Preparation of Drosophila polytene chromosome squashes for antibody labeling.
Drosophila has long been a favorite model system for studying the relationship between chromatin structure and gene regulation due to the cytological advantages provided by the giant salivary gland polytene chromosomes of third instar larvae. In this tissue the chromosomes undergo many rounds of replication in the absence of cell division giving rise to approximately 1000 copies. The DNA remains aligned after each replicative cycle resulting in greatly enlarged chromosomes that provide a unique opportunity to correlate chromatin morphology with the localization of specific proteins. Consequently, there has been a high level of interest in defining the epigenetic modifications present at different genes and at different stages of the transcription process. An important tool for such studies is the labeling of polytene chromosomes with antibodies to the enzyme, transcription factor, or histone modification of interest. This video protocol illustrates the squash technique used in the Johansen laboratory to prepare Drosophila polytene chromosomes for antibody labeling.
Department of Biochemistry, Iowa State University, USA.
Weili
W
Cai
Ye
Y
Jin
Jack
J
Girton
Jorgen
J
Johansen
Kristen M
KM
Johansen
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000737:chemistry*; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000737:chemistry*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000276:immunology
D000906:Antibodies; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C507306:JIL-1 protein, Drosophila; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases