scholarly journals Visualization of mRNA translation in living cells

2006 ◽  
Vol 175 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis J. Rodriguez ◽  
Shailesh M. Shenoy ◽  
Robert H. Singer ◽  
John Condeelis
Keyword(s):  
Mrna Translation ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Intercellular Junctions ◽  
Mrna Localization ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
C2c12 Cells ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Actin Mrna ◽  
Cell Asymmetry ◽  
Cellular Compartments

The role of mRNA localization is presumably to effect cell asymmetry by synthesizing proteins in specific cellular compartments. However, protein synthesis has never been directly demonstrated at the sites of mRNA localization. To address this, we developed a live cell method for imaging translation of β-actin mRNA. Constructs coding for β-actin, containing tetracysteine motifs, were transfected into C2C12 cells, and sites of nascent polypeptide chains were detected using the biarsenial dyes FlAsH and ReAsH, a technique we call translation site imaging. These sites colocalized with β-actin mRNA at the leading edge of motile myoblasts, confirming that they were translating. β-Actin mRNA lacking the sequence (zipcode) that localizes the mRNA to the cell periphery, eliminated the translation there. A pulse-chase experiment on living cells showed that the recently synthesized protein correlated spatially with the sites of its translation. Additionally, localization of β-actin mRNA and translation activity was enhanced at cell contacts and facilitated the formation of intercellular junctions.

scholarly journals Two ZBP1 KH domains facilitate β-actin mRNA localization, granule formation, and cytoskeletal attachment

2002 ◽  
Vol 160 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim L. Farina ◽  
Stefan Hüttelmaier ◽  
Kiran Musunuru ◽  
Robert Darnell ◽  
Robert H. Singer
Keyword(s):  
Rna Binding ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Mrna Localization ◽  
Binding Studies ◽  
Granule Formation ◽  
Rna Recognition Motifs ◽  
Hnrnp K ◽  
Actin Mrna ◽  
Recognition Motifs ◽  
Localization Element

Chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) localize β-actin mRNA to their lamellae, a process important for the maintenance of cell polarity and motility. The localization of β-actin mRNA requires a cis localization element (zipcode) and involves zipcode binding protein 1 (ZBP1), a protein that specifically binds to the zipcode. Both localize to the lamellipodia of polarized CEFs. ZBP1 and its homologues contain two NH2-terminal RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) and four COOH-terminal hnRNP K homology (KH) domains. By using ZBP1 truncations fused to GFP in conjunction with in situ hybridization analysis, we have determined that KH domains three and four were responsible for granule formation and cytoskeletal association. When the NH2 terminus was deleted, granules formed by the KH domains alone did not accumulate at the leading edge, suggesting a role for the NH2 terminus in targeting transport granules to their destination. RNA binding studies were used to show that the third and fourth KH domains, not the RRM domains, bind the zipcode of β-actin mRNA. Overexpression of the four KH domains or certain subsets of these domains delocalized β-actin mRNA in CEFs and inhibited fibroblast motility, demonstrating the importance of ZBP1 function in both β-actin mRNA localization and cell motility.

scholarly journals Actin mRNA localizes in the absence of protein synthesis.

1990 ◽  
Vol 111 (6) ◽  
pp. 2397-2403 ◽  
Author(s):  
C L Sundell ◽  
R H Singer
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Chicken Embryo ◽  
Mrna Localization ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Nascent Polypeptide ◽  
Actin Mrna ◽  
Chicken Embryo Fibroblasts ◽  
In Cells

Actin mRNA is localized in chicken embryo fibroblasts to the distal regions of leading lamellae, but not within the ruffling edges. In this investigation we have addressed the role of actin translation in this process. The translocation of actin mRNA to the cell periphery was studied by monitoring the distribution of actin mRNA in cells during spreading. Within 90 min, actin mRNA moved from a perinuclear to a peripheral distribution. Formation of lamellipodia preceded actin mRNA localization, indicating that localization is not a prerequisite for this event. Neither puromycin (which dissociates ribosomes from mRNA) nor cycloheximide (which stabilizes ribosomes on mRNA) had any effect on this movement of actin mRNA. Anchoring of actin mRNA was studied using cells with peripherally localized actin mRNA. No change in actin mRNA localization was observed for 30 min in the same inhibitors. These data indicate that the presence of the nascent polypeptide is not necessary for translocation of actin mRNA to the cell periphery, or anchoring at that site. This suggests that the mRNA contains information concerning its spatial distribution within the cytoplasm.

scholarly journals The motor activity of myosin-X promotes actin fiber convergence at the cell periphery to initiate filopodia formation

2007 ◽  
Vol 179 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Tokuo ◽  
Katsuhide Mabuchi ◽  
Mitsuo Ikebe
Keyword(s):  
Motor Activity ◽  
Motor Function ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Actin Reorganization ◽  
Cell Biol ◽  
Actin Fiber ◽  
Myosin X ◽  
Migrating Cells

Filopodia are actin-rich fingerlike protrusions found at the leading edge of migrating cells and are believed to play a role in directional sensing. Previous studies have shown that myosin-X (myoX) promotes filopodia formation and that this is mediated through its ability to deliver specific cargoes to the cell periphery (Tokuo, H., and M. Ikebe. 2004. Biochem Biophys. Commun. 319:214–220; Zhang, H., J.S. Berg, Z. Li, Y. Wang, P. Lang, A.D. Sousa, A. Bhaskar, R.E. Cheney, and S. Stromblad. 2004. Nat. Cell Biol. 6:523–531; Bohil, A.B., B.W. Robertson, and R.E. Cheney. 2006. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 103:12411–12416; Zhu, X.J., C.Z. Wang, P.G. Dai, Y. Xie, N.N. Song, Y. Liu, Q.S. Du, L. Mei, Y.Q. Ding, and W.C. Xiong. 2007. Nat. Cell Biol. 9:184–192). In this study, we show that the motor function of myoX and not the cargo function is critical for initiating filopodia formation. Using a dimer-inducing technique, we find that myoX lacking its cargo-binding tail moves laterally at the leading edge of lamellipodia and induces filopodia in living cells. We conclude that the motor function of the two-headed form of myoX is critical for actin reorganization at the leading edge, leading to filopodia formation.

Subcellular localization of an intermediate filament protein and its mRNA in glial cells

1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 4556-4559
Author(s):  
P V Sarthy ◽  
M Fu ◽  
J Huang
Keyword(s):  
Glial Cell ◽  
Intermediate Filament ◽  
Mrna Translation ◽  
Mrna Localization ◽  
Intermediate Filament Protein ◽  
Cell Cytoplasm ◽  
Distal Process ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Actin Mrna ◽  
Filament Protein

Eucaryotic mRNAs are generally localized in the cell body, where most protein synthesis occurs. We have found that mRNAs encoding the glial intermediate filament protein are spatially distributed in the glial cell cytoplasm close to the location of the glial filaments. Whereas the glial filament protein mRNA was located predominantly in the distal process, actin mRNA was found almost exclusively in the apical portion of the glial cell. This pattern of mRNA localization might provide a mechanism for synthesis of proteins in specific subcellular compartments by mRNA translation locally.

scholarly journals Subcellular localization of an intermediate filament protein and its mRNA in glial cells.

1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 4556-4559 ◽  
Author(s):  
P V Sarthy ◽  
M Fu ◽  
J Huang
Keyword(s):  
Glial Cell ◽  
Intermediate Filament ◽  
Mrna Translation ◽  
Mrna Localization ◽  
Intermediate Filament Protein ◽  
Cell Cytoplasm ◽  
Distal Process ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Actin Mrna ◽  
Filament Protein

Eucaryotic mRNAs are generally localized in the cell body, where most protein synthesis occurs. We have found that mRNAs encoding the glial intermediate filament protein are spatially distributed in the glial cell cytoplasm close to the location of the glial filaments. Whereas the glial filament protein mRNA was located predominantly in the distal process, actin mRNA was found almost exclusively in the apical portion of the glial cell. This pattern of mRNA localization might provide a mechanism for synthesis of proteins in specific subcellular compartments by mRNA translation locally.

HVEM Analysis of Microfilament Patterns in The Margins of Tissue Cells

1980 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 808-811
Author(s):  
Carol Allen
Keyword(s):  
Cell Movement ◽  
Cell Spreading ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Tissue Cell ◽  
Large Sample Size ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
Critical Point Drying ◽  
Lamellar Region ◽  
Tissue Cells

When provided with a suitable solid substrate, tissue cells undergo a rapid conversion from the spherical form expressed in suspension culture to a characteristic flattened morphology. As a result of this conversion, called cell spreading, the cell nucleus and organelles come to occupy a central region of “deep cytoplasm” which slopes steeply into a peripheral “lamellar” region less than 1 pm thick at its outer edge and generally free of cell organelles. Cell spreading is accomplished by a continuous outward repositioning of the lamellar margins. Cell translocation on the substrate results when the activity of the lamellae on one side of the cell become dominant. When this occurs, the cell is “polarized” and moves in the direction of the “leading lamellae”. Careful analysis of tissue cell locomotion by time-lapse microphotography (1) has shown that the deformational movements of the leading lamellae occur in a repeating cycle of advance and retreat in the direction of cell movement and that the rate of such deformations are positively correlated with the speed of cell movement. In the present study, the physical basis for these movements of the cell margin has been examined by comparative light microscopy of living cells with whole-mount electron microscopy of fixed cells. Ultrastructural observations were made on tissue cells grown on Formvar-coated grids, fixed with glutaraldehyde, further processed by critical-point drying, and then photographed in the High Voltage Electron Microscope. This processing and imaging system maintains the 3-dimensional organization of the whole cell, the relationship of the cell to the substrate, and affords a large sample size which facilitates quantitative analysis. Comparative analysis of film records of living cells with the whole-cell micrographs revealed that specific patterns of microfilament organization consistently accompany recognizable stages of lamellar formation and movement. The margins of spreading cells and the leading lamellae of locomoting cells showed a similar pattern of MF repositionings (Figs. 1-4). These results will be discussed in terms of a working model for the mechanics of lamellar motility which includes the following major features: (a) lamellar protrusion results when an intracellular force is exerted at a locally weak area of the cell periphery; (b) the association of cortical MFs with one another determines the local resistance to this force; (c) where MF-to-MF association is weak, the cell periphery expands and some cortical MFs are dragged passively forward; (d) contact of the expanded area with the substrate then triggers the lateral association and reorientation of these cortical MFs into MF bundles parallel to the direction of the expansion; and (e) an active interaction between these MF bundles associated with the cortex of the expanded lamellae and the cortical MFs which remained in the sub-lamellar region then pulls the latter MFs forward toward the expanded area. Thus, the advance of the cell periphery on the substrate occurs in two stages: a passive phase in which some cortical MFs are dragged outward by the force acting to expand the cell periphery, and an active phase in which additional cortical MFs are pulled forward by interaction with the first set. Subsequent interactions between peripheral microfilament bundles and filaments in the deeper cytoplasm could then transmit the advance gained by lamellar expansion to the bulk of the cytoplasm.

A Molecular Logic Gate Enables Super-Resolved Imaging of Intracellular Lipid Droplets

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Eördögh ◽  
Carolina Paganini ◽  
Dorothea Pinotsi ◽  
Paolo Arosio ◽  
Pablo Rivera-Fuentes
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Lipid Droplets ◽  
Neutral Lipids ◽  
Logic Gate ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Single Molecule Imaging ◽  
Molecular Logic Gate ◽  
Molecular Logic ◽  
Cellular Compartments

<div>Photoactivatable dyes enable single-molecule imaging in biology. Despite progress in the development of new fluorophores and labeling strategies, many cellular compartments remain difficult to image beyond the limit of diffraction in living cells. For example, lipid droplets, which are organelles that contain mostly neutral lipids, have eluded single-molecule imaging. To visualize these challenging subcellular targets, it is necessary to develop new fluorescent molecular devices beyond simple on/off switches. Here, we report a fluorogenic molecular logic gate that can be used to image single molecules associated with lipid droplets with excellent specificity. This probe requires the subsequent action of light, a lipophilic environment and a competent nucleophile to produce a fluorescent product. The combination of these requirements results in a probe that can be used to image the boundary of lipid droplets in three dimensions with resolutions beyond the limit of diffraction. Moreover, this probe enables single-molecule tracking of lipids within and between droplets in living cells.</div>

scholarly journals Asymmetrical β-actin mRNA translation in growth cones mediates attractive turning to netrin-1

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1247-1256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kin-Mei Leung ◽  
Francisca PG van Horck ◽  
Andrew C Lin ◽  
Rachel Allison ◽  
Nancy Standart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mrna Translation ◽  
Growth Cones ◽  
Actin Mrna

scholarly journals Smurf1 regulates tumor cell plasticity and motility through degradation of RhoA leading to localized inhibition of contractility

2006 ◽  
Vol 176 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Sahai ◽  
Raquel Garcia-Medina ◽  
Jacques Pouysségur ◽  
Emmanuel Vial
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Tumor Cell ◽  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Rho Kinase ◽  
Cell Movement ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Tumor Cell Migration ◽  
Tumor Cell Motility

Rho GTPases participate in various cellular processes, including normal and tumor cell migration. It has been reported that RhoA is targeted for degradation at the leading edge of migrating cells by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Smurf1, and that this is required for the formation of protrusions. We report that Smurf1-dependent RhoA degradation in tumor cells results in the down-regulation of Rho kinase (ROCK) activity and myosin light chain 2 (MLC2) phosphorylation at the cell periphery. The localized inhibition of contractile forces is necessary for the formation of lamellipodia and for tumor cell motility in 2D tissue culture assays. In 3D invasion assays, and in in vivo tumor cell migration, the inhibition of Smurf1 induces a mesenchymal–amoeboid–like transition that is associated with a more invasive phenotype. Our results suggest that Smurf1 is a pivotal regulator of tumor cell movement through its regulation of RhoA signaling.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document