Development of a rapid, simple, and sensitive point-of-care technology platform utilizing ternary NanoLuc.

Point-of-care tests are highly valuable in providing fast results for medical decisions for greater flexibility in patient care. Many diagnostic tests, such as ELISAs, that are commonly used within clinical laboratory settings require trained technicians, laborious workflows, and complex instrumentation hindering their translation into point-of-care applications. Herein, we demonstrate the use of a homogeneous, bioluminescent-based, split reporter platform that enables a simple, sensitive, and rapid method for analyte detection in clinical samples. We developed this point-of-care application using an optimized ternary, split-NanoLuc luciferase reporter system that consists of two small reporter peptides added as appendages to analyte-specific affinity reagents. A bright, stable bioluminescent signal is generated as the affinity reagents bind to the analyte, allowing for proximity-induced complementation between the two reporter peptides and the polypeptide protein, in addition to the furimazine substrate. Through lyophilization of the stabilized reporter system with the formulated substrate, we demonstrate a shelf-stable, all-in-one, add-and-read analyte-detection system for use in complex sample matrices at the point-of-care. We highlight the modularity of this platform using two distinct SARS-CoV-2 model systems: SARS-CoV-2 N-antigen detection for active infections and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies for immunity status detection using chemically conjugated or genetically fused affinity reagents, respectively. This technology provides a simple and standardized method to develop rapid, robust, and sensitive analyte-detection assays with flexible assay formatting making this an ideal platform for research, clinical laboratory, as well as point-of-care applications utilizing a simple handheld luminometer.

Simple, Rapid Chemical Labeling and Screening of Antibodies with Luminescent Peptides.

Sensitive and selective detection assays are essential for the accurate measurement of analytes in both clinical and research laboratories. Immunoassays that rely on nonoverlapping antibodies directed against the same target analyte (e.g., sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs)) are commonly used molecular detection technologies. Use of split enzyme reporters has simplified the workflow for these traditionally complex assays. However, identifying functional antibody pairs for a given target analyte can be cumbersome, as it generally involves generating and screening panels of antibodies conjugated to reporters. Accordingly, we sought a faster and easier reporter conjugation strategy to streamline antibody screening. We describe here the development of such a method that is based on an optimized ternary NanoLuc luciferase. This bioluminescence complementation system is comprised of a reagent-based thermally stable polypeptide (LgTrip) and two small peptide tags (ß9 and ß10) with lysine-reactive handles for direct conjugation onto antibodies. These reagents enable fast, single-step, wash-free antibody labeling and sensitive functional screening. Simplicity, speed, and utility of the one-pot labeling technology are demonstrated in screening antibody pairs for the analyte interleukin-4. The screen resulted in the rapid development of a sensitive homogeneous immunoassay for this clinically relevant cytokine.

An Integrated Approach toward NanoBRET Tracers for Analysis of GPCR Ligand Engagement.

Gaining insight into the pharmacology of ligand engagement with G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) under biologically relevant conditions is vital to both drug discovery and basic research. NanoLuc-based bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (NanoBRET) monitoring competitive binding between fluorescent tracers and unmodified test compounds has emerged as a robust and sensitive method to quantify ligand engagement with specific GPCRs genetically fused to NanoLuc luciferase or the luminogenic HiBiT peptide. However, development of fluorescent tracers is often challenging and remains the principal bottleneck for this approach. One way to alleviate the burden of developing a specific tracer for each receptor is using promiscuous tracers, which is made possible by the intrinsic specificity of BRET. Here, we devised an integrated tracer discovery workflow that couples machine learning-guided in silico screening for scaffolds displaying promiscuous binding to GPCRs with a blend of synthetic strategies to rapidly generate multiple tracer candidates. Subsequently, these candidates were evaluated for binding in a NanoBRET ligand-engagement screen across a library of HiBiT-tagged GPCRs. Employing this workflow, we generated several promiscuous fluorescent tracers that can effectively engage multiple GPCRs, demonstrating the efficiency of this approach. We believe that this workflow has the potential to accelerate discovery of NanoBRET fluorescent tracers for GPCRs and other target classes.

Toward a Point-of-Need Bioluminescence-Based Immunoassay Utilizing a Complete Shelf-Stable Reagent.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are used extensively for the detection and quantification of biomolecules in clinical diagnostics as well as in basic research. Although broadly used, the inherent complexities of ELISAs preclude their utility for straightforward point-of-need testing, where speed and simplicity are essential. With this in mind, we developed a bioluminescence-based immunoassay format that provides a sensitive and simple method for detecting biomolecules in clinical samples. We utilized a ternary, split-NanoLuc luciferase complementation reporter consisting of two small peptides (11mer, 13mer) and a 17 kDa polypeptide combined with a luminogenic substrate to create a complete, shelf-stable add-and-read assay detection reagent. Directed evolution was used to optimize reporter constituent sequences to impart chemical and thermal stability, as well as solubility, while formulation optimization was applied to stabilize an all-in-one reagent that can be reconstituted in aqueous buffers or sample matrices. The result of these efforts is a robust, first-generation bioluminescence-based homogenous immunoassay reporter platform where all assay components can be configured into a stable lyophilized cake, supporting homogeneous, rapid, and sensitive one-step biomolecule quantification in complex human samples. This technology represents a promising alternative immunoassay format with significant potential to bring critical diagnostic molecular detection testing closer to the point-of-need.

Streamlined Target Deconvolution Approach Utilizing a Single Photoreactive Chloroalkane Capture Tag.

Identification of physiologically relevant targets for lead compounds emerging from drug discovery screens is often the rate-limiting step toward understanding their mechanism of action and potential for undesired off-target effects. To this end, we developed a streamlined chemical proteomic approach utilizing a single, photoreactive cleavable chloroalkane capture tag, which upon attachment to bioactive compounds facilitates selective isolation of their respective cellular targets for subsequent identification by mass spectrometry. When properly positioned, the tag does not significantly affect compound potency and membrane permeability, allowing for binding interactions with the tethered compound (probe) to be established within intact cells under physiological conditions. Subsequent UV-induced covalent photo-cross-linking "freezes" the interactions between the probe and its cellular targets and prevents their dissociation upon cell lysis. Targets cross-linked to the capture tag are then efficiently enriched through covalent capture onto HaloTag coated beads and subsequent selective chemical release from the solid support. The tag's built-in capability for selective enrichment eliminates the need for ligation of a capture tag, thereby simplifying the workflow and reducing variability introduced through additional operational steps. At the same time, the capacity for adequate cross-linking without structural optimization permits modular assembly of photoreactive chloroalkane probes, which reduces the burden of customized chemistry. Using three model compounds, we demonstrate the capability of this approach to identify known and novel cellular targets, including those with low affinity and/or low abundance as well as membrane targets with several transmembrane domains.

Novel NanoLuc substrates enable bright two-population bioluminescence imaging in animals.

Sensitive detection of two biological events in vivo has long been a goal in bioluminescence imaging. Antares, a fusion of the luciferase NanoLuc to the orange fluorescent protein CyOFP, has emerged as a bright bioluminescent reporter with orthogonal substrate specificity to firefly luciferase (FLuc) and its derivatives such as AkaLuc. However, the brightness of Antares in mice is limited by the poor solubility and bioavailability of the NanoLuc substrate furimazine. Here, we report a new substrate, hydrofurimazine, whose enhanced aqueous solubility allows delivery of higher doses to mice. In the liver, Antares with hydrofurimazine exhibited similar brightness to AkaLuc with its substrate AkaLumine. Further chemical exploration generated a second substrate, fluorofurimazine, with even higher brightness in vivo. We used Antares with fluorofurimazine to track tumor size and AkaLuc with AkaLumine to visualize CAR-T cells within the same mice, demonstrating the ability to perform two-population imaging with these two luciferase systems.

The luminescent HiBiT peptide enables selective quantitation of G protein-coupled receptor ligand engagement and internalization in living cells.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are prominent targets to new therapeutics for a range of diseases. Comprehensive assessments of their cellular interactions with bioactive compounds, particularly in a kinetic format, are imperative to the development of drugs with improved efficacy. Hence, we developed complementary cellular assays that enable equilibrium and real-time analyses of GPCR ligand engagement and consequent activation, measured as receptor internalization. These assays utilize GPCRs genetically fused to an N-terminal HiBiT peptide (1.3 kDa), which produces bright luminescence upon high-affinity complementation with LgBiT, an 18-kDa subunit derived from NanoLuc. The cell impermeability of LgBiT limits signal detection to the cell surface and enables measurements of ligand-induced internalization through changes in cell-surface receptor density. In addition, bioluminescent resonance energy transfer is used to quantify dynamic interactions between ligands and their cognate HiBiT-tagged GPCRs through competitive binding with fluorescent tracers. The sensitivity and dynamic range of these assays benefit from the specificity of bioluminescent resonance energy transfer and the high signal intensity of HiBiT/LgBiT without background luminescence from receptors present in intracellular compartments. These features allow analyses of challenging interactions having low selectivity or affinity and enable studies using endogenously tagged receptors. Using the ß-adrenergic receptor family as a model, we demonstrate the versatility of these assays by utilizing the same HiBiT construct in analyses of multiple aspects of GPCR pharmacology. We anticipate that this combination of target engagement and proximal functional readout will prove useful to the study of other GPCR families and the development of new therapeutics.

Equilibrium and Kinetic Measurements of Ligand Binding to HiBiT-tagged GPCRs on the Surface of Living Cells.

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) remain at the forefront of drug discovery efforts. Detailed assessment of features contributing to GPCR ligand engagement in a physiologically relevant environment is imperative to the development of new therapeutics with improved efficacy. Traditionally, binding properties such as affinity and kinetics were obtained using biochemical radioligand binding assays. More recently, the high specificity of resonance energy transfer has been leveraged toward the development of homogeneous cell-based proximity assays with capacity for real-time kinetic measurements. This suite of ligand binding protocols couples the specificity of bioluminescent resonance energy transfer (BRET) with the sensitivity afforded by the luminescent HiBiT peptide. The BRET format is used to quantify dynamic interactions between ligands and their cognate HiBiT-tagged GPCRs through competitive binding with fluorescent Tracers. At the same time, high affinity complementation of HiBiT with the cell impermeable LgBiT limits the bright bioluminescence donor signal to the cell surface and eliminates luminescence background from unoccupied receptors present in intracellular compartments.

Utilizing a Simple Method for Stoichiometric Protein Labeling to Quantify Antibody Blockade.

Ligand binding assays routinely employ fluorescently-labeled protein ligands to quantify the extent of binding. These ligands are commonly generated through chemical modification of accessible lysine residues, which often results in heterogeneous populations exhibiting variable binding properties. This could be remedied by quantitative, site-specific labeling. Recently, we reported on a single-step method integrating recombinant protein purification with 2-cyanobenzothiazole (CBT) condensation for labeling a proteolytically exposed N-terminal cysteine. Here, using three growth factors, we show that unlike random lysine labeling, this site-specific approach yielded homogeneous populations of growth factors that were quantitatively labeled at their N-termini and retained their binding characteristics. We demonstrate the utility of this labeling method through the development of a novel assay that quantifies the capacity of antibodies to block receptor-ligand interactions (i.e. antibody blockade). The assay uses bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) to detect binding of CBT-labeled growth factors to their cognate receptors genetically fused to NanoLuc luciferase. The ability of antibodies to block these interactions is quantified through decrease in BRET. Using several antibodies, we show that the assay provides reliable quantification of antibody blockade in a cellular context. As demonstrated here, this simple method for generating uniformly-labeled proteins has potential to promote more accurate and robust ligand binding assays.

Quantitative, Real-Time Measurements of Intracellular Target Engagement Using Energy Transfer.

Intracellular target affinity and residence time are fundamental aspects of pharmacological mechanism (Lu and Tonge, Curr Opin Chem Biol 14:467-474, 2010). Although various robust biochemical approaches exist to measure these binding characteristics, analysis of compound binding with isolated targets may not accurately reflect engagement in the milieu of living cells. To realize the influence of cellular context, methods are needed that are capable of quantifying affinity and residence time in the presence of the intracellular factors that may impact target engagement. Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) offers a solution for intracellular target engagement when quantitative metrics or kinetic analyses are required.

A real-time, bioluminescent annexin V assay for the assessment of apoptosis.

Apoptosis is an important and necessary cell death program which promotes homeostasis and organismal survival. When dysregulated, however, it can lead to a myriad of pathologies from neurodegenerative diseases to cancer. Apoptosis is therefore the subject of intense study aimed at dissecting its pathways and molecular mechanisms. Although many assay methods exist for confirming whether an apoptotic response has occurred in vitro, most methods are destructive and involve laborious operator effort or specialized instrumentation. Here we describe a real-time, no-wash, microplate method which utilizes recombinant annexin V fusion proteins containing evolved binary subunits of NanoBiT™ luciferase. The fusion proteins, a time-released enzymatic substrate, a necrosis detection dye and exogenous calcium ions are delivered via an optimized and physiologically inert reagent directly to cells in culture at the time of treatment or dosing. Luminescent signals proportional to phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure and fluorescent signals generated as a result of loss of membrane integrity are then collected using a standard multimode plate reader at scheduled intervals over the exposure. The resulting luminescent and fluorescent data are then used to define the kinetics and magnitude of an apoptotic response. This study details our efforts to develop, characterize, and demonstrate the features of the assay by providing relevant examples from diverse cell models for programmed cell death.

CRISPR-Mediated Tagging of Endogenous Proteins with a Luminescent Peptide.

Intracellular signaling pathways are mediated by changes in protein abundance and post-translational modifications. A common approach for investigating signaling mechanisms and the effects induced by synthetic compounds is through overexpression of recombinant reporter genes. Genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9 offers a means to better preserve native biology by appending reporters directly onto the endogenous genes. An optimal reporter for this purpose would be small to negligibly influence intracellular processes, be readily linked to the endogenous genes with minimal experimental effort, and be sensitive enough to detect low expressing proteins. HiBiT is a 1.3 kDa peptide (11 amino acids) capable of producing bright and quantitative luminescence through high affinity complementation (KD = 700 pM) with an 18 kDa subunit derived from NanoLuc (LgBiT). Using CRISPR/Cas9, we demonstrate that HiBiT can be rapidly and efficiently integrated into the genome to serve as a reporter tag for endogenous proteins. Without requiring clonal isolation of the edited cells, we were able to quantify changes in abundance of the hypoxia inducible factor 1A (HIF1α) and several of its downstream transcriptional targets in response to various stimuli. In combination with fluorescent antibodies, we further used HiBiT to directly correlate HIF1α levels with the hydroxyproline modification that mediates its degradation. These results demonstrate the ability to efficiently tag endogenous proteins with a small luminescent peptide, allowing sensitive quantitation of the response dynamics in their regulated expression and covalent modifications.

Improved Deconvolution of Protein Targets for Bioactive Compounds Using a Palladium Cleavable Chloroalkane Capture Tag.

The benefits provided by phenotypic screening of compound libraries are often countered by difficulties in identifying the underlying cellular targets. We recently described a new approach utilizing a chloroalkane capture tag, which can be chemically attached to bioactive compounds to facilitate the isolation of their respective targets for subsequent identification by mass spectrometry. The tag minimally affects compound potency and membrane permeability, enabling target engagement inside cells. Effective enrichment of these targets is achieved through selectivity in both their rapid capture onto immobilized HaloTag and their subsequent release by competitive elution. Here, we describe a significant improvement to this method where selective elution was achieved through palladium-catalyzed cleavage of an allyl-carbamate linkage incorporated into the chloroalkane capture tag. Selective tag cleavage provided robust release of captured targets exhibiting different modes of binding to the bioactive compound, including prolonged residence time and covalent interactions. Using the kinase inhibitors ibrutinib and BIRB796 as model compounds, we demonstrated the capability of this new method to identify both expected targets and "off-targets" exhibiting a range of binding affinities, cellular abundances, and binding characteristics.

Deciphering the Cellular Targets of Bioactive Compounds Using a Chloroalkane Capture Tag.

Phenotypic screening of compound libraries is a significant trend in drug discovery, yet success can be hindered by difficulties in identifying the underlying cellular targets. Current approaches rely on tethering bioactive compounds to a capture tag or surface to allow selective enrichment of interacting proteins for subsequent identification by mass spectrometry. Such methods are often constrained by ineffective capture of low affinity and low abundance targets. In addition, these methods are often not compatible with living cells and therefore cannot be used to verify the pharmacological activity of the tethered compounds. We have developed a novel chloroalkane capture tag that minimally affects compound potency in cultured cells, allowing binding interactions with the targets to occur under conditions relevant to the desired cellular phenotype. Subsequent isolation of the interacting targets is achieved through rapid lysis and capture onto immobilized HaloTag protein. Exchanging the chloroalkane tag for a fluorophore, the putative targets identified by mass spectrometry can be verified for direct binding to the compound through resonance energy transfer. Using the interaction between histone deacetylases (HDACs) and the inhibitor, Vorinostat (SAHA), as a model system, we were able to identify and verify all the known HDAC targets of SAHA as well as two previously undescribed targets, ADO and CPPED1. The discovery of ADO as a target may provide mechanistic insight into a reported connection between SAHA and Huntington's disease.

Purification of Recombinant Proteins from Cultured Mammalian Cells by HaloTag Technology.

Cultured mammalian cells provide an environment ideal for producing functional recombinant mammalian proteins. However, low expression levels of recombinant proteins present a challenge for their detection and purification. This unit will focus on HaloTag, a protein fusion tag designed to bind selectively and covalently to a chloroalkane ligand that may be attached to a variety of functional groups, allowing both protein detection and immobilization. Detection of HaloTag-fusion protein is achieved through binding to a fluorescent chloroalkane ligand, enabling rapid optimization of expression levels. HaloTag-based purification uses covalent capture of the HaloTag fusion onto HaloLink resin coupled with proteolytic cleavage to release the protein of interest from the resin. Covalent binding provides efficient protein capture regardless of expression level and eliminates protein loss during washes of the resin and as a result, offers significant improvements in protein recovery and purity over traditional non-covalent approaches.

Development of a dehalogenase-based protein fusion tag capable of rapid, selective and covalent attachment to customizable ligands.

Our fundamental understanding of proteins and their biological significance has been enhanced by genetic fusion tags, as they provide a convenient method for introducing unique properties to proteins so that they can be examinedin isolation. Commonly used tags satisfy many of the requirements for applications relating to the detection and isolation of proteins from complex samples. However, their utility at low concentration becomes compromised if the binding affinity for a detection or capture reagent is not adequate to produce a stable interaction. Here, we describe HaloTag® (HT7), a genetic fusion tag based on a modified haloalkane dehalogenase designed and engineered to overcome the limitation of affinity tags by forming a high affinity, covalent attachment to a binding ligand. HT7 and its ligand have additional desirable features. The tag is relatively small, monomeric, and structurally compatible with fusion partners, while the ligand is specific, chemically simple, and amenable to modular synthetic design. Taken together, the design features and molecular evolution of HT7 have resulted in a superior alternative to common tags for the overexpression, detection, and isolation of target proteins.

HaloTag-based purification of functional human kinases from mammalian cells.

Although cultured mammalian cells are preferred for producing functional mammalian proteins with appropriate post-translational modifications, purification of recombinant proteins is frequently hampered by low expression. We have addressed this by creating a new method configured specifically for mammalian cell culture that provides rapid detection and efficient purification. This approach is based on HaloTag, a protein fusion tag designed to bind rapidly, selectively and covalently to a series of synthetic ligands that can carry a variety of functional groups, including fluorescent dyes for detection or solid supports for purification. Since the binding of HaloTag to the HaloLink resin is essentially irreversible, it overcomes the equilibrium-based binding limitations associated with affinity tags and enables efficient capture and purification of target protein, even at low expression levels. The target protein is released from the HaloLink resin by specific cleavage using a TEV protease fused to HaloTag (HaloTEV), leaving both HaloTag and HaloTEV permanently attached to the resin and highly pure, tag-free protein in solution. HaloTag fluorescent ligands enable fluorescent labeling of HaloTag fusion proteins, providing a convenient way to monitor expression, and thus facilitate the identification of optimal transient transfection conditions as well as the selection of high expression stable cell lines. The capabilities of this method have been demonstrated by the efficient purification of five functional human kinases from HEK293T cells. In addition, when purifications using FLAG, 3xFLAG, His(6)Tag and HaloTag were performed in parallel, HaloTag was shown to provide significantly higher yields, purity and overall recovery of the expressed proteins.

Engineering of a wheat germ expression system to provide compatibility with a high throughput pET-based cloning platform.

Wheat germ cell-free methods provide an important approach for the production of eukaryotic proteins. We have developed a protein expression vector for the TNT((R)) SP6 High-Yield Wheat Germ Cell-Free (TNT WGCF) expression system (Promega) that is also compatible with our T7-based Escherichia coli intracellular expression vector pET15_NESG. This allows cloning of the same PCR product into either one of several pET_NESG vectors and this modified WGCF vector (pWGHisAmp) by In-Fusion LIC cloning (Zhu et al. in Biotechniques 43:354-359, 2007). Integration of these two vector systems allowed us to explore the efficacy of the TNT WGCF system by comparing the expression and solubility characteristics of 59 human protein constructs in both WGCF and pET15_NESG E. coli intracellular expression. While only 30% of these human proteins could be produced in soluble form using the pET15_NESG based system, some 70% could be produced in soluble form using the TNT WGCF system. This high success rate underscores the importance of eukaryotic expression host systems like the TNT WGCF system for eukaryotic protein production in a structural genomics sample production pipeline. To further demonstrate the value of this WGCF system in producing protein suitable for structural studies, we scaled up, purified, and analyzed by 2D NMR two (15)N-, (13)C-enriched human proteins. The results of this study indicate that the TNT WGCF system is a successful salvage pathway for producing samples of difficult-to-express small human proteins for NMR studies, providing an important complementary pathway for eukaryotic sample production in the NESG NMR structure production pipeline.

Protein-protein interaction studies on protein arrays: effect of detection strategies on signal-to-background ratios.

Protein arrays hold great promise for proteome-scale analysis of protein-protein interaction networks, but the technical challenges have hindered their adoption by proteomics researchers. The crucial issue of design and fabrication of protein arrays have been addressed in several studies, but the detection strategies used for identifying protein-protein interactions have received little attention. In this study, we evaluated six different detection strategies to identify four different protein-protein interaction pairs. We discuss each detection approach in terms of signal-to-background (S/B) ratio, ease of use, and adaptability to high-throughput format. Protein arrays for this study were made by expressing both the bait proteins (proteins captured at the surface) and prey proteins (probes) in cell-free rabbit reticulocyte lysate (RRL) systems. Bait proteins were expressed as HaloTag fusions that allow covalent capture on a HaloTag ligand-coated glass without any prior protein purification step. Prey proteins were expressed and modified with either tags (protein or peptides) or labels (fluorescent or radiometric) for detection. This simple method for creating protein arrays in combination with our analyses of several detection strategies should increase the usefulness of protein array technologies.