Visualization of DNA Repair Proteins Interaction by Immunofluorescence

Summary

Following DNA damage, human cells activate essential repair pathways to restore the integrity of their genome. Here, we describe the method of indirect immunofluorescence as a means to detect DNA repair proteins, analyze their spatial and temporal recruitment, and help interrogate protein-protein interaction at the sites of DNA damage.

Abstract

Mammalian cells are constantly exposed to chemicals, radiations, and naturally occurring metabolic by-products, which create specific types of DNA insults. Genotoxic agents can damage the DNA backbone, break it, or modify the chemical nature of individual bases. Following DNA insult, DNA damage response (DDR) pathways are activated and proteins involved in the repair are recruited. A plethora of factors are involved in sensing the type of damage and activating the appropriate repair response. Failure to correctly activate and recruit DDR factors can lead to genomic instability, which underlies many human pathologies including cancer. Studies of DDR proteins can provide insights into genotoxic drug response and cellular mechanisms of drug resistance.

There are two major ways of visualizing proteins in vivo: direct observation, by tagging the protein of interest with a fluorescent protein and following it by live imaging, or indirect immunofluorescence on fixed samples. While visualization of fluorescently tagged proteins allows precise monitoring over time, direct tagging in N- or C-terminus can interfere with the protein localization or function. Observation of proteins in their unmodified, endogenous version is preferred. When DNA repair proteins are recruited to the DNA insult, their concentration increases locally and they form groups, or “foci”, that can be visualized by indirect immunofluorescence using specific antibodies.

Although detection of protein foci does not provide a definitive proof of direct interaction, co-localization of proteins in cells indicates that they regroup to the site of damage and can inform of the sequence of events required for complex formation. Careful analysis of foci spatial overlap in cells expressing wild type or mutant versions of a protein can provide precious clues on functional domains important for DNA repair function. Last, co-localization of proteins indicates possible direct interactions that can be verified by co-immunoprecipitation in cells, or direct pulldown using purified proteins.

Introduction

Human cells are constantly exposed to a variety of DNA damaging agents of various origins. Exogenous sources mostly consist of exposure to radiations, chemicals (including chemotherapeutic agents and some antibiotics), and viruses, while the main endogenous sources include errors in DNA replication and oxidative stress. The direct effects of genotoxic exposure can range from a modified base to a potentially lethal DNA double-strand break (DSB), depending on the stress and the exposure dose. Ultimately, unrepaired or mis-repaired DNA damage can lead to the accumulation of mutations, genomic rearrangements, genome instability and eventually lead to carcinogenesis

Protocol

1. HeLa cell culture

1. Pre-treat round glass coverslips with 1 M HCl at 50 °C for 16-18 hours. Rinse with ddH₂O and store in 100% EtOH.
2. Prepare cell culture medium: add 10% (v/v) FBS to DMEM medium.
3. Grow 4.0 x 10⁴ cells/well in sterile 12-well plate with an 18 mm round glass coverslip at 37 °C and 5% CO₂ in a humidified incubator. Grow cells to 80% confluency (approximately 24 hours).

2. Cell treatment with radiation (IR)

1. To induce the formation of double-strand breaks, expose cells to 4 Gy γ-irradiation (control: No irradiation, t=0). In the Gamma Cell -40, t....

Results

On day 2, or 24 h post seeding cells on coverslips, cells have undergone one division and are 80% confluent. Specific knock downs or mutations in DNA repair proteins can increase doubling time, or sensitize cells to genotoxic treatment, and seeding density as well as treatment doses should be adjusted accordingly. To determine best working conditions, timing of the DNA damage response can be established by Western blotting of γH2AX over time, and sensitivity to irradiation can be identified by colony forming assay.

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Discussion

Analysis of the timing and efficiency of DNA damage repair by microscopy has proven essential to understand how the DNA repair machinery functions, in normal cells and in human pathologies such as cancer.

The development of specific antibodies that allow detection of activated proteins in their phosphorylated version (such as γH2AX, pRPA, pRAD50 and others^{10,23,39,43<.......}

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
16% (v/v) paraformaldehyde (PFA) aqueous solution	Electron Microscopy Sciences	15710	Microscopy quality of the PFA ensures best images. If using "home-made PFA", filter prior to use.
Bovine serum albumin (BSA)	Sigma-Aldrich	A3059	Heat-shock fraction is recommended, to avoid precipitation/background.
Coverglass #1, 18 mm round (coverslips)	Neuvitro	NC0308920	Coverslips need to be cleaned and sterilized prior using, with HCl or ethanol.
DMEM, High Glucose [(+) 4.5 g/L D-Glucose, (+) L-Glutamine, (-) Sodium Pyruvate]	Gibco	11965118	Adjust the growing media to the needs of cell line used.
DPBS, no calcium, no magnesium	Gibco	14190144	PBS for tissue culture.
Ethylene glycol-bis(β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (EGTA)	Research Products International	E57060	Nuclear extraction buffer.
Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)	Life Technologies	104370028	The quality of FBS can be assessed by testing gH2AX foci formation. If traces of genotoxic endotoxin are present in the batch, gH2AX will be positive in the absence of stress.
Magnesium chloride (MgCl2)	Research Products International	M24000	Nuclear extraction buffer.
Piperazine-N,N′-bis(2-ethanesulfonic acid) (PIPES)	Research Products International	P40150	Nuclear extraction buffer.
SlowFade Diamond Antifade Mountant with DAPI	Invitrogen	S36973	300 nM DAPI with VECTASHIELD Antifade Mounting Medium can be used instead.
Sodium chloride (NaCl)	Research Products International	S23020	Nuclear extraction buffer.
Sucrose	Research Products International	S24060	Nuclear extraction buffer.
Superfrost Plus Microscope Slides	Fisherbrand	1255015	Polysine Slides can be used instead.
TC-Treated Multiple Well Plates, size 12 wells	Costar	3513	Seeding on coverslips is done in 12-wells plate.
Triton X-100	AmericanBio	AB02025	Nuclear extraction buffer.
TrypLE Express Enzyme (1X), No Phenol Red	Gibco	12604021	Trypsin-EDTA can be used instead.
Trypsin-EDTA (0.5%), No Phenol Red	Gibco	15400054	TrypLE can be used instead.