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Cell cycle dependent TN‐C promoter activity determined by live cell imaging
Author(s) -
Halter Michael,
Sisan Daniel R.,
Chalfoun Joe,
Stottrup Benjamin L.,
Cardone Antonio,
Dima Alden A.,
Tona Alessandro,
Plant Anne L.,
Elliott John T.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
cytometry part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.316
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1552-4930
pISSN - 1552-4922
DOI - 10.1002/cyto.a.21028
Subject(s) - cell cycle , live cell imaging , green fluorescent protein , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , cell , cell culture , transfection , fluorescence microscope , population , gene , genetics , fluorescence , physics , demography , quantum mechanics , sociology
The extracellular matrix protein tenascin‐C plays a critical role in development, wound healing, and cancer progression, but how it is controlled and how it exerts its physiological responses remain unclear. By quantifying the behavior of live cells with phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy, the dynamic regulation of TN‐C promoter activity is examined. We employ an NIH 3T3 cell line stably transfected with the TN‐C promoter ligated to the gene sequence for destabilized green fluorescent protein (GFP). Fully automated image analysis routines, validated by comparison with data derived from manual segmentation and tracking of single cells, are used to quantify changes in the cellular GFP in hundreds of individual cells throughout their cell cycle during live cell imaging experiments lasting 62 h. We find that individual cells vary substantially in their expression patterns over the cell cycle, but that on average TN‐C promoter activity increases during the last 40% of the cell cycle. We also find that the increase in promoter activity is proportional to the activity earlier in the cell cycle. This work illustrates the application of live cell microscopy and automated image analysis of a promoter‐driven GFP reporter cell line to identify subtle gene regulatory mechanisms that are difficult to uncover using population averaged measurements. Published 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.