A BRET-based homogeneous insulin assay using interacting domains in the primary binding site of the insulin receptor

Coelenterazine-Dependent Luciferases as a Powerful Analytical Tool for Research and Biomedical Applications

: The functioning of bioluminescent systems in most of the known marine organisms is based on the oxidation reaction of the same substrate-coelenterazine (CTZ), catalyzed by luciferase. Despite the diversity in structures and the functioning mechanisms, these enzymes can be united into a common group called CTZ-dependent luciferases. Among these, there are two sharply different types of the system organization-Ca2+-regulated photoproteins and luciferases themselves that function in accordance with the classical enzyme-substrate kinetics. Along with deep and comprehensive fundamental research on these systems, approaches and methods of their practical use as highly sensitive reporters in analytics have been developed. The research aiming at the creation of artificial luciferases and synthetic CTZ analogues with new unique properties has led to the development of new experimental analytical methods based on them. The commercial availability of many ready-to-use assay systems based on CTZ-dependent luciferases is also important when choosing them by first-time-users. The development of analytical methods based on these bioluminescent systems is currently booming. The bioluminescent systems under consideration were successfully applied in various biological research areas, which confirms them to be a powerful analytical tool. In this review, we consider the main directions, results, and achievements in research involving these luciferases.

Profiling Glucose-Stimulated and M3 Receptor-Activated Insulin Secretion Dynamics from Islets of Langerhans Using an Extended-Lifetime Fluorescence Dye

Pulsatile insulin from pancreatic islets is crucial for glucose homeostasis, but the mechanism behind coordinated pulsatility is still under investigation. One hypothesis suggests that cholinergic stimulation of islets by pancreatic ganglia resets these endocrine units, producing synchronization. Previously, it was shown that intracellular Ca²⁺ oscillations within islets can be entrained by pulses of a cholinergic agonist, carbachol (CCh). Although these proxy measurements of Ca²⁺ provided insight into the synchronization mechanism, measurement of insulin output would be more direct evidence. To this end, a fluorescence anisotropy competitive immunoassay for online insulin detection from single and grouped islets in a microfluidic system was developed using a piezoelectric pressure-driven fluid delivery system and a squaraine rotaxane fluorophore, SeTau-647, as the fluorescent label for insulin. Due to SeTau-647 having a longer lifetime and higher brightness compared to the previously used Cy5 fluorophore, a 45% increase in the anisotropy range was observed with enhanced signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of the measurements. This new system was tested by measuring glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from single and groups of murine and human islets. Distinct islet entrainment of groups of murine islets by pulses of CCh was also observed, providing further evidence for the hypothesis that pulsatile output from the ganglia can synchronize islet behavior. We expect that this relatively straightforward, homogeneous assay can be widely used for examining not only insulin secretion but other secreted factors from different tissues.

Insulin sensor cells for the analysis of insulin secretion responses in single living pancreatic β cells

Investigation of the functions of insulin-secreting cells in response to glucose in single-living cells is essential for improving our knowledge on the pathogenesis of diabetes. Therefore, it is desired to develop a new convenient method that enables the direct detection of insulin secreted from single-living cells. Here, insulin-sensor-cells expressing a protein-based insulin-detecting probe immobilized on the extracellular membrane were developed to evaluate the insulin-secretion response in single-living pancreatic β cells. The protein-based insulin-detecting probe (NαLY) was composed of a bioluminescent protein (nano-luc), the αCT segment of the insulin receptor, L1 and CR domains of the insulin receptor, and a fluorescent protein (YPet). NαLY exhibited a bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) signal in response to insulin; thus, cells of Hepa1-6 line were genetically engineered to express NαLY on the extracellular membrane. The cells were found to act as insulin-sensor-cells, exhibiting a BRET signal in response to insulin. When the insulin-sensor-cells and pancreatic β cells (MIN6 cell line) were cocultured and stimulated with glucose, insulin-sensor-cells nearby pancreatic β cells showed the spike-shaped BRET signal response, whereas the insulin-sensor-cells close to one pancreatic β cell did not exhibit such signal response. However, all the insulin-sensor-cells showed a gradual increase in BRET signals, which were presumably attributed to the increase in insulin concentrations in the culture dish, confirming the function of these insulin-sensor-cells. Therefore, we demonstrated that heterogenetic insulin secretion in single-living pancreatic β cells could be measured directly using the insulin sensor cells.

NanoBRET: The Bright Future of Proximity-Based Assays

Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) is a biophysical technique used to monitor proximity within live cells. BRET exploits the naturally occurring phenomenon of dipole-dipole energy transfer from a donor enzyme (luciferase) to an acceptor fluorophore following enzyme-mediated oxidation of a substrate. This results in production of a quantifiable signal that denotes proximity between proteins and/or molecules tagged with complementary luciferase and fluorophore partners. BRET assays have been used to observe an array of biological functions including ligand binding, intracellular signaling, receptor-receptor proximity, and receptor trafficking, however, BRET assays can theoretically be used to monitor the proximity of any protein or molecule for which appropriate fusion constructs and/or fluorophore conjugates can be produced. Over the years, new luciferases and approaches have been developed that have increased the potential applications for BRET assays. In particular, the development of the small, bright and stable Nanoluciferase (NanoLuc; Nluc) and its use in NanoBRET has vastly broadened the potential applications of BRET assays. These advances have exciting potential to produce new experimental methods to monitor protein-protein interactions (PPIs), protein-ligand interactions, and/or molecular proximity. In addition to NanoBRET, Nluc has also been exploited to produce NanoBiT technology, which further broadens the scope of BRET to monitor biological function when NanoBiT is combined with an acceptor. BRET has proved to be a powerful tool for monitoring proximity and interaction, and these recent advances further strengthen its utility for a range of applications.

Advances in bioluminescence imaging: new probes from old recipes

Bioluminescent probes are powerful tools for visualizing biology in live tissues and whole animals. Recent years have seen a surge in the number of new luciferases, luciferins, and related tools available for bioluminescence imaging. Many were crafted using classic methods of optical probe design and engineering. Here we highlight recent advances in bioluminescent tool discovery and development, along with applications of the probes in cells, tissues, and organisms. Collectively, these tools are improving in vivo imaging capabilities and bolstering new research directions.

An ultrasensitive NanoLuc-based luminescence system for monitoring Plasmodium berghei throughout its life cycle

Background

Bioluminescence imaging is widely used for cell-based assays and animal imaging studies, both in biomedical research and drug development. Its main advantages include its high-throughput applicability, affordability, high sensitivity, operational simplicity, and quantitative outputs. In malaria research, bioluminescence has been used for drug discovery in vivo and in vitro, exploring host-pathogen interactions, and studying multiple aspects of Plasmodium biology. While the number of fluorescent proteins available for imaging has undergone a great expansion over the last two decades, enabling simultaneous visualization of multiple molecular and cellular events, expansion of available luciferases has lagged behind. The most widely used bioluminescent probe in malaria research is the Photinus pyralis firefly luciferase, followed by the more recently introduced Click-beetle and Renilla luciferases. Ultra-sensitive imaging of Plasmodium at low parasite densities has not been previously achieved. With the purpose of overcoming these challenges, a Plasmodium berghei line expressing the novel ultra-bright luciferase enzyme NanoLuc, called PbNLuc has been generated, and is presented in this work.

Results

NanoLuc shows at least 150 times brighter signal than firefly luciferase in vitro, allowing single parasite detection in mosquito, liver, and sexual and asexual blood stages. As a proof-of-concept, the PbNLuc parasites were used to image parasite development in the mosquito, liver and blood stages of infection, and to specifically explore parasite liver stage egress, and pre-patency period in vivo.

Conclusions

PbNLuc is a suitable parasite line for sensitive imaging of the entire Plasmodium life cycle. Its sensitivity makes it a promising line to be used as a reference for drug candidate testing, as well as the characterization of mutant parasites to explore the function of parasite proteins, host-parasite interactions, and the better understanding of Plasmodium biology. Since the substrate requirements of NanoLuc are different from those of firefly luciferase, dual bioluminescence imaging for the simultaneous characterization of two lines, or two separate biological processes, is possible, as demonstrated in this work.

NanoLuc: A Small Luciferase Is Brightening Up the Field of Bioluminescence

The biomedical field has greatly benefited from the discovery of bioluminescent proteins. Currently, scientists employ bioluminescent systems for numerous biomedical applications, ranging from highly sensitive cellular assays to bioluminescence-based molecular imaging. Traditionally, these systems are based on Firefly and Renilla luciferases; however, the applicability of these enzymes is limited by their size, stability, and luminescence efficiency. NanoLuc (NLuc), a novel bioluminescence platform, offers several advantages over established systems, including enhanced stability, smaller size, and >150-fold increase in luminescence. In addition, the substrate for NLuc displays enhanced stability and lower background activity, opening up new possibilities in the field of bioluminescence imaging. The NLuc system is incredibly versatile and may be utilized for a wide array of applications. The increased sensitivity, high stability, and small size of the NLuc system have the potential to drastically change the field of reporter assays in the future. However, as with all such technology, NLuc has limitations (including a nonideal emission for in vivo applications and its unique substrate) which may cause it to find restricted use in certain areas of molecular biology. As this unique technology continues to broaden, NLuc may have a significant impact in both preclinical and clinical fields, with potential roles in disease detection, molecular imaging, and therapeutic monitoring. This review will present the NLuc technology to the scientific community in a nonbiased manner, allowing the audience to adopt their own views of this novel system.

Exonuclease III-based target recycling for ultrasensitive homogeneous monitoring of HIV DNA using Ag(+)-coordinated hairpin probe

A new homogeneous electrochemical sensing strategy based on exonuclease III-assisted target recycling amplification was utilized for simple, rapid and highly sensitive detection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) DNA on an immobilization-free Ag(I)-assisted hairpin DNA through the cytosine-Ag(+)-cytosine coordination chemistry. The assay involved target-induced strand-displacement reaction accompanying dissociation of the chelated Ag(+) in the hairpins and exonuclease III-triggered target recycling. Initially, the added target DNA hybridized with hairpin DNA to disrupt the Ag(I)-coordinated hairpin probe and releases the coordinated Ag(+) ion. Then, the newly formed DNA double-stranded DNA could be cleaved by exonuclease III, and released target HIV DNA, which retriggered the strand-displacement reaction with the hairpin for target recycling, thereby resulting in formation of numerous free Ag(+) ions in the detection cell. The released Ag(+) ions can be readily captured by the negatively charged electrode, and subsequent anodic-stripping voltammetric detection of the captured Ag(+) ions are conducted to form the anodic current for the production of the electronic signal within the applied potential. Under optimal conditions, the exonuclease III-based sensing system exhibited good electrochemical responses for the detection of HIV DNA at a concentration as low as 23 fM.