scholarly journals Dynamics of DNA Replication Factories in Living Cells

2000 ◽  
Vol 149 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heinrich Leonhardt ◽  
Hans-Peter Rahn ◽  
Peter Weinzierl ◽  
Anje Sporbert ◽  
Thomas Cremer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Replication ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Nuclear Antigen ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Nuclear Speckles ◽  
Replication Foci ◽  
Green Fluorescent

DNA replication occurs in microscopically visible complexes at discrete sites (replication foci) in the nucleus. These foci consist of DNA associated with replication machineries, i.e., large protein complexes involved in DNA replication. To study the dynamics of these nuclear replication foci in living cells, we fused proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a central component of the replication machinery, with the green fluorescent protein (GFP). Imaging of stable cell lines expressing low levels of GFP-PCNA showed that replication foci are heterogeneous in size and lifetime. Time-lapse studies revealed that replication foci clearly differ from nuclear speckles and coiled bodies as they neither show directional movements, nor do they seem to merge or divide. These four dimensional analyses suggested that replication factories are stably anchored in the nucleus and that changes in the pattern occur through gradual, coordinated, but asynchronous, assembly and disassembly throughout S phase.

scholarly journals Actin dynamics in living mammalian cells

1998 ◽  
Vol 111 (12) ◽  
pp. 1649-1658 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Ballestrem ◽  
B. Wehrle-Haller ◽  
B.A. Imhof
Keyword(s):  
Actin Cytoskeleton ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Actin Dynamics ◽  
Mammalian Cell Lines ◽  
Cytoskeletal Dynamics ◽  
Green Fluorescent

The actin cytoskeleton maintains the cellular architecture and mediates cell movements. To explore actin cytoskeletal dynamics, the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was fused to human β-actin. The fusion protein was incorporated into actin fibers which became depolymerized upon cytochalasin B treatment. This functional EGFP-actin construct enabled observation of the actin cytoskeleton in living cells by time lapse fluorescence microscopy. Stable expression of the construct was obtained in mammalian cell lines of different tissue origins. In stationary cells, actin rich, ring-like structured ‘actin clouds’ were observed in addition to stress fibers. These ruffle-like structures were found to be involved in the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. In migratory cells, EGFP-actin was found in the advancing lamellipodium. Immobile actin spots developed in the lamellipodium and thin actin fibers formed parallel to the leading edge. Thus EGFP-actin expressed in living cells unveiled structures involved in the dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton.

scholarly journals Nuclear Dynamics of PCNA in DNA Replication and Repair

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (21) ◽  
pp. 9350-9359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeroen Essers ◽  
Arjan F. Theil ◽  
Céline Baldeyron ◽  
Wiggert A. van Cappellen ◽  
Adriaan B. Houtsmuller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Replication ◽  
Residence Time ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Dynamic Equilibrium ◽  
Excision Repair ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Nuclear Antigen ◽  
Dna Replication And Repair ◽  
Replication Foci

ABSTRACT The DNA polymerase processivity factor proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is central to both DNA replication and repair. The ring-shaped homotrimeric PCNA encircles and slides along double-stranded DNA, acting as a “sliding clamp” that localizes proteins to DNA. We determined the behavior of green fluorescent protein-tagged human PCNA (GFP-hPCNA) in living cells to analyze its different engagements in DNA replication and repair. Photobleaching and tracking of replication foci revealed a dynamic equilibrium between two kinetic pools of PCNA, i.e., bound to replication foci and as a free mobile fraction. To simultaneously monitor PCNA action in DNA replication and repair, we locally inflicted UV-induced DNA damage. A surprisingly longer residence time of PCNA at damaged areas than at replication foci was observed. Using DNA repair mutants, we showed that the initial recruitment of PCNA to damaged sites was dependent on nucleotide excision repair. Local accumulation of PCNA at damaged regions was observed during all cell cycle stages but temporarily disappeared during early S phase. The reappearance of PCNA accumulation in discrete foci at later stages of S phase likely reflects engagements of PCNA in distinct genome maintenance processes dealing with stalled replication forks, such as translesion synthesis (TLS). Using a ubiquitination mutant of GFP-hPCNA that is unable to participate in TLS, we noticed a significantly shorter residence time in damaged areas. Our results show that changes in the position of PCNA result from de novo assembly of freely mobile replication factors in the nucleoplasmic pool and indicate different binding affinities for PCNA in DNA replication and repair.

scholarly journals Motile Properties of Vimentin Intermediate Filament Networks in Living Cells

1998 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miri Yoon ◽  
Robert D. Moir ◽  
Veena Prahlad ◽  
Robert D. Goldman
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Filament ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Filament Networks ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Vimentin Intermediate Filament

The motile properties of intermediate filament (IF) networks have been studied in living cells expressing vimentin tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP-vimentin). In interphase and mitotic cells, GFP-vimentin is incorporated into the endogenous IF network, and accurately reports the behavior of IF. Time-lapse observations of interphase arrays of vimentin fibrils demonstrate that they are constantly changing their configurations in the absence of alterations in cell shape. Intersecting points of vimentin fibrils, or foci, frequently move towards or away from each other, indicating that the fibrils can lengthen or shorten. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching shows that bleach zones across fibrils rapidly recover their fluorescence. During this recovery, bleached zones frequently move, indicating translocation of fibrils. Intriguingly, neighboring fibrils within a cell can exhibit different rates and directions of movement, and they often appear to extend or elongate into the peripheral regions of the cytoplasm. In these same regions, short filamentous structures are also seen actively translocating. All of these motile properties require energy, and the majority appear to be mediated by interactions of IF with microtubules and microfilaments.

Intraflagellar transport motors in Caenorhabditis elegans neurons

2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 682-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.M. Scholey ◽  
G. Ou ◽  
J. Snow ◽  
A. Gunnarson
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Intraflagellar Transport ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Protein Fusion ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Sensory Cilia ◽  
Macromolecular Protein ◽  
Green Fluorescent

IFT (intraflagellar transport) assembles and maintains sensory cilia on the dendritic endings of chemosensory neurons within the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. During IFT, macromolecular protein complexes called IFT particles (which carry ciliary precursors) are moved from the base of the sensory cilium to its distal tip by anterograde IFT motors (kinesin-II and Osm-3 kinesin) and back to the base by retrograde IFT-dynein [Rosenbaum and Witman (2002) Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 3, 813–825; Scholey (2003) Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 19, 423–443; and Snell, Pan and Wang (2004) Cell 117, 693–697]. In the present study, we describe the protein machinery of IFT in C. elegans, which we have analysed using time-lapse fluorescence microscopy of green fluorescent protein-fusion proteins in concert with ciliary mutants.

scholarly journals Spindle Formation inAspergillusIs Coupled to Tubulin Movement into the Nucleus

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 2192-2200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulia Ovechkina ◽  
Paul Maddox ◽  
C. Elizabeth Oakley ◽  
Xin Xiang ◽  
Stephen A. Osmani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Interphase Nuclei ◽  
Spindle Formation ◽  
Spinning Disk ◽  
Green Fluorescent

In many important organisms, including many algae and most fungi, the nuclear envelope does not disassemble during mitosis. This fact raises the possibility that mitotic onset and/or exit might be regulated, in part, by movement of important mitotic proteins into and out of the nucleoplasm. We have used two methods to determine whether tubulin levels in the nucleoplasm are regulated in the fungus Aspergillus nidulans. First, we have used benomyl to disassemble microtubules and create a pool of free tubulin that can be readily observed by immunofluorescence. We find that tubulin is substantially excluded from interphase nuclei, but is present in mitotic nuclei. Second, we have observed a green fluorescent protein/α-tubulin fusion in living cells by time-lapse spinning-disk confocal microscopy. We find that tubulin is excluded from interphase nuclei, enters the nucleus seconds before the mitotic spindle begins to form, and is removed from the nucleoplasm during the M-to-G1transition. Our data indicate that regulation of intranuclear tubulin levels plays an important, perhaps essential, role in the control of mitotic spindle formation in A. nidulans. They suggest that regulation of protein movement into the nucleoplasm may be important for regulating mitotic onset in organisms with intranuclear mitosis.

scholarly journals Visualization of TGN to Endosome Trafficking through Fluorescently Labeled MPR and AP-1 in Living Cells

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 142-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Waguri ◽  
Frédérique Dewitte ◽  
Roland Le Borgne ◽  
Yves Rouillé ◽  
Yasuo Uchiyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hela Cells ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Chimeric Protein ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Endocytic Pathway ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Endosome Trafficking ◽  
Early Endosomes ◽  
Green Fluorescent

We have stably expressed in HeLa cells a chimeric protein made of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused to the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of the mannose 6-phosphate/insulin like growth factor II receptor in order to study its dynamics in living cells. At steady state, the bulk of this chimeric protein (GFP-CI-MPR) localizes to the trans-Golgi network (TGN), but significant amounts are also detected in peripheral, tubulo-vesicular structures and early endosomes as well as at the plasma membrane. Time-lapse videomicroscopy shows that the GFP-CI-MPR is ubiquitously detected in tubular elements that detach from the TGN and move toward the cell periphery, sometimes breaking into smaller tubular fragments. The formation of the TGN-derived tubules is temperature dependent, requires the presence of intact microtubule and actin networks, and is regulated by the ARF-1 GTPase. The TGN-derived tubules fuse with peripheral, tubulo-vesicular structures also containing the GFP-CI-MPR. These structures are highly dynamic, fusing with each other as well as with early endosomes. Time-lapse videomicroscopy performed on HeLa cells coexpressing the CFP-CI-MPR and the AP-1 complex whose γ-subunit was fused to YFP shows that AP-1 is present not only on the TGN and peripheral CFP-CI-MPR containing structures but also on TGN-derived tubules containing the CFP-CI-MPR. The data support the notion that tubular elements can mediate MPR transport from the TGN to a peripheral, tubulo-vesicular network dynamically connected with the endocytic pathway and that the AP-1 coat may facilitate MPR sorting in the TGN and endosomes.

scholarly journals Dynamics of plant DNA replication based on PCNA visualization

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryohei Yokoyama ◽  
Takeshi Hirakawa ◽  
Seri Hayashi ◽  
Takuya Sakamoto ◽  
Sachihiro Matsunaga
Keyword(s):  
Dna Replication ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Nuclear Antigen ◽  
Marker Line ◽  
Sliding Clamp ◽  
G2 Phase ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Proliferating Cell

Abstract DNA replication is an essential process for the copying of genomic information in living organisms. Imaging of DNA replication in tissues and organs is mainly performed using fixed cells after incorporation of thymidine analogs. To establish a useful marker line to measure the duration of DNA replication and analyze the dynamics of DNA replication, we focused on the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), which functions as a DNA sliding clamp for replicative DNA polymerases and is an essential component of replisomes. In this study we produced an Arabidopsis thaliana line expressing PCNA1 fused with the green fluorescent protein under the control of its own promoter (pAtPCNA1::AtPCNA1-sGFP). The duration of the S phase measured using the expression line was consistent with that measured after incorporation of a thymidine analog. Live cell imaging revealed that three distinct nuclear localization patterns (whole, dotted, and speckled) were sequentially observable. These whole, dotted, and speckled patterns of subnuclear AtPCNA1 signals were indicative of the G1 or G2 phase, early S phase and late S phase, respectively. The results indicate that the pAtPCNA1::AtPCNA1-sGFP line is a useful marker line for visualization of S-phase progression in live plant organs.

Detection of cytokeratin dynamics by time-lapse fluorescence microscopy in living cells

1999 ◽  
Vol 112 (24) ◽  
pp. 4521-4534 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Windoffer ◽  
R.E. Leube
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescence Microscopy ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Filament Bundles ◽  
Cytokeratin 13 ◽  
Filament Networks ◽  
Green Fluorescent

To monitor the desmosome-anchored cytokeratin network in living cells fusion protein HK13-EGFP consisting of human cytokeratin 13 and the enhanced green fluorescent protein was stably expressed in vulvar carcinoma-derived A-431 cells. It is shown for A-431 subclone AK13-1 that HK13-EGFP emits strong fluorescence in fixed and living cells, being part of an extended cytoplasmic intermediate filament network that is indistinguishable from that of parent A-431 cells. Biochemical, immunological and ultrastructural analyses demonstrate that HK13-EGFP behaves identically to the endogenous cytokeratin 13 and is therefore a reliable in vivo tag for this polypeptide and the structures formed by it. Time-lapse fluorescence microscopy reveals that the cytokeratin 13-containing network is in constant motion, resulting in continuous restructuring occurring in single and migratory cells, as well as in desmosome-anchored cells. Two major types of movement are distinguished: (i) oscillations of mostly long filaments, and (ii) an inward-directed flow of fluorescence originating as diffuse material at the cell periphery and moving in the form of dots and thin filaments toward the deeper cytoplasm where it coalesces with other filaments and filament bundles. Both movements are energy dependent and can be inhibited by nocodazole, but not by cytochalasin D. Finally, disassembly and reformation of cytokeratin filament networks are documented in dividing cells revealing distinct and rapidly occurring stages of cytokeratin organisation and distribution.

scholarly journals Characterization of Mammalian Par 6 as a Dual-Location Protein

2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 4431-4443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin G. Cline ◽  
W. James Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Cell Polarization ◽  
Scaffolding Protein ◽  
Nuclear Speckles ◽  
Cell Leukemia Virus Type ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACT Par 6 acts as a scaffold protein to facilitate atypical protein kinase C-mediated phosphorylation of cytoplasmic protein complexes, leading to epithelial and neuronal cell polarization. In addition to its location in the cytoplasm, Par 6 is localized to the nucleus. However, its organization and potential functions in the nucleus have not been examined. Using an affinity-purified Par 6 antibody and a chimera of Par 6 and green fluorescent protein, we show that Par 6 localizes precisely to nuclear speckles, but not to other nuclear structures, and displays characteristics of speckle proteins. We show that Par 6 colocalizes in the nucleus with Tax, a transcriptional activator of the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 long terminal repeat, but multiple lines of evidence show that Par 6 is not directly involved in known functions of speckle proteins, including general transcription, splicing, or mRNA transport. Significantly, however, the structure of nuclear speckles is lost when Par 6 levels are reduced by Par 6-specific small interfering RNA. Therefore, we hypothesize that Par 6 in the nucleus acts as a scaffolding protein in nuclear speckle complexes, similar to its role in the cytoplasm.

scholarly journals High Mobility of Flap Endonuclease 1 and DNA Polymerase η Associated with Replication Foci in Mammalian S-Phase Nucleus

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 2518-2528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lioudmila Solovjeva ◽  
Maria Svetlova ◽  
Lioudmila Sasina ◽  
Kyoji Tanaka ◽  
Masafumi Saijo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
High Mobility ◽  
Nuclear Antigen ◽  
Frap Assay ◽  
Flap Endonuclease 1 ◽  
Replication Foci ◽  
Mobile Fraction ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Originally detected in fixed cells, DNA replication foci (RFi) were later visualized in living cells by using green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and DNA ligase I. It was shown using fluorescence redistribution after photobleaching (FRAP) assay that focal GFP-PCNA slowly exchanged, suggesting the existence of a stable replication holocomplex. Here, we used the FRAP assay to study the dynamics of the GFP-tagged PCNA-binding proteins: Flap endonuclease 1 (Fen1) and DNA polymerase η (Polη). We also used the GFP-Cockayne syndrome group A (CSA) protein, which does associate with transcription foci after DNA damage. In normal cells, GFP-Polη and GFP-Fen1 are mobile with residence times at RFi (tm) ∼2 and ∼0.8 s, respectively. GFP-CSA is also mobile but does not concentrate at discrete foci. After methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) damage, the mobile fraction of focal GFP-Fen1 decreased and tm increased, but it then recovered. The mobilities of focal GFP-Polη and GFP-PCNA did not change after MMS. The mobility of GFP-CSA did not change after UV-irradiation. These data indicate that the normal replication complex contains at least two mobile subunits. The decrease of the mobile fraction of focal GFP-Fen1 after DNA damage suggests that Fen1 exchange depends on the rate of movement of replication forks.

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