A method to rapidly create protein aggregates in living cells.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 27229621.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms11689 and PMC identifier 4894968.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The accumulation of protein aggregates is a common pathological hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases. However, we do not fully understand how aggregates are formed or the complex network of chaperones, proteasomes and other regulatory factors involved in their clearance. Here, we report a chemically controllable fluorescent protein that enables us to rapidly produce small aggregates inside living cells on the order of seconds, as well as monitor the movement and coalescence of individual aggregates into larger structures. This method can be applied to diverse experimental systems, including live animals, and may prove valuable for understanding cellular responses and diseases associated with protein aggregates.
Medical subject headings
- Green Fluorescent Proteins
- Protein Aggregates
- Protein Aggregation, Pathological
- Tacrolimus Binding Protein 1A