A fluorescence resonance energy transfer activation sensor for Arf6

Anal Biochem. 2008 Mar 15;374(2):243-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ab.2007.11.032. Epub 2007 Dec 3.

Abstract

The involvement of the small GTPase Arf6 in Rac activation, cell migration, and cancer invasiveness suggests that it is activated in a spatially and temporally regulated manner. Small GTPase activation has been imaged in cells using probes in which the GTPase and a fragment of a downstream effector protein are fused to fluorescent reporter proteins that constitute a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) donor/acceptor pair. Unlike other Ras family GTPases, the N terminus of Arf6 is critical for membrane targeting and, thus, cannot be modified by fusion to a fluorescent protein. We found that the previously described C-terminal green fluorescent protein (GFP) derivative also shows diminished membrane targeting. Therefore, we inserted a fluorescent protein into an inert loop within the Arf6 sequence. This fusion showed normal membrane targeting, nucleotide-dependent interaction with the downstream effector GGA3, and normal regulation by a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) and a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF). Using the recently developed CyPET/YPET fluorescent proteins as a FRET pair, we found that Arf6-CyPET underwent efficient energy transfer when bound to YPET-GGA3 effector domain in intact cells. The addition of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) to fibroblasts triggered a rapid and transient increase in FRET, indicative of Arf6 activation. These reagents should be useful for investigations of Arf6 activation and function.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • ADP-Ribosylation Factor 6
  • ADP-Ribosylation Factors / analysis*
  • ADP-Ribosylation Factors / genetics
  • ADP-Ribosylation Factors / metabolism
  • Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Biosensing Techniques / methods*
  • Cell Line
  • Enzyme Activation
  • Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / metabolism*
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Peptide Fragments / metabolism
  • rac GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • ADP-Ribosylation Factor 6
  • Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport
  • Cyan Fluorescent Protein
  • GGA adaptor proteins
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases
  • ADP-Ribosylation Factors
  • ARF6 protein, human
  • Arf6 protein, mouse
  • rac GTP-Binding Proteins