Skip to main content

Visualization of Notch Signaling Oscillation in Cells and Tissues

  • Protocol
  • First Online:
Notch Signaling

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1187))

Abstract

The Notch signaling effectors Hes1 and Hes7 exhibit oscillatory expression with a period of about 2–3 h during embryogenesis. Hes1 oscillation is important for proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells, whereas Hes7 oscillation regulates periodic formation of somites. Continuous expression of Hes1 and Hes7 inhibits these developmental processes. Thus, expression dynamics are very important for gene functions, but it is difficult to distinguish between oscillatory and persistent expression by conventional methods such as in situ hybridization and immunostaining. Here, we describe time-lapse imaging methods using destabilized luciferase reporters and a highly sensitive cooled charge-coupled device camera, which can monitor dynamic gene expression. Furthermore, the expression of two genes can be examined simultaneously by a dual reporter system using two-color luciferase reporters. Time-lapse imaging analyses reveal how dynamically gene expression changes in many biological events.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Protocol
USD 49.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hirata H, Yoshiura S, Ohtsuka T et al (2002) Oscillatory expression of the bHLH factor Hes1 regulated by a negative feedback loop. Science 298:840–843

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Masamizu Y, Ohtsuka T, Takashima Y et al (2006) Real-time imaging of the somite segmentation clock: revelation of unstable oscillators in the individual presomitic mesoderm cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103:1313–1318

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Shimojo H, Ohtsuka T, Kageyama R (2008) Oscillations in Notch signaling regulate maintenance of neural progenitors. Neuron 58:52–64

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Kobayashi T, Mizuno H, Imayoshi I et al (2009) The cyclic gene Hes1 contributes to diverse differentiation responses of embryonic stem cells. Genes Dev 23:1870–1875

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Jarriault S, Brou C, Logeat F et al (1995) Signalling downstream of activated mammalian Notch. Nature 377:355–358

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Takebayashi K, Sasai Y, Sakai Y et al (1994) Structure, chromosomal locus, and promoter analysis of the gene encoding the mouse helix-loop-helix factor HES-1. Negative autoregulation through the multiple N box elements. J Biol Chem 269:5150–5156

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Baek JH, Hatakeyama J, Sakamoto S et al (2006) Persistent and high levels of Hes1 expression regulate boundary formation in the developing central nervous system. Development 133:2467–2476

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Bessho Y, Sakata R, Komatsu S et al (2001) Dynamic expression and essential functions of Hes7 in somite segmentation. Genes Dev 15:2642–2647

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Hirata H, Bessho Y, Kokubu H et al (2004) Instability of Hes7 protein is critical for the somite segmentation clock. Nat Genet 36:750–754

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Takashima Y, Ohtsuka T, Gonzaléz A et al (2011) Intronic delay is essential for oscillatory expression in the segmentation clock. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108:3300–3305

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Niwa Y, Shimojo H, Isomura A et al (2011) Different types of oscillations in Notch and Fgf signaling regulate the spatiotemporal periodicity of somitogenesis. Genes Dev 25:1115–1120

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Harima Y, Takashima Y, Ueda Y et al (2013) Accelerating the tempo of the segmentation clock by reducing the number of introns in the Hes7 gene. Cell Rep 3:1–7

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Luker GD, Pica CM, Song J et al (2003) Imaging 26S proteasome activity and inhibition in living mice. Nat Med 9:969–973

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Qian X, Goderie SK, Shen Q et al (1998) Intrinsic programs of patterned cell lineages in isolated vertebrate CNS ventricular zone cells. Development 125:3143–3152

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Miyata T, Kawaguchi A, Okano H et al (2001) Asymmetric inheritance of radial glial fibers by cortical neurons. Neuron 31:727–741

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology and Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (MEXT 22123002).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ryoichiro Kageyama .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this protocol

Cite this protocol

Shimojo, H., Harima, Y., Kageyama, R. (2014). Visualization of Notch Signaling Oscillation in Cells and Tissues. In: Bellen, H., Yamamoto, S. (eds) Notch Signaling. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1187. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1139-4_13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1139-4_13

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1138-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1139-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

Publish with us

Policies and ethics