A Novel Cell-Based Intracellular Protein-Protein Interaction Detection Platform (SOLIS) for Multimodality Screening

ACS Synth Biol. 2021 May 21;10(5):990-999. doi: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00483. Epub 2021 Apr 28.

Abstract

Intervention in protein-protein interactions (PPIs) has tremendous effects in the molecular therapy of many diseases. To fulfill the requirements for targeting intracellular proteins, here we develop SOS-localization-based interaction screening (SOLIS), which elaborately mimics signaling via the Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. SOLIS employs two chimeric proteins in which a membrane localization motif (CaaX) is fused at the C-terminus of a protein of interest and the catalytic domain of SOS is fused at the C-terminus of another protein of interest. Interaction between the two proteins of interest induces membrane localization of the SOS chimera and cell proliferation. Thus, the SOLIS system enables enrichment of superior binders based on cell proliferation in an intracellular PPI-dependent manner. This was verified by three major modalities against intracellular PPIs (small molecules, peptide aptamers, and intrabodies). The system worked over a broad range of affinities (KD = 0.32-140 nM). In a screening of a site-directed randomized library, novel intrabody clones were selected on the basis of the potency of cell proliferation. Three other PPI detection methods (NanoBiT, SPR, and pull-down assays) were employed to characterize the SOLIS system, and several intrabody clones were judged as false negatives in these assays. SOLIS signals would be less sensitive to the orientation/conformation of the chimeric proteins, and this feature emerges as the advantage of SOLIS as a mammalian cytosolic PPI detection system with few false negatives.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies / metabolism
  • Antigens / metabolism
  • Aptamers, Peptide / metabolism
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cell Proliferation / genetics
  • Interleukin-3 / genetics
  • Interleukin-3 / metabolism
  • Interleukin-3 / pharmacology
  • Intracellular Space / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / metabolism
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy / methods
  • Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid / metabolism*
  • Protein Interaction Maps*
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Recombinant Proteins / pharmacology
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Signal Transduction / genetics*
  • Son of Sevenless Proteins / metabolism*
  • Transduction, Genetic
  • Transfection
  • ras Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Antibodies
  • Antigens
  • Aptamers, Peptide
  • Interleukin-3
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Son of Sevenless Proteins
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
  • ras Proteins