Human Osteosarcoma with mEmerald-α-Actinin and mCherry-PDHA1
The PDHA1 gene encodes the human enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase. The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial matrix multienzyme complex that supplies the main link between the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and glycolysis by catalyzing the permanent adaptation of pyruvate into acetyl-CoA. The PDH complex is comprised of several replicas of 3 enzymes: EL, DLAT, and DLD. Human osteosarcoma cells (U-2 line) expressing mEmerald fused to alpha-actinin and mCherry fused to PDHA1 are featured in the digital video sequence in this section.
The fluorescent protein fused to alpha-actinin, mEmerald, is a green fluorescent protein that exhibits peak excitation at 487 nanometers and peak emission at 509 nanometers. Both the brightness and photostability of mEmerald are superior to that of EGFP, from which it was derived. The fluorescent protein fused to PDHA1, mCherry, is a member of the monomeric mFruit series of fluorescent proteins produced via the directed evolution of mRFP1. Excitation and emission of mCherry occur at 587 and 610 nanometers, respectively.