Rho MultiBinder, a fluorescent biosensor that reports the activity of multiple GTPases.

Imaging two or more fluorescent biosensors in the same living cell can reveal the spatiotemporal coordination of protein activities. However, using multiple Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensors together is challenging due to toxicity and the need for orthogonal fluorophores. Here we generate a biosensor component that binds selectively to the activated conformation of three different proteins. This enabled multiplexed FRET with fewer fluorophores, and reduced toxicity. We generated this MultiBinder (MB) reagent for the GTPases RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 by combining portions of the downstream effector proteins Pak1 and Rhotekin. Using FRET between mCherry on the MB and YPet or mAmetrine on two target proteins, the activities of any pair of GTPases could be distinguished. The MB was used to image Rac1 and RhoA together with a third, dye-based biosensor for Cdc42. Quantifying effects of biosensor combinations on the frequency, duration, and velocity of cell protrusions and retractions demonstrated reduced toxicity. Multiplexed imaging revealed signaling hierarchies between the three proteins at the cell edge where they regulate motility.

Membrane-Permeant, Environment-Sensitive Dyes Generate Biosensors within Living Cells.

Dyes with environment-sensitive fluorescence have proven useful to study the spatiotemporal dynamics of protein activity in living cells. When attached to proteins, their fluorescence can reflect protein conformational changes, post-translational modifications, or protein interactions. However, the utility of such dye-protein conjugates has been limited because it is difficult to load them into cells. They usually must be introduced using techniques that perturb cell physiology, limit throughput, or generate fluorescent vesicles (e.g., electroporation, microinjection, or membrane transduction peptides). Here we circumvent these problems by modifying a proven, environment-sensitive biosensor fluorophore so that it can pass through cell membranes without staining intracellular compartments and can be attached to proteins within living cells using unnatural amino acid (UAA) mutagenesis. Reactive groups were incorporated for attachment to UAAs or small molecules (mero166, azide; mero167, alkyne; mero76, carboxylic acid). These dyes are bright and fluoresce at long wavelengths (reaching ε = 100 000 M-1 cm-1, ϕ = 0.24, with excitation 565 nm and emission 594 nm). The utility of mero166 was demonstrated by in-cell labeling of a UAA to generate a biosensor for the small GTPase Cdc42. In addition, conjugation of mero166 to a small molecule produced a membrane-permeable probe that reported the localization of the DNA methyltransferase G9a in cells. This approach provides a strategy to access biosensors for many targets and to more practically harness the varied environmental sensitivities of synthetic dyes.

Achieving High Affinity and Selectivity for Asymmetric Dimethylarginine by Putting a Lid on a Box.

The methylation states of Lys and Arg represent a particularly challenging set of targets to distinguish selectively in water using synthetic receptors. To date, trimethyllysine (Kme3) is the only post translational modification (PTM) of the eight possible methylation states of Lys and Arg that can be recognized selectively. Here, we report the first synthetic receptor capable of selectively recognizing asymmetric dimethylarginine (Rme2a). This was achieved by using a biased dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) library to generate a receptor mimicking the 5-sided box-like shape of Rme2 reader proteins, a feature that has been hypothesized to impart selectivity. Additionally, we synthesized a thioether-linked analogue of the resulting receptor to provide a novel scaffold with maintained selectivity but greater stability. This work introduces strategies that can be applied towards achieving selectivity based on subtle differences in hydrophilic guests in aqueous solutions.

Secondary Binding Interactions in a Synthetic Receptor for Trimethyllysine.

We have systematically studied how secondary interactions with neighboring lysine (Lys) and arginine (Arg) residues influence the binding and selectivity of the synthetic receptor A2 N for trimethyllysine (Kme3 ). Multiple secondary binding sites on A2 N are formed by carboxylates rigidly positioned over aromatic rings, a motif that has been shown to stabilize salt bridges. We varied the spacing between KmeX (X=0, 3) and an ancillary Lys or Arg and measured binding by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). These studies revealed that both neighboring residues improve the binding of A2 N to KmeX by approximately 1 kcal mol(-1) , with little influence of the spacing. Nonetheless, the improvement in affinity caused by Arg is enthalpically driven, while for Lys it is entropically driven, suggesting different mechanisms by which the residues interact with the secondary binding site.

Late stage modification of receptors identified from dynamic combinatorial libraries.

Small molecule receptors are attractive potential sensors of post-translational modifications, including methylated lysine and methylated arginine. Using dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC), our lab previously identified a suite of receptors that bind to Kme3 with a range of affinities ranging from low micromolar to high nanomolar, each with a unique selectivity for Kme3 over the lower methylation states. To enable these receptors to have broad application as Kme3 sensors, we have developed a method for their late-stage modification, which we used to synthesize biotinylated derivatives of A2B, A2D, and A2G in a single step. For our most attractive receptor for applications, A2N, we needed to develop an alternative method for its selective functionalization, which we achieved by "activating" the carboxylic acids on the constituent monomer A or N by pre-functionalizing them with glycine (Gly). Using the resulting Gly-A and Gly-N monomers, we synthesized the novel A2N variants A2Gly-N, Gly-A2N, and Gly-A2Gly-N, which enabled the late stage biotinylation of A2N wherever Gly was incorporated. Finally, we performed ITC and NMR binding experiments to study the effect that carboxylate spacing has on the affinity and selectivity of A2Gly-N and Gly-A2N for KmeX guests compared to A2N. These studies revealed the proximity of the carboxylates to play a complex role in the molecular recognition event, despite their positioning on the outside of the receptor.

Development and mechanistic studies of an optimized receptor for trimethyllysine using iterative redesign by dynamic combinatorial chemistry.

A new small molecule receptor, A2N, has been identified that binds specifically to trimethyllysine (Kme3) with sub-micromolar affinity. This receptor was discovered through the iterative redesign of a monomer known to incorporate through dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) into a previously reported receptor for Kme3, A2B. In place of monomer B, the newly designed monomer N introduces an additional cation-π interaction into the binding pocket, resulting in more favorable binding to Kme3 by 1.3 kcal mol(-1), amounting to a 10-fold improvement in affinity and a 5-fold improvement in selectivity over Kme2. This receptor exhibits the tightest affinity and greatest selectivity for KMe3-containing peptides reported to date. Comparative studies of A2B and A2N provide mechanistic insight into the driving force for both the higher affinity and higher selectivity of A2N, indicating that the binding of KMe3 to A2N is both enthalpically and entropically more favorable. This work demonstrates the ability of iterative redesign coupled with DCC to develop novel selective receptors with the necessary affinity and selectivity required for biological applications.