Notes: Expression and regulation of Δ6 fatty acyl desaturase (Fads2) is compared in carnivorous marine fish and salmonids. A novel regulatory region with several binding sites for transcription factors was identified in Epinephelus coioides. Interestingly, the regulatory binding site for stimulatory protein 1 (Sp1) was absent. Truncations of the 5’ UTR were analyzed for changes in expression using the Dual-Glo® Luciferase Assay System. (5170)

Notes: Six mosquitos per sample were frozen in liquid nitrogen and ground in a basic pH lysis buffer then heated to remove NAD+ then neutralized before measuring NADH with the NAD/NADH-Glo™ Assay System. To examine the effect of HNF4 on VLCAD and 3KCT gene expression, the authors employed gel shift assays and luciferase assays of the promoters in pGL4.10[luc2] and control with pGL4.73[hRluc/SV40] transfected into Drosophila S2 cells. Luciferase activities were measured with the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System on a GloMax® Instrument.  (4834)

Notes: Differentiated L6 myocytes were seeded at 1 × 10⁵ cells/well in a 24-well plate containing a 4:1 ViaFect™ Transfection Reagent: DNA ratio containing 1.025µg of DNA (reverse transfection). Cells were transfected with 500ng of a pGL4.12 [luc2CP]-based Ucp3 promoter construct, 25ng pGL4.74 [hRluc/TK] vector and 500ng of an SV-driven SREBP-1 expression vector. Luciferase activities were determined with the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System. The first intron was found to contain the cis-acting elements responsible for Ucp3 repression by SREBP-1. (4673)

Notes: These authors investigated the role of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9) in a reversible model of cancer that is initiated by infection with intracellular Theileria parasites. They found that gene induction by parasite infection was associated with trimethylation of histone H3K4 (H3K4me3) at the MMP-9 promoter. The H3K4 methyltransferase SMYD3 was the only histone methyltransferase upregulated upon infection. They therefore investigated the role of SMYD3 overexpression on MMP-9 expression and cell migration, identifying SMYD3 as an important new regulator of MMP-9 transcription. During the study they used the GloMax® Multi Luminometer to measure luminescence and absorbance in reporter and cell viability assays. They also used the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay to measure SMYD3 activity in cells transfected with a SMYD3 reporter, and the pGL4-hRluc/TK plasmid for normalization of the experimental reporter activity. GoTaq® DNA polymerase was used in semi-quantitative RT-PCR. (4189)

Notes: This paper describes a rapid dual-luciferase-based assay for L1 retrotransposition that is amenable to high-throughput screening. A firefly luciferase vector in which the luciferase gene was disrupted by an antisense intron was constructed by introducing a 900-bp fragment of the human γ-globin intron into pGL4.13. This Fluc gene, interrupted by an antisense intron, gives only minimal luciferase expression unless the luciferase gene is restored by a retrotransposition event. The authors also tested a similar retrotransposition reporter using the pGL4.73 Renilla luciferase vector, but found that the firefly construct gave much higher signals. They therefore used the firefly luciferase retrotransposition reporter, a Renilla luciferase normalization control and the Dual-Luciferase^® Assay to characterize profiles of retrotransposition by various human and mouse L1 elements, and to measure the kinetics of L1 retrotransposition in cultured cells. The GloMax^® Multi Luminometer was used to quantify luciferase activity. (4205)

Notes: Previously, the POU domain of Brn-3a was shown to interact with p53 and increase cell survival. In this article, the authors explored the possibility that Brn-3b, which shares a POU domain 95% identical to Brn-3a, may interact with p53 and affect its role in apoptosis. To test the protein:protein interaction, GST-Brn-3b fusion protein was bound to glutathione Sepharose beads and incubated with ³⁵S-methionine labeled full-length or truncated p53, prepared using the TNT^® T7 rabbit reticulocyte lysate. The luciferase control included in the kit was used as the noninteracting protein control. After washing, the bound proteins were resolved by 12% SDS-PAGE, and the bands examined by radiography. To examine the effect of Brn-3b on two p53-regulated genes, Bax and p21^cip1/waf1, ND7 cells were transiently transfected with empty vector, Brn-3b, Brn-3a or p53, or Brn-3 with p53. The reporter gene cotransfected was under the control of wildtype Bax, wildtype p21^cip1/waf1, or mutant Bax. A control vector (Renilla luciferase driven by the thymidine kinase promoter) was used for normalization. Forty-eight hours posttransfection, the cells were harvested and reporter levels assessed using the Dual-Luciferase^® Reporter Assay System. (3597)

Notes: To test the significance of the C or T polymorphism at position -871 of the serum B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) promoter region, the BLyS promoter was amplified, digested with Kpn I and cloned into the pGL3-Enhancer Vector. HL60 cells were then transiently transfected by electroporation using 10µg of the pGL3-BLyS-promoter constructs and 40ng of the pGL4.75[hRluc/CMV] Vector, which expresses Renilla luciferase. After 48 hours, expression of the reporter genes was assessed using the Dual-Luciferase^® Reporter Assay System. (3343)