Fluorescence tracing of intracellular proteins

Genomes to Life "Center for Molecular and Cellular Systems": a research program for identification and characterization of protein complexes

Goal 1 of Department of Energy's Genomes to Life (GTL) program seeks to identify and characterize the complete set of protein complexes within a cell. Goal 1 forms the foundation necessary to accomplish the other objectives of the GTL program, which focus on gene regulatory networks and molecular level characterization of interactions in microbial communities. Together this information would allow cells and their components to be understood in sufficient detail to predict, test and understand the responses of a biological system to its environment. The Center for Molecular and Cellular Systems has been established to identify and characterize protein complexes using high through-put analytical technologies.A dynamic research program is being developed that supports the goals of the Center by focusing on the development new capabilities for sample preparation and complex separations, molecular level identification of the protein complexes by mass spectrometry, characterization of the complexes in living cells by imaging techniques, and bioinformatics and computational tools for the collection and interpretation of data and formation of databases and tools to allow the data to be shared by the biological community.

Using GFP--ligand fusions to measure receptor-mediated endocytosis in living cells

Recombinant DNA technology has enabled the production of many types of chimeric proteins containing heterologous functional domains that have served a variety of useful capacities for cell biology research. Among proteins gaining wide use as a fusion partner is Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein (GFP). GFP has been employed by numerous groups as a reporter gene for cell transfection and as an autofluorescent tag by recombinant fusion to foreign sequences. Here we describe the use of GFP as a tag for ligands, and provide examples of how purified recombinant GFP-ligand fusion proteins may be used to detect ligand-receptor interactions, including receptor-mediated endocytosis. Both its utility and limitations are discussed.