EndoBind detects endogenous protein-protein interactions in real time.

We present two high-throughput compatible methods to detect the interaction of ectopically expressed (RT-Bind) or endogenously tagged (EndoBind) proteins of interest. Both approaches provide temporal evaluation of dimer formation over an extended duration. Using examples of the Nrf2-KEAP1 and the CRAF-KRAS-G12V interaction, we demonstrate that our method allows for the detection of signal for more than 2 days after substrate addition, allowing for continuous monitoring of endogenous protein-protein interactions in real time.

High-throughput CRISPR-mediated 3D enrichment platform for functional interrogation of chemotherapeutic resistance.

Cancer is a disease of somatic mutations. These cellular mutations compete to dominate their microenvironment and dictate the disease outcome. While a therapeutic approach to target-specific oncogenic driver mutations helps to manage the disease, subsequent molecular evolution of tumor cells threatens to overtake therapeutic progress. There is a need for rapid, high-throughput, unbiased in vitro discovery screening platforms that capture the native complexities of the tumor and rapidly identify mutations that confer chemotherapeutic drug resistance. Taking the example of the CDK4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) class of drugs, we show that the pooled in vitro CRISPR screening platform enables rapid discovery of drug resistance mutations in a three-dimensional (3D) setting. Gene-edited cancer cell clones assembled into an organotypic multicellular tumor spheroid (MCTS), exposed to CDK4/6i caused selection and enrichment of the most drug-resistant phenotypes, detectable by next-gen sequencing after a span of 28 days. The platform was sufficiently sensitive to enrich for even a single drug-resistant cell within a large, drug-responsive complex 3D tumor spheroid. The genome-wide 3D CRISPR-mediated knockout screen (>18,000 genes) identified several genes whose disruptions conferred resistance to CDK4/6i. Furthermore, multiple novel candidate genes were identified as top hits only in the microphysiological 3D enrichment assay platform and not the conventional 2D assays. Taken together, these findings suggest that including phenotypic 3D resistance profiling in decision trees could improve discovery and reconfirmation of drug resistance mechanisms and afford a platform for exploring noncell autonomous interactions, selection pressures, and clonal competition.

A genome-wide microRNA screen identifies the microRNA-183/96/182 cluster as a modulator of circadian rhythms.

The regulatory mechanisms of circadian rhythms have been studied primarily at the level of the transcription-translation feedback loops of protein-coding genes. Regulatory modules involving noncoding RNAs are less thoroughly understood. In particular, emerging evidence has revealed the important role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in maintaining the robustness of the circadian system. To identify miRNAs that have the potential to modulate circadian rhythms, we conducted a genome-wide miRNA screen using U2OS luciferase reporter cells. Among 989 miRNAs in the library, 120 changed the period length in a dose-dependent manner. We further validated the circadian regulatory function of an miRNA cluster, miR-183/96/182, both in vitro and in vivo. We found that all three members of this miRNA cluster can modulate circadian rhythms. Particularly, miR-96 directly targeted a core circadian clock gene, PER2. The knockout of the miR-183/96/182 cluster in mice showed tissue-specific effects on circadian parameters and altered circadian rhythms at the behavioral level. This study identified a large number of miRNAs, including the miR-183/96/182 cluster, as circadian modulators. We provide a resource for further understanding the role of miRNAs in the circadian network and highlight the importance of miRNAs as a genome-wide layer of circadian clock regulation.

Guide Swap enables genome-scale pooled CRISPR-Cas9 screening in human primary cells.

CRISPR-Cas9 screening allows genome-wide interrogation of gene function. Currently, to achieve the high and uniform Cas9 expression desirable for screening, one needs to engineer stable and clonal Cas9-expressing cells-an approach that is not applicable in human primary cells. Guide Swap permits genome-scale pooled CRISPR-Cas9 screening in human primary cells by exploiting the unexpected finding that editing by lentivirally delivered, targeted guide RNAs (gRNAs) occurs efficiently when Cas9 is introduced in complex with nontargeting gRNA. We validated Guide Swap in depletion and enrichment screens in CD4+ T cells. Next, we implemented Guide Swap in a model of ex vivo hematopoiesis, and identified known and previously unknown regulators of CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) expansion. We anticipate that this platform will be broadly applicable to other challenging cell types, and thus will enable discovery in previously inaccessible but biologically relevant human primary cell systems.

Making It All Work: Functional Genomics and Reporter Gene Assays.

Functional genomics is the study of the function of genes on a genome-wide level. Reporter gene assays can be utilized in this context to dissect signaling cascades, find new drug targets, or decipher the function of gene expression. The genome-wide scale of these experiments necessitates a different approach toward science than traditional single hypothesis driven research. High-throughput experimentation requires large project teams, automation, and discrete validation of each step in the automation and assay process. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a general outline of a standard functional genomics project with a reporter gene assay as readout, give an overview of the methodologies employed and familiarize the reader with the subsequent data analysis. The advantages of such high throughput experimentation are speed, quantitative results, and insights into biology on a genome-wide scale all of which enable a more rapid progress of science.

Reporter Gene Assays Using Transfectable Functional Genomics Libraries.

Transfectable functional genomics libraries are traditionally the workhorses of functional genomics screening using reporter gene assays. These libraries offer insight into fundamental cellular processes governing health and disease and can be utilized in an arrayed fashion which makes them uniquely suited to deconvolute complicated disease phenotypes and dissect biological networks that would otherwise be inaccessible. Here we give an overview of the principles for the generation, screening and data analysis of such arrayed libraries. Specifically we cover the differences between the various transfectable reagents, library selection and handling, and data analysis to offer a comprehensive understanding of these important technologies and how to apply them.

Reporter Gene Assays Using Viral Functional Genomics Libraries.

While transfectable libraries are the workhorse for many screening cores, there is one obvious area where these reagents are not useful-hard to transfect cell lines and primary cells. One solution to this problem is the use of virus to introduce genomic reagents. This strategy is more commonplace now than ever before with libraries covering cDNAs, shDNAs, miRNAs, and guide RNAs readily available. Maintenance and use of these libraries are more challenging than the transient transfection approach due to the viral production step, and the infrastructure necessary to generate them. The following pages will delve into the details for working with arrayed well formats for both lentiviral and retroviral libraries.

The microprotein Minion controls cell fusion and muscle formation.

Although recent evidence has pointed to the existence of small open reading frame (smORF)-encoded microproteins in mammals, their function remains to be determined. Skeletal muscle development requires fusion of mononuclear progenitors to form multinucleated myotubes, a critical but poorly understood process. Here we report the identification of Minion (microprotein inducer of fusion), a smORF encoding an essential skeletal muscle specific microprotein. Myogenic progenitors lacking Minion differentiate normally but fail to form syncytial myotubes, and Minion-deficient mice die perinatally and demonstrate a marked reduction in fused muscle fibres. The fusogenic activity of Minion is conserved in the human orthologue, and co-expression of Minion and the transmembrane protein Myomaker is sufficient to induce cellular fusion accompanied by rapid cytoskeletal rearrangement, even in non-muscle cells. These findings establish Minion as a novel microprotein required for muscle development, and define a two-component programme for the induction of mammalian cell fusion. Moreover, these data also significantly expand the known functions of smORF-encoded microproteins.

The Hippo kinases LATS1 and 2 control human breast cell fate via crosstalk with ERα.

Cell fate perturbations underlie many human diseases, including breast cancer. Unfortunately, the mechanisms by which breast cell fate are regulated are largely unknown. The mammary gland epithelium consists of differentiated luminal epithelial and basal myoepithelial cells, as well as undifferentiated stem cells and more restricted progenitors. Breast cancer originates from this epithelium, but the molecular mechanisms that underlie breast epithelial hierarchy remain ill-defined. Here, we use a high-content confocal image-based short hairpin RNA screen to identify tumour suppressors that regulate breast cell fate in primary human breast epithelial cells. We show that ablation of the large tumour suppressor kinases (LATS) 1 and 2 (refs 5, 6), which are part of the Hippo pathway, promotes the luminal phenotype and increases the number of bipotent and luminal progenitors, the proposed cells-of-origin of most human breast cancers. Mechanistically, we have identified a direct interaction between Hippo and oestrogen receptor-α (ERα) signalling. In the presence of LATS, ERα was targeted for ubiquitination and Ddb1-cullin4-associated-factor 1 (DCAF1)-dependent proteasomal degradation. Absence of LATS stabilized ERα and the Hippo effectors YAP and TAZ (hereafter YAP/TAZ), which together control breast cell fate through intrinsic and paracrine mechanisms. Our findings reveal a non-canonical (that is, YAP/TAZ-independent) effect of LATS in the regulation of human breast cell fate.

High Throughput Random Mutagenesis and Single Molecule Real Time Sequencing of the Muscle Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor.

High throughput random mutagenesis is a powerful tool to identify which residues are important for the function of a protein, and gain insight into its structure-function relation. The human muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor was used to test whether this technique previously used for monomeric receptors can be applied to a pentameric ligand-gated ion channel. A mutant library for the α1 subunit of the channel was generated by error-prone PCR, and full length sequences of all 2816 mutants were retrieved using single molecule real time sequencing. Each α1 mutant was co-transfected with wildtype ß1, δ, and ε subunits, and the channel function characterized by an ion flux assay. To test whether the strategy could map the structure-function relation of this receptor, we attempted to identify mutations that conferred resistance to competitive antagonists. Mutant hits were defined as receptors that responded to the nicotinic agonist epibatidine, but were not inhibited by either α-bungarotoxin or tubocurarine. Eight α1 subunit mutant hits were identified, six of which contained mutations at position Y233 or V275 in the transmembrane domain. Three single point mutations (Y233N, Y233H, and V275M) were studied further, and found to enhance the potencies of five channel agonists tested. This suggests that the mutations made the channel resistant to the antagonists, not by impairing antagonist binding, but rather by producing a gain-of-function phenotype, e.g. increased agonist sensitivity. Our data show that random high throughput mutagenesis is applicable to multimeric proteins to discover novel functional mutants, and outlines the benefits of using single molecule real time sequencing with regards to quality control of the mutant library as well as downstream mutant data interpretation.

Domestication and Divergence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Beer Yeasts.

Whereas domestication of livestock, pets, and crops is well documented, it is still unclear to what extent microbes associated with the production of food have also undergone human selection and where the plethora of industrial strains originates from. Here, we present the genomes and phenomes of 157 industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts. Our analyses reveal that today's industrial yeasts can be divided into five sublineages that are genetically and phenotypically separated from wild strains and originate from only a few ancestors through complex patterns of domestication and local divergence. Large-scale phenotyping and genome analysis further show strong industry-specific selection for stress tolerance, sugar utilization, and flavor production, while the sexual cycle and other phenotypes related to survival in nature show decay, particularly in beer yeasts. Together, these results shed light on the origins, evolutionary history, and phenotypic diversity of industrial yeasts and provide a resource for further selection of superior strains. PAPERCLIP.

Genome-Engineering Tools to Establish Accurate Reporter Cell Lines That Enable Identification of Therapeutic Strategies to Treat Friedreich's Ataxia.

Friedreich's ataxia is a neurodegenerative disease caused by deficiency of the mitochondrial protein frataxin. This deficiency results from expansion of a trinucleotide repeat in the first intron of the frataxin gene. Because this repeat expansion resides in an intron and hence does not alter the amino acid sequence of the frataxin protein, gene reactivation could be of therapeutic benefit. High-throughput screening for frataxin activators has so far met with limited success because current cellular models may not accurately assess endogenous frataxin gene regulation. Here we report the design and validation of genome-engineering tools that enable the generation of human cell lines that express the frataxin gene fused to a luciferase reporter gene from its endogenous locus. Performing a pilot high-throughput genomic screen in a newly established reporter cell line, we uncovered novel negative regulators of frataxin expression. Rational design of small-molecule inhibitors of the identified frataxin repressors and/or high-throughput screening of large siRNA or compound libraries with our system may yield treatments for Friedreich's ataxia.

High throughput mutagenesis for identification of residues regulating human prostacyclin (hIP) receptor expression and function.

The human prostacyclin receptor (hIP receptor) is a seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that plays a critical role in vascular smooth muscle relaxation and platelet aggregation. hIP receptor dysfunction has been implicated in numerous cardiovascular abnormalities, including myocardial infarction, hypertension, thrombosis and atherosclerosis. Genomic sequencing has discovered several genetic variations in the PTGIR gene coding for hIP receptor, however, its structure-function relationship has not been sufficiently explored. Here we set out to investigate the applicability of high throughput random mutagenesis to study the structure-function relationship of hIP receptor. While chemical mutagenesis was not suitable to generate a mutagenesis library with sufficient coverage, our data demonstrate error-prone PCR (epPCR) mediated mutagenesis as a valuable method for the unbiased screening of residues regulating hIP receptor function and expression. Here we describe the generation and functional characterization of an epPCR derived mutagenesis library compromising >4000 mutants of the hIP receptor. We introduce next generation sequencing as a useful tool to validate the quality of mutagenesis libraries by providing information about the coverage, mutation rate and mutational bias. We identified 18 mutants of the hIP receptor that were expressed at the cell surface, but demonstrated impaired receptor function. A total of 38 non-synonymous mutations were identified within the coding region of the hIP receptor, mapping to 36 distinct residues, including several mutations previously reported to affect the signaling of the hIP receptor. Thus, our data demonstrates epPCR mediated random mutagenesis as a valuable and practical method to study the structure-function relationship of GPCRs.

SWELL1, a plasma membrane protein, is an essential component of volume-regulated anion channel.

Maintenance of a constant cell volume in response to extracellular or intracellular osmotic changes is critical for cellular homeostasis. Activation of a ubiquitous volume-regulated anion channel (VRAC) plays a key role in this process; however, its molecular identity in vertebrates remains unknown. Here, we used a cell-based fluorescence assay and performed a genome-wide RNAi screen to find components of VRAC. We identified SWELL1 (LRRC8A), a member of a four-transmembrane protein family with unknown function, as essential for hypotonicity-induced iodide influx. SWELL1 is localized to the plasma membrane, and its knockdown dramatically reduces endogenous VRAC currents and regulatory cell volume decrease in various cell types. Furthermore, point mutations in SWELL1 cause a significant change in VRAC anion selectivity, demonstrating that SWELL1 is an essential VRAC component. These findings enable further molecular characterization of the VRAC channel complex and genetic studies for understanding the function of VRAC in normal physiology and disease.

Akt-mediated phosphorylation of argonaute 2 downregulates cleavage and upregulates translational repression of MicroRNA targets.

A high-throughput RNA interference (RNAi) screen targeting 542 genes of the human kinome was used to discover regulators of RNAi. Here we report that the proto-oncogene Akt-3/PKBγ (Akt3) phosphorylates Argonaute 2 (Ago2) at S387, which downregulates cleavage and upregulates translational repression of endogenous microRNA (miRNA)-targeted messenger RNAs (mRNAs). We further demonstrate that Akt3 coimmunoprecipitates with Ago2 and phosphorylation of Ago2 at S387 facilitates its interaction with GW182 and localization to cytoplasmic processing bodies (P bodies), where miRNA-targeted mRNAs are thought to be stored and degraded. Therefore, Akt3-mediated phosphorylation of Ago2 is a molecular switch between target mRNA cleavage and translational repression activities of Ago2.

Cofactors required for TLR7- and TLR9-dependent innate immune responses.

Pathogens commonly utilize endocytic pathways to gain cellular access. The endosomal pattern recognition receptors TLR7 and TLR9 detect pathogen-encoded nucleic acids to initiate MyD88-dependent proinflammatory responses to microbial infection. Using genome-wide RNAi screening and integrative systems-based analysis, we identify 190 cofactors required for TLR7- and TLR9-directed signaling responses. A set of cofactors were crossprofiled for their activities downstream of several immunoreceptors and then functionally mapped based on the known architecture of NF-κB signaling pathways. Protein complexes and pathways involved in ubiquitin-protein ligase activities, sphingolipid metabolism, chromatin modifications, and ancient stress responses were found to modulate innate recognition of endosomal nucleic acids. Additionally, hepatocyte growth factor-regulated tyrosine kinase substrate (HRS) was characterized as necessary for ubiquitin-dependent TLR9 targeting to the endolysosome. Proteins and pathways identified here should prove useful in delineating strategies to manipulate innate responses for treatment of autoimmune disorders and microbial infection.

Tumor suppressor protein (p)53, is a regulator of NF-kappaB repression by the glucocorticoid receptor.

Glucocorticoids can inhibit inflammation by abrogating the activity of NF-κB, a family of transcription factors that regulates the production of proinflammatory cytokines. To understand the molecular mechanism of repression of NF-κB activity by glucocorticoids, we performed a high-throughput siRNA oligo screen to identify novel genes involved in this process. Here, we report that loss of p53, a tumor suppressor protein, impaired repression of NF-κB target gene transcription by glucocorticoids. Additionally, loss of p53 also impaired transcription of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) target genes, whereas upstream NF-κB and glucocorticoid receptor signaling cascades remained intact. We further demonstrate that p53 loss severely impaired glucocorticoid rescue of death in a mouse model of LPS shock. Our findings unveil a new role for p53 in the repression of NF-κB by glucocorticoids and suggest important implications for treatment of the proinflammatory microenvironments found in tumors with aberrant p53 activity.

Seeing the light: luminescent reporter gene assays.

The luminescent reporter gene assay (LRGA) is arguably the most prominent type of reporter gene assay used in biomolecular and pharmaceutical development laboratories. Part of this popularity is due to the high signal associated with luciferases, the foundation of this technology. This feature makes them ideally suited for high throughput screening applications where potentially millions of chemical compounds can be analyzed in a given assay. Recent technical advancements that enhance signal stability of the luciferases along with development and commercialization of multiple forms of luciferases, their respective substrates, and improvements in expression vectors for reporter gene assay (RGA) applications have broadened their use. While the practical challenges related to the application of luminescent technology in a laboratory setting have been overcome, there remains much to do in laying a systematic approach towards the construction of RGAs, which are essential to the elucidation of the basic biology for genes of interest. This mini-review aims at giving a birds-eye view of the available luciferases, substrates and other luminescent technologies available and provides a general blueprint as well as practical considerations for constructing and interfacing RGAs with chemical biology and functional genomics for the elucidation of fundamental biological questions and for biomedical research.

Identification of RING finger protein 4 (RNF4) as a modulator of DNA demethylation through a functional genomics screen.

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification involved in transcriptional regulation, nuclear organization, development, aging, and disease. Although DNA methyltransferases have been characterized, the mechanisms for DNA demethylation remain poorly understood. Using a cell-based reporter assay, we performed a functional genomics screen to identify genes involved in DNA demethylation. Here we show that RNF4 (RING finger protein 4), a SUMO-dependent ubiquitin E3-ligase previously implicated in maintaining genome stability, plays a key role in active DNA demethylation. RNF4 reactivates methylation-silenced reporters and promotes global DNA demethylation. Rnf4 deficiency is embryonic lethal with higher levels of methylation in genomic DNA. Mechanistic studies show that RNF4 interacts with and requires the base excision repair enzymes TDG and APE1 for active demethylation. This activity appears to occur by enhancing the enzymatic activities that repair DNA G:T mismatches generated from methylcytosine deamination. Collectively, our study reveals a unique function for RNF4, which may serve as a direct link between epigenetic DNA demethylation and DNA repair in mammalian cells.

An RNAi screen identifies TRRAP as a regulator of brain tumor-initiating cell differentiation.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive form of brain cancer associated with a very poor prognosis. Recently, the initiation and growth of GBM has been linked to brain tumor-initiating cells (BTICs), which are poorly differentiated and share features with neural stem cells (NSCs). Here we describe a kinome-wide RNA interference screen to identify factors that control the tumorigenicity of BTICs. We identified several genes whose silencing induces differentiation of BTICs derived from multiple GBM patients. In particular, knockdown of the adaptor protein TRRAP significantly increased differentiation of cultured BTICs, sensitized the cells to apoptotic stimuli, and negatively affected cell cycle progression. TRRAP knockdown also significantly suppressed tumor formation upon intracranial BTIC implantation into mice. Together, these findings support a critical role for TRRAP in maintaining a tumorigenic, stem cell-like state.