Permeabilization Assay

Adtveoitages. The antibody technology is remarkably convenient. It requires only that a significant fraction of FLPEP be receptor bound ( 10%). The assay can be set up in a few minutes and is applicable to membranes, permeabilized cells, cells, or any other preparation in which the receptor concentration is in the range of 1 niV or greater. We use this assay routinely to analyze ligand dissociation kinetics. 

Lysophosphatidyl choline (Sigma, St. Louis, MO). For assays in which fixation and permeabilization are performed in a single step, lysophosphatidyl choline is prepared as a stock solution of 1 mg/mL in 37% formalin. For assays in which fixation and permeabilization are performed as separate steps, the lysophosphatidyl choline is prepared as a stock solution of 1 mg/mL in PBS (see Note 2). 

Assays are frequently needed to detect marked and acute cytotoxicity that may confound the interpretation of cell-based efficacy assays. Neutral red uptake is one of the most commonly used cytotoxicity assays and is used in the regulatory phototoxicity assay on NT3 fibroblasts [13]. It has been show to be more sensitive than assays for mitochondrial reductive capacity such as the tetrazolium reductase assays, ATP depletion assays, or for cell permeabilization or mpture such as dye uptake or lactate dehydrogenase leakage. Lysosomes take up, protonate and trap neutral red when cellular ATP production is sufficient to maintain pH gradients. 

Fig. 8. Morphological changes of apoptotic eosinophils induced by dexamethasone (Z2). After eosinophils were treated (a) without or (b) with dexamethasone (2 /u,M) for 12 h, cells were harvested and detected by TUNEL assay using the In Situ Cell Death Detection Kit (Boehringer Mannheim). Briefly, cells were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde and permeabilized by proteinase K and incubated with the TUNEL reaction mixture containing terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT). After washing to remove unbound enzyme conjugated antibody, the horseradish peroxidase retained in the immune complex was visualized by a substrate reaction with diaminobenzidine. The cell nucleus was counterstained with methanol green. Apoptotic eosinophils with nuclear DNA breaks were seen to stain dark brown using a Nikon Eclipse E800 microscope (Nikon Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) in Fig. 8b.

Membrane permeabilization activity of peptides is currently measured by the use of artificial membrane bilayers, such as liposomes or erythrocytes. The hposome leakage assay can be performed by using spectrofluorimetry with a concentration-dependent quenching of a dye (calcein, carboxyfluorescein) encapsulated in liposomes. Disruption of hposomes in the presence of peptide-inducing leakage will lead to an increase in the fluorescence intensity of the liposome solution. Erythrocyte lysis assay is based on the absorption of hemoglobin, which can be measured once released into the extracellular medium upon erythrocyte lysis in the presence of peptide. 

Significant advances in studying secretion were obtained with help of perme-abilized cell preparations, e.g., cracked PC12 cells that allows direct biochemical access to intracellular release machinery (Klenchin et al., 1998 Martin and Grishanin, 2003). Similar approaches were relatively unsuccessful in neuronal preparations, possibly due to the complexity and small size of synaptic terminals. However, better-controlled permeabilization (using bacterial toxins) may be a promising approach to develop reliable and reproducible assays to measure neurotransmitter release in these preparations. 

FIGURE 8.10 Chronological sequence of images of a viability assay on a single Jurkat T cell, (a) Live cell perfused with trypan blue dye. Since the cell is alive, it is not stained, (b) Cell perfused with methanol, which causes cell membrane permeabilization, followed by cell death, (c) Permeabilized cell perfused with dye it is rapidly (< 5 s) stained. The entire assay is performed in less than 2 min [368]. Reprinted with permission from the American Chemical Society. 

These assays resemble a hybrid of an immunohistochemistry assay and ELISA. Whole cells are fixed, for example with 3.7% formaldehyde, to MTPs permeabilized by repetitive washing with 0.1% Triton X-100, blocked with a protein solution, probed with primary antibodies (phospho-spe-cific, and non-phospho-specific), washed, and subsequently the secondary antibodies labeled with infrared fluorescent tags are added. After washing, these assays are read in a reader (such as the Odyssey or Aerius) designed for high sensitivity detection of two colors. The two colors are useful because one color can be used to accommodate a stain assigned as a total protein or cell number control or as an antibody to total protein, which allows for normalization. These assays may only require a single antibody versus the dual antibody sandwich required for ELISA. 

The sources of enzyme assayed was Synechococcus PCC 6301 and PCC 6803. For in situ assays, cells were permeabilized by mixed alkyltrimethylam-monium bromide or toluene. 

When very small pores that are permissive for monovalent but not for divalent ions are required, alpha-toxin should be used in a concentration range of 0.5-5 ng/ml. Most cells will become perme-abilized.Note, however, that certain cells exhibit a natural resistance towards alpha-toxin and pore formation will not occur. A simple means to discern whether permeabilization has taken place is to observe whether the cells swell increases in cell volume are the consequence of an uncontrolled flux of monovalent ions and water, and can be observed microscopically or by flow cytometry. Another simple method is measurement of cellular ATP. One hour after toxin application, cells are lysed with Triton X-100, and ATP is quantified using the luciferase assay (method described in (Bhakdi ef al., 1989)). ATP depletion will always be found in cells that have been permeabilized. 

PC 12 cells were permeabilized with purified SLO as given in section 18.3.1 of this chapter. Protein content was measured using the BCA-method. Values are the mean of three samples SD. Similar results were obtained using either wild-type SLO fusion protein or its alanine mutant. The assay can also be performed using alpha-toxin for permeabilization. 

Fig. 2. Acidification of small synaptic vesicles by glutamate and chloride in synap-tosomes. The acidification assay was performed as described in section 3.2 of this chapter. Two representative experiments with intact (upper trace) or SLO-permeabilized (lower trace) synaptosomes are shown. The ordinate gives the changes of absorbance obtained (A 492-530). Final concentrations of potassium glutamate (Glut), KCl, and ammonium sulfate (NH/) were 10 mM, 45 mM and 30 mM, respectively. The uptake of glutamate and chloride result in an acidification of the lumen of small synaptic vesicles, which increases the vesicular uptake of acridine orange, resulting in a decrease in the amount of extravesicular dye. This acidification can be only observed when the plasma membrane is permeabilized...

For each BoNT serotype, the dichain form constimtes the active configuration of the neurotoxin the isolated LC and HC are devoid of systemic toxicity. The absence of toxicity is consistent with findings that the LC cannot gain access to the cytosol unless it is coupled to the HC and that the HC lacks the ability to inhibit neurotransmitter release (Stecher et al., 1989 Goodnough et al., 2002). The isolated LC does, however, remain enzymatically active as evidenced by its ability to inhibit exocytosis from permeabilized chromaffin cells (Stecher et al., 1989), by its ability to cleave SNARE proteins in cell-free assays (Adler et al., 1998), and by its capacity to inhibit ACh release in skeletal muscle when delivered by liposomes (de Paiva and Dolly, 1990). It is not clear whether any portion of the HC is translocated along with the LC, and if so, whether it exerts a role in enhancing the catalytic activity or stability of the LC. 

Early work on the mechanism of nuclear import focused on proteins containing a basic NLS, similar to the one in SV40 large T-antlgen. A digitonin-permeabilized cell system provided an in vitro assay for analyzing soluble cytosolic components required for nuclear Import (Figure... 

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