CUT&RUN and its variants can be used to determine protein occupancy on chromatin. This protocol describes how to determine protein localization on chromatin using single-cell uliCUT&RUN.
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Method Article
Single-Cell Factor Localization on Chromatin using Ultra-Low Input Cleavage Under Targets and Release using Nuclease
In This Article
Summary
Abstract
Determining the binding locations of a protein on chromatin is essential for understanding its function and potential regulatory targets. Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) has been the gold standard for determining protein localization for over 30 years and is defined by the use of an antibody to pull out the protein of interest from sonicated or enzymatically digested chromatin. More recently, antibody tethering techniques have become popular for assessing protein localization on chromatin due to their increased sensitivity. Cleavage Under Targets & Release Under Nuclease (CUT&RUN) is the genome-wide derivative of Chromatin Immunocleavage (ChIC) and utilizes recombinant Protein A tethered to micrococcal nuclease (pA-MNase) to identify the IgG constant region of the antibody targeting a protein of interest, therefore enabling site-specific cleavage of the DNA flanking the protein of interest. CUT&RUN can be used to profile histone modifications, transcription factors, and other chromatin-binding proteins such as nucleosome remodeling factors. Importantly, CUT&RUN can be used to assess the localization of either euchromatic- or heterochromatic-associated proteins and histone modifications. For these reasons, CUT&RUN is a powerful method for determining the binding profiles of a wide range of proteins. Recently, CUT&RUN has been optimized for transcription factor profiling in low populations of cells and single cells and the optimized protocol has been termed ultra-low input CUT&RUN (uliCUT&RUN). Here, a detailed protocol is presented for single-cell factor profiling using uliCUT&RUN in a manual 96-well format.
Introduction
Many nuclear proteins function by interacting with chromatin to promote or prevent DNA-templated activities. To determine the function of these chromatin-interacting proteins, it is important to identify the genomic locations at which these proteins are bound. Since its development in 1985, Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) has been the gold standard for identifying where a protein binds to chromatin1,2. The traditional ChIP technique has the following basic workflow: cells are harvested and crosslinked (usually with formaldehyde), chromatin is sheared (usually with harsh sonication methods, necessitating c....
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Protocol
Ethics statement: All studies were approved by the Institutional Biosafety Office of Research Protections at the University of Pittsburgh.
1. Prepare magnetic beads
NOTE: Perform prior to cell sorting and hold on ice until use.
- Pipette 30 µL of ConA-conjugated paramagnetic microspheres bead slurry mix per reaction to a fresh 1.5 mL microfuge tube and add 850 µL of Binding Buffer, pipetting gently to mix.
NOTE: ConA-conjugated paramagnetic microspheres are lectin-coated magnetic beads that permit lipid membrane binding. - Place the tube on a magnetic rack and a....
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Results
Here, a detailed protocol is presented for single-cell protein profiling on chromatin using a 96-well manual format uliCUT&RUN. While results will vary based on the protein being profiled (due to protein abundance and antibody quality), cell type, and other contributing factors, anticipated results for this technique are discussed here. Cell quality (cell appearance and percent of viable cells) and single-cell sorting should be assessed prior to or at the time of live-cell sorting into the NE buffer. An example of ES.......
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Discussion
CUT&RUN is an effective protocol to determine protein localization on chromatin. It has many advantages relative to other protocols, including: 1) high signal-to-noise ratio, 2) rapid protocol, and 3) low sequencing read coverage required thus leading to cost savings. The use of Protein A- or Protein A/G-MNase enables CUT&RUN to be applied with any available antibody; therefore, it has the potential to quickly and easily profile many proteins. However, adaptation to single-cell for any protein profiling on chroma.......
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Disclosures
The authors declare no competing interests related to this project.
Acknowledgements
We thank members of the Hainer Lab for reading and comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. This project used the NextSeq500 available at the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Sequencing Core at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh for sequencing with special thanks to its director, William MacDonald. This research was supported in part by the University of Pittsburgh Center for Research Computing through the computer resources provided. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grant Number R35GM133732 (to S.J.H.).
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Materials
| Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 mL clear microfuge tubes | ThermoFisher Scientific | 90410 | |
| 1.5 mL tube magnetic rack | ThermoFisher Scientific | 12321D | |
| 1.5 mL tube-compatible cold centrifuge | Eppendorf | 5404000537 | |
| 10 cm sterile tissue culture plates | ThermoFisher Scientific | 150464 | |
| 10X T4 DNA Ligase buffer | New England Biolabs | B0202S | |
| 15 mL conical tubes | VWR | 89039-656 | |
| 1X TE buffer | ThermoFisher Scientific | 12090015 | |
| 200 µL PCR tubes | Eppendorf | 951010022 | |
| 2X quick ligase buffer | New England Biolabs | M2200 | Ligase Buffer |
| 5X KAPA HiFi buffer | Roche | 7958889001 | 5X high fidelity PCR buffer |
| 7-Amino-Actinomycin D (7-AAD) | Fisher Scientific | BDB559925 | |
| 96-well magnetic rack | ThermoFisher Scientific | 12027 or 12331D | |
| 96-well plate | VWR | 82006-636 | |
| AMPure XP beads | Beckman Coulter | A63881 | polystyrene-magnetite beads; Due to potential variability between AMPure XP bead lots, it is recommended that your AMPure bead solution be calibrated. See manufacturer’s instructions |
| Antibody to protein of interest | varies | ||
| ATP | ThermoFisher Scientific | R0441 | |
| BioMag Plus Concanavalin A beads | Polysciences | 86057-10 | ConA-conjugated paramagnetic microspheres |
| BSA | |||
| Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) | Fisher Scientific | AAJ62905AP | |
| Cell sorter | BD FACSAria II cell sorter | Requires training | |
| Cell-specific media for cell culture | Varies | ||
| Chloroform | ThermoFisher Scientific | C298-500 | Chloroform is a skin irritant and harmful if swallowed; handle in a chemical fume hood using gloves, a lab coat, and goggles |
| Computer with 64-bit processer and access to a super computing cluster | For computational analyses of resulting sequencing datasets | ||
| DNA spin columns | Epoch Life Sciences | 1920-250 | |
| dNTP set | New England Biolabs | N0446S | |
| EGTA | Sigma Aldrich | E3889 | |
| Electrophoresis equipment | varies | ||
| Ethanol | Fisher Scientific | 22032601 | 100% vol/vol ethanol is highly flammable; handle in a chemical fume hood using gloves, a lab coat, and goggles |
| Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) | Fisher Scientific | BP2482100 | |
| FBS | Sigma Aldrich | F2442 | |
| Glycerol | Fisher Scientific | BP229-1 | |
| Glycogen | VWR | 97063-256 | |
| HEPES | Fisher Scientific | BP310-500 | |
| Heterologous S. cerevisiae DNA spike-in | homemade | Prepared from crosslinked, MNase-digested, and agarose gel extracted genomic DNA purified of protein/RNA and diluted to 10 ng/mL. We recommend yeast genomic DNA, but other organisms can be used if needed. | |
| Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) | Fisher Scientific | A144-212 | Hydrochloric Acid is very corrosive; handle in a chemical fume hood using gloves, a lab coat, and goggles |
| Ice Bucket | varies | ||
| Illumina Sequencing platform (e.g., NextSeq500) | Illumina | ||
| Incubator with temperature and atmosphere control | ThermoFisher Scientific | 51030284 | |
| KAPA HotStart HiFi DNA Polymerase with 5X KAPA HiFi buffer | Roche | 7958889001 | hotstart high fidelity polymerase |
| Laminar flow hood | Bakery Company | SG404 | |
| Manganese Chloride (MnCl2) | Sigma Aldrich | 244589 | |
| Micropipette set | Rainin | 30386597 | |
| Minifuge | Benchmark Scientific | C1012 | |
| NEB Adaptor | New England Biolabs | E6612AVIAL | Adaptor |
| NEB Universal primer | New England Biolabs | E6611AVIAL | Universal Primer |
| NEBNext Multiplex Oligos for Illumina kit | New England Biolabs | E7335S/L, E7500S/L, E7710S/L, E7730S/L | Indexed Primers |
| Negative control antibody | Antibodies-Online | ABIN101961 | |
| Nuclease Free water | New England Biolabs | B1500S | |
| PCR thermocycler | Eppendorf | 2231000666 | |
| Phase lock tubes | Qiagen | 129046 | |
| Phenol/Chloroform/Isoamyl Alcohol (PCI) | ThermoFisher Scientific | 15593049 | Phenol is harmful if swallowed or upon skin contact; handle in a chemical fume hood using gloves, a lab coat, and goggles |
| Phsophate buffered saline (PBS) | ThermoFisher Scientific | 10814010 | |
| Pipette aid | Drummond Scientific | # 4-000-100 | |
| Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 | VWR | A16151 | |
| Potassium Chloride (KCl) | Sigma Aldrich | P3911 | |
| Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) | Fisher Scientific | P250-1 | CAUTION KOH is an eye/skin irritant as a solid and corrosive in solution. Handle in a chemical fume hood using gloves, a lab coat, and goggles |
| Protease Inhibitors | ThermoFisher Scientific | 78430 | |
| ProteinA/G-MNase | Epicypher | 15-1016 | pA/G-MNase |
| ProteinA-MNase, purified from pK19pA-MN | Addgene | 86973 | |
| Proteinase K | New England Biolabs | P8107S | |
| Qubit 1X dsDNA HS Assay Kit | ThermoFisher Scientific | Q33230 | |
| Qubit Assay tubes | ThermoFisher Scientific | Q32856 | |
| Qubit Fluorometer | ThermoFisher Scientific | Q33238 | |
| Quick Ligase with 2X Quick Ligase buffer | New England Biolabs | M2200S | |
| RNase A | New England Biolabs | T3010 | |
| Sodium Acetate (NaOAc) | ThermoFisher Scientific | BP333-500 | |
| Sodium Chloride (NaCl) | Sigma Aldrich | S5150-1L | |
| Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) | ThermoFisher Scientific | BP166-500 | SDS is poisonous if inhaled; handle with care in well ventilated spaces using gloves, eye protection, and an N95-grade respirator when handling |
| Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) | Fisher Scientific | S318-1 | NaOH is an eye/skin irritant as a solid and corrosive in solution. Handle in a chemical fume hood using gloves, a lab coat, and goggles |
| Spermidine | Sigma Aldrich | S2626 | |
| Standard Inverted Light Microscope | Leica | 11526213 | |
| Standard lab agarose gel materials | Varies | ||
| Standard lab materials such as serological pipettes and pipette tips | Varies | ||
| T4 DNA Ligase | New England Biolabs | M0202S | |
| T4 DNA Polymerase | New England Biolabs | M0203S | |
| T4 PNK | New England Biolabs | M0201S | |
| Tabletop vortexer | Fisher Scientific | 2215414 | |
| Taq DNA Polymerase | New England Biolabs | M0273S | |
| Thermomixer | Eppendorf | 5384000020 | Alternatively, can use a waterbath |
| Tris base | Fisher Scientific | BP152-5 | |
| Triton X-100 | Sigma Aldrich | 9002-93-1 | Triton X-100 is hazardous; use a lab coat, gloves, and goggles when handling |
| Trypsin | Fisher Scientific | MT25052 | |
| Tube rotator | VWR | 10136084 | |
| USER enzyme | New England Biolabs | M5505S |
References
- Gilmour, D. S., Lis, J. T. In vivo interactions of RNA polymerase II with genes of Drosophila melanogaster. Molecular and Cellular Biology. 5 (8), 2009-2018 (1985).
- Solomon, M. J., Varshavsky, A.
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