Cytoplasmic calcium measurement in rotavirus enterotoxin-enhanced green fluorescent protein (NSP4-EGFP) expressing cells loaded with Fura-2.
The green fluorescent protein (GFP) and its analogs are standard markers of protein expression and intracellular localization of proteins. The fluorescent properties of GFP complicate accurate measurement of intracellular calcium using calcium sensitive fluorophores, which show a great degree of spectral overlap with GFP, or their K(d) values are too high for accurate measurement of subtle changes in cytoplasmic calcium concentrations. Here we describe a simple modification of the standard microscope-based Fura-2 calcium-imaging technique which permits the quantitative measurement of intracellular calcium levels in cells expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fusion proteins. Longpass emission filtering of the Fura-2 signal in cells expressing an EGFP fusion protein is sufficient to eliminate the EGFP-Fura-2 emission spectra overlap and allows quantitative calibration of intracellular calcium. To validate this technique, we investigated the ability of rotavirus enterotoxin NSP4-EGFP to elevate intracellular calcium levels in mammalian HEK 293 cells. We show here that inducible intracellular expression of NSP4-EGFP fusion protein elevates basal intracellular calcium more than two-fold by a phospholipase C (PLC) independent mechanism.
Berkova
Z
Z
Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Morris
A P
AP
Estes
M K
MK
D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D016257:Fura-2; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006651:Histocytochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D014118:Toxins, Biological; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D006023:Glycoproteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; C081369:NS28 protein, rotavirus; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014118:Toxins, Biological; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; D002118:Calcium; D016257:Fura-2