzer, J. K., Sedgwick, A. E., D'Souza-Schorey, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=ARF6-mediated+endocytic+recycling+impacts+cell+movement,+cell+division+and+lipid+homeostasis.">ARF6-mediated endocytic recycling impacts cell movement, cell division and lipid homeostasis.</a> Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology. 22 (1), 39-47 (2011).</li><li>Finicle, B. T., 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=Sphingolipids+inhibit+endosomal+recycling+of+nutrient+transporters+by+inactivating+ARF6.">Sphingolipids inhibit endosomal recycling of nutrient transporters by inactivating ARF6.</a> Journal of Cell Science. 131 (12), (2018).</li><li>Lu, H., 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=APE1+upregulates+MMP-14+via+redox-sensitive+ARF6-mediated+recycling+to+promote+cell+invasion+of+esophageal+adenocarcinoma.">APE1 upregulates MMP-14 via redox-sensitive ARF6-mediated recycling to promote cell invasion of esophageal adenocarcinoma.</a> Cancer Research. 79 (17), 4426-4438 (2019).</li><li>Qi, S., 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=Arf6-driven+endocytic+recycling+of+CD147+determines+HCC+malignant+phenotypes.">Arf6-driven endocytic recycling of CD147 determines HCC malignant phenotypes.</a> Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research. 38 (1), 471 (2019).</li><li>Crupi, M. J. F., 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=GGA3-mediated+recycling+of+the+RET+receptor+tyrosine+kinase+contributes+to+cell+migration+and+invasion.">GGA3-mediated recycling of the RET receptor tyrosine kinase contributes to cell migration and invasion.</a> Oncogene. 39 (6), 1361-1377 (2020).</li><li>Gamara, 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=Assessment+of+Arf6+deletion+in+PLB-985+differentiated+in+neutrophil-like+cells+and+in+mouse+neutrophils:+impact+on+adhesion+and+migration.">Assessment of Arf6 deletion in PLB-985 differentiated in neutrophil-like cells and in mouse neutrophils: impact on adhesion and migration.</a> Mediators of Inflammation. 2020, 2713074 (2020).</li><li>Santy, L. C., Ravichandran, K. S., Casanova, J. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+DOCK180/Elmo+complex+couples+ARNO-mediated+Arf6+activation+to+the+downstream+activation+of+Rac1.">The DOCK180/Elmo complex couples ARNO-mediated Arf6 activation to the downstream activation of Rac1.</a> Current Biology. 15 (19), 1749-1754 (2005).</li><li>Wibo, M., Dumont, J. E., Brown, B. L., Marshall, N. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cell+fractionation+by+centrifugation+methods.">Cell fractionation by centrifugation methods.</a> Eukaryotic Cell Function and Growth: Regulation by Intracellular Cyclic Nucleotides. , 1-17 (1976).</li><li>Kelly, E. E., Horgan, C. P., McCaffrey, M. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Rab11+proteins+in+health+and+disease.">Rab11 proteins in health and disease.</a> Biochemical Society Transactions. 40 (6), 1360-1367 (2012).</li><li>Li, W., 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=Neuronal+adaptor+FE65+stimulates+Rac1-mediated+neurite+outgrowth+by+recruiting+and+activating+ELMO1.">Neuronal adaptor FE65 stimulates Rac1-mediated neurite outgrowth by recruiting and activating ELMO1.</a> The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 293 (20), 7674-7688 (2018).</li><li>Chan, W. W. R., Li, W., Chang, R. C. C., Lau, K. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=ARF6-Rac1+signaling-mediated+neurite+outgrowth+is+potentiated+by+the+neuronal+adaptor+FE65+through+orchestrating+ARF6+and+ELMO1.">ARF6-Rac1 signaling-mediated neurite outgrowth is potentiated by the neuronal adaptor FE65 through orchestrating ARF6 and ELMO1.</a> FASEB Journal: Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 34 (12), 16397-16413 (2020).</li><li>Huber, L. A., Pfaller, K., Vietor, I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Organelle+proteomics:+implications+for+subcellular+fractionation+in+proteomics.">Organelle proteomics: implications for subcellular fractionation in proteomics.</a> Circulation Research. 92 (9), 962-968 (2003).</li><li>Fleischer, S., Kervina, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Subcellular+fractionation+of+rat+liver.">Subcellular fractionation of rat liver.</a> Methods in Enzymology. 31, 6-41 (1974).</li><li>Marsh, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Endosome+and+lysosome+purification+by+free-flow+electrophoresis.">Endosome and lysosome purification by free-flow electrophoresis.</a> Methods in Cell Biology. 31, 319-334 (1989).</li><li>Stasyk, T., Huber, L. 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P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Early+endosome+membrane+dynamics+characterized+by+flow+cytometry.">Early endosome membrane dynamics characterized by flow cytometry.</a> Cytometry. 29 (1), 41-49 (1997).</li><li>Chasan, A. I., Beyer, M., Kurts, C., Burgdorf, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Isolation+of+a+specialized,+antigen-loaded+early+endosomal+subpopulation+by+flow+cytometry.">Isolation of a specialized, antigen-loaded early endosomal subpopulation by flow cytometry.</a> Methods in Molecular Biology. 960, 379-388 (2013).</li><li>Thapa, N., 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=Phosphatidylinositol-3-OH+kinase+signaling+is+spatially+organized+at+endosomal+compartments+by+microtubule-associated+protein+4.">Phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase signaling is spatially organized at endosomal compartments by microtubule-associated protein 4.</a> Nature Cell Biology. 22 (11), 1357-1370 (2020).</li><li>Guimaraes de Araujo, M. E., Fialka, I., Huber, L. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Endocytic Organelles: Methods For Preparation And Analysis. In eLS. , (2001).</li><li>Rickwood, D., Graham, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Centrifugation Techniques. , (2015).</li><li>Lamberti, G., de Araujo, M. E., Huber, L. 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The above protocol outlines the procedures for isolating recycling endosomes from cultured cells by ultracentrifugation. The reliability of this method has been demonstrated by the latest publication22, proving that recycling endosomes are successfully isolated from other organelles (Figure 1), such as the Golgi apparatus and mitochondria. Some critical steps need to be paid attention to for obtaining a good separation result. While preparing the sucrose solutions, it...

Endosomal trafficking is an essential physiological process that implicates various biological events1, for example, the transportation of signaling receptors, ion channels, and adhesion molecules. Proteins localized at the plasma membrane are internalized by endocytosis2. The internalized proteins are then sorted by the early endosome3. Some of the proteins are targeted to lysosomes for degradation4. However, a significant amount of proteins are recycled back to the cell surface by fast recycling and slow recycling processes. In fast recycling, proteins leave the early endosomes and directly return to the plasma membrane. Conversely, in slow recycling, proteins are first sorted to the endocytic recycling compartment and then transported back to the plasma membrane. Various cargo proteins, for example, clathrin, retromer complex, retriever complex and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein, and SCAR Homologue (WASH) complex, participate in such membrane recycling processes4,5,6,7,8,9. The balance of the endocytosis and recycling event is crucial for cell survival and contributes to various cellular events10, for instance, cell adhesion, cell migration, cell polarity, and signal transduction.
ARF6, a small GTPase, is a reported regulator of endocytic trafficking7,11,12. Of interest, various research groups have illustrated the importance of ARF6 in endocytic recycling13,14,15,16,17. The study aims to investigate the relationship between ARF6-mediated neurite outgrowth and endocytic recycling. The previous report suggests that the activation of ARF6 is upstream to Rac1 activity through acting on ELMO1-dedicator of cytokinesis 1 (DOCK180) complex18. However, how ARF6 triggers ELMO1-DOCK180 mediated Rac1 signaling remains unclear. Density gradient ultracentrifugation was employed to investigate the role of ARF6-mediated endocytic recycling in such process. By using that, the recycling endosome-containing fraction was obtained from cell lysates19. The fraction was subjected to Western blotting for protein content analysis. The immunoblot results revealed that under the presence of FE65, a brain-enriched adaptor protein, active ARF6 substantially increased the level of ELMO1 in the recycling endosome-containing fraction. The following protocol includes the procedures for (1) transfecting mammalian cells; (2) preparing the samples and density gradient columns; and (3) obtaining the recycling endosome-containing fraction.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>1 mL, Open-Top Thickwall Polypropylene Tube, 11 x 34 mm</td>
			<td>Beckman Coulter</td>
			<td>347287</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>100 mm tissue culture dish</td>
			<td>SPL</td>
			<td>20100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>13.2 mL, Certified Free Open-Top Thinwall Ultra-Clear Tube, 14 x 89 mm</td>
			<td>Beckman Coulter</td>
			<td>C14277</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>5x Sample Buffer</td>
			<td>GenScript</td>
			<td>MB01015</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>cOmplete, EDTA-free Protease Inhibitor Cocktail</td>
			<td>Roche</td>
			<td>11873580001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>COX IV (3E11) Rabbit mAb</td>
			<td>Cell Signaling Technology</td>
			<td>4850S</td>
			<td>Rabbit monoclonal antibody for detecting COX IV.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cycloheximide</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>C1988</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dounce Tissue Grinder, 7 mL</td>
			<td>DWK Life Sciences</td>
			<td>357542</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dulbecco&#39;s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) with low glucose</td>
			<td>HyClone</td>
			<td>SH30021.01</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ELMO1 antibody (B-7)</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz Biotechnology</td>
			<td>SC-271519</td>
			<td>Mouse monoclonal antibody for detecting ELMO1.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EndoFree Plasmid Maxi Kit</td>
			<td>QIAGEN</td>
			<td>12362</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FE65 antibody (E-20)</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz Biotechnology</td>
			<td>SC-19751</td>
			<td>Goat polyclonal antibody for detecting FE65.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fetal Bovine Serum, Research Grade</td>
			<td>HyClone</td>
			<td>SV30160.03</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>GAPDH Monoclonal Antibody (6C5)</td>
			<td>Ambion</td>
			<td>AM4300</td>
			<td>Mouse monoclonal antibody for detecting GAPDH.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ImageLab Software</td>
			<td>Bio-Rad</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Measurement of band intensity</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Imidazole</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>I2399</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Lipofectamine 2000 Transfection Reagent</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>11668019</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Monoclonal Anti-&#946;-COP antibody</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>G6160</td>
			<td>Mouse monoclonal antibody for detecting &#946;-COP.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Myc-tag (9B11) mouse mAb</td>
			<td>Cell Signaling Technology</td>
			<td>2276S</td>
			<td>Mouse monoclonal antibody for detecting myc tagged proteins.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>OmniPur EDTA, Disodium Salt, Dihydrate</td>
			<td>Calbiochem</td>
			<td>4010-OP</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Optima L-100 XP</td>
			<td>Beckman Coulter</td>
			<td>392050</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Optima MAX-TL</td>
			<td>Beckman Coulter</td>
			<td>A95761</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Opti-MEM I Reduced Serum Media</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>31985070</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PBS Tablets</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>18912014</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PhosSTOP</td>
			<td>Roche</td>
			<td>4906845001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>RAB11A-Specific Polyclonal antibody</td>
			<td>Proteintech</td>
			<td>20229-1-AP</td>
			<td>Rabbit polyclonal antibody for detecting Rab11.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sucrose</td>
			<td>Affymetrix</td>
			<td>AAJ21931A4</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SW 41 Ti Swinging-Bucket Rotor</td>
			<td>Beckman Coulter</td>
			<td>331362</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TLA-120.2 Fixed-Angle Rotor</td>
			<td>Beckman Coulter</td>
			<td>362046</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin-EDTA (0.05%), phenol red</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>25300062</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

density gradient ultracentrifugation for investigating endocytic recycling in mammalian cells

Endosomal trafficking is an essential cellular process that regulates a broad range of biological events. Proteins are internalized from the plasma membrane and then transported to the early endosomes. The internalized proteins could be transited to the lysosome for degradation or recycled back to the plasma membrane. A robust endocytic recycling pathway is required to balance the removal of membrane materials from endocytosis. Various proteins are reported to regulate the pathway, including ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (ARF6). Density gradient ultracentrifugation is a classical method for cell fractionation. After the centrifugation, organelles are sedimented at their isopycnic surface. The fractions are collected and used for other downstream applications. Described here is a protocol to obtain a recycling endosome-containing fraction from transfected mammalian cells using density gradient ultracentrifugation. The isolated fractions were subjected to standard Western blotting for analyzing their protein contents. By employing this method, we identified that the plasma membrane targeting of engulfment and cell motility 1 (ELMO1), a Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) guanine nucleotide exchange factor, is through ARF6-mediated endocytic recycling.

After fractionating the untransfected HEK293 cells by density gradient ultracentrifugation, 12 fractions were collected starting from the top of the gradient. The harvested fractions were diluted with the dilution buffer in a 1:1 ratio and subjected to a second round of centrifugation. The samples were then subjected to western blotting for analyzing their protein contents. As shown in Figure 1, the recycling endosome marker Rab11 is detected in fraction 720. Other su...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Density Gradient Ultracentrifugation for Investigating Endocytic Recycling in Mammalian Cells at JoVE.com

Density Gradient Ultracentrifugation for Investigating Endocytic Recycling in Mammalian Cells

This paper aims to present a protocol for preparing recycling endosomes from mammalian cells using sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation.

Endosomal trafficking is an essential cellular process that regulates a broad range of biological events. Proteins are internalized from the plasma ...

This protocol helps in isolating the recycling endosomes containing fraction from transfected mammalian cells to facilitate the investigation of protein trafficking via endocytic trafficking. This technique is easy to handle and applicable to both tissue and cell samples. Demonstrating the procedure will be Miss Zhai Yu Qi, a PhD student from Dr.Lao's Laboratory.To begin, plate 2 times 10 to the 6 cells in a 100 millimeter culture dish. On the next day, transfect the cells with Lipofectamine according to the manufacturer's instructions. To harvest the cells, discard the culture medium 48 hours post-transfection and wash the cells twice with ice cold PBS.Then add one milliliter of ice cold PBS supplemented with 0.5X protease inhibitor cocktail in 0.5X phosphatase inhibitor cocktail to each dish. Next, using a cell scraper, collect the cells and transfer the cell suspension to a 15 milliliter centrifuge tube. the cells by centrifugation using a swing bucket rotor.Discard the supernatant and resuspend the cell pellet gently in five milliliters of homogenization buffer. Collect the cells again by centrifugation and resuspend the cell pellet in one milliliter of homogenization buffer. Homogenize the cells with a Dounce Homogenizer using 15 to 20 strokes.Then transfer the homogonate to a two milliliter centrifugation tube. Add 700 microliters of homogenization buffer to the homogonate. Then spin the diluted homogonate and collect 1.5 milliliters of the supernatant.Spin the collected supernatant again, then collect 1.4 milliliters of the supernatant and label it as post-nuclear supernatant. To prepare the density gradient column, transfer 1.2 milliliters of the post-nuclear supernatant to an ultracentrifuge tube. Then add one milliliter of 62%sucrose solution to the sample and mix well by gentle pipetting.Next, carefully add 3.3 milliliters of 35%sucrose solution on top of the sample, followed by 2.2 milliliters of 25%sucrose solution on top of the 35%sucrose solution. Finally, fill the ultracentrifuge tube to the top with homogenization buffer. Centrifuge the density gradient column and carefully collect 12 fractions of 1 milliliter each, starting from the top of the gradient.Next, dilute all the fractions with one milliliter of dilution buffer and centrifuge the diluted samples. After centrifugation, aspirate the supernatant and add 50 microliters of 1X sample buffer to harvest the fractions. The recycling endosome marker Rab11 was detected in Fraction seven.Other subcellular markers, including beta COP, COX IV, GAPDH, EEA1, Rab 7, and Lamp1 were also probed. A positive EEA1 signal was also detected in Fraction seven. The measured band intensities of GAPDH, Cox IV, and Rab11 in both Fraction seven and the post-nuclear supernatant are shown here.After transecting HEC293 cells with either ELMO1, ELMO1 ARF6Q67L, or ELMO1 ARF6Q67L FE65, no changes were found in ELMO1 distribution with ARF6Q67L and FE65 overexpression. The ELMO1 level in Fraction seven was compared between different transfections and found to be elevated after cotransfection of ARF6Q67L. A further increase was observed when both ARF6Q67L and FE65 were co-expressed.Conversely, knocking out FE65 diminished the ARF6 mediated Elmo1 enrichment in Fraction seven. The fraction obtained could be used for subsequent analysis. For example, western blotting to visualize protein level changes in the fraction.

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Research

JoVE Journal

Biochemistry

Protein Complex Affinity Capture from Cryomilled Mammalian Cells

Affinity capture is an effective technique for isolating endogenous protein complexes for further study. When used in conjunction with an antibody, this technique is also frequently referred to as immunoprecipitation. Affinity capture can be applied in a bench-scale and in a high-throughput context. When coupled with protein mass spectrometry, affinity capture has proven to be a workhorse of interactome analysis. Although there are potentially many ways to execute the numerous steps involved, the following protocols implement our favored methods. Two features are distinctive: the use of cryomilled cell powder to produce cell extracts, and antibody-coupled paramagnetic beads as the affinity medium. In many cases, we have obtained superior results to those obtained with more conventional affinity capture practices. Cryomilling avoids numerous problems associated with other forms of cell breakage. It provides efficient breakage of the material, while avoiding denaturation issues associated with heating or foaming. It retains the native protein concentration up to the point of extraction, mitigating macromolecular dissociation. It reduces the time extracted proteins spend in solution, limiting deleterious enzymatic activities, and it may reduce the non-specific adsorption of proteins by the affinity medium. Micron-scale magnetic affinity media have become more commonplace over the last several years, increasingly replacing the traditional agarose- and Sepharose-based media. Primary benefits of magnetic media include typically lower non-specific protein adsorption; no size exclusion limit because protein complex binding occurs on the bead surface rather than within pores; and ease of manipulation and handling using magnets.

Here we describe protocols to disrupt mammalian cells by solid-state milling at a cryogenic temperature, produce a cell extract from the resulting cell powder, and isolate protein complexes of interest by affinity capture upon antibody-coupled micron-scale paramagnetic beads.

Affinity capture is an effective technique for isolating endogenous protein complexes for further study. When used in conjunction with an antibody, this ...

Dissipative Microgravimetry to Study the Binding Dynamics of the Phospholipid Binding Protein Annexin A2 to Solid-supported Lipid Bilayers Using a Quartz Resonator

The dissipative quartz crystal microbalance technique is a simple and label-free approach to measure simultaneously the mass uptake and viscoelastic properties of the absorbed/immobilized mass on sensor surfaces, allowing the measurements of the interaction of proteins with solid-supported surfaces, such as lipid bilayers, in real-time and with a high sensitivity. Annexins are a highly conserved group of phospholipid-binding proteins that interact reversibly with the negatively charged headgroups via the coordination of calcium ions. Here, we describe a protocol that was employed to quantitatively analyze the binding of annexin A2 (AnxA2) to planar lipid bilayers prepared on the surface of a quartz sensor. This protocol is optimized to obtain robust and reproducible data and includes a detailed step-by-step description. The method can be applied to other membrane-binding proteins and bilayer compositions.

Here, we present an experimental protocol that can be employed to determine the binding affinities and mode of interaction of label-free phospholipid-binding protein annexin A2 with immobilized solid-supported bilayers (SLB) by simultaneously measuring the mass uptake and the viscoelastic properties of the protein annexin A2.

The dissipative quartz crystal microbalance technique is a simple and label-free approach to measure simultaneously the mass uptake and viscoelastic ...

Analysis of Endocytic Uptake and Retrograde Transport to the Trans-Golgi Network Using Functionalized Nanobodies in Cultured Cells

Transport of proteins and membranes from the cell surface to the Golgi and beyond is essential for homeostasis, organelle identity and physiology. To study retrograde protein traffic, we have recently developed a versatile nanobody-based toolkit to analyze transport from the cell surface to the Golgi complex, either by fixed and live cell imaging, by electron microscopy, or biochemically. We engineered functionalized anti-green fluorescent protein (GFP) nanobodies &#8212; small, monomeric, high-affinity protein binders &#8212; that can be applied to cell lines expressing membrane proteins of interest with an extracellular GFP moiety. Derivatized nanobodies bound to the GFP reporters are specifically internalized and transported piggyback along the reporters&#39; sorting routes. Nanobodies were functionalized with fluorophores to follow retrograde transport by fluorescence microscopy and live imaging, with ascorbate peroxidase 2 (APEX2) to investigate the ultrastructural localization of reporter-nanobody complexes by electron microscopy, and with tyrosine sulfation (TS) motifs to assess kinetics of trans-Golgi network (TGN) arrival. In this methodological article, we outline the general procedure to bacterially express and purify functionalized nanobodies. We illustrate the powerful use of our tool using the mCherry- and TS-modified nanobodies to analyze endocytic uptake and TGN arrival of cargo proteins.

Retrograde transport of proteins from the cell surface to the Golgi is essential to maintain membrane homeostasis. Here, we describe a method to biochemically analyze cell surface-to-Golgi transport of recombinant proteins using functionalized nanobodies in HeLa cells.

Transport of proteins and membranes from the cell surface to the Golgi and beyond is essential for homeostasis, organelle identity and physiology. To ...

Atomic Absorbance Spectroscopy to Measure Intracellular Zinc Pools in Mammalian Cells

Transition metals are essential micronutrients for organisms but can be toxic to cells at high concentrations by competing with physiological metals in proteins and generating redox stress. Pathological conditions that lead to metal depletion or accumulation are causal agents of different human diseases. Some examples include anemia, acrodermatitis enteropathica, and Wilson&#8217;s and Menkes&#8217; diseases. It is therefore important to be able to measure the levels and transport of transition metals in biological samples with high sensitivity and accuracy in order to facilitate research exploring how these elements contribute to normal physiological functions and toxicity. Zinc (Zn), for example, is a cofactor in many mammalian proteins, participates in signaling events, and is a secondary messenger in cells. In excess, Zn is toxic and can inhibit absorption of other metals, while in deficit, it can lead to a variety of potentially lethal conditions.

Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GF-AAS) provides a highly sensitive and effective method for determining Zn and other transition metal concentrations in diverse biological samples. Electrothermal atomization via GF-AAS quantifies metals by atomizing small volumes of samples for subsequent selective absorption analysis using wavelength of excitation of the element of interest. Within the limits of linearity of the Beer-Lambert Law, the absorbance of light by the metal is directly proportional to concentration of the analyte. Compared to other methods of determining Zn content, GF-AAS detects both free and complexed Zn in proteins and possibly in small intracellular molecules with high sensitivity in small sample volumes. Moreover, GF-AAS is also more readily accessible than inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence. In this method, the systematic sample preparation of different cultured cell lines for analyses in a GF-AAS is described. Variations in this trace element were compared in both whole cell lysates and subcellular fractions of proliferating and differentiated cells as proof of principle.

Cultured primary or established cell lines are commonly used to address fundamental biological and mechanistic questions as an initial approach before using animal models. This protocol describes how to prepare whole cell extracts and subcellular fractions for studies of zinc (Zn) and other trace elements with atomic absorbance spectroscopy.

Transition metals are essential micronutrients for organisms but can be toxic to cells at high concentrations by competing with physiological metals in ...

Isolation and Analysis of Plasma Lipoproteins by Ultracentrifugation

Analysis of plasma lipoproteins and apolipoproteins is an essential part for the diagnosis of dyslipidemia and studies of lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. Although there are several methods for analyzing plasma lipoproteins, ultracentrifugation is still one of the most popular and reliable methods. Because of its intact separation procedure, the lipoprotein fractions isolated by this method can be used for analysis of lipoproteins, apolipoproteins, proteomes, and functional study of lipoproteins with cultured cells in vitro. Here, we provide a detailed protocol to isolate seven lipoprotein fractions including VLDL (d&#60;1.006 g/mL), IDL (d=1.02 g/mL), LDLs (d=1.04 and 1.06 g/mL), HDLs (d=1.08, 1.10, and 1.21 g/mL) from rabbit plasma using sequential floating ultracentrifugation. In addition, we introduce the readers how to analyze apolipoproteins such as apoA-I, apoB, and apoE by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting and show representative results of lipoprotein and apolipoprotein profiles using hyperlipidemic rabbit models. This method can become a standard protocol for both clinicians and basic scientists to analyze lipoprotein functions.

Several methods have been used for analyzing plasma lipoproteins; however, ultracentrifugation is still one of the most popular and reliable methods. Here, we describe a method regarding how to isolate lipoproteins from plasma using sequential density ultracentrifugation and how to analyze the apolipoproteins for both diagnostic and research purposes.

Analysis of plasma lipoproteins and apolipoproteins is an essential part for the diagnosis of dyslipidemia and studies of lipid metabolism and ...

Cell Fractionation of U937 Cells by Isopycnic Density Gradient Purification

This protocol describes a method to obtain subcellular protein fractions from mammalian cells using a combination of detergents, mechanical lysis, and isopycnic density gradient centrifugation. The major advantage of this procedure is that it does not rely on the sole use of solubilizing detergents to obtain subcellular fractions. This makes it possible to separate the plasma membrane from other membrane-bound organelles of the cell. This procedure will facilitate the determination of protein localization in cells with a reproducible, scalable, and selective method. This method has been successfully used to isolate cytosolic, nuclear, mitochondrial, and plasma membrane proteins from the human monocyte cell line, U937. Although optimized for this cell line, this procedure may serve as a suitable starting point for the subcellular fractionation of other cell lines. Potential pitfalls of the procedure and how to avoid them are discussed as are alterations that may need to be considered for other cell lines.

This fractionation protocol will allow researchers to isolate cytoplasmic, nuclear, mitochondrial, and membrane proteins from mammalian cells. The latter two subcellular fractions are further purified via isopycnic density gradient.

This protocol describes a method to obtain subcellular protein fractions from mammalian cells using a combination of detergents, mechanical lysis, and ...

Polysome Profiling without Gradient Makers or Fractionation Systems

Polysome fractionation by sucrose density gradient centrifugation is a powerful tool that can be used to create ribosome profiles, identify specific mRNAs being translated by ribosomes, and analyze polysome associated factors. While automated gradient makers and gradient fractionation systems are commonly used with this technique, these systems are generally expensive and can be cost-prohibitive for laboratories that have limited resources or cannot justify the expense due to their infrequent or occasional need to perform this method for their research. Here, a protocol is presented to reproducibly generate polysome profiles using standard equipment available in most molecular biology laboratories without specialized fractionation instruments. Moreover, a comparison of polysome profiles generated with and without a gradient fractionation system is provided. Strategies to optimize and produce reproducible polysome profiles are discussed. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is utilized as a model organism in this protocol. However, this protocol can be easily modified and adapted to generate ribosome profiles for many different organisms and cell types.

This protocol describes how to generate a polysome profile without using automated gradient makers or gradient fractionation systems.

Polysome fractionation by sucrose density gradient centrifugation is a powerful tool that can be used to create ribosome profiles, identify specific mRNAs ...

Efficient and Scalable Production of Full-length Human Huntingtin Variants in Mammalian Cells using a Transient Expression System

Full-length huntingtin (FL HTT) is a large (aa 1-3,144), ubiquitously expressed, polyglutamine (polyQ)-containing protein with a mass of approximately 350 kDa. While the cellular function of FL HTT is not entirely understood, a mutant expansion of the polyQ tract above ~36 repeats is associated with Huntington's disease (HD), with the polyQ length correlating roughly with the age of onset. To better understand the effect of structure on the function of mutant HTT (mHTT), large quantities of the protein are required. Submilligram production of FL HTT in mammalian cells was achieved using doxycycline-inducible stable cell line expression. However, protein production from stable cell lines has limitations that can be overcome with transient transfection methods. 
This paper presents a robust method for low-milligram quantity production of FL HTT and its variants from codon-optimized plasmids by transient transfection using polyethylenimine (PEI). The method is scalable (&gt;10 mg) and consistently yields 1-2 mg/L of cell culture of highly purified FL HTT. Consistent with previous reports, the purified solution state of FL HTT was found to be highly dynamic; the protein has a propensity to form dimers and high-order oligomers. A key to slowing oligomer formation is working quickly to isolate the monomeric fractions from the dimeric and high-order oligomeric fractions during size exclusion chromatography. 
Size exclusion chromatography with multiangle light scattering (SEC-MALS) was used to analyze the dimer and higher-order oligomeric content of purified HTT. No correlation was observed between FL HTT polyQ length (Q23, Q48, and Q73) and oligomer content. The exon1-deleted construct (aa 91-3,144) showed comparable oligomerization propensity to FL HTT (aa 1-3,144). Production, purification, and characterization methods by SEC/MALS-refractive index (RI), sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), western blot, Native PAGE, and Blue Native PAGE are described herein.

We provide scalable protocols covering construct design, transient transfection, and expression and purification of full-length human huntingtin protein variants in HEK293 cells.

Full-length huntingtin (FL HTT) is a large (aa 1-3,144), ubiquitously expressed, polyglutamine (polyQ)-containing protein with a mass of approximately 350 ...

Purification of Ubiquitinated p53 Proteins from Mammalian Cells

Ubiquitination is a type of posttranslational modification that regulates not only the stability but also the localization and function of a substrate protein. The ubiquitination process occurs intracellularly in eukaryotes and regulates almost all basic cellular biological processes. Purification of ubiquitinated proteins aids the investigation of the role of ubiquitination in controlling the function of substrate proteins. Here, a step-by-step procedure to purify ubiquitinated proteins in mammalian cells is described with the p53 tumor suppressor protein as an example. Ubiquitinated p53 proteins were purified under stringent nondenaturing and denaturing conditions. Total cellular Flag-tagged p53 protein was purified with anti-Flag antibody-conjugated agarose under nondenaturing conditions. Alternatively, total cellular His-tagged ubiquitinated protein was purified using nickel-charged resin under denaturing conditions. Ubiquitinated p53 proteins in the eluates were successfully detected with specific antibodies. Using this procedure, the ubiquitinated forms of a given protein can be efficiently purified from mammalian cells, facilitating studies on the roles of ubiquitination in regulating protein function.

The protocol describes a step-by-step method to purify ubiquitinated proteins from mammalian cells using the p53 tumor suppressor protein as an example. Ubiquitinated p53 proteins were purified from cells under stringent nondenaturing and denaturing conditions.

Ubiquitination is a type of posttranslational modification that regulates not only the stability but also the localization and function of a substrate ...

Isolating Small Extracellular Vesicles (sEVs) by Differential Ultracentrifugation

Isolating Small Extracellular Vesicles (SEVs) by Differential Ultracentrifugation  

To begin, centrifuge FBS overnight in an ultracentrifuge at 110, 000 G and four degrees Celsius to remove the endogenous sEVs. Sterilize the supernatant by filtering it through a 0.2 micron ultrafiltration membrane to yield sEVs-free FBS. Next in a 150 millimeter culture dish, plate about 3 times 10 to the seventh immortalized bone-marrow-derived macrophages in 20 milliliters of DMEM culture medium.Incubate the dish at 37 degrees Celsius under 5%carbon dioxide overnight prior to collecting the sEVs from the macrophages. The next day, after discarding the medium, wash the cells with phosphate-buffered saline or PBS. Replace the medium with DMEM containing 10%sEVs-free free fetal bovine serum before incubating the cells at 37 degrees Celsius and 5%carbon dioxide.Based on the experiment's requirements, collect and transfer the cells'supernatant to 50 milliliter centrifuge tubes. Centrifuge the tubes at 300 G for 10 minutes to remove the cells. Transfer the result in supernatant from each tube to a new 50 milliliter centrifuge tube and discard the pellet.This time, centrifuge the supernatant at 2000 G for 10 minutes to remove dead cells. Then transfer the supernatant to new high-speed centrifuge tubes and discard the pellets. Next to remove debris and microvesicles, centrifuge the obtained supernatant at 10, 000 G for 30 minutes using a high-speed centrifuge.Transfer the resulting supernatant to new ultracentrifuge tubes by adding 35 milliliters in each tube and discarding the pellets. Centrifuge the ultracentrifuge tubes in a swinging bucket rotor centrifuge at 110, 000 G for 70 minutes before discarding the supernatant. Wash the resulting crude sEVs-enriched pellet with one milliliter of PBS.Again, add one milliliter of PBS to the washed pellet in one of the tubes, and mix by pipetting continuously. Transfer the one milliliter of resultant PBS suspension to another tube containing the pellet, and repeat the same until all pellets in the tubes are mixed by pipetting. Transfer the resultant one milliliter of sEVs-rich PBS to a new ultracentrifuge tube.Then centrifuge the new tube in a tabletop ultracentrifuge at 110, 000 G for 70 minutes. After discarding the supernatant, wash the resulting crude sEVs-enriched pellet with 100 microliters of PBS. Add 1.2 milliliters of protein preparation solution in a standard protein tube to dissolve the 30 milligrams of BSA present in it.Dilute the resulting protein standard solution with PBS to reduce its concentration from 25 to 0.5 milligrams per milliliter. Add eight different volumes of the diluted protein standard solution into wells of a 96-well plate, and bring the volume to 20 microliters in each well using PBB. Add 18 microliters of HEPES lysis buffer to the sample wells, followed by the addition of two microliters of the sEVs samples.Next, add 200 microliters of BCA working solution prepared per the manufacturer's instructions into each well. Allow the plate to rest at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Finally, measure the absorbance at 562 nanometers using a microplate reader.Calculate the total protein content in the sEVs using the obtained results. The transmission electron microscopy images of the isolated sEVs displayed a typical cup-like morphology. Nanoparticle tracking analysis showed that the isolated sEVs were mostly concentrated at 136 nanometers.Western blot showed that isolated sEVs were significantly enriched of sEVs markers, including CD9, beta-actin, and TSG101. The endoplasmic reticulate marker GRP94 was only detected in the whole-cell lysate. The results indicated that the method employed yielded sEVs with a high level of purity.