Name: desthiobiotin-streptavidin-affinity mediated purification of rna-interacting proteins in mesothelioma cells
Uploaded: 2018-04-25T15:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Desthiobiotin-Streptavidin-Affinity Mediated Purification of RNA-Interacting Proteins in Mesothelioma Cells at JoVE.com

This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation Sinergia grant CRSII3 147697, the Stiftung f&#252;r Angewandte Krebsforschung and Z&#252;rich Krebsliga.

1. Preparation of Cytosolic and Nuclear Protein Fraction
<ol>
	<li>Plate 4 x 106 ACC-MESO-4 cells in a T150 cell culture flask grown in RPMI - 1640 medium supplemented with 10% FBS, 1x penicillin/streptomycin (100x), and 2 mM L-Glutamine (200 mM). When cells reach a confluence of 80-90% (~5-5.5 x 106 cells), proceed with protein extraction of nuclear and cytosolic fraction. 
	NOTE: ACC-MESO-4 cell line was obtained from the RIKEN BioResource Centre11.</li>
	<li>Aspirat...

<ol>
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L., Yong, J., Dreyfuss, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=RNA-binding+proteins+and+post-transcriptional+gene+regulation.">RNA-binding proteins and post-transcriptional gene regulation.</a> FEBS Letters. 582 (14), 1977-1986 (2008).</li><li>Mayr, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Evolution+and+biological+roles+of+alternative+3'UTRs.">Evolution and biological roles of alternative 3'UTRs.</a> Trends in Cell Biology. 26 (3), 227-237 (2016).</li><li>Matoulkova, E., Michalova, E., Vojtesek, B., Hrstka, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+role+of+the+3'+untranslated+region+in+post-transcriptional+regulation+of+protein+expression+in+mammalian+cells.">The role of the 3' untranslated region in post-transcriptional regulation of protein expression in mammalian cells.</a> RNA Biology. 9 (5), 563-576 (2012).</li><li>von Roretz, C., Di Marco, S., Mazroui, R., Gallouzi, I. 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3&#39; UTRs belong to the non-coding genome3, and all non-coding RNAs can interact with proteins in order to exert their function7. When the mammalian genome was found to be pervasively transcribed and produced a significant portion of long noncoding RNAs16, emerging evidences demonstrated that these long-noncoding RNAs function in regulating gene expression as they interact with chromatin-remodeling complexes17. This knowledg...

Gene expression and the final level of the gene product can be tightly regulated by affecting the mRNA stability and mRNA translation rate1. These post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms are exerted through the interactions of non-coding RNA and/or RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) with targeted mRNA. It is usually the 3&#39; untranslated region of mRNA (3&#39; UTR - belonging to the non-coding portion of the genome2) that contains specific cis-regulatory elements (CRE), which are recognized by trans-acting factors such as miRNA or RBPs3. The best-studied cis-element within the 3&#39; UTR, is the adenine-rich element (ARE) motif, which is recognized by specific AU-binding proteins (AUBP), and, in turn, induces either mRNA degradation/deadenylation (ARE-mediated decay) or mRNA stabilization4.
The size of the 3&#39; UTR of calretinin mRNA (CALB2) is 573 bp long and contains a putative AUUUA pentamer, as predicted by AREsite2, a bioinformatic tool5. Consistent with the presence of a putative ARE motif, the pmirGLO vector-reporter assay demonstrated a stabilization role of this element within CALB2 mRNA6. Finally, the in vitro RNA-pulldown was used to identify the AUBP that stabilizes calretinin mRNA through the ARE motif.
Since all non-coding RNAs interact with proteins7, the in vitro RNA-pulldown is a good way and first-of-choice assay for identifying RNA-interactors to aid in deciphering molecular mechanisms. In this RNA-pulldown method, commercially synthesized RNA probes, which were labeled with a modified form of biotin (desthiobiotin) at the 3&#39; terminus of the RNA strand, were used. The RNA-desthiobiotin is immobilized through interaction with streptavidin on magnetic beads, which are used to pull down proteins that specifically interact with the bound-RNA of interest. Non-denatured and active proteins from the cytosolic fraction of mesothelioma cells are used as the source of proteins. Such RNA-bound proteins are eluted from the magnetic beads, run through a 12% SDS-PAGE gel, transferred to a membrane, and probed with different antibodies.
In the standard streptavidin-biotin affinity purification procedure, harsh denaturation conditions are required to disrupt the strong irreversible biotin-streptavidin bond to elute the bound proteins8, which could lead to the dissociation of protein complexes. Unlike biotin, desthiobiotin reversibly binds to streptavidin and is competitively displaced with a buffered solution of biotin, allowing for the gentle elution of proteins, and avoiding the isolation of naturally biotinylated molecules9, suggesting that the technique is ideal for isolating native protein complexes under native conditions.
In vitro binding conditions and stringency, which are determined by salt concentration, reducing agents and detergent percentage, should be close to those present in the cellular context in order to identify true in vivo interactions. The binding conditions implemented herein have been previously demonstrated as appropriate for the identification of the HuR as an AU-binding protein10. This approach could save time, since optimization of proper binding conditions can be time-consuming and challenging. In addition, this method could be used as a starting protocol for any RNA-pulldown experiment and can be gradually optimized by changing the concentration of salts and detergents, changing the glycerol percentage, and adding other salts. Moreover, we demonstrated that even a short 25-nucleotide RNA-probe harboring a pentamer ARE-motif could be used to demonstrate interaction with a specific AUBP.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="1340">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">NE-PER Nuclear and cytoplasmic extraction kit</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Thermo Fisher Scientific&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">78833</td>
			<td style="width:468px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Pierce Protease Inhibitor Tablets, EDTA-free</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">A32965</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="24">
			<td height="24" style="height:24px;">Pierce BCA Protein Assay Kit</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>23225</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="24">
			<td height="24" style="height:24px;">Pierce Magnetic RNA-protein Pull-Down Kit&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">20164</td>
			<td>Includes magnetic beads and therefore the kit need to be stored at 4 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;">Pierce RNA 3&#8217; End Desthiobiotinylation Kit&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">20163</td>
			<td style="width:468px;">The kit is a part of the &#34;Pierce Magnetic RNA-protein Pull-Down Kit&#34;, and needs to be stored at -20 &#176;C unlike the pull-down kit (4 &#176;C).</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">DynaMag-2,&#160; magnetic stand</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">12321D</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:453px;">Anti - HuR (MOUSE) monoclonal antibody</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">-</td>
			<td style="width:468px;">The antibody is included in the Pierce Magnetic RNA-protein Pull-Down Kit&#160; - 1:1000 in 5% BSA 1x TTBS - rabbit anti-mouse secondary antibody 1:10,000 in 5% BSA 1x TTBS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Anti - &#945; - tubulin (MOUSE) monoclonal antibody</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">8035</td>
			<td>1:1000 in 5% BSA 1x TTBS - rabbit anti-mouse secondary antibody 1:10,000 in 5% BSA 1x TTBS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Anti - PARP (RABBIT) Polyclonal antibody</td>
			<td>Cell Signaling</td>
			<td>9542</td>
			<td>1:1000 in 5% BSA 1x TTBS - goat anti-rabbit secondary antibody 1:10,000 in 5% BSA 1x TTBS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Anti - Mesothelin (MOUSE) Monoclonal Antibody&#160;</td>
			<td>Rockland</td>
			<td>200-301-A87</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Secondary goat anti-rabbit antibody</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Cell Signaling</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">7074</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Secondary rabbit anti-mouse antibody</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">A-9044</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">RPMI - 1640 medium</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>R8758</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">FBS - Filtrated Bovine Serum</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Pan Biotech&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">P40-37500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Penicillin - streptomycin (100x)</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Sigma-Aldrich&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">P4333</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">L-Glutamine solution (200 mM)</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Sigma-Aldrich&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">G7513</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">0.25% Trypsin-EDTA (1x)</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Gibco by Life technologies&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">25200-056</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Mini-PROTEAN 3 Cell</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Bio-Rad</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">1653301</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Mini Protean System Glass Plates&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Bio-Rad</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">1653308</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Mini-PROTEAN Spacer Plates with 1.5 mm integrated spacer</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Bio-Rad</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">1653312</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Mini-PROTEAN Comb, 10-well, 1.5 mm, 66 &#181;L</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Bio-Rad</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">1653365</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Mini-PROTEAN Tetra Cell Casting Modules</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Bio-Rad</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">1658050</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">RNaseZap RNase Decontamination Solution</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">AM9780</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:453px;">Rotiphorese gel 30 - aqueous 30% acrylamide and bisacrylamide stock solution at a ration of 37.5:1</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Roth</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">3029</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">20% SDS&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">PanReac AppliChem</td>
			<td>A3942</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">PVDF transfer membrane&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Perkin Elmer</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">NEF1002</td>
			<td>Need to be activated by incubating in pure methanol for 1 min followed by washing in water for 2 min&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Trans-Blot SD semi-dry transfer cell&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Bio-Rad</td>
			<td>1703940</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Clarity Western ECL Substrate</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Bio-Rad</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">1705061</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">FusionFX&#160; Digital Imager</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Vilber</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">-</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">RNA oligo synthesis</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Mycrosynth AG, Switzerland</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">-</td>
			<td>the synthesis scale - 0.04 &#181;mol - HPLC purified</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Bovine serum albumin</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">A7030</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) 6 M</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">PanReac AppliChem</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">182883.1211</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Ultra Pure 1 M Tris, pH 7.5&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">15567027</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Glycerol&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>17904</td>
			<td>50% sterile aliquots to be stored at -20&#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="105">
			<td height="105" style="height:105px;width:453px;">Pierce Streptavidin magnetic beads&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">88817</td>
			<td style="width:468px;">Please note that these magnetic beads have an average diameter of 1 &#181;m (range from 0.5 - 1.5 &#181;m). Furthermore, Dynabeads-M280 Streptavidin, which are beads of homogenouse size 2.8 &#181;m, are also used in RNA-pulldown but be aware that this may affect purification process.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">TEMED</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">T9281</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Ammonium persulfate&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">A3678</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:453px;">Coomassie G-250</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Applichem</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">A3480</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Aluminiumsulfate-(14-18)-hydrate&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">368458</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">ortho-phosphoric acid&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:295px;">Applichem</td>
			<td style="width:124px;">A0637</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

desthiobiotin-streptavidin-affinity mediated purification of rna-interacting proteins in mesothelioma cells

The in vitro RNA-pulldown is still largely used in the first steps of protocols aimed at identifying RNA-binding proteins that recognize specific RNA structures and motifs. In this RNA-pulldown protocol, commercially synthesized RNA probes are labeled with a modified form of biotin, desthiobiotin, at the 3' terminus of the RNA strand, which reversibly binds to streptavidin and thus allows elution of proteins under more physiological conditions. The RNA-desthiobiotin is immobilized through interaction with streptavidin on magnetic beads, which are used to pull down proteins that specifically interact with the RNA of interest. Non-denatured and active proteins from the cytosolic fraction of mesothelioma cells are used as the source of proteins. The method described here can be applied to detect the interaction between known RNA binding proteins and a 25-nucleotide (nt) long RNA probe containing a sequence of interest. This is useful to complete the functional characterization of stabilizing or destabilizing elements present in RNA molecules achieved using a reporter vector assay.

In this experiment, a 25-nt long fragment of calretinin 3&#39; UTR harboring ARE motif (CALB2 3&#39; UTR (ARE) 25-nt) was used to test whether it binds specifically to the Human-antigen R (HuR) protein, a known mRNA stabilizer. To test the specificity of the ARE element, a 25-nt RNA probe CALB2 3&#39; UTR (mtARE) containing an ARE-motif mutation, which was previously shown to abolish the stabilization effect of the ARE motif, was used6. The third RNA probe represen...

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Desthiobiotin-Streptavidin-Affinity Mediated Purification of RNA-Interacting Proteins in Mesothelioma Cells

Desthiobiotin labeling of a synthetic 25-nucleotide RNA oligo, which contains an adenine-rich element (ARE) motif, allows specific binding of cytosolic ARE-binding protein.

The in vitro RNA-pulldown is still largely used in the first steps of protocols aimed at identifying RNA-binding proteins that recognize specific RNA ...

The overall goal of this procedure is to capture cytosolic protein that bind to a specific sequence located in RNA molecule in mesothelioma cells. This method can help answer key question in RNA biology field, such as if a predicted RNA binding protein can bind adenosine or uridine-rich sequence in a transcript. The main advantage of this technique is that it complements functional characterization of stabilizing or destabilizing elements assessed by reporter assay.Demonstrating this technique will be Dr.Jelena Kresoja-Rakic, a postdoc from my laboratory. To begin the protocol, obtain previously prepared ACC-MESO-4 cells with a 80 to 90%confluence. Aspirate the medium, wash the cells with 15 milliliters of 1X phosphate buffered saline, or PBS, and aspirate the PBS.Next, add three milliliters of 0.25%trypsin-EDTA, and incubate the culture flask at 37 degrees Celsius for three minutes. Add seven milliliters of supplemented RPMI-1640 medium, collect the cells in a 15-milliliter tube, and spin them down at 200 times g for five minutes. Then, aspirate the medium, and resuspend the cell pellet with 1.5 milliliters of 1X PBS.Then, transfer the cells into a 1.5-milliliter microcentrifuge tube. Spin down the cells again at 500 times g and four degrees Celsius for five minutes. After the spin, discard the supernatant, resuspend the cell pellet with 1.5 milliliters of ice-cold 1X PBS, and spin down the cells at 500 times g and four degrees Celsius for three minutes.Discard the supernatant, and estimate the cell pellet packed volume by comparing the tube containing the cell pellet with a 1.5-milliliter tube with 10, 20, 50, and 100 microliters of 1X PBS. Add 200 microliters of ice-cold cytoplasmic extraction reagent, or CER I, supplemented with two microliters of 1X proteinase inhibitor. Vigorously vortex the pellet for 15 seconds, and incubate the tube on ice for 10 minutes.Add 11 microliters of ice-cold cytoplasmic extraction reagent II, or CER II, vigorously vortex for five seconds, and incubate the tube for one minute on ice. Vortex the sample vigorously for five seconds, and centrifuge the tube at 16, 000 times g for five minutes. Transfer the supernatant to the clean, pre-chilled tube on ice.Resuspend the remaining pellet in 100 microliters of ice-cold nuclear extraction reagent, or NER, supplemented with one microliter of proteinase inhibitor, and vigorously vortex for 15 seconds. Incubate the sample on ice for 40 minutes, and vortex every 10 minutes for 15 seconds. Centrifuge the tube at 16, 000 times g for 10 minutes.Transfer the supernatant, which is the nuclear protein fraction, to a clean, pre-chilled tube. Immediately measure the protein concentration using the bicinchoninic method. Then, prepare 25 microliters of aliquots of cytosolic and nuclear extracts.Snap-freeze these aliquots by placing them in liquid nitrogen for five seconds, and store them directly at minus 80 degrees Celsius. Transfer five microliters of 10-micromolar RNA probes into 0.5-milliliter, thin-wall microcentrifuge tubes, and incubate them in a PCR machine at 85 degrees Celsius for five minutes. Place the tubes immediately on ice.For a single 30-microliter reaction, add 10 microliters of previously prepared mix to the RNA-containing tube. Carefully add 15 microliters of PEG 30%to the reaction, and use a fresh tip to mix the reaction. Incubate the reaction overnight at 16 degrees Celsius.The next day, prepare the reagents. Add 70 microliters of nuclease-free water to the RNA-labeling reaction tubes. Add 100 microliters of chloroform-isoamyl alcohol, and vortex briefly and spin the sample at 13, 000 times g for three minutes.Carefully remove only the upper phase. Avoid touching the lower phase. Transfer it to a new nuclease-free, 1.5-milliliter tube.Add 10 microliters of five-molar sodium chloride, one microliter of glycogen, and 300 microliters of ice-cold 100%ethanol. Place the tube at minus 20 degrees Celsius for two hours. After two hours, centrifuge at 13, 000 times g and four degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.Carefully discard the supernatant without disturbing the pellet. Add 300 microliters of ice-cold 70%ethanol, and centrifuge again at 13, 000 times g and four degrees Celsius for five minutes. Discard the supernatant completely, and air-dry the pellet for 15 minutes.Resuspend the pellet in 20 microliters of nuclease-free water. Incubate the RNA at 90 degrees Celsius for two minutes, and place it on ice. Place the labeled RNA on ice during the following step of pre-washing of the streptavidin magnetic beads.Prewash 50 microliters of streptavidin magnetic beads per 50 picomoles of RNA. Vortex the tube with streptavidin magnetic beads for 15 seconds. After vortexing quickly, remove 200 microliters into a clean, 1.5-milliliter Safe-Lock tube using cut pipette tips.Next, place the tube on a magnetic stand so that the beads collect at the side of the tube, and wait one minute. Remove the resuspension liquid. To wash the beads, remove the tube from the magnetic stand, add 400 microliters of 0.1-molar sodium hydroxide, 0.05-molar sodium chloride solution, and gently pipette up and down several times.Place the tube back on the magnetic stand, and wait one minute. Then, collect the supernatant. Wash the beads with 200 microliters of 100-millimolar sodium chloride, and remove the supernatant.Add 200 microliters of 20-millimolar tris, resuspend the beads by pipetting, and place the tube on the magnetic stand. After one minute, remove the supernatant. Then, remove the tube from the magnetic stand, add 200 microliters of 1X RNA capture buffer, and resuspend streptavidin magnetic beads by briefly vortexing.Remove 50 microliters of streptavidin magnetic beads, and add it to each labeled RNA tube using a cut pipette tip. Incubate the tubes for 30 minutes at room temperature on a roller. After the tube has been on the magnetic stand for one minute, remove the supernatant.Add 50 microliters of 20-millimolar tris to the beads, and resuspend them. Then, place the tubes into the magnetic stand. After one minute, remove the supernatant.Add 100 microliters of 1X protein RNA binding buffer to the beads, and resuspend them. Then, place the tubes back into the magnetic stand. Once the tubes have been in the stand for one minute, collect the supernatant.Add 100 microliter of master mix B, resuspend by gently pipetting up and down, and avoid creating bubbles. Incubate reaction tubes for 60 minutes at four degrees Celsius on a roller. Move on to the wash and elution steps.Place the tubes into a magnetic stand, collect the flow through, and transfer it into a new tube. Pipette 100 microliters of 1X wash buffer on the beads, resuspend gently, place them back into the stand, wait one minute, and discard the supernatant. Repeat this step two times.Add 40 microliters of elution buffer to the magnetic beads, mix by pipetting up and down, and incubate on a tube shaker. Place the tubes into a magnetic stand, wait one minute, and collect eluate sample. Place on ice, and use for downstream analysis.To demonstrate the purity of the nuclear/cytosolic fractions, proteins were analyzed by Western blot, which showed that alpha-tubulin was only detected in the cytosolic fraction, and PARP protein was detected only in the nuclear fraction. The eluate from the CALB2 three-prime UTR ARE probe demonstrated binding of human R and was absent in the eluate from the mutant probe and the unrelated RNA probe, which binds the iron-responsive protein. To further demonstrate the specificity between the CALB three-prime UTR and human R, the membrane was probed with anti-mesothelin antibody, and all three eluate samples showed no presence of mesothelin, indicating that the stabilizing ARE motif within CALB2 three-prime UTR can specifically bind human R protein.Coomassie staining of the gel shows that equal amounts of proteins were used to incubate with the three different RNA probes. Following this procedure, additional method protein-centric, like immunoprecipitation of a given protein, can be performed in order to address additional question, like which sequence bind to it. After its development, this technique paved the way for researchers in the field of RNA biology to explore possible interacting partners of a specific RNA.

desthiobiotin-streptavidin-affinity-mediated-purification-rna

Research

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Cancer Research

Counting Proteins in Single Cells with Addressable Droplet Microarrays

Often cellular behavior and cellular responses are analyzed at the population level where the responses of many cells are pooled together as an average result masking the rich single cell behavior within a complex population. Single cell protein detection and quantification technologies have made a remarkable impact in recent years. Here we describe a practical and flexible single cell analysis platform based on addressable droplet microarrays. This study describes how the absolute copy numbers of target proteins may be measured with single cell resolution. The tumor suppressor p53 is the most commonly mutated gene in human cancer, with more than 50% of total cancer cases exhibiting a non-healthy p53 expression pattern. The protocol describes steps to create 10 nL droplets within which single human cancer cells are isolated and the copy number of p53 protein is measured with single molecule resolution to precisely determine the variability in expression. The method may be applied to any cell type including primary material to determine the absolute copy number of any target proteins of interest.

Here we present addressable droplet microarrays (ADMs), a droplet array based method able to determine absolute protein abundance in single cells. We demonstrate the capability of ADMs to characterize the heterogeneity in expression of the tumor suppressor protein p53 in a human cancer cell line.

Often cellular behavior and cellular responses are analyzed at the population level where the responses of many cells are pooled together as an average ...

A Preclinical Mouse Model of Osteosarcoma to Define the Extracellular Vesicle-mediated Communication Between Tumor and Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Within the tumor microenvironment, resident or recruited mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) contribute to malignant progression in multiple cancer types. Under the influence of specific environmental signals, these adult stem cells can release paracrine mediators leading to accelerated tumor growth and metastasis. Defining the crosstalk between tumor and MSCs is of primary importance to understand the mechanisms underlying cancer progression and identify novel targets for therapeutic intervention. 
Cancer cells produce high amounts of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which can profoundly affect the behavior of target cells in the tumor microenvironment or at distant sites. Tumor EVs enclose functional biomolecules, including inflammatory RNAs and (onco)proteins, that can educate stromal cells to enhance the metastatic behavior of cancer cells or to participate in the pre-metastatic niche formation. In this article, we describe the development of a preclinical cancer mouse model that enables specific evaluation of the EV-mediated crosstalk between tumor and mesenchymal stem cells. First, we describe the purification and characterization of tumor-secreted EVs and the assessment of the EV internalization by MSCs. We then make use of a multiplex bead-based immunoassay to evaluate the alteration of the MSC cytokine expression profile induced by cancer EVs. Finally, we illustrate the generation of a bioluminescent orthotopic xenograft mouse model of osteosarcoma that recapitulates the tumor-MSC interaction, and show the contribution of EV-educated MSCs to tumor growth and metastasis formation. 
Our model provides the opportunity to define how cancer EVs shape a tumor-supporting environment, and to evaluate whether blockade of the EV-mediated communication between tumor and MSCs prevents cancer progression.

Direct injection of cancer-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) leads to reprogramming of bone marrow supporting tumor progression; however, which cells mediate this effect is unclear. Herein, we describe a step-by-step protocol to investigate EV-mediated tumor-mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) interactions in vivo, revealing a crucial role for EV-educated MSCs in metastasis.

Within the tumor microenvironment, resident or recruited mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) contribute to malignant progression in multiple cancer types. Under ...

Functional Assessment of BRCA1 variants using CRISPR-Mediated Base Editors

Recent studies have investigated the risks associated with BRCA1 gene mutations using various functional assessment methods such as fluorescent reporter assays, embryonic stem cell viability assays, and therapeutic drug-based sensitivity assays. Although they have clarified a lot of BRCA1 variants, these assays involving the use of exogenously expressed BRCA1 variants are associated with overexpression issues and cannot be applied to post-transcriptional regulation. To resolve these limitations, we previously reported a method for functional analysis of BRCA1 variants via CRISPR-mediated cytosine base editor that induce targeted nucleotide substitution in living cells. Using this method, we identified variants whose functions remain ambiguous, including c.-97C&#62;T, c.154C&#62;T, c.3847C&#62;T, c.5056C&#62;T, and c.4986+5G&#62;A, and confirmed that CRISPR-mediated base editors are useful tools for reclassifying the variants of uncertain significance in BRCA1. Here, we describe a protocol for functional analysis of BRCA1 variants using CRISPR-based cytosine base editor. This protocol provides guidelines for the selection of target sites, functional analysis and evaluation of BRCA1 variants.

Functional Assessment of BRCA1 variants using CRISPR-Mediated Base Editors

People with BRCA1 mutations have a higher risk of developing cancer, which warrants accurate evaluation of the function of BRCA1 variants. Herein, we described a protocol for functional assessment of BRCA1 variants using CRISPR-mediated cytosine base editors that enable targeted C:G to T:A conversion in living cells.

Recent studies have investigated the risks associated with BRCA1 gene mutations using various functional assessment methods such as fluorescent reporter ...

In Vitro Evaluation of Oncogenic Transformation in Human Mammary Epithelial Cells

Tumorigenesis is a multi-step process in which cells acquire capabilities&#160;that allow their growth, survival, and dissemination under hostile conditions. Different tests seek to identify and quantify these hallmarks of cancerous cells; however, they often focus on a single aspect of cellular transformation and, in fact, multiple tests are required for their proper characterization. The purpose of this work is to provide researchers with a set of tools to assess cellular transformation in vitro from a broad perspective, thereby making it possible to draw sound conclusions.
A sustained proliferative signaling activation is the major feature of tumoral tissues and can be easily monitored under in vitro conditions by calculating the number of population doublings achieved over time. Besides, the growth of cells in 3D cultures allows their interaction with surrounding cells, resembling what occurs in vivo. This enables the evaluation of cellular aggregation and, together with immunofluorescent labeling of distinctive cellular markers, to obtain information on another relevant feature of tumoral transformation: the loss of proper organization. Another remarkable characteristic of transformed cells is their capacity to grow without attachment to other cells and to the extracellular matrix, which can be evaluated with the anchorage assay.
Detailed experimental procedures to evaluate cell growth rate, to perform immunofluorescent labeling of cell lineage markers in 3D cultures, and to test anchorage-independent cell growth in soft agar are provided. These methodologies are optimized for Breast Primary Epithelial Cells (BPEC) due to its relevance in breast cancer; however, procedures can be applied to other cell types after some adjustments.

This protocol provides experimental in vitro tools to evaluate the transformation of human mammary cells. Detailed steps to follow-up cell proliferation rate, anchorage-independent growth capacity, and distribution of cell lineages in 3D cultures with basement membrane matrix are described.

Tumorigenesis is a multi-step process in which cells acquire capabilities&#160;that allow their growth, survival, and dissemination under hostile ...

Fluorescence Microscopy for ATP Internalization Mediated by Macropinocytosis in Human Tumor Cells and Tumor-xenografted Mice

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), including extracellular ATP (eATP), has been shown to play significant roles in various aspects of tumorigenesis, such as drug resistance, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and metastasis. Intratumoral eATP is 103 to 104 times higher in concentration than in normal tissues. While eATP functions as a messenger to activate purinergic signaling for EMT induction, it is also internalized by cancer cells through upregulated macropinocytosis, a specific type of endocytosis, to perform a wide variety of biological functions. These functions include providing energy to ATP-requiring biochemical reactions, donating phosphate groups during signal transduction, and facilitating or accelerating gene expression as a transcriptional cofactor. ATP is readily available, and its study in cancer and other fields will undoubtedly increase. However, eATP study remains at an early stage, and unresolved questions remain unanswered before the important and versatile activities played by eATP and internalized intracellular ATP can be fully unraveled.
These authors&#39; laboratories&#39; contributions to these early eATP studies include microscopic imaging of non-hydrolysable fluorescent ATP, coupled with high- and low-molecular weight fluorescent dextrans, which serve as macropinocytosis and endocytosis tracers, as well as various endocytosis inhibitors, to monitor and characterize the eATP internalization process. This imaging modality was applied to tumor cell lines and to immunodeficient mice, xenografted with human cancer tumors, to study eATP internalization in vitro and in vivo. This paper describes these in vitro and in vivo protocols, with an emphasis on modifying and finetuning assay conditions so that the macropinocytosis-/endocytosis-mediated eATP internalization assays can be successfully performed in different systems.

We developed a reproducible method to visualize the internalization of nonhydrolyzable fluorescent adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an ATP surrogate, with high cellular resolution. We validated our method using independent in vitro and in vivo assays-human tumor cell lines and immunodeficient mice xenografted with human tumor tissue.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), including extracellular ATP (eATP), has been shown to play significant roles in various aspects of tumorigenesis, such as ...

Generation and Expansion of Primary, Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Tumor Lines

Current methodologies for the expansion of primary tumor cell lines from rare tumor types are lacking. This protocol describes methods to expand primary tumor cells from surgically resected, malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) by providing a complete overview of the process from digestion to enrichment, expansion, cryopreservation, and phenotypic characterization. In addition, this protocol introduces concepts for tumor generation that may be useful for multiple tumor types such as differential trypsinization and the impact of dissociation methods on the detection of cell surface markers for phenotypic characterization. The major limitation of this study is the selection of tumor cells that will expand in a two-dimensional (2D) culture system. Variations to this protocol, including three-dimensional (3D) culture systems, media supplements, plate coating to improve adhesion, and alternate disaggregation methods, could improve this technique and the overall success rate of establishing a tumor line. Overall, this protocol provides a base method for establishing and characterizing tumor cells from this rare tumor.

The goal of this method paper is to demonstrate a robust and reproducible methodology for the enrichment, generation, and expansion of primary tumor cell lines from surgically resected pleural mesothelioma.

Current methodologies for the expansion of primary tumor cell lines from rare tumor types are lacking. This protocol describes methods to expand primary ...

Ex Vivo Organoid Model of Adenovirus-Cre Mediated Gene Deletions in Mouse Urothelial Cells

Bladder cancer is an understudied area, particularly in genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs). Inbred GEMMs with tissue-specific Cre and loxP sites have been the gold standards for conditional or inducible gene targeting. To provide faster and more efficient experimental models, an ex vivo organoid culture system is developed using adenovirus Cre and normal urothelial cells carrying multiple loxP alleles of the tumor suppressors Trp53, Pten, and Rb1. Normal urothelial cells are enzymatically disassociated from four bladders of triple floxed mice (Trp53f/f: Ptenf/f: Rb1f/f). The urothelial cells are transduced ex vivo with adenovirus-Cre driven by a CMV promoter (Ad5CMVCre). The transduced bladder organoids are cultured, propagated, and characterized in vitro and in vivo. PCR is used to confirm gene deletions in Trp53, Pten, and Rb1. Immunofluorescence (IF) staining of organoids demonstrates positive expression of urothelial lineage markers (CK5 and p63). The organoids are injected subcutaneously into host mice for tumor expansion and serial passages. The immunohistochemistry (IHC) of xenografts exhibits positive expression of CK7, CK5, and p63 and negative expression of CK8 and Uroplakin 3. In summary, adenovirus-mediated gene deletion from mouse urothelial cells engineered with loxP sites is an efficient method to rapidly test the tumorigenic potential of defined genetic alterations.

Ex Vivo Organoid Model of Adenovirus-Cre Mediated Gene Deletions in Mouse Urothelial Cells

This protocol describes the process of the generation and characterization of mouse urothelial organoids harboring deletions in genes of interest. The methods include harvesting mouse urothelial cells, ex vivo transduction with adenovirus driving Cre expression with a CMV promoter, and in vitro as well as in vivo characterization.

Bladder cancer is an understudied area, particularly in genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs). Inbred GEMMs with tissue-specific Cre and loxP sites ...

Simultaneous Imaging and Flow-Cytometry-based Detection of Multiple Fluorescent Senescence Markers in Therapy-Induced Senescent Cancer Cells

Chemotherapeutic drugs can induce irreparable DNA damage in cancer cells, leading to apoptosis or premature senescence. Unlike apoptotic cell death, senescence is a fundamentally different machinery restraining&#160;propagation of cancer cells. Decades of scientific studies have revealed the complex pathological effects of senescent cancer cells in tumors and microenvironments that modulate cancer cells and stromal cells. New evidence suggests that senescence is a potent prognostic factor during cancer treatment, and therefore rapid and accurate detection of senescent cells in cancer samples is essential. This paper presents a method to visualize and detect therapy-induced senescence (TIS) in cancer cells. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cell lines were treated with mafosfamide (MAF) or daunorubicin (DN) and examined for the senescence marker, senescence-associated &#946;-galactosidase (SA-&#946;-gal), the DNA synthesis marker 5-ethynyl-2&#8242;-deoxyuridine (EdU), and the DNA damage marker gamma-H2AX (&#947;H2AX). Flow cytometer imaging can help generate high-resolution single-cell images in a short period of time to simultaneously visualize and quantify the three markers in cancer cells.

Here we present a flow cytometry-based method for visualization and quantification of multiple senescence-associated markers in single cells.

Chemotherapeutic drugs can induce irreparable DNA damage in cancer cells, leading to apoptosis or premature senescence. Unlike apoptotic cell death, ...

Modeling Brain Metastasis by Internal Carotid Artery Injection of Cancer Cells

Brain metastasis is a cause of severe morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Critical aspects of metastatic diseases, such as the complex neural microenvironment and stromal cell interaction, cannot be entirely replicated with in vitro assays; thus, animal models are critical for investigating and understanding the effects of therapeutic intervention. However, most brain tumor xenografting methods do not produce brain metastases consistently in terms of the time frame and tumor burden. Brain metastasis models generated by intracardiac injection of cancer cells can result in unintended extracranial tumor burden and lead to non-brain metastatic morbidity and mortality. Although intracranial injection of cancer cells can limit extracranial tumor formation, it has several caveats, such as the injected cells frequently form a singular tumor mass at the injection site, high leptomeningeal involvement, and damage to brain vasculature during needle penetration. This protocol describes a mouse model of brain metastasis generated by internal carotid artery injection. This method produces intracranial tumors consistently without the involvement of other organs, enabling the evaluation of therapeutic agents for brain metastasis.

Brain metastasis is a cause of severe morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Most brain metastasis mouse models are complicated by systemic metastases confounding analysis of mortality and therapeutic intervention outcomes. Presented here is a protocol for internal carotid injection of cancer cells that produces consistent intracranial tumors with minimal systemic tumors.

Brain metastasis is a cause of severe morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Critical aspects of metastatic diseases, such as the complex neural ...

Orthotopic Implantation of Patient-Derived Cancer Cells in Mice Recapitulates Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Over the last decade, more sophisticated preclinical colorectal cancer (CRC) models have been established using patient-derived cancer cells and 3D tumoroids. Since patient derived tumor organoids can retain the characteristics of the original tumor, these reliable preclinical models enable cancer drug screening and the study of drug resistance mechanisms. However, CRC related death in patients is mostly associated with the presence of metastatic disease. It is therefore essential to evaluate the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies in relevant in vivo models that truly recapitulate the key molecular features of human cancer metastasis. We have established an orthotopic model based on the injection of CRC patient-derived cancer cells directly into the cecum wall of mice. These tumor cells develop primary tumors in the cecum that metastasize to the liver and lungs, which is frequently observed in patients with advanced CRC. This CRC mouse model can be used to evaluate drug responses monitored by microcomputed tomography (&#181;CT), a clinically relevant small-scale imaging method that can easily identify primary tumors or metastases in patients. Here, we describe the surgical procedure and the required methodology to implant patient-derived cancer cells in the cecum wall of immunodeficient mice.

This protocol describes the orthotopic implantation of patient-derived cancer cells in the cecum wall of immunodeficient mice. The model recapitulates advanced colorectal cancer metastatic disease and allows for the evaluation of new therapeutic drugs in a clinically relevant scenario of lung and liver metastases.

Over the last decade, more sophisticated preclinical colorectal cancer (CRC) models have been established using patient-derived cancer cells and 3D ...