Live-cell topology assessment of URG7, MRP6(102) and SP-C using glycosylatable green fluorescent protein in mammalian cells

• Experimental tools to determine membrane topology of a protein are rather limited in higher eukaryotic organisms. Here, we report the use of glycosylatable GFP (gGFP) as a sensitive and versatile membrane topology reporter in mammalian cells. gGFP selectively loses its fluorescence upon N-linked glycosylation in the ER lumen. Thus, positive fluorescence signal assigns location of gGFP to the cytosol whereas no fluorescence signal and a glycosylated status of gGFP map the location of gGFP to the ER lumen. By using mammalian gGFP, the membrane topology of disease-associated membrane proteins, URG7, MRP6(102), SP-C(Val) and SP-C(Leu) was confirmed. URG7 is partially targeted to the ER, and inserted in C-in, form. MRP6(102) and SP-C(Leu/Val) are inserted into the membrane in C-out form. A minor population of untargeted SP-C is removed by proteasome dependent quality control system.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Biokemi och molekylärbiologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Endoplasmic reticulum

Membrane protein topology

Protein orientation

GFP

N-linked glycosylation

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)