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jcb Home » 2006 Archive » 9 October » 175 (1): 67
Article

Visualization of mRNA translation in living cells

Alexis J. Rodriguez, Shailesh M. Shenoy, Robert H. Singer, John Condeelis
Alexis J. Rodriguez
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Shailesh M. Shenoy
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Robert H. Singer
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John Condeelis
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DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200512137 | Published October 9, 2006
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Abstract

The role of mRNA localization is presumably to effect cell asymmetry by synthesizing proteins in specific cellular compartments. However, protein synthesis has never been directly demonstrated at the sites of mRNA localization. To address this, we developed a live cell method for imaging translation of β-actin mRNA. Constructs coding for β-actin, containing tetracysteine motifs, were transfected into C2C12 cells, and sites of nascent polypeptide chains were detected using the biarsenial dyes FlAsH and ReAsH, a technique we call translation site imaging. These sites colocalized with β-actin mRNA at the leading edge of motile myoblasts, confirming that they were translating. β-Actin mRNA lacking the sequence (zipcode) that localizes the mRNA to the cell periphery, eliminated the translation there. A pulse-chase experiment on living cells showed that the recently synthesized protein correlated spatially with the sites of its translation. Additionally, localization of β-actin mRNA and translation activity was enhanced at cell contacts and facilitated the formation of intercellular junctions.

Footnotes

  • Abbreviations used in this paper: EDT2; ethanedithiol; FL, full-length; TC, tetracysteine; ZBP1, zipcode binding protein 1.

    • Submitted: 27 December 2005
    • Accepted: 5 September 2006
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Visualization of mRNA translation in living cells
Alexis J. Rodriguez, Shailesh M. Shenoy, Robert H. Singer, John Condeelis
The Journal of Cell Biology Oct 2006, 175 (1) 67-76; DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200512137

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The Journal of Cell Biology: 218 (2)

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February 4, 2019
Volume 218, No. 2

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