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ABSTRACT Recombinant protein expression often presents a bottleneck for the production of proteins for use in many areas of animal-cell biotechnology. Difficult-to-express proteins require the generation of numerous expression constructs, where popular prokaryotic screening systems often fail to identify expression of multi domain or full-length protein constructs. Post-translational modified mammalian proteins require an alternative host system such as insect cells using the Baculovirus Expression Vector System (BEVS). Unfortunately this is time-, labor-, and cost-intensive. It is clearly desirable to find an automated and miniaturized fast multi-sample screening method for protein expression in such systems. With this in mind, in this paper a high-throughput initial expression screening method is described using an automated Microcultivation system in conjunction with fast plasmid based transient transfection in insect cells for the efficient generation of protein constructs. The applicability of the system is demonstrated for the difficult to express Nucleotide-binding Oligomerization Domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2). To enable detection of proper protein expression the rather weak plasmid based expression has been improved by a sensitive inline detection system. Here we present the functionality and application of the sensitive SplitGFP (split green fluorescent protein) detection system in insect cells. The successful expression of constructs is monitored by direct measurement of the fluorescence in the BioLector Microcultivation system. Additionally, we show that the results obtained with our plasmid-based SplitGFP protein expression screen correlate directly to the level of soluble protein produced in BEVS. In conclusion our automated SplitGFP screen outlines a sensitive, fast and reliable method reducing the time and costs required for identifying the optimal expression construct prior to large scale protein production in baculovirus infected insect cells. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 1975-1983. © 2016 The Authors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The mushroom body of the insect brain represents a neuronal circuit involved in the control of adaptive behavior, e.g., associative learning. Its function relies on the modulation of Kenyon cell activity or synaptic transmitter release by biogenic amines, e.g., octopamine, dopamine, or serotonin. Therefore, for a comprehensive understanding of the mushroom body, it is of interest not only to determine which modulatory neurons interact with Kenyon cells but also to pinpoint where exactly in the mushroom body they do so. To accomplish the latter, we made use of the GRASP technique and created transgenic Drosophila melanogaster that carry one part of a membrane-bound splitGFP in Kenyon cells, along with a cytosolic red fluorescent marker. The second part of the splitGFP is expressed in distinct neuronal populations using cell-specific Gal4 drivers. GFP is reconstituted only if these neurons interact with Kenyon cells in close proximity, which, in combination with two-photon microscopy, provides a very high spatial resolution. We characterize spatially and microstructurally distinct contact regions between Kenyon cells and dopaminergic, serotonergic, and octopaminergic/tyraminergic neurons in all subdivisions of the mushroom body. Subpopulations of dopaminergic neurons contact complementary lobe regions densely. Octopaminergic/tyraminergic neurons contact Kenyon cells sparsely and are restricted mainly to the calyx, the α′-lobes, and the γ-lobes. Contacts of Kenyon cells with serotonergic neurons are heterogeneously distributed over the entire mushroom body. In summary, the technique enables us to localize precisely a segmentation of the mushroom body by differential contacts with aminergic neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 521:3992-4026, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]