High agonist-independent clearance of rabbit kinin B1 receptors in cultured cells

2003 ◽  
Vol 284 (5) ◽  
pp. H1647-H1654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Philippe Fortin ◽  
Johanne Bouthillier ◽  
François Marceau

We hypothesized that the inducible kinin B1 receptor (B1R) is rapidly cleared from cells when its synthesis subsides. The agonist-independent degradation of the rabbit B1Rs and related B2 receptors (B2Rs) was investigated. Endocytosis of the B1R-yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) conjugate was more intense than that of B2R-green fluorescent protein (GFP) based on fluorescence accumulation in HEK 293 cells treated with a lysosomal inhibitor. The cells expressing B1R-YFP contained more GFP/YFP-sized degradation product(s) than those expressing B2R-GFP (immunoblot, antibodies equally reacting with both fluorescent proteins). The binding site density of B1R-YFP decreased in the presence of protein synthesis or maturation inhibitors (anisomycin, brefeldin A), whereas that of B2R-GFP remained constant. Wild-type B1Rs were also cleared faster than B2Rs in rabbit smooth muscle cells treated with metabolic inhibitors. Contractility experiments based on brefeldin A-treated isolated rabbit blood vessels also functionally support that B1Rs are more rapidly eliminated than B2Rs (decreased maximal effect of agonist over 2 h). The highly regulated B1R is rapidly degraded, relative to the constitutive B2R.

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 1298-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damien Clavel ◽  
Guillaume Gotthard ◽  
David von Stetten ◽  
Daniele De Sanctis ◽  
Hélène Pasquier ◽  
...  

Until recently, genes coding for homologues of the autofluorescent protein GFP had only been identified in marine organisms from the phyla Cnidaria and Arthropoda. New fluorescent-protein genes have now been found in the phylum Chordata, coding for particularly bright oligomeric fluorescent proteins such as the tetrameric yellow fluorescent proteinlanYFP fromBranchiostoma lanceolatum. A successful monomerization attempt led to the development of the bright yellow-green fluorescent protein mNeonGreen. The structures oflanYFP and mNeonGreen have been determined and compared in order to rationalize the directed evolution process leading from a bright, tetrameric to a still bright, monomeric fluorescent protein. An unusual discolouration of crystals of mNeonGreen was observed after X-ray data collection, which was investigated using a combination of X-ray crystallography and UV–visible absorption and Raman spectroscopies, revealing the effects of specific radiation damage in the chromophore cavity. It is shown that X-rays rapidly lead to the protonation of the phenolate O atom of the chromophore and to the loss of its planarity at the methylene bridge.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Gong ◽  
Oscar Hurtado ◽  
Baohua Wang ◽  
Congqing Wu ◽  
Mihwa Yi ◽  
...  

As part of a large-scale project whose goal was to identify candidate effector proteins in Magnaporthe oryzae, we developed a suite of vectors that facilitate high-throughput protein localization experiments in fungi. These vectors utilize Gateway recombinational cloning to place a gene's promoter and coding sequences upstream and in frame with enhanced cyan fluorescent protein, green fluorescent protein (GFP), monomeric red fluorescence protein (mRFP), and yellow fluorescent protein or a nucleus-targeted mCHERRY variant. The respective Gateway cassettes were incorporated into Agrobacterium-based plasmids to allow efficient fungal transformation using hygromycin or geneticin resistance selection. mRFP proved to be more sensitive than the GFP spectral variants for monitoring proteins secreted in planta; and extensive testing showed that Gateway-derived fusion proteins produced localization patterns identical to their “directly fused” counterparts. Use of plasmid for fungal protein localization (pFPL) vectors with two different selectable markers provided a convenient way to label fungal cells with different fluorescent proteins. We demonstrate the utility of the pFPL vectors for identifying candidate effector proteins and we highlight a number of important factors that must be taken into consideration when screening for proteins that are translocated across the host plasma membrane.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (12) ◽  
pp. 6061-6071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Berkova ◽  
S. E. Crawford ◽  
G. Trugnan ◽  
T. Yoshimori ◽  
A. P. Morris ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Rotavirus is a major cause of infantile viral gastroenteritis. Rotavirus nonstructural protein 4 (NSP4) has pleiotropic properties and functions in viral morphogenesis as well as pathogenesis. Recent reports show that the inhibition of NSP4 expression by small interfering RNAs leads to alteration of the production and distribution of other viral proteins and mRNA synthesis, suggesting that NSP4 also affects virus replication by unknown mechanisms. This report describes studies aimed at correlating the localization of intracellular NSP4 in cells with its functions. To be able to follow the localization of NSP4, we fused the C terminus of full-length NSP4 with the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and expressed this fusion protein inducibly in a HEK 293-based cell line to avoid possible cytotoxicity. NSP4-EGFP was initially localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as documented by Endo H-sensitive glycosylation and colocalization with ER marker proteins. Only a small fraction of NSP4-EGFP colocalized with the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) marker ERGIC-53. NSP4-EGFP did not enter the Golgi apparatus, in agreement with the Endo H sensitivity and a previous report that secretion of an NSP4 cleavage product generated in rotavirus-infected cells is not inhibited by brefeldin A. A significant population of expressed NSP4-EGFP was distributed in novel vesicular structures throughout the cytoplasm, not colocalizing with ER, ERGIC, Golgi, endosomal, or lysosomal markers, thus diverging from known biosynthetic pathways. The appearance of vesicular NSP4-EGFP was dependent on intracellular calcium levels, and vesicular NSP4-EGFP colocalized with the autophagosomal marker LC3. In rotavirus-infected cells, NSP4 colocalized with LC3 in cap-like structures associated with viroplasms, the site of nascent viral RNA replication, suggesting a possible new mechanism for the involvement of NSP4 in virus replication.


2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rouzbeh R. Taghizadeh ◽  
James L. Sherley

The stable expression of reporter genes in adult stem cells (ASCs) has important applications in stem cell biology. The ability to integrate a noncytotoxic, fluorescent reporter gene into the genome of ASCs with the capability to track ASCs and their progeny is particularly desirable for transplantation studies. The use of fluorescent proteins has greatly aided the investigations of protein and cell function on short-time scales. In contrast, the obtainment of stably expressing cell strains with low variability in expression for studies on longer-time scales is often problematic. We show that this difficulty is partly due to the cytotoxicity of a commonly used reporter, green fluorescent protein (GFP). To avoid GFP-specific toxicity effects during attempts to stably mark a rat hepatic ASC strain and, therefore, obtain stable, long-term fluorescent ASCs, we evaluated cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), in addition to GFP. Although we were unable to derive stable GFP-expressing strains, stable fluorescent clones (up to 140 doublings) expressing either CFP or YFP were established. When fluorescently marked ASCs were induced to produce differentiated progeny cells, stable fluorescence expression was maintained. This property is essential for studies that track fluorescently marked ASCs and their differentiated progeny in transplantation studies.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Landon Zarowny ◽  
Abhi Aggarwal ◽  
Virginia M.S. Rutten ◽  
Ilya Kolb ◽  
Ronak Patel ◽  
...  

AbstractGenetically encodable calcium ion (Ca2+) indicators (GECIs) based on green fluorescent proteins (GFP) are powerful tools for imaging of cell signaling and neural activity in model organisms. Following almost two decades of steady improvements in the Aequorea victoria GFP (avGFP)-based GCaMP series of GECIs, the performance of the most recent generation (i.e., GCaMP7) may have reached its practical limit due to the inherent properties of GFP. In an effort to sustain the steady progression towards ever-improved GECIs, we undertook the development of a new GECI based on the bright monomeric GFP, mNeonGreen (mNG). The resulting indicator, mNG-GECO1, is 60% brighter than GCaMP6s in vitro and provides comparable performance as demonstrated by imaging Ca2+ dynamics in cultured cells, primary neurons, and in vivo in larval zebrafish. These results suggest that mNG-GECO1 is a promising next-generation GECI that could inherit the mantle of GCaMP and allow the steady improvement of GECIs to continue for generations to come.


2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (13) ◽  
pp. 4346-4353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro M. Pereira ◽  
Helena Veiga ◽  
Ana M. Jorge ◽  
Mariana G. Pinho

ABSTRACT We have constructed a set of plasmids that allow expression, from their native chromosomal loci, of Staphylococcus aureus proteins fused to one of four different fluorescent proteins (green fluorescent protein [GFP], cyan fluorescent protein [CFP], yellow fluorescent protein [YFP], and mCherry), using two different resistance markers (kanamycin and erythromycin). We have also constructed a plasmid that allows expression of proteins from the ectopic spa locus in the S. aureus chromosome. This toolbox can be used for studies of the localization of proteins in S. aureus, a prominent pathogen in both health care and community settings.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (20) ◽  
pp. 5229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tirthendu Sen ◽  
Anastasia Mamontova ◽  
Anastasia Titelmayer ◽  
Aleksander Shakhov ◽  
Artyom Astafiev ◽  
...  

Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)—one of the most widely applied genetically encoded fluorescent probes—carries the threonine-tyrosine-glycine (TYG) chromophore. EGFP efficiently undergoes green-to-red oxidative photoconversion (“redding”) with electron acceptors. Enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP), a close EGFP homologue (five amino acid substitutions), has a glycine-tyrosine-glycine (GYG) chromophore and is much less susceptible to redding, requiring halide ions in addition to the oxidants. In this contribution we aim to clarify the role of the first chromophore-forming amino acid in photoinduced behavior of these fluorescent proteins. To that end, we compared photobleaching and redding kinetics of EGFP, EYFP, and their mutants with reciprocally substituted chromophore residues, EGFP-T65G and EYFP-G65T. Measurements showed that T65G mutation significantly increases EGFP photostability and inhibits its excited-state oxidation efficiency. Remarkably, while EYFP-G65T demonstrated highly increased spectral sensitivity to chloride, it is also able to undergo redding chloride-independently. Atomistic calculations reveal that the GYG chromophore has an increased flexibility, which facilitates radiationless relaxation leading to the reduced fluorescence quantum yield in the T65G mutant. The GYG chromophore also has larger oscillator strength as compared to TYG, which leads to a shorter radiative lifetime (i.e., a faster rate of fluorescence). The faster fluorescence rate partially compensates for the loss of quantum efficiency due to radiationless relaxation. The shorter excited-state lifetime of the GYG chromophore is responsible for its increased photostability and resistance to redding. In EYFP and EYFP-G65T, the chromophore is stabilized by π-stacking with Tyr203, which suppresses its twisting motions relative to EGFP.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Chang ◽  
Matthew Romei ◽  
Steven Boxer

<p>Double-bond photoisomerization in molecules such as the green fluorescent protein (GFP) chromophore can occur either via a volume-demanding one-bond-flip pathway or via a volume-conserving hula-twist pathway. Understanding the factors that determine the pathway of photoisomerization would inform the rational design of photoswitchable GFPs as improved tools for super-resolution microscopy. In this communication, we reveal the photoisomerization pathway of a photoswitchable GFP, rsEGFP2, by solving crystal structures of <i>cis</i> and <i>trans</i> rsEGFP2 containing a monochlorinated chromophore. The position of the chlorine substituent in the <i>trans</i> state breaks the symmetry of the phenolate ring of the chromophore and allows us to distinguish the two pathways. Surprisingly, we find that the pathway depends on the arrangement of protein monomers within the crystal lattice: in a looser packing, the one-bond-flip occurs, whereas in a tighter packing (7% smaller unit cell size), the hula-twist occurs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> <p> </p>


2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 861-870 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Alev Gerçeker ◽  
Tanweer Zaidi ◽  
Peter Marks ◽  
David E. Golan ◽  
Gerald B. Pier

ABSTRACT The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a chloride ion channel that also serves as a receptor for entry ofPseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella entericaserovar Typhi into epithelial cells. To evaluate heterogeneity in CFTR protein expression in cultured cells and the effect of heterogeneity on internalization of different P. aeruginosa and serovar Typhi strains, we used two-color flow cytometry and confocal laser microscopy to study bacterial uptake by Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) type I epithelial cells stably expressing a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-CFTR fusion construct (MDCK–GFP-CFTR cells). We found a strong correlation between cell size and GFP-CFTR protein expression, with 60 to 70% of cells expressing low levels of GFP-CFTR protein, 20 to 30% expressing intermediate levels, and <10% expressing high levels. The cells were sorted into low-, intermediate-, or high-level producers of CFTR protein; in vitro growth of each sorted population yielded the same distribution of CFTR protein expression as that in the original population. Cells expressing either low or high levels of CFTR protein internalized bacteria poorly; maximal bacterial uptake occurred in the cells expressing intermediate levels of CFTR protein. Treatment of MDCK cells with sodium butyrate markedly enhanced the production of CFTR protein without increasing cell size; butyrate treatment also increased the proportion of cells with internalized bacteria. However, there were fewer bacteria per butyrate-treated cell and, for P. aeruginosa, there was an overall decrease in the total level of bacterial uptake. The most highly ingested bacterial strains were internalized by fewer total MDCK–GFP-CFTR cells, indicating preferential bacterial uptake by a minority of epithelial cells within a given culture. Confocal fluorescence microscopy showed that P. aeruginosa and serovar Typhi induced cytoplasmic accumulation of CFTR protein close to the plasma membrane where the bacteria were adherent. These results show that within a population of MDCK–GFP-CFTR cells, there are cells with markedly different abilities to ingest bacteria via CFTR, the majority of the P. aeruginosa and serovar Typhi cells are ingested by the one-fourth to one-third of the cells that exhibit an intermediate size and level of CFTR protein expression, and overexpression of the CFTR receptor does not increase total bacterial uptake but rather allows more epithelial cells to ingest fewer total bacteria.


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