Pig Kidney Cells with mEmerald-ER and mCherry-Rab7a
The LLC-PK1 cell line is derived from the normal male pig kidney (epithelial morphology) that was 3 to 4 weeks of age. Cellular products include tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). The cell line is used for pharmacologic and metabolic studies as well as molecular cloning.
Endosomes are membrane-bound vesicles that function in material storage and sorting within cells. Proteins, lipids, and other materials are delivered to the Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, and even the cell surface via endosomes. A number of different complex pathways may be taken by individual endosomes depending on their contents and cellular needs. Late endosomes were tagged in the digital video sequence in this section with mCherry fused to Rab7a.
mCherry was one of the original monomeric "mFruit" fluorescent proteins exhibiting emission maxima ranging from 540 nm to 610 nm developed by a team led by Nathan C. Shaner. The team produced the group of proteins through the directed evolution of mRFP1. mCherry is generally regarded as one of the most useful of the mFruit fluorescent proteins. In addition to endosomes, the featured video examines the endoplasmic reticulum, which was visualized with the EGFP variant mEmerald.