1 ratio of pLNT–SFFV–WPRE–cDNA, the packaging plasmid psPAX2 and pMD2.G using calcium phosphate transfection. After 18 h medium was replaced with 6 ml fresh medium. Twenty four hours later, virus was harvested and new medium added for a final period of 24 h. Virus containing supernatants were stored at 4 °C, pooled and filtered through 0.2 μm. Virus stocks were concentrated 100 fold by centrifugation for 2 h at 25,000 rpm in a SW-28 rotor. The concentration procedure removed HEK293T medium which was detrimental to normal RBL-2H3 growth. Virus was resuspended in 0.01 volume RBL-2H3 medium supplemented with 20 mM Hepes pH 7.6, aliquotted Luminespib datasheet and stored at −80 °C. Virus efficiency

was determined by titration on HEK293T and RBL-2H3 cells through fluorescence microscopy and western blot detection. RBL-2H3 cells stably expressing lentiviral constructs were made by infecting a 50% confluent 10 cm dish with

10 μl of concentrated virus in the presence of 6 μg ml−1 polybrene in 10 ml medium. Medium was replaced after 24 h and cells were allowed to expand for another 24 h. Cells were then cultured and evaluated for expression. Typical transduction efficiencies were 70%. Cells were collected after two weeks for FACS sorting and we sorted a 99% positive cell population of at least 5 × 105 cells using a FACSAria (BD). Cells were then transferred learn more to 10 cm dishes for maintenance culture. Lentiviruses reverse transcribe their RNA and integrate the newly made DNA into the chromatin (Bukrinsky

et al., 1993). In our hands selection or resorting was not needed within 2 months after transduction, since expression levels remained constant during this period. If expression drops however, cells can easily be sorted as above to enrich for transfectants with higher expression. For Western blot, 1 × 106 RBL-2H3 cells were lysed in 250 μl 1% Triton X-100, 100 mM NaCl, 50 mM Tris–HCl pH 7.6. Lysates were cleared by centrifugation and collected in 5× Laemmli buffer containing 10% SDS, 50% glycerol, 0.625 M Tris–HCl pH 6.8, 250 mM DTT 0.01% Bromophenol blue. Samples were electrophoresed Thalidomide through 7.5% SDS-PAA gels and blotted on Immobilon-FL PVDF (Millipore). Blots were analyzed for munc13-4, YFP and actin using primary antibodies described above. Secondary alexa680 or IrDye800 fluorescent antibodies were used for detection in the Odyssey imaging system (Li-Cor). Antibody incubations were typically 45 min, followed by three washing steps in blocking buffer (Li-Cor). siRNA depletion of endogenous rat munc13-4 in RBL-2H3 cells was done through a sequence targeting the ORF of rat munc13-4; GGAACAAGAUUUUUCACAAtt (Applied Biosystems). The siRNA was introduced using AMAXA nucleofection (Lonza), 100 μl buffer T, protocol X-001 according to manufacturers’ instructions. 1 × 106 cells were transfected with 20 μl 20 μM oligo (400 pmol), seeded in 2 ml full medium in a 6 cm dish and grown for 48 h, knock-down efficiency was typically over 90%.