ChIP acH3 Bovine Human

Protein expression refers to the techniques in which a protein of interest is synthesized, modified or regulated in cells. The blueprints for proteins are stored in DNA which is then transcribed to produce messenger RNA (mRNA). mRNA is then translated into protein. In prokaryotes, this process of mRNA translation occurs simultaneously with mRNA transcription. In eukaryotes, these two processes occur at separate times and in separate cellular regions (transcription in nucleus and translation in the cytoplasm). Recombinant protein expression utilizes cellular machinery to generate proteins, instead of chemical synthesis of proteins as it is very complex. Proteins produced from such DNA templates are called recombinant proteins and DNA templates are simple to construct. Recombinant protein expression involves transfecting cells with a DNA vector that contains the template. The cultured cells can then transcribe and translate the desired protein. The cells can be lysed to extract the expressed protein for subsequent purification. Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic protein expression systems are widely used. The selection of the system depends on the type of protein, the requirements for functional activity and the desired yield. These expression systems include mammalian, insect, yeast, bacterial, algal and cell-free. Each of these has pros and cons. Mammalian expression systems can be used for transient or stable expression, with ultra high-yield protein expression. However, high yields are only possible in suspension cultures and more demanding culture conditions. Insect cultures are the same as mammalian, except that they can be used as both static and suspension cultures. These cultures also have demanding culture conditions and may also be time-consuming. Yeast cultures can produce eukaryotic proteins and are scalable, with minimum culture requirements. Yeast cultures may require growth culture optimization. Bacterial cultures are simple, scalable and low cost, but these may require protein-specific optimization and are not suitable for all mammalian proteins. Algal cultures are optimized for robust selection and expression, but these are less developed than other host platforms. Cell-free systems are open, free of any unnatural compounds, fast and simple. This system is, however, not optimal for scaling up.

The estimation of DNA methylation level heavily depends on the complete conversion of non-methylated DNA cytosines. It is crucial to ensure complete conversion of non-methylated cytosines in DNA. Therefore, it is important to incorporate controls for bisulfite reactions, as well as to pay attention to the appearance of cytosines in non-CpG sites after sequencing, which is an indicator of incomplete conversion.

When extracting nucleic acids from cell cultures, thorough homogenization of cells via vortexing in lysis buffer is very necessary. Choose the best RNA isolation method keeping in mind the downstream applications, generally, column-based isolations result in clean and concentrated RNA samples. Downstream applications like sequencing and cDNA synthesis require high-quality RNA, always treat the samples with DNases and check their integrity by running a gel.

Transfection is a powerful technique that enables the study of the function of genes and gene products in cells. Based on the nature of experiments, we may need a stable DNA transfection in cells for persistent gain-of-function or loss-of-function of the target gene. For stable transfection, integration of a DNA vector into the chromosome is crucial which requires selective screening and clonal isolation. By carefully selecting a viral delivery system and related reagents we can ensure safe and highly-efficient delivery of expression constructs for high-level constitutive or inducible expression in any mammalian cell type.

Gene silencing through the use of small interfering RNA (siRNA) has become a primary tool for identifying disease-causing genes. There are several aspects for preparing and delivering effective siRNA to knockdown a target gene. The length of siRNA should be 21–23nt long with G/C content 30–50%. If a validated siRNA sequence for your target gene is not available, use siRNA generated against the entire target gene ORF. Always work with two or three different siRNA constructs to get reliable results. If you are not sure how much siRNA to use for a given experiment, start with a transfection concentration of 10-50 nM and use siRNA-specific transfection reagent to ensure efficient siRNA delivery in a wide range of cells.

An alternative to culture-based cell death detection is an assessment of other cell viability indicators using fluorescent dyes, including membrane potential and membrane integrity. Live/Dead assays differentiates live and dead cells using membrane integrity as a proxy for cell viability and are based on a fluorescent staining procedure followed by detection using flow cytometry. However, samples preparation for such flow cytometry-based techniques could be challenging. Cell harvesting by trypsinization, mechanical or enzymatic cell disaggregation from tissues, extensive centrifugation steps, may all lead to preferential loss of apoptotic cells. To overcome this strictly follow manufacturers instruction of the detection kit.

miRNA is the inherent gene silencing machinery which can have more than one mRNA target, whereas siRNA can be designed to target a particular mRNA target. By design, both siRNA and miRNA are 20-25 nucleotides in length. The target sequence for siRNAs is usually located within the open reading frame, between 50 and 100 nucleotides downstream of the start codon. There are two ways in which cells can be transfected with desired RNAi: 1. Direct transfection (with calcium phosphate co-precipitation or cationic lipid mediated transfection using lipofectamine or oligofectamine), and 2. Making RNAi lentiviral constructs (followed by transformation and transduction). Lentiviral constructs are time consuming, but provide a more permanent expression of RNAi in the cells, and consistent gene silencing. Direct transfection of oligonucleotides provides temporary genetic suppression. Traditional methods like calcium phosphate co-precipitation have challenges like low efficiency, poor reproducibility and cell toxicity. Whereas, cationic lipid-based transfection reagents are able to overcome these challenges, along with applicability to a large variety of eukaryotic cell lines. When using oligos, the ideal concentration lies between 10-50nM for effective transfection.

miRNA is the inherent gene silencing machinery which can have more than one mRNA target, whereas siRNA can be designed to target a particular mRNA target. By design, both siRNA and miRNA are 20-25 nucleotides in length. The target sequence for siRNAs is usually located within the open reading frame, between 50 and 100 nucleotides downstream of the start codon. There are two ways in which cells can be transfected with desired RNAi: 1. Direct transfection (with calcium phosphate co-precipitation or cationic lipid mediated transfection using lipofectamine or oligofectamine), and 2. Making RNAi lentiviral constructs (followed by transformation and transduction). Lentiviral constructs are time consuming, but provide a more permanent expression of RNAi in the cells, and consistent gene silencing. Direct transfection of oligonucleotides provides temporary genetic suppression. Traditional methods like calcium phosphate co-precipitation have challenges like low efficiency, poor reproducibility and cell toxicity. Whereas, cationic lipid-based transfection reagents are able to overcome these challenges, along with applicability to a large variety of eukaryotic cell lines. When using oligos, the ideal concentration lies between 10-50nM for effective transfection.

Short hairpin or small hairpin RNA (shRNA) is artificial RNA, which has a hairpin loop structure, and uses inherent microRNA (miRNA) machinery to silence target gene expression. This is called RNA interference (RNAi). These can be delivered via plasmids or viral/bacterial vectors. Challenges in shRNA-mediated gene silencing include: 1. Off-target silencing, 2. Packaging shRNA encoding lentivirus, and 3. Stable transduction in cells. RNAi have been designed to have anywhere from 19-27 bs, but the most effective design has 19 bp. In case commercial shRNAs are not available, potential target sites can be chosen within exon, 5’- or 3’ UTR, depending on which splice variants of the gene are desired. One should use the latest algorithms and choose at least two different sequences, targeting different regions, in order to have confidence in overcoming off-target effects. A BLAST search after selecting potential design will eliminate potential off-target sequences. For the second challenge, sequencing the vector using primers for either strand (50-100 bp upstream) is suggested, along with using enzymatic digestion on agarose gel for the vector. Next, once the shRNA-containing vector is packaged in a virus, it is important to check the viral titer before transduction. Finally, using a marker in the lentiviral vector (fluorescent protein or antibiotic resistance), along with qPCR for target gene expression can help in determining efficacy of transduction and shRNA on its target site.