Dicodon monitoring of protein synthesis (DiCoMPS) reveals levels of synthesis of a viral protein in single cells

Sima Barhoom, Ian Farrell, Ben Shai, Dvir Dahary, Barry S. Cooperman, Zeev Smilansky, Orna Elroy-Stein, Marcelo Ehrlich*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

The current report represents a further advancement of our previously reported technology termed Fluorescent transfer RNA (tRNA) for Translation Monitoring (FtTM), for monitoring of active global protein synthesis sites in single live cells. FtTM measures Fö rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) signals, generated when fluorescent tRNAs (fl-tRNAs), separately labeled as a FRET pair, occupy adjacent sites on the ribosome. The current technology, termed DiCodon Monitoring of Protein Synthesis (DiCoMPS), was developed for monitoring active synthesis of a specific protein. In DiCoMPS, specific fl-tRNA pair combinations are selected for transfection, based on the degree of enrichment of a dicodon sequence to which they bind in the mRNA of interest, relative to the background transcriptome of the cell in which the assay is performed. In this study, we used cells infected with the Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2- Ibaraki and measured, through DiCoMPS, the synthesis of the viral non-structural protein 3 (NS3), which is enriched in the AUA:AUA dicodon. fltRNAIle UAU-generated FRET signals were specifically enhanced in infected cells, increased in the course of infection and were diminished on siRNAmediated knockdown of NS3. Our results establish an experimental approach for the single-cell measurement of the levels of synthesis of a specific viral protein.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)e177
JournalNucleic Acids Research
Volume41
Issue number18
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2013

Funding

FundersFunder number
United States - Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund15-4192-09

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