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Henderson J, Havranek O, Ma MCJ, Herman V, Kupcova K, Chrbolkova T, Pacheco-Blanco M, Wang Z, Comer JM, Zal T, Davis RE. Detecting Förster resonance energy transfer in living cells by conventional and spectral flow cytometry. Cytometry A 2022; 101:818-834. [PMID: 34128311 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.24472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Assays based on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) can be used to study many processes in cell biology. Although this is most often done with microscopy for fluorescence detection, we report two ways to measure FRET in living cells by flow cytometry. Using a conventional flow cytometer and the "3-cube method" for intensity-based calculation of FRET efficiency, we measured the enzymatic activity of specific kinases in cells expressing a genetically-encoded reporter. For both AKT and protein kinase A, the method measured kinase activity in time-course, dose-response, and kinetic assays. Using the Cytek Aurora spectral flow cytometer, which applies linear unmixing to emission measured in multiple wavelength ranges, FRET from the same reporters was measured with greater single-cell precision, in real time and in the presence of other fluorophores. Results from gene-knockout studies suggested that spectral flow cytometry might enable the sorting of cells on the basis of FRET. The methods we present provide convenient and flexible options for using FRET with flow cytometry in studies of cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared Henderson
- Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ondrej Havranek
- Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,BIOCEV, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic.,Department of Hematology, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Man Chun John Ma
- Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Vaclav Herman
- BIOCEV, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic.,Department of Hematology, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kristyna Kupcova
- BIOCEV, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Tereza Chrbolkova
- BIOCEV, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | | | - Zhiqiang Wang
- Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Justin M Comer
- Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Tomasz Zal
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Richard Eric Davis
- Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
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Hong Y, Guo H, Wei M, Zhang Y, Fang M, Cheng T, Li Z, Ge S, Yao X, Yuan Q, Xia N. Cell-based reporter assays for measurements of antibody-mediated cellular cytotoxicity and phagocytosis against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. J Virol Methods 2022; 307:114564. [PMID: 35671888 PMCID: PMC9167684 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2022.114564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 infections has led to excess deaths worldwide. Neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) against viral spike protein acquired from natural infections or vaccinations contribute to protection against new- and re-infections. Besides neutralization, antibody-mediated cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and phagocytosis (ADCP) are also important for viral clearance. However, due to the lack of convenient methods, the ADCC and ADCP responses elicited by viral infections or vaccinations remain to be explored. Here, we developed cell-based assays using target cells stably expressing SARS-CoV-2 spikes and Jurkat-NFAT-CD16a/CD32a effector cells for ADCC/ADCP measurements of monoclonal antibodies and human convalescent COVID-19 plasmas (HCPs). In control samples (n = 190), the specificity was 99.5% (95%CI: 98.4–100%) and 97.4% (95%CI: 95.1–99.6%) for the ADCC and ADCP assays, respectively. Among 87 COVID-19 HCPs, 83 (sensitivity: 95.4%, 95%CI: 91.0–99.8%) and 81 (sensitivity: 93.1%, 95%CI: 87.8–98.4%) showed detectable ADCC (titer range: 7.4–1721.6) and ADCP activities (titer range: 4–523.2). Notably, both ADCC and ADCP antibody titers positively correlated with the nAb titers in HCPs. In summary, we developed new tools for quantitative ADCC and ADCP analysis against SARS-CoV-2, which may facilitate further evaluations of Fc-mediated effector functions in preventing and treating against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China
| | - Huilin Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China
| | - Min Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China
| | - Yali Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China
| | - Mujin Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China
| | - Tong Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China
| | - Zhiyong Li
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P.R. China
| | - Shengxiang Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China
| | - Xiangyang Yao
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P.R. China.
| | - Quan Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China.
| | - Ningshao Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China; National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, P. R. China
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Jin YH, Min JS, Jeon S, Lee J, Kim S, Park T, Park D, Jang MS, Park CM, Song JH, Kim HR, Kwon S. Lycorine, a non-nucleoside RNA dependent RNA polymerase inhibitor, as potential treatment for emerging coronavirus infections. Phytomedicine 2021; 86:153440. [PMID: 33376043 PMCID: PMC7738280 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2020.153440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Highly effective novel treatments need to be developed to suppress emerging coronavirus (CoV) infections such as COVID-19. The RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) among the viral proteins is known as an effective antiviral target. Lycorine is a phenanthridine Amaryllidaceae alkaloid isolated from the bulbs of Lycoris radiata (L'Hér.) Herb. and has various pharmacological bioactivities including antiviral function. PURPOSE We investigated the direct-inhibiting action of lycorine on CoV's RdRp, as potential treatment for emerging CoV infections. METHODS We examined the inhibitory effect of lycorine on MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 infections, and then quantitatively measured the inhibitory effect of lycorine on MERS-CoV RdRp activity using a cell-based reporter assay. Finally, we performed the docking simulation with lycorine and SARS-CoV-2 RdRp. RESULTS Lycorine efficiently inhibited these CoVs with IC50 values of 2.123 ± 0.053, 1.021 ± 0.025, and 0.878 ± 0.022 μM, respectively, comparable with anti-CoV effects of remdesivir. Lycorine directly inhibited MERS-CoV RdRp activity with an IC50 of 1.406 ± 0.260 μM, compared with remdesivir's IC50 value of 6.335 ± 0.731 μM. In addition, docking simulation showed that lycorine interacts with SARS-CoV-2 RdRp at the Asp623, Asn691, and Ser759 residues through hydrogen bonding, at which the binding affinities of lycorine (-6.2 kcal/mol) were higher than those of remdesivir (-4.7 kcal/mol). CONCLUSIONS Lycorine is a potent non-nucleoside direct-acting antiviral against emerging coronavirus infections and acts by inhibiting viral RdRp activity; therefore, lycorine may be a candidate against the current COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young-Hee Jin
- KM Application Center, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daegu 41062, Korea; Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea.
| | - Jung Sun Min
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea; Herbal Medicine Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Korea
| | - Sangeun Jeon
- Zoonotic Virus Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam 13488, Korea
| | - Jihye Lee
- Zoonotic Virus Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam 13488, Korea
| | - Seungtaek Kim
- Zoonotic Virus Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam 13488, Korea
| | - Tamina Park
- Department of Predictive Toxicology, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Daeui Park
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea; Department of Predictive Toxicology, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Min Seong Jang
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea; Department of Non-Clinical Studies, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Chul Min Park
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Jong Hwan Song
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Hyoung Rae Kim
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Sunoh Kwon
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea; Herbal Medicine Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Korea.
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Min JS, Kim GW, Kwon S, Jin YH. A Cell-Based Reporter Assay for Screening Inhibitors of MERS Coronavirus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase Activity. J Clin Med 2020; 9:E2399. [PMID: 32727069 PMCID: PMC7465106 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9082399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are emerging zoonotic diseases caused by coronavirus (CoV) infections. The viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) has been suggested as a valuable target for antiviral therapeutics because the sequence homology of CoV RdRp is highly conserved. We established a cell-based reporter assay for MERS-CoV RdRp activity to test viral polymerase inhibitors. The cell-based reporter system was composed of the bicistronic reporter construct and the MERS-CoV nsp12 plasmid construct. Among the tested nine viral polymerase inhibitors, ribavirin, sofosbuvir, favipiravir, lamivudine, zidovudine, valacyclovir, vidarabine, dasabuvir, and remdesivir, only remdesivir exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition. Meanwhile, the Z-factor and Z'-factor of this assay for screening inhibitors of MERS-CoV RdRp activity were 0.778 and 0.782, respectively. Ribavirin and favipiravir did not inhibit the MERS-CoV RdRp activity, and non-nucleoside HCV RdRp inhibitor, dasabuvir, partially inhibited MERS-CoV RdRp activity. Taken together, the cell-based reporter assay for MERS-CoV RdRp activity confirmed remdesivir as a direct inhibitor of MERS-CoV RdRp in cells. A cell-based MERS-CoV RdRp activity reporter assay is reliable and accurate for screening MERS-CoV RdRp-specific inhibitors. It may provide a valuable platform for developing antiviral drugs for emerging CoV infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung Sun Min
- Herbal Medicine Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Korea; (J.S.M.); (G.-W.K.)
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Geon-Woo Kim
- Herbal Medicine Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Korea; (J.S.M.); (G.-W.K.)
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Sunoh Kwon
- Herbal Medicine Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Korea; (J.S.M.); (G.-W.K.)
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Young-Hee Jin
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
- KM Application Center, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daegu 41062, Korea
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