Fluorescence Screens for Identifying Central Nervous System-Acting Drug-Biosensor Pairs for Subcellular and Supracellular Pharmacokinetics

Zoe G Beatty; Anand K Muthusamy; Elizabeth K Unger; Dennis A Dougherty; Lin Tian; Loren L Looger; Amol V Shivange; Kallol Bera; Henry A Lester; Aaron L Nichols

doi:10.21769/BioProtoc.4551

Fluorescence Screens for Identifying Central Nervous System-Acting Drug-Biosensor Pairs for Subcellular and Supracellular Pharmacokinetics

Bio Protoc. 2022 Nov 20;12(22):e4551. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.4551.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA.
² Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA.
³ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and the Center for Neuroscience, University of California at Davis, Davis, USA.
⁴ HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, USA.

Abstract

Subcellular pharmacokinetic measurements have informed the study of central nervous system (CNS)-acting drug mechanisms. Recent investigations have been enhanced by the use of genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors for drugs of interest at the plasma membrane and in organelles. We describe screening and validation protocols for identifying hit pairs comprising a drug and biosensor, with each screen including 13-18 candidate biosensors and 44-84 candidate drugs. After a favorable hit pair is identified and validated via these protocols, the biosensor is then optimized, as described in other papers, for sensitivity and selectivity to the drug. We also show sample hit pair data that may lead to future intensity-based drug-sensing fluorescent reporters (iDrugSnFRs). These protocols will assist scientists to use fluorescence responses as criteria in identifying favorable fluorescent biosensor variants for CNS-acting drugs that presently have no corresponding biosensor partner. This protocol was validated in: eLife (2022), DOI: 10.7554/eLife.74648 Graphical abstract.

Keywords: Biosensor; CNS-acting drugs; Directed evolution; Fluorescence screening; Pharmacokinetics; iDrugSnFR.

Abstract

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