scholarly journals Quantitative FRET Microscopy Reveals a Crucial Role of Cytoskeleton in Promoting PI(4,5)P2 Confinement

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (21) ◽  
pp. 11727
Author(s):  
Maria J. Sarmento ◽  
Luís Borges-Araújo ◽  
Sandra N. Pinto ◽  
Nuno Bernardes ◽  
Joana C. Ricardo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Hela Cells ◽  
Membrane Trafficking ◽  
Actin Polymerization ◽  
Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Cytoskeleton Organization

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) is an essential plasma membrane component involved in several cellular functions, including membrane trafficking and cytoskeleton organization. This function multiplicity is partially achieved through a dynamic spatiotemporal organization of PI(4,5)P2 within the membrane. Here, we use a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) approach to quantitatively assess the extent of PI(4,5)P2 confinement within the plasma membrane. This methodology relies on the rigorous evaluation of the dependence of absolute FRET efficiencies between pleckstrin homology domains (PHPLCδ) fused with fluorescent proteins and their average fluorescence intensity at the membrane. PI(4,5)P2 is found to be significantly compartmentalized at the plasma membrane of HeLa cells, and these clusters are not cholesterol-dependent, suggesting that membrane rafts are not involved in the formation of these nanodomains. On the other hand, upon inhibition of actin polymerization, compartmentalization of PI(4,5)P2 is almost entirely eliminated, showing that the cytoskeleton network is the critical component responsible for the formation of nanoscale PI(4,5)P2 domains in HeLa cells.

scholarly journals Dynamic remodeling of scaffold interactions in dendritic spines controls synaptic excitability

2012 ◽  
Vol 198 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enora Moutin ◽  
Fabrice Raynaud ◽  
Jonathan Roger ◽  
Emilie Pellegrino ◽  
Vincent Homburger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Membrane Receptors ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Scaffolding Proteins ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Electrophysiological Recordings ◽  
Living Neurons ◽  
Activity Dependent

Scaffolding proteins interact with membrane receptors to control signaling pathways and cellular functions. However, the dynamics and specific roles of interactions between different components of scaffold complexes are poorly understood because of the dearth of methods available to monitor binding interactions. Using a unique combination of single-cell bioluminescence resonance energy transfer imaging in living neurons and electrophysiological recordings, in this paper, we depict the role of glutamate receptor scaffold complex remodeling in space and time to control synaptic transmission. Despite a broad colocalization of the proteins in neurons, we show that spine-confined assembly/disassembly of this scaffold complex, physiologically triggered by sustained activation of synaptic NMDA (N-methyl-d-aspartate) receptors, induces physical association between ionotropic (NMDA) and metabotropic (mGlu5a) synaptic glutamate receptors. This physical interaction results in an mGlu5a receptor–mediated inhibition of NMDA currents, providing an activity-dependent negative feedback loop on NMDA receptor activity. Such protein scaffold remodeling represents a form of homeostatic control of synaptic excitability.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal Analysis of Differential Akt Regulation in Plasma Membrane Microdomains

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 4366-4373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinxin Gao ◽  
Jin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Lipid Rafts ◽  
Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Spatiotemporal Analysis ◽  
Membrane Microdomains ◽  
Cholesterol Depletion ◽  
Growth Factor Signaling

As a central kinase in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway, Akt has been the subject of extensive research; yet, spatiotemporal regulation of Akt in different membrane microdomains remains largely unknown. To examine dynamic Akt activity in membrane microdomains in living cells, we developed a specific and sensitive fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based Akt activity reporter, AktAR, through systematic testing of different substrates and fluorescent proteins. Targeted AktAR reported higher Akt activity with faster activation kinetics within lipid rafts compared with nonraft regions of plasma membrane. Disruption of rafts attenuated platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-stimulated Akt activity in rafts without affecting that in nonraft regions. However, in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF)-1 stimulation, Akt signaling in nonraft regions is dependent on that in raft regions. As a result, cholesterol depletion diminishes Akt activity in both regions. Thus, Akt activities are differentially regulated in different membrane microdomains, and the overall activity of this oncogenic pathway is dependent on raft function. Given the increased abundance of lipid rafts in some cancer cells, the distinct Akt-activating characteristics of PDGF and IGF-1, in terms of both effectiveness and raft dependence, demonstrate the capabilities of different growth factor signaling pathways to transduce differential oncogenic signals across plasma membrane.

scholarly journals ERK Activity Imaging During Migration of Living Cells In Vitro and In Vivo

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eishu Hirata ◽  
Etsuko Kiyokawa
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Metastasis ◽  
Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Cell Dynamics ◽  
Extracellular Signal

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) is a major downstream factor of the EGFR-RAS-RAF signalling pathway, and thus the role of ERK in cell growth has been widely examined. The development of biosensors based on fluorescent proteins has enabled us to measure ERK activities in living cells, both after growth factor stimulation and in its absence. Long-term imaging unexpectedly revealed the oscillative activation of ERK in an epithelial sheet or a cyst in vitro. Studies using transgenic mice expressing the ERK biosensor have revealed inhomogeneous ERK activities among various cell species. In vivo Förster (or fluorescence) resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging shed light on a novel role of ERK in cell migration. Neutrophils and epithelial cells in various organs such as intestine, skin, lung and bladder showed spatio-temporally different cell dynamics and ERK activities. Experiments using inhibitors confirmed that ERK activities are required for various pathological responses, including epithelial repair after injuries, inflammation, and niche formation of cancer metastasis. In conclusion, biosensors for ERK will be powerful and valuable tools to investigate the roles of ERK in situ.

scholarly journals A novel tribasic Golgi export signal directs cargo protein interaction with activated Rab11 and AP-1–dependent Golgi–plasma membrane trafficking

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 1320-1331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirendrasinh B. Parmar ◽  
Roy Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Rna Interference ◽  
Membrane Trafficking ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Cargo Protein ◽  
Fast Proteins ◽  
Protein Functions ◽  
Export Signal

The reovirus fusion–associated small transmembrane (FAST) proteins comprise a unique family of viral membrane fusion proteins dedicated to inducing cell–cell fusion. We recently reported that a polybasic motif (PBM) in the cytosolic tail of reptilian reovirus p14 FAST protein functions as a novel tribasic Golgi export signal. Using coimmunoprecipitation and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assays, we now show the PBM directs interaction of p14 with GTP-Rab11. Overexpression of dominant-negative Rab11 and RNA interference knockdown of endogenous Rab11 inhibited p14 plasma membrane trafficking and resulted in p14 accumulation in the Golgi complex. This is the first example of Golgi export to the plasma membrane that is dependent on the interaction of membrane protein cargo with activated Rab11. RNA interference and immunofluorescence microscopy further revealed that p14 Golgi export is dependent on AP-1 (but not AP-3 or AP-4) and that Rab11 and AP-1 both colocalize with p14 at the TGN. Together these results imply the PBM mediates interactions of p14 with activated Rab11 at the TGN, resulting in p14 sorting into AP1-coated vesicles for anterograde TGN–plasma membrane transport.

scholarly journals R-Ras Regulates Exocytosis by Rgl2/Rlf-mediated Activation of RalA on Endosomes

2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1850-1860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akiyuki Takaya ◽  
Takahiro Kamio ◽  
Michitaka Masuda ◽  
Naoki Mochizuki ◽  
Hirofumi Sawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Small Gtpase ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Recycling Endosomes ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factor ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Ras Family

R-Ras is a Ras-family small GTPase that regulates various cellular functions such as apoptosis and cell adhesion. Here, we demonstrate a role of R-Ras in exocytosis. By the use of specific anti-R-Ras antibody, we found that R-Ras was enriched on both early and recycling endosomes in a wide range of cell lines. Using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based probe for R-Ras activity, R-Ras activity was found to be higher on endosomes than on the plasma membrane. This high R-Ras activity on the endosomes correlated with the accumulation of an R-Ras effector, the Rgl2/Rlf guanine nucleotide exchange factor for RalA, and also with high RalA activity. The essential role played by R-Ras in inducing high levels of RalA activity on the endosomes was evidenced by the short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated suppression of R-Ras and by the expression of R-Ras GAP. In agreement with the reported role of RalA in exocytosis, the shRNA of either R-Ras or RalA was found to suppress calcium-triggered exocytosis in PC12 pheochromocytoma cells. These data revealed that R-Ras activates RalA on endosomes and that it thereby positively regulates exocytosis.

scholarly journals A FRET sensor of C-terminal movement reveals VRAC activation by plasma membrane DAG signaling rather than ionic strength

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin König ◽  
Yuchen Hao ◽  
Sophia Schwartz ◽  
Andrew JR Plested ◽  
Tobias Stauber
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Ionic Strength ◽  
Patch Clamp ◽  
Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
Cell Volume Regulation ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Activation Mechanism ◽  
Live Cells ◽  
Whole Cell Patch Clamp

Volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs) are central to cell volume regulation. Recently identified as hetero-hexamers formed by LRRC8 proteins, their activation mechanism remains elusive. Here, we measured Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between fluorescent proteins fused to the C-termini of LRRC8 subunits. Inter-subunit FRET from LRRC8 complexes tracked VRAC activation. With patch-clamp fluorometry, we confirmed that the cytoplasmic domains rearrange during VRAC opening. With these FRET reporters, we determined VRAC activation, non-invasively, in live cells and their subcompartments. Reduced intracellular ionic strength did not directly activate VRACs, and VRACs were not activated on endomembranes. Instead, pharmacological manipulation of diacylglycerol (DAG), and protein kinase D (PKD) activity, activated or inhibited plasma membrane-localized VRACs. Finally, we resolved previous contradictory reports concerning VRAC activation, using FRET to detect robust activation by PMA that was absent during whole-cell patch clamp. Overall, non-invasive VRAC measurement by FRET is an essential tool for unraveling its activation mechanism.

scholarly journals Intramolecular Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer between Fused Autofluorescent Proteins Reveals Rearrangements of the N- and C-terminal Segments of the Plasma Membrane Ca2+ Pump Involved in the Activation

2007 ◽  
Vol 282 (49) ◽  
pp. 35440-35448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo R. Corradi ◽  
Hugo P. Adamo
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Energy Transfer ◽  
Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
Average Distance ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Green Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
Fluorescence Resonance ◽  
Green Fluorescent

The blue and green fluorescent proteins (BFP and GFP) have been fused at the N- and C-terminal ends, respectively, of the plasma membrane Ca2+ pump (PMCA) isoform 4xb (hPMCA4xb). The fusion protein was successfully expressed in yeast and purified by calmodulin affinity chromatography. Despite the presence of the fused autofluorescent proteins BFP-PMCA-GFP performed similarly to the wild-type enzyme with respect to Ca2+-ATPase activity and sensitivity to calmodulin activation. In the autoinhibited state BFP-PMCA-GFP exhibited a significant intramolecular fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) consistent with the location of the fluorophores at an average distance of 45Å. The FRET intensity in BFP-PMCA-GFP decreased when the enzyme was activated either by Ca2+-calmodulin, partial proteolysis, or acidic lipids. Moreover, FRET decreased and became insensitive to calmodulin when hPMCA4xb was activated by mutation D170N in BFP-PMCA(D170N)-GFP. The results suggest that the ends of the PMCA are in close proximity in the autoinhibited conformation, and they separate or reorient when the PMCA achieves its final activated conformation.

scholarly journals MERLIN: a novel BRET-based proximity biosensor for studying mitochondria–ER contact sites

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. e201900600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Hertlein ◽  
Hector Flores-Romero ◽  
Kushal K Das ◽  
Sebastian Fischer ◽  
Michael Heunemann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dynamics ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Molecular Architecture ◽  
Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Contact Site ◽  
Contact Sites ◽  
Spatiotemporal Regulation

The contacts between the ER and mitochondria play a key role in cellular functions such as the exchange of lipids and calcium between both organelles, as well as in apoptosis and autophagy signaling. The molecular architecture and spatiotemporal regulation of these distinct contact regions remain obscure and there is a need for new tools that enable tackling these questions. Here, we present a new bioluminescence resonance energy transfer–based biosensor for the quantitative analysis of distances between the ER and mitochondria that we call MERLIN (Mitochondria–ER Length Indicator Nanosensor). The main advantages of MERLIN compared with available alternatives are that it does not rely on the formation of artificial physical links between the two organelles, which could lead to artifacts, and that it allows to study contact site reversibility and dynamics. We show the applicability of MERLIN by characterizing the role of the mitochondrial dynamics machinery on the contacts of this organelle with the ER.

scholarly journals Live cell imaging of mechanotransduction

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Liu ◽  
Tae-Jin Kim ◽  
Yingxiao Wang
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Stimulation ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Stem Cell Differentiation ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Signalling Molecules ◽  
Signalling Transduction ◽  
Systematic Understanding

Mechanical forces play important roles in the regulation of cellular functions, including polarization, migration and stem cell differentiation. Tremendous advancement in our understanding of mechanotransduction has been achieved with the recent development of imaging technologies and molecular biosensors. In particular, genetically encoded biosensors based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology have been widely developed and applied in the field of mechanobiology. In this article, we will provide an overview of the recent progress of FRET application in mechanobiology, specifically mechanotransduction. We first introduce fluorescent proteins and FRET technology. We then discuss the mechanotranduction processes in different cells including stem cells, with a special emphasis on the important signalling molecules involved in mechanotransduction. Finally, we discuss methods that can allow the integration of simultaneous FRET imaging and mechanical stimulation to trigger signalling transduction. In summary, FRET technology has provided a powerful tool for the study of mechanotransduction to advance our systematic understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which cells respond to mechanical stimulation.

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