There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

Suitable labels are at the core of Luminescence and fluorescence imaging and sensing. One of the most exciting, yet also controversial, advances in label technology is the emerging development of quantum dots (QDs)--inorganic nanocrystals with unique optical and chemical properties but complicated surface chemistry--as in vitro and in vivo fluorophores. Here we compare and evaluate the differences in physicochemical properties of common fluorescent labels, focusing on traditional organic dyes and QDs. Our aim is to provide a better understanding of the advantages and limitations of both classes of chromophores, to facilitate label choice and to address future challenges in the rational design and manipulation of QD labels.

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Quantum dots versus organic dyes as fluorescent labels

■ Abstract Apoptosis is a genetically programmed, morphologically distinct form of cell death that can be triggered by a variety of physiological and pathological stimuli. Studies performed over the past 10 years have demonstrated that proteases play critical roles in initiation and execution of this process. The caspases, a family of cysteine-dependent aspartate-directed proteases, are prominent among the death proteases. Caspases are synthesized as relatively inactive zymogens that become activated by scaffold-mediated transactivation or by cleavage via upstream proteases in an intracellular cascade. Regulation of caspase activation and activity occurs at several different levels: ( a) Zymogen gene transcription is regulated; ( b) antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family and other cellular polypeptides block proximity-induced activation of certain procaspases; and ( c) certain cellular inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (cIAPs) can bind to and inhibit active caspases. Once activated, caspases cleave a variety of intracellular polypeptides, including major structural elements of the cytoplasm and nucleus, components of the DNA repair machinery, and a number of protein kinases. Collectively, these scissions disrupt survival pathways and disassemble important architectural components of the cell, contributing to the stereotypic morphological and biochemical changes that characterize apoptotic cell death.

Mammalian caspases: structure ,a ctivation ,s ubstrates, and functions during apoptosis

Fluorescent probes are one of the cornerstones of real-time imaging of live cells and a powerful tool for cell biologists. They provide high sensitivity and great versatility while minimally perturbing the cell under investigation. Genetically-encoded reporter constructs that are derived from fluorescent proteins are leading a revolution in the real-time visualization and tracking of various cellular events. Recent advances include the continued development of 'passive' markers for the measurement of biomolecule expression and localization in live cells, and 'active' indicators for monitoring more complex cellular processes such as small-molecule-messenger dynamics, enzyme activation and protein-protein interactions.

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Creating new fluorescent probes for cell biology.

Visualization of Interactions among bZIP and Rel Family Proteins in Living Cells Using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation

Figure 1. Strategy for antiparallel leucine zipper-directed protein reassembly of GFP.3 Both the ribbon and topographical structures are depicted: GFP is shown in green, NZGFP is shown in blue and CZGFP is shown in red. The sequences of the designed leucine zippers, NZ and CZ, are ALKKELQANKKELAQLKWELQALKKELAQ and EQLEKKLQALEKKLAQLEWKNQALEKKLAQ, respectively.

Antiparallel Leucine Zipper-Directed Protein Reassembly: Application to the Green Fluorescent Protein

Identification of protein binding partners is one of the key challenges of proteomics. We recently introduced a screen for detecting protein−protein interactions based on reassembly of dissected fragments of green fluorescent protein fused to interacting peptides. Here, we present a set of comaintained Escherichia coli plasmids for the facile subcloning of fusions to the green fluorescent protein fragments. Using a library of antiparallel leucine zippers, we have shown that the screen can detect very weak interactions (KD ≈ 1 mM). In vitro kinetics show that the reassembly reaction is essentially irreversible, suggesting that the screen may be useful for detecting transient interactions. Finally, we used the screen to discriminate cognate from noncognate protein−ligand interactions for tetratricopeptide repeat domains. These experiments demonstrate the general utility of the screen for larger proteins and elucidate mechanistic details to guide the further use of this screen in proteomic analysis. Addition...

Detecting protein-protein interactions with a green fluorescent protein fragment reassembly trap: scope and mechanism.

Mutations in the X-linked gene DCX result in lissencephaly in males, and abnormal neuronal positioning in females, suggesting a role for this gene product during neuronal migration. In spite of several known protein interactions, the involvement of DCX in a signaling pathway is still elusive. Here we demonstrate that DCX is a substrate of JNK and interacts with both c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and JNK interacting protein (JIP). The localization of this signaling module in the developing brain suggests its functionality in migrating neurons. The localization of DCX at neurite tips is determined by its interaction with JIP and by the interaction of the latter with kinesin. DCX is phosphorylated by JNK in growth cones. DCX mutated in sites phosphorylated by JNK affected neurite outgrowth, and the velocity and relative pause time of migrating neurons. We hypothesize that during neuronal migration, there is a need to regulate molecular motors that are working in the cell in opposite directions: kinesin (a plus-end directed molecular motor) versus dynein (a minus-end directed molecular motor).

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DCX, a new mediator of the JNK pathway

Split-protein systems: beyond binary protein-protein interactions.

Self-replication has been demonstrated in synthetic chemical systems based on oligonucleotides, peptides and complementary molecules without natural analogues. However, within a living cell virtually no molecule catalyses its own formation, and the search for chemical systems in which both auto- and cross-catalysis can occur has therefore attracted wide interest. One such system, consisting of two self-replicating peptides that catalyse each other's production, has been reported. Here we describe a four-component peptide system that is capable of auto- and cross-catalysis and allows for the selective amplification of one or more of the products by changing the reaction conditions. The ability of this system selectively to amplify one or more molecules in response to changes in environmental conditions such as pH or salt concentration supports the suggestions that self-replicating peptides may have played a role in the origin of life.

Indraneel Ghosh

Papers

Antiparallel Leucine Zipper-Directed Protein Reassembly: Application to the Green Fluorescent Protein

Detecting protein-protein interactions with a green fluorescent protein fragment reassembly trap: scope and mechanism.

DCX, a new mediator of the JNK pathway

Split-protein systems: beyond binary protein-protein interactions.

Selective amplification by auto- and cross-catalysis in a replicating peptide system