scholarly journals A protease protection assay for the detection of internalized alpha-synuclein pre-formed fibrils

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0241161
Author(s):  
Timothy S. Jarvela ◽  
Kriti Chaplot ◽  
Iris Lindberg
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Alpha Synuclein ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Tev Protease ◽  
Protease Cleavage ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Fixed Cell ◽  
Cell Microscopy ◽  
Extracellular Environment

Alpha-synuclein pre-formed fibrils (PFFs) represent a promising model system for the study of cellular processes underlying cell-to-cell transmission of alpha-synuclein proteopathic aggregates. However, the ability to differentiate the fate of internalized PFFs from those which remain in the extracellular environment remains limited due to the propensity for PFFs to adhere to the cell surface. Removal of PFFs requires repeated washing and/or specific quenching of extracellular fluorescent PFF signals. In this paper we present a new method for analyzing the fate of internalized alpha-synuclein. We inserted a tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease cleavage site between alpha-synuclein and green fluorescent protein and subjected cells to brief treatment with TEV protease after incubation with tagged PFFs. As the TEV protease is highly specific, non-toxic, and active under physiological conditions, protection from TEV cleavage can be used to distinguish internalized PFFs from those which remain attached to the cell surface. Using this experimental paradigm, downstream intracellular events can be analyzed via live or fixed cell microscopy as well as by Western blotting. We suggest that this method will be useful for understanding the fate of PFFs after endocytosis under various experimental manipulations.

scholarly journals A protease protection assay for the detection of internalized alpha-synuclein pre-formed fibrils

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy S. Jarvela ◽  
Kriti Chaplot ◽  
Iris Lindberg
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Alpha Synuclein ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Tev Protease ◽  
Protease Cleavage ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Fixed Cell ◽  
Cell Microscopy ◽  
Extracellular Environment

ABSTRACTAlpha-synuclein pre-formed fibrils (PFFs) represent a promising model system for the study of cellular processes underlying cell-to-cell transmission of alpha-synuclein proteopathic aggregates. However, the ability to differentiate the fate of internalized PFFs from those which remain in the extracellular environment remains limited due to the propensity for PFFs to adhere to the cell surface. Removal of PFFs requires repeated washing and/or specific quenching of extracellular fluorescent PFF signals. In this paper we present a new method for analyzing the fate of internalized alpha-synuclein. We inserted a tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease cleavage site between alpha-synuclein and green fluorescent protein and subjected cells to brief treatment with TEV protease after incubation with tagged PFFs. As the TEV protease is highly specific, non-toxic, and active under physiological conditions, protection from TEV cleavage can be used to distinguish internalized PFFs from those which remain attached to the cell surface. Using this experimental paradigm, downstream intracellular events can be analyzed via live or fixed cell microscopy as well as by Western blotting. We suggest that this method will be useful for understanding the fate of PFFs after endocytosis under various experimental manipulations.

Downregulation of the vasopressin type 2 receptor after vasopressin-induced internalization: involvement of a lysosomal degradation pathway

2005 ◽  
Vol 288 (6) ◽  
pp. C1390-C1401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Bouley ◽  
Herbert Y. Lin ◽  
Malay K. Raychowdhury ◽  
Vladimir Marshansky ◽  
Dennis Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Collecting Duct ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Renal Medulla ◽  
Degradation Pathway ◽  
Urinary Concentration ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Golgi Network

Vasopressin (VP) increases urinary concentration by signaling through the vasopressin receptor (V2R) in collecting duct principal cells. After downregulation, V2R reappears at the cell surface via an unusually slow (several hours) “recycling” pathway. To examine this pathway, we expressed V2R-green fluorescent protein (GFP) in LLC-PK1a cells. V2R-GFP showed characteristics similar to those of wild-type V2R, including high affinity for VP and adenylyl cyclase stimulation. V2R-GFP was located mainly in the plasma membrane in unstimulated cells, but it colocalized with the lysosomal marker Lysotracker after VP-induced internalization. Western blot analysis of V2R-GFP showed a broad 57- to 68-kDa band and a doublet at 46 and 52 kDa before VP treatment. After 4-h VP exposure, the 57- to 68-kDa band lost 50% of its intensity, whereas the lower 46-kDa band increased by 200%. The lysosomal inhibitor chloroquine abolished this VP effect, whereas lactacystin, a proteasome inhibitor, had no effect. Incubating cells at 20°C to block trafficking from the trans-Golgi network reduced V2R membrane fluorescence, and a perinuclear patch developed. Cycloheximide reduced the intensity of this patch, showing that newly synthesized V2R-GFP contributed significantly to its appearance. Cycloheximide also inhibited the reappearance of cell surface V2R after downregulation. We conclude that after downregulation, V2R-GFP is delivered to lysosomes and degraded. Reappearance of V2R at the cell surface depends on new protein synthesis, partially explaining the long time lag needed to fully reestablish V2R at the cell surface after downregulation. This degradative pathway may be an adaptive response to allow receptor-ligand association in the hypertonic and acidic environment of the renal medulla.

scholarly journals Specific Modification of Aged Proteasomes Revealed by Tag-Exchangeable Knock-In Mice

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takuya Tomita ◽  
Shoshiro Hirayama ◽  
Yasuyuki Sakurai ◽  
Yuki Ohte ◽  
Hidehito Yoshihara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Function ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Embryonic Fibroblasts ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Biochemical Alterations ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Responsible Gene ◽  
Intracellular Protein Degradation ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACT The proteasome is the proteolytic machinery at the center of regulated intracellular protein degradation and participates in various cellular processes. Maintaining the quality of the proteasome is therefore important for proper cell function. It is unclear, however, how proteasomes change over time and how aged proteasomes are disposed. Here, we show that the proteasome undergoes specific biochemical alterations as it ages. We generated Rpn11-Flag/enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) tag-exchangeable knock-in mice and established a method for selective purification of old proteasomes in terms of their molecular age at the time after synthesis. The half-life of proteasomes in mouse embryonic fibroblasts isolated from these knock-in mice was about 16 h. Using this tool, we found increased association of Txnl1, Usp14, and actin with the proteasome and specific phosphorylation of Rpn3 at Ser 6 in 3-day-old proteasomes. We also identified CSNK2A2 encoding the catalytic α′ subunit of casein kinase II (CK2α′) as a responsible gene that regulates the phosphorylation and turnover of old proteasomes. These findings will provide a basis for understanding the mechanism of molecular aging of the proteasome.

scholarly journals In Situ Detection of Endogenous HIV Activation by Dynamic Nuclear Polarization NMR and Flow Cytometry

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 4649
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Overall ◽  
Lauren E. Price ◽  
Brice J. Albert ◽  
Chukun Gao ◽  
Nicholas Alaniva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Cytometry ◽  
Dynamic Nuclear Polarization ◽  
Nuclear Polarization ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Human Cell Line ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Nmr Studies ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
In Situ Detection

We demonstrate for the first time in-cell dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) in conjunction with flow cytometry sorting to address the cellular heterogeneity of in-cell samples. Utilizing a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter of HIV reactivation, we correlate increased 15N resonance intensity with cytokine-driven HIV reactivation in a human cell line model of HIV latency. As few as 10% GFP+ cells could be detected by DNP nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The inclusion of flow cytometric sorting of GFP+ cells prior to analysis by DNP-NMR further boosted signal detection through increased cellular homogeneity with respect to GFP expression. As few as 3.6 million 15N-labeled GFP+ cells could be readily detected with DNP-NMR. Importantly, cell sorting allowed for the comparison of cytokine-treated GFP+ and GFP− cells in a batch-consistent way. This provides an avenue for normalizing NMR spectral contributions from background cellular processes following treatment with cellular modulators. We also demonstrate the remarkable stability of AMUPol (a nitroxide biradical) in Jurkat T cells and achieved in-cell enhancements of 46 with 10 mM AMUPol, providing an excellent model system for further in-cell DNP-NMR studies. This represents an important contribution to improving in-cell methods for the study of endogenously expressed proteins by DNP-NMR.

scholarly journals Double-Labeled Rabies Virus: Live Tracking of Enveloped Virus Transport

2007 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 237-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Klingen ◽  
Karl-Klaus Conzelmann ◽  
Stefan Finke
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Rabies Virus ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Signal Sequence ◽  
Surface Membrane ◽  
Fusion Construct ◽  
Virus Particles ◽  
Enveloped Virus ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACT Here we describe a strategy to fluorescently label the envelope of rabies virus (RV), of the Rhabdoviridae family, in order to track the transport of single enveloped viruses in living cells. Red fluorescent proteins (tm-RFP) were engineered to comprise the N-terminal signal sequence and C-terminal transmembrane spanning and cytoplasmic domain sequences of the RV glycoprotein (G). Two variants of tm-RFP were transported to and anchored in the cell surface membrane, independent of glycosylation. As shown by confocal microscopy, tm-RFP colocalized at the cell surface with the RV matrix and G protein and was incorporated into G gene-deficient virus particles. Recombinant RV expressing the membrane-anchored tm-RFP in addition to G yielded infectious viruses with mosaic envelopes containing both tm-RFP and G. Viable double-labeled virus particles comprising a red fluorescent envelope and a green fluorescent ribonucleoprotein were generated by expressing in addition an enhanced green fluorescent protein-phosphoprotein fusion construct (S. Finke, K. Brzozka, and K. K. Conzelmann, J. Virol. 78:12333-12343, 2004). Individual enveloped virus particles were observed under live cell conditions as extracellular particles and inside endosomal vesicles. Importantly, double-labeled RVs were transported in the retrograde direction over long distances in neurites of in vitro-differentiated NS20Y neuroblastoma cells. This indicates that the typical retrograde axonal transport of RV to the central nervous system involves neuronal transport vesicles in which complete enveloped RV particles are carried as a cargo.

scholarly journals Cell Surface Organization of Stress-inducible Proteins ULBP and MICA That Stimulate Human NK Cells and T Cells via NKG2D

2004 ◽  
Vol 199 (7) ◽  
pp. 1005-1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantina Eleme ◽  
Sabrina B. Taner ◽  
Björn Önfelt ◽  
Lucy M. Collinson ◽  
Fiona E. McCann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Nk Cells ◽  
Lipid Rafts ◽  
Mhc Class I ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Nk Cell ◽  
Surface Proteins ◽  
Class I ◽  
Immune Synapse ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Cell surface proteins major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I–related chain A (MICA) and UL16-binding proteins (ULBP) 1, 2, and 3 are up-regulated upon infection or tumor transformation and can activate human natural killer (NK) cells. Patches of cross-linked raft resident ganglioside GM1 colocalized with ULBP1, 2, 3, or MICA, but not CD45. Thus, ULBPs and MICA are expressed in lipid rafts at the cell surface. Western blotting revealed that glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored ULBP3 but not transmembrane MICA, MHC class I protein, or transferrin receptor, accumulated in detergent-resistant membranes containing GM1. Thus, MICA may have a weaker association with lipid rafts than ULBP3, yet both proteins accumulate at an activating human NK cell immune synapse. Target cell lipid rafts marked by green fluorescent protein–tagged GPI also accumulate with ULBP3 at some synapses. Electron microscopy reveals constitutive clusters of ULBP at the cell surface. Regarding a specific molecular basis for the organization of these proteins, ULBP1, 2, and 3 and MICA are lipid modified. ULBP1, 2, and 3 are GPI anchored, and we demonstrate here that MICA is S-acylated. Finally, expression of a truncated form of MICA that lacks the putative site for S-acylation and the cytoplasmic tail can be expressed at the cell surface, but is unable to activate NK cells.

scholarly journals Internalization of Monomeric Lipopolysaccharide Occurs after Transfer Out of Cell Surface Cd14

1999 ◽  
Vol 190 (4) ◽  
pp. 509-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Vasselon ◽  
Eric Hailman ◽  
Rolf Thieringer ◽  
Patricia A. Detmers
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Golgi Apparatus ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Soluble Cd14 ◽  
Stable Transfectants ◽  
Intracellular Vesicles ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) fluorescently labeled with boron dipyrromethane (BODIPY) first binds to the plasma membrane of CD14-expressing cells and is subsequently internalized. Intracellular LPS appears in small vesicles near the cell surface and later in larger, punctate structures identified as the Golgi apparatus. To determine if membrane (m)CD14 directs the movement of LPS to the Golgi apparatus, an mCD14 chimera containing enhanced green fluorescent protein (mCD14–EGFP) was used to follow trafficking of mCD14 and BODIPY–LPS in stable transfectants. The chimera was expressed strongly on the cell surface and also in a Golgi complex–like structure. mCD14–EGFP was functional in mediating binding of and responses to LPS. BODIPY–LPS presented to the transfectants as complexes with soluble CD14 first colocalized with mCD14–EGFP on the cell surface. However, within 5–10 min, the BODIPY–LPS distributed to intracellular vesicles that did not contain mCD14–EGFP, indicating that mCD14 did not accompany LPS during endocytic movement. These results suggest that monomeric LPS is transferred out of mCD14 at the plasma membrane and traffics within the cell independently of mCD14. In contrast, aggregates of LPS were internalized in association with mCD14, suggesting that LPS clearance occurs via a pathway distinct from that which leads to signaling via monomeric LPS.

scholarly journals Massive Ca-induced Membrane Fusion and Phospholipid Changes Triggered by Reverse Na/Ca Exchange in BHK Fibroblasts

2008 ◽  
Vol 132 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alp Yaradanakul ◽  
Tzu-Ming Wang ◽  
Vincenzo Lariccia ◽  
Mei-Jung Lin ◽  
Chengcheng Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Annexin V ◽  
Membrane Vesicles ◽  
Hill Coefficient ◽  
Induced Membrane ◽  
Binding Domains ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Baby hamster kidney (BHK) fibroblasts increase their cell capacitance by 25–100% within 5 s upon activating maximal Ca influx via constitutively expressed cardiac Na/Ca exchangers (NCX1). Free Ca, measured with fluo-5N, transiently exceeds 0.2 mM with total Ca influx amounting to ∼5 mmol/liter cell volume. Capacitance responses are half-maximal when NCX1 promotes a free cytoplasmic Ca of 0.12 mM (Hill coefficient ≈ 2). Capacitance can return to baseline in 1–3 min, and responses can be repeated several times. The membrane tracer, FM 4-64, is taken up during recovery and can be released at a subsequent Ca influx episode. Given recent interest in signaling lipids in membrane fusion, we used green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusions with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) and diacylglycerol (DAG) binding domains to analyze phospholipid changes in relation to these responses. PI(4,5)P2 is rapidly cleaved upon activating Ca influx and recovers within 2 min. However, PI(4,5)P2 depletion by activation of overexpressed hM1 muscarinic receptors causes only little membrane fusion, and subsequent fusion in response to Ca influx remains massive. Two results suggest that DAG may be generated from sources other than PI(4,5)P in these protocols. First, acylglycerols are generated in response to elevated Ca, even when PI(4,5)P2 is metabolically depleted. Second, DAG-binding C1A-GFP domains, which are brought to the cell surface by exogenous ligands, translocate rapidly back to the cytoplasm in response to Ca influx. Nevertheless, inhibitors of PLCs and cPLA2, PI(4,5)P2-binding peptides, and PLD modification by butanol do not block membrane fusion. The cationic agents, FM 4-64 and heptalysine, bind profusely to the extracellular cell surface during membrane fusion. While this binding might reflect phosphatidylserine (PS) “scrambling” between monolayers, it is unaffected by a PS-binding protein, lactadherin, and by polylysine from the cytoplasmic side. Furthermore, the PS indicator, annexin-V, binds only slowly after fusion. Therefore, we suggest that the luminal surfaces of membrane vesicles that fuse to the plasmalemma may be rather anionic. In summary, our results provide no support for any regulatory or modulatory role of phospholipids in Ca-induced membrane fusion in fibroblasts.

Targeting of Green Fluorescent Protein Expression to the Cell Surface

1999 ◽  
Vol 262 (3) ◽  
pp. 638-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Simonova ◽  
Ralph Weissleder ◽  
Nikolai Sergeyev ◽  
Natalia Vilissova ◽  
Alexei Bogdanov
Keyword(s):  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Protein Expression ◽  
Green Fluorescent Protein Expression ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Dual trafficking of Slit3 to mitochondria and cell surface demonstrates novel localization for Slit protein

2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (2) ◽  
pp. C486-C495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa H. Little ◽  
Lorine Wilkinson ◽  
Darren L. Brown ◽  
Michael Piper ◽  
Toshiya Yamada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Protein Localization ◽  
Proteolytic Processing ◽  
Proximal Tubule Cells ◽  
Epithelial Monolayers ◽  
Vertebrate Orthologs ◽  
Localization Signal ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Drosophila slit is a secreted protein involved in midline patterning. Three vertebrate orthologs of the fly slit gene, Slit1, 2, and 3, have been isolated. Each displays overlapping, but distinct, patterns of expression in the developing vertebrate central nervous system, implying conservation of function. However, vertebrate Slit genes are also expressed in nonneuronal tissues where their cellular locations and functions are unknown. In this study, we characterized the cellular distribution and processing of mammalian Slit3 gene product, the least evolutionarily conserved of the vertebrate Slit genes, in kidney epithelial cells, using both cellular fractionation and immunolabeling. Slit3, but not Slit2, was predominantly localized within the mitochondria. This localization was confirmed using immunoelectron microscopy in cell lines and in mouse kidney proximal tubule cells. In confluent epithelial monolayers, Slit3 was also transported to the cell surface. However, we found no evidence of Slit3 proteolytic processing similar to that seen for Slit2. We demonstrated that Slit3 contains an NH2-terminal mitochondrial localization signal that can direct a reporter green fluorescent protein to the mitochondria. The equivalent region from Slit1 cannot elicit mitochondrial targeting. We conclude that Slit3 protein is targeted to and localized at two distinct sites within epithelial cells: the mitochondria, and then, in more confluent cells, the cell surface. Targeting to both locations is driven by specific NH2-terminal sequences. This is the first examination of Slit protein localization in nonneuronal cells, and this study implies that Slit3 has potentially unique functions not shared by other Slit proteins.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document