High-content imaging and analysis to quantify the nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio of TGFβ and hippo effectors in mammalian cells.

Automated high-content immunofluorescence (IF) microscopy is used to monitor and quantify localization of the TGFβ/Smads and Taz/Yap Hippo effectors in mouse epithelial EpH4 cells transfected with Taz/Yap siRNAs. The nuclear-to-cytoplasmic protein ratios obtained by IF are converted into normalized masses by estimating the ratio of the compartment volumes. This method has the advantage that endogenous rather than tagged proteins are tracked and that knockdown of Taz/Yap can be simultaneously monitored at the single-cell level.

Modeling the Control of TGF-β/Smad Nuclear Accumulation by the Hippo Pathway Effectors, Taz/Yap.

Integration of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signals with those of other pathways allows for precise temporal and spatial control of gene expression patterns that drive development and homeostasis. The Hippo pathway nuclear effectors, Taz/Yap, interact with the TGF-β transcriptional mediators, Smads, to control Smad activity. Key to TGF-β signaling is the nuclear localization of Smads.