Using High Content Imaging to Quantify Target Engagement in Adherent Cells

Summary

Measurements of drug target engagement are central to effective drug development and chemical probe validation. Here, we detail a protocol for measuring drug-target engagement using high content imaging in a microplate-compatible adaption of the cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA).

Abstract

Quantitating the interaction of small molecules with their intended protein target is critical for drug development, target validation and chemical probe validation. Methods that measure this phenomenon without modification of the protein target or small molecule are particularly valuable though technically challenging. The cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) is one technique to monitor target engagement in living cells. Here, we describe an adaptation of the original CETSA protocol, which allows for high throughput measurements while retaining subcellular localization at the single cell level. We believe this protocol offers important advances to the application of CETSA for in-depth characterization of compound-target interaction, especially in heterogeneous populations of cells.

Introduction

When developing new drugs or chemical probes it is essential to couple the observed pharmacological effect or functional readout to measurements of target occupancy or engagement in live cells^1,2,3. These data are necessary both to ensure that the small molecule in fact reaches its desired target and to validate the biological hypothesis behind protein target selection^4,5. Furthermore, during drug development, model systems of increasing complexity are used to select and corroborate a lead compound prior to clinical t....

Protocol

1. Seeding of Cells

NOTE: For a general overview of the workflow see Figure 1. A detailed list of materials and reagents are available in the Table of Materials.

1. Prior to seeding of the cells, drill holes with a standard drill in the frame of black 384-well imaging assay plates to avoid air bubbles being trapped under the plate later during the heating step. To avoid plastic particles entering the wells during this step and to maintain sterile conditions, seal the plates with an adhesive aluminum foil or cover the plate prior to drilling in a tissue culture hood. Ty....

Results

The protocol outlined in Figure 1 describes the basic workflow for running CETSA assays on adherent cells with detection of remaining soluble protein by high content imaging. This workflow can be easily adapted to all stages of assay development by modifying the plate layout of the compounds or reagents¹⁴. We detail expected results for several anticipated use cases below.

Discussion

As discussed in the results section, there are several key steps to the procedure. First, it is important to identify a high-quality affinity reagent. We recommend screening a small library of antibodies for each desired target. After a primary antibody has been selected, it is also important to validate the system for a number of different binding sites of the protein target if appropriate. Counter-screening for compounds that interfere with the assay signal as shown in Figure 2C by omittin.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)	Medicago	09-9400-100
TrypLE Express	ThermoFisher Scientific	12604013	for detaching cells and subculturing
16% paraformaldehyde (PFA)	ThermoFisher Scientific	28908	fixative
Goat anti-rabbit IgG (H+L), Alexa Fluor 488 conjugated antibody	ThermoFisher Scientific	A11008	secondary antibody
HCS CellMask Red stain	ThermoFisher Scientific	H32712	Cytoplasm stain
NP-40	Sigma-Aldrich	56741	for permeabilization
Hoechst stain 33342	Sigma-Aldrich	B2261	nuclear stain
Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) - high Glucose	Sigma-Aldrich	6429	cell culture media component
Heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS)	Sigma-Aldrich	F9665	cell culture media component
Penicillin-Streptomycin	Sigma-Aldrich	P4333	cell culture media component
Corning, breathable plate seal	Sigma-Aldrich	CLS3345	for copound incubation step
Rabbit anti-p38 antibody [E229]	Abcam	ab170099	primary antibody, LOT:GR305364-16
Falcon, Black 384-well clear bottom imaging plates	VWR	736-2044	imaging plates
Greiner, 384-well low volume polypropylene plates	VWR	784201
Adhesive aluminum foil	VWR	30127790
Peelable aluminium seal	Agilent	24210-001	for PlateLoc
LY2228820	Selleckchem	S1494	p38α inhibitor
PH797804	Selleckchem	PH797804	p38α inhibitor
BIRB796	Selleckchem	S1574	p38α inhibitor
SB203580	Tocris	1202	p38α inhibitor
AMG 548	Tocris	3920	p38α inhibitor
RWJ 67657	Tocris	2999	p38α inhibitor
L-Skepinone	CBCS compound collection		p38α inhibitor
Bovine serum albumin (BSA)	Sigma-Aldrich	A7030	blocking agent
SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate)	BDH	44244	used in antigen retrieval
Glycine	Sigma-Aldrich	G8898	used in antigen retrieval
A-431 cells	ATCC	ATC-CRL-1555
Echo 550	Labcyte		For preparation of compound plates
Plate sealer	Agilent		PlateLoc
Bulk reagent dispenser	Thermo Scientific	5840300	Multidrop Combi
Automated liquid handling	Agilent		Bravo liquid handling platform; used for compound plate preparation
Plate washer	Tecan		Hydrospeed
Water bath	Julabo	TW12
Thermocouple	VWR		Thermocouple traceable lab thermometer
High content imager	Molecular Devices		ImageXpress Micro XLS Widefield High-Content Analysis System