Cold Spring Harbor Protocols highlights reliable methods for gene and protein analysesApril 05, 2007In their native form, the thousands of assorted proteins in our body are virtually indistinguishable. Scientists who want to examine the properties and functions of specific proteins, as well as the activities of individual genes, must rely on chemical tags to manipulate and visualize them. This month's release of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols highlights methods for creating and detecting specific proteins, as well as for characterizing the activities of specific genes during embryonic development. Two of the methods are freely available online (www.cshprotocols.org). One of the freely available methods (http://www.cshprotocols.org/cgi/content/full/2007/8/pdb.prot4738) describes how to attach a small tag, called GST (glutathione-S-transferase), to a specific protein of interest. This is accomplished by growing bacteria that contain the DNA sequence for the GST tag adjacent to the gene for the protein of interest. When the bacteria grow, they express the "GST fusion protein," which consists of a GST tag attached to the desired protein. Using a chemical (glutathione) that binds specifically to GST, the GST fusion proteins can be easily sequestered and studied in more detail. To test the activity of a certain gene during embryonic development, mice can be engineered to produce a "reporter" protein called â-galactosidase, which functions as a proxy for the protein normally produced by the gene of interest. The second freely available method (http://www.cshprotocols.org/cgi/content/full/2007/8/pdb.prot4725) describes a strategy for staining transgenic mouse embryos engineered to express the â-galactosidase protein. Once stained, the tissues with â-galactosidase produce a brilliant blue pigment, allowing researchers to visualize where and when a gene of interest is expressed during embryonic development. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory |
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| Related Embryonic Development Current Events and Embryonic Development News Articles 'Cross-talk' mechanism contributes to colorectal cancer Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health have identified a molecular mechanism that allows two powerful signaling pathways to interact and begin a process leading to colorectal tumors. Deciphering the regulatory code Embryonic development is like a well-organised building project, with the embryo's DNA serving as the blueprint from which all construction details are derived. The skeleton: Size matters Vertebrates have in common a skeleton made of segments, the vertebrae. During development of the embryo, each segment is added in a time dependent manner, from the head-end to the tail-end: the first segments to be added become the vertebrae of the neck, later segments become the vertebrae with ribs and the last ones the vertebra located in the tail (in the case of a mouse, for example). Liver cells grown from patients' skin cells Scientists at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee have successfully produced liver cells from patients' skin cells opening the possibility of treating a wide range of diseases that affect liver function. Major improvements made in engineering heart repair patches from stem cells University of Washington (UW) researchers have succeeded in engineering human tissue patches free of some problems that have stymied stem-cell repair for damaged hearts. River flow and temperature limit trout numbers Over a 23-year study, Javier Lobon-Cervia has found the mechanism that controls the number of salmonids found each year in Cantabrian rivers. International conference on endothelin One of the most intriguing developments in recent medical science is the discovery of the human chemical endothelin (ET). Protein plays unexpected role protecting chromosome tips A protein specialist that opens the genomic door for DNA repair and gene expression also turns out to be a multi-tasking workhorse that protects the tips of chromosomes and dabbles in a protein-destruction complex, a team lead by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in the Aug. 13 edition of Molecular Cell. Fox Chase Researchers Uncover One Force Behind the MYC Oncogene in Many Cancers DLX5, a gene crucial for embryonic development, promotes cancer by activating the expression of the known oncogene, MYC, according to researchers from Fox Chase Cancer Center. Sea lamprey jettison one-fifth of their genome Researchers have discovered that the sea lamprey, which emerged from jawless fish first appearing 500 million years ago, dramatically remodels its genome. Shortly after a fertilized lamprey egg divides into several cells, the growing embryo discards millions of units of its DNA. More Embryonic Development Current Events and Embryonic Development News Articles |
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