GFP-Tagged Protein Detection by Electron Microscopy Using a GBP-APEX Tool in .

In cell biology, detection of protein subcellular localizations is often achieved by optical microscopy techniques and more rarely by electron microscopy (EM) despite the greater resolution offered by EM. One of the possible reasons was that protein detection by EM required specific antibodies whereas this need could be circumvented by using fluorescently-tagged proteins in optical microscopy approaches. Recently, the description of a genetically encodable EM tag, the engineered ascorbate peroxidase (APEX), whose activity can be monitored by electron-dense DAB precipitates, has widened the possibilities of specific protein detection in EM.

Dynein-mediated transport and membrane trafficking control PAR3 polarised distribution.

The scaffold protein PAR3 and the kinase PAR1 are essential proteins that control cell polarity. Their precise opposite localisations define plasma membrane domains with specific functions. PAR3 and PAR1 are mutually inhibited by direct or indirect phosphorylations, but their fates once phosphorylated are poorly known.

Phosphoinositides and Cell Polarity in the Drosophila Egg Chamber.

Phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIPs) are essential membrane components. They are localized at distinct membrane domains and recruit distinct effectors; they play an important role in the maintenance of membrane identity. They are essential for many cellular functions that include membrane trafficking, cytoskeletal organization, cell polarity and tissue morphogenesis.

PI(4,5)P2 produced by the PI4P5K SKTL controls apical size by tethering PAR-3 in Drosophila epithelial cells.

Background: The control of apical-basal polarity in epithelial layers is a fundamental event in many processes, ranging from embryonic development to tumor formation. A key feature of polarized epithelial cells is their ability to maintain an asymmetric distribution of specific molecular complexes, including the phosphoinositides PI(4,5)P2 and PI(3,4,5)P3. The spatiotemporal regulation of these phosphoinositides is controlled by the concerted action of phosphoinositide kinases and phosphatases.