FLIM-FRET Protein-Protein Interaction Assay.

Fluorescence lifetime imaging performed under FRET conditions between two interacting molecules is a sensitive and robust way to quantify intermolecular interactions in cells. The fluorescence lifetime, an inherent property of the fluorophore, remains unaffected by factors such as concentration, laser intensity, and other photophysical artifacts. In the context of FLIM-FRET, the focus lies on measuring the fluorescence lifetime of the donor molecule, which diminishes upon interaction with a neighboring acceptor molecule. In this study, we present a step-by-step experimental protocol for applying FLIM-FRET to investigate protein-protein interactions involving various RAS isoforms and RAS effectors at the live cell's plasma membrane. By utilizing the FRET pair comprising enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and fluorescent mCherry, we demonstrate that the proximity and possible nanoclustering of eGFP-tagged KRAS4b G12D and mCherry-tagged KRAS4b WT led to a reduction in the donor eGFP's fluorescence lifetime. The donor lifetime of eGFP-tagged KRAS decreases even further when treated with a dimer-inducing small molecule, or in the presence of RAF proteins, suggesting a greater FRET efficiency, and thus less distance, between donor and acceptor.

A genetically encoded fluorescent protein sensor for mitochondrial membrane damage detection.

Mitochondria are essential cellular organelles; detecting mitochondrial damage is crucial in cellular biology and toxicology. Compared with existing chemical probe detection methods, genetically encoded fluorescent protein sensors can directly indicate cellular and molecular events without involving exogenous reagents. In this study, we introduced a molecular sensor system, MMD-Sensor, for monitoring mitochondrial membrane damage. The sensor consists of two molecular modules. Module I is a fusion structure of the mitochondrial localization sequence (MLS), AIF cleavage site sequence (CSS), nuclear localization sequence (NLS), N-terminus of mNeonGreen and mCherry. Module II is a fusion structure of the C-terminus of mNeonGreen, NLS sequence, and mtagBFP2. Under normal condition, Module I is constrained in the inner mitochondrial membrane anchored by MLS, while Module II is restricted to the nucleus by its NLS fusion component. If the mitochondrial membrane is damaged, CSS is cut from the inner membrane, causing Module I to shift into the nucleus guided by the NLS fusion component. After Module I enters the nucleus, the N- and C-terminus of mNeonGreen meet each other and rebuild its intact 3D structure through fragment complementation and thus generates green fluorescence in the nucleus. Dynamic migration of red fluorescence from mitochondria to the nucleus and generation of green fluorescence in the nucleus indicate mitochondrial membrane damage. Using the MMD-Sensor, mitochondrial membrane damage induced by various reagents, such as uncoupling agents, ATP synthase inhibitors, monovalent cationic carriers, and ROS, in HeLa and 293T cells are directly observed and evaluated.

UFObow: A single-wavelength excitable Brainbow for simultaneous multicolor ex-vivo and in-vivo imaging of mammalian cells.

Brainbow is a genetic cell-labeling technique that allows random colorization of multiple cells and real-time visualization of cell fate within a tissue, providing valuable insights into understanding complex biological processes. However, fluorescent proteins (FPs) in Brainbow have distinct excitation spectra with peak difference greater than 35 nm, which requires sequential imaging under multiple excitations and thus leads to long acquisition times. In addition, they are not easily used together with other fluorophores due to severe spectral bleed-through. Here, we report the development of a single-wavelength excitable Brainbow, UFObow, incorporating three newly developed blue-excitable FPs. We have demonstrated that UFObow enables not only tracking the growth dynamics of tumor cells in vivo but also mapping spatial distribution of immune cells within a sub-cubic centimeter tissue, revealing cell heterogeneity. This provides a powerful means to explore complex biology in a simultaneous imaging manner at a single-cell resolution in organs or in vivo.

The role of the correlated motion(s) of the chromophore in photoswitching of green and red forms of the photoconvertible fluorescent protein mSAASoti.

Wild-type SAASoti and its monomeric variant mSAASoti can undergo phototransformations, including reversible photoswitching of the green form to a nonfluorescent state and irreversible green-to-red photoconversion. In this study, we extend the photochemistry of mSAASoti variants to enable reversible photoswitching of the red form. This result is achieved by rational and site-saturated mutagenesis of the M163 and F177 residues. In the case of mSAASoti it is M163T substitution that leads to the fastest switching and the most photostable variant, and reversible photoswitching can be observed for both green and red forms when expressed in eukaryotic cells. We obtained a 13-fold increase in the switching efficiency with the maximum switching contrast of the green form and the appearance of comparable switching of the red form for the C21N/M163T mSAASoti variant. The crystal structure of the C21N mSAASoti in its green on-state was obtained for the first time at 3.0 Å resolution, and it is in good agreement with previously calculated 3D-model. Dynamic network analysis reveals that efficient photoswitching occurs if motions of the 66H residue and phenyl fragment of chromophore are correlated and these moieties belong to the same community.

Protein-Protein Interactions Visualized by Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation in Arabidopsis thaliana Protoplasts from Leaf.

Bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) is a powerful tool for studying protein-protein interactions in living cells. By fusing interacting proteins to fluorescent protein fragments, BiFC allows visualization of spatial localization patterns of protein complexes. This method has been adapted to a variety of expression systems in different organisms and is widely used to study protein interactions in plant cells. The Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression protocol for BiFC assays in Nicotiana benthamiana (N. benthamiana) leaf cells is widely used, but in this chapter, a method for BiFC assay using Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts is presented.

Near-infrared PAINT localization microscopy via chromophore replenishment of phytochrome-derived fluorescent tag.

Bacterial phytochromes are attractive molecular templates for engineering fluorescent proteins (FPs) because their near-infrared (NIR) emission significantly extends the spectral coverage of GFP-like FPs. Existing phytochrome-based FPs covalently bind heme-derived tetrapyrrole chromophores and exhibit constitutive fluorescence. Here we introduce Rep-miRFP, an NIR imaging probe derived from bacterial phytochrome, which interacts non-covalently and reversibly with biliverdin chromophore. In Rep-miRFP, the photobleached non-covalent adduct can be replenished with fresh biliverdin, restoring fluorescence. By exploiting this chromophore renewal capability, we demonstrate NIR PAINT nanoscopy in mammalian cells using Rep-miRFP.

Genome assembly of Genji firefly (Nipponoluciola cruciata) reveals novel luciferase-like luminescent proteins without peroxisome targeting signal.

The Genji firefly, Nipponoluciola cruciata, is an aquatic firefly endemic to Japan, inhabiting a wide area of the Japanese archipelago. The luminescence of fireflies is a scientifically interesting phenomenon, and many studies have evaluated this species in Japan. In this study, we sequenced the whole genome of male N. cruciata and constructed a high-quality genome assembly of 662 Mb with a BUSCO completeness of 99.1% in the genome mode. Using the detected set of 15,169 protein-coding genes, the genomic structures and genetic background of luminescence-related genes were also investigated. We found four new firefly luciferase-like genes in the genome. The highest bioluminescent activity was observed for LLa2, which originated from ancestral PDGY, a mitochondrial acyl-CoA synthetase. A thioesterase candidate, NcruACOT1, which is involved in d-luciferin biosynthesis, was expressed in the lantern. Two opsins were also detected and the absorption wavelength of the UV-type opsin candidate shifted from UV to blue. These findings provide an important resource for unravelling the adaptive evolution of fireflies in terms of luminescence and vision.

Site-specific mutagenesis on Mnemiopsin 2: Calcium coordination and substrate binding properties of new variants.

We used site-specific mutagenesis by targeting E179 and F190 on the structure of photoprotein Mnemiopsin 2 (Mn2) from Mnemiopsis leidyi. The tertiary structure of E179S and F190L mutants was made by the MODELLER program. Far-ultraviolet circular dichroism data showed that the overall secondary structural content of photoprotein is not changed upon mutation, however the helicity and stabilizing interactions in helical structure decreases in mutants as compared with the wild-type (WT) photoprotein. Fluorescence spectra data revealed that the tertiary structure of the mutants is more compact than that of WT Mn2. According to the heat-induced denaturation experiments data, the melting temperature (Tm ) for the unfolding of tertiary structure of the F190L variant increases by 3°C compared with that of the WT and E179S mutant. Interestingly, the conformational enthalpy of the F190L mutant (86 kcal mol-1 ) is considerably lower than those in the WT photoprotein (102 kcal mol-1 ) and E179S mutant (106 kcal mol-1 ). The significant difference in the enthalpy of the thermal unfolding process could be explained by considering that the thermally denatured state of the F190L mutant is structurally less expanded than the WT and E179S variants. Bioluminescence activity data showed that the maximum characteristic wavelengths of the mutants undergo blue shift as compared with the WT protein. Initial intensity of the F190L and E179S variants was recorded to be 137.5% and 55.9% of the WT protein, respectively.

Blue-shift photoconversion of near-infrared fluorescent proteins for labeling and tracking in living cells and organisms.

Photolabeling of intracellular molecules is an invaluable approach to studying various dynamic processes in living cells with high spatiotemporal precision. Among fluorescent proteins, photoconvertible mechanisms and their products are in the visible spectrum (400-650 nm), limiting their in vivo and multiplexed applications. Here we report the phenomenon of near-infrared to far-red photoconversion in the miRFP family of near infrared fluorescent proteins engineered from bacterial phytochromes. This photoconversion is induced by near-infrared light through a non-linear process, further allowing optical sectioning. Photoconverted miRFP species emit fluorescence at 650 nm enabling photolabeling entirely performed in the near-infrared range. We use miRFPs as photoconvertible fluorescent probes to track organelles in live cells and in vivo, both with conventional and super-resolution microscopy. The spectral properties of miRFPs complement those of GFP-like photoconvertible proteins, allowing strategies for photoconversion and spectral multiplexed applications.

An easy method for quantification of anaerobic and microaerobic gene expression with fluorescent reporter proteins.

Fluorescent proteins, such as green fluorescent proteins, are invaluable tools for detecting and quantifying gene expression in high-throughput reporter gene assays. However, they introduce significant inaccuracies in studies involving microaerobiosis or anaerobiosis, as oxygen is required for the maturation of these proteins' chromophores. In this study, the authors highlight the errors incurred by using fluorescent proteins under limited oxygenation by comparing standard fluorescence-based reporter gene assays to quantitative real-time PCR data in the study of a complex oxygen-regulated gene network. Furthermore, a solution to perform quantification of anaerobic and microaerobic gene expression with fluorescent reporter proteins using a microplate reader with an oxygen control system and applying pulses of full oxygenation before fluorescence measurements is provided.

Red Fluorescent Protein Variant with a Dual-Peak Emission of Fluorescence.

The marine environment is a rich reservoir of diverse biological entities, many of which possess unique properties that are of immense value to biotechnological applications. One such example is the red fluorescent protein derived from the coral Discosoma sp. This protein, encoded by the DsRed gene, has been the subject of extensive research due to its potential applications in various fields. In the study, a variant of the red fluorescent protein was generated through random mutagenesis using the DsRed2 gene as a template. The process employed error-prone PCR (epPCR) to introduce random mutations, leading to the isolation of twelve gene variants. Among these, one variant stood out due to its unique spectral properties, exhibiting dual fluorescence emission at both 480 nm (green) and 550 nm (red). This novel variant was expressed in both Escherichia coli and zebrafish (Danio rerio) muscle, confirming the dual fluorescence emission in both model systems. One of the immediate applications of this novel protein variant is in ornamental aquaculture. The dual fluorescence can serve as a unique marker or trait, enhancing the aesthetic appeal of aquatic species in ornamental settings.

Characterization of recombinant photoconverting green fluorescent Akanes.

Akanes are fluorescent proteins that have several fluorescence maxima. In this report, Akane1 and Akane3 from Scleronephthya gracillima were selected, successfully overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography. Fluorescence spectra of the recombinant Akanes matured in darkness, or ambient light were found to have several fluorescence peaks. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that Akanes matured in ambient light have two fragments. MS/MS analysis of Akanes digested with trypsin showed that the cleavage site is the same as observed for the photoconvertible fluorescent protein Kaede. The differences between the calculated masses from the amino acid sequence of Akane1 and the measured masses of Akane1 fragments obtained under ambient light coincided with those of Kaede. In contrast, a mass difference between the measured N-terminal Akane3 fragment and the calculated mass indicated that Akane3 is modified in the N-terminal region. These results indicate that numerous peaks in the fluorescent spectra of Akanes partly arise from isoproteins of Akanes and photoconversion. Photoconversion of Akane1 caused a fluorescence change from green to red, which was also observed for Akane3; however, the fluorescent intensity decreased dramatically when compared with that of Akane3.

An in silico analysis on the photoproteins Mnemiopsin 1 and Mnemiopsin 2 to explain the experimental results.

Mnemiopsin 1 (Mn1) and Mnemiopsin 2 (Mn2) are photoproteins found in Mnemiopsis leidyi. We have tried to answer the question of whether the structural features of photoproteins can explain the observed activity data. According to the activity measurements data, they have the same characteristic wavelength. However, the initial intensity of Mn2 is significantly higher than that of Mn1, and decay time of Mn1 (0.92 s-1 ) is lower than that of Mn2 (1.46 s-1 ). The phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that, compared with Obelin and Aequorin from Obelia longissima and Aequorea victoria, respectively, a gene modification event may have caused the expansion of the N-terminal side of all photoproteins from M. leidyi. An in silico study has shown that the stability of the photoprotein-substrate complex of Mn2 is higher than that of Mn1, indicating a higher affinity of the substrate for Mn2 compared with Mn1. It was revealed that the active EF-hand loops 1 and III in Mn2 is locally more rigid compared with those in Mn1. We concluded that different stability of the photoprotein complexes leads to different initial intensity. While different patterns of the local dynamics of loops I and III may influence the decay rate.

[Spatial Reconstruction of TRPC Mechanoreceptors of the Ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz, 1865].

The ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz, 1865 responds to gentle mechanical stimulus with intense luminescence; however, the mechanism of this phenomenon is unknown. We searched for possible mechanosensitive receptors that initiate signal transduction resulting in photoprotein luminescence. The three orthologous genes of mouse (5z96) and drosophila (5vkq) TRPC-proteins, such as ML234550a-PA (860 a.a.), ML03701a-PA (828 a.a.), and ML038011a-PA (1395 a.a.), were found in the M. leidyi genome. The latter protein contains a long ankyrin helix consisting of 16 ANK domains. Study of the annotated domains and the network of interactions between the interactome proteins suggests that the ML234550a-PA and ML03701a-PA proteins carry out cytoplasmic transduction, but ML038011a-PA provides intranuclear transduction of mechanical signals. Spatial reconstruction of the studied proteins revealed differences in their structure, which may be related to various functions of these proteins in the cell. The question of which of these proteins is involved in the initiation of luminescence after mechanical stimulation is discussed.

Chemogenetic Activation of Oxytocin Neurons Improves Pain in a Reserpine-induced Fibromyalgia Rat Model.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome characterized by chronic pain with depression as a frequent comorbidity. However, efficient management of the pain and depressive symptoms of FM is lacking. Given that endogenous oxytocin (OXT) contributes to the regulation of pain and depressive disorders, herein, we investigated the role of OXT in an experimental reserpine-induced FM model. In FM model, OXT-monomeric red fluorescent protein 1 (OXT-mRFP1) transgenic rats exhibited increased depressive behavior and sensitivity in a mechanical nociceptive test, suggesting reduced pain tolerance. Additionally, the development of the FM-like phenotype in OXT-mRFP1 FM model rats was accompanied by a significant reduction in OXT mRNA expression in the magnocellular neurons of the paraventricular nucleus. OXT-mRFP1 FM model rats also had significantly fewer tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH)- and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunoreactive (ir) neurons as well as reduced serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the dorsal raphe and locus coeruleus. To investigate the effects of stimulating the endogenous OXT pathway, rats expressing OXT-human muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (hM3Dq)-mCherry designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) were also assessed in the FM model. Treatment of these rats with clozapine-N-oxide (CNO), an hM3Dq-activating drug, significantly improved characteristic FM model-induced pathophysiological pain, but did not alter depressive-like behavior. The chemogenetically induced effects were reversed by pre-treatment with an OXT receptor antagonist, confirming the specificity of action via the OXT pathway. These results indicate that endogenous OXT may have analgesic effects in FM, and could be a potential target for effective pain management strategies for this disorder.

Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation Assay to Evaluate HSP90-Client Protein Interactions in Cells.

Protein-protein interactions (PPI) in cells play a pivotal role in cellular function and dynamics. Cellular proteostasis is maintained by PPI networks between molecular chaperones, co-chaperones, and client proteins. Consequently, strategies to visualize and analyze PPI in cells are useful in understanding protein homeostasis regulation. The Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC) assay has emerged as a useful tool for studying PPI between proteins in live or fixed cells. BiFC is based on the detection of fluorescence generated when interacting protein pairs, produced as fusion proteins with either the N- or C-terminal fragment of a fluorescent protein, are in sufficient proximity to permit reconstitution of the split fluorophore. Here, we describe the application of the BiFC assay to a model of chaperone-client interactions using Hsp90 and the validated client protein CDK4. This assay allows for the distribution and spatiotemporal analysis of HSP90-CDK4 complexes in live or fixed cells and is amenable to studying the effects of inhibitors and mutations on chaperone-client protein networks.

Measuring Protein-Protein Interactions in Cells using Nanoluciferase Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (NanoBRET) Assay.

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are increasingly recognized for their roles in functional cellular networks and their importance in disease-targeting contexts. Assessing PPI in the native cellular environment is challenging and requires specific and quantitative methods. Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) is a biophysical process that can be used to quantify PPI. With Nanoluciferase bioluminescent protein as a donor and a fluorescent chloroalkane ligand covalently bound to HaloTag protein as an acceptor, NanoBRET provides a versatile and robust system to quantitatively measure PPI in living cells. BRET efficiency is proportional to the distance between the donor and acceptor, allowing for the measurement of PPI in real time. In this paper, we describe the use of NanoBRET to study specific interactions between proteins of interest in living cells that can be perturbed by using small-molecule antagonists and genetic mutations. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for expressing NanoLuc and HaloTag fusion proteins in cell culture and the necessary optimization of NanoBRET assay conditions. Our example results demonstrate the reliability and sensitivity of NanoBRET for measuring interactions between proteins, protein domains, and short peptides and quantitating the PPI antagonist compound activity in living cells.

Use of the mCherry fluorescent protein to optimize the expression of class I lanthipeptides in Escherichia coli.

BACKGROUND: Lanthipeptides are a rapidly expanding family of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified natural compounds with diverse biological functions. Lanthipeptide structural and biosynthetic genes can readily be identified in genomic datasets, which provides a substantial repository for unique peptides with a wide range of potentially novel bioactivities. To realize this potential efficiently optimized heterologous production systems are required. However, only a few class I lanthipeptides have been successfully expressed using Escherichia coli as heterologous producer. This may be attributed to difficulties experienced in the co-expression of structural genes and multiple processing genes as well as complex optimization experiments. RESULTS: Here, an optimized modular plasmid system is presented for the complete biosynthesis for each of the class I lanthipeptides nisin and clausin, in E. coli. Genes encoding precursor lanthipeptides were fused to the gene encoding the mCherry red fluorescent protein and co-expressed along with the required synthetases from the respective operons. Antimicrobially active nisin and clausin were proteolytically liberated from the expressed mCherry fusions. The mCherry-NisA expression system combined with in vivo fluorescence monitoring was used to elucidate the effect of culture media composition, promoter arrangement, and culture conditions including choice of growth media and inducer agents on the heterologous expression of the class I lanthipeptides. To evaluate the promiscuity of the clausin biosynthetic enzymes, the optimized clausin expression system was used for the heterologous expression of epidermin. CONCLUSION: We succeeded in developing novel mCherry-fusion based plug and play heterologous expression systems to produce two different subgroups of class I lanthipeptides. Fully modified Pre-NisA, Pre-ClausA and Pre-EpiA fused to the mCherry fluorescence gene was purified from the Gram-negative host E. coli BL21 (DE3). Our study demonstrates the potential of using in vivo fluorescence as a platform to evaluate the expression of mCherry-fused lanthipeptides in E. coli. This allowed a substantial reduction in optimization time, since expression could be monitored in real-time, without the need for extensive and laborious purification steps or the use of in vitro activity assays. The optimized heterologous expression systems developed in this study may be employed in future studies for the scalable expression of novel NisA derivatives, or novel genome mined derivatives of ClausA and other class I lanthipeptides in E. coli.

Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC) Assay to Visualize Protein-Protein Interactions in Living Cells.

Bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assay is a method to visualize the protein-protein interaction in living cells. This technique is based on ability of the non-fluorescent fragment of fluorescent protein to form fluorescent complex when they are fused to two interacting proteins. In this chapter, we describe the widely used split yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) system to visualize the protein-protein interaction in plant cells.