Rapid production of pure recombinant actin isoforms in Pichia pastoris.

Actins are major eukaryotic cytoskeletal proteins, and they are involved in many important cell functions, including cell division, cell polarity, wound healing and muscle contraction. Despite obvious drawbacks, muscle actin, which is easily purified, is used extensively for biochemical studies of the non-muscle actin cytoskeleton. Here, we report a rapid and cost-effective method to purify heterologous actins expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris Actin is expressed as a fusion with the actin-binding protein thymosin ß4 and purified by means of an affinity tag introduced in the fusion. Following cleavage of thymosin ß4 and the affinity tag, highly purified functional full-length actin is liberated. We purify actins from Saccharomycescerevisiae and Schizosaccharomycespombe, and the ß- and γ-isoforms of human actin. We also report a modification of the method that facilitates expression and purification of arginylated actin, a form of actin thought to regulate dendritic actin networks in mammalian cells. The methods we describe can be performed in all laboratories equipped for molecular biology, and should greatly facilitate biochemical and cell biological studies of the actin cytoskeleton.

Expanding the Zebrafish Genetic Code through Site-Specific Introduction of Azido-lysine, Bicyclononyne-lysine, and Diazirine-lysine.

Site-specific incorporation of un-natural amino acids (UNAA) is a powerful approach to engineer and understand protein function. Site-specific incorporation of UNAAs is achieved through repurposing the amber codon (UAG) as a sense codon for the UNAA, using a tRNACUA that base pairs with an UAG codon in the mRNA and an orthogonal amino-acyl tRNA synthetase (aaRS) that charges the tRNACUA with the UNAA. Here, we report an expansion of the zebrafish genetic code to incorporate the UNAAs, azido-lysine (AzK), bicyclononyne-lysine (BCNK), and diazirine-lysine (AbK) into green fluorescent protein (GFP) and glutathione-s-transferase (GST). We also present proteomic evidence for UNAA incorporation into GFP. Our work sets the stage for the use of AzK, BCNK, and AbK introduction into proteins as a means to investigate and engineer their function in zebrafish.

Cell type specific applicability of 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) for dynamic proliferation assessment in flow cytometry.

Using the nucleoside analogue EdU (5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine) for thymidine substitution instead of BrdU (5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine) in cell proliferation assays has recently been proposed. However, the effect of EdU on cell viability, DNA synthesis, and cell cycle progression and consequently its usability for dynamic cell proliferation analysis in vitro has not been explored. We compared the effect of EdU and BrdU incorporation into SK-BR-3 and BT474 breast cancer cells and the impact on cell cycle kinetics, cell viability, and DNA damage. We found that EdU can be used not only for pulse but also for continuous cell labeling and henceforth in high resolution EdU/Hoechst quenching assays. BrdU and EdU proliferation assays based on click chemistry revealed comparable results. However, cell viability of SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells was highly affected by long term exposure to EdU. Both SK-BR-3 as well as BT474 cells show cell cycle arrests upon long term EdU treatment whereas only SK-BR-3 cells were driven into necrotic cell death by long term exposure to EdU. In contrast BT474 cells appeared essentially unharmed by EdU treatment in terms of viability. Consequently using EdU enables highly sensitive and quantitative detection of proliferating cells and facilitates even continuous cell cycle assessment. Nevertheless, potential cellular susceptibility needs to be individually evaluated.

Detection of S-phase cell cycle progression using 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation with click chemistry, an alternative to using 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine antibodies.

The 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling of cells followed by antibody staining has been the standard method for direct measurement of cells in the S-phase. Described is an improved method for the detection of S-phase cell cycle progression based upon the application of click chemistry, the copper(I)-catalyzed variant of the Huisgen [3+2] cycloaddition between a terminal alkyne and an azide. 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) is a nucleoside analog of thymidine that is incorporated into DNA during active DNA synthesis, just like BrdU. While the BrdU assay requires harsh chemical or enzymatic disruption of helical DNA structure to allow for direct measurement of cells in the S-phase by the anti-BrdU antibody, the EdU method does not. Elimination of this requirement results in the preservation of helical DNA structure and other cell surface epitopes, decreased assay time, and increased reproducibility.

Click Chemistry for Analysis of Cell Proliferation in Flow Cytometry.

The measurement of cellular proliferation is fundamental to the assessment of cellular health, genotoxicity, and the evaluation of drug efficacy. Labeling, detection, and quantification of cells in the synthesis phase of cell cycle progression are not only important for characterizing basic biology, but also in defining cellular responses to drug treatments. Changes in DNA replication during S-phase can provide valuable insights into mechanisms of cell growth, cell cycle kinetics, and cytotoxicity. A common method for detection of cell proliferation is the incorporation of a thymidine analog during DNA synthesis. This chapter presents a pulse labeling method using the thymidine analog, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), with subsequent detection by click chemistry. EdU detection using click chemistry is bio-orthogonal to most living systems and does not non-specifically label other biomolecules. Live cells are first pulsed with EdU. After antibody labeling cell surface markers, fixation, and permeabilization, the incorporated EdU is covalently labeled using click chemistry thereby identifying proliferating cells. Improvements in click chemistry allow for labeling in the presence of fluorescent proteins and phycobiliproteins without quenching due to copper. Measuring DNA replication during cell cycle progression has cell health applications in flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and high content imaging. This protocol has been developed and optimized for research use only and is not suitable for use in diagnostic procedures. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Panel development for multicolor flow-cytometry testing of proliferation and immunophenotype in hMSCs.

Adult human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) are rare fibroblast-like cells capable of differentiation into a variety of cell tissues which include bone, cartilage, muscle, ligament, tendon, and adipose. Normal adult bone marrow and adipose tissue are the most common sources of these cells. The International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) has proposed a set of standards to define hMSC for laboratory investigations and preclinical studies: adherence to plastic in standard culture conditions; in vitro differentiation into osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondroblasts; and specific surface antigen expression. Direct measurement of proliferation combined with simultaneous detection of the ISCT-consensus immunophenotypic profile provides data that is used to determine the differentiation status and health of the cells. Flow cytometry provides a powerful technology that is routinely used to simultaneously and rapidly measure multiple parameters in a single sample. This chapter describes a flow cytometric panel for the simultaneous detection of immunophenotypic profile, proliferative capacity, and DNA content measurement in hMSC. Because a relatively small number of cells are needed with this approach, measurements can be made with minimal impact on expansion potential. The ability to assess antigen expression and proliferative status enables the investigator to make informed decisions on expansion and harvesting.

Dual-pulse labeling using 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) in flow cytometry.

Changes in DNA replication during S-phase can give insights into mechanisms of cell growth, cell cycle kinetics, and cytotoxicity. A common method for detection of cell proliferation utilizes the incorporation of a thymidine analog during DNA synthesis. Incorporation of multiple analogs at different time points can further define cell cycle kinetics. Traditionally, the dual-pulse method has been done by combining 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) with iododeoxyuridine or chlorodeoxyuridine, with detection using multiple cross-reacting BrdU antibodies. This unit presents a dual-pulse method using the thymidine analog 5-ethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), detected by click chemistry, combined with BrdU labeling and detection. No cross reactivity with incorporated EdU is observed using the BrdU antibody clone MoBU-1. EdU detection using click chemistry does not cross-react with incorporated BrdU. Cells are first pulsed with EdU, and then pulsed with BrdU; sequential pulses of EdU, followed by BrdU, are done without removing or washing out EdU.