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Kim SB, Kamiya G, Furuta T, Kitada N, Maki SA. Coelenterazine Indicators for the Specific Imaging of Human and Bovine Serum Albumins. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:6020. [PMID: 37447868 DOI: 10.3390/s23136020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Albumin assays in serum are important for the prognostic assessment of many life-threatening diseases, such as heart failure, liver disease, malnutrition, inflammatory bowel disease, infections, and kidney disease. In this study, synthetic coelenterazine (CTZ) indicators are developed to quantitatively illuminate human and bovine serum albumins (HSA and BSA) with high specificity. Their functional groups were chemically modified to specifically emit luminescence with HSA and BSA. The CTZ indicators were characterized by assaying the most abundant serum proteins and found that the CTZ indicators S6 and S6h were highly specific to HSA and BSA, respectively. Their colors were dramatically converted from blue, peaked at 480 nm, to yellowish green, peaked at 535 nm, according to the HSA-BSA mixing ratios, wherein the origins and mixing levels of the albumins can be easily determined by their colors and peak positions. The kinetic properties of HSA and BSA were investigated in detail, confirming that the serum albumins catalyze the CTZ indicators, which act as pseudo-luciferases. The catalytic reactions were efficiently inhibited by specific inhibitors, blocking the drug-binding sites I and II of HSA and BSA. Finally, the utility of the CTZ indicators was demonstrated through a quantitative imaging of the real fetal bovine serum (FBS). This study is the first example to show that the CTZ indicators specify HSA and BSA with different colors. This study contributes to the expansion of the toolbox of optical indicators, which efficiently assays serum proteins in physiological samples. Considering that these CTZ indicators immediately report quantitative optical signals with high specificity, they provide solutions to conventional technical hurdles on point-of-care assays of serum albumins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung-Bae Kim
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8569, Japan
| | - Genta Kamiya
- Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu 182-8585, Japan
| | - Tadaomi Furuta
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Nobuo Kitada
- Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu 182-8585, Japan
| | - Shojiro A Maki
- Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu 182-8585, Japan
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Kim SB, Furuta T, Kamiya G, Kitada N, Paulmurugan R, Maki SA. Bright Molecular Strain Probe Templates for Reporting Protein-Protein Interactions. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:3498. [PMID: 37050557 PMCID: PMC10098686 DOI: 10.3390/s23073498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Imaging protein-protein interactions (PPIs) is a hot topic in molecular medicine in the postgenomic sequencing era. In the present study, we report bright and highly sensitive single-chain molecular strain probe templates which embed full-length Renilla luciferase 8.6-535SG (RLuc86SG) or Artificial luciferase 49 (ALuc49) as reporters. These reporters were deployed between FKBP-rapamycin binding domain (FRB) and FK506-binding protein (FKBP) as a PPI model. This unique molecular design was conceptualized to exploit molecular strains of the sandwiched reporters appended by rapamycin-triggered intramolecular PPIs. The ligand-sensing properties of the templates were maximized by interface truncations and substrate modulation. The highest fold intensities, 9.4 and 16.6, of the templates were accomplished with RLuc86SG and ALuc49, respectively. The spectra of the templates, according to substrates, revealed that the colors are tunable to blue, green, and yellow. The putative substrate-binding chemistry and the working mechanisms of the probes were computationally modeled in the presence or absence of rapamycin. Considering that the molecular strain probe templates are applicable to other PPI models, the present approach would broaden the scope of the bioassay toolbox, which harnesses the privilege of luciferase reporters and the unique concept of the molecular strain probes into bioassays and molecular imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung-Bae Kim
- Environmental Management Research Institute (EMRI), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8569, Japan
| | - Tadaomi Furuta
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Genta Kamiya
- Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu 182-8585, Japan
| | - Nobuo Kitada
- Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu 182-8585, Japan
| | - Ramasamy Paulmurugan
- Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Bio-X Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Shojiro A. Maki
- Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu 182-8585, Japan
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S-Series Coelenterazine-Driven Combinatorial Bioluminescence Imaging Systems for Mammalian Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24021420. [PMID: 36674934 PMCID: PMC9865520 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
A unique combinatorial bioluminescence (BL) imaging system was developed for determining molecular events in mammalian cells with various colors and BL intensity patterns. This imaging system consists of one or multiple reporter luciferases and a series of novel coelenterazine (CTZ) analogues named "S-series". For this study, ten kinds of novel S-series CTZ analogues were synthesized and characterized concerning the BL intensities, spectra, colors, and specificity of various marine luciferases. The characterization revealed that the S-series CTZ analogues luminesce with blue-to-orange-colored BL spectra with marine luciferases, where the most red-shifted BL spectrum peaked at 583 nm. The colors completed a visible light color palette with those of our precedent C-series CTZ analogues. The synthesized substrates S1, S5, S6, and S7 were found to have a unique specificity with marine luciferases, such as R86SG, NanoLuc (shortly, NLuc), and ALuc16. They collectively showed unique BL intensity patterns to identify the marine luciferases together with colors. The marine luciferases, R86SG, NLuc, and ALuc16, were multiplexed into multi-reporter systems, the signals of which were quantitatively unmixed with the specific substrates. When the utility was applied to a single-chain molecular strain probe, the imaging system simultaneously reported three different optical indexes for a ligand, i.e., unique BL intensity and color patterns for identifying the reporters, together with the ligand-specific fold intensities in mammalian cells. This study directs a new combinatorial BL imaging system to specific image molecular events in mammalian cells with multiple optical indexes.
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Pedro Silva J, González-Berdullas P, Pereira M, Duarte D, Rodríguez-Borges JE, Vale N, Esteves da Silva JC, Pinto da Silva L. Evaluation of the anticancer activity and chemiluminescence of a halogenated coelenterazine analog. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochem.2022.114228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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Kim SB, Nishihara R, Paulmurugan R. Near-Infrared Imaging of Steroid Hormone Activities Using Bright BRET Templates. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010677. [PMID: 36614119 PMCID: PMC9820568 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Bioluminescence (BL) is an excellent optical readout for bioassays and molecular imaging. Herein, we accomplished new near infrared bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (NIR-BRET) templates for monitoring molecular events in cells with higher sensitivity. We first identified the best resonance energy donor for the NIR-BRET templates through the characterization of many coelenterazine (CTZ)-marine luciferase combinations. As a result, we found that NLuc-DBlueC and ALuc47-nCTZ combinations showed luminescence in the blue emission wavelength with excellent BL intensity and stability, for example, the NLuc-DBlueC and ALuc47-nCTZ combinations were 17-fold and 22-fold brighter than their second highest combinations, respectively, and were stably bright in living mammalian cells for at least 10 min. To harness the excellent BL properties to the NIR-BRET systems, NLuc and ALuc47 were genetically fused to fluorescent proteins (FPs), allowing large "blue-to-red" shifts, such as LSSmChe, LSSmKate2, and LSSmNep (where LSS means Large Stokes Shift). The excellent LSSmNep-NLuc combination showed approximately 170 nm large resonance energy shift from blue to red. The established templates were further utilized in the development of new NIR-BRET systems for imaging steroid hormone activities by sandwiching the ligand-binding domain of a nuclear receptor (NR-LBD) between the luciferase and the FP of the template. The NIR-BRET systems showed a specific luminescence signal upon exposure to steroid hormones, such as androgen, estrogen, and cortisol. The present NIR-BRET templates are important additions for utilizing their advantageous imaging of various molecular events with high efficiency and brightness in physiological samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung-Bae Kim
- Research Institute for Environmental Management Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1, Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8569, Ibaraki, Japan
- Correspondence: (S.-B.K.); (R.P.)
| | - Ryo Nishihara
- Health and Medical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1, Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8566, Ibaraki, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), PREST, 4-1-8, Honcho, Kawaguchi 332-0012, Saitama, Japan
| | - Ramasamy Paulmurugan
- Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Bio-X Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
- Correspondence: (S.-B.K.); (R.P.)
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Kamiya G, Kitada N, Maki S, Kim SB. Multiplex quadruple bioluminescent assay system. Sci Rep 2022; 12:17485. [PMID: 36261452 PMCID: PMC9581999 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20468-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Bioluminescence (BL) is unique cold body radiation of light, generated by luciferin-luciferase reactions and commonly used in various bioassays and molecular imaging. However, most of the peak emissions of BL populate the blue-yellow region and have broad spectral bandwidths and thus superimpose each other, causing optical cross-leakages in multiplex assays. This study synthesized a new series of coelenterazine (CTZ) analogues, named K-series, that selectively illuminates marine luciferases with unique, blue-shifted spectral properties. The optical property and specificity of the K-series CTZ analogues were characterized by marine luciferases, with K2 and K5 found to specifically luminesce with ALuc- and RLuc-series marine luciferases, respectively. The results confirmed that the luciferase specificity and color variation of the CTZ analogues minimize the cross-leakages of BL signals and enable high-throughput screening of specific ligands in the mixture. The specificity and color variation of the substrates were further tailored to marine luciferases (or single-chain bioluminescent probes) to create a multiplex quadruple assay system with four integrated, single-chain bioluminescent probes, with each probe designed to selectively luminesce only with its specific ligand (first authentication) and a specific CTZ analogue (second authentication). This unique multiplex quadruple bioluminescent assay system is an efficient optical platform for specific and high-throughput imaging of multiple optical markers in bioassays without optical cross-leakages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genta Kamiya
- grid.266298.10000 0000 9271 9936Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585 Japan
| | - Nobuo Kitada
- grid.266298.10000 0000 9271 9936Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585 Japan
| | - Shojiro Maki
- grid.266298.10000 0000 9271 9936Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585 Japan
| | - Sung Bae Kim
- grid.208504.b0000 0001 2230 7538Research Institute for Environmental Management Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 305-8569 Japan
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Kitada N, Maki S, Kim SB. Visible Light Bioluminescence Imaging Platform for Animal Cell Imaging. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2524:37-51. [PMID: 35821461 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2453-1_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The present protocol introduces a visible light bioluminescence imaging (BLI) platform together with 12 novel coelenterazine (CTZ) analogues and luciferase sets. We exemplify to create diverse hues of bioluminescence (BL) ranging from blue to far red with the combination of marine luciferases and the three groups of CTZ analogues. We also show how to characterize the new CTZ analogues in detail such as the kinetic parameters, dose dependency, and luciferase specificity. The 2-series CTZ analogues interestingly have specificity to artificial luciferases and are completely dark with Renilla luciferase derivatives in contrast. The 3d is highly specific to only NanoLuc. This BL imaging system covering the visible region provides a useful multicolor imaging portfolio that efficiently images molecular events in mammalian cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuo Kitada
- Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shojiro Maki
- Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sung-Bae Kim
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
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KUMADA R, ORIOKA M, CITTERIO D, HIRUTA Y. Fluorescent and Bioluminescent Probes based on Precise Molecular Design. BUNSEKI KAGAKU 2021. [DOI: 10.2116/bunsekikagaku.70.601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rei KUMADA
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Keio University
| | | | | | - Yuki HIRUTA
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Keio University
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9
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Luciferase-Specific Coelenterazine Analogues for Optical Cross Talk-Free Bioassays. Methods Mol Biol 2021. [PMID: 34050468 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1258-3_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Spectral overlaps in fluorescence (FL) and bioluminescence (BL) commonly cause optical cross talks. The present protocol introduces five different lineages of coelenterazine (CTZ) analogues, which have selectivity to a specific luciferase, and thus cross talk-free. For example, some CTZ analogues with ethynyl or styryl groups display dramatically biased BL to specific luciferases and pH by modifying the functional groups at the C-2 and C-6 positions of the imidazopyridinne backbone of CTZ. The optical cross talk-free feature is exemplified with the multiplex system, which simultaneously illuminated antiestrogenic and rapamycin activities without optical cross talks. This unique protocol contributes to specific and high-throughput BL imaging of multiple optical readouts in mammalian cells without optical contamination.
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Color-tunable bioluminescence imaging portfolio for cell imaging. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2219. [PMID: 33500496 PMCID: PMC7838199 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81430-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study describes a color-tunable imaging portfolio together with twelve novel coelenterazine (CTZ) analogues. The three groups of CTZ analogues create diverse hues of bioluminescence (BL) ranging from blue to far red with marine luciferases. We found that the hue completes the whole color palette in the visible region and shows red-shifted BL with a marine luciferase: for example, Renilla luciferase 8 (RLuc8) and Artificial Luciferase 16 (ALuc16) show 187 nm- and 105 nm-redshifted spectra, respectively, by simply replacing the substrate CTZ with 1d. The optical properties of the new CTZ analogues were investigated such as the kinetic parameters, dose dependency, and luciferase specificity. The 2-series CTZ analogues interestingly have specificity to ALucs and are completely dark with RLuc derivatives, and 3d is highly specific to only NanoLuc. We further determined the theoretical background of the red-shifted BL maximum wavelengths (λBL) values according to the extended π conjugation of the CTZ backbone using Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. This color-tunable BL imaging system provides a useful multicolor imaging portfolio that efficiently images molecular events in mammalian cells.
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Nishihara R, Niwa K, Tomita T, Kurita R. Coelenterazine Analogue with Human Serum Albumin-Specific Bioluminescence. Bioconjug Chem 2020; 31:2679-2684. [PMID: 33236887 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
A synthetic luciferin comprising an imidazopyrazinone core, named HuLumino1, was designed to generate specific bioluminescence with human serum albumin (HSA) in real serum samples. HuLumino1 was developed by attaching a methoxy-terminated alkyl chain to C-6 of coelenterazine and by eliminating a benzyl group at C-8. HSA levels were quantified within 5% error margins of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay without the need for any sample pretreatments because of the high specificity of HuLumino1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Nishihara
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan.,DAILAB, DBT-AIST International Centre for Translational and Environmental Research (DAICENTER), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 5-41, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8565, Japan
| | - Kazuki Niwa
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan
| | - Tatsunosuke Tomita
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan.,DAILAB, DBT-AIST International Centre for Translational and Environmental Research (DAICENTER), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 5-41, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8565, Japan
| | - Ryoji Kurita
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan.,DAILAB, DBT-AIST International Centre for Translational and Environmental Research (DAICENTER), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 5-41, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8565, Japan.,Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan
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Abstract
Bioluminescence (BL) is an excellent optical readout platform that has great potential to be utilized in various bioassays and molecular imaging. The advantages of BL-based bioassays include the long dynamic range, minimal background, high signal-to-noise ratios, biocompatibility for use in cell-based assays, no need of external light source for excitation, simplicity in the measurement system, and versatility in the assay design. The recent intensive research in BL has greatly diversified the available luciferase-luciferin systems in the bioassay toolbox. However, the wide variety does not promise their successful utilization in various bioassays as new tools. This is mainly due to complexity and confusion with the diversity, and the unavailability of defined standards. This review is intended to provide an overview of recent basic developments and applications in BL studies, and showcases the bioanalytical utilities. We hope that this review can be used as an instant reference on BL and provides useful guidance for readers in narrowing down their potential options in their own assay designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung-Bae Kim
- Research Institute for Environmental Management Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
| | - Ramasamy Paulmurugan
- Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Bio-X Program, Stanford University School of Medicine
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Ikeda Y, Tanaka M, Nishihara R, Hiruta Y, Citterio D, Suzuki K, Niwa K. Quantitative evaluation of luminescence intensity from enzymatic luminescence reaction of coelenterazine and analogues. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochem.2020.112459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Yeh HW, Ai HW. Development and Applications of Bioluminescent and Chemiluminescent Reporters and Biosensors. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (PALO ALTO, CALIF.) 2019; 12:129-150. [PMID: 30786216 PMCID: PMC6565457 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-anchem-061318-115027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Although fluorescent reporters and biosensors have become indispensable tools in biological and biomedical fields, fluorescence measurements require external excitation light, thereby limiting their use in thick tissues and live animals. Bioluminescent reporters and biosensors may potentially overcome this hurdle because they use enzyme-catalyzed exothermic biochemical reactions to generate excited-state emitters. This review first introduces the development of bioluminescent reporters, and next, their applications in sensing biological changes in vitro and in vivo as biosensors. Lastly, we discuss chemiluminescent sensors that produce photons in the absence of luciferases. This review aims to explore fundamentals and experimental insights and to emphasize the yet-to-be-reached potential of next-generation luminescent reporters and biosensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsien-Wei Yeh
- Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, and Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA;
| | - Hui-Wang Ai
- Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, and Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA;
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Nishihara R, Paulmurugan R, Nakajima T, Yamamoto E, Natarajan A, Afjei R, Hiruta Y, Iwasawa N, Nishiyama S, Citterio D, Sato M, Kim SB, Suzuki K. Highly bright and stable NIR-BRET with blue-shifted coelenterazine derivatives for deep-tissue imaging of molecular events in vivo. Theranostics 2019; 9:2646-2661. [PMID: 31131059 PMCID: PMC6525985 DOI: 10.7150/thno.32219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is one of the most widely used optical platforms in molecular imaging, but it suffers from severe tissue attenuation and autoluminescence in vivo. Methods: Here, we developed a novel BLI platform on the basis of bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) for achieving a ~300 nm blue-to-near infrared shift of the emission (NIR-BRET) by synthesizing an array of 18 novel coelenterazine (CTZ) derivatives, named "Bottle Blue (BBlue)" and a unique iRFP-linked RLuc8.6-535SG fusion protein as a probe. Results: The best NIR-BRET was achieved by tuning the emission peaks of the CTZ derivatives to a Soret band of the iRFP. In mammalian cells, BBlue2.3, one of the CTZ derivatives, emits light that is ~50-fold brighter than DBlueC when combined with RLuc8.6-535SG, which shows stable BL kinetics. When we used a caged version of BBLue2.3, it showed a BL half decay time of over 60 minutes while maintaining the higher signal sensitivity. This NIR BL is sufficiently brighter to be used for imaging live mammalian cells at single cell level, and also for imaging metastases in deep tissues in live mice without generating considerable autoluminescence. A single-chain probe developed based on this BLI platform allowed us to sensitively image ligand antagonist-specific activation of estrogen receptor in the NIR region. Conclusion: This unique optical platform provides the brightest NIR BLI template that can be used for imaging a diverse group of cellular events in living subjects including protein‒protein interactions and cancer metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Nishihara
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan
- Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Bio-X Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California 94304, United States
| | - Ramasamy Paulmurugan
- Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Bio-X Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California 94304, United States
| | - Takahiro Nakajima
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1, Komaba Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Eiji Yamamoto
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan
| | - Arutselvan Natarajan
- Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Bio-X Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California 94304, United States
| | - Rayhaneh Afjei
- Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Bio-X Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California 94304, United States
| | - Yuki Hiruta
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan
| | - Naoko Iwasawa
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan
| | - Shigeru Nishiyama
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan
| | - Daniel Citterio
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan
| | - Moritoshi Sato
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1, Komaba Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Sung Bae Kim
- Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Bio-X Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California 94304, United States
- Research Institute for Environmental Management Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8569, Japan
| | - Koji Suzuki
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan
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Yao Z, Zhang BS, Prescher JA. Advances in bioluminescence imaging: new probes from old recipes. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2018; 45:148-156. [PMID: 29879594 PMCID: PMC6076869 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi Yao
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Brendan S Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Jennifer A Prescher
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
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17
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Nishihara R, Hoshino E, Kakudate Y, Kishigami S, Iwasawa N, Sasaki SI, Nakajima T, Sato M, Nishiyama S, Citterio D, Suzuki K, Kim SB. Azide- and Dye-Conjugated Coelenterazine Analogues for a Multiplex Molecular Imaging Platform. Bioconjug Chem 2018; 29:1922-1931. [PMID: 29767512 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.8b00188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Native coelenterazine (nCTZ) is a common substrate to most marine luciferases and photoproteins. In this study, nine novel dye- and azide-conjugated CTZ analogues were synthesized by conjugating a series of fluorescent dyes or an azide group to the C-2 or C-6 position of the nCTZ backbone to obtain bulkiness-driven substrate specificity and potential chemiluminescence/bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (C/BRET). The investigation on the optical properties revealed that azide-conjugated CTZs emit greatly biased bioluminescence to ALucs and ca. 130 nm blue-shifted bioluminescence with RLuc8.6 in living animal cells or lysates. The corresponding kinetic study explains that azide-conjugated CTZ exerts higher catalytic efficiency than nCTZ. Nile red-conjugated CTZ completely showed red-shifted CRET spectra and characteristic BRET spectra with artificial luciferase 16 (ALuc16). No or less spectral overlap occurs among [Furimazine-NanoLuc], [6-N3-CTZ-ALuc26], [6-pi-OH-CTZ-RLuc8.6], and [6-N3-CTZ-RLuc8.6] pairs, because of the substrate-driven luciferase specificity and color shifts, providing a crosstalk-free multiplex bioassay platform. The unique bioluminescence system appends a new toolbox to bioassays and multiplex molecular imaging platforms. This study is the first example that systematically synthesized fluorescent dye-conjugated CTZs and applied them for a bioluminescence assay system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Nishihara
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology , Keio University , 3-14-1 Hiyoshi , Kohoku-ku, Yokohama , Kanagawa 223-8522 , Japan
| | - Emi Hoshino
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology , Keio University , 3-14-1 Hiyoshi , Kohoku-ku, Yokohama , Kanagawa 223-8522 , Japan
| | - Yoshiki Kakudate
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology , Keio University , 3-14-1 Hiyoshi , Kohoku-ku, Yokohama , Kanagawa 223-8522 , Japan
| | - Satoshi Kishigami
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology , Keio University , 3-14-1 Hiyoshi , Kohoku-ku, Yokohama , Kanagawa 223-8522 , Japan
| | - Naoko Iwasawa
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology , Keio University , 3-14-1 Hiyoshi , Kohoku-ku, Yokohama , Kanagawa 223-8522 , Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Sasaki
- Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology , Nagahama, Kusatsu , Shiga 525-8577 , Japan
| | - Takahiro Nakajima
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences , The University of Tokyo , 3-8-1 Komaba , Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902 , Japan
| | - Moritoshi Sato
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences , The University of Tokyo , 3-8-1 Komaba , Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902 , Japan
| | - Shigeru Nishiyama
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology , Keio University , 3-14-1 Hiyoshi , Kohoku-ku, Yokohama , Kanagawa 223-8522 , Japan
| | - Daniel Citterio
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology , Keio University , 3-14-1 Hiyoshi , Kohoku-ku, Yokohama , Kanagawa 223-8522 , Japan
| | - Koji Suzuki
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology , Keio University , 3-14-1 Hiyoshi , Kohoku-ku, Yokohama , Kanagawa 223-8522 , Japan
| | - Sung Bae Kim
- Research Institute for Environmental Management Technology , National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) , 16-1 Onogawa , Tsukuba 305-8569 , Japan
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18
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Rathbun C, Porterfield WB, Jones KA, Sagoe MJ, Reyes MR, Hua CT, Prescher JA. Parallel Screening for Rapid Identification of Orthogonal Bioluminescent Tools. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2017; 3:1254-1261. [PMID: 29296665 PMCID: PMC5746862 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.7b00394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Bioluminescence imaging with luciferase enzymes and luciferin small molecules is a well-established technique for tracking cells and other biological features in rodent models. Despite its popularity, bioluminescence has long been hindered by a lack of distinguishable probes. Here we present a method to rapidly identify new substrate-selective luciferases for multicomponent imaging. Our strategy relies on parallel screening of luciferin analogues with panels of mutant enzymes. The compiled data set is then analyzed in silico to uncover mutually orthogonal sets. Using this approach, we screened 159 mutant enzymes with 12 luciferins. Thousands of orthogonal pairs were revealed with sufficient selectivity for use in biological environments. Over 100 pairs were validated in vitro, and three were applied in cell and animal models. The parallel screening method is both generalizable and scalable and will streamline the search for larger collections of orthogonal probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin
M. Rathbun
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry,
and Department of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California,
Irvine Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - William B. Porterfield
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry,
and Department of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California,
Irvine Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Krysten A. Jones
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry,
and Department of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California,
Irvine Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Marian J. Sagoe
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry,
and Department of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California,
Irvine Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Monique R. Reyes
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry,
and Department of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California,
Irvine Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Christine T. Hua
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry,
and Department of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California,
Irvine Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Jennifer A. Prescher
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry,
and Department of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California,
Irvine Irvine, California 92697, United States
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19
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Rathbun CM, Prescher JA. Bioluminescent Probes for Imaging Biology beyond the Culture Dish. Biochemistry 2017; 56:5178-5184. [PMID: 28745860 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Bioluminescence with luciferase-luciferin pairs is an attractive method for surveying cells in live tissues and whole organisms. Recent advances in luciferin chemistry and luciferase engineering are further expanding the scope of the technology. It is now possible to spy on cells in a variety of deep tissues and visualize multicellular interactions, feats that are enabling new questions to be asked and new ideas to be explored. This perspective piece highlights recent successes in bioluminescent probe development and their applications to imaging in live cells, tissues, and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin M Rathbun
- Department of Chemistry, ‡Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California , Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Jennifer A Prescher
- Department of Chemistry, ‡Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California , Irvine, California 92697, United States
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