Fluorescent Labeling of the Nuclear Envelope by Localizing Green Fluorescent Protein on the Inner Nuclear Membrane

The nuclear envelope (NE) is a double membrane that segregates nuclear components from the cytoplasm in eukaryotic cells. It is well-known that the NE undergoes a breakdown and reformation during mitosis in animal cells. However, the detailed mechanisms of the NE dynamics are not yet fully understood. Here, we propose a method for the fluorescent labeling of the NE in living cells, which enables the tracing of the NE dynamics during cell division under physiological conditions. In our method, labeling of the NE is accomplished by fixing green fluorescent protein carrying the nuclear localization signal on the inner nuclear membrane based on a unique biotinylation reaction from the archaeon Sulfolobus tokodaii. With this method, we observed HeLa cells during mitosis by confocal laser scanning microscopy and succeeded in clearly visualizing the difference in the timing of the formation of the NE and the nuclear lamina

Fluorescent Labeling of the Nuclear Envelope by Localizing Green Fluorescent Protein on the Inner Nuclear Membrane

The nuclear envelope (NE) is a double membrane that segregates nuclear components from the cytoplasm in eukaryotic cells. It is well-known that the NE undergoes a breakdown and reformation during mitosis in animal cells. However, the detailed mechanisms of the NE dynamics are not yet fully understood. Here, we propose a method for the fluorescent labeling of the NE in living cells, which enables the tracing of the NE dynamics during cell division under physiological conditions. In our method, labeling of the NE is accomplished by fixing green fluorescent protein carrying the nuclear localization signal on the inner nuclear membrane based on a unique biotinylation reaction from the archaeon <i>Sulfolobus tokodaii</i>. With this method, we observed HeLa cells during mitosis by confocal laser scanning microscopy and succeeded in clearly visualizing the difference in the timing of the formation of the NE and the nuclear lamina

Fluorescent Labeling of the Nuclear Envelope by Localizing Green Fluorescent Protein on the Inner Nuclear Membrane

The nuclear envelope (NE) is a double membrane that segregates nuclear components from the cytoplasm in eukaryotic cells. It is well-known that the NE undergoes a breakdown and reformation during mitosis in animal cells. However, the detailed mechanisms of the NE dynamics are not yet fully understood. Here, we propose a method for the fluorescent labeling of the NE in living cells, which enables the tracing of the NE dynamics during cell division under physiological conditions. In our method, labeling of the NE is accomplished by fixing green fluorescent protein carrying the nuclear localization signal on the inner nuclear membrane based on a unique biotinylation reaction from the archaeon <i>Sulfolobus tokodaii</i>. With this method, we observed HeLa cells during mitosis by confocal laser scanning microscopy and succeeded in clearly visualizing the difference in the timing of the formation of the NE and the nuclear lamina

Fluorescent Labeling of the Nuclear Envelope by Localizing Green Fluorescent Protein on the Inner Nuclear Membrane

The nuclear envelope (NE) is a double membrane that segregates nuclear components from the cytoplasm in eukaryotic cells. It is well-known that the NE undergoes a breakdown and reformation during mitosis in animal cells. However, the detailed mechanisms of the NE dynamics are not yet fully understood. Here, we propose a method for the fluorescent labeling of the NE in living cells, which enables the tracing of the NE dynamics during cell division under physiological conditions. In our method, labeling of the NE is accomplished by fixing green fluorescent protein carrying the nuclear localization signal on the inner nuclear membrane based on a unique biotinylation reaction from the archaeon Sulfolobus tokodaii. With this method, we observed HeLa cells during mitosis by confocal laser scanning microscopy and succeeded in clearly visualizing the difference in the timing of the formation of the NE and the nuclear lamina

Improved Designs for an Electrothermal In-Plane Microactuator

Reported presently are two design approaches to improve the performance of an electrothermal in-plane microactuator with "chevron" beams. One incorporates beams with uniform cross sections but nonuniform lengths or tilt angles to accommodate the thermally induced expansion of the "shuttle"; the other incorporates beams with nonuniform cross sections to widen the high-temperature "expansion" zones. It is derived analytically, verified using finite-element simulations, and tested by microfabricating actuators occupying a constrained device area that the incorporation of one or the other proposed features leads to an improved performance figure-of-merit, defined to be the product of the actuation displacement and force. An increase in the figure-of-merit by up to 65% per beam has been measured. [2011-0186