Free-solution label-free detection of alpha-crystallin chaperone interactions by back-scattering interferometry

A Pharmacochaperone-Based High-Throughput Screening Assay for the Discovery of Chemical Probes of Orphan Receptors

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have varying and diverse physiological roles, transmitting signals from a range of stimuli, including light, chemicals, peptides, and mechanical forces. More than 130 GPCRs are orphan receptors (i.e., their endogenous ligands are unknown), representing a large untapped reservoir of potential therapeutic targets for pharmaceutical intervention in a variety of diseases. Current deorphanization approaches are slow, laborious, and usually require some in-depth knowledge about the receptor pharmacology. In this study we describe a cell-based assay to identify small molecule probes of orphan receptors that requires no a priori knowledge of receptor pharmacology. Built upon the concept of pharmacochaperones, where cell-permeable small molecules facilitate the trafficking of mutant receptors to the plasma membrane, the simple and robust technology is readily accessible by most laboratories and is amenable to high-throughput screening. The assay consists of a target harboring a synthetic point mutation that causes retention of the target in the endoplasmic reticulum. Coupled with a beta-galactosidase enzyme-fragment complementation reporter system, the assay identifies compounds that act as pharmacochaperones causing forward trafficking of the mutant GPCR. The assay can identify compounds with varying mechanisms of action including agonists and antagonists. A universal positive control compound circumvents the need for a target-specific ligand. The veracity of the approach is demonstrated using the beta-2-adrenergic receptor. Together with other existing assay technologies to validate the signaling pathways and the specificity of ligands identified, this pharmacochaperone-based approach can accelerate the identification of ligands for these potentially therapeutically useful receptors.

An experimental check of backscattering interferometry

Backscattering interferometry (BSI) was used to determine the association constants for four well-known biomolecular interactions: protein A + IgG, trypsin + antitrypsin, trypsin + p-aminobenzamidine, and antithrombin + heparin. Each gave well-defined binding curves and K_d values in close agreement with published findings obtained using other techniques. These results stand in direct contrast to the claims in a 2015 publication in this journal (Discussion of "Back Scattering Interferometry revisited-a theoretical and experimental investigation" Jørgensen, T.M.; Jepsen, S.T.; Sørensen, H.S.; di Gennaro, A.K.; Kristensen, S.R. Sensors and Actuators B 2015, 220, 1328-1337, doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2015.06.121), thus invalidating the claim that BSI is unable to make measurements of this kind. The experimental details are discussed, and several potential sources of error in the previous publication are identified. No comments are made here on the discussion of the theoretical aspects of the BSI technique.

Small molecule regulation of protein conformation by binding in the Flap of HIV protease

The fragment indole-6-carboxylic acid (1F1), previously identified as a flap site binder in a fragment-based screen against HIV protease (PR), has been cocrystallized with pepstatin-inhibited PR and with apo-PR. Another fragment, 3-indolepropionic acid (1F1-N), predicted by AutoDock calculations and confirmed in a novel inhibition of nucleation crystallization assay, exploits the same interactions in the flap site in two crystal structures. Both 1F1 and 1F1-N bind to the closed form of apo-PR and to pepstatin:PR. In solution, 1F1 and 1F1-N raise the Tm of apo-PR by 3.5-5 °C as assayed by differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) and show equivalent low-micromolar binding constants to both apo-PR and pepstatin:PR, assayed by backscattering interferometry (BSI). The observed signal intensities in BSI are greater for each fragment upon binding to apo-PR than to pepstatin-bound PR, consistent with greater conformational change in the former binding event. Together, these data indicate that fragment binding in the flap site favors a closed conformation of HIV PR.

Ligand-receptor interaction platforms and their applications for drug discovery

INTRODUCTION

The study of drug-target interactions is essential for the understanding of biological processes and for the efforts to develop new therapeutic molecules. Increased ligand-binding assays have coincided with the advances in reagents, detection and instrumentation technologies, the expansion in therapeutic targets of interest, and the increasingly recognized importance of biochemical aspects of drug-target interactions in determining the clinical performance of drug molecules. Nowadays, ligand-binding assays can determine every aspect of many drug-target interactions.

AREAS COVERED

Given that ligand-target interactions are very diverse, the author has decided to focus on the binding of small molecules to protein targets. This article first reviews the key biochemical aspects of drug-target interactions, and then discusses the detection principles of various ligand-binding techniques in the context of their primary applications for drug discovery and development.

EXPERT OPINION

Equilibrium-binding affinity should not be used as a solo indicator for the in vivo pharmacology of drugs. The clinical relevance of drug-binding kinetics demands high throughput kinetics early in drug discovery. The dependence of ligand binding and function on the conformation of targets necessitates solution-based and whole cell-based ligand-binding assays. The increasing need to examine ligand binding at the proteome level, driven by the clinical importance of the polypharmacology of ligands, has started to make the structure-based in silico binding screen an indispensable technique for drug discovery and development. Integration of different ligand-binding assays is important to improve the efficiency of the drug discovery and development process.

Multiple sites in αB-crystallin modulate its interactions with desmin filaments assembled in vitro

The β3- and β8-strands and C-terminal residues 155–165 of αB-crystallin were identified by pin arrays as interaction sites for various client proteins including the intermediate filament protein desmin. Here we present data using 5 well-characterised αB-crystallin protein constructs with substituted β3- and β8-strands and with the C-terminal residues 155–165 deleted to demonstrate the importance of these sequences to the interaction of αB-crystallin with desmin filaments. We used electron microscopy of negatively stained samples to visualize increased interactions followed by sedimentation assays to quantify our observations. A low-speed sedimentation assay measured the ability of αB-crystallin to prevent the self-association of desmin filaments. A high-speed sedimentation assay measured αB-crystallin cosedimentation with desmin filaments. Swapping the β8-strand of αB-crystallin or deleting residues 155–165 increased the cosedimentation of αB-crystallin with desmin filaments, but this coincided with increased filament-filament interactions. In contrast, substitution of the β3-strand with the equivalent αA-crystallin sequences improved the ability of αB-crystallin to prevent desmin filament-filament interactions with no significant change in its cosedimentation properties. These data suggest that all three sequences (β3-strand, β8-strand and C-terminal residues 155–165) contribute to the interaction of αB-crystallin with desmin filaments. The data also suggest that the cosedimentation of αB-crystallin with desmin filaments does not necessarily correlate with preventing desmin filament-filament interactions. This important observation is relevant not only to the formation of the protein aggregates that contain both desmin and αB-crystallin and typify desmin related myopathies, but also to the interaction of αB-crystallin with other filamentous protein polymers.

Measurement of aptamer-protein interactions with back-scattering interferometry

We report the quantitative measurement of aptamer-protein interactions using backscattering interferometry (BSI) and show that BSI can determine when distinct binding regions are accessed. As a model system, we utilized two DNA aptamers (Tasset and Bock) that bind to distinct sites of a target protein (human α-thrombin). This is the first time BSI has been used to study a multivalent system in free solution wherein more than one ligand binds to a single target. We measured aptamer equilibrum dissociation constants (K(d)) of 3.84 nM (Tasset-thrombin) and 5.96 nM (Bock-thrombin), in close agreement with the literature. Unexpectedly, we observed allosteric effects such that the binding of the first aptamer resulted in a significant change in the binding affinity of the second aptamer. For example, the K(d) of Bock aptamer binding to preformed Tasset-thrombin complexes was 7-fold lower (indicating higher affinity) compared to binding to thrombin alone. Preliminary modeling efforts suggest evidence for allosteric linkage between the two exosites.

Evolution and protein packaging of small-molecule RNA aptamers

A high-affinity RNA aptamer (K(d) = 50 nM) was efficiently identified by SELEX against a heteroaryldihydropyrimidine structure, chosen as a representative drug-like molecule with no cross reactivity with mammalian or bacterial cells. This aptamer, its weaker-binding variants, and a known aptamer against theophylline were each embedded in a longer RNA sequence that was encapsidated inside a virus-like particle by a convenient expression technique. These nucleoprotein particles were shown by backscattering interferometry to bind to the small-molecule ligands with affinities similar to those of the free (nonencapsidated) aptamers. The system therefore comprises a general approach to the production and sequestration of functional RNA molecules, characterized by a convenient label-free analytical technique.

Label-free quantification of membrane-ligand interactions using backscattering interferometry

Although membrane proteins are ubiquitous within all living organisms and represent the majority of drug targets, a general method for direct, label-free measurement of ligand binding to native membranes has not been reported. Here we show that backscattering interferometry (BSI) can accurately quantify ligand-receptor binding affinities in a variety of membrane environments. By detecting minute changes in the refractive index of a solution, BSI allows binding interactions of proteins with their ligands to be measured at picomolar concentrations. Equilibrium binding constants in the micromolar to picomolar range were obtained for small- and large-molecule interactions in both synthetic and cell-derived membranes without the use of labels or supporting substrates. The simple and low-cost hardware, high sensitivity and label-free nature of BSI should make it readily applicable to the study of many membrane-associated proteins of biochemical and pharmacological interest.

The potential of backscattering interferometry as an in vitro clinical diagnostic tool for the serological diagnosis of infectious disease

Backscattering interferometry enables the detection of syphilis antibody-antigen interactions in the presence of human serum, showing promise as a diagnostic tool for the serological diagnosis of infectious disease with potentially quantitative capabilities.

Thermodynamic analysis of a molecular chaperone binding to unfolded protein substrates

Molecular chaperones are a highly diverse group of proteins that recognize and bind unfolded proteins to facilitate protein folding and prevent nonspecific protein aggregation. The mechanisms by which chaperones bind their protein substrates have been studied for decades. However, there are few reports about the affinity of molecular chaperones for their unfolded protein substrates. Thus, little is known about the relative binding affinities of different chaperones and about the relative binding affinities of chaperones for different unfolded protein substrates. Here we describe the application of SUPREX (stability of unpurified proteins from rates of H-D exchange), an H-D exchange and MALDI-based technique, in studying the binding interaction between the molecular chaperone Hsp33 and four different unfolded protein substrates, including citrate synthase, lactate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, and aldolase. The results of our studies suggest that the cooperativity of the Hsp33 folding-unfolding reaction increases upon binding with denatured protein substrates. This is consistent with the burial of significant hydrophobic surface area in Hsp33 when it interacts with its substrate proteins. The SUPREX-derived K(d) values for Hsp33 complexes with four different substrates were all found to be within the range of 3-300 nM.

Structure and mechanism of protein stability sensors: chaperone activity of small heat shock proteins

Small heat shock proteins (sHSP) make up a remarkably diverse group of molecular chaperones possessing a degree of structural plasticity unparalleled in other protein superfamilies. In the absence of chemical energy input, these stability sensors can sensitively recognize and bind destabilized proteins, even in the absence of gross misfolding. Cellular conditions regulate affinity toward client proteins, allowing tightly controlled switching and tuning of sHSP chaperone capacity. Perturbations of this regulation, through chemical modification or mutation, directly lead to a variety of disease states. This review explores the structural basis of sHSP oligomeric flexibility and the corresponding functional consequences in the context of a model describing sHSP activity with a set of three coupled thermodynamic equilibria. As current research illuminates many novel physiological roles for sHSP outside of their traditional duties as molecular chaperones, such a conceptual framework provides a sound foundation for describing these emerging functions in physiological and pathological processes.