RESUMO
Defining long-term protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is one of the most pressing questions of our time and will require a detailed understanding of potential ways this virus can evolve to escape immune protection. Immune protection will most likely be mediated by antibodies that bind to the viral entry protein, spike (S). Here, we used Phage-DMS, an approach that comprehensively interrogates the effect of all possible mutations on binding to a protein of interest, to define the profile of antibody escape to the SARS-CoV-2 S protein using coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescent plasma. Antibody binding was common in two regions, the fusion peptide and the linker region upstream of the heptad repeat region 2. However, escape mutations were variable within these immunodominant regions. There was also individual variation in less commonly targeted epitopes. This study provides a granular view of potential antibody escape pathways and suggests there will be individual variation in antibody-mediated virus evolution.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Neutralizantes/imunologia , Anticorpos Antivirais/imunologia , COVID-19/imunologia , Epitopos/imunologia , SARS-CoV-2/imunologia , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/imunologia , Algoritmos , COVID-19/terapia , COVID-19/virologia , Linhagem Celular , Biblioteca Gênica , Humanos , Imunização Passiva , Mutação , Domínios Proteicos , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Software , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/química , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/genética , Soroterapia para COVID-19RESUMO
Cytosine methylation of DNA is a widespread modification of DNA that plays numerous critical roles. In the yeast Cryptococcus neoformans, CG methylation occurs in transposon-rich repeats and requires the DNA methyltransferase Dnmt5. We show that Dnmt5 displays exquisite maintenance-type specificity in vitro and in vivo and utilizes similar in vivo cofactors as the metazoan maintenance methylase Dnmt1. Remarkably, phylogenetic and functional analysis revealed that the ancestral species lost the gene for a de novo methylase, DnmtX, between 50-150 mya. We examined how methylation has persisted since the ancient loss of DnmtX. Experimental and comparative studies reveal efficient replication of methylation patterns in C. neoformans, rare stochastic methylation loss and gain events, and the action of natural selection. We propose that an epigenome has been propagated for >50 million years through a process analogous to Darwinian evolution of the genome.
Assuntos
Cryptococcus neoformans/genética , Metilação de DNA/genética , Metiltransferases/genética , Evolução Biológica , Cryptococcus neoformans/metabolismo , DNA/metabolismo , DNA (Citosina-5-)-Metiltransferase 1/genética , DNA (Citosina-5-)-Metiltransferases/genética , Metilação de DNA/fisiologia , Metilases de Modificação do DNA/genética , Elementos de DNA Transponíveis/genética , Epigenômica/métodos , Evolução Molecular , Genoma/genética , Metiltransferases/metabolismo , FilogeniaRESUMO
C.neoformans Dnmt5 is an unusually specific maintenance-type CpG methyltransferase (DNMT) that mediates long-term epigenome evolution. It harbors a DNMT domain and SNF2 ATPase domain. We find that the SNF2 domain couples substrate specificity to an ATPase step essential for DNA methylation. Coupling occurs independent of nucleosomes. Hemimethylated DNA preferentially stimulates ATPase activity, and mutating Dnmt5's ATP-binding pocket disproportionately reduces ATPase stimulation by hemimethylated versus unmethylated substrates. Engineered DNA substrates that stabilize a reaction intermediate by mimicking a "flipped-out" conformation of the target cytosine bypass the SNF2 domain's requirement for hemimethylation. This result implies that ATP hydrolysis by the SNF2 domain is coupled to the DNMT domain conformational changes induced by preferred substrates. These findings establish a new role for a SNF2 ATPase: controlling an adjoined enzymatic domain's substrate recognition and catalysis. We speculate that this coupling contributes to the exquisite specificity of Dnmt5 via mechanisms related to kinetic proofreading.
Assuntos
Adenosina Trifosfatases/metabolismo , Trifosfato de Adenosina/metabolismo , DNA (Citosina-5-)-Metiltransferases/metabolismo , Metilação de DNA , DNA Fúngico/metabolismo , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Nucleossomos/metabolismo , Adenosina Trifosfatases/genética , Cryptococcus neoformans/genética , Cryptococcus neoformans/metabolismo , DNA (Citosina-5-)-Metiltransferases/genética , DNA Fúngico/química , DNA Fúngico/genética , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Hidrólise , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolismo , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolismo , Especificidade por Substrato , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismoRESUMO
DNA methylation and H3K9me are hallmarks of heterochromatin in plants and mammals, and are successfully maintained across generations. The biochemical and structural basis for this maintenance is poorly understood. The maintenance DNA methyltransferase from Zea mays, ZMET2, recognizes dimethylation of H3K9 via a chromodomain (CD) and a bromo adjacent homology (BAH) domain, which flank the catalytic domain. Here, we show that dinucleosomes are the preferred ZMET2 substrate, with DNA methylation preferentially targeted to linker DNA. Electron microscopy shows one ZMET2 molecule bridging two nucleosomes within a dinucleosome. We find that the CD stabilizes binding, whereas the BAH domain enables allosteric activation by the H3K9me mark. ZMET2 further couples recognition of H3K9me to an increase in the specificity for hemimethylated versus unmethylated DNA. We propose a model in which synergistic coupling between recognition of nucleosome spacing, H3K9 methylation, and DNA modification allows ZMET2 to maintain DNA methylation in heterochromatin with high fidelity.
Assuntos
Metilação de DNA , Metilases de Modificação do DNA/metabolismo , Nucleossomos/enzimologia , Proteínas de Plantas/metabolismo , Animais , Metilases de Modificação do DNA/genética , Metilases de Modificação do DNA/ultraestrutura , Ativação Enzimática , Escherichia coli/enzimologia , Escherichia coli/genética , Microscopia Eletrônica , Modelos Moleculares , Conformação de Ácido Nucleico , Nucleossomos/química , Nucleossomos/genética , Nucleossomos/ultraestrutura , Proteínas de Plantas/genética , Proteínas de Plantas/ultraestrutura , Ligação Proteica , Domínios e Motivos de Interação entre Proteínas , Relação Estrutura-Atividade , Especificidade por Substrato , Xenopus laevis/genética , Xenopus laevis/metabolismoRESUMO
The SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 global pandemic has exhibited a striking capacity for viral evolution that drives continued evasion from vaccine and infection-induced immune responses. Mutations in the receptor binding domain of the S1 subunit of the spike glycoprotein have led to considerable escape from antibody responses, reducing the efficacy of vaccines and monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies. Therefore, there is a need to interrogate more constrained regions of spike, such as the S2 subdomain. Here, we present a collection of S2 mAbs from two SARS-CoV-2 convalescent individuals that target multiple regions in S2, including regions outside of those commonly reported. One of the S2 mAbs, C20.119, which bound to a highly conserved epitope in the fusion peptide, was able to broadly neutralize across SARS-CoV-2 variants, SARS-CoV-1, and closely related zoonotic sarbecoviruses. The majority of the mAbs were non-neutralizing; however, many of them could mediate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) at levels similar to the S1-targeting mAb S309 that was previously authorized for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Several of the mAbs with ADCC function also bound to spike trimers from other human coronaviruses (HCoVs), such as MERS-CoV and HCoV-HKU1. Our findings suggest S2 mAbs can target diverse epitopes in S2, including functional mAbs with HCoV and sarbecovirus breadth that likely target functionally constrained regions of spike. These mAbs could be developed for potential future pandemics, while also providing insight into ideal epitopes for eliciting a broad HCoV response.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Monoclonais , Anticorpos Antivirais , COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/imunologia , Humanos , SARS-CoV-2/imunologia , COVID-19/imunologia , COVID-19/virologia , Anticorpos Antivirais/imunologia , Anticorpos Monoclonais/imunologia , Anticorpos Neutralizantes/imunologia , Epitopos/imunologia , Pandemias , Betacoronavirus/imunologia , Infecções por Coronavirus/imunologia , Infecções por Coronavirus/virologia , Pneumonia Viral/imunologia , Pneumonia Viral/virologia , Citotoxicidade Celular Dependente de Anticorpos/imunologiaRESUMO
The antiviral benefit of antibodies can be compromised by viral escape especially for rapidly evolving viruses. Therefore, durable, effective antibodies must be both broad and potent to counter newly emerging, diverse strains. Discovery of such antibodies is critically important for SARS-CoV-2 as the global emergence of new variants of concern (VOC) has compromised the efficacy of therapeutic antibodies and vaccines. We describe a collection of broad and potent neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) isolated from an individual who experienced a breakthrough infection with the Delta VOC. Four mAbs potently neutralize the Wuhan-Hu-1 vaccine strain, the Delta VOC, and also retain potency against the Omicron VOCs through BA.4/BA.5 in both pseudovirus-based and authentic virus assays. Three mAbs also retain potency to recently circulating VOCs XBB.1.5 and BQ.1.1 and one also potently neutralizes SARS-CoV-1. The potency of these mAbs was greater against Omicron VOCs than all but one of the mAbs that had been approved for therapeutic applications. The mAbs target distinct epitopes on the spike glycoprotein, three in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) and one in an invariant region downstream of the RBD in subdomain 1 (SD1). The escape pathways we defined at single amino acid resolution with deep mutational scanning show they target conserved, functionally constrained regions of the glycoprotein, suggesting escape could incur a fitness cost. Overall, these mAbs are unique in their breadth across VOCs, their epitope specificity, and include a highly potent mAb targeting a rare epitope outside of the RBD in SD1.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Humanos , Infecções Irruptivas , Anticorpos Monoclonais , Anticorpos Neutralizantes , Epitopos , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/genética , Anticorpos AntiviraisRESUMO
SUMMARY: We present the phippery software suite for analyzing data from phage display methods that use immunoprecipitation and deep sequencing to capture antibody binding to peptides, often referred to as PhIP-Seq. It has three main components that can be used separately or in conjunction: (i) a Nextflow pipeline, phip-flow, to process raw sequencing data into a compact, multidimensional dataset format and allows for end-to-end automation of reproducible workflows. (ii) a Python API, phippery, which provides interfaces for tasks such as count normalization, enrichment calculation, multidimensional scaling, and more, and (iii) a Streamlit application, phip-viz, as an interactive interface for visualizing the data as a heatmap in a flexible manner. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: All software packages are publicly available under the MIT License. The phip-flow pipeline: https://github.com/matsengrp/phip-flow. The phippery library: https://github.com/matsengrp/phippery. The phip-viz Streamlit application: https://github.com/matsengrp/phip-viz.
Assuntos
Imidazóis , Software , Biblioteca Gênica , PeptídeosRESUMO
Infant antibody responses to viral infection can differ from those in adults. However, data on the specificity and function of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in infants, and direct comparisons between infants and adults are limited. We characterized antibody binding and functionality in convalescent plasma from postpartum women and their infants infected with SARS-CoV-2 from a vaccine-naïve prospective cohort in Nairobi, Kenya. Antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 Spike, receptor binding domain and N-terminal domain, and Spike-expressing cell-surface staining levels were significantly higher in infants than in mothers. Plasma antibodies from mothers and infants bound to similar regions of the Spike S2 subunit, including the fusion peptide (FP) and stem helix-heptad repeat 2. However, infants displayed higher antibody levels and more consistent antibody escape pathways in the FP region compared to mothers. Finally, infants had significantly higher levels of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), though, surprisingly, neutralization titers between infants and mothers were similar. These results suggest infants develop distinct SARS-CoV-2 binding and functional antibody repertoires and reveal age-related differences in humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 infection that could be relevant to protection and COVID-19 disease outcomes.
RESUMO
The antiviral benefit of antibodies can be compromised by viral escape especially for rapidly evolving viruses. Therefore, durable, effective antibodies must be both broad and potent to counter newly emerging, diverse strains. Discovery of such antibodies is critically important for SARS-CoV-2 as the global emergence of new variants of concern (VOC) has compromised the efficacy of therapeutic antibodies and vaccines. We describe a collection of broad and potent neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) isolated from an individual who experienced a breakthrough infection with the Delta VOC. Four mAbs potently neutralize the Wuhan-Hu-1 vaccine strain, the Delta VOC, and also retain potency against the Omicron VOCs through BA.4/BA.5 in both pseudovirus-based and authentic virus assays. Three mAbs also retain potency to recently circulating VOCs XBB.1.5 and BQ.1.1 and one also potently neutralizes SARS-CoV-1. The potency of these mAbs was greater against Omicron VOCs than all but one of the mAbs that had been approved for therapeutic applications. The mAbs target distinct epitopes on the spike glycoprotein, three in the receptor binding domain (RBD) and one in an invariant region downstream of the RBD in subdomain 1 (SD1). The escape pathways we defined at single amino acid resolution with deep mutational scanning show they target conserved, functionally constrained regions of the glycoprotein, suggesting escape could incur a fitness cost. Overall, these mAbs are novel in their breadth across VOCs, their epitope specificity, and include a highly potent mAb targeting a rare epitope outside of the RBD in SD1.
RESUMO
Infant antibody responses to viral infection can differ from those in adults. However, data on the specificity and function of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in infants, and direct comparisons between infants and adults are limited. Here, we characterize antibody binding and functionality against Wuhan-Hu-1 (B lineage) strain SARS-CoV-2 in convalescent plasma from 36 postpartum women and 14 of their infants infected with SARS-CoV-2 from a vaccine-naïve prospective cohort in Nairobi, Kenya. We find significantly higher antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 Spike, receptor binding domain and N-terminal domain, and Spike-expressing cell-surface staining levels in infants versus mothers. Plasma antibodies from mothers and infants bind to similar regions of the Spike S2 subunit, including the fusion peptide (FP) and stem helix-heptad repeat 2. However, infants display higher antibody levels and more consistent antibody escape pathways in the FP region compared to mothers. Finally, infants have significantly higher levels of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), though, surprisingly, Spike pseudovirus neutralization titers between infants and mothers are similar. These results suggest infants develop distinct SARS-CoV-2 binding and functional antibody activities and reveal age-related differences in humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 infection that could be relevant to protection and COVID-19 disease outcomes.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Adulto , Humanos , Lactente , Feminino , Mães , Formação de Anticorpos , Estudos Prospectivos , Soroterapia para COVID-19 , Quênia , Anticorpos , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus , Anticorpos Antivirais , Anticorpos NeutralizantesRESUMO
Pre-existing antibodies that bind endemic human coronaviruses (eHCoVs) can cross-react with SARS-CoV-2, which is the betacoronavirus that causes COVID-19, but whether these responses influence SARS-CoV-2 infection is still under investigation and is particularly understudied in infants. In this study, we measured eHCoV and SARS-CoV-1 IgG antibody titers before and after SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in a cohort of Kenyan women and their infants. Pre-existing eHCoV antibody binding titers were not consistently associated with SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in infants or mothers; however, we observed a very modest association between pre-existing HCoV-229E antibody levels and a lack of SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in the infants. After seroconversion to SARS-CoV-2, antibody binding titers to the endemic betacoronaviruses HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1, and the highly pathogenic betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-1, but not the endemic alphacoronaviruses HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63, increased in the mothers. However, eHCoV antibody levels did not increase following SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in the infants, suggesting the increase seen in the mothers was not simply due to cross-reactivity to naively generated SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. In contrast, the levels of antibodies that could bind SARS-CoV-1 increased after SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in both the mothers and infants, both of whom were unlikely to have had a prior SARS-CoV-1 infection, supporting prior findings that SARS-CoV-2 responses cross-react with SARS-CoV-1. In summary, we found evidence of increased eHCoV antibody levels following SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in the mothers but not the infants, suggesting eHCoV responses can be boosted by SARS-CoV-2 infection when a prior memory response has been established, and that pre-existing cross-reactive antibodies are not strongly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in mothers or infants.
Assuntos
Formação de Anticorpos , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Humano 229E , Infecções por Coronavirus , Coronavirus Humano OC43 , Anticorpos Antivirais , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Infecções por Coronavirus/imunologia , Reações Cruzadas , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Quênia/epidemiologia , SARS-CoV-2RESUMO
Pre-existing antibodies that bind endemic human coronaviruses (eHCoVs) can cross-react with SARS-CoV-2, the betacoronavirus that causes COVID-19, but whether these responses influence SARS-CoV-2 infection is still under investigation and is particularly understudied in infants. In this study, we measured eHCoV and SARS-CoV-1 IgG antibody titers before and after SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in a cohort of Kenyan women and their infants. Pre-existing eHCoV antibody binding titers were not consistently associated with SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in infants or mothers, though we observed a very modest association between pre-existing HCoV-229E antibody levels and lack of SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in infants. After seroconversion to SARS-CoV-2, antibody binding titers to endemic betacoronaviruses HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1, and the highly pathogenic betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-1, but not endemic alphacoronaviruses HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63, increased in mothers. However, eHCoV antibody levels did not increase following SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in infants, suggesting the increase seen in mothers was not simply due to cross-reactivity to naively generated SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. In contrast, the levels of antibodies that could bind SARS-CoV-1 increased after SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in both mothers and infants, both of whom are unlikely to have had a prior SARS-CoV-1 infection, supporting prior findings that SARS-CoV-2 responses cross-react with SARS-CoV-1. In summary, we find evidence for increased eHCoV antibody levels following SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in mothers but not infants, suggesting eHCoV responses can be boosted by SARS-CoV-2 infection when a prior memory response has been established, and that pre-existing cross-reactive antibodies are not strongly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in mothers or infants.
RESUMO
A major goal of current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine efforts is to elicit antibody responses that confer protection. Mapping the epitope targets of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody response is critical for vaccine design, diagnostics, and development of therapeutics. Here, we develop a pan-coronavirus phage display library to map antibody binding sites at high resolution within the complete viral proteomes of all known human-infecting coronaviruses in patients with mild or moderate/severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We find that the majority of immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 are targeted to the spike protein, nucleocapsid, and ORF1ab and include sites of mutation in current variants of concern. Some epitopes are identified in the majority of samples, while others are rare, and we find variation in the number of epitopes targeted between individuals. We find low levels of SARS-CoV-2 cross-reactivity in individuals with no exposure to the virus and significant cross-reactivity with endemic human coronaviruses (CoVs) in convalescent sera from patients with COVID-19.
Assuntos
COVID-19/imunologia , Epitopos/imunologia , SARS-CoV-2/imunologia , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/imunologia , Proteínas Virais/imunologia , Adulto , Idoso , Anticorpos Antivirais/imunologia , Sítios de Ligação de Anticorpos , COVID-19/virologia , Técnicas de Visualização da Superfície Celular , Coronavirus/imunologia , Reações Cruzadas , Feminino , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Imunidade , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Proteínas do Nucleocapsídeo/imunologia , Poliproteínas/imunologia , Sorologia , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Defining long-term protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is one of the most pressing questions of our time and will require a detailed understanding of potential ways this virus can evolve to escape immune protection. Immune protection will most likely be mediated by antibodies that bind to the viral entry protein, Spike (S). Here we used Phage-DMS, an approach that comprehensively interrogates the effect of all possible mutations on binding to a protein of interest, to define the profile of antibody escape to the SARS-CoV-2 S protein using COVID-19 convalescent plasma. Antibody binding was common in two regions: the fusion peptide and linker region upstream of the heptad repeat region 2. However, escape mutations were variable within these immunodominant regions. There was also individual variation in less commonly targeted epitopes. This study provides a granular view of potential antibody escape pathways and suggests there will be individual variation in antibody-mediated virus evolution.
RESUMO
The hexameric AAA+ ATPases Rvb1 and Rvb2 (Rvbs) are essential for diverse processes ranging from metabolic signaling to chromatin remodeling, but their functions are unknown. While originally thought to act as helicases, recent proposals suggest that Rvbs act as protein assembly chaperones. However, experimental evidence for chaperone-like behavior is lacking. Here, we identify a potent protein activator of the Rvbs, a domain in the Ino80 ATPase subunit of the INO80 chromatin-remodeling complex, termed Ino80INS. Ino80INS stimulates Rvbs' ATPase activity by 16-fold while concomitantly promoting their dodecamerization. Using mass spectrometry, cryo-EM, and integrative modeling, we find that Ino80INS binds asymmetrically along the dodecamerization interface, resulting in a conformationally flexible dodecamer that collapses into hexamers upon ATP addition. Our results demonstrate the chaperone-like potential of Rvb1/Rvb2 and suggest a model where binding of multiple clients such as Ino80 stimulates ATP-driven cycling between hexamers and dodecamers, providing iterative opportunities for correct subunit assembly.
Assuntos
Chaperonas Moleculares/química , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae/química , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/química , Chaperonas Moleculares/genética , Chaperonas Moleculares/metabolismo , Domínios Proteicos , Estrutura Quaternária de Proteína , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolismo , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolismoRESUMO
Fluorescent sensors are powerful tools for visualizing and quantifying molecules and ions in living cells. A variety of small molecule and genetically encoded sensors have been developed for studying intracellular Zn(2+) homeostasis and signaling, but no direct comparisons exist, making it challenging for researchers to identify the appropriate sensor for a given application. Here we directly compare the widely used small molecule probe FluoZin-3 and a genetically encoded sensor, ZapCY2. We demonstrate that, in contrast to FluoZin-3, ZapCY2 exhibits a well-defined cytosolic localization, provides estimates of Zn(2+) concentration with little variability, does not perturb cytosolic Zn(2+) levels, and exhibits rapid Zn(2+) response dynamics. ZapCY2 was used to measure Zn(2+) concentrations in 5 different cell types, revealing higher cytosolic Zn(2+) levels in prostate cancer cells compared to normal prostate cells (although the total zinc is reduced in prostate cancer cells), suggesting distinct regulatory mechanisms.
Assuntos
Citosol/química , Corantes Fluorescentes/química , Proteínas Luminescentes/química , Compostos Policíclicos/química , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/química , Zinco/química , Células Cultivadas , Células HeLa , Humanos , Proteínas Luminescentes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/genética , Zinco/análiseRESUMO
Genetically encoded sensors based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) are powerful tools for reporting on ions, molecules and biochemical reactions in living cells. Here we describe the development of new sensors for Zn²âºbased on alternate FRET-pairs that do not involve the traditional CFP and YFP. Zn²âº is an essential micronutrient and plays fundamental roles in cell biology. Consequently there is a pressing need for robust sensors to monitor Zn²âº levels and dynamics in cells with high spatial and temporal resolution. Here we develop a suite of sensors using alternate FRET pairs, including tSapphire/TagRFP, tSapphire/mKO, Clover/mRuby2, mOrange2/mCherry, and mOrange2/mKATE. These sensors were targeted to both the nucleus and cytosol and characterized and validated in living cells. Sensors based on the new FRET pair Clover/mRuby2 displayed a higher dynamic range and better signal-to-noise ratio than the remaining sensors tested and were optimal for monitoring changes in cytosolic and nuclear Zn²âº. Using a green-red sensor targeted to the nucleus and cyan-yellow sensor targeted to either the ER, Golgi, or mitochondria, we were able to monitor Zn²âº uptake simultaneously in two compartments, revealing that nuclear Zn²âº rises quickly, whereas the ER, Golgi, and mitochondria all sequester Zn²âº more slowly and with a delay of 600-700 sec. Lastly, these studies provide the first glimpse of nuclear Zn²âº and reveal that nuclear Zn²âº is buffered at a higher level than cytosolic Zn²âº.