Tracking the activity-dependent diffusion of synaptic proteins using restricted photoconversion of Dendra2

Long-term tracing of individual human neural cells using multiphoton microscopy and photoconvertible polymer capsules

The study of human neural cells, their behaviour and migration are important areas of research in the biomedical field, particularly for potential therapeutic applications. The safety of using neural cells in therapy is still a concern due to a lack of information on long-term changes that may occur. While current methods of cell tracing explore gene manipulations, we elaborate approaches to cell marking with no genetic interference. In this study, we present a novel method for labelling and tracking neural cells using cell-impregnatable photoconvertible polyelectrolyte microcapsules. These capsules demonstrated low cytotoxicity with no effect on the differentiation ability of the neural cells, maintained a high level of fluorescent signal and ability for tracing individual neural cells for over 7 days. The capsules modified with rhodamine- and fluorescein-based dyes were demonstrated to undergo photoconversion by both one- and two-photon lasers while being internalized by neural cells. The finding gives the possibility to select individual capsules inside multicellular structures like spheroids and tissues and alternate their fluorescent appearance. Thus, we can track individual cell paths in complex systems. This new method offers a promising alternative for studying neural cells' long-term behaviour and migration in complex systems such as three-dimensional cellular populations.

Temporally resolved SMLM (with large PAR shift) enabled visualization of dynamic HA cluster formation and migration in a live cell

The blinking properties of a single molecule are critical for single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). Typically, SMLM techniques involve recording several frames of diffraction-limited bright spots of single-molecules with a detector exposure time close to the blinking period. This sets a limit on the temporal resolution of SMLM to a few tens of milliseconds. Realizing that a substantial fraction of single molecules emit photons for time scales much shorter than the average blinking period, we propose accelerating data collection to capture these fast emitters. Here, we put forward a short exposure-based SMLM (shortSMLM) method powered by sCMOS detector for understanding dynamical events (both at single molecule and ensemble level). The technique is demonstrated on an Influenza-A disease model, where NIH3T3 cells (both fixed and live cells) were transfected by Dendra2-HA plasmid DNA. Analysis shows a 2.76-fold improvement in the temporal resolution that comes with a sacrifice in spatial resolution, and a particle resolution shift PAR-shift (in terms of localization precision) of [Formula: see text] 11.82  nm compared to standard SMLM. We visualized dynamic HA cluster formation in transfected cells post 24 h of DNA transfection. It is noted that a reduction in spatial resolution does not substantially alter cluster characteristics (cluster density, [Formula: see text] molecules/cluster, cluster spread, etc.) and, indeed, preserves critical features. Moreover, the time-lapse imaging reveals the dynamic formation and migration of Hemagglutinin (HA) clusters in a live cell. This suggests that [Formula: see text] using a synchronized high QE sCMOS detector (operated at short exposure times) is excellent for studying temporal dynamics in cellular system.

Bidirectional regulation of synaptic SUMOylation by Group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors

SUMOylation is a post-translational modification essential to cell homeostasis. A tightly controlled equilibrium between SUMOylation and deSUMOylation processes is also critical to the neuronal function including neurotransmitter release and synaptic transmission and plasticity. Disruption of the SUMOylation homeostasis in neurons is associated with several neurological disorders. The balance between the SUMOylation and deSUMOylation of substrate proteins is maintained by a group of deSUMOylation enzymes called SENPs. We previously showed that the activation of type 5 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu5R) first triggers a rapid increase in synaptic SUMOylation and then upon the sustained activation of these receptors, the deSUMOylase activity of SENP1 allows the increased synaptic SUMOylation to get back to basal levels. Here, we combined the use of pharmacological tools with subcellular fractionation and live-cell imaging of individual hippocampal dendritic spines to demonstrate that the synaptic accumulation of the deSUMOylation enzyme SENP1 is bidirectionally controlled by the activation of type 1 mGlu1 and mGlu5 receptors. Indeed, the pharmacological blockade of mGlu1R activation during type 1 mGluR stimulation leads to a faster and greater accumulation of SENP1 at synapses indicating that mGlu1R acts as a brake to the mGlu5R-dependent deSUMOylation process at the post-synapse. Altogether, our findings reveal that type 1 mGluRs work in opposition to dynamically tune the homeostasis of SUMOylation at the mammalian synapse.

A Fluorescent Sensor for Quantitative Super-resolution Imaging of Amyloid Fibril Assembly

Many soluble proteins can self-assemble into macromolecular structures called amyloids, a subset of which are implicated in a range of neurodegenerative disorders. The nanoscale size and structural heterogeneity of prefibrillar and early aggregates, as well as mature amyloid fibrils, pose significant challenges for the quantification of amyloid species, identification of their cellular interaction partners and for elucidation of the molecular basis for cytotoxicity. We report a fluorescent amyloid sensor AmyBlink-1 and its application in super-resolution imaging of amyloid structures. AmyBlink-1 exhibits a 5-fold increase in ratio of the green (thioflavin T) to red (Alexa Fluor 647) emission intensities upon interaction with amyloid fibrils. Using AmyBlink-1 , we performed nanoscale imaging of four different types of amyloid fibrils, achieving a resolution of ~30 nm. AmyBlink-1 enables nanoscale visualization and subsequent quantification of morphological features, such as the length and skew of individual amyloid aggregates formed at different times along the amyloid assembly pathway.

The synaptic balance between sumoylation and desumoylation is maintained by the activation of metabotropic mGlu5 receptors

Sumoylation is a reversible post-translational modification essential to the modulation of neuronal function, including neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity. A tightly regulated equilibrium between the sumoylation and desumoylation processes is critical to the brain function and its disruption has been associated with several neurological disorders. This sumoylation/desumoylation balance is governed by the activity of the sole SUMO-conjugating enzyme Ubc9 and a group of desumoylases called SENPs, respectively. We previously demonstrated that the activation of type 5 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu5R) triggers the transient trapping of Ubc9 in dendritic spines, leading to a rapid increase in the overall synaptic sumoylation. However, the mechanisms balancing this increased synaptic sumoylation are still not known. Here, we examined the diffusion properties of the SENP1 enzyme using a combination of advanced biochemical approaches and restricted photobleaching/photoconversion of individual hippocampal spines. We demonstrated that the activation of mGlu5R leads to a time-dependent decrease in the exit rate of SENP1 from dendritic spines. The resulting post-synaptic accumulation of SENP1 restores synaptic sumoylation to initial levels. Altogether, our findings reveal the mGlu5R system as a central activity-dependent mechanism to maintaining the homeostasis of sumoylation at the mammalian synapse.

Sumoylation regulates FMRP-mediated dendritic spine elimination and maturation

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most frequent inherited cause of intellectual disability and the best-studied monogenic cause of autism. FXS results from the functional absence of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) leading to abnormal pruning and consequently to synaptic communication defects. Here we show that FMRP is a substrate of the small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) pathway in the brain and identify its active SUMO sites. We unravel the functional consequences of FMRP sumoylation in neurons by combining molecular replacement strategy, biochemical reconstitution assays with advanced live-cell imaging. We first demonstrate that FMRP sumoylation is promoted by activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors. We then show that this increase in sumoylation controls the homomerization of FMRP within dendritic mRNA granules which, in turn, regulates spine elimination and maturation. Altogether, our findings reveal the sumoylation of FMRP as a critical activity-dependent regulatory mechanism of FMRP-mediated neuronal function.

Fragile X syndrome patients display intellectual disability and autism, caused by mutations in the RNA-binding protein fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). Here, the authors show that FMRP sumoylation is required for regulating spine density and maturation.