Lecture 4 Slides Flashcards
What is a tag
A peptide incorporated into the protein of interest
Why tag a protein
To determine location of protein in cell
To purify the protein and its associated proteins
What to use as tags
Short peptide epitope recognized by a commercially available antibody
Green fluorescent protein (GFP)
Peptide that bonds to a ligand - can be used to purify the protein on an affinity column
HA tag
Epitope of nine amino acids
GFP
Green fluorescent protein tag is naturally fluorescent
No fixation and antibody required
Allows visualization of tagged protein in living cells
How is GFP placed in target
Translational fusion of its coding sequence with gene of interest
How big is GFP
238 aa
Where does GFP come from
A jellyfish
Why does GGP fluoresce
A natural fluorophore forms from three amino acids in the folded protein
Is there a variety to GFPs
Genetically engineered GFP is available in different colors
Potential problems with analyzing function/localization of a protein using a tagged version
May not fold properly
May not display normal function or normal localization
How do you solve problems caused by using tagged proteins
Place the tag at different positions of the gene; compare tag at N-terminus and at C-terminus of protein
Gold standard for showing tagged protein is functional
Transform the tagged gene into a cell containing a mutant version of the gene. Expression of tagged protein should “rescue” the mutant phenotype to wild type.
What other function can GFP have
It can report promoter activity if it is transcriptionally fused with promoter of interest. GFP will show cells in which promoter is active
Explain pull down of proteins to study protein-protein interactions
- Construct a fusion gene:
Glutathione-S-transferase coding sequence fused to coding sequence for protein of interest - Express fusion gene in E.coli to obtain GST-fusion protein
- Mix cell extract with fusion protein; apply mixture to glutathione affinity column
- Fusion protein binds to column along with any interacting proteins
- Elite protein complexes from column using glutathione