Development of a method for evaluating protein tyrosine phosphatase CD45 inhibitors using Jurkat cell membrane

Measuring the specific activity of the protein tyrosine phosphatase Lyp

Altered function of the protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) Lyp (PTPN22) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of human diseases, and so accurate assessment of its functional activity is needed to further our understanding of its biology. We have developed an in vitro method to measure the specific catalytic activity of the Lyp phosphatase. Lyp is captured from cell lysates using an anti-Lyp monoclonal antibody coated 96-well plate, and activity measured by dephosphorylation of a fluorescent substrate, 6,8-difluoro-4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate (DiFMUP). The amount of protein is measured using an anti-Lyp HRP conjugate, with reference to a standard curve generated with purified Lyp. These two measurements are then used to calculate the specific phosphatase activity. We used this assay to show that the specific activity of the Lyp phosphatase is decreased by H(2)O(2) in Jurkat T cells and primary CD4+ T cells. We also modified this assay to measure the specific activity of CD45, the other main PTP regulating T cell receptor (TCR) signalling, in order to compare the relative susceptibility of CD45 and Lyp to oxidation by H(2)O(2). By measuring specific activity in Jurkat T cells and primary CD4+ T cells, we demonstrated that CD45 is more susceptible to oxidation by H(2)O(2) when compared to Lyp. Reduced function of CD45 and Lyp has been associated with human immune mediated inflammatory diseases, and a differential susceptibility to oxidation could be an important regulatory mechanism associated with both physiological and pathological changes in signalling through the TCR.

Homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence assays for the detection of activity and inhibition of phosphatase enzymes employing phosphorescently labeled peptide substrates

A rapid, homogenous, antibody-free assay for phosphatase enzymes was developed using the phosphorescent platinum (II)-coproporphyrin label (PtCP) and time-resolved fluorescent detection. An internally quenched decameric peptide substrate containing a phospho-tyrosine residue, labeled with PtCP-maleimide and dabcyl-NHS at its termini was designed. Phosphatase catalysed dephosphorylation of the substrate resulted in a minor increase in PtCP signal, while subsequent cleavage by chymotrypsin at the dephosphorylated Tyr-Leu site provided a 3.5 fold enhancement of PtCP phosphorescence. This phosphorescence phosphatase enhancement assay was optimized to a 96 well plate format with detection on a commercial TR-F plate reader, and applied to measure the activity and inhibition of alkaline phosphatase, recombinant human CD45, and tyrosine phosphatases in Jurkat cell lysates within 40 min. Parameters of these enzymatic reactions such as Km's, limits of detection (L.O.D's) and IC50 values for the non-specific inhibitor sodium orthovanadate were also determined.

A selective fluorescence-on reaction of spiro form fluorescein hydrazide with Cu(II)

The spiro form fluorescein hydrazide (1) bearing a cleavable active bond is characterized as a highly selective and sensitive fluorescence probe for Cu2+. In 0.01 M Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.2), the probe displays a highly selective fluorescence-on response to Cu2+ only, instead of other common metal ions. The reaction mechanism has been explored and proposed as that the hydrazide group of 1 recognizes and binds Cu2+, and the subsequent complexation of Cu2+ promotes hydrolytic cleavage of the amide bond, causing the release of fluorophore (fluorescein) and thereby the retrievement of fluorescence. Conditions for fluorescence measurement were optimized, generating a calibration curve that is linear over the concentration range of 0.1-10 microM Cu2+. The detection limit for Cu2+ is 64 nM based on 11 blank determinations (k=3), also showing a highly sensitive feature. The fluorescence-on reaction described here has been used for the determination of trace Cu2+ in real biological fluids with satisfactory results.

Measuring the specific activity of the CD45 protein tyrosine phosphatase

Many assays for protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) rely on colorimetric substrates or more recently developed fluorescent substrates. Enzyme activity is measured but no assessment of specific activity is made, which is important since these enzymes can exist in an enzymatically inactive form. In this study, we have directly compared the relative sensitivity of assays using either colorimetric or fluorescent substrates and show the latter to be considerably more sensitive with as few as 0.2 x 10(6) cells required compared to 3 x 10(6) cells for the colorimetric method. We then describe a quick and sensitive protocol that measures both the phosphatase activity and amount of CD45, allowing the calculation of the specific activity. CD45 is captured from cell lysates using anti-CD45 monoclonal antibody coated onto a 96-well plate, and the phosphatase activity is measured using the substrate fluorescein diphosphate (FDP). The amount of CD45 protein bound in the wells is measured against a standard curve using an anti-CD45-HRP conjugate, and this value is used to derive the specific activity. We used this assay to demonstrate that exposure of Jurkat T cells, and primary CD4(+) T cells to H(2)O(2) decreases the specific activity of their CD45, mimicking the changes seen in some diseases. The assay is applicable to other cell types and phosphatases, and so its use may help to identify the presence of inactive but intact enzyme in cells, which may play an important regulatory role in vivo.

Novel caged fluorescein diphosphates as photoactivatable substrates for protein tyrosine phosphatases

We have characterized some novel caged fluorescein diphosphates as photoactivatable, cell-permeable substrates for protein tyrosine phosphatases and explored their usefulness in identifying inhibitors of tyrosine phosphatases. 1-(2-Nitrophenyl)ethyl protected fluorescein diphosphate (NPE-FDP) undergoes rapid photolysis to release FDP upon irradiation with a 450-W UV immersion lamp and its by-product does not inactivate protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) or alters the viability of cells. The generated FDP from photolysis of NPE-FDP was shown to have exactly the same properties as FDP, which can be used as a PTP substrate in pure enzyme assays. We have also demonstrated that the PTP activity can be measured using NPE-FDP in small droplets. Its advantage as an inert substrate before photolysis allows the possibility of applying nanospray technology in screening and optimizing PTP inhibitors through a large chemical library. Like other caged bioeffectors such as nucleotide and inositol trisphosphate, NPE-FDP is cell-permeable. The NPE-FDP can be photolyzed to generate FDP inside cells, and then can be hydrolyzed by phosphatases to produce fluorescein monophosphate and subsequently to fluorescein. Although Jurkat cells contain high concentrations of CD45, it has not been possible to use FDP as a substrate to measure CD45 activity in the intact cell. This is due to the hydrolysis of FDP by several other cellular phosphatases. However, NPE-FDP can be useful as a cell-permeable substrate for overexpressed phosphatases such as alkaline phosphatase.