Lc3i And Lc3ii As Autophagy Markers For The Development And Improvement Of Products And Techniques Used In Research
Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Abstract: LC3I and LC3II as Autphagy Markers for the Development and Improvement of Products and Techniques used in Research By Caitlin J. Williams May 2013 Advisor: Dr. Robert Akins Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Degree: Master of Science Autophagy is an intracellular process that functions to maintain homeostasis in the cell by degrading misfolded proteins, old or nonfunctioning organelles, and outside invaders such as bacteria or viruses. This process can be split into three different types, microautophagy, chaperone mediated autophagy and macroautophagy. Macroautophagy is the most commonly studied form and is believed to be regulated by Atg proteins, as well as cargo proteins that bring debris to the autophagosome. Macroautophagy is characterized by 5 steps including initiation, elongation, maturation, autophagosome-lysosome fusion and lysosome degradation. Autophagy has been found to be involved in diseases, such as cancer and neurological disease. LC3I and LC3II function in late stage autophagy before lysosome fusion. The study of a complex process such as autophagy requires the development of tools to enable precise and quantitative research. The ability to produce antibodies to key autophagy proteins, methods of cellular fractionation and fractionated control cell lysates provides product development opportunities for Enzo Life sciences and new research tools for researchers. To support these needs, methods of cell fractionation were developed along with antibodies specific to LC3I and LC3II. Cell fractionation methods were optimized to enable separation of LC3I and LC3II. The optimized methods were shown to be effective on multiple cell lines with the use of western blotting. Due to the difficulty in achieving stable hybridomas monoclonal 39 antibodies that bind both LC3I and LC3II haven't been identified. The LC3II antibody development failed to produce antibodies in western blotting. Efforts are ongoing to identify stable hybridomas producing antibodies to LC3. The antibodies should recognize both LC3I and II. Combining the use of these antibodies with fractionated cell lysate methodology should allow quantitative detection of LC3II by ELISA. Such a tool will be an important tool for autophagy researchers.
Source: Human Biology
Author: Caitlin Jane Williams
Language: English
Subfield: Cell Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W182524200