Evaluation of the Spatial Distribution of γH2AX following Ionizing Radiation

Summary

Microscopic analysis of γH2AX foci, which form following the phosphorylation of H2AX at Ser-139 in response to DNA double-strand breaks, has become an invaluable tool in radiation biology. Here we used an antibody to mono-methylated histone H3 at lysine 4 as an epigenetic marker of actively transcribing euchromatin, to evaluate the spatial distribution of radiation-induced γH2AX formation within the nucleus.

Abstract

An early molecular response to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is phosphorylation of the Ser-139 residue within the terminal SQEY motif of the histone H2AX^1,2. This phosphorylation of H2AX is mediated by the phosphatidyl-inosito 3-kinase (PI3K) family of proteins, ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), DNA-protein kinase catalytic subunit and ATM and RAD3-related (ATR)³. The phosphorylated form of H2AX, referred to as γH2AX, spreads to adjacent regions of chromatin from the site of the DSB, forming discrete foci, which are easily visualized by immunofluorecence microscopy³. Analysis and quantitation of γH2AX foci has been widely used to evaluate DSB formation and repair, particularly in response to ionizing radiation and for evaluating the efficacy of various radiation modifying compounds and cytotoxic compounds⁴.

Given the exquisite specificity and sensitivity of this de novo marker of DSBs, it has provided new insights into the processes of DNA damage and repair in the context of chromatin. For example, in radiation biology the central paradigm is that the nuclear DNA is the critical target with respect to radiation sensitivity. Indeed, the general consensus in the field has largely been to view chromatin as a homogeneous template for DNA damage and repair. However, with the use of γH2AX as molecular marker of DSBs, a disparity in γ-irradiation-induced γH2AX foci formation in euchromatin and heterochromatin has been observed^5-7. Recently, we used a panel of antibodies to either mono-, di- or tri- methylated histone H3 at lysine 9 (H3K9me1, H3K9me2, H3K9me3) which are epigenetic imprints of constitutive heterochromatin and transcriptional silencing and lysine 4 (H3K4me1, H3K4me2, H3K4me3), which are tightly correlated actively transcribing euchromatic regions, to investigate the spatial distribution of γH2AX following ionizing radiation⁸. In accordance with the prevailing ideas regarding chromatin biology, our findings indicated a close correlation between γH2AX formation and active transcription⁹. Here we demonstrate our immunofluorescence method for detection and quantitation of γH2AX foci in non-adherent cells, with a particular focus on co-localization with other epigenetic markers, image analysis and 3D-modeling.

Protocol

Cell preparation

1. Human erythroleukemic K562 cells are grown in RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum and 20 mg/ml gentamicin in a humidified 5% CO₂ environment at 37°C.
2. Approximately 18 hours prior to staining wash exponentially growing cells (optimal at 5 x 10⁵ cells/ml) with phosphate buffered saline (PBS), resuspend in fresh media and return to 37°C, 5% CO₂.
3. Wash the cells twice with PBS by centrifugation at approximately 1500 rpm for 5 minutes and resuspend in fresh media.
4. Count cells and adjust the cell density to approximately 5 x 10⁵ cells/ml.

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Roswell Park Memorial Institute -1640 (RPMI-1640)	Growth medium	Invitrogen	22400071	RPMI-1640, pH 7.4 medium supplemented with 10% (v/v) fetal bovine, 2mM L-glutamine, 20μg/ml gentamicin, 20mM (HEPES) N-2-Hydroxyethylpiperazine-N’-2-Ethanesulfonic Acid
Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)		Sigma-Aldrich	F2442
Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA)		Sigma-Aldrich	A7906	BSA (1%) is used to block any non-specific antibody binding. Primary and secondary antibodies are diluted in BSA.
PBS (without Ca2+ and Mg2+)		Invitrogen	17-517Q
Trypan blue		Sigma-Aldrich	T6146	Used to distinguish between live and dead cells.
Triton X-100	Reagent	Sigma-Aldrich	T8787	Triton X-100 (0.1%) used to permeabilise cells.
Paraformaldehyde	Reagent	Sigma-Aldrich	158127	Paraformaldehyde (4%) used to fix cells.
Mouse monoclonal anti-phospho histone-H2AX antibody	Primary Antibody	EMD Millipore	16193	Dilution of primary antibody (1:500), in 1% BSA.
HistoneH3 (Mono-methyl K4)	Primary Antibody	Abcam	AB8895
Alexa Fluor 488 goat anti-mouse IgG (H+L)	Secondary Antibody	Invitrogen	11029	Dilution of secondary antibody (1:500), in 1% BSA.
Alexa Fluor 546 goat anti-rabbit IgG (H+L)	Secondary Antibody	Invitrogen	11035
TOPRO3	DNA Stain	Invitrogen	T3605	TOPRO3 is a DNA dye with an Abs/Em of 642/661 nm. DAPI could be used if the confocal microscope is equipped with a 405 nm laser.
ProLong Gold	Anti-fade solution	Invitrogen	P36930	This glycerol based mounting medium must be used with an oil based lense that matches its refractive index.
Polylysine slides		Menzel-Glaser
Coverslips (22x50mm)	Coverslips	Menzel-Glaser	CS2250100
Tissue Culture Flask, Vented Cap	Culture Flask	BD Biosciences	353112
Shandon Cytospin 4		Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.
Cytofunnels		Shandon, Inc.
Filter Cards		Shandon, Inc.	353025
Coplin Jar, glass		Grale Scientific P/L	1771-OG
Staining Trough		Grale Scientific P/L	V1991.99
PAP Pen		Zymed Laboratories, Inc.	008877
Gammacell 1000 Elite Irradiator	Gamma Irradiator	Nordion International Inc.
Zeiss LSM 510 Meta Confocal	Confocal Microscope			Equipped with 3 lasers: 488 nm, 543 nm and 633 nm.
Metamorph	Software for Imaging analysis	Molecular Devices