Polyoxometalates function as indirect activators of a G protein-coupled receptor.

The luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR), a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCRs), can initiate signaling in the presence of some vanadium-containing compounds as a result of vanadium compound interactions with the membrane lipids and/or the cell membrane lipid interface. The ability of LHR expressed in CHO cells to initiate signaling in the presence of highly charged and water-soluble polyoxovanadates (POV) including Na3[H3V10O28] (V10) and two mixed-valence heteropolyoxovanadates, K(NH4)4[H6V14O38(PO4)]·11H2O (V14) and [(CH3)4N]6[V15O36(Cl)] (V15), was investigated here. Interactions of the vanadium compounds with CHO cells decreased the packing of membrane lipids, drove aggregation of LHR and increased signal transduction by LHR. Cell responses were comparable to, or in the case of V14 and V15, greater than those seen for cells treated with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a naturally-occurring LHR ligand produced in early pregnancy in humans. POV effects were observed for CHO cells where LHR was expressed at 10 000 or 32 000 LHR per cell but not when LHR was overexpressed with receptor numbers >100 000 LHR per cell. To determine which POV species were present in the cell medium during cell studies, the speciation of vanadate (V1), V10, V14 or V15 in cell medium was monitored using 51V NMR and EPR spectroscopies. We found that all the POVs initiated signaling, but V15 and V10 had the greatest effects on cell function, while V1 was significantly less active. However, because of the complex nature of vanadium compounds speciation, the effects on cell function may be due to vanadium species formed in the cell medium over time.

Effects of vanadium(IV) compounds on plasma membrane lipids lead to G protein-coupled receptor signal transduction.

Luteinizing hormone receptors (LHR), expressed at physiological numbers <30,000 receptors per cell, translocate to and signal within membrane rafts following binding of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Similarly LHR signal in cells when treated with bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV) (BMOV), bis(ethylmaltolato)oxovanadium(IV) (BEOV) or VOSO4, which decrease membrane lipid packing. Overexpressed LHR (>85,000 receptors per cell) are found in larger clusters in polarized homo-transfer fluorescence resonance energy transfer (homo-FRET) studies that were not affected by either hCG or vanadium compounds. Intracellular cyclic adenylate monophosphate (cAMP) levels indicate that only clustered LHR are active and produce the intracellular second messenger, cAMP. When LHR are over-expressed, cell signaling is unaffected by binding of hCG or vanadium compounds. To confirm the existence of intact complex, the EPR spectra of vanadium compounds in cell media were obtained using 1 mM BMOV, BEOV or VOSO4. These data were used to determine intact complex in a 10 µM solution and verified by speciation calculations. Effects of BMOV and BEOV samples were about two-fold greater than those of aqueous vanadium(IV) making it likely that intact vanadium complex are responsible for effects of LHR function. This represents a new mechanism for activation of a G protein-coupled receptor; perturbations in the lipid bilayer by vanadium compounds lead to aggregation and accumulation of physiological numbers of LHR in membrane raft domains where they initiate signal transduction and production of cAMP, a second messenger involved in signaling.

Fluorescence Observation of Single-Cell cAMP Signaling by G Protein-Coupled Receptors.

We present complementary flow cytometric and microscopic imaging methods, both utilizing a membrane-targeted cAMP sensor protein ICUE3, to examine hormone-dependent signaling by the luteinizing hormone (LH) receptor in individual cells. This receptor, a seven transmembrane domain protein belonging to the GPCR family, signals by activating adenylate cyclase to increase cAMP levels. The ICUE3 sensor protein exhibits fluorescence energy transfer between its CFP and YFP moieties and the ratio of CFP emission to YFP sensitized emission (YFPSE) increases with cAMP concentration. We used multichannel flow cytometry to compare CFP emission and YFPSE from each cell and hence measure that cell's cAMP level. This technique measured changes in cAMP levels in CHO cells expressing LH receptors and stimulated by forskolin or the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and showed that significant cell-to-cell variations exist in such cAMP responses. Because LH receptor behavior may reflect receptor expression levels, we developed a procedure to measure numbers of particular fluorescent cell proteins from measurements of MESF bead standards for slightly different fluorophores. We find that basal cAMP levels increase substantially in cells expressing high numbers mCherry-LH receptors per cell. This suggests activation through increased inter-receptor interactions at high concentrations. We then explored a microscope-based method for single cell measurements so that responses could be correlated with specific cell morphology and with time after treatments. This showed that cell responses to hCG are fully-developed after ~100 s. Taken together, these results demonstrate the utility of fluorescence methods in exploring cAMP signaling in individual cells.

Continuous Fluorescence Depletion Anisotropy Measurement of Protein Rotation.

Protein rotation in viscous environments can be measured by fluorescence depletion anisotropy (FDA) which combines long lifetimes of chromophore triplet states with the sensitivity of fluorescence excitation and detection. FDA achieves sensitivity well beyond that attainable by the more common technique of time-resolved phosphorescence anisotropy (TPA). We have now combined benefits of both time-domain and frequency-domain FDA into a single continuous technique (CFDA). Intensity and polarization of a single laser beam are modulated continuously according to a complex, repeating waveform. Fluorescence signals excited from triplet-forming fluorescent probes are digitized over recurring waveform periods by a high-speed signal averager. CFDA experiments typically involve substantial ground state depletion. Thus signals, unlike those of TPA, are not linear in the exciting light intensity and simple data analysis based on such linearity is not appropriate. An exact solution of the coupled diffusion and triplet production/decay equation describing CFDA within individual data points has been combined with simulated annealing optimization to extract triplet and anisotropy decay kinetics from experimental data. Related calculations compare possible excitation waveforms with respect to rotational information provided per fluorescence photon. We present CFDA results for the model system of eosin conjugates of carbonic anhydrase, BSA and immunoglobulin G in 90% glycerol at various temperatures and initial cellular results on eosin-IgE bound to 2H3 cell Type I Fcε receptors. We explore how CFDA reflects rotational parameters of heterogeneous systems and discuss challenges of extending this method to single cell microscopic measurements.

Quantification of Förster resonance energy transfer by monitoring sensitized emission in living plant cells.

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) describes excitation energy exchange between two adjacent molecules typically in distances ranging from 2 to 10 nm. The process depends on dipole-dipole coupling of the molecules and its probability of occurrence cannot be proven directly. Mostly, fluorescence is employed for quantification as it represents a concurring process of relaxation of the excited singlet state S1 so that the probability of fluorescence decreases as the probability of FRET increases. This reflects closer proximity of the molecules or an orientation of donor and acceptor transition dipoles that facilitates FRET. Monitoring sensitized emission by 3-Filter-FRET allows for fast image acquisition and is suitable for quantifying FRET in dynamic systems such as living cells. In recent years, several calibration protocols were established to overcome to previous difficulties in measuring FRET-efficiencies. Thus, we can now obtain by 3-filter FRET FRET-efficiencies that are comparable to results from sophisticated fluorescence lifetime measurements. With the discovery of fluorescent proteins and their improvement toward spectral variants and usability in plant cells, the tool box for in vivo FRET-analyses in plant cells was provided and FRET became applicable for the in vivo detection of protein-protein interactions and for monitoring conformational dynamics. The latter opened the door toward a multitude of FRET-sensors such as the widely applied Ca(2+)-sensor Cameleon. Recently, FRET-couples of two fluorescent proteins were supplemented by additional fluorescent proteins toward FRET-cascades in order to monitor more complex arrangements. Novel FRET-couples involving switchable fluorescent proteins promise to increase the utility of FRET through combination with photoactivation-based super-resolution microscopy.

Raft localization of type I Fcε receptor and degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells exposed to decavanadate, a structural model for V2O5.

Vanadium oxides (VOs) have been identified as low molecular weight sensitizing agents associated with occupational asthma and compromised pulmonary immunocompetence. Symptoms of adult onset asthma result, in part, from increased signal transduction by Type I Fcε receptors (FcεRI) leading to release of vasoactive compounds including histamine from mast cells. Exposure to (VOs) typically occurs in the form of particles which are insoluble. Upon contact with water or biological fluids, (VOs) form a series of soluble oxoanions, one of which is decavanadate, V10O28(6-) abbreviated V10, which is structurally related to a common vanadium oxide, that is vanadium pentoxide, V2O5. Here we investigate whether V10 may be initiating plasma membrane events associated with activation of FcεRI signal transduction. We show that exposure of RBL-2H3 cells to V10 causes a concentration-dependent increase in degranulation of RBL-2H3 and, in addition, an increase in plasma membrane lipid packing as measured by the fluorescent probe, di-4-ANEPPDHQ. V10 also increases FcεRI accumulation in low-density membrane fragments, i.e., lipid rafts, which may facilitate FcεRI signaling. To determine whether V10 effects on plasma membrane lipid packing were similarly observed in Langmuir monolayers formed from dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), the extent of lipid packing in the presence and absence of V10 and vanadate was compared. V10 increased the surface area of DPPC Langmuir monolayers by 6% and vanadate decreased the surface area by 4%. These results are consistent with V10 interacting with this class of membrane lipids and altering DPPC packing.

Kaede for detection of protein oligomerization.

Photoconvertible fluorescent proteins such as Kaede are routinely used for tracking proteins, organelles, and whole cells. Kaede was the first identified photoconvertible fluorescent protein and has since become the most commonly used photoconvertible fluorescent protein in vertebrates. Kaede can be irreversibly converted from a green to a red fluorescent form upon UV/blue light irradiation and fluorescence of each form can be isolated separately by appropriate filter sets. Spectral properties of the Kaede forms allow Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the green form as donor to the red form as acceptor. As a sample containing oligomerized Kaede-containing proteins is exposed to UV or blue light, FRET first increases as green Kaede is converted to red and then decreases as the green donor becomes depleted. Thus, FRET information is potentially obtained from a number of independent measurements taken as photoconversion proceeds. We demonstrate here the application of this approach to detect homo-aggregation and conformational dynamics of plant protein constructs. Structural alterations of 2-cys peroxiredoxin­Kaede were successfully detected depending on the redox state in living plant cells. Photoconversion was performed gradually and donor emission, acceptor emission, and FRET-derived sensitized acceptor emission were measured at each step of conversion. Since photoconvertible proteins have not been routinely used in plants, two plasmids have been designed to facilitate plant applications. The plasmids allow either transient expression of Kaede-containing protein constructs in plant cells or Gateway cloning and stable transformation of plants.

The anti-diabetic bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV) decreases lipid order while increasing insulin receptor localization in membrane microdomains.

The effects of treatment with bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV) (BMOV) on protein localization in membrane microdomains were investigated by comparing the effects of insulin and treatment with BMOV on the lateral motions and compartmentalization of individual insulin receptors (IR). In addition, effects of insulin and BMOV on the association of IR, phosphorylated IR (pIR) and phosphorylated insulin receptor substrate-1 (pIRS-1) with chemically-isolated plasma membrane microdomains on rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells were evaluated. Single particle tracking experiments indicate that individual quantum dot-labeled IR on RBL-2H3 cells exhibit relatively unrestricted lateral diffusion of approximately 1 × 10(-10) cm(2) s(-1) and are confined in approximately 475 nm diameter cell-surface membrane compartments. After treating of RBL-2H3 cells with 10 µM BMOV, IR lateral diffusion and the size of IR-containing membrane compartments is significantly reduced to 6 × 10(-11) cm(2) s(-1) and approximately 400 nm, respectively. BMOV treatment also increases the association of IR with low-density, detergent-resistant membrane fragments isolated using isopycnic sucrose-gradient centrifugation from 2.4% for untreated cells to 25.8% for cells treated with 10 µM BMOV. Additionally, confocal fluorescence microscopic imaging of live RBL-2H3 cells labeled with the phase sensitive aminonaphthylethenylpyridinium-based dye, Di-4-ANEPPDHQ, indicates that BMOV treatment, but not insulin treatment, decreases cell-surface plasma membrane lipid order while fluorescence correlation spectroscopy measurements suggest that BMOV treatment does not affect IR surface-density or insulin binding affinity. Finally, model studies using microemulsions of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles and (1)H NMR spectroscopy show that an oxidized form of BMOV readily localizes near the CTAB head-groups at the lipid-water interface. These observations were supported by IR spectroscopic studies using microemulsions of CTAB reverse micelles showing that both BMOV and oxidized BMOV are associated with the water pool. This conclusion is based on changes in (1)H NMR chemical shifts observed for the complex, oxidized BMOV. Moreover, these shifts appeared to be informative about the location of the complex. No differences were observed in the OD absorption peak positions for the CTAB reverse micelles prepared in the presence and absence of BMOV, oxidized BMOV or maltol. Combined, these results suggest that activation of IR signaling by both insulin and BMOV treatment involves increased association of IR with specialized, nanoscale membrane microdomains. The observed insulin-like activity of BMOV or decomposition products of BMOV may be due to changes in cell-surface membrane lipid order rather than due to direct interactions with IR.

Insulin receptors and downstream substrates associate with membrane microdomains after treatment with insulin or chromium(III) picolinate.

We have examined the association of insulin receptors (IR) and downstream signaling molecules with membrane microdomains in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells following treatment with insulin or tris(2-pyridinecarbxylato)chromium(III) (Cr(pic)(3)). Single-particle tracking demonstrated that individual IR on these cells exhibited reduced lateral diffusion and increased confinement within 100 nm-scale membrane compartments after treatment with either 200 nM insulin or 10 µM Cr(pic)(3). These treatments also increased the association of native IR, phosphorylated insulin receptor substrate 1 and phosphorylated AKT with detergent-resistant membrane microdomains of characteristically high buoyancy. Confocal fluorescence microscopic imaging of Di-4-ANEPPDHQ labeled RBL-2H3 cells also showed that plasma membrane lipid order decreased following treatment with Cr(pic)(3) but was not altered by insulin treatment. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy demonstrated that Cr(pic)(3) did not affect IR cell-surface density or compete with insulin for available binding sites. Finally, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that Cr(pic)(3) likely associates with the lipid interface in reverse-micelle model membranes. Taken together, these results suggest that activation of IR signaling in a cellular model system by both insulin and Cr(pic)(3) involves retention of IR in specialized nanometer-scale membrane microdomains but that the insulin-like effects of Cr(pic)(3) are due to changes in membrane lipid order rather than to direct interactions with IR.

Actin-dependent clustering of insulin receptors in membrane microdomains.

Recent evidence suggests that, after binding insulin, insulin receptors (IR) interact with specialized, cholesterol-containing, membrane microdomains and components of the actin cytoskeleton. Using single particle tracking techniques, we examined how binding of insulin, depletion of membrane cholesterol and disruption of actin filaments affect the lateral diffusion of individual quantum dot-labeled native IR on live rat basophilic leukemia 2H3 cells. We also examined the effects of similar treatments on IR clustering and multivalent insulin binding on these cells using both photon counting histogram analysis and polarization-based fluorescence resonance energy homo-transfer imaging. Our analyses indicate that binding of insulin to IR on these cells is multivalent, involving at least two insulin molecules per IR as labeling concentrations approach 1µM. Insulin binding also reduces lateral diffusion of IR and the size of membrane compartments accessed by IR. For IR that have not bound insulin, lateral diffusion of IR and the size of membrane compartments accessed by IR increase after disrupting actin filaments or depleting membrane cholesterol. However, clustering of insulin-occupied IR is reduced only by disrupting actin filaments or by fixing cells with paraformaldehyde prior to exposure to insulin, but not by depleting membrane cholesterol. Thus, it appears that, although restriction of IR lateral diffusion on these cells is sensitive to both actin filament dynamics and membrane cholesterol content, clustering of insulin-occupied IR primarily involves an actin-dependent mechanism.

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopic examination of insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 binding to live cells.

We used fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to examine the binding of insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and anti-receptor antibodies to insulin receptors (IR) and IGF1 receptors (IGF1R) on individual 2H3 rat basophilic leukemia cells. Experiments revealed two distinct classes of insulin binding sites with K(D) of 0.11 nM and 75 nM, respectively. IGF1 competes with insulin for a portion of the low-affinity insulin binding sites with K(D) of 0.14 nM and for the high-affinity insulin binding sites with K(D) of 10 nM. Dissociation rate constants of insulin and IGF1 were determined to be 0.015 min(-1) and 0.013 min(-1), respectively, allowing estimation of ligand association rate constants. Combined, our results suggest that, in addition to IR and IGF1R homodimers, substantial numbers of hybrid IR-IGF1R heterodimers are present on the surface of these cells.

Restricted lateral diffusion of luteinizing hormone receptors in membrane microdomains.

Single particle tracking was used to evaluate lateral motions of individual FLAG-tagged human luteinizing hormone (LH) receptors expressed on CHO cells and native LH receptors on both KGN human granulosa-derived tumor cells and M17 human neuroblastoma cells before and after exposure to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Compared with LH receptors on untreated cells, LH receptors on cells treated with 100 nm hCG exhibit restricted lateral diffusion and are confined in small, nanometer-scale, membrane compartments. Similar to LH receptors labeled with Au-hCG, LH receptors labeled with gold-deglycosylated hCG, an hCG antagonist, also exhibit restricted lateral diffusion and are confined in nanoscale membrane compartments on KGN cells treated with 100 nm hCG. LH receptor point mutants lacking potential palmitoylation sites remain in large compartments despite treatment with 100 nm hCG as do LH receptors on cells treated with cytochalasin D. Finally, both polarization homotransfer fluorescence resonance energy transfer imaging and photon counting histogram analysis indicate that treatment with hCG induces aggregation of YFP-coupled LH receptors stably expressed on CHO cells. Taken together, our results demonstrate that binding of hCG induces aggregation of LH receptors within nanoscale, cell surface membrane compartments, that hCG binding also affects the lateral motions of antagonist binding LH receptors, and that receptor surface densities must be considered in evaluating the extent of hormone-dependent receptor aggregation.

Logarithmic based optical delay for time-resolved data collection.

A method has been established that generates values spaced according to a mathematical function, specifically the logarithm function that can be applied to a stepper motor. Here, it is applied to yield logarithmically spaced time delay points for subnanosecond interferometric time-resolved experiments using a stepper motor controlled translation stage. Application of this method is discussed in terms of three input parameters: the optical delay stage time resolution, dt; the time of maximum delay, d(stop); and the desired number of data points, N. The method improves the efficiency of interferometric time-resolved data collection while providing data collection effective to determine decay parameters. In principle, this technique could be generalized to any mathematical function.

Förster distances for fluorescence resonant energy transfer between mCherry and other visible fluorescent proteins.

We present, for the red fluorescent protein mCherry acting as both fluorescence resonant energy transfer (FRET) donor and acceptor, Förster critical distance (r(0)) values with five important visible fluorescent protein (VFP) variants as well as with itself. The pair EYFP-mCherry exhibits an r(0) of 5.66nm, equaling or exceeding any combination of VFPs reported previously. Moreover, mCherry should be an excellent chromophore for homo-FRET with an r(0) of 5.10nm for energy transfer between two mCherry moieties. Finally, mCherry exhibits higher r(0) values than does DsRed. These characteristics, combined with mCherry's rapid folding and excellent spectral properties, suggest that mCherry constitutes a valuable long-wavelength hetero-FRET acceptor and probe for homo-FRET experiments.

Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and photoconversion in multiple arbitrary regions of interest using a programmable array microscope.

Photomanipulation (photobleaching, photoactivation, or photoconversion) is an essential tool in fluorescence microscopy. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is commonly used for the determination of lateral diffusion constants of membrane proteins, and can be conveniently implemented in confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Such determinations provide important information on molecular dynamics in live cells. However, the CLSM platform is inherently limited for FRAP because of its inflexible raster (spot) scanning format. We have implemented FRAP and photoactivation protocols using structured illumination and detection in a programmable array microscope (PAM). The patterns are arbitrary in number and shape, dynamic and adjustable to and by the sample characteristics. We have used multispot PAM-FRAP to measure the lateral diffusion of the erbB3 (HER3) receptor tyrosine kinase labeled by fusion with mCitrine on untreated cells and after treatment with reagents that perturb the cytoskeleton or plasma membrane or activate coexpressed erbB1 (HER1, the EGF receptor EGFR). We also show the versatility of the PAM for photoactivation in arbitrary regions of interest, in cells expressing erbB3 fused with the photoconvertible fluorescent protein dronpa.

Effects of vanadium-containing compounds on membrane lipids and on microdomains used in receptor-mediated signaling.

There is increasing evidence for the involvement of plasma membrane microdomains in insulin receptor function. Moreover, disruption of these structures, which are typically enriched in sphingomyelin and cholesterol, results in insulin resistance. Treatment strategies for insulin resistance include the use of vanadium (V) compounds which have been shown in animal models to enhance insulin responsiveness. One possible mechanism for insulin-enhancing effects might involve direct effects of V compounds on membrane lipid organization. These changes in lipid organization promote the partitioning of insulin receptors and other receptors into membrane microdomains where receptors are optimally functional. To explore this possibility, we have used several strategies involving V complexes such as [VO(2)(dipic)](-) (pyridin-2,6-dicarboxylatodioxovanadium(V)), decavanadate (V(10)O(28)(6-), V(10)), BMOV (bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV)), and [VO(saltris)](2) (2-salicylideniminato-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-dihydroxypropane-oxovanadium(V)). Our strategies include an evaluation of interactions between V-containing compounds and model lipid systems, an evaluation of the effects of V compounds on lipid fluidity in erythrocyte membranes, and studies of the effects of V-containing compounds on signaling events initiated by receptors known to use membrane microdomains as signaling platforms.

Measuring rotational diffusion of MHC class I on live cells by polarized FPR.

Clustering of membrane proteins is a dynamic process which can regulate cellular function and signaling. The size of receptor and other membrane protein clusters can in principle be measured in terms of their rotational diffusion. However, in practice, measuring rotation of membrane proteins of live cells has been difficult, largely because of the difficulty of rigidly attaching reporter groups to the molecules of interest. Here we show that polarized photobleaching recovery can detect rotation of membrane proteins genetically tagged with yellow fluorescent protein, YFP. MHC class I molecules were engineered with a rigid, in-sequence, YFP tag followed at the C-terminus by a pair of crosslinkable domains. When crosslinker was added we could detect changes in rotational anisotropy decay consistent with clustering of the MHC molecules. This result points the way to use of engineered fluorescent fusion proteins to measure rotational diffusion in native cell membranes.

Compartmentalization of the Type I Fc epsilon receptor and MAFA on mast cell membranes.

The Mast cell Function-associated Antigen (MAFA) is a membrane glycoprotein on rat mast cells (RBL-2H3) expressed at a ratio of approximately 1:30 with respect to the Type I Fc epsilon receptor (Fc epsilon RI). Despite this stoichiometry, clustering MAFA by its specific mAb G63 substantially inhibits secretion of both granular and de novo synthesized mediators induced upon Fc epsilon RI aggregation. Since the Fc epsilon RIs apparently signal from within raft micro-environments, we investigated possible co-localization of MAFA within these membrane compartments containing aggregated Fc epsilon RI. We used cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) to cluster the raft component ganglioside GM1 and studied the effects of this perturbation on rotation of Fc epsilon RI and MAFA by time-resolved phosphorescence anisotropy of erythrosin-conjugated probes. CTB treatment would be expected to substantially inhibit rotation of raft-associated molecules. Experimentally, CTB has no effect on rotational parameters such as the long-time anisotropy (r(infinity)) of unperturbed Fc epsilon RI or MAFA. However, on cells where Fc epsilon RI-IgE has previously been clustered by antigen (DNP(14)-BSA), CTB treatment increases the Fc epsilon RI-IgE's r(infinity) by 0.010 and MAFA's by 0.014. Similarly, CTB treatment of cells where MAFA had been clustered by mAb G63 increases MAFA's r(infinity) by 0.010 but leaves Fc epsilon RI's unaffected. Evaluation of raft localization of Fc epsilon RI and MAFA using sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation of Triton X-100 treated membrane fragments demonstrates that a significant fraction of MAFA molecules sediments with rafts when Fc epsilon RI is clustered by antigen or when MAFA itself is clustered by mAb G63. The large excess of Fc epsilon RI over MAFA explains why clustering MAFA does not substantively affect Fc epsilon RI dynamics. Moreover, in single-particle tracking studies of individual Fc epsilon RI-IgE or MAFA molecules, these proteins, upon clustering by antigen, move into small membrane compartments of reduced, but similar, dimensions. This provides additional indication of constitutive interactions between Fc epsilon RI and MAFA. Taken together, these results of distinct methodologies suggest that MAFA functions within raft microdomains of the RBL-2H3 cell membrane and thus in close proximity to the Fc epsilon RI which themselves signal from within the raft environment.

Fluorescence photobleaching recovery using total internal reflection interference fringes.

Lateral diffusion measurements on cell membrane molecules, most commonly accomplished through fluorescence photobleaching recovery (FPR or FRAP), provide information on such molecules' size, environment, and participation in intermolecular interactions. However, difficulties arise in FPR measurements of lateral dynamics of materials, such as visible fluorescent protein (VFP) fusion proteins, where fluorescent intracellular species contribute to the fluorescence recovery signal and thus distort measurements intended to reflect surface molecules only. A new method helps eliminate these difficulties. In total internal reflection interference fringe FPR, interfering laser beams enter a 1.65-numercial aperture (NA) Olympus objective at the periphery of the back focal plane where the NA exceeds 1.38. This creates an extended interference pattern totally internally reflected at the coverslip-medium interface which excites fluorescence only from fluorescent molecules located where the cell contacts the coverslip. The large illuminated area interrogates many more membrane receptors than spot methods and hence obtains more diffusion information per measurement while rejecting virtually all interfering intracellular fluorescence. We report successful measurements of membrane dynamics of both VFP-containing and conventionally labeled molecules by this technique and compare them with results of other FPR methods.