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Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) imaging of protein-protein interactions within deep tissues of living subjects.

ABSTRACT: Identifying protein-protein interactions (PPIs) is essential for understanding various disease mechanisms and developing new therapeutic approaches. Current methods for assaying cellular intermolecular interactions are mainly used for cells in culture and have limited use for the noninvasive assessment of small animal disease models. Here, we describe red light-emitting reporter systems based on bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) that allow for assaying PPIs both in cell culture and deep tissues of small animals. These BRET systems consist of the recently developed Renilla reniformis luciferase (RLuc) variants RLuc8 and RLuc8.6, used as BRET donors, combined with two red fluorescent proteins, TagRFP and TurboFP635, as BRET acceptors. In addition to the native coelenterazine luciferase substrate, we used the synthetic derivative coelenterazine-v, which further red-shifts the emission maxima of Renilla luciferases by 35 nm. We show the use of these BRET systems for ratiometric imaging of both cells in culture and deep-tissue small animal tumor models and validate their applicability for studying PPIs in mice in the context of rapamycin-induced FK506 binding protein 12 (FKBP12)-FKBP12 rapamycin binding domain (FRB) association. These red light-emitting BRET systems have great potential for investigating PPIs in the context of drug screening and target validation applications.

SUBMITTER: Dragulescu-Andrasi A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3141927 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BACKGROUND: Nuclear receptors (NR) regulate transcription of genes involved in many biological processes such as development, cell proliferation, differentiation and cell death. Amongst them, PPARG2 and THR control tissue glucose and lipid homeostasis which are deregulated in severe pathophysiological conditions such as metabolic syndromes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we describe a real time BRET approach to monitor heterodimerization between RXR and PPARG2 or THR in vitro or in living cells. The presence of a specific DNA target was required to induce in vitro a BRET shift reflecting heterodimerization of RXR/PPARG2 or RXR/THR. As in electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), the stringency and specificity of the BRET shift assay depended upon assay condition optimization including MgCl2 concentration. For the nuclear receptors, we found by mutagenesis analysis that each heterodimer partner must harbor an intact DNA binding domain to induce BRET and heterodimerization on a DNA target. Moreover the interaction between the PPARG2 ligand binding domain and the RXR DNA binding domain stabilized the heterodimer on its DNA target. BRET microscopy in living cells highlighted the heterodimerization of RXR/PPARG2 within the nucleus clustered in discrete foci that may represent active target gene transcription regulation regions. BRET imaging also suggested that heterodimerization between RXR and PPARG2 required the DNA binding of PPARG2. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The BRET approach described here allowed us to study the dynamic interactions which exist between NR in vitro or in living cells and can provide important information on heterodimerization modes, affinity with a given RE and subcellular localization of the heterodimers. This method could be used to study real time changes of NR heterodimers occurring on DNA depending upon cell activation, chromatin state and help to define the mechanisms of ligands or drug action designed to target NRs.

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Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) imaging of protein-protein interactions within deep tissues of living subjects.

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