Conditionally expressed G alpha 15 couples to endogenous receptors in GH3 cells.

The mammalian G proteins G15 and G16 couple a wide variety of receptors to phospholipase C (PLC) in co-transfected systems, and it has been suggested that they can be used as tools in agonist-screening systems. Using the reversed tetracycline-controlled transactivation system we generated rat pituitary GH3 cell clones that expressed Galphal5 and Galpha16 conditionally to study the coupling of endogenous receptors to both G proteins. In cells expressing moderate levels of Galpha15, activation of various endogenous receptors increased inositol phosphate production, whereas conditional expression of Galpha16 had no significant effect on agonist-dependent PLC activity. Activation of PLC through Galpha15 in response to carbachol did not increase cytosolic [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]i) but stimulated protein kinase C. While carbachol decreased the secretory activity in non-induced GH3 cells, it increased secretion in cells expressing Galpha15. Our data demonstrate that Galpha15 has a higher functional promiscuity than Galpha16 when studied in a system that preserves physiological G protein and receptor levels. In addition, Galpha15-mediated coupling of a receptor to PLC can change the cellular response to receptor agonists, indicating that downstream cellular functions can be used to detect receptor activation in screening systems employing a promiscuous G protein.

Cellular biosensors for drug discovery.

Recent advances in cell biology, fluorescent probe chemistry, miniaturization and automation have allowed the use of mammalian cells in a variety of medical and industrial applications. Here we describe the generation of cell-based biosensors, engineered to optically report specific biological activity. Cellular biosensors are comprised of living cells and can be used in various applications, including screening chemical libraries for drug discovery and environmental sensing. Panels of biosensors may also be useful for elucidating the function of novel genes. Here we describe two examples of the construction and use of engineered cell lines as biosensors for drug discovery.

High-throughput screening strategies for cardiac ion channels.

In this article we discuss new technologies for high-throughput screening (HTS) of cardiac ion channels. We review the current state of cell based HTS and discuss new technologies and approaches using voltage-sensing Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) dyes and "native" cell lines. The advantages and disadvantages of a gene-centric approach in which a target protein is overexpressed in a non-native cell line are addressed and the role of such primary screens in the drug discovery process outlined. Primary and secondary screens using "native" type cell lines either endogenously expressing the ion channel of interest or overexpressing it are discussed with respect to HTS capacity and sensitivity for FRET voltage sensing dyes and other technologies. Finally the advantages and approaches of screening against multiple targets in an endogenous cardiac cell line are discussed.

A genetically encoded, fluorescent indicator for cyclic AMP in living cells.

Cyclic AMP controls several signalling cascades within cells, and changes in the amounts of this second messenger have an essential role in many cellular events. Here we describe a new methodology for monitoring the fluctuations of cAMP in living cells. By tagging the cAMP effector protein kinase A with two suitable green fluorescent protein mutants, we have generated a probe in which the fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the two fluorescent moieties is dependent on the levels of cAMP. This new methodology opens the way to the elucidation of the biochemistry of cAMP in vivo.

A fluorescent reporter assay for the detection of ligands acting through Gi protein-coupled receptors.

Accompanying the advances in basic biology of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is the practical need among biopharmaceutical companies for sensitive assays to assess GPCR function, particularly formats that are compatible with high-throughput drug screening. Here we describe a novel cell-based assay format for the high-throughput detection of ligands for Gi protein-coupled receptors. Two Gi-GPCRs, mu-opioid receptor (mu-OPR) and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor la (5HT1aR) are employed as model receptor targets. The key feature of this assay system is the isolation of stable, clonal Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines that carry three separate expression plasmids: (1) a chimeric Gq/i5 protein (which re-directs a negative Gi-type signal to a positive Gq-type response), (2) a given Gi-GPCR, and (3) a beta-lactamase (beta1a) reporter gene responsive to Gi-GPCR signaling. Cell-based assays built using this format show appropriate rank order of potency among a reference set of receptor agonist and antagonist compounds. Such assays are also robust, reliable, and can be used for industrial-scale applications such as high-throughput screening for drug leads.

Miniaturized FRET assays and microfluidics: key components for ultra-high-throughput screening.

Assay miniaturization applicable across a wide range of target classes, along with automation and process integration, are well-recognized goals for ultra-high-throughput screening on an industrial scale. This report summarizes the implementation of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based biochemical and cell-based assays in 3456-well NanoWelltrade mark assay plates using key components of Aurora's ultra-high-throughput screening system.

A genome-wide functional assay of signal transduction in living mammalian cells.

We describe a genome-wide functional assay for rapid isolation of cell clones and genetic elements responsive to specific stimuli. A promoterless beta-lactamase reporter gene was transfected into a human T-cell line to generate a living library of reporter-tagged clones. When loaded with a cell-permeable fluorogenic substrate, the cell library simultaneously reports the expression of a large number of endogenous genes. Flow cytometry was used to recover individual clones whose reporter-tagged genes were either induced or repressed following T-cell activation. Responsive clones were expanded and analyzed pharmacologically to identify patterns of regulation associated with specific genes. Although demonstrated using T cells, the genomic assay could be applied to map downstream transcriptional consequences for any propagating cell line in response to any stimulus of interest.

A nongenomic mechanism for progesterone-mediated immunosuppression: inhibition of K+ channels, Ca2+ signaling, and gene expression in T lymphocytes.

The mechanism by which progesterone causes localized suppression of the immune response during pregnancy has remained elusive. Using human T lymphocytes and T cell lines, we show that progesterone, at concentrations found in the placenta, rapidly and reversibly blocks voltage-gated and calcium-activated K+ channels (KV and KCa, respectively), resulting in depolarization of the membrane potential. As a result, Ca2+ signaling and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NF-AT)-driven gene expression are inhibited. Progesterone acts distally to the initial steps of T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated signal transduction, since it blocks sustained Ca2+ signals after thapsigargin stimulation, as well as oscillatory Ca2+ signals, but not the Ca2+ transient after TCR stimulation. K+ channel blockade by progesterone is specific; other steroid hormones had little or no effect, although the progesterone antagonist RU 486 also blocked KV and KCa channels. Progesterone effectively blocked a broad spectrum of K+ channels, reducing both Kv1.3 and charybdotoxin-resistant components of KV current and KCa current in T cells, as well as blocking several cloned KV channels expressed in cell lines. Progesterone had little or no effect on a cloned voltage-gated Na+ channel, an inward rectifier K+ channel, or on lymphocyte Ca2+ and Cl- channels. We propose that direct inhibition of K+ channels in T cells by progesterone contributes to progesterone-induced immunosuppression.

Quantitation of transcription and clonal selection of single living cells with beta-lactamase as reporter.

Gene expression was visualized in single living mammalian cells with beta-lactamase as a reporter that hydrolyzes a substrate loaded intracellularly as a membrane-permeant ester. Each enzyme molecule changed the fluorescence of many substrate molecules from green to blue by disrupting resonance energy transfer. This wavelength shift was detectable by eye or color film in individual cells containing less than 100 beta-lactamase molecules. The robust change in emission ratio reveals quantitative heterogeneity in real-time gene expression, enables clonal selection by flow cytometry, and forms a basis for high-throughput screening of pharmaceutical candidate drugs in living mammalian cells.

Intracellular detection assays for high-throughput screening.

New optical assay methods promise to accelerate the use of living cells in screens for drug discovery. Most of these methods employ either fluorescent or luminescent read-outs and allow cell-based assays for most targets, including receptors, ion channels and intracellular enzymes. Furthermore, genetically encoded probes offer the possibility of custom-engineered biosensors for intracellular biochemistry, specifically localized targets, and protein-protein interactions.

Ion channels, Ca2+ signaling, and reporter gene expression in antigen-specific mouse T cells.

Whole cell recordings were performed in parallel with measurements of intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and gene expression using the murine T cell hybridoma, B3Z, a cell line stably infected with a lacZ reporter gene, driven by the minimal IL-2 promoter (NF-AT, nuclear factor of activated T cells). The physiologic roles of ion channels in B3Z cells were investigated by correlating the pharmacology of channel block with [Ca2+]i, and expression of lacZ. In B3Z cells and activated human T cells, the major component of voltage-gated K+ (K(V)) current had biophysical and pharmacologic properties associated with type n channels encoded by Kv1.3; a minor K(V) component was charybdotoxin (CTX) resistant. Ca2+-activated K+ (K(Ca)) current was sensitive to CTX, but not to margatoxin (MgTX). Inwardly rectifying K+ (K(IR)) current was blocked completely by 200 microM of Ba2+. Outwardly rectifying Cl- currents were induced by cell swelling. An inwardly rectifying Ca2+ current (I(CRAC)) was activated by dialyzing the cell with 10 mM EGTA and 10 microM IP3. CTX reduced thapsigargin-stimulated [Ca2+]i signaling and gene expression by approximately 25%. Although the thapsigargin-stimulated [Ca2+]i signal was resistant to complete inhibition by K+ channel blockers, it was very sensitive to the K+ diffusion potential and Cl- removal, suggesting that drug-resistant K+ channels and perhaps Cl- channels can maintain a sufficiently negative membrane potential to drive Ca2+ influx. Neither [Ca2+]i signaling nor gene expression induced by stimulation of the CD3-epsilon subunit of the TCR was inhibited by ion channel blockers used in this study. We conclude that several channel types can contribute to maintenance of Vm, Ca2+ signals, and gene expression.

Polarity of T cell shape, motility, and sensitivity to antigen.

T cell activation requires contact with APCs. We used optical techniques to demonstrate T cell polarity on the basis of shape, motility, and localized sensitivity to antigen. An intracellular Ca2+ clamp showed that T cell shape and motility are extremely sensitive to changes in [Ca2+]i (Kd = 200 nM), with immobilization and rounding occurring via a calcineurin-independent pathway. Ca2+ dependent immobilization prolonged T cell contact with the antigen-presenting B cell; buffering the [Ca2+]i signal prevented the formation of stable cell pairs. Optical tweezers revealed spatial T cell sensitivity to antigen by controlling placement on the T cell surface of either B cells or alpha-CD3 MAb-coated beads. T cells were 4-fold more sensitive to contact made at the leading edge of the T cell compared with the tail. We conclude that motile T cells are polarized antigen sensors that respond physically to [Ca2+]i signals to stabilize their interaction with APCs.

La3+ and pH sensitivity of Ca2+ entry and intracellular store filling in gastric parietal cells.

The fluorescent Ca2+ indicator fura 2 was used to measure cytosolic free [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]i) in order to obtain information about relative rates of Ca2+ influx into parietal cells during treatment with carbachol (a cholinergic agonist) or thapsigargin (TG, a Ca(2+)-mobilizing agent) or during reloading of the internal Ca2+ stores. In Ca(2+)-containing solutions, carbachol-, TG-, and reloading-stimulated Ca2+ entry exhibited nearly identical sensitivity to La3+ [inhibition constant (Ki) approximately 10 microM] or low pH (pKi approximately 7.0). In experiments in which carbachol and TG were used, there was no additional increase in [Ca2+]i when TG was added to carbachol-treated cells or when carbachol was added to cells previously treated with TG. Thus it is likely that a single Ca2+ entry pathway serves a signaling function as well as a role in refilling the Ca2+ store during reloading. Because the Ca2+ pathway is exquisitely sensitive to pH and serosal pH increases during stimulant-induced H+ secretion (which is activated by increases in [Ca2+]i), this mechanism will exert positive feedback on parietal cells in the intact stomach. When parietal cells were pretreated with carbachol in Ca(2+)-free solutions, reloading was independent of pH and La3+, suggesting that Ca(2+)-containing solutions should be used to determine the properties of the influx pathway.

Intracellular calcium dependence of gene expression in single T lymphocytes.

In T lymphocytes, intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) rises within seconds of T-cell antigen-receptor stimulation and initiates the synthesis and secretion of interleukin 2, a cytokine essential for T-cell proliferation and the immune response. Using video-imaging techniques, we tracked [Ca2+]i signals in individual T cells and measured subsequent expression of a beta-galactosidase reporter gene (lacZ) controlled by the NF-AT element of the interleukin 2 enhancer. [Ca2+]i spikes elicited by monoclonal antibody binding to the CD3 epsilon subunit of the T-cell receptor were positively correlated with gene expression, but varied widely between individual cells and were therefore difficult to relate quantitatively to lacZ expression. The [Ca2+]i dependence of NF-AT-regulated gene expression was determined by elevating [Ca2+]i with either thapsigargin or ionomycin and then "clamping" [Ca2+]i to various, stable levels by altering either extracellular [Ca2+] or extracellular [K+]. Raising [Ca2+]i from resting levels of 70 nM to between 200 nM and 1.6 microM increased the fraction of cells expressing lacZ, with Kd approximately 1 microM. Activation of protein kinase C enhanced the [Ca2+]i sensitivity of gene expression (Kd = 210 nM), whereas stimulation of protein kinase A inhibited [Ca2+]i-dependent gene expression. The experiments described here provide single-cell measurements linking a second messenger to gene expression in individual cells.

Ca transport by plasma membrane and intracellular stores of gastric cells.

The relative Ca transport activities (i.e., of both pumps and leaks) of carbachol-releasable intracellular stores and the basolateral plasma membrane of gastric parietal cells were studied using digital image processing of fura-2 fluorescence. Cells were treated with either carbachol (a cholinergic agonist) or thapsigargin (an inhibitor of microsomal Ca-adenosinetriphosphatase) or a combination of the two. Ca-free solutions were used to selectively investigate intracellular store release and plasma membrane pump activity, whereas Ca-containing solutions were used to investigate Ca influx and refilling of the intracellular pool. In the resting cell depletion of the intracellular pool in Ca-free solutions was 15-fold faster than control in the presence of thapsigargin, indicating the efficient (> 90%) recycling of leaked Ca by the store Ca pump. Stimulation with carbachol increased the rate of pool depletion by 70-fold, and this Ca flux out of the internal store was ten times larger than the flux across the plasma membrane. Thus the internal store has ten times greater fluxes (both leaks and pumps) than the plasma membrane during resting and stimulated conditions. After carbachol removal (i.e., reloading) the permeability of the internal store decreases, whereas increased influx across the plasma membrane persists until the store is refilled. Cytoplasmic Ca does not increase during refilling because the intracellular store pump operates eightfold faster than the plasma membrane pump, effectively sequestering Ca as quickly as it enters the cell.

Fish antifreeze proteins block Ca entry into rabbit parietal cells.

Many fish and insects have adapted to life at subfreezing temperatures by evolving so-called antifreeze proteins (AFP) that noncolligatively depress the freezing temperatures of aqueous solutions without affecting the melting temperature. AFP have been thought to function solely as antifreezes. Recently, however, we discovered that AFP also protect mammalian cells and organs from damage caused by exposure to hypothermic (above freezing) temperatures. It has been proposed that hypothermic damage is caused by changes in intracellular ionic content due to a reduction of active transport that is required to balance passive ion transport across cell membranes. Given this possibility, we tested whether AFP isolated from the Newfoundland ocean pout might reduce the Ca ion permeability of a mammalian cell, the rabbit gastric parietal cell, which has been particularly well studied in terms of Ca transport and signaling. Digital image processing of the Ca-sensitive fluorescent indicator fura-2 was used to measure intracellular free Ca in these cells. During stimulation with the cholinergic agonist carbachol, AFP inhibited passive Ca entry across the cell membrane without interfering with either the release of Ca from internal stores (indicating that the carbachol receptor and other signaling events were operational) or the normal active rates of Ca efflux from the cell (indicating that Ca pumping was also still intact). These results suggest that, in addition to their actual antifreeze properties, AFP may also help to confer cold tolerance in animals by preventing passive Ca entry into epithelial cells.

Calcium signaling in endothelia: cellular heterogeneity and receptor internalization.

The vasoactive factors thrombin, bradykinin (BK), and ATP are released in response to tissue damage and inflammation and act on endothelium to modulate vascular perfusion. We have investigated the second messenger response of endothelium activated by these agonists and, in particular, the mechanism of desensitization to BK. Fura-2 fluorescence ratio imaging of calf pulmonary artery endothelial cells (CPAE) revealed 5- to 10-fold increases on intracellular Ca (Cai) in response to these agents. Maximal doses caused Cai to increase from 52 to 248 nM (thrombin), 556 nM (BK), and 643 nM (ATP). Agonists elicited a rapid (within 30 s) increase of Cai due to release of Ca from intracellular stores followed by a secondary elevation of Cai dependent on entry of external Ca. The temporal characteristics of the Cai responses to all agonists were heterogeneous from cell to cell, and, interestingly, repeated stimulation gave identical signature responses from individual cells, although the amplitude of the Cai response decreased to thrombin and especially bradykinin but not for ATP. This decrease was agonist specific because ATP elicited large increases of Cai after thrombin or BK desensitization. Maximal desensitization was obtained with BK applied for 5-10 min followed by a rest of < 10 min before restimulation. Although desensitization primarily reduced the elevation of Cai due to the release of the internal store, entry of extracellular Ca was also reduced. Cells responded heterogeneously to desensitization in that those with prominent extracellular Ca entry responded most strongly upon a second stimulation with BK. Because desensitized cells still responded to ATP with an increase of Cai, the desensitization was controlled at a step prior to the activation of phospholipase C. Desensitization occurred by a reduction of BK receptor number; a 10-min BK pretreatment reduced [3H]BK binding to receptors by 70% (from 14,600 receptors/cell, Km = 5 nM, to 5,300). As surface receptor numbers decreased, internalized receptors increased as assayed by an acetic acid wash. The time course of the receptor internalization was similar to the decrease in Cai response to BK. We conclude that the vasoactive agonists thrombin, BK, and ATP increase the second messenger Cai in endothelial cells and that a desensitized Cai response occurs with BK, but not with ATP, due to downregulation and endocytosis of the BK receptor.

Volume-sensitive Ca influx and release from intracellular pools in gastric parietal cells.

The effects of osmotically induced changes in cell volume on cytoplasmic free Ca (Cai) were studied in parietal cells from intact rabbit gastric glands using digital image processing of fura-2 fluorescence. In resting unstimulated cells, Cai was unaffected by either cell swelling or shrinking when osmolarity was varied between 200 and 400 mosM (isotonicity 290 mosM). However, when cells were swelled in a 165 mosM solution (55% tonicity), a biphasic Ca increased was observed. On average, Cai increased transiently from 80 to 218 nM before stabilizing at approximately 140 nM. The peak was due to release from intracellular pools because it was present in Ca-free solutions while the sustained elevation was dependent on external Ca. In carbachol-stimulated cells, Ca influx was most sensitive to cell shrinkage. For example, addition of 25 mM sucrose (108% tonicity) caused a 30% decrease in the sustained carbachol-stimulated Cai increase (plateau). In contrast, carbachol-stimulated cells were relatively insensitive to cell swelling, with a 30% decrease in tonicity causing only a 15% increase in the plateau. However, as in the unstimulated cells, extreme (55% tonicity) swelling caused additional increases in Cai levels. The carbachol-dependent effects of changes in cell volume on Cai could be mimicked by treating cells with thapsigargin, an inhibitor of Ca pumps of intracellular membranes that also has been shown to stimulate Ca entry. Thus, although extreme swelling conditions (55% tonicity) could elicit Cai increases in either the presence or absence of agonist, agonist was required to observe Cai decreases due to cell shrinkage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Carbachol-activated calcium entry into HT-29 cells is regulated by both membrane potential and cell volume.

Intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) was measured in single Cl(-)-secretory HT-29/B6 colonic carcinoma cells with the Ca2+ probe fura-2 and digital imaging microscopy. Resting [Ca2+]i was 63 +/- 3 nM (n = 62). During treatment with the muscarinic agonist carbachol, [Ca2+]i rapidly increased to 901 +/- 119 nM and subsequently reached a stable level of 309 +/- 23 nM, which depended on Ca2+ entry into the cells from the extracellular solution. The goal of this study was to characterize the Ca2+ entry pathway across the cell membrane with respect to its dependence on membrane potential and cell volume. Under resting conditions [Ca2+]i showed no apparent dependence on either potential or cell volume. After stimulating Ca2+ entry with carbachol (100 microM), [Ca2+]i increased with hyperpolarization (low-K+ or valinomycin treatment) and decreased with depolarization (high-K+ or gramicidin treatment) of the cell, as expected from changes in driving force for Ca2+ entry. In stimulated cells, hypotonic solutions caused [Ca2+]i to increase, whereas hypertonic solutions blocked Ca2+ entry. The shrinkage-induced decreases in [Ca2+]i were only slightly affected when the membrane potential was increased with valinomycin, suggesting that shrinkage directly affects the carbachol-activated Ca2+ conductance. In contrast, the swelling-induced increase in [Ca2+]i was significantly reduced in valinomycin-treated cells, suggesting an indirect dependence on a swelling-activated K+ conductance. Thus, carbachol-stimulated Ca2+ entry is under the dual control of membrane potential and cell volume. This mechanism may serve as a regulatory influence that determines the extent of Ca2+ influx during cholinergic stimulation.