1
|
Mackinnon SR, Zarganes-Tzitzikas T, Adams CJ, Brennan PE, Yue WW. Luminescence-based complementation assay to assess target engagement and cell permeability of glycolate oxidase (HAO1) inhibitors. Biochimie 2024:S0300-9084(24)00199-8. [PMID: 39151880 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2024.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2024] [Revised: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
Glycolate oxidase (HAO1) catalyses the synthesis of glyoxylate, a common metabolic intermediate that causes renal failure if accumulated. HAO1 inhibition is an emerging treatment for primary hyperoxaluria, a rare disorder of glyoxylate metabolism. Here we report the first cell-based measurement of inhibitor uptake and engagement with HAO1, by adapting the cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) based on Nano luciferase complementation and luminescence readout. By profiling the interaction between HAO1 and four well-characterised inhibitors in intact and lysed HEK293T cells, we showed that our CETSA method differentiates between low-permeability/high-engagement and high-permeability/low-engagement ligands and is able to rank HAO1 inhibitors in line with both recombinant protein methods and previously reported indirect cellular assays. Our methodology addresses the unmet need for a robust, sensitive, and scalable cellular assay to guide HAO1 inhibitor development and, in broader terms, can be rapidly adapted for other targets to simultaneously monitor compound affinity and cellular permeability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina R Mackinnon
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Tryfon Zarganes-Tzitzikas
- Alzheimer's Research UK Oxford Drug Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford, UK
| | - Cassandra J Adams
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building (NDMRB), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Paul E Brennan
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building (NDMRB), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Wyatt W Yue
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Newton E, Starcovic SA, Menze M, Konkle ME, Long TE, Hazlehurst LA, Huber JD, Robart AR, Geldenhuys WJ. Development of a fluorescence screening assay for binding partners of the iron-sulfur mitochondrial protein mitoNEET. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2023; 89:129310. [PMID: 37137430 PMCID: PMC10308443 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2023.129310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
MitoNEET belongs to the CDGSH Iron-Sulfur Domain (CISD)-gene family of proteins and is a [2Fe-2S] cluster-containing protein found on the outer membrane of mitochondria. The specific functions of mitoNEET/CISD1 remain to be fully elucidated, but the protein is involved in regulating mitochondrial bioenergetics in several metabolic diseases. Unfortunately, drug discovery efforts targeting mitoNEET to improve metabolic disorders are hampered by the lack of ligand-binding assays for this mitochondrial protein. We have developed a protocol amenable for high-throughput screening (HTS) assay, by modifying an ATP fluorescence polarization method to facilitate drug discovery targeting mitoNEET. Based on our observation that adenosine triphosphate (ATP) interacts with mitoNEET, ATP-fluorescein was used during assay development. We established a novel binding assay suitable for both 96- or 384-well plate formats with tolerance for the presence of 2% v/v dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). We determined the IC50-values for a set of benzesulfonamide derivatives and found the novel assay reliably ranked the binding-affinities of compounds compared to radioactive binding assay with human recombinant mitoNEET. The developed assay platform is crucial in identifying novel chemical probes for metabolic diseases. It will accelerate drug discovery targeting mitoNEET and potentially other members of the CISD gene family.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ebenezer Newton
- C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown WV 26501, USA
| | - Sarah A Starcovic
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown WV 26506, USA
| | - Michael Menze
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Mary E Konkle
- Department of Chemistry, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA
| | - Timothy E Long
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25755, USA
| | - Lori A Hazlehurst
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, Morgantown WV 26506, USA
| | - Jason D Huber
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, Morgantown WV 26506, USA
| | - Aaron R Robart
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown WV 26506, USA
| | - Werner J Geldenhuys
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, Morgantown WV 26506, USA; Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ramachandran S, Szewczyk M, Barghout SH, Ciulli A, Barsyte-Lovejoy D, Vu V. HiBiT Cellular Thermal Shift Assay (HiBiT CETSA). Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2706:149-165. [PMID: 37558947 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3397-7_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
Cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) is based on the thermal stabilization of the protein target by a compound binding. Thus, CETSA can be used to measure a compound's cellular target engagement and permeability. HiBiT CETSA method is quantitative and has higher throughput compared to the traditional Western-based CETSA. Here, we describe the protocol for a HiBiT CETSA, which utilizes a HiBiT tag derived from the NanoLuciferase (NanoLuc) that upon complementation by LgBiT NanoLuc tag produces a bright signal enabling tracking of the effects of increasing temperature on the stability of a protein-of-interest in the presence/absence of various compounds. Exposure of a HiBiT-tagged protein to increasing temperatures induces protein denaturation and thus decreased LgBiT complementation and NanoLuc signal. As the stability of proteins at higher temperatures can be influenced by the compound binding, this method enables screening for target engagement in living or permeabilized cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarath Ramachandran
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, James Black Centre, Dundee, UK
| | - Magdalena Szewczyk
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Samir H Barghout
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alessio Ciulli
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, James Black Centre, Dundee, UK
| | - Dalia Barsyte-Lovejoy
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Victoria Vu
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Baljinnyam B, Ronzetti M, Simeonov A. Advances in luminescence-based technologies for drug discovery. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2023; 18:25-35. [PMID: 36562206 PMCID: PMC9892298 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2023.2160441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Luminescence-based technologies, specifically bioluminescence and chemiluminescence, are powerful tools with extensive use in drug discovery. Production of light during chemiluminescence and bioluminescence, unlike fluorescence, doesn't require an excitation light source, resulting in high signal-to-noise ratio, less background interference, and no issues from phototoxicity and photobleaching. These characteristics of luminescence technologies offer unique advantages for experimental designs, allowing for greater flexibility to target a wide range of proteins and biological processes for drug discovery at different stages. AREAS COVERED This review provides a basic overview of luciferase-based technologies and details recent advances and use cases of luciferase and luciferin variations and their applicability in the drug discovery toolset. The authors expand upon specific applications of luciferase technologies, including chemiluminescent and bioluminescent-based microscopy. Finally, the authors lay out forward-looking statements on the field of luminescence and how it may shape the translational scientists' work moving forward. EXPERT OPINION The demand for improved luciferase and luciferin pairs correlates strongly with efforts to improve the sensitivity and robustness of high-throughput assays. As luminescent reporter systems improve, so will the expansion of use cases for luminescence-based technologies in early-stage drug discovery. With the synthesis of novel, non-enzymatic chemiluminescence-based probes, which previously were restrained to only basic research applications, they may now be readily implemented in drug discovery campaigns.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bolormaa Baljinnyam
- Staff Scientist, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Michael Ronzetti
- Predoctoral IRTA Fellow, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Anton Simeonov
- Group Leader, Scientific Director, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Sanchez TW, Ronzetti MH, Owens AE, Antony M, Voss T, Wallgren E, Talley D, Balakrishnan K, Leyes Porello SE, Rai G, Marugan JJ, Michael SG, Baljinnyam B, Southall N, Simeonov A, Henderson MJ. Real-Time Cellular Thermal Shift Assay to Monitor Target Engagement. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:2471-2482. [PMID: 36049119 PMCID: PMC9486815 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Determining a molecule's mechanism of action is paramount during chemical probe development and drug discovery. The cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) is a valuable tool to confirm target engagement in cells for a small molecule that demonstrates a pharmacological effect. CETSA directly detects biophysical interactions between ligands and protein targets, which can alter a protein's unfolding and aggregation properties in response to thermal challenge. In traditional CETSA experiments, each temperature requires an individual sample, which restricts throughput and requires substantial optimization. To capture the full aggregation profile of a protein from a single sample, we developed a prototype real-time CETSA (RT-CETSA) platform by coupling a real-time PCR instrument with a CCD camera to detect luminescence. A thermally stable Nanoluciferase variant (ThermLuc) was bioengineered to withstand unfolding at temperatures greater than 90 °C and was compatible with monitoring target engagement events when fused to diverse targets. Utilizing well-characterized inhibitors of lactate dehydrogenase alpha, RT-CETSA showed significant correlation with enzymatic, biophysical, and other cell-based assays. A data analysis pipeline was developed to enhance the sensitivity of RT-CETSA to detect on-target binding. RT-CETSA technology advances capabilities of the CETSA method and facilitates the identification of ligand-target engagement in cells, a critical step in assessing the mechanism of action of a small molecule.
Collapse
|