FRET-FLIM for the Study of Protein-Protein Interactions Underpinning Mitosis Checkpoints

Cell division is a key cellular process that ensures the continuation of life on Earth. In order to protect the genetic integrity of organisms, cell division must happen accurately, ensuring each daughter cell receives a complete copy of the original genome. The accuracy of this process is, in part, preserved by various cell cycle checkpoints. These checkpoints rely on the physical interactions of their components to ensure proper function. The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), for example, produces an inhibitory complex of BUBR1-BUB3 and MAD2 bound to CDC20. Many of these cell cycle checkpoint components have been identified in plants, but it has not yet been established whether plants have a mitotic checkpoint architecture that is similar to mammalian cells. To understand the function of plant cell cycle homologues, it is imperative to characterize their interactions in vivo. FRET-FLIM (Förster resonance energy transfer-fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy), is a rapidly expanding technique that can be used to rapidly and simply characterize protein-protein interactions.