This work was supported by the Plant Genome Research Program from the National Science Foundation (NSF-PGRP-IOS-1339388).

1. Growth of the plants
<ol>
	<li>Sow 5 - 10 soybean seeds (Williams 82) in a 13 cm pot in the greenhouse under long-day conditions (16 h light at 1,500 &#181;mol m-2 s-1) at 25 &#176;C on the custom soil mix for Soybean (the 1:1:1 ratio of soil, perlite and torpedo sand).</li>
</ol>
2. Preparation of Plasmid DNA
<ol>
	<li>Using a sterile pipette tip or toothpick, pick a single colony or frozen glycerol stock of E. coli carrying the plasmid containing the gene of interest and inoculate it in 20 mL Luria-Bertani (LB) liquid medium with appropriate antibiotics in a 50 mL flask.</li>
	<li>Incubate the flask at 37 &#176;C overnight on a shaker. Collect the bacteria by centrifuging the suspension at 12,000 x g at room temperature for 5 min and discarding the supernatant. Extract and purify the plasmid following the manufacturer&#39;s procedure of a plasmid prep kit.</li>
</ol>
3. Protoplast isolation
<ol>
	<li>Cut newly expanded unifoliate leaves from 10-day old soybean seedlings (Figure 1). 
	NOTE: Selection of leaves at an appropriate developmental stage is the key to the success for soybean protoplast preparation. Only use just expanded leaves at early developmental stages. As leaves mature, cell walls become harder to digest.</li>
	<li>With a fresh razor blade, remove the midrib from the unifoliate leaf and then cut the remains into 0.5-1 mm strips. 
	NOTE: Two unifoliate leaves digested in 10 mL enzyme solution will give sufficient protoplasts for more than 10 transformations.</li>
	<li>Using a pair of forceps, transfer the leaf strips immediately and gently into 10 mL of freshly prepared enzyme solution (Table 1) in a 15 mL tube. Vacuum infiltrate the leaf strips for 15 min at room temperature.</li>
	<li>Incubate the leaf strips in the enzyme solution with gentle agitation (40 rpm) under low light for 4-6 h at room temperature. Ensure that the enzyme solution turns yellow-green as protoplasts are released. Check the enzyme/protoplasts solution under the microscope (X10). 
	NOTE: The released protoplasts are spherical shaped, while the undigested cells have irregular or oval shape.</li>
	<li>Transfer the 10 mL of enzyme/protoplast solution in a 50 mL tube by gently pouring and add 10 mL of W5 solution (Table 1) at room temperature to stop the digestion. Gently invert the tube a few times. Pour gently the enzyme/protoplasts solution on a clean 75 &#181;m nylon mesh placed on top of a 50 mL tube to remove the undigested leaf tissues.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge the flow-through enzyme/protoplasts solution at 100 x g in the 50 mL tube for 1-2 min at room temperature. Gently remove the supernatant using a 10 mL serological pipette without disturbing the protoplast pellet.</li>
	<li>Resuspend the protoplasts and dilute to a concentration of 2 x 105 mL-1 in chilled W5 solution at 4 &#176;C by counting protoplast number on a hemacytometer under the microscope (x10). Keep the protoplasts on ice for 30 min.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge the suspension at 100 x g for 1-2 min at room temperature and gently remove the W5 solution using a 1 mL pipette without disturbing the protoplast pellet. Resuspend the protoplasts in MMG solution (Table 1) at a concentration of 2 x 105 mL-1 at room temperature.</li>
</ol>
4. Protoplast transformation
<ol>
	<li>Make 100 &#181;L aliquots of protoplasts (2 x 104 protoplasts at 2 x 105 mL-1) in 1.5 mL low adhesion microcentrifuge tubes using uncut 200 &#181;L pipette tips. Put one aliquot aside to serve as negative control. Add 10 &#181;L of plasmid (10-20 &#181;g) into each of the rest aliquot of protoplasts.</li>
	<li>Slowly add 110 &#181;L of freshly prepared PEG solution (Table 1) on the inner wall of the 1.5 mL microcentrifuge tube, and then gently invert and rotate the tube until the solution becomes homogeneous.</li>
	<li>Incubate the transformation mixture at room temperature for 15 min.</li>
	<li>To stop the transformation, slowly add 400 &#181;L of W5 solution to the 1.5 mL tube at room temperature and gently invert the tube until the solution becomes homogeneous. Centrifuge the tube at 100 g for 1-2 min at room temperature and discard the supernatant using a pipette.</li>
	<li>Add 1 mL of WI solution (Table 1) to the tube and resuspend by gently pipetting 1-2 times. Add 1 mL of 5% (vol/vol) sterile calf serum in each well of a 6-well tissue culture plate to coat the surface and prevent the protoplasts from sticking to the plate.</li>
	<li>After a few seconds, discard the calf serum using a pipette. Transfer the resuspended protoplasts into a well of the culture plate. Cover the plate with a lid.</li>
</ol>
5. Protoplast incubation and harvesting
<ol>
	<li>Incubate the protoplasts at room temperature for 1-2 days in the dark. 
	NOTE: We found that two-days incubation yields stronger fluorescent protein signal in general compared to one-day incubation, and that the fluorescent protein signal may last for up to 3-4 days.</li>
	<li>Transfer the protoplast solution to a 1.5 mL low adhesion microcentrifuge tube. Centrifuge the tube at 100 x g for 1-2 min at room temperature to harvest protoplasts. Remove the supernatant using a pipette and transfer 10 &#181;L protoplasts onto a glass slide.</li>
	<li>Observe fluorescent signal under fluorescence or confocal microscopy. Use non-transformed protoplasts as negative control (No signal should be observed).</li>
</ol>

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The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.

This protocol for the isolation of soybean protoplasts and the application to transient expression studies has been thoroughly tested and works very well in our laboratory. The procedures are simple and easy and require ordinary equipment and minimum cost. Our protocol yields large quantities of uniform, high quality protoplasts compared to previously reported methods34,35,36,37,<sup...

Protoplasts are plant cells that have cell walls removed. As they maintain most of features and activities of plant cells, protoplasts are a good model system to observe and evaluate diverse cellular events, and are valuable tools to study somatic hybridisation1 and plant regeneration2. Protoplasts have been also widely utilized for plant transformation3,4,5, since cell walls would otherwise block the passage of DNA into the cell. Protoplasts possess some of the physiological responses and cellular processes of intact plants, hence offering fundamental value in basic research to study subcellular protein localization6,7,8, protein-protein interactions9,10, and promoter activity11,12,13 in live cells.
The isolation of plant protoplasts was first reported in 196014 and the protocols for both isolation and transformation of protoplasts have been developed and optimized. A standard procedure of protoplast isolation involves the cutting of leaves and enzymatic digestion of cell walls, followed by separation of released protoplasts from non-digested tissue debris. Transformation strategies includes electroporation15,16, microinjection17,18, and polyethylene glycol-based (PEG)4,5,19 methods. A wide range of species have been reported successful for protoplast isolation, including Citrus20, Brassica21, Solanaceae22 and other ornamental plant families23,24. While diverse tissue types are used in various species, a system of transient expression in Arabidopsis mesophyll protoplast (TEAMP) isolated from leaves of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana has been well established25 and widely adopted to diverse applications.
Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is one of the most important protein and oil crops26. Unlike Arabidopsis and rice, obtaining transgenic soybean plants is known to be rather difficult and low efficiency. Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated infiltration has been popularly used for transient gene expression studies in the epidermal cells in tobacco27 and seedlings in Arabidopsis28,29, whereas Agrobacterium rhizogenes has been used for transformation of hairy roots in soybean30. Virus-induced gene silencing approaches have been utilized for downregulation of target genes31,32 and transient expression33 in a systemic manner. Protoplasts provide a valuable and versatile alternative to these approaches. Protoplasts can be obtained from soybean&#39;s aboveground materials and allow quick and synchronized transgene expression. However, since the initial successful isolation of soybean protoplasts in the 198334, there have been limited reports on the application of protoplasts in soybean35,36,37,38, primarily due to relatively low yields of soybean protoplasts.
Here, we describe a simple and efficient protocol for isolation of soybean protoplasts and its application for transient gene expression studies. Using young unifoliate leaves from soybean seedlings, we were able to obtain large quantities of vital protoplasts within a few hours. In addition, we have optimized a PEG-calcium-mediated transformation method that is simple and low cost to deliver DNA into soybean protoplasts with high efficiency.

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	<tbody>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">MES</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Sigma Aldrich&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">M8250-100G</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Cellulase CELF</td>
			<td>Worthington Biological Corporation</td>
			<td>LS002611</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Pectolyase Y-23</td>
			<td>BioWorld</td>
			<td>9033-35-6</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">CELLULASE &#34;ONOZUKA&#34; R-10</td>
			<td>yakult</td>
			<td>10g</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">MACEROZYME R-10</td>
			<td>yakult</td>
			<td>10g</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Mannitol</td>
			<td>ICN Biomedicals&#160;</td>
			<td>152540</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">CaCl2</td>
			<td>Fisher&#160;</td>
			<td>C79-500g&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">BSA</td>
			<td>NEB</td>
			<td>R3535S</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">DTT</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich&#160;</td>
			<td>D5545-5G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">NaCl</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich&#160;</td>
			<td>S7653-1kg</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">KCl</td>
			<td>Fisher&#160;</td>
			<td>P217-500g&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">MgCl2</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich&#160;</td>
			<td>M8266-100g</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">PEG4000</td>
			<td>Fluka</td>
			<td>81240</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">nylon mesh</td>
			<td>carolina</td>
			<td>652222N</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">Tissue Culture Plates&#160;</td>
			<td>USA Scientific</td>
			<td>CC7682-7506</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">Razor Blades</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Fisher</td>
			<td>12-640</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">hemacytometer</td>
			<td>hausserscientific</td>
			<td>1483</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">QIAprep Spin Miniprep Kit</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Qiagen</td>
			<td>27104</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">EZNA plasmid miniprep kit</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Omega</td>
			<td>D6942-01</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">GeneJET Plasmid Miniprep Kit</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>K0502</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">Centrifuge 5810</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">eppendorf</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">5811000827</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">Centrifuge 5424</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">eppendorf</td>
			<td>22620401</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">Jencons Powerpette Plus Pipet Controller</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Jencons</td>
			<td>14526-202</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="24">
			<td height="24" style="height:25px;width:256px;">Zeiss 710 Confocal Microscope</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Zeiss</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">N/A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="33">
			<td height="33" style="height:33px;width:256px;">Nonstick, RNase-free Microfuge Tubes, 1.5 mL</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Ambion</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">AM12450</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">15 mL Centrifuge Tubes</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Denville</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">C1018-P</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">50 mL Centrifuge Tubes</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Denville</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">C1060-P</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">Newborn Calf Serum</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">16010159</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">Soil</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Ingram&#39;s Nursery</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">perlite</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Vigoro</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">100521091</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">Torpedo Sand</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">JKS Ventures</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:256px;">LB Broth, Lennox (Powder)</td>
			<td style="width:181px;">Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">BP1427-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a simple method for isolation of soybean protoplasts and application to transient gene expression analyses

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is an important crop species and has become a legume model for the studies of genetic and biochemical pathways. Therefore, it is important to establish an efficient transient gene expression system in soybean. Here, we report a simple protocol for the preparation of soybean protoplasts and its application for transient functional analyses. We found that young unifoliate leaves from soybean seedlings resulted in large quantities of high quality protoplasts. By optimizing a PEG-calcium-mediated transformation method, we achieved high transformation efficiency using soybean unifoliate protoplasts. This system provides an efficient and versatile model for examination of complex regulatory and signaling mechanisms in live soybean cells and may help to better understand diverse cellular, developmental and physiological processes of legumes.

Different organs of 10-day old soybeans were tested for protoplast preparation (Figure 1) and yields were observed under the microscope (Figure 2). Cell walls from hypocotyl and epicotyl were hardly digested, and some cells stayed attached to each other (Figure 2B, 2C). In cotyledon (Figure 2D) and root (Figure 2A), cell wal...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Simple Method for Isolation of Soybean Protoplasts and Application to Transient Gene Expression Analyses at JoVE.com

A Simple Method for Isolation of Soybean Protoplasts and Application to Transient Gene Expression Analyses

We developed a simple and efficient protocol for the preparation of large quantities of soybean protoplasts to study complex regulatory and signaling mechanisms in live cells.

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is an important crop species and has become a legume model for the studies of genetic and biochemical pathways. ...

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JoVE Journal

Biology

24.4K Views.  California State University, Northridge. We developed a simple and efficient protocol for the preparation of large quantities of soybean protoplasts to study complex regulatory and signaling mechanisms in live cells.

Video: A Simple Method for Isolation of Soybean Protoplasts and Application to Transient Gene Expression Analyses

The Preparation of Primary Hematopoietic Cell Cultures From Murine Bone Marrow for Electroporation

It is becoming increasingly apparent that electroporation is the most effective way to introduce plasmid DNA or siRNA into primary cells. The Gene Pulser MXcell  electroporation system and Gene Pulser  electroporation buffer were specifically developed to transfect nucleic acids into mammalian cells and difficult-to-transfect cells, such as primary and stem cells.This video demonstrates how to establish primary hematopoietic cell cultures from murine bone marrow, and then prepare them for electroporation in the MXcell system. We begin by isolating femur and tibia. Bone marrow from both femur and tibia are then harvested and cultures are established. Cultured bone marrow cells are then transfected and analyzed.

This procedure describes how to establish primary hematopoietic cell cultures from murine bone marrow and is followed by transfection using the Gene Pulser MXCell electroporation system.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that electroporation is the most effective way to introduce plasmid DNA or siRNA into primary cells. The Gene Pulser ...

RNA Isolation from Embryonic Zebrafish and cDNA Synthesis for Gene Expression Analysis

Many important and complex laboratory procedures require an input of high quality, intact RNA.  A degraded sample or the presence of impurities can lead to disastrous results in downstream experimental applications.  It is therefore, of utmost importance to use solid techniques with numerous safeguards and quality control checks to ensure a superior sample.  Herein, we detail a protocol to isolate total RNA from whole zebrafish embryos using a commercially available chemical denaturant and subsequent cleanup to remove traces of DNA and impurities using a commercial RNA isolation kit. As RNA is relatively unstable and easily prone to cleavage by RNAses, most protocols assay gene expression using a cDNA product that is directly synthesized from an RNA template. We detail a procedure to convert RNA into the more stable cDNA product using a commercially available kit. Throughout these procedures there are numerous quality control checks to ensure that the sample is not degraded or contaminated.  The end product of these protocols is cDNA that is suitable for microarray analysis, RT-PCR or long-term storage.    

The isolation of high quality, intact RNA is an essential step in many laboratory protocols. Here, we demonstrate RNA extraction from whole zebrafish embryos and cDNA synthesis for subsequent application in various experimental procedures including gene expression microarray analysis.

Many important and complex laboratory procedures require an input of high quality, intact RNA.  A degraded sample or the presence of impurities can lead ...

Using the Gene Pulser MXcell Electroporation System to Transfect Primary Cells with High Efficiency

It is becoming increasingly apparent that electroporation is the most effective way to introduce plasmid DNA or siRNA into primary cells. The Gene Pulser MXcell electroporation system and Gene Pulser electroporation buffer (Bio-Rad) were specifically developed to easily transfect nucleic acids into mammalian cells and difficult-to-transfect cells, such as primary and stem cells. We will demonstrate how to perform a simple experiment to quickly identify the best electroporation conditions. We will demonstrate how to run several samples through a range of electroporation conditions so that an experiment can be conducted at the same time as optimization is performed. We will also show how optimal conditions identified using 96-well electroporation plates can be used with standard electroporation cuvettes, facilitating the switch from electroporation plates to electroporation cuvettes while maintaining the same electroporation efficiency. In the video, we will also discuss some of the key factors that can lead to the success or failure of electroporation experiments.

This procedure shows how to use the Gene Pulser MXcell electroporation system to rapidly and easily identify the best electroporation conditions for mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) or other primary cells. Considerations for troubleshooting are also discussed in the associated video.

Hi-C: A Method to Study the Three-dimensional Architecture of Genomes.

The three-dimensional folding of chromosomes compartmentalizes the genome and and can bring distant functional elements, such as promoters and enhancers, into close spatial proximity 2-6. Deciphering the relationship between chromosome organization and genome activity will aid in understanding genomic processes, like transcription and replication. However, little is known about how chromosomes fold. Microscopy is unable to distinguish large numbers of loci simultaneously or at high resolution. To date, the detection of chromosomal interactions using chromosome conformation capture (3C) and its subsequent adaptations required the choice of a set of target loci, making genome-wide studies impossible 7-10.
We developed Hi-C, an extension of 3C that is capable of identifying long range interactions in an unbiased, genome-wide fashion. In Hi-C, cells are fixed with formaldehyde, causing interacting loci to be bound to one another by means of covalent DNA-protein cross-links. When the DNA is subsequently fragmented with a restriction enzyme, these loci remain linked. A biotinylated residue is incorporated as the 5' overhangs are filled in. Next, blunt-end ligation is performed under dilute conditions that favor ligation events between cross-linked DNA fragments. This results in a genome-wide library of ligation products, corresponding to pairs of fragments that were originally in close proximity to each other in the nucleus. Each ligation product is marked with biotin at the site of the junction. The library is sheared, and the junctions are pulled-down with streptavidin beads. The purified junctions can subsequently be analyzed using a high-throughput sequencer, resulting in a catalog of interacting fragments.
Direct analysis of the resulting contact matrix reveals numerous features of genomic organization, such as the presence of chromosome territories and the preferential association of small gene-rich chromosomes. Correlation analysis can be applied to the contact matrix, demonstrating that the human genome is segregated into two compartments: a less densely packed compartment containing open, accessible, and active chromatin and a more dense compartment containing closed, inaccessible, and inactive chromatin regions. Finally, ensemble analysis of the contact matrix, coupled with theoretical derivations and computational simulations, revealed that at the megabase scale Hi-C reveals features consistent with a fractal globule conformation.

The Hi-C method allows unbiased, genome-wide identification of chromatin interactions (1). Hi-C couples proximity ligation and massively parallel sequencing. The resulting data can be used to study genomic architecture at multiple scales: initial results identified features such as chromosome territories, segregation of open and closed chromatin, and chromatin structure at the megabase scale.

The three-dimensional folding of chromosomes compartmentalizes the genome and and can bring distant functional elements, such as promoters and enhancers, ...

Using an Automated Cell Counter to Simplify Gene Expression Studies: siRNA Knockdown of IL-4 Dependent Gene Expression in Namalwa Cells

The use of siRNA mediated gene knockdown is continuing to be an important tool in studies of gene expression.  siRNA studies are being conducted not only to study the effects of downregulating single genes, but also to interrogate signaling pathways and other complex interaction networks.  These pathway analyses require both the use of relevant cellular models and methods that cause less perturbation to the cellular physiology.  Electroporation is increasingly being used as an effective way to introduce siRNA and other nucleic acids into difficult to transfect cell lines and primary cells without altering the signaling pathway under investigation. There are multiple critical steps to a successful siRNA experiment, and there are ways to simplify the work while improving the data quality at several experimental stages.  To help you get started with your siRNA mediated gene knockdown project, we will demonstrate how to perform a pathway study complete from collecting and counting the cells prior to electroporation through post transfection real-time PCR gene expression analysis.  The following study investigates the role of the transcriptional activator STAT6 in IL-4 dependent gene expression of CCL17 in a Burkitt lymphoma cell line (Namalwa).  The techniques demonstrated are useful for a wide range of siRNA-based experiments on both adherent and suspension cells.  We will also show how to streamline cell counting with the TC10 automated cell counter, how to electroporate multiple samples simultaneously using the MXcell electroporation system, and how to simultaneously assess RNA quality and quantity with the Experion automated electrophoresis system.

This procedure describes a quick and easy workflow to introduce siRNA into difficult to transfect cell lines and follow gene expression by real-time PCR. Use of an automated cell counter, multi-well electroporation plate, and automated electrophoresis station provide quick and reliable results without the need for expensive robotic handling.

The use of siRNA mediated gene knockdown is continuing to be an important tool in studies of gene expression.  siRNA studies are being conducted not only ...

Paraffin-Embedded and Frozen Sections of Drosophila Adult Muscles

The molecular characterization of muscular dystrophies and myopathies in humans has revealed the complexity of muscle disease and genetic analysis of muscle specification, formation and function in model systems has provided valuable insight into muscle physiology. Therefore, identifying and characterizing molecular mechanisms that underlie muscle damage is critical. The structure of adult Drosophila multi-fiber muscles resemble vertebrate striated muscles 1 and the genetic tractability of Drosophila has made it a great system to analyze dystrophic muscle morphology and characterize the processes affecting muscular function in ageing adult flies 2. Here we present the histological technique for preparing paraffin-embedded and frozen sections of Drosophila thoracic muscles. These preparations allow for the tissue to be stained with classical histological stains and labeled with protein detecting dyes, and specifically cryosections are ideal for immunohistochemical detection of proteins in intact muscles. This allows for analysis of muscle tissue structure, identification of morphological defects, and detection of the expression pattern for muscle/neuron-specific proteins in Drosophila adult muscles. These techniques can also be slightly modified for sectioning of other body parts.

Paraffin-Embedded and Frozen Sections of Drosophila Adult Muscles

Identification of mechanisms underlying muscle damage is crucial. Here we present the histological technique for preparing paraffin-embedded and frozen sections of Drosophila thoracic muscles. This allows analysis of muscle morphology and localization of protein and other muscle cell components.

The molecular characterization of muscular dystrophies and myopathies in humans has revealed the complexity of muscle disease and genetic analysis of ...

In vitro Reconstitution of the Active T. castaneum Telomerase

Efforts to isolate the catalytic subunit of telomerase, TERT, in sufficient quantities for structural studies, have been met with limited success for more than a decade. Here, we present methods for the isolation of the recombinant Tribolium castaneum TERT (TcTERT) and the reconstitution of the active T. castaneum telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex in vitro.
Telomerase is a specialized reverse transcriptase1 that adds short DNA repeats, called telomeres, to the 3' end of linear chromosomes2 that serve to protect them from end-to-end fusion and degradation. Following DNA replication, a short segment is lost at the end of the chromosome3 and without telomerase, cells continue dividing until eventually reaching their Hayflick Limit4. Additionally, telomerase is dormant in most somatic cells5 in adults, but is active in cancer cells6 where it promotes cell immortality7.
The minimal telomerase enzyme consists of two core components: the protein subunit (TERT), which comprises the catalytic subunit of the enzyme and an integral RNA component (TER), which contains the template TERT uses to synthesize telomeres8,9. Prior to 2008, only structures for individual telomerase domains had been solved10,11. A major breakthrough in this field came from the determination of the crystal structure of the active12, catalytic subunit of T. castaneum telomerase, TcTERT1.
Here, we present methods for producing large quantities of the active, soluble TcTERT for structural and biochemical studies, and the reconstitution of the telomerase RNP complex in vitro for telomerase activity assays. An overview of the experimental methods used is shown in Figure 1.

In vitro Reconstitution of the Active T. castaneum Telomerase

Efforts to isolate the catalytic subunit of telomerase, TERT, in sufficient quantities for structural studies, have been met with limited success for more than a decade. Here, we present methods for the isolation of the recombinant Tribolium castaneum TERT (TcTERT) and the reconstitution of the active T. castaneum telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex in vitro.

Efforts to isolate the catalytic subunit of telomerase, TERT, in sufficient quantities for structural studies, have been met with limited success for more ...

Isolation of Ribosome Bound Nascent Polypeptides in vitro to Identify Translational Pause Sites Along mRNA

The rate of translational elongation is non-uniform. mRNA secondary structure, codon usage and mRNA associated proteins may alter ribosome movement on the messagefor review see 1. However, it's now widely accepted that synonymous codon usage is the primary cause of non-uniform translational elongation rates1. Synonymous codons are not used with identical frequency. A bias exists in the use of synonymous codons with some codons used more frequently than others2. Codon bias is organism as well as tissue specific2,3. Moreover, frequency of codon usage is directly proportional to the concentrations of cognate tRNAs4. Thus, a frequently used codon will have higher multitude of corresponding tRNAs, which further implies that a frequent codon will be translated faster than an infrequent one. Thus, regions on mRNA enriched in rare codons (potential pause sites) will as a rule slow down ribosome movement on the message and cause accumulation of nascent peptides of the respective sizes5-8. These pause sites can have functional impact on the protein expression, mRNA stability and protein foldingfor review see 9. Indeed, it was shown that alleviation of such pause sites can alter ribosome movement on mRNA and subsequently may affect the efficiency of co-translational (in vivo) protein folding1,7,10,11. To understand the process of protein folding in vivo, in the cell, that is ultimately coupled to the process of protein synthesis it is essential to gain comprehensive insights into the impact of codon usage/tRNA content on the movement of ribosomes along mRNA during translational elongation.
Here we describe a simple technique that can be used to locate major translation pause sites for a given mRNA translated in various cell-free systems6-8. This procedure is based on isolation of nascent polypeptides accumulating on ribosomes during in vitro translation of a target mRNA. The rationale is that at low-frequency codons, the increase in the residence time of the ribosomes results in increased amounts of nascent peptides of the corresponding sizes. In vitro transcribed mRNA is used for in vitro translational reactions in the presence of radioactively labeled amino acids to allow the detection of the nascent chains. In order to isolate ribosome bound nascent polypeptide complexes the translation reaction is layered on top of 30% glycerol solution followed by centrifugation. Nascent polypeptides in polysomal pellet are further treated with ribonuclease A and resolved by SDS PAGE. This technique can be potentially used for any protein and allows analysis of ribosome movement along mRNA and the detection of the major pause sites. Additionally, this protocol can be adapted to study factors and conditions that can alter ribosome movement and thus potentially can also alter the function/conformation of the protein.

Isolation of Ribosome Bound Nascent Polypeptides in vitro to Identify Translational Pause Sites Along mRNA

A technique to identify translational pause sites on mRNA is described. This procedure is based on isolation of nascent polypeptides accumulating on ribosomes during in vitro translation of a target mRNA, followed by the size analysis of the nascent chains using a denaturing gel electrophoresis.

The rate of translational elongation is non-uniform. mRNA secondary structure, codon usage and mRNA associated proteins may alter ribosome movement on the ...

Analysis of Global RNA Synthesis at the Single Cell Level following Hypoxia

Hypoxia or lowering of the oxygen availability is involved in many physiological and pathological processes. At the molecular level, cells initiate a particular transcriptional program in order to mount an appropriate and coordinated cellular response. The cell possesses several oxygen sensor enzymes that require molecular oxygen as cofactor for their activity. These range from prolyl-hydroxylases to histone demethylases. The majority of studies analyzing cellular responses to hypoxia are based on cellular populations and average studies, and as such single cell analysis of hypoxic cells are seldom performed. Here we describe a method of analysis of global RNA synthesis at the single cell level in hypoxia by using Click-iT RNA imaging kits in an oxygen controlled workstation, followed by microscopy analysis and quantification.&nbsp; Using cancer cells exposed to hypoxia for different lengths of time, RNA is labeled and measured in each cell. This analysis allows the visualization of temporal and cell-to-cell changes in global RNA synthesis following hypoxic stress.

We describe a technique for analysis of global RNA synthesis in hypoxia using imaging. Click-chemistry labeling of RNA has not previously been performed under hypoxia and allows visualization of global RNA changes at the single cell level. This approach complements the existing averaged RNA techniques, allowing direct visualization of cell-to-cell changes in global RNA synthesis.

Hypoxia or lowering of the oxygen availability is involved in many physiological and pathological processes. At the molecular level, cells initiate a ...

Transient Expression of Proteins by Hydrodynamic Gene Delivery in Mice

Efficient expression of transgenes in vivo is of critical importance in studying gene function and developing treatments for diseases. Over the past years, hydrodynamic gene delivery (HGD) has emerged as a simple, fast, safe and effective method for delivering transgenes into rodents. This technique relies on the force generated by the rapid injection of a large volume of physiological solution to increase the permeability of cell membranes of perfused organs and thus deliver DNA into cells. One of the main advantages of HGD is the ability to introduce transgenes into mammalian cells using naked plasmid DNA (pDNA). Introducing an exogenous gene using a plasmid is minimally laborious, highly efficient and, contrary to viral carriers, remarkably safe. HGD was initially used to deliver genes into mice, it is now used to deliver a wide range of substances, including oligonucleotides, artificial chromosomes, RNA, proteins and small molecules into mice, rats and, to a limited degree, other animals. This protocol describes HGD in mice and focuses on three key aspects of the method that are critical to performing the procedure successfully: correct insertion of the needle into the vein, the volume of injection and the speed of delivery. Examples are given to show the application of this method to the transient expression of two genes that encode secreted, primate-specific proteins, apolipoprotein L-I (APOL-I) and haptoglobin-related protein (HPR).

In vivo transfection of naked DNA by hydrodynamic gene delivery introduces genes into the tissue of an animal with minimal inflammatory response. Sufficient amounts of gene product are generated such that gene function and regulation as well as protein structure and function can be analyzed.

Efficient expression of transgenes in vivo is of critical importance in studying gene function and developing treatments for diseases. Over the past ...