The authors thank Ren&#233; Scriwanek for the assistance with the preparation of the Figure. F.R. is supported by ECHO (700.59.003), ALW Open Program (821.02.017 and 822.02.014), DFG-NWO cooperation (DN82-303) and ZonMW VICI (016.130.606) grants.

1. Spheroplast Preparation
<ol>
	<li>Incubate the yeast overnight at 30 &#176;C in 10 ml of the appropriate medium determined by the design of the experiment.</li>
	<li>The day after, measure the optical density of the culture at 600 nm (OD600) using a photometer, Dilute cells in the same culture medium to an OD600 of 0.2-0.4 and grow them to an exponential growth phase unless the design of the experiment requires a different condition. Cells are in the exponential phase when the culture has an OD600 of 1-2.</li>
	<li>Collect 10 OD600 equivalents of cells by centrifugation at 3,500 x g for 5 min in a 50 ml tube. After centrifugation, discard the supernatant.</li>
	<li>Resuspend the cell pellet in 5 ml of 100 mM PIPES (pH 9.6), 10 mM dithiothreitol and incubated at 30 &#176;C for 10 min.</li>
	<li>Collect again the cells by centrifugation at 3,500 x g for 5 min. Discard the supernatant.</li>
	<li>Resuspend the cells in 5 ml of medium (determined by the design of the experiment) containing 1 M sorbitol and 5 mg of lytic enzyme, and incubate the mixture at 30 &#176;C with gentle shaking for 30 min.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge the cell suspension at 300 x g for 5 min to collect the pellet fraction, which corresponds to the spheroplasts. Discard the supernatant.</li>
	<li>Resuspend the spheroplasts in 960 &#181;l of ice cold media (medium determined by the design of the experiment) containing 1 M sorbitol and transfer the mixture into an ice cold 2 ml microcentrifuge tube.</li>
</ol>
2. Nanogold Uptake
<ol>
	<li>Using a pipette, gently mix the spheroplast with 4 nmol of positively charged nanogold particles resuspended in 40 &#181;l of water. The final volume of the mixture has to be of 1 ml.</li>
	<li>Place the obtained cell suspension on ice for 15 min.</li>
	<li>Transfer the suspension at room temperature and incubate it for the required time to allow nanogold internalization by endocytosis. 
	NOTE: A 5 min uptake will principally lead to the labelling of endocytic vesicles and early endosomal compartments, while a 15 min uptake will permit to mark the entire endosomal system (early and late endosomes). Longer incubation times (more than 30 min) will also permit to label the vacuole. 
	NOTE: Pulse-chase labelling experiments cannot be performed with this method. Therefore, when labelling for the analysis of LE, nanogold will also be found at the PM and inEE.</li>
</ol>
3. Fixation and Sectioning
<ol>
	<li>Stop the nanogold uptake by adding 1 ml of double strength fixative [4% paraformaldehyde (PFA), 0.4% glutaraldehyde (GA) in 0.1 M PHEM buffer (20 mM PIPES, 50 mM HEPES, pH 6.9, 20 mM EGTA, 4 mM MgCl2)] containing 1 M sorbitol to the cell suspension. Kept the tube at room temperature.</li>
	<li>Gently invert manually the micocentrifuge tubes several times during 30 min (this will permit to keep the spheroplasts in suspension) and then centrifuge it twice at 1,700 x g for 25 sec.</li>
	<li>Replace the fixative by discarding the supernatant and by adding 1 ml of fresh standard strength fixative (2% PFA, 0.2% GA in 0.1 M PHEM buffer) containing 1 M sorbitol and incubate for 2 hr at room temperature on a slowly rotating wheel.</li>
	<li>Process the cells for cryo-sectioning as described previously6. NOTE: For the nanogold uptake and silver enhancement procedures, the periodic acid treatment described in the indicated protocol has not to be performed. The periodic acid treatment is to better permeabilize the cell wall26 but this structure has been eliminated during the generation of spheroplasts.</li>
	<li>Cut 50 nm thin cryosections at -120 &#176;C with dry diamond knife using an UCT ultramicrotome as previously described8 and place them on Formvar carbon coated 50 meshes nickel grids.</li>
</ol>
4. Silver Enhancement for Nanogold Particle Visualization
NOTE: The procedure to prepare the reaction mixtures is basically the one indicated by the manufacturer. Practical adaptations using this protocol, makes the silver enhancement procedure effective and reliable on cryosections.
<ol>
	<li>Remove the silver enhancement kit from the freezer and thaw it in a 37 &#176;C incubator or water bath. When thawed, place the kit in a 24 &#176;C incubator placed into a dark room until use (see 4.7).</li>
	<li>Place the heating plate in the dark room and warm it to the final temperature of 24 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Cover the top of heating plate with the surface protector, shiny side up, and secure it with a tape.</li>
	<li>Place the Parafilm on the Benchkote and mark the edges with a black marker to be able to see the Parafilm edges in the dark.</li>
	<li>Tape a thermometer on the top of the Benchkote to monitor the temperature of the heating plate. Gradually adjust the temperature if not 24 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Place the 50 ml tube with double distilled water and the silver enhancement kit inside.</li>
	<li>Fill the small Petri dishes with double distilled water, pre-warmed at 37 &#176;C. Place the grids in the water, specimen side down, for 30 min.</li>
	<li>Repeat this 4.7 step one more time.</li>
	<li>Transfer the grids in the storage box and bring them to the dark room.</li>
	<li>Rinse the grids again by passing them (with the specimen side down) on several drops of double distilled water at 24 &#176;C placed on the Parafilm that has been fixed on the heating plate.</li>
	<li>Make sure that 9 additional double distilled water drops are ready on the Parafilm, for the rinsing after the silver enhancement reaction.</li>
	<li>Turn the light off and make sure that all lights are off. Turn the red light on.</li>
	<li>Take out the A and B solutions of the silver enhancement kit from the 24 &#176;C incubator.</li>
	<li>Put first 6 drops of the A solution and then 6 drops of the B solution in a 1.5 ml microcentrifuge tube, and mix well with a glass Pasteur pipette avoiding to make bubbles. The solution is quite thick and it has to be manually mixed with a pipette before finally vortexing it briefly.</li>
	<li>Put the A and B solutions back in the 24 &#176;C incubator and take out the C solution.</li>
	<li>Add 6 drops of the C solution to the A/B mix. Then mix again first with a Pasteur pipette and then by vortexing, avoid making bubbles.</li>
	<li>Use immediately the final mixture by placing drops (~20 &#181;l/drop) on the Parafilm.</li>
	<li>With a clean, anti-magnetic tweezers, place the grids on the mixture (e.g., silver enhancing reaction) for 6 to15 min depending of the enhancement (i.e. size of the gold particles) wished to be obtained.</li>
	<li>Remove the grids from the mixture and pass them on the top of the double distilled water drops at 24 &#176;C for washes. First, use in rapidly succession 6 drops and then 3 drops with 7 min incubation time per drop, before turning the lights on.</li>
	<li>Proceed to the next step, either immuno-gold labeling or membrane staining27 in order to visualize the result for an EM investigation.</li>
</ol>

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The authors have nothing to disclose.

Immuno-electron-microscopy is a technique that allows combining localization of proteins with the ultrastructural resolution of the carriers and organelles where these proteins reside. This is particularly crucial when studying the yeast endosomal system because its compartments appear as punctuate structures in fluorescence microscopy. It is therefore difficult to distinguish them. For this reason the use of a probe detectable by EM and entering the endocytic route in a time dependent manner is crucial to specifically m...

The endosomal system is a major membrane sorting apparatus that plays multiple crucial cellular roles including trafficking of lysosomal enzyme sorting receptors and the recycling of plasma membrane (PM) receptors1,2. Endosomes are divided in three different compartments, i.e. the early endosomes (EE), the late endosomes (LE) and the recycling endosomes. This classification is based on the time it takes for endocytosed material to reach them, on specific marker proteins and on their morphology. Membranes, i.e. protein and lipid bilayers, internalized from the PM can either be delivered to lysosomes via endosomes for degradation or be recycled back. Membranes are also transported to endosomes from the Golgi and similarly, either continue to lysosomes or be retrieved back to the Golgi. Furthermore, proteins can be sorted into luminal vesicles budding inward from the endosomal limiting membrane, a process that leads to the formation of a subcategory of LE, the multivesicular bodies.
The yeast endosomal system is relatively less complex than the one of high eukaryotic cells. Yeast endosomes are divided into EE and LE. In contrast to mammalian cells they do not contain recycling endosomes but also tissue-specific lysosome-related organelles. Consequently they have a less complex network of endosomal trafficking routes3,4. Therefore yeast has represented and still represents an advantageous experimental system to study some of the principles underlying membrane traffic in the endosomal system. This advantage is emphasized by the fact that numerous genes involved in the endosomal pathways have been initially isolated with genetic screens in yeast5. While the yeast endosomal system in wild type and mutant cells has been extensively studied using biochemical and fluorescence microscopy approaches, its investigation at the ultrastructural level has only been minimal. Morphological analyses are particularly relevant in yeast because most of the endosomal organelles are detected as punctuate structures by fluorescence microscopy, which make difficult their unequivocal identification6. Unfortunately only a limited number of antisera recognizing yeast endosomal protein markers is working in immuno-electron-microscopy (IEM) preparations7-10. For some proteins, this problem has been circumvented by the endogenous tagging of the gene of interest and the use of an antibody recognizing the tag to detect it7,11,12. Often, however, proteins are undetectable by IEM because of their low expression levels. Their overexpression is not a solution because this approach can induce mis-localizations and/or alterations in the organelle morphology/functions. Thus the labelling of the endocytic compartments with a probe detectable by electron microscopy EM is an effective option. This is an optimal solution especially if the probe is entering the endocytic route in a time-dependent manner, which allows to know when it will mark a specific organelle6.
The uptake of positively charged nanogold by yeast spheroplasts (i.e. yeast where the cell wall has been enzymatically removed) has successfully been used to identify the yeast endosomal compartments10. These particles strongly bind to the negatively charged lipids composing the biological membranes. Thus the positively charged nanogold associates with the PM, penetrates the cell by endocytosis and passes through the EE and LE before reaching the vacuole. These small gold particles, however, do not have an appropriate size to be seen by EM. To render them visible, their size can be enlarged by chemical reactions that lead to the deposition of silver or gold around the gold probe13-15. We have developed and successfully applied an IEM approach based on the Tokuyasu method to perform subcellular localization studies8,16. This method allows performing immunogold labelling on yeast preparations with an excellent resolution of the morphology8,17-24. We have also established a procedure combining this IEM protocol with the nanogold labelling of the yeast endosomal system compartments6. Using this approach we have morphologically characterized different subclasses of endosomes and ultrastructurally examined mutants with an endosomal trafficking defect6,25. Moreover, we have demonstrated that this nanogold labelling can be combined with immunogold labelings providing the possibility to explore the distribution of a protein of interest on the different endosome subpopulations. Here we present how the labelling of the yeast endosomal system with positively charged nanogold is practically performed.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="754">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:280px;">PIPES (piperazin-1,4-bis (2-ethansulfensaure)</td>
			<td style="width:188px;">Merck, Darmstadt, Germany</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">1,102,200,250</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">HEPES</td>
			<td style="width:188px;">Merck, Darmstadt, Germany</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">391,340</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">EGTA</td>
			<td style="width:188px;">Sigma, St louis, MO</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">E4378</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="25">
			<td height="25" style="height:25px;width:280px;">MgCl2.6H2O</td>
			<td style="width:188px;">Merck, Darmstadt, Germany</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">1,058,330,250</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">DL-Dithiothreitol</td>
			<td style="width:188px;">Sigma, St louis, MO</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">D0632</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Sorbitol</td>
			<td style="width:188px;">Sigma, St louis, MO</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">S1876</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Positively charged Nanogold</td>
			<td style="width:188px;">Nanoprobes, Yaphank, NY</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">2022</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">store at -20 &#778;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">HQ-silver&#8482; enhancement kit</td>
			<td style="width:188px;">Nanoprobes, Yaphank, NY</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">2012</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">store at -20 &#778;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td align="left" height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Paraformaldehyde (PFA)</td>
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nanogold labeling of the yeast endosomal system for ultrastructural analyses

Endosomes are one of the major membrane sorting checkpoints in eukaryotic cells and they regulate recycling or destruction of proteins mostly from the plasma membrane and the Golgi. As a result the endosomal system plays a central role in maintaining cell homeostasis, and mutations in genes belonging to this network of organelles interconnected by vesicular transport, cause severe pathologies including cancer and neurobiological disorders. It is therefore of prime relevance to understand the mechanisms underlying the biogenesis and organization of the endosomal system. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been pivotal in this task. To specifically label and analyze at the ultrastructural level the endosomal system of this model organism, we present here a detailed protocol for the positively charged nanogold uptake by spheroplasts followed by the visualization of these particles through a silver enhancement reaction. This method is also a valuable tool for the morphological examination of mutants with defects in endosomal trafficking. Moreover, it is not only applicable for ultrastructural examinations but it can also be combined with immunogold labelings for protein localization investigations.

According to the presented protocol, the morphology of the yeast endosome system can be access by transmission EM. Figure 1 shows different types of endosomal compartments that have been reached and therefore labeled with nanogold. The silver-enhanced nanogold can be clearly seen as electron dense particles. The optimal settings established for the silver enhancement reaction allows having gold particles in a homogenous size range between 5 and 15 nm, which does not interfere with the ultrastructure of t...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Nanogold Labeling of the Yeast Endosomal System for Ultrastructural Analyses at JoVE.com

Nanogold Labeling of the Yeast Endosomal System for Ultrastructural Analyses

Yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has been a key model organism to identify and study genes regulating the biogenesis and functions of the endosomal system. Here we present a detailed protocol for the specific labeling of the endosomal compartments for ultrastructural studies.

Endosomes are one of the major membrane sorting checkpoints in eukaryotic cells and they regulate recycling or destruction of proteins mostly from the ...

nanogold-labeling-yeast-endosomal-system-for-ultrastructural

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

10.2K Views.  University Medical Center Utrecht. Yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has been a key model organism to identify and study genes regulating the biogenesis and functions of the endosomal system. Here we present a detailed protocol for the specific labeling of the endosomal compartments for ultrastructural studies.

Video: Nanogold Labeling of the Yeast Endosomal System for Ultrastructural Analyses

A Rapid Technique for the Visualization of Live Immobilized Yeast Cells

We present here a simple, rapid, and extremely flexible technique for the immobilization and visualization of growing yeast cells by epifluorescence microscopy. The technique is equally suited for visualization of static yeast populations, or time courses experiments up to ten hours in length. My microscopy investigates epigenetic inheritance at the silent mating loci in S. cerevisiae. There are two silent mating loci, HML and HMR, which are normally not expressed as they are packaged in heterochromatin. In the sir1 mutant background silencing is weakened such that each locus can either be in the expressed or silenced epigenetic state, so in the population as a whole there is a mix of cells of different epigenetic states for both HML and HMR. My microscopy demonstrated that there is no relationship between the epigenetic state of HML and HMR in an individual cell. sir1 cells stochastically switch epigenetic states, establishing silencing at a previously expressed locus or expressing a previously silenced locus. My time course microscopy tracked individual sir1 cells and their offspring to score the frequency of each of the four possible epigenetic switches, and thus the stability of each of the epigenetic states in sir1 cells. See also  Xu et al., Mol. Cell 2006.

A rapid technique for the visualization of growing immobilized yeast cells, here applied to fluorescent reporters at the silent mating loci HML and HMR

We present here a simple, rapid, and extremely flexible technique for the immobilization and visualization of growing yeast cells by epifluorescence ...

Bioelectric Analyses of an Osseointegrated Intelligent Implant Design System for Amputees

The projected number of American amputees is expected to rise to 3.6 million by 2050.  Many of these individuals depend on artificial limbs to perform routine activities, but prosthetic suspensions using traditional socket technology can prove to be cumbersome and uncomfortable for a person with limb loss.  Moreover, for those with high proximal amputations, limited residual limb length may prevent exoprosthesis attachment all together. Osseointegrated implant technology is a novel operative procedure which allows firm skeletal attachment between the host bone and an implant. Preliminary results in European amputees with osseointegrated implants have shown improved clinical outcomes by allowing direct transfer of loads to the bone-implant interface.  Despite the apparent advantages of osseointegration over socket technology, the current rehabilitation procedures require long periods of restrictive load bearing prior which may be reduced with expedited skeletal attachment via electrical stimulation.  The goal of the osseointegrated intelligent implant design (OIID) system is to make the implant part of an electrical system to accelerate skeletal attachment and help prevent periprosthetic infection. To determine optimal electrode size and placement, we initiated proof of concept with computational modeling of the electric fields and current densities that arise during electrical stimulation of amputee residual limbs.  In order to provide insure patient safety, subjects with retrospective computed tomography scans were selected and three dimensional reconstructions were created using customized software programs to ensure anatomical accuracy (Seg3D and SCIRun) in an IRB and HIPAA approved study.  These software packages supported the development of patient specific models and allowed for interactive manipulation of electrode position and size. Preliminary results indicate that electric fields and current densities can be generated at the implant interface to achieve the homogenous electric field distributions   required to induce osteoblast migration, enhance skeletal fixation and may help prevent periprosthetic infections.  Based on the electrode configurations experimented with in the model, an external two band configuration will be advocated in the future.

There is a need to develop alternative prosthesis attachment due to limb loss attributed to vascular occlusive diseases and trauma. The goal of the work is to introduce an osseointegrated intelligent implant design system to increase skeletal fixation and reduce periprosthetic infection rates for patients needing osseointegrated technology.

The projected number of American amputees is expected to rise to 3.6 million by 2050.  Many of these individuals depend on artificial limbs to perform ...

Fluorescent Labeling of Drosophila Heart Structures

The Drosophila melanogaster dorsal vessel, or heart, is a tubular structure comprised of a single layer of contractile cardiomyocytes, pericardial cells that align along each side of the heart wall, supportive alary muscles and, in adults, a layer of ventral longitudinal muscle cells. The contractile fibers house conserved constituents of the muscle cytoarchitecture including densely packed bundles of myofibrils and cytoskeletal/submembranous protein complexes, which interact with homologous components of the extracellular matrix. Here we describe a protocol for the fixation and the fluorescent labeling of particular myocardial elements from the hearts of dissected larvae and semi-intact adult Drosophila. Specifically, we demonstrate the labeling of sarcomeric F-actin and of &alpha;-actinin in larval hearts. Additionally, we perform labeling of F-actin and &alpha;-actinin in myosin-GFP expressing adult flies and of &alpha;-actinin and pericardin, a type IV extracellular matrix collagen, in wild type adult hearts. Particular attention is given to a mounting strategy for semi-intact adult hearts that minimizes handling and optimizes the opportunity for maintaining the integrity of the cardiac tubes and the associated tissues. These preparations are suitable for imaging via fluorescent and confocal microscopy. Overall, this procedure allows for careful and detailed analysis of the structural characteristics of the heart from a powerful genetically tractable model system.

Fluorescent Labeling of Drosophila Heart Structures

Here we describe a basic protocol for fluorescent labeling of different elements of heart tubes from larva and adult Drosophila melanogaster. These specimens are well-suited for imaging via fluorescent or confocal microscopy. This technique permits detailed structural analysis of the features of the hearts from a powerful model organism.

The Drosophila melanogaster dorsal vessel, or heart, is a tubular structure comprised of a single layer of contractile cardiomyocytes, pericardial cells ...

Genetic Studies of Human DNA Repair Proteins Using Yeast as a Model System 

Understanding the roles of human DNA repair proteins in genetic pathways is a formidable challenge to many researchers. Genetic studies in mammalian systems have been limited due to the lack of readily available tools including defined mutant genetic cell lines, regulatory expression systems, and appropriate selectable markers. To circumvent these difficulties, model genetic systems in lower eukaryotes have become an attractive choice for the study of functionally conserved DNA repair proteins and pathways. We have developed a model yeast system to study the poorly defined genetic functions of the Werner syndrome helicase-nuclease (WRN) in nucleic acid metabolism. Cellular phenotypes associated with defined genetic mutant backgrounds can be investigated to clarify the cellular and molecular functions of WRN through its catalytic activities and protein interactions. The human WRN gene and associated variants, cloned into DNA plasmids for expression in yeast, can be placed under the control of a regulatory plasmid element. The expression construct can then be transformed into the appropriate yeast mutant background, and genetic function assayed by a variety of methodologies. Using this approach, we determined that WRN, like its related RecQ family members BLM and Sgs1, operates in a Top3-dependent pathway that is likely to be important for genomic stability. This is described in our recent publication [1] at <a href="http://www.impactaging.com">www.impactaging.com</a>. Detailed methods of specific assays for genetic complementation studies in yeast are provided in this paper.

Genetic Studies of Human DNA Repair Proteins Using Yeast as a Model System

Genetic studies in yeast can be employed to investigate the molecular and cellular functions of human genes in cellular DNA metabolism. Methods are described for the genetic characterization of the human WRN gene product defective in the premature aging disorder Werner syndrome in functionally conserved pathways using yeast as a tractable model system.

Understanding the roles of human DNA repair proteins in genetic pathways is a formidable challenge to many researchers.  Genetic studies in mammalian ...

Split-Ubiquitin Based Membrane Yeast Two-Hybrid (MYTH) System: A Powerful Tool For Identifying Protein-Protein Interactions

The fundamental biological and clinical importance of integral membrane proteins prompted the development of a yeast-based system for the high-throughput identification of protein-protein interactions (PPI) for full-length transmembrane proteins. To this end, our lab developed the split-ubiquitin based Membrane Yeast Two-Hybrid (MYTH) system. This technology allows for the sensitive detection of transient and stable protein interactions using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a host organism. MYTH takes advantage of the observation that ubiquitin can be separated into two stable moieties: the C-terminal half of yeast ubiquitin (Cub) and the N-terminal half of the ubiquitin moiety (Nub). In MYTH, this principle is adapted for use as a 'sensor' of protein-protein interactions. Briefly, the integral membrane bait protein is fused to Cub which is linked to an artificial transcription factor. Prey proteins, either in individual or library format, are fused to the Nub moiety. Protein interaction between the bait and prey leads to reconstitution of the ubiquitin moieties, forming a full-length 'pseudo-ubiquitin' molecule. This molecule is in turn recognized by cytosolic deubiquitinating enzymes, resulting in cleavage of the transcription factor, and subsequent induction of reporter gene expression. The system is highly adaptable, and is particularly well-suited to high-throughput screening. It has been successfully employed to investigate interactions using integral membrane proteins from both yeast and other organisms.

Split-Ubiquitin Based Membrane Yeast Two-Hybrid MYTH System: A Powerful Tool For Identifying Protein-Protein Interactions

MYTH allows the sensitive detection of transient and stable interactions between proteins that are expressed in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It has been successfully applied to study exogenous and yeast integral membrane proteins in order to identify their interacting partners in a high throughput manner.

The fundamental biological and clinical importance of integral membrane proteins prompted the development of a yeast-based system for the high-throughput ...

Modified Yeast-Two-Hybrid System to Identify Proteins Interacting with the Growth Factor Progranulin

Progranulin (PGRN), also known as granulin epithelin precursor (GEP), is a 593-amino-acid autocrine growth factor. PGRN is known to play a critical role in a variety of physiologic and disease processes, including early embryogenesis, wound healing 1, inflammation 2, 3, and host defense 4. PGRN also functions as a neurotrophic factor 5, and mutations in the PGRN gene resulting in partial loss of the PGRN protein cause frontotemporal dementia 6, 7. Our recent studies have led to the isolation of PGRN as an important regulator of cartilage development and degradation 8-11. Although PGRN, discovered nearly two decades ago, plays crucial roles in multiple physiological and pathological conditions, efforts to exploit the actions of PGRN and understand the mechanisms involved have been significantly hampered by our inability to identify its binding receptor(s). To address this issue, we developed a modified yeast two-hybrid (MY2H) approach based on the most commonly used GAL4 based 2-hybrid system. Compared with the conventional yeast two-hybrid screen, MY2H dramatically shortens the screen process and reduces the number of false positive clones. In addition, this approach is reproducible and reliable, and we have successfully employed this system in isolating the binding proteins of various baits, including ion channel 12, extracellular matrix protein 10, 13, and growth factor14. In this paper, we describe this MY2H experimental procedure in detail using PGRN as an example that led to the identification of TNFR2 as the first known PGRN-associated receptor 14, 15.

We have modified the conventional yeast two-hybrid screening, an effective genetic tool in identifying protein interaction. This modification markedly shortens the process, reduces the workload, and most importantly, reduces the number of false positives. In addition, this approach is reproducible and reliable.

Progranulin (PGRN), also known as granulin epithelin precursor (GEP), is a 593-amino-acid autocrine growth factor. PGRN is known to play a critical role ...

The Green Monster Process for the Generation of Yeast Strains Carrying Multiple Gene Deletions

Phenotypes for a gene deletion are often revealed only when the mutation is tested in a particular genetic background or environmental condition1,2. There are examples where many genes need to be deleted to unmask hidden gene functions3,4. Despite the potential for important discoveries, genetic interactions involving three or more genes are largely unexplored. Exhaustive searches of multi-mutant interactions would be impractical due to the sheer number of possible combinations of deletions. However, studies of selected sets of genes, such as sets of paralogs with a greater a priori chance of sharing a common function, would be informative.
In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, gene knockout is accomplished by replacing a gene with a selectable marker via homologous recombination. Because the number of markers is limited, methods have been developed for removing and reusing the same marker5,6,7,8,9,10. However, sequentially engineering multiple mutations using these methods is time-consuming because the time required scales linearly with the number of deletions to be generated.
Here we describe the Green Monster method for routinely engineering multiple deletions in yeast11. In this method, a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter integrated into deletions is used to quantitatively label strains according to the number of deletions contained in each strain (Figure 1). Repeated rounds of assortment of GFP-marked deletions via yeast mating and meiosis coupled with flow-cytometric enrichment of strains carrying more of these deletions lead to the accumulation of deletions in strains (Figure 2). Performing multiple processes in parallel, with each process incorporating one or more deletions per round, reduces the time required for strain construction.
The first step is to prepare haploid single-mutants termed 'ProMonsters,' each of which carries a GFP reporter in a deleted locus and one of the 'toolkit' loci&#x2014;either Green Monster GMToolkit-a or GMToolkit-&alpha; at the can1&Delta; locus (Figure 3). Using strains from the yeast deletion collection12, GFP-marked deletions can be conveniently generated by replacing the common KanMX4 cassette existing in these strains with a universal GFP-URA3 fragment. Each GMToolkit contains: either the a- or &alpha;-mating-type-specific haploid selection marker1 and exactly one of the two markers that, when both GMToolkits are present, collectively allow for selection of diploids.
The second step is to carry out the sexual cycling through which deletion loci can be combined within a single cell by the random assortment and/or meiotic recombination that accompanies each cycle of mating and sporulation.

The Green Monster method enables the rapid assembly of multiple deletions marked with a reporter gene encoding green fluorescent protein. This method is based on driving yeast strains through repeated cycles of sexual assortment of deletions and fluorescence-based enrichment of cells carrying more deletions.

Phenotypes  for a gene deletion are often revealed only when the mutation is tested in a  particular genetic background or environmental condition1,2. ...

Budding Yeast Protein Extraction and Purification for the Study of Function, Interactions, and Post-translational Modifications

Homogenization by bead beating is a fast and efficient way to release DNA, RNA, proteins, and metabolites from budding yeast cells, which are notoriously hard to disrupt. Here we describe the use of a bead mill homogenizer for the extraction of proteins into buffers optimized to maintain the functions, interactions and post-translational modifications of proteins. Logarithmically growing cells expressing the protein of interest are grown in a liquid growth media of choice. The growth media may be supplemented with reagents to induce protein expression from inducible promoters (e.g. galactose), synchronize cell cycle stage (e.g. nocodazole), or inhibit proteasome function (e.g. MG132). Cells are then pelleted and resuspended in a suitable buffer containing protease and/or phosphatase inhibitors and are either processed immediately or frozen in liquid nitrogen for later use. Homogenization is accomplished by six cycles of 20 sec&#160;bead-beating (5.5 m/sec), each followed by one minute incubation on ice. The resulting homogenate is cleared by centrifugation and small particulates can be removed by filtration. The resulting cleared whole cell extract (WCE) is precipitated using 20% TCA for direct analysis of total proteins by SDS-PAGE followed by Western blotting. Extracts are also suitable for affinity purification of specific proteins, the detection of post-translational modifications, or the analysis of co-purifying proteins. As is the case for most protein purification protocols, some enzymes and proteins may require unique conditions or buffer compositions for their purification and others may be unstable or insoluble under the conditions stated. In the latter case, the protocol presented may provide a useful starting point to empirically determine the best bead-beating strategy for protein extraction and purification. We show the extraction and purification of an epitope-tagged SUMO E3 ligase, Siz1, a cell cycle regulated protein that becomes both sumoylated and phosphorylated, as well as a SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligase subunit, Slx5.

The preparation of high quality yeast cell extracts is a necessary first step in the analysis of individual proteins or entire proteomes. Here we describe a fast, efficient, and reliable homogenization protocol for budding yeast cells that has been optimized to preserve protein functions, interactions, and post-translational modifications.

Homogenization by bead beating is a fast and efficient way to release DNA, RNA, proteins, and metabolites from budding yeast cells, which are notoriously ...

Reverse Yeast Two-hybrid System to Identify Mammalian Nuclear Receptor Residues that Interact with Ligands and/or Antagonists

As a critical regulator of drug metabolism and inflammation, Pregnane X Receptor (PXR), plays an important role in disease pathophysiology linking metabolism and inflammation (e.g.&#160;hepatic steatosis)1,2. There has been much progress in the identification of agonist ligands for PXR, however, there are limited descriptions of drug-like antagonists and their binding sites on PXR3,4,5. A critical barrier has been the inability to efficiently purify full-length protein for structural studies with antagonists despite the fact that PXR was cloned and characterized in 1998. Our laboratory developed a novel high throughput yeast based two-hybrid assay to define an antagonist, ketoconazole&#39;s, binding residues on PXR6. Our method involves creating mutational libraries that would rescue the effect of single mutations on the AF-2 surface of PXR expected to interact with ketoconazole. Rescue or &#34;gain-of-function&#34; second mutations can be made such that conclusions regarding the genetic interaction of ketoconazole and the surface residue(s) on PXR are feasible. Thus, we developed a high throughput two-hybrid yeast screen of PXR mutants interacting with its coactivator, SRC-1. Using this approach, in which the yeast was modified to accommodate the study of the antifungal drug, ketoconazole, we could demonstrate specific mutations on PXR enriched in clones unable to bind to ketoconazole. By reverse logic, we conclude that the original residues are direct interaction residues with ketoconazole. This assay represents a novel, tractable genetic assay to screen for antagonist binding sites on nuclear receptor surfaces. This assay could be applied to any drug regardless of its cytotoxic potential to yeast as well as to cellular protein(s) that cannot be studied using standard structural biology or proteomic based methods. Potential pitfalls include interpretation of data (complementary methods useful), reliance on single Y2H method, expertise in handling yeast or performing yeast two-hybrid assays, and assay optimization.

Ketoconazole binds to and antagonizes Pregnane X Receptor (PXR) activation. Yeast high throughput screens of PXR mutants define a unique region for ketoconazole binding. This yeast-based genetic method discovers novel nuclear receptor interactions with ligands that associate with surface binding sites.

As a critical regulator of drug metabolism and inflammation, Pregnane X Receptor (PXR), plays an important role in disease pathophysiology linking ...

Applications of pHluorin for Quantitative, Kinetic and High-throughput Analysis of Endocytosis in Budding Yeast

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and its variants are widely used tools for studying protein localization and dynamics of events such as cytoskeletal remodeling and vesicular trafficking in living cells. Quantitative methodologies using chimeric GFP fusions have been developed for many applications; however, GFP is somewhat resistant to proteolysis, thus its fluorescence persists in the lysosome/vacuole, which can impede quantification of cargo trafficking in the endocytic pathway. An alternative method for quantifying endocytosis and post-endocytic trafficking events makes use of superecliptic pHluorin, a pH-sensitive variant of GFP that is quenched in acidic environments. Chimeric fusion of pHluorin to the cytoplasmic tail of transmembrane cargo proteins results in a dampening of fluorescence upon incorporation of the cargo into multivesicular bodies (MVBs) and delivery to the lysosome/vacuole lumen. Thus, quenching of vacuolar fluorescence facilitates quantification of endocytosis and early events in the endocytic pathway. This paper describes methods using pHluorin-tagged cargos for quantification of endocytosis via fluorescence microscopy, as well as population-based assays using flow cytometry.

Accurate quantification of vesicular trafficking events often provides key insights into roles for specific proteins and the effects of mutations. This paper presents methods for using superecliptic pHluorin, a pH-sensitive GFP variant, as a tool for quantification of endocytic events in living cells using quantitative fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry.

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and its variants are widely used tools for studying protein localization and dynamics of events such as cytoskeletal ...