Green fluorescent protein causes mitochondria to aggregate in the presence of the Bcl-2 family proteins.
Green fluorescent protein (GFP) has been widely used in a variety of experiments in cell biology. When cells were co-transfected with the GFP gene and the bcl-2 family genes bcl-2, bcl-x(L), and bax, mitochondria appeared to aggregate at the periphery of the nucleus specifically where GFP was expressed. Little aggregation was seen in the presence of other members of the GFP family, EGFP (enhanced GFP), ECFP (enhanced cyan variant), and EYFP (enhanced yellow-green variant). GFP but not EGFP seemed to promote cell death induced by pro-apoptotic Bax. Thus, GFP specifically promotes the aggregation of mitochondria when co-expressed with a member of the Bcl-2 family in association with apoptosis.
Aokage
Toshiyuki
T
Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Development and Aging Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, 1-396 Kosugi-cho, Nakahara-ku, 211-8533, Kawasaki, Japan.
Ohsawa
Ikuroh
I
Ohta
Shigeo
S
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D016466:CHO Cells; D006224:Cricetinae; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection
D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins