Analyzing Telomeric Protein-DNA Interactions Using Single-Molecule Magnetic Tweezers

Summary

This protocol demonstrates using single-molecule magnetic tweezers to study interactions between telomeric DNA-binding proteins (Telomere Repeat-binding Factor 1 [TRF1] and TRF2) and long telomeres extracted from human cells. It describes the preparatory steps for telomeres and telomeric repeat-binding factors, the execution of single-molecule experiments, and the data collection and analysis methods.

Abstract

Telomeres, the protective structures at the ends of chromosomes, are crucial for maintaining cellular longevity and genome stability. Their proper function depends on tightly regulated processes of replication, elongation, and damage response. The shelterin complex, especially Telomere Repeat-binding Factor 1 (TRF1) and TRF2, plays a pivotal role in telomere protection and has emerged as a potential anti-cancer target for drug discovery. These proteins bind to the repetitive telomeric DNA motif TTAGGG, facilitating the formation of protective structures and recruitment of other telomeric proteins. Structural methods and advanced imaging techniques have provided insights into telomeric protein-DNA interactions, but probing the dynamic processes requires single-molecule approaches. Tools like magnetic tweezers, optical tweezers, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been employed to study telomeric protein-DNA interactions, revealing important details such as TRF2-dependent DNA distortion and telomerase catalysis. However, the preparation of single-molecule constructs with telomeric repetitive motifs continues to be a challenging task, potentially limiting the breadth of studies utilizing single-molecule mechanical methods. To address this, we developed a method to study interactions using full-length human telomeric DNA with magnetic tweezers. This protocol describes how to express and purify TRF2, prepare telomeric DNA, set up single-molecule mechanical assays, and analyze data. This detailed guide will benefit researchers in telomere biology and telomere-targeted drug discovery.

Introduction

Telomeres are protective structures at the ends of chromosomes^1,2,3. Telomere erosion during cell division leads to cell senescence and aging, while abnormal elongation of telomeres contributes to cancer^4,5. For telomeres to function properly, their replication, elongation, and damage responses must be highly regulated^6,7,8. Shelterin, composed of six subunits, plays a central role in telomere protection⁹

Protocol

1. General materials and methods

1. Refer to the Table of Materials file for the salts, chemicals, antibiotics, enzymes, antibodies, and resin materials used in this protocol.
2. Prepare Luria-Bertani (LB) liquid medium, LB agar plates, HEPES buffer, SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), Tris-EDTA (TE) buffer according to the recipes from cold spring harbor protocols^45,46

Discussion

This protocol employs magnetic tweezers for the manipulation of TRFs at the single-molecule level^57,58,59. We utilize magnetic beads to separate TRFs from genomic DNA fragments. Following restriction digestion, TRFs bind to the magnetic beads, enabling their easy separation from genomic DNA fragments. This approach allows for manipulation using magnetic tweezers, which can effectively trap magnetic beads, unlike optical tweezers.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Anti-Digoxigenin	Roche	11214667001
BfaI	New England Biolab (NEB)	R0568S
BSA	Sigma-Aldrich	V900933
CMOS camera	Mikrotron	MC1362
CviAII	New England Biolab (NEB)	R0640S
DIG-11-dUTP	Jena Bioscience	NU-803-DIGXL
DNA extraction solution	G-CLONE	EX0108
Dnase I, Rnase-Free, Hc Ea	Thermo Fisher Scientific	EN0523
dNTP mixture	Nanjing Vazyme Biotech Co., Ltd (Vazyme)	P032-02
DTT	Solarbio	D1070
Dynabeads M-270  beads	Thermo Fisher Scientific	65305	Streptavidin beads
Dynabeads MyOne beads	Thermo Fisher Scientific	65001	Streptavidin beads
Ethanol	Tianjin No.6 Chemical Reagent Factory	1083
Glycerol	Beijing Hwrkchemical Co,. Ltd	SMG66258-1
Imidazole	Solarbio	II0070
IPTG	Solarbio	I8070
Isopropanol	Tianjin No.6 Chemical Reagent Factory	A1079
Kanamycin	Thermo Fisher Scientific	EN0523
Klenow fragment (3′-5′ exo-)	New England Biolab (NEB)	M0212S
LabView	National Instruments	https://www.ni.com/en-us/shop/product/labview.html	Graphical programming software
LiCl	Bide Pharmatech Co., Ltd (bidepharm)	BD136449
Lysozyme	Solarbio	L8120-5
MseI	New England Biolab (NEB)	R0525S
NaCl	Shanghai Aladdin	C111533
NanoDrop	Thermo Fisher Scientific		Spectrophotometer
NdeI	New England Biolab (NEB)	R0111S
Ni NTA Beads 6FF	Changzhou Smart-Lifesciences Biotechnology Co.,Ltd	SA005025
Nitrocellulose membrane	ABclonal	RM02801
PMSF	Solarbio	P8340
Proteinase K	Beyotime Biotech Inc (beyotime)	ST535-500mg
rCutSmart Buffer	New England Biolab (NEB)	B6004S
Rnase A	Sigma-Aldrich	R4875
Sodium acetate	SERVA Electrophoresis GmbH	2124902
Sumo protease	Beyotime Biotech Inc (beyotime)	P2312M