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119 Janelia Publications

Showing 51-60 of 119 results
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    07/11/19 | Multi-color single molecule imaging uncovers extensive heterogeneity in mRNA decoding.
    Boersma S, Khuperkar D, Verhagen BM, Sonneveld S, Grimm JB, Lavis LD, Tanenbaum ME
    Cell. 2019 Jul 11;178(2):458-72. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.05.001

    mRNA translation is a key step in decoding genetic information. Genetic decoding is surprisingly heterogeneous, as multiple distinct polypeptides can be synthesized from a single mRNA sequence. To study translational heterogeneity, we developed the MoonTag, a new fluorescence labeling system to visualize translation of single mRNAs. When combined with the orthogonal SunTag system, the MoonTag enables dual readouts of translation, greatly expanding the possibilities to interrogate complex translational heterogeneity. By placing MoonTag and SunTag sequences in different translation reading frames, each driven by distinct translation start sites, start site selection of individual ribosomes can be visualized in real-time. We find that start site selection is largely stochastic, but that the probability of using a particular start site differs among mRNA molecules, and can be dynamically regulated over time. Together, this study provides key insights into translation start site selection heterogeneity, and provides a powerful toolbox to visualize complex translation dynamics.

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    06/21/19 | Chemistry of photosensitive fluorophores for single-molecule localization microscopy.
    Jradi FM, Lavis LD
    ACS Chemical Biology. 2019 Jun 21;14(6):1077-90. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00197

    The development of single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) has sparked a revolution in biological imaging, allowing 'super-resolution' fluorescence microscopy below the diffraction limit of light. The last decade has seen an explosion in not only optical hardware for SMLM but also the development or repurposing of fluorescent proteins and small-molecule fluorescent probes for this technique. In this review, written by chemists for chemists, we detail the history of single-molecule localization microscopy and collate the collection of probes with demonstrated utility in SMLM. We hope it will serve as a primer for probe choice in localization microscopy as well as an inspiration for the development of new fluorophores that enable imaging of biological samples with exquisite detail.

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    01/25/19 | Probing nicotinic acetylcholine receptor function in mouse brain slices via laser flash photolysis of photoactivatable nicotine.
    Arvin MC, Wokosin DL, Banala S, Lavis LD, Drenan RM
    Journal of Visualized Experiments : JoVE. 2019 Jan 25(143):. doi: 10.3791/58873

    Acetylcholine (ACh) acts through receptors to modulate a variety of neuronal processes, but it has been challenging to link ACh receptor function with subcellular location within cells where this function is carried out. To study the subcellular location of nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs) in native brain tissue, an optical method was developed for precise release of nicotine at discrete locations near neuronal membranes during electrophysiological recordings. Patch-clamped neurons in brain slices are filled with dye to visualize their morphology during 2-photon laser scanning microscopy, and nicotine uncaging is executed with a light flash by focusing a 405 nm laser beam near one or more cellular membranes. Cellular current deflections are measured, and a high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) image of the recorded neuron is made to allow reconciliation of nAChR responses with cellular morphology. This method allows for detailed analysis of nAChR functional distribution in complex tissue preparations, promising to enhance the understanding of cholinergic neurotransmission.

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    12/10/18 | Whole-cell, 3D and multi-color STED imaging with exchangeable fluorophores.
    Spahn C, Grimm JB, Lavis LD, Lampe M, Heilemann M
    Nano Letters. 2018 Dec 10;19(1):500-5. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b04385

    We demonstrate STED microscopy of whole bacterial and eukaryotic cells using fluorogenic labels that reversibly bind to their target structure. A constant exchange of labels guarantees the removal of photobleached fluorophores and their replacement by intact fluorophores, thereby circumventing bleaching-related limitations of STED super-resolution imaging. We achieve a constant labeling density and demonstrate a fluorescence signal for long and theoretically unlimited acquisition times. Using this concept, we demonstrate whole-cell, 3D, multi-color and live cell STED microscopy.

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    11/01/18 | Stability, affinity and chromatic variants of the glutamate sensor iGluSnFR.
    Marvin JS, Scholl B, Wilson DE, Podgorski K, Kazemipour A, Mueller JA, Schoch-McGovern S, Wang SS, Quiroz FJ, Rebola N, Bao H, Little JP, Tkachuk AN, Hantman AW, Chapman ER, Dietrich D, DiGregorio DA, Fitzpatrick D, Looger LL
    Nature Methods. 2018 Nov;15(11):9386-9. doi: 10.1038/s41592-018-0171-3

    Single-wavelength fluorescent reporters allow visualization of specific neurotransmitters with high spatial and temporal resolution. We report variants of intensity-based glutamate-sensing fluorescent reporter (iGluSnFR) that are functionally brighter; detect submicromolar to millimolar amounts of glutamate; and have blue, cyan, green, or yellow emission profiles. These variants could be imaged in vivo in cases where original iGluSnFR was too dim, resolved glutamate transients in dendritic spines and axonal boutons, and allowed imaging at kilohertz rates.

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    10/03/18 | A toolbox for multiplexed super-resolution imaging of the E. coli nucleoid and membrane using novel PAINT labels.
    Spahn CK, Glaesmann M, Grimm JB, Ayala AX, Lavis LD, Heilemann M
    Scientific Reports. 2018 Oct 03;8(1):14768. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-33052-3

    Maintenance of the bacterial homeostasis initially emanates from interactions between proteins and the bacterial nucleoid. Investigating their spatial correlation requires high spatial resolution, especially in tiny, highly confined and crowded bacterial cells. Here, we present super-resolution microscopy using a palette of fluorescent labels that bind transiently to either the membrane or the nucleoid of fixed E. coli cells. The presented labels are easily applicable, versatile and allow long-term single-molecule super-resolution imaging independent of photobleaching. The different spectral properties allow for multiplexed imaging in combination with other localisation-based super-resolution imaging techniques. As examples for applications, we demonstrate correlated super-resolution imaging of the bacterial nucleoid with the position of genetic loci, of nascent DNA in correlation to the entire nucleoid, and of the nucleoid of metabolically arrested cells. We furthermore show that DNA- and membrane-targeting labels can be combined with photoactivatable fluorescent proteins and visualise the nano-scale distribution of RNA polymerase relative to the nucleoid in drug-treated E. coli cells.

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    08/29/18 | Cell-specific chemical delivery using a selective Nitroreductase-Nitroaryl pair.
    Gruber TD, Krishnamurthy C, Grimm JB, Tadross MR, Wysocki LM, Gartner ZJ, Lavis LD
    ACS Chemical Biology. 2018 Aug 29;13(10):1888-96. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.8b00524

    The utility of small molecules to probe or perturb biological systems is limited by the lack of cell-specificity. "Masking" the activity of small molecules using a general chemical modification and "unmasking" it only within target cells overcomes this limitation. To this end, we have developed a selective enzyme-substrate pair consisting of engineered variants of E. coli nitroreductase (NTR) and a 2-nitro- N-methylimidazolyl (NM) masking group. To discover and optimize this NTR-NM system, we synthesized a series of fluorogenic substrates containing different nitroaromatic masking groups, confirmed their stability in cells, and identified the best substrate for NTR. We then engineered the enzyme for improved activity in mammalian cells, ultimately yielding an enzyme variant (enhanced NTR, or eNTR) that possesses up to 100-fold increased activity over wild-type NTR. These improved NTR enzymes combined with the optimal NM masking group enable rapid, selective unmasking of dyes, indicators, and drugs to genetically defined populations of cells.

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    08/15/18 | Optimization of fluorophores for chemical tagging and immunohistochemistry of Drosophila neurons.
    Meissner GW, Grimm JB, Johnston RM, Sutcliffe B, Ng J, Jefferis GS, Cachero S, Lavis LD, Malkesman O
    PLoS One. 2018 Aug 15;13(8):e0200759. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200759

    The use of genetically encoded 'self-labeling tags' with chemical fluorophore ligands enables rapid labeling of specific cells in neural tissue. To improve the chemical tagging of neurons, we synthesized and evaluated new fluorophore ligands based on Cy, Janelia Fluor, Alexa Fluor, and ATTO dyes and tested these with recently improved Drosophila melanogaster transgenes. We found that tissue clearing and mounting in DPX substantially improves signal quality when combined with specific non-cyanine fluorophores. We compared and combined this labeling technique with standard immunohistochemistry in the Drosophila brain.

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    07/13/18 | Fluorogenic structure activity library pinpoints molecular variations in substrate specificity of structurally homologous esterases.
    White A, Koelper A, Russell A, Larsen EM, Kim C, Lavis LD, Hoops GC, Johnson RJ
    The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2018 Jul 13;293(36):13851-62. doi: 10.1074/jbc.RA118.003972

    Cellular esterases catalyze many essential biological functions by performing hydrolysis reactions on diverse substrates. The promiscuity of esterases complicates assignment of their substrate preferences and biological functions. To identify universal factors controlling esterase substrate recognition, we designed a 32-member structure-activity relationship (SAR) library of fluorogenic ester substrates and used this library to systematically interrogate esterase preference for chain length, branching patterns, and polarity to differentiate common classes of esterase substrates. Two structurally homologous bacterial esterases were screened against this library, refining their previously broad overlapping substrate specificity. esterase ybfF displayed a preference for γ-position thioethers and ethers, whereas Rv0045c from displayed a preference for branched substrates with and without thioethers. We determined that this substrate differentiation was partially controlled by individual substrate selectivity residues Tyr119 in ybfF and His187 in Rv0045c; reciprocal substitution of these residues shifted each esterase's substrate preference. This work demonstrates that the selectivity of esterases is tuned based on transition state stabilization, identifies thioethers as an underutilized functional group for esterase substrates, and provides a rapid method for differentiating structural isozymes. This SAR library could have multi-faceted future applications including in vivo imaging, biocatalyst screening, molecular fingerprinting, and inhibitor design.

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    06/21/18 | Imaging dynamic and selective low-complexity domain interactions that control gene transcription.
    Chong S, Dugast-Darzacq C, Liu Z, Dong P, Dailey GM, Cattoglio C, Heckert A, Banala S, Lavis L, Darzacq X, Tjian R
    Science (New York, N.Y.). 2018 Jun 21;361(6400):eaar2555. doi: 10.1126/science.aar2555

    Many eukaryotic transcription factors (TFs) contain intrinsically disordered low-complexity domains (LCDs), but how they drive transactivation remains unclear. Here, live-cell single-molecule imaging reveals that TF-LCDs form local high-concentration interaction hubs at synthetic and endogenous genomic loci. TF-LCD hubs stabilize DNA binding, recruit RNA polymerase II (Pol II), and activate transcription. LCD-LCD interactions within hubs are highly dynamic, display selectivity with binding partners, and are differentially sensitive to disruption by hexanediols. Under physiological conditions, rapid and reversible LCD-LCD interactions occur between TFs and the Pol II machinery without detectable phase separation. Our findings reveal fundamental mechanisms underpinning transcriptional control and suggest a framework for developing single-molecule imaging screens for novel drugs targeting gene regulatory interactions implicated in disease.

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