Alpha 5/6 helix domains together with N-terminus determine the apoptotic potency of the Bcl-2 family proteins.

A critical process in apoptosis is the permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM). This process is known to be regulated by the multi-domain Bcl-2 family proteins. For example, the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bak are responsible for forming pores at MOM. The anti-apoptotic proteins (including Bcl-2, Mcl-1 and Bcl-xL), on the other hand, can inhibit this pore-forming process. Interestingly, although these two subgroups of proteins perform opposite apoptotic functions, their structures are very similar. This raises two highly interesting questions: (1) Why do these structurally similar proteins play opposite roles in apoptosis? (2) What are the roles of different functional domains of a Bcl-2 family protein in determining its apoptotic property? In this study, we generated a series of deletion mutants and substitution chimera, and used a combination of molecular biology, bio-informatics and living cell imaging techniques to answer these questions. Our major findings are: (1) All of the Bcl-2 family proteins appear to possess an intrinsic pro-apoptotic property. (2) The N-termini of these proteins play an active role in suppressing their pro-apoptotic function. (3) The apoptotic potency is positively correlated with membrane affinity of the alpha 5/6 helix domains. (4) Charge distribution flanking the alpha 5/6 helices is also important for the apoptotic potency. These findings explain why different members of Bcl-2 family proteins with similar domain composition can function oppositely in the apoptotic process.

The VTLISFG motif in the BH1 domain plays a significant role in regulating the degradation of Mcl-1.

Mcl-1 is a member of the Bcl-2 family protein; its degradation is required for the initiation of apoptosis. The mechanism, however, is not yet clearly known. Previously, it was reported that Mcl-1 is degraded through the ubiquitination-mediated pathway and the PEST domain is the motif responsible for promoting this degradation. We found evidence that this may not be true. We generated several Mcl-1 deletion mutants and examined their effects on protein stability. Deletion of the PEST domain did not prevent the degradation of Mcl-1 during apoptosis. The BH1 domain, but not the PEST, BH3 or BH2 domain, exhibited a short half-life. A peptide named "F3" (VTLISFG) in the C-terminus of the BH1 domain appears to be critical for the rapid turnover of Mcl-1. Deletion of F3 from GFP-Mcl-1-ΔPEST retarded the degradation of this mutant. F3 appeared to be the minimum functional sequence of the degradation motif, since deletion of a single residue was sufficient to abrogate its short half-life. Fusion of F3 with p32 resulted in the degradation of p32 during UV-induced apoptosis, while wild type p32 was not affected. Taken together, these findings suggest that F3 (VTLISFG), instead of PEST, is the major motif responsible for the degradation of Mcl-1 during apoptosis.

Electroporation of micro-droplet encapsulated HeLa cells in oil phase.

Electroporation (EP) is a method widely used to introduce foreign genes, drugs or dyes into cells by permeabilizing the plasma membrane with an external electric field. A variety of microfluidic EP devices have been reported so far. However, further integration of prior and posterior EP processes turns out to be very complicated, mainly due to the difficulty of developing an efficient method for precise manipulation of cells in microfluidics. In this study, by means of a T-junction structure within a delicate microfluidic device, we encapsulated HeLa cells in micro-droplet of poration medium in oil phase before EP, which has two advantages: (i) precise control of cell-encapsulating droplets in oil phase is much easier than the control of cell populations or individuals in aqueous buffers; (ii) this can minimize the electrochemical reactions on the electrodes. Finally, we successfully introduced fluorescent dyes into the micro-droplet encapsulated HeLa cells in oil phase. Our results reflected a novel way to realize the integrated biomicrofluidic system for EP.

Polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic chip with integrated microheater and thermal sensor.

A microheater and a thermal sensor were fabricated inside elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane microchannels by injecting silver paint (or other conductive materials) into the channels. With a high-precision control scheme, microheaters can be used for rapid heating, with precise temperature control and uniform thermal distribution. Using such a microheater and feedback system, a polymerase chain reaction experiment was carried out whereas the DNA was successfully amplified in 25 cycles, with 1 min per cycle.

Design and integration of an all-in-one biomicrofluidic chip.

We demonstrate a highly integrated microfluidic chip with the function of DNA amplification. The integrated chip combines giant electrorheological-fluid actuated micromixer and micropump with a microheater array, all formed using soft lithography. Internal functional components are based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and silvercarbon black-PDMS composites. The system has the advantages of small size with a high degree of integration, high polymerase chain reaction efficiency, digital control and simple fabrication at low cost. This integration approach shows promise for a broad range of applications in chemical synthesis and biological sensinganalysis, as different components can be combined to target desired functionalities, with flexible designs of different microchips easily realizable through soft lithography.