Subcellular dynamic imaging of protein-protein interactions in live cells by bioluminescence resonance energy transfer

Methods Mol Biol. 2010:591:325-33. doi: 10.1007/978-1-60761-404-3_19.

Abstract

Protein functions rely on their ability to engage in specific protein-protein interactions and form complexes that are dynamically regulated by stimuli. Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) is a highly sensitive technique, which allows monitoring of interaction between two proteins: one tagged with the luminescent donor Renilla luciferase, the other with a fluorescent acceptor such as YFP. We adapted this method to single-cell imaging. To this aim, we tag proteins of interest, transfect cells with these fusions, and use the high-sensitivity microscopy, combined with electron multiplying cooled charge-coupled device (EMCCD) cameras and improved bioluminescence probes. We thus achieve rapid acquisition of high-resolution BRET images and study the localization and dynamics of protein-protein interactions in individual live cells.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Survival
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Intracellular Space / metabolism*
  • Luciferases, Renilla / chemistry
  • Luciferases, Renilla / metabolism
  • Luminescent Measurements
  • Molecular Imaging / methods*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Protein Binding
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Transfection

Substances

  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Luciferases, Renilla