At5g05010 (δ-COP) is a clathrin adaptor complex medium subunit involved in retrograde transport from the Golgi apparatus to the endoplasmic reticulum . Key features include:
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Gene ID | AT5G05010 |
| Protein Class | Coatomer, α-subunit (COPI component) |
| Function | Vesicle formation, cargo sorting, Golgi-ER retrograde transport |
| Homology | Conserved across eukaryotes; shares functional motifs with human δ-COP |
The COPI complex, including δ-COP (At5g05010), regulates:
Iron uptake: Facilitates dynamic assembly of iron-acquisition complexes in root epidermal cells .
Vesicle trafficking: Mediates cargo selection and vesicle budding via interactions with ARF1 GTPase .
Stress responses: Modulates protein secretion under nutrient deprivation or pathogen attack.
Experimental studies on δ-COP involve PCR amplification of At5g05010 cDNA for cloning into vectors (e.g., TRV2) and subsequent Agrobacterium-mediated transformation . Antibodies against δ-COP would enable localization and quantification of the protein in these processes.
Though not explicitly commercialized, hypothetical uses include:
Antibody generation: Polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies would target epitopes in conserved regions (e.g., residues 1-200 of δ-COP).
Cross-reactivity: Requires validation against other COPI subunits (e.g., β-COP, γ-COP) to ensure specificity.
Functional assays: Knockdown mutants (at5g05010) show impaired vesicle formation, linking δ-COP to nutrient transport .
Antibody development: Commercial production would require peptide immunization and affinity purification.
Mechanistic studies: Elucidate δ-COP’s role in abiotic stress responses or symbiosis.
Comparative genomics: Explore δ-COP orthologs in crops for biotechnological applications.
Arabidopsis thaliana plants with T-DNA insertions in the At5g05010 gene (line SAIL_84_C10) have been used in phenotypic analysis studies . These mutants show altered responses to certain stresses and developmental cues, as the disruption of vesicular trafficking affects multiple cellular processes. When studying these mutants, it's important to validate the insertion using PCR-based genotyping to confirm homozygosity, as heterozygous plants may not display clear phenotypes due to partial complementation from the wild-type allele . Comparative phenotypic analysis between wild-type Columbia and the At5g05010 mutant can reveal specific functions of this coatomer subunit in plant growth and stress responses.
For optimal immunolocalization of At5g05010 protein:
Fix tissues in 4% paraformaldehyde in PBS for 1 hour at room temperature
For membrane proteins like At5g05010, add 0.1% Triton X-100 to permeabilize membranes
Wash thoroughly with PBS (3 × 10 minutes)
Block with 5% BSA in PBS for 1 hour
Incubate with the primary At5g05010 antibody (typically 1:200 to 1:500 dilution)
Wash with PBS + 0.1% Tween-20 (3 × 10 minutes)
Incubate with secondary antibody (typically anti-rabbit IgG conjugated with fluorophore at 1:5000 dilution)
This protocol preserves the structural integrity of the endomembrane system, critical for accurate localization of coatomer complex components.
Based on research protocols for similar membrane proteins, the following conditions are recommended for Western blot detection of At5g05010:
Sample preparation:
SDS-PAGE:
Load 5-10 μg of membrane fraction protein per lane
Use 10% polyacrylamide gels for optimal separation
Transfer:
Immunodetection:
Always include appropriate controls such as total protein staining and loading controls (e.g., anti-GRF for 14-3-3 proteins at 1:2000 dilution) .
Subcellular fractionation significantly enhances At5g05010 detection by:
Enriching membrane fractions where the coatomer protein is localized
Reducing background from abundant cytosolic proteins
Allowing comparison between different membrane compartments
| Fraction | Preparation Method | Expected At5g05010 Enrichment |
|---|---|---|
| Total membrane | Differential centrifugation at 10,000 × g | Moderate |
| Microsomal fraction | Ultracentrifugation at 100,000 × g | High |
| Golgi-enriched | Sucrose gradient (30-50%) | Very high |
| ER-enriched | Sucrose gradient (20-30%) | Moderate |
| Cytosolic fraction | Supernatant after ultracentrifugation | Negligible |
When analyzing fractions, always verify compartment purity using organelle markers such as BiP2 for ER (1:2000 dilution), H⁺-ATPase for plasma membrane (1:1000 dilution), and VHA-ε for tonoplast (1:2000 dilution) .
To maximize At5g05010 detection in membrane fractions:
Harvest fresh tissue and immediately freeze in liquid nitrogen
Grind tissue to fine powder while maintaining freezing temperature
Extract in buffer containing:
Remove cell debris by centrifugation at 1,000 × g for 10 min
Collect membrane fraction by ultracentrifugation at 100,000 × g for 1 hour
Resuspend pellet in buffer containing 0.005% Triton X-100 to solubilize membrane proteins
This protocol maintains protein integrity while effectively separating membrane fractions where coatomer proteins reside.
The At5g05010 antibody can be used to investigate stress-induced changes in vesicular trafficking through:
Comparative protein abundance analysis:
Extract membrane fractions from control and stressed plants
Quantify At5g05010 levels by Western blotting
Normalize to appropriate loading controls
Co-immunoprecipitation studies:
Use At5g05010 antibody to immunoprecipitate the coatomer complex
Identify stress-specific interaction partners by mass spectrometry
Subcellular localization changes:
Perform immunofluorescence microscopy under different stress conditions
Quantify changes in At5g05010 distribution
Research has shown that proteins involved in vesicle transport specifically accumulate in autophagy mutants like atg5, suggesting connections between vesicular trafficking and stress-induced autophagy pathways . The coatomer proteins, including At5g05010, showed differential accumulation in various subcellular compartments under stress conditions, indicating their role in stress-responsive membrane dynamics .
Mass spectrometry validation of At5g05010 antibody specificity involves:
Immunoprecipitation with At5g05010 antibody
SDS-PAGE separation of precipitated proteins
In-gel digestion with trypsin for 3 hours at room temperature
LC-MS/MS analysis of peptides
Database searching against Arabidopsis proteome
The identified peptides should match the At5g05010 sequence. Research protocols have demonstrated effective protein identification using:
Reduction with 6.5 M DTT
Alkylation of cysteine residues with 27 mM iodoacetamide
LC-MS/MS analysis using Orbitrap mass spectrometers
This approach can identify not only the target protein but also its interaction partners, providing insights into the entire COPI complex assembly.
When facing contradictory results with At5g05010 antibody:
Validate antibody specificity:
Optimize experimental conditions:
Test multiple fixation protocols for immunofluorescence
Try different detergents for membrane protein extraction (Triton X-100, NP-40, digitonin)
Adjust antibody concentrations and incubation times
Control for experimental variables:
Use standardized growth conditions
Ensure consistent developmental stages
Include internal standards for quantitative analyses
Employ complementary approaches:
Combine antibody-based detection with fluorescent protein tagging
Validate with RNA expression data
Use multiple antibodies targeting different epitopes of the same protein
Research has shown that protein abundance patterns can differ between tissues and under different stress conditions, which may explain some contradictory results .
For accurate normalization of At5g05010 Western blot data across tissue types:
Use multiple reference proteins:
Apply normalization strategies:
Total protein normalization using stain-free gels or Ponceau S staining
Housekeeping protein normalization with tissue-specific validation
Combine multiple reference genes for robust normalization
Calculate relative expression using:
Integrated density values (IDV) from imaging software
Normalization factor = geometric mean of reference protein signals
Normalized expression = Target IDV / Normalization factor
Studies have shown that membrane protein abundance varies significantly between tissues, with distinct patterns observed in roots versus shoots . For example, research demonstrated that coatomer proteins showed 31% higher abundance in atg5 mutants compared to 6% in atg11 mutants when normalized to wild-type levels .
Protein turnover analysis can reveal At5g05010 functional dynamics through:
Pulse-chase experiments:
Quantitative analysis workflow:
Compartment-specific analysis:
Isolate subcellular fractions before analysis
Compare turnover rates between compartments
Identify compartment-specific regulation mechanisms
Research has shown that protein degradation rates vary between cellular compartments, with proteins from the Golgi apparatus and ER showing distinct turnover patterns . For example, studies identified over 25,000 non-redundant peptides from root tissues and 18,939 peptides from shoot samples that could be quantified using ratios of ¹⁴N sample peptides to ¹⁵N reference peptides .
When facing weak or absent At5g05010 antibody signals:
Protein extraction optimization:
Western blot protocol adjustments:
Signal enhancement strategies:
Use high-sensitivity detection substrates
Try signal amplification systems
Increase protein loading (10-20 μg per lane)
Optimize exposure times
Sample-specific considerations:
Tissue-specific expression patterns may affect detection
Stress conditions may alter protein abundance
Different developmental stages show variable expression
Research has shown that membrane proteins like At5g05010 can be challenging to extract and detect, requiring specialized protocols for optimal results .
For comprehensive analysis of At5g05010 in vesicular trafficking:
Multiplex immunostaining approach:
Co-localization analysis:
Use secondary antibodies with different fluorophores
Perform confocal microscopy with spectral unmixing
Calculate co-localization coefficients
Co-immunoprecipitation strategy:
Perform sequential immunoprecipitation with different antibodies
Analyze protein complexes by Western blotting
Identify interaction networks by mass spectrometry
Multi-antibody Western blot analysis:
Use antibody stripping and reprobing protocols
Employ multiplex fluorescent Western blotting
Compare relative abundances across compartments
This multi-antibody approach has revealed that coatomer proteins like At5g05010 show differential distribution patterns in different membrane compartments, with enrichment in Golgi-associated fractions .
At5g05010 protein abundance undergoes dynamic changes during stress responses:
Research has demonstrated that proteins involved in vesicle transport, including coatomer subunits like At5g05010, accumulate specifically in autophagy mutants like atg5 but not in atg11, suggesting differential roles in stress-responsive trafficking pathways . This indicates that At5g05010 may function in stress-specific membrane trafficking routes that become altered when autophagy is compromised.
Integrating quantitative proteomics with At5g05010 antibody studies:
Antibody-based enrichment followed by MS analysis:
SILAC or isotope labeling approaches:
Data integration strategy:
Compare antibody-based quantification with MS-based quantification
Correlate protein abundance changes with phenotypic alterations
Map protein interactions to cellular pathways
Research has successfully employed ¹⁵N labeling approaches to quantify proteins in plant tissues, identifying thousands of peptides that could be mapped to proteins including coatomer components .
This comprehensive approach reveals not only changes in At5g05010 abundance but also its association with other proteins, providing insights into the dynamic regulation of vesicular trafficking during plant development and stress responses.