This study was supported by the Velux Stiftung (A.K.M.), NIH grant EY024207 (A.K.M.) and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) project J3686 (B.P.).

1. Preparation of Liposomes and Proteoliposomes
<ol>
	<li>Liposome Formation
	<ol>
		<li>Using a glass syringe, add 1,435 &#181;l POPC (25 mg/ml, in chloroform) and 160 &#181;l POPG (25 mg/ml, in chloroform) to a round bottom flask to obtain 52.5 &#181;mol lipids in a molar ratio of POPC:POPG = 9:1.</li>
		<li>Dry the lipids for 30 min using a rotary evaporator at a rotation speed of 145 rpm (no water bath is needed for this volume of solvent), then transfer the flask to a vacuum desiccator for at least 3 hr, or overnight, at room temperature (RT).</li>
		<li>Hydrate the dried lipid film with 10 ml of 50 mM HEPES pH 7.4, 100 mM NaCl (henceforth referred to as buffer A) by gently swirling the flask until a homogenous, turbid suspension results; 
		NOTE: The lipid concentration at this stage is expected to be 5.25 mM as no losses should have occurred so far.</li>
		<li>Sonicate the suspension in a water bath for 10 min at room temperature with a frequency of 40 kHz. The solution will look somewhat clearer.</li>
		<li>Using an extruder, pass the suspension 10 times through a membrane with a 400 nm pore size, followed by a second cycle of extrusion with 4 passes through a membrane with a 200 nm pore size. 
		NOTE: The mean diameter of the resulting LUVs is ~175 nm. If necessary, the size and homogeneity of the LUVs can be checked by Dynamic Light Scattering according to the manufacturer&#39;s instructions.</li>
		<li>Quantify the phospholipid concentration of the LUV suspension as described in section 1.2). 
		NOTE: Because of losses during extrusion, the concentration is usually around 3.6 mM.</li>
		<li>Store the LUVs at 4 &#176;C for about 2 weeks if not used immediately.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Phospholipid Quantification 
	NOTE: To determine the phospholipid concentration of the LUV suspension used for reconstitution, as well as that of the proteoliposomes that are eventually generated, an aliquot of the sample is subjected to oxidation by perchloric acid. This procedure breaks down phospholipids to release inorganic phosphate that is then quantified by a colorimetric assay in comparison with standards 23.
	<ol>
		<li>Prepare a 40 mM stock solution of sodium phosphate (Na2HPO4) in deionized distilled water.</li>
		<li>Dilute the stock solution with deionized distilled water to obtain 4 mM and 0.4 mM working solutions that will serve as calibration standards.</li>
		<li>Using the working solutions, prepare standards in 13 x 100 mm2 glass tubes ranging from 0 to 80 nmol sodium phosphate in a final volume of 50 &#181;l.</li>
		<li>Take 10 &#181;l each of the LUV and proteoliposome samples to be quantified and dilute with 40 &#181;l of ddH2O in 13 x 100 mm2 glass tubes. 
		NOTE: As the lipid concentration of the LUVs and proteoliposomes is in the range 2.5-5 &#181;M, the 10 &#181;l of sample should contain 25-50 nmol lipid phosphorus.</li>
		<li>Add 300 &#181;l perchloric acid to each of the standards and samples and heat for 1 hr at 145 &#176;C in a heating block. Put marbles on the tubes to prevent evaporation.</li>
		<li>Let the tubes cool to room temperature and add 1 ml of ddH2O.</li>
		<li>Add 400 &#181;l each of freshly prepared 12 g/L ammonium molybdate and 50 g/L sodium ascorbate and vortex to mix.</li>
		<li>Heat for 10 min at 100 &#176;C with marbles on top of the tubes. Remove the tubes from the heating block and let them cool to room temperature.</li>
		<li>Measure the absorbance of the samples against the blank (standard sample containing 0 nmol sodium phosphate) with a spectrometer at a wavelength of 797 nm.</li>
		<li>Determine the phosphate content of samples against the calibration standard curve.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Reconstitution of Opsin 
	NOTE: It is necessary to determine optimal swelling conditions for reconstitution as these depend on the nature of the detergent, as well as the lipid composition and concentration of the LUVs. As LUVs change their light scattering properties on swelling the process can be monitored by measuring absorbance (Figure 2) as reviewed by Rigaud and Levy 24 and Geertsma et al. 25.
	<ol>
		<li>Pipette 800 &#181;l of LUVs (from section 1.1; as lipid recovery after extrusion is 70%, the expected concentration of LUVs is 3.6 mM phospholipid) into a 2 ml microfuge tube.</li>
		<li>Add 5.3 &#181;l of buffer A and 34.7 &#181;l of 10% (w/v) DDM dissolved in buffer A.</li>
		<li>Incubate for 3 hr at room temperature with end-over-end mixing.</li>
		<li>Meanwhile prepare the polystyrene beads:
		<ol>
			<li>Use 400 mg of beads per sample and weigh them out in a glass beaker.</li>
			<li>Wash them twice with methanol, three times with water and once with buffer A. For each washing step use 5 ml of liquid and stir slowly for 10 min. 
			NOTE: It is recommended to prepare the polystyrene beads for several samples at once, e.g., weigh in 6 g of beads and wash with 75 ml of liquid. Excess beads can be stored in a refrigerator for several days.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
		<li>During the last 30 min of vesicle destabilization dry the NBD-labeled phospholipid in a screw-cap glass tube (&#39;reconstitution glass tube&#39;): Per sample, 9.5 &#181;l of NBD-PC (1 mg/ml in chloroform, yielding 0.4 mol% of total phospholipids) are dried under a stream of nitrogen in a glass tube and subsequently dissolved in 45 &#181;l of 0.1% (w/v) DDM in buffer A.</li>
		<li>After 3 hr of vesicle destabilization add the dissolved-NBD-labeled phospholipid, the DDM-solubilized protein and buffer A such that the final volume of 1 ml contains 0.36% (w/v), i.e., 7 mM, DDM.
		<ol>
			<li>Thus, to generate protein-free liposomes (used as a control sample) add 45 &#181;l of NBD-PC (dissolved in 0.1% DDM), 60 &#181;l of 0.1% DDM and 55 &#181;l of buffer A; for proteoliposomes add, for example, 40 &#181;l of protein (from a typical stock solution of ~110 ng/&#181;l) in 0.1% DDM, 45 &#181;l of NBD-PC (dissolved in 0.1% DDM), 20 &#181;l of 0.1% DDM and 55 &#181;l of buffer A. 
			NOTE: The order of addition should be as listed.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
		<li>Mix the sample for an additional hr end over end at room temperature.</li>
		<li>Add 80 mg of the prepared polystyrene beads and incubate the sample with end-over-end mixing for 1 hr at RT.</li>
		<li>Next add an additional 160 mg of polystyrene beads and incubate with end-over-end mixing for a further 2 hr at RT.</li>
		<li>Transfer the sample (leaving the spent polystyrene beads behind) to a glass screw-cap tube containing 160 mg of fresh polystyrene beads and mix overnight at 4 &#176;C. 
		NOTE: The easiest way to transfer the sample and avoid sucking up beads is to use a Pasteur pipette that is pushed to the bottom of the glass tube with a little positive pressure. Once the tip of the pipette is firmly at the bottom of the tube, then the sample can be withdrawn easily without interference from the beads.</li>
		<li>The next morning, transfer the sample to a microfuge tube without carrying over beads and place on ice in preparation for the scramblase activity assay.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>
2. Scramblase Activity Assay
NOTE: The fluorescence intensity of liposomes or proteoliposomes diluted with buffer A is monitored over time upon the addition of dithionite in a fluorescence spectrometer. To obtain a stable starting intensity, the fluorescence is recorded for at least 50 sec (or until a stable signal is achieved) before adding dithionite to a constantly stirred sample and is then followed for at least 500 sec after adding dithionite.
<ol>
	<li>Add 1,950 &#181;l of buffer A to a plastic cuvette containing a mini stir-bar.</li>
	<li>Add 50 &#181;l of the prepared proteo(liposomes) and let the sample equilibrate in the fluorescence spectrometer with constant stirring for several sec.</li>
	<li>Meanwhile prepare a solution of 1 M dithionite in 0.5 M unbuffered Tris (e.g., for two samples weigh out 20 mg of dithionite in a microfuge tube and dissolve in 114 &#181;l ice-cold 0.5 M Tris directly before use and keep on ice for the next sample). 
	NOTE: The dithionite solution must be prepared freshly and should not be used more than 20 min after preparation; if many measurements are to be made, aliquots of dithionite can be weighed out in advance and dissolved right before use.</li>
	<li>Start the fluorescence monitoring (excitation 470 nm, emission 530 nm, slit width 0.5 nm).</li>
	<li>Add 40 &#181;l of the 1 M dithionite solution to the cuvette 50 sec after starting the fluorescence recording (use the septum in the lid of the cuvette chamber if possible) and continue to record the fluorescence for a further 400-600 sec.</li>
	<li>Analyze the data as described in section 3.</li>
</ol>
3. Data Analysis
<ol>
	<li>Kinetics of Scrambling
	<ol>
		<li>Characterize the fluorescence trace of each sample obtained by the scramblase activity assay by defining the initial fluorescence, Fi, prior to adding dithionite, and the end-point fluorescence, F, reached after &#62;400 sec. Fi is determined for each sample as the mean value of fluorescence for the 30 sec period prior to addition of dithionite.</li>
		<li>Determine the end-point data corresponding to the extent of fluorescence reduction, R = 100&#8226;F/Fi. We use the terms RL for protein-free liposomes and RP for opsin-containing proteoliposomes.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Determining the Molecular Weight of the Functionally Reconstituted Scramblase
	<ol>
		<li>Convert the fluorescence reduction data according to the following equation: 
		p(&#8805;1 scramblase) = (RP &#8722; RL)/(Rmax &#8722; RL) (Equation 1) 
		NOTE: Where Rmax is the maximum reduction that is obtained when sufficient protein is reconstituted such that all vesicles in the sample possess at least one functional scramblase, and p is the probability that a particular vesicle in a reconstituted sample is &#39;scramblase-active&#39;, i.e., it possesses at least one functional scramblase. The value for RL is typically 45% 3 whereas Rmax is typically 82.5% 3 , instead of the expected 100% (Rmax can be experimentally determined for opsin proteoliposomes with a PPR of &#62;1 mg/mmol). As Rmax &#60;100% it is assumed that a sub-population of vesicles is refractory to reconstitution. For Rmax = 82.5%, the fraction of vesicles that is unable to accept protein is 0.35.</li>
		<li>Describe the relationship between p(&#8805;1 scramblase) and PPR (mg protein/mmol phospholipid) by Poisson statistics as follows: 
		p(&#8805;1 scramblase) = 1 - e-m = 1 - exp(-PPR/&#945;) (Equation 2) 
		NOTE: Where m = number of scramblases per vesicle and &#945; = mono-exponential fit constant in units of mg protein/mmol phospholipid.</li>
		<li>As a fraction of the vesicles does not contribute to scrambling even at high PPR (see discussion), modify the equation to: 
		p(&#8805;1 scramblase) = 1 - exp(-PPR*/&#945;) (Equation 3) 
		NOTE: Where PPR* = PPR/(1-f), where f is the refractory population of vesicles or, in this case, PPR* = PPR/0.65 (Equation 4). 
		NOTE: The fit constant &#945; is determined by fitting a graph of p(&#8805;1 scramblase) versus PPR* with a mono-exponential function. If opsin (molecular weight 41.7 kDa) functionally reconstitutes into 175-nm-diameter vesicles (each vesicle has 280,000 phospholipids 26) as a monomer, &#945; = 0.187 mg mmol&#8722;1. If opsin dimerizes prior to reconstitution 3 to yield scramblase-active vesicles, then &#945; = 0.37 mg mmol&#8722;1. If PPR rather than PPR* were to be used for the analysis, then the corresponding &#945; values would be 0.122 and 0.244 mg mmol&#8722;1. These predicted values for &#945; assume that all opsin molecules are functionally competent. If only a fraction of the molecules is competent to scramble lipids, then the corresponding values of &#945; will be larger.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>

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J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Phospholipid+flippase+activity+of+the+reconstituted+P-glycoprotein+multidrug+transporter.">Phospholipid flippase activity of the reconstituted P-glycoprotein multidrug transporter.</a> Biochemistry. 40, 6937-6947 (2001).</li><li>Zhou, X., Graham, T. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Reconstitution+of+phospholipid+translocase+activity+with+purified+Drs2p,+a+type-IV+P-type+ATPase+from+budding+yeast.">Reconstitution of phospholipid translocase activity with purified Drs2p, a type-IV P-type ATPase from budding yeast.</a> Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 106, 16586-16591 (2009).</li></ol>

The authors have nothing to disclose.

The scramblase activity assay enabled us originally to determine that opsin has phospholipid scramblase activity 2. The assay also allowed us to characterize opsin&#39;s scramblase activity by testing specificity (we used a variety of NBD-labeled reporter lipids such as NBD-phosphatidylethanolamine, labeled with NBD on an acyl chain as shown for NBD-PC in Figure 1A, or on the headgroup, NBD-sphingomyelin or NBD- phosphatidylserine 2), the effect of vesicle lipid composition (e.g...

The photoreceptor rhodopsin, a prototypical G protein-coupled receptor (reviewed for example in reference 1), is the first phospholipid scramblase to be identified and biochemically verified 2,3. Scramblases are phospholipid transporters that increase the intrinsically slow rate of transbilayer phospholipid movement to physiologically appropriate levels in a bidirectional, ATP-independent manner 4-6. Examples of their actions can be found in the endoplasmic reticulum and bacterial cytoplasmic membrane where constitutive scrambling is needed for membrane homeostasis and growth, as well as for a variety of glycosylation pathways 5. Regulated phospholipid scrambling is needed to expose phosphatidylserine (PS) on the surface of apoptotic cells where it acts as an &#34;eat-me&#34;-signal for macrophages 7 and provides a procoagulant surface on activated blood platelets to catalyze the production of protein factors needed for blood clotting. In photoreceptor disc membranes, rhodopsin&#39;s scrambling activity has been suggested to counteract the phospholipid imbalance between the two membrane leaflets of the bilayer that is generated by the ATP-dependent, unidirectional lipid flippase ABCA4 4,8,910-12.
Despite the physiological importance of scramblases, their identity remained elusive until rhodopsin was reported as a scramblase in photoreceptor discs 2, members of the TMEM16 protein family were identified as Ca2+-dependent scramblases needed for PS exposure at the plasma membrane (reviewed in reference 13), and the bacterial protein FtsW was proposed as a Lipid II scramblase required for peptidoglycan synthesis 14. These discoveries were based on the reconstitution of purified proteins in liposomes and demonstration of scramblase activity in the resulting proteoliposomes using the methodology described here. Other potential scramblases 15-21&#160;&#8212; the MurJ and AmJ proteins implicated in peptidoglycan biosynthesis, WzxE and related proteins implicated in scrambling O-antigen precursors, MprF protein needed to translocate aminoacylated phosphatidylglycerol across the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane, and Xkr8 family members that have been proposed to expose PS on the surface of apoptotic cells&#160;&#8212; remain to be tested biochemically. This highlights the importance of a robust assay to identify and characterize scramblase activity.
Here, we describe the reconstitution of purified opsin, the apoprotein of the photoreceptor rhodopsin, into large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs), and subsequent analysis of scramblase activity in the resulting proteoliposomes using a fluorescence-based assay. There are several well-described protocols available in the literature for the heterologous expression and purification of opsin, therefore we will not describe it in this protocol; we use the protocols described in Goren et al. 3 which yields FLAG-tagged, thermostable opsin at about 100 ng/&#181;l in 0.1% (w/v) dodecylmaltoside (DDM).
Reconstitution is achieved by treating LUVs with sufficient detergent so that they swell but do not dissolve. Under these conditions, a membrane protein&#160;&#8212; supplied in the form of protein-detergent micelles&#160;&#8212; will integrate into the liposomes and become reconstituted into the liposome membrane upon detergent removal, resulting in proteoliposomes. To reconstitute opsin (obtained as a purified protein in 0.1% (w/v) DDM), LUVs are prepared from a mixture of POPC (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) and POPG (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)]) and saturated with DDM before adding opsin and NBD-PC. The detergent is then removed by treating the sample with polystyrene beads.
The principle underlying the fluorescence-based assay is shown in Figure 1B. LUVs are symmetrically reconstituted with a trace amount of NBD-PC or other NBD-labeled fluorescent phospholipid reporter (Figure 1A). On adding dithionite, a membrane-impermeant dianion, NBD-PC molecules in the outer leaflet of the LUVs are rendered non-fluorescent as the nitro-group of NBD is reduced to a non-fluorescent amino-group. As neither NBD-PC molecules nor dithionite are able to traverse the membrane on the time-scale of the experiment (&#60;10 min), this results in 50% reduction of the fluorescent signal. However, if the liposomes are reconstituted with a scramblase, NBD-PC molecules in the inner leaflet can scramble rapidly to the outside where they are reduced. This results in the total loss of fluorescence in the ideal case (Figure 1C).
<img alt="Figure 1" src="/files/ftp_upload/54635/54635fig1.jpg" /> 
Figure 1: Schematic representation of the scramblase activity assay. The assay uses a fluorescent NBD-labeled reporter lipid; NBD-PC is shown (A). Large unilamellar vesicles are reconstituted with a trace amount of NBD-PC. Reconstitution produces symmetric vesicles, with NBD-PC distributed equally in the outer and inner leaflets. Dithionite (S2O42-) chemically reduces the nitro-group of NBD to a non-fluorescent amino-group. Treatment of protein-free liposomes with dithionite (B, top) causes a 50% reduction of fluorescence since only the NBD-PC molecules in the outer leaflet are reduced: dithionite is negatively charged and cannot cross the membrane to react with NBD-PC molecules in the inner leaflet. Dithionite treatment of opsin-containing proteoliposomes (B, bottom), i.e., scramblase-active proteoliposomes, results in 100% loss of fluorescence as opsin facilitates movement of NBD-PC between the inner and the outer leaflet. (C) shows idealized fluorescence traces obtained on treating protein-free liposomes and opsin-containing proteoliposomes with dithionite. The rate of fluorescence loss is the same in both cases indicating that the chemical reduction of NBD by dithionite is rate-limiting, and that scrambling occurs at a rate equal to or greater than the rate of the chemical reaction. Traces obtained from an actual experiment are shown in Figure 3. <a href="https://www.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/54635/54635fig1large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>
The methods we describe can be used to reconstitute and assay other purified proteins, as well as mixtures of membrane proteins obtained, for example, by extracting microsomes with detergent 22.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="1148">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:683px;">1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine</td>
			<td style="width:141px;">Avanti Polar Lipids</td>
			<td style="width:132px;">850457C</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">POPC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">1-Palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-rac-(1-glycerol) (sodium salt)</td>
			<td>Avanti Polar Lipids</td>
			<td>840457C</td>
			<td>POPG</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">1-palmitoyl-2-{6-[7-nitro-2-1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl)amino]hexanoyl}-an-glycero-3-phosphocholine</td>
			<td>Avanti Polar Lipids</td>
			<td>810130C</td>
			<td>NBD-PC</td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>EM-5330</td>
			<td>HEPES</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">NaCl</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>S7653-1KG</td>
			<td>NaCl</td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Dodecyl-&#946;-d-maltoside&#160;</td>
			<td>Anatrace</td>
			<td>D310 5 GM</td>
			<td>DDM</td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Fluorimeter cuvettes</td>
			<td>sigma</td>
			<td>C0918-100EA</td>
			<td>cuvettes</td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Spectrofluorometer</td>
			<td colspan="2">Photon Technology International, Inc.</td>
			<td>fluorimeter</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Sodium hydrosulfite technical grade, 85%</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>157953-5G</td>
			<td>dithionite</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">GraphPad Prism 5 software</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Prism</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Tris Base</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>JTX171-3</td>
			<td>Tris</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">LIPEX 10 mL extruder&#160;</td>
			<td>Northern Lipids, Inc.</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Extruder</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:683px;">Whatman, Drain disc, PE, 25 mm</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:132px;">28156-243</td>
			<td>Disc support</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:683px;">Whatman Nuclepore Track-Etched Membranes, 0.4 &#181;m, 25 mm diameter</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:132px;">WHA110607</td>
			<td>400 nm membrane</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:683px;">Whatman Nucleopore Track-Etched Membranes, 0.2 &#181;m, 25 mm diameter</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:132px;">WHA110606</td>
			<td>200 nm membrane</td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">sodium phosphate</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>S3264-500G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">VWR Culture Tubes, Disposable, Borosilicate Glass, 13x100 mm</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>47729-572</td>
			<td>glass tubes</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Perchloric acid</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>30755-500ML</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Ammonium Molybdate Tetrahydrate</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>A-7302</td>
			<td>ammonium molybdate</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">(+)-Sodium L-ascorbate</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>A7631-25G</td>
			<td>sodium ascorbate</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Bio-Beads SM2 adsorbents</td>
			<td>Bio Rad</td>
			<td>1523920</td>
			<td>polystyrene beads</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">&#160;2.0 mL Microtubes clear</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td>10011-742</td>
			<td>Reconstitution tubes</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Reconstitution glass tube</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:132px;">53283-800</td>
			<td>Reconstitution glass tubes</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Zetasizer&#160;</td>
			<td>Malvern&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>DLS</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a fluorescence-based assay of phospholipid scramblase activity

Scramblases translocate phospholipids across the membrane bilayer bidirectionally in an ATP-independent manner. The first scramblase to be identified and biochemically verified was opsin, the apoprotein of the photoreceptor rhodopsin. Rhodopsin is a G protein-coupled receptor localized in rod photoreceptor disc membranes of the retina where it is responsible for the perception of light. Rhodopsin&#39;s scramblase activity does not depend on its ligand 11-cis-retinal, i.e., the apoprotein opsin is also active as a scramblase. Although constitutive and regulated phospholipid scrambling play an important role in cell physiology, only a few phospholipid scramblases have been identified so far besides opsin. Here we describe a fluorescence-based assay of opsin&#39;s scramblase activity. Opsin is reconstituted into large unilamellar liposomes composed of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol and a trace quantity of fluorescent NBD-labeled PC (1-palmitoyl-2-{6-[7-nitro-2-1,3-benzoxadiazole-4-yl)amino]hexanoyl}-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine). Scramblase activity is determined by measuring the extent to which NBD-PC molecules located in the inner leaflet of the vesicle are able to access the outer leaflet where their fluorescence is chemically eliminated by a reducing agent that cannot cross the membrane. The methods we describe have general applicability and can be used to identify and characterize scramblase activities of other membrane proteins.

We describe the reconstitution of opsin into LUVs to characterize its scramblase activity using a fluorescence-based assay. We analyze the results to place a lower limit on the rate of opsin-mediated phospholipid scrambling and to determine the oligomeric state in which opsin functionally reconstitutes into the vesicles.
To identify optimal reconstitution conditions, it is necessary to determine empirically the amount of deterge...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Fluorescence-based Assay of Phospholipid Scramblase Activity at JoVE.com

A Fluorescence-based Assay of Phospholipid Scramblase Activity

We describe a fluorescence-based assay to measure phospholipid scrambling in large unilamellar liposomes reconstituted with opsin.

Scramblases translocate phospholipids across the membrane bilayer bidirectionally in an ATP-independent manner. The first scramblase to be identified and ...

a-fluorescence-based-assay-of-phospholipid-scramblase-activity

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Biochemistry

13.8K Views.  Weill Cornell Medical College. We describe a fluorescence-based assay to measure phospholipid scrambling in large unilamellar liposomes reconstituted with opsin. 

Video: A Fluorescence-based Assay of Phospholipid Scramblase Activity

Detection of the pH-dependent Activity of Escherichia coli Chaperone HdeB In Vitro and In Vivo

Bacteria are frequently exposed to environmental changes, such as alterations in pH, temperature, redox status, light exposure or mechanical force. Many of these conditions cause protein unfolding in the cell and have detrimental impact on the survival of the organism. A group of unrelated, stress-specific molecular chaperones have been shown to play essential roles in the survival of these stress conditions. While fully folded and chaperone-inactive before stress, these proteins rapidly unfold and become chaperone-active under specific stress conditions. Once activated, these conditionally disordered chaperones bind to a large number of different aggregation-prone proteins, prevent their aggregation and either directly or indirectly facilitate protein refolding upon return to non-stress conditions. The primary approach for gaining a more detailed understanding about the mechanism of their activation and client recognition involves the purification and subsequent characterization of these proteins using in vitro chaperone assays. Follow-up in vivo stress assays are absolutely essential to independently confirm the obtained in vitro results.
This protocol describes in vitro and in vivo methods to characterize the chaperone activity of E. coli HdeB, an acid-activated chaperone. Light scattering measurements were used as a convenient read-out for HdeB&#39;s capacity to prevent acid-induced aggregation of an established model client protein, MDH, in vitro. Analytical ultracentrifugation experiments were applied to reveal complex formation between HdeB and its client protein LDH, to shed light into the fate of client proteins upon their return to non-stress conditions. Enzymatic activity assays of the client proteins were conducted to monitor the effects of HdeB on pH-induced client inactivation and reactivation. Finally, survival studies were used to monitor the influence of HdeB&#39;s chaperone function in vivo.

Detection of the pH-dependent Activity of Escherichia coli Chaperone HdeB In Vitro and In Vivo

This study describes biophysical, biochemical and molecular techniques to characterize the chaperone activity of Escherichia coli HdeB under acidic pH conditions. These methods have been successfully applied for other acid-protective chaperones such as HdeA and can be modified to work for other chaperones and stress conditions.

Bacteria are frequently exposed to environmental changes, such as alterations in pH, temperature, redox status, light exposure or mechanical force. Many ...

Expression, Purification, and Antimicrobial Activity of S100A12

Calgranulin proteins are important mediators of innate immunity and are members of the S100 class of the EF-hand family of calcium binding proteins. Some S100 proteins have the capacity to bind transition metals with high affinity and effectively sequester them away from invading microbial pathogens in a process that is termed "nutritional immunity". S100A12 (EN-RAGE) binds both zinc and copper and is highly abundant in innate immune cells such as macrophages and neutrophils. We report a refined method for the expression, enrichment and purification of S100A12 in its active, metal-binding configuration. Utilization of this protein in bacterial growth and viability analyses reveals that S100A12 has antimicrobial activity against the bacterial pathogen, Helicobacter pylori. The antimicrobial activity is predicated on the zinc-binding activity of S100A12, which chelates nutrient zinc, thereby starving H. pylori which requires zinc for growth and proliferation.

Here, we present a method to express and purify S100A12 (calgranulin C). We describe a protocol to measure its antimicrobial activity against the human pathogen H. pylori.

Calgranulin proteins are important mediators of innate immunity and are members of the S100 class of the EF-hand family of calcium binding proteins. Some ...

Mapping Metabolism: Monitoring Lactate Dehydrogenase Activity Directly in Tissue

Mapping enzymatic activity in space and time is critical for understanding the molecular basis of cell behavior in normal tissue and disease. In situ metabolic activity assays can provide information about the spatial distribution of metabolic activity within a tissue. We provide here a detailed protocol for monitoring the activity of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase directly in tissue samples. Lactate dehydrogenase is an important determinant of whether consumed glucose will be converted to energy via aerobic or anaerobic glycolysis. A solution containing lactate and NAD is provided to a frozen tissue section. Cells with high lactate dehydrogenase activity will convert the provided lactate to pyruvate, while simultaneously converting provided nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) to NADH and a proton, which can be detected based on the reduction of nitrotetrazolium blue to formazan, which is visualized as a blue precipitate. We describe a detailed protocol for monitoring lactate dehydrogenase activity in mouse skin. Applying this protocol, we found that lactate dehydrogenase activity is high in the quiescent hair follicle stem cells within the skin. Applying the protocol to cultured mouse embryonic stem cells revealed higher staining in cultured embryonic stem cells than mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Analysis of freshly isolated mouse aorta revealed staining in smooth muscle cells perpendicular to the aorta. The methodology provided can be used to spatially map the activity of enzymes that generate a proton in frozen or fresh tissue.

We describe a protocol for mapping the spatial distribution of enzymatic activity for enzymes that generate nicotinatmide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H) + H+ directly in tissue samples.

Mapping enzymatic activity in space and time is critical for understanding the molecular basis of cell behavior in normal tissue and disease. In situ ...

An In Vitro Assay to Detect tRNA-Isopentenyl Transferase Activity

N6-isopentenyladenosine RNA modifications are functionally diverse and highly conserved among prokaryotes and eukaryotes. One of the most highly conserved N6-isopentenyladenosine modifications occurs at the A37 position in a subset of tRNAs. This modification improves translation efficiency and fidelity by increasing the affinity of the tRNA for the ribosome. Mutation of enzymes responsible for this modification in eukaryotes are associated with several disease states, including mitochondrial dysfunction and cancer. Therefore, understanding the substrate specificity and biochemical activities of these enzymes is important for understanding of normal and pathologic eukaryotic biology. A diverse array of methods has been employed to characterize i6A modifications. Herein is described a direct approach for the detection of isopentenylation by Mod5. This method utilizes incubation of RNAs with a recombinant isopentenyl transferase, followed by RNase T1 digestion, and 1-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis to detect i6A modifications. In addition, the potential adaptability of this protocol to characterize other RNA-modifying enzymes is discussed.

An In Vitro Assay to Detect tRNA-Isopentenyl Transferase Activity

Here, we describe a protocol for the biochemical characterization of the yeast RNA-modifying enzyme, Mod5, and discuss how this protocol could be applied to other RNA-modifying enzymes.

N6-isopentenyladenosine RNA modifications are functionally diverse and highly conserved among prokaryotes and eukaryotes. One of the most highly conserved ...

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 ...

Rapid Fluorescence-based Characterization of Single Extracellular Vesicles in Human Blood with Nanoparticle-tracking Analysis

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, are specialized membranous nano-sized vesicles found in bodily fluids that are constitutively released from many cell types and play a pivotal role in regulating cell-cell communication and a diverse range of biological processes. Many different methods for the characterization of EVs have been described. However, most of these methods have the disadvantage that the preparation and characterization of the samples are very time-consuming, or it is extremely difficult to analyze specific markers of interest due to their small size and due to the lack of discrete populations. While methods for analysis of EVs have been considerably improved over the last decade, there is still no standardized method for characterization of single EVs. Here, we demonstrate a semi-automated method for characterization of single EVs by fluorescence-based nanoparticle-tracking analysis. The protocol that is presented addresses the common problem of many researchers in this field and provides the complete workflow for rapid isolation of EVs and characterization with PKH67, a general cell membrane linker, as well as with specific surface markers such as CD63, CD9, vimentin, and lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP-1). The presented results show a high level of reproducibility, as confirmed by other methods, such as Western blotting. In the conducted experiments, we exclusively used EVs isolated from human serum samples, but this method is also suitable for plasma or other body fluids and can be adjusted for characterization of EVs from cell culture supernatants. Irrespective of the future progress of research on EV biology, the protocol that is presented here provides a rapid and reliable method for rapid characterization of single EVs with specific markers.

In this protocol, we describe the complete workflow for rapid isolation of extracellular vesicles from human whole blood and characterization of specific markers by fluorescence-based nanoparticle-tracking analysis. The presented results show a high level of reproducibility and can be adjusted to cell culture supernatants.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, are specialized membranous nano-sized vesicles found in bodily fluids that are constitutively released ...

A Fluorogenic Peptide Cleavage Assay to Screen for Proteolytic Activity: Applications for coronavirus spike protein activation

Enveloped viruses such as coronaviruses or influenza virus require proteolytic cleavage of their fusion protein to be able to infect the host cell. Often viruses exhibit cell and tissue tropism and are adapted to specific cell or tissue proteases. Moreover, these viruses can introduce mutations or insertions into their genome during replication that may affect the cleavage, and thus can contribute to adaptations to a new host. Here, we present a fluorogenic peptide cleavage assay that allows a rapid screening of peptides mimicking the cleavage site of viral fusion proteins. The technique is very flexible and can be used to investigate the proteolytic activity of a single protease on many different substrates, and in addition, it also allows exploration of the activity of multiple proteases on one or more peptide substrates. In this study, we used peptides mimicking the cleavage site motifs of the coronavirus spike protein. We tested human and camel derived Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronaviruses (MERS-CoV) to demonstrate that single and double substitutions in the cleavage site can alter the activity of furin and dramatically change cleavage efficiency. We also used this method in combination with bioinformatics to test furin cleavage activity of feline coronavirus spike proteins from different serotypes and strains. This peptide-based method is less labor- and time intensive than conventional methods used for the analysis of proteolytic activity for viruses, and results can be obtained within a single day.

We present a fluorogenic peptide cleavage assay that allows a rapid screening of the proteolytic activity of proteases on peptides representing the cleavage site of viral fusion peptides. This method can also be used on any other amino acid motif within a protein sequence to test for the protease activity.

Enveloped viruses such as coronaviruses or influenza virus require proteolytic cleavage of their fusion protein to be able to infect the host cell. Often ...

A Colorimetric Assay of Citrate Synthase Activity in Drosophila Melanogaster

Mitochondria play the most prominent roles in cellular metabolism by producing ATP through oxidative phosphorylation and regulating a variety of physiological processes. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a primary cause of a number of metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. Intact mitochondria are critical for their proper functioning. The enzyme citrate synthase is localized in the mitochondrial matrix and thus can be used as a quantitative enzyme marker of intact mitochondrial mass. Given that many molecules and pathways that have important functions in mitochondria are highly conserved between humans and Drosophila, and that an array of powerful genetic tools are available in Drosophila, Drosophila serves as a good model system for studying mitochondrial function. Here, we present a protocol for fast and simple measurement of citrate synthase activity in tissue homogenate from adult flies without isolating mitochondria. This protocol is also suitable for measuring citrate synthase activity in larvae, cultured cells, and mammalian tissues.

A Colorimetric Assay of Citrate Synthase Activity in Drosophila Melanogaster

We present a protocol for a colorimetric assay of citrate synthase activity for quantification of intact mitochondrial mass in Drosophila tissue homogenates.

Mitochondria play the most prominent roles in cellular metabolism by producing ATP through oxidative phosphorylation and regulating a variety of ...

Single-Step Enrichment of a TAP-Tagged Histone Deacetylase of the Filamentous Fungus Aspergillus nidulans for Enzymatic Activity Assay

Class 1 histone deacetylases (HDACs) like RpdA have gained importance as potential targets for treatment of fungal infections and for genome mining of fungal secondary metabolites. Inhibitor screening, however, requires purified enzyme activities. Since class 1 deacetylases exert their function as multiprotein complexes, they are usually not active when expressed as single polypeptides in bacteria. Therefore, endogenous complexes need to be isolated, which, when conventional techniques like ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography are applied, is laborious and time consuming. Tandem affinity purification has been developed as a tool to enrich multiprotein complexes from cells and thus turned out to be ideal for the isolation of endogenous enzymes. Here we provide a detailed protocol for the single-step enrichment of active RpdA complexes via the first purification step of C-terminally TAP-tagged RpdA from Aspergillus nidulans. The purified complexes may then be used for the subsequent inhibitor screening applying a deacetylase assay. The protein enrichment together with the enzymatic activity assay can be completed within two days.

Single-Step Enrichment of a TAP-Tagged Histone Deacetylase of the Filamentous Fungus Aspergillus nidulans for Enzymatic Activity Assay

Class 1 histone deacetylases (HDACs) like RpdA have gained importance as potential targets to treat fungal infections. Here we present a protocol for the specific enrichment of TAP-tagged RpdA combined with an HDAC activity assay that allows in vitro efficacy testing of histone deacetylase inhibitors.

Class 1 histone deacetylases (HDACs) like RpdA have gained importance as potential targets for treatment of fungal infections and for genome mining of ...

Kinetic Screening of Nuclease Activity using Nucleic Acid Probes

Nucleases are a class of enzymes that break down nucleic acids by catalyzing the hydrolysis of the phosphodiester bonds that link the ribose sugars. Nucleases display a variety of vital physiological roles in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, ranging from maintaining genome stability to providing protection against pathogens. Altered nuclease activity has been associated with several pathological conditions including bacterial infections and cancer. To this end, nuclease activity has shown great potential to be exploited as a specific biomarker. However, a robust and reproducible screening method based on this activity remains highly desirable.
Herein, we introduce a method that enables screening for nuclease activity using nucleic acid probes as substrates, with the scope of differentiating between pathological and healthy conditions. This method offers the possibility of designing new probe libraries, with increasing specificity, in an iterative manner. Thus, multiple rounds of screening are necessary to refine the probes&#39; design with enhanced features, taking advantage of the availability of chemically modified nucleic acids. The considerable potential of the proposed technology lies in its flexibility, high reproducibility, and versatility for the screening of nuclease activity associated with disease conditions. It is expected that this technology will allow the development of promising diagnostic tools with a great potential in the clinic.

Altered nuclease activity has been associated with different human conditions, underlying its potential as a biomarker. The modular and easy to implement screening methodology presented in this paper allows the selection of specific nucleic acid probes for harnessing nuclease activity as a biomarker of disease.

Nucleases are a class of enzymes that break down nucleic acids by catalyzing the hydrolysis of the phosphodiester bonds that link the ribose sugars. ...