scholarly journals Streamlined Embedding of Cell Monolayers on Gridded Glass-Bottom Imaging Dishes for Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 747-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo H. Hanson ◽  
James E. Reilly ◽  
Rebecca Lee ◽  
William G. Janssen ◽  
Greg R. Phillips

AbstractCorrelative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) has facilitated study of intracellular trafficking. Routine application of CLEM would be advantageous for many laboratories but previously described techniques are particularly demanding, even for those with access to laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We describe streamlined methods for TEM of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled organelles after imaging by LSCM using gridded glass bottom imaging dishes. GFP-MAP 1A/1B LC3 (GFP-LC3) transfected cells were treated with rapamycin, fixed and imaged by LSCM. Confocal image stacks were acquired enabling full visualization of each GFP-LC3 labeled organelle. After LSCM, cells were embedded for TEM using a simplified two step method that stabilizes the glass bottom such that the block can be separated from the glass by mild heating. All imaging and TEM processing are performed in the same dish. The LSCM imaged cells were relocated on the block and serial sectioned. Correlation of LSCM, DIC, and TEM images was facilitated by cellular landmarks. All GFP labeled structures were successfully reidentified and imaged by serial section TEM. This method could make CLEM more accessible to nonspecialized laboratories with basic electron microscopy expertise and could be used routinely to confirm organelle localization of fluorescent puncta.

2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 1941-1948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrice Dunoyer ◽  
Etienne Herzog ◽  
Odile Hemmer ◽  
Christophe Ritzenthaler ◽  
Christiane Fritsch

ABSTRACT RNA-1 of peanut clump pecluvirus (PCV) encodes N-terminally overlapping proteins which contain helicase-like (P131) and polymerase-like (P191) domains and is able to replicate in the absence of RNA-2 in protoplasts of tobacco BY-2 cells. RNA-1 also encodes P15, which is expressed via a subgenomic RNA. To investigate the role of P15, we analyzed RNA accumulation in tobacco BY-2 protoplasts inoculated with RNA-1 containing mutations in P15. For all the mutants, the amount of progeny RNA-1 produced was significantly lower than that obtained for wild-type RNA-1. If RNA-2 was included in the inoculum, the accumulation of both progeny RNAs was diminished, but near-normal yields of both could be recovered if the inoculum was supplemented with a small, chimeric viral replicon expressing P15, demonstrating that P15 has an effect on viral RNA accumulation. To further analyze the role of P15, transcripts were produced expressing P15 fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Following inoculation to protoplasts, epifluorescence microscopy revealed that P15 accumulated as spots around the nucleus and in the cytoplasm. Intracellular sites of viral RNA synthesis were visualized by laser scanning confocal microscopy of infected protoplasts labeled with 5-bromouridine 5′-triphosphate (BrUTP). BrUTP labeling also occured in spots distributed within the cytoplasm and around the nucleus. However, the BrUTP-labeled RNA and EGFP/P15 very rarely colocalized, suggesting that P15 does not act primarily at sites of viral replication but intervenes indirectly to control viral accumulation levels.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping He ◽  
Shu Li ◽  
Shengtao Xu ◽  
Huacai Fan ◽  
Yongfen Wang ◽  
...  

Bacillus spp. is effective biocontrol agents for Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB), tropical race 4 (TR4). This study explores the colonization by Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus velezensis, and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens of host banana plants and elucidates the mechanism of antagonistic TR4 biocontrol. The authors selected one B. subtilis strain, three B. velezensis strains, and three B. amyloliquefaciens strains that are proven to significantly inhibit TR4 in vitro, optimized the genetic transformation conditions and explored their colonization process in banana plants. The results showed that we successfully constructed an optimized fluorescent electro-transformation system (OD600 of bacteria concentration=0.7, plasmid concentration=50ng/μl, plasmid volume=2μl, transformation voltage=1.8kV, and transformation capacitance=400Ω) of TR4-inhibitory Bacillus spp. strains. The red fluorescent protein (RFP)-labeled strains were shown to have high stability with a plasmid-retention frequency above 98%, where bacterial growth rates and TR4 inhibition are unaffected by fluorescent plasmid insertion. In vivo colonizing observation by Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy (LSCM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed that Bacillus spp. can colonize the internal cells of banana plantlets roots. Further, fluorescent observation by LSCM showed these RFP-labeled bacteria exhibit chemotaxis (chemotaxis ratio was 1.85±0.04) toward green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled TR4 hyphae in banana plants. We conclude that B. subtilis, B. velezensis, and B. amyloliquefaciens can successfully colonize banana plants and interact with TR4. Monitoring its dynamic interaction with TR4 and its biocontrol mechanism is under further study.


2002 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 616-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. A. LORCA ◽  
M. D. PIERSON ◽  
J. R. CLAUS ◽  
J. D. EIFERT ◽  
J. E. MARCY ◽  
...  

The top surface of the raw eye of round steaks was inoculated with either green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled Escherichia coli (E. coli-GFP) or rifampin-resistant E. coli (E. coli-rif). Cryostat sampling in concert with laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) or plating onto antibiotic selective agar was used to determine if hydrodynamic shock wave (HSW) treatment resulted in the movement of the inoculated bacteria from the outer inoculated surface to the interior of intact beef steaks. HSW treatment induced the movement of both marker bacteria into the steaks to a maximum depth of 300 μm (0.3 mm). Because popular steak-cooking techniques involve the application of heat from the exterior surface of the steak to achieve internal temperatures ranging from 55 to 82°C, the extent of bacterial penetration observed in HSW-treated steaks does not appear to pose a safety hazard to consumers.


1999 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 536-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Malcuit ◽  
María Rosa Marano ◽  
Tony A. Kavanagh ◽  
Walter De Jong ◽  
Alec Forsyth ◽  
...  

The potato gene Nb confers hypersensitive resistance to potato virus X (PVX). To characterize the viral elicitor of this resistance we introduced modifications into the genome of avirulent strains (ROTH1 and CP2) and virulent strains (UK3 and CP4) of PVX. From the analysis of the modified viral genomes, the Nb avirulence determinant was mapped in the PVX 25K gene coding for the 25-kDa movement protein. Furthermore, we showed that the isoleucine residue at position 6 of this protein was required for activation of the Nb response. Transient co-expression of the avirulent 25K gene with the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene introduced by particle bombardment in resistant and susceptible potato cells confirmed that the elicitor activity provided by the 25-kDa protein did not require other PVX-encoded proteins. To study cellular events associated with the Nb response, the 25-kDa proteins of PVX strains ROTH1 and UK3 were tagged with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) so that the dynamics of the subcellular distribution of the 25KGFP fusion proteins could be followed in living potato epidermal cells by laser scanning confocal microscopy. Using this method, we showed that the Nb-mediated response is associated with degradation of subcellular structures.


2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (2) ◽  
pp. C624-C632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonnie L. Blazer-Yost ◽  
Michael Butterworth ◽  
Amy D. Hartman ◽  
Gretchen E. Parker ◽  
Carla J. Faletti ◽  
...  

A6 model renal epithelial cells were stably transfected with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tagged α- or β-subunits of the epithelial Na+channel (ENaC). Transfected RNA and proteins were both expressed in low abundance, similar to the endogenous levels of ENaC in native cells. In living cells, laser scanning confocal microscopy revealed a predominately subapical distribution of EGFP-labeled subunits, suggesting a readily accessible pool of subunits available to participate in Na+ transport. The basal level of Na+ transport in the clonal lines was enhanced two- to fourfold relative to the parent line. Natriferic responses to insulin or aldosterone were similar in magnitude to the parent line, while forskolin-stimulated Na+ transport was 64% greater than control in both the α- and β-transfected lines. In response to forskolin, EGFP-labeled channel subunits traffic to the apical membrane. These data suggest that channel regulators, not the channel per se, form the rate-limiting step in response to insulin or aldosterone stimulation, while the number of channel subunits is important for basal as well as cAMP-stimulated Na+transport.


2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 903-911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constantin I. Matei ◽  
Caroline Boulocher ◽  
Christelle Boulé ◽  
Michael Schramme ◽  
Eric Viguier ◽  
...  

AbstractA better knowledge of synovial fluid (SF) ultrastructure is required to further understand normal joint lubrication and metabolism. The aim of the present study was to elucidate SF structural features in healthy joints from three mammalian species of different size compared with features in biomimetic SF. High-resolution structural analysis was performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and environmental SEM/wet scanning transmission electron microscopy mode complemented by TEM and SEM cryogenic methods. Laser-scanning confocal microscopy (LCM) was used to locate the main components of SF with respect to its ultrastructural organization. The present study showed that the ultrastructure of healthy SF is built from a network of vesicles with a size range from 100 to a few hundred nanometers. A multilayered organization of the vesicle membranes was observed with a thickness of about 5 nm. LCM study of biological SF compared with synthetic SF showed that the microvesicles consist of a lipid-based membrane enveloping a glycoprotein gel. Thus, healthy SF has a discontinuous ultrastructure based on a complex network of microvesicles. This finding offers novel perspectives for the diagnosis and treatment of synovial joint diseases.


1999 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 4201-4207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Heinzen ◽  
Scott S. Grieshaber ◽  
Levi S. Van Kirk ◽  
Clinton J. Devin

ABSTRACT Actin-based motility (ABM) is a virulence mechanism exploited by invasive bacterial pathogens in the genera Listeria,Shigella, and Rickettsia. Due to experimental constraints imposed by the lack of genetic tools and their obligate intracellular nature, little is known about rickettsial ABM relative toListeria and Shigella ABM systems. In this study, we directly compared the dynamics and behavior of ABM ofRickettsia rickettsii and Listeria monocytogenes. A time-lapse video of moving intracellular bacteria was obtained by laser-scanning confocal microscopy of infected Vero cells synthesizing β-actin coupled to green fluorescent protein (GFP). Analysis of time-lapse images demonstrated that R. rickettsii organisms move through the cell cytoplasm at an average rate of 4.8 ± 0.6 μm/min (mean ± standard deviation). This speed was 2.5 times slower than that of L. monocytogenes, which moved at an average rate of 12.0 ± 3.1 μm/min. Although rickettsiae moved more slowly, the actin filaments comprising the actin comet tail were significantly more stable, with an average half-life approximately three times that of L. monocytogenes (100.6 ± 19.2 s versus 33.0 ± 7.6 s, respectively). The actin tail associated with intracytoplasmic rickettsiae remained stationary in the cytoplasm as the organism moved forward. In contrast, actin tails of rickettsiae trapped within the nucleus displayed dramatic movements. The observed phenotypic differences between the ABM of Listeria andRickettsia may indicate fundamental differences in the mechanisms of actin recruitment and polymerization.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 201453
Author(s):  
Jacob Blacutt ◽  
Ziyang Lan ◽  
Elizabeth M. Cosgriff-Hernandez ◽  
Vernita D. Gordon

The growth of bacterial biofilms on implanted medical devices causes harmful infections and device failure. Biofilm development initiates when bacteria attach to and sense a surface. For the common nosocomial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa and many others, the transition to the biofilm phenotype is controlled by the intracellular signal and second messenger cyclic-di-GMP (c-di-GMP). It is not known how biomedical materials might be adjusted to impede c-di-GMP signalling, and there are few extant methods for conducting such studies. Here, we develop such a method. We allowed P. aeruginosa to attach to the surfaces of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels. These bacteria contained a plasmid for a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter for c-di-GMP. We used laser-scanning confocal microscopy to measure the dynamics of the GFP reporter for 3 h, beginning 1 h after introducing bacteria to the hydrogel. We controlled for the effects of changes in bacterial metabolism using a promoterless plasmid for GFP, and for the effects of light passing through different hydrogels being differently attenuated by using fluorescent plastic beads as ‘standard candles’ for calibration. We demonstrate that this method can measure statistically significant differences in c-di-GMP signalling associated with different PEGDA gel types and with the surface-exposed protein PilY1.


1998 ◽  
Vol 331 (2) ◽  
pp. 669-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aristea E. POULI ◽  
Helen J. KENNEDY ◽  
J. George SCHOFIELD ◽  
Guy A. RUTTER

We have prepared recombinant cDNAs encoding chimaeras between human preproinsulin (sp.B.C.A., for B-, Connecting- and A-peptides) and a thermostable mutant of green fluorescent protein (GFPS65T, V163A, GFP*). The subcellular localization of the expressed chimaeras was monitored in living insulin-secreting INS-1 β-cells by laser scanning confocal microscopy. When GFP* was fused at the immediate N-terminus of the B-chain (sp.[GFP*].B.C.A.myc) two distinct patterns of fluorescence were apparent. In 1530/1740 cells examined, fluorescence was confined to a reticular, exclusively extranuclear structure, and closely co-localized with the endoplasmic reticulum marker, calreticulin. However, 210/1740 (12.1%) of cells displayed punctate fluorescence, which partially co-localized with the trans-Golgi network marker, TGN 38, and with the dense core secretory granule marker, phogrin. Since secretion of GFP* fluorescence into the medium could not readily be measured, we prepared a chimaera in which firefly luciferase was fused at the C-terminus of proinsulin (sp.B.C.A.myc.[Luc]). This chimaera displayed a distribution closely similar to that of sp.[GFP*].B.C.A.myc, but with a lower proportion (15/310, 4.8%) of the cells showing clear punctate distribution. At substimulatory glucose concentrations (3 mM) secretion of sp.B.C.A.myc.[Luc] could not be detected (rate of release into the medium identical with that of the cytosolic Renilla reniformis luciferase), indicating that the chimaera did not enter the constitutive secretory pathway. However, elevated (30 mM) glucose stimulated the release of the sp.B.C.A.myc.[Luc] luciferase chimaera, without a detectable effect on R. reniformis luciferase release. These data suggest that fusion of insulin, and the much larger photoproteins GFP* and luciferase, leads predominantly to misfolding and retention in the endoplasmic reticulum. However, the properly folded chimaeras are apparently still correctly targeted to the regulated, rather than the constitutive, secretory pathway. These chimaeras should therefore be valuable tools to monitor the exocytosis of insulin in real time.


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