scholarly journals A Novel NIR-FRET Biosensor for Reporting PS/γ-Secretase Activity in Live Cells

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 5980
Author(s):  
Mei CQ Houser ◽  
Steven S Hou ◽  
Florian Perrin ◽  
Yuliia Turchyna ◽  
Brian J Bacskai ◽  
...  

Presenilin (PS)/γ-secretase plays a pivotal role in essential cellular events via proteolytic processing of transmembrane proteins that include APP and Notch receptors. However, how PS/γ-secretase activity is spatiotemporally regulated by other molecular and cellular factors and how the changes in PS/γ-secretase activity influence signaling pathways in live cells are poorly understood. These questions could be addressed by engineering a new tool that enables multiplexed imaging of PS/γ-secretase activity and additional cellular events in real-time. Here, we report the development of a near-infrared (NIR) FRET-based PS/γ-secretase biosensor, C99 720-670 probe, which incorporates an immediate PS/γ-secretase substrate APP C99 with miRFP670 and miRFP720 as the donor and acceptor fluorescent proteins, respectively. Extensive validation demonstrates that the C99 720-670 biosensor enables quantitative monitoring of endogenous PS/γ-secretase activity on a cell-by-cell basis in live cells (720/670 ratio: 2.47 ± 0.66 (vehicle) vs. 3.02 ± 1.17 (DAPT), ** p < 0.01). Importantly, the C99 720-670 and the previously developed APP C99 YPet-Turquoise-GL (C99 Y-T) biosensors simultaneously report PS/γ-secretase activity. This evidences the compatibility of the C99 720-670 biosensor with cyan (CFP)-yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)-based FRET biosensors for reporting other essential cellular events. Multiplexed imaging using the novel NIR biosensor C99 720-670 would open a new avenue to better understand the regulation and consequences of changes in PS/γ-secretase activity.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Bousmah ◽  
H. Valenta ◽  
G. Bertolin ◽  
U. Singh ◽  
V. Nicolas ◽  
...  

AbstractYellow fluorescent proteins (YFP) are widely used as optical reporters in Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) based biosensors. Although great improvements have been done, the sensitivity of the biosensors is still limited by the low photostability and the poor fluorescence performances of YFPs at acidic pHs. In fact, today, there is no yellow variant derived from the EYFP with a pK1/2 below ∼5.5. Here, we characterize a new yellow fluorescent protein, tdLanYFP, derived from the tetrameric protein from the cephalochordate B. lanceolatum, LanYFP. With a quantum yield of 0.92 and an extinction coefficient of 133 000 mol−1.L.cm−1, it is, to our knowledge, the brightest dimeric fluorescent protein available, and brighter than most of the monomeric YFPs. Contrasting with EYFP and its derivatives, tdLanYFP has a very high photostability in vitro and preserves this property in live cells. As a consequence, tdLanYFP allows the imaging of cellular structures with sub-diffraction resolution with STED nanoscopy. We also demonstrate that the combination of high brightness and strong photostability is compatible with the use of spectro-microscopies in single molecule regimes. Its very low pK1/2 of 3.9 makes tdLanYFP an excellent tag even at acidic pHs. Finally, we show that tdLanYFP can be a FRET partner either as donor or acceptor in different biosensing modalities. Altogether, these assets make tdLanYFPa very attractive yellow fluorescent protein for long-term or single-molecule live-cell imaging that is also suitable for FRET experiment including at acidic pH.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 2657-2667
Author(s):  
Felipe Montecinos-Franjola ◽  
John Y. Lin ◽  
Erik A. Rodriguez

Noninvasive fluorescent imaging requires far-red and near-infrared fluorescent proteins for deeper imaging. Near-infrared light penetrates biological tissue with blood vessels due to low absorbance, scattering, and reflection of light and has a greater signal-to-noise due to less autofluorescence. Far-red and near-infrared fluorescent proteins absorb light &gt;600 nm to expand the color palette for imaging multiple biosensors and noninvasive in vivo imaging. The ideal fluorescent proteins are bright, photobleach minimally, express well in the desired cells, do not oligomerize, and generate or incorporate exogenous fluorophores efficiently. Coral-derived red fluorescent proteins require oxygen for fluorophore formation and release two hydrogen peroxide molecules. New fluorescent proteins based on phytochrome and phycobiliproteins use biliverdin IXα as fluorophores, do not require oxygen for maturation to image anaerobic organisms and tumor core, and do not generate hydrogen peroxide. The small Ultra-Red Fluorescent Protein (smURFP) was evolved from a cyanobacterial phycobiliprotein to covalently attach biliverdin as an exogenous fluorophore. The small Ultra-Red Fluorescent Protein is biophysically as bright as the enhanced green fluorescent protein, is exceptionally photostable, used for biosensor development, and visible in living mice. Novel applications of smURFP include in vitro protein diagnostics with attomolar (10−18 M) sensitivity, encapsulation in viral particles, and fluorescent protein nanoparticles. However, the availability of biliverdin limits the fluorescence of biliverdin-attaching fluorescent proteins; hence, extra biliverdin is needed to enhance brightness. New methods for improved biliverdin bioavailability are necessary to develop improved bright far-red and near-infrared fluorescent proteins for noninvasive imaging in vivo.


2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 4404-4412 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Stenoien ◽  
Anne C. Nye ◽  
Maureen G. Mancini ◽  
Kavita Patel ◽  
Martin Dutertre ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Studies with live cells demonstrate that agonist and antagonist rapidly (within minutes) modulate the subnuclear dynamics of estrogen receptor α (ER) and steroid receptor coactivator 1 (SRC-1). A functional cyan fluorescent protein (CFP)-taggedlac repressor-ER chimera (CFP-LacER) was used in live cells to discretely immobilize ER on stably integratedlac operator arrays to study recruitment of yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)-steroid receptor coactivators (YFP–SRC-1 and YFP-CREB binding protein [CBP]). In the absence of ligand, YFP–SRC-1 is found dispersed throughout the nucleoplasm, with a surprisingly high accumulation on the CFP-LacER arrays. Agonist addition results in the rapid (within minutes) recruitment of nucleoplasmic YFP–SRC-1, while antagonist additions diminish YFP–SRC-1–CFP-LacER associations. Less ligand-independent colocalization is observed with CFP-LacER and YFP-CBP, but agonist-induced recruitment occurs within minutes. The agonist-induced recruitment of coactivators requires helix 12 and critical residues in the ER–SRC-1 interaction surface, but not the F, AF-1, or DNA binding domains. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching indicates that YFP–SRC-1, YFP-CBP, and CFP-LacER complexes undergo rapid (within seconds) molecular exchange even in the presence of an agonist. Taken together, these data suggest a dynamic view of receptor-coregulator interactions that is now amenable to real-time study in living cells.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (16) ◽  
pp. 3859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Winkler ◽  
Florian Wrensch ◽  
Pascale Bosch ◽  
Maike Knoth ◽  
Michael Schindler ◽  
...  

The interferon-induced transmembrane proteins 1–3 (IFITM1–3) inhibit host cell entry of several viruses. However, it is incompletely understood how IFITM1–3 exert antiviral activity. Two phenylalanine residues, F75 and F78, within the intramembrane domain 1 (IM1) were previously shown to be required for IFITM3/IFITM3 interactions and for inhibition of viral entry, suggesting that IFITM/IFITM interactions might be pivotal to antiviral activity. Here, we employed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay to analyze IFITM/IFITM interactions. For assay calibration, we equipped two cytosolic, non-interacting proteins, super yellow fluorescent protein (SYFP) and super cyan fluorescent protein (SCFP), with signals that target proteins to membrane rafts and also analyzed a SCFP-SYFP fusion protein. This strategy allowed us to discriminate background signals resulting from colocalization of proteins at membrane subdomains from signals elicited by protein–protein interactions. Coexpression of IFITM1–3 and IFITM5 fused to fluorescent proteins elicited strong FRET signals, and mutation of F75 and F78 in IFITM3 (mutant IFITM3-FF) abrogated antiviral activity, as expected, but did not alter cellular localization and FRET signals. Moreover, IFITM3-FF co-immunoprecipitated efficiently with wild type (wt) IFITM3, lending further support to the finding that lack of antiviral activity of IFITM3-FF was not due to altered membrane targeting or abrogated IFITM3-IFITM3 interactions. Collectively, we report an assay that allows quantifying IFITM/IFITM interactions. Moreover, we confirm residues F75 and F78 as critical for antiviral activity but also show that these residues are dispensable for IFITM3 membrane localization and IFITM3/IFITM3 interactions.


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.


Open Biology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 200010
Author(s):  
Navaneethan Palanisamy ◽  
Mehmet Ali Öztürk ◽  
Emir Bora Akmeriç ◽  
Barbara Di Ventura

The Escherichia coli Min system plays an important role in the proper placement of the septum ring at mid-cell during cell division. MinE forms a pole-to-pole spatial oscillator with the membrane-bound ATPase MinD, resulting in MinD concentration being the lowest at mid-cell. MinC, the direct inhibitor of the septum initiator protein FtsZ, forms a complex with MinD at the membrane, mirroring its polar gradients. Therefore, MinC-mediated FtsZ inhibition occurs away from mid-cell. Min oscillations are often studied in living cells by time-lapse microscopy using fluorescently labelled Min proteins. Here, we show that, despite permitting oscillations to occur in a range of protein concentrations, the enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (eYFP) C-terminally fused to MinE impairs its function. Combining in vivo , in vitro and in silico approaches, we demonstrate that eYFP compromises the ability of MinE to displace MinC from MinD, to stimulate MinD ATPase activity and to directly bind to the membrane. Moreover, we reveal that MinE-eYFP is prone to aggregation. In silico analyses predict that other fluorescent proteins are also likely to compromise several functionalities of MinE, suggesting that the results presented here are not specific to eYFP.


2004 ◽  
Vol 382 (2) ◽  
pp. 695-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu HO ◽  
Huei-Ru LO ◽  
Tzu-Ching LEE ◽  
Carol P. Y. WU ◽  
Yu-Chan CHAO

The BEVS (baculovirus expression vector system) is widely used for the production of proteins. However, engineered proteins frequently experience the problem of degradation, possibly due to the lytic nature of the conventional BEVS (herein referred to as L-BEVS). In the present study, a non-lytic BEVS (N-BEVS) was established by random mutagenesis of viral genomes. At 5 days post-infection, N-BEVS showed only 7% cell lysis, whereas L-BEVS showed 60% lysis of cells. The quality of protein expressed in both N- and L-BEVSs was examined further using a novel FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer)-based assay. To achieve this, we constructed a concatenated fusion protein comprising LUC (luciferase) sandwiched between EYFP (enhanced yellow fluorescent protein) and ECFP (enhanced cyan fluorescent protein). The distance separating the two fluorescent proteins in the fusion protein EYFP–LUC–ECFP (designated hereafter as the YLC construct) governs energy transfer between EYFP and ECFP. FRET efficiency thus reflects the compactness of LUC, indicating its folding status. We found more efficient FRET in N-BEVS compared with that obtained in L-BEVS, suggesting that more tightly folded LUC was produced in N-BEVS. YLC expression was also analysed by Western blotting, revealing significantly less protein degradation in N-BEVS than in L-BEVS, in which extensive degradation was observed. This FRET-based in vivo folding technology showed that YLC produced in N-BEVS is more compact, correlating with improved resistance to degradation. N-BEVS is thus a convenient alternative for L-BEVS for the production of proteins vulnerable to degradation using baculoviruses.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grégoire Denay ◽  
Patrick Schultz ◽  
Sebastian Hänsch ◽  
Stefanie Weidtkamp-Peters ◽  
Rüdiger Simon

AbstractReceptor-like kinases (RLK) and receptor-like proteins (RLP) often interact in a combinatorial manner depending on tissue identity, membrane domains, or endo- and exogenous cues, and the same RLKs or RLPs can generate different signaling outputs depending on the composition of the receptor complexes they are involved in. Investigation of their interaction partners in a spatial and dynamic way is therefore of prime interest to understand their functions. This is however limited by the technical complexity of assessing it in endogenous conditions. A solution to close this gap is to determine protein interaction directly in the relevant tissues at endogenous expression levels using Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). The ideal fluorophore pair for FRET must, however, fulfil specific requirements: (i) the emission and excitation spectra of the donor and acceptor, respectively, must overlap; (ii) they should not interfere with proper folding, activity, or localization of the fusion proteins; (iii) they should be sufficiently photostable in plant cells. Furthermore, the donor must yield sufficient photon counts at near-endogenous protein expression levels. Although many fluorescent proteins were reported to be suitable for FRET experiments, only a handful were already described for applications in plants. Herein, we compare a range of fluorophores, assess their usability to study RLK interactions by FRET-based fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and explore their differences in FRET efficiency. Our analysis will help to select the optimal fluorophore pair for diverse FRET applications.One-sentence summaryWe compared the performances of several different fluorescent protein pairs to study membrane protein interaction in plants with FRET.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiryl Piatkevich ◽  
Hanbin Zhang ◽  
Stavrini Papadaki ◽  
Xiaoting Sun ◽  
Luxia Yao ◽  
...  

Abstract Recent progress in fluorescent protein development has generated a large diversity of near-infrared fluorescent proteins, which are rapidly becoming popular probes for a variety of imaging applications. To assist end-users with a selection of the right near-infrared fluorescent protein for a given application, we will conduct a quantitative assessment of intracellular brightness, photostability, and oligomeric state of 19 near-infrared fluorescent proteins in cultured mammalian cells. The top-performing proteins will be further validated for in vivo imaging of neurons in C. elegans, zebrafish, and mice. We will also assess the applicability of the selected NIR FPs for expansion microscopy and two-photon imaging.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (20) ◽  
pp. 10365-10373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Hutchinson ◽  
Alison Whiteley ◽  
Helena Browne ◽  
Gillian Elliott

ABSTRACT The subcellular localization of herpes simplex virus tegument proteins during infection is varied and complex. By using viruses expressing tegument proteins tagged with fluorescent proteins, we previously demonstrated that the major tegument protein VP22 exhibits a cytoplasmic localization, whereas the major tegument protein VP13/14 localizes to nuclear replication compartments and punctate domains. Here, we demonstrate the presence of a second minor population of VP22 in nuclear dots similar in appearance to those formed by VP13/14. We have constructed the first-described doubly fluorescence-tagged virus expressing VP22 and VP13/14 as fusion proteins with cyan fluorescent protein and yellow fluorescent protein, respectively. Visualization of both proteins within the same live infected cells has indicated that these two tegument proteins localize to the same nuclear dots but that VP22 appears there earlier than VP13/14. Further studies have shown that these tegument-specific dots are detectable as phase-dense bodies as early as 2 h after infection and that they are different from the previously described nuclear domains that contain capsid proteins. They are also different from the ICP0 domains formed at cellular nuclear domain 10 sites early in infection but, in almost all cases, are located in juxtaposition to these ICP0 domains. Hence, these tegument proteins join a growing number of proteins that are targeted to discrete nuclear domains in the herpesvirus-infected cell nucleus.


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