Name: assays for validating histone acetyltransferase inhibitors
Uploaded: 2020-08-06T15:50:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Assays for Validating Histone Acetyltransferase Inhibitors at JoVE.com

This work was supported by grants from James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program (6JK03 and 20K07), and Bankhead-Coley Cancer Research Program (4BF02 and 6BC03), Florida Department of Health, Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, and UF Health Cancer Center. Additionally, we would like to thank Dr. Zachary Osking and Dr. Andrea Lin for their support during the publication process.

1. In vitro HAT assay
<ol>
	<li>Buffer preparation 
	NOTE: See Table 1 for buffer recipes.
	<ol>
		<li>Prepare 5x assay buffer and 6x Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) and store at -20 &#176;C. Aliquot SDS in 1 mL aliquots.</li>
		<li>Prepare 10x SDS gel running buffer and 10x TBST and store at room temperature.</li>
		<li>Prepare 1x transfer buffer and store at 4 &#176;C. 
		CAUTION: Check safety data sheet for all chemicals used in this protocol. SDS, DTT, and bromophenol blue a...

Lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) acetylate several lysine residues on histone tails and transcription factors to regulate gene transcription2,3. Work in the last two decades has revealed that KATs, such as CBP/p300, PCAF and GCN5, interact with oncogenic transcription factors and help drive tumor growth in several solid tumor types4,5,9,15</s...

Lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) catalyze the acetylation of lysine residues on both histone and non-histone proteins1,2,3,4. Recent research reveals that KATs and their acetyltransferase function can promote solid tumor growth4,5,6,7,8,9. For example, CREB-binding protein (CBP)/p300 are two paralogous KATs that regulate numerous signaling pathways in cancer2,3. CBP/p300 have a well characterized histone acetyltransferase (HAT) function and catalyze Histone 3 Lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac)2,4,5,10,11, an important marker for active enhancers, promoter regions and active gene transcription12,13,14. CBP/p300 serve as critical co-activators for pro-growth signaling pathways in solid tumors by activating transcription of oncogenes through acetylation of histones and other transcription factors4,9,15,16,17,18. Due to their role in tumor progression, CBP/p300 and other KATs are under investigation for the development of novel inhibitors that block their oncogenic function4,5,6,7,8,9,18,19,20. A-485 and GNE-049 represent two successful attempts to develop potent and specific inhibitors for CBP/p3004,9. Additional inhibitors are currently under investigation for CBP/p300 and other KATs.
The quality of previously described KAT inhibitors (KATi) is being called into question, with many inhibitors showing off target effects and poor characterization21. Therefore, rigorous characterization and validation of novel drug candidates is essential for the development of high-quality chemical probes. Outlined here are three protocols that form a pipeline for screening and rigorously validating the potency and specificity of novel KATi, with a specific focus on inhibiting the HAT function (HATi) of KATs. CBP/p300 and their inhibitors are used as examples, but these protocols can be adapted for other KATs that have a HAT function7.
The first protocol is an in vitro histone acetyltransferase (HAT) assay that utilizes purified recombinant p300 and histones in a controlled test tube reaction. This assay is simple to perform, is cost-effective, can be used to screen compounds in a low throughput setting, and does not require radioactive materials. In this protocol, recombinant p300 catalyzes lysine acetylation on histone tails during a brief incubation period and the levels of histone acetylation are measured using standard immunoblotting procedures. The enzymatic reaction can be performed in the presence or absence of CBP/p300 inhibitors to screen for compounds that reduce histone acetylation. Additionally, the HAT assay can be used to verify whether novel compounds are selective for CBP/p300 by assessing their activity against other purified KATs, such as PCAF. The HAT assay is an excellent starting point for investigating novel inhibitors due to its simplicity, low cost, and the ability to determine the potency/selectivity of an inhibitor. Indeed, this protocol is often used in the literature as an in vitro screen5,10. However, inhibitors identified in the HAT assay are not always effective in cell culture because a test tube reaction is much simpler than a living cell system. Therefore, it is essential to further characterize inhibitors in cell culture experiments22,23.
The second protocol in the pipeline is the Chromatin Hyperacetylation Inhibition (ChHAI) assay. This cell based assay utilizes histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) as a tool to hyperacetylate histones in chromatin before co-incubation with a HATi24. Basal histone acetylation can be low in cell culture, making it difficult to probe for via immunoblotting without the addition of an HDACi to increase acetylation. The purpose of the ChHAI assay is to identify novel HATi that can attenuate the increase in histone acetylation caused by HDAC inhibition. The advantages of this assay include its low cost, relative ease to perform, and the use of cells in culture, which provides more physiological relevance than the test tube HAT assay. Similar to the HAT assay, this protocol uses standard immunoblotting for data collection.
The HAT and ChHAI assays provide data about the potency of novel compounds for inhibiting global histone acetylation, but do not provide insight into how these compounds affect modifications at specific genomic regions. Therefore, the final protocol, Chromatin Immunoprecipitation-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (ChIP-qPCR) is a cell culture experiment that investigates DNA-protein interactions at specific regions of the genome. In the ChIP protocol, chromatin is crosslinked to preserve DNA-protein interactions. The chromatin is then extracted from cells and the DNA-protein complex undergoes selective immunoprecipitation for the protein of interest (e.g., using an antibody specific for H3K27ac). The DNA is then purified and analyzed using qPCR. For example, ChIP-qPCR can be used to determine if a novel HATi downregulates histone acetylation at individual oncogenes, such as Cyclin D125. While ChIP-qPCR is a common technique used in the field, it can be difficult to optimize4,10,26. This protocol provides tips for avoiding potential pitfalls that can occur while performing the ChIP-qPCR procedure and includes quality control checks that should be performed on the data.
When used together, these three protocols allow for the rigorous characterization and validation of novel HATi. Additionally, these methods offer many advantages because they are easy to perform, relatively cheap and provide data on global as well as regional histone acetylation.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>1.5 ml tube</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>05-408-129</td>
			<td>For all methods</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10 cm dish</td>
			<td>Sarstedt AG &#38; Co.</td>
			<td>83.3902</td>
			<td>For cell culture of MCF-7 cells</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10 ul tips</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>02-707-454</td>
			<td>For all Methods</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1000 ul tips</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>4846</td>
			<td>For all Methods</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10X Glycine buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Method 3. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10X Running Buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10X TBST</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>12 well plate</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>3513</td>
			<td>For Method 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>15 cm dish</td>
			<td>Sarstedt AG &#38; Co.</td>
			<td>83.3903</td>
			<td>For Method 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>15 ml conical tube</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz Biotechnology</td>
			<td>sc-200249</td>
			<td>For Methods 2 and 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1X TBST with 5% milk and 0.02% Sodium Azide</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2. Can be used to dilute primary antibodies that will be used more than once. Allows for short-term storage of primary antibody dilutions. Do not use for secondary antibody diluton. CAUTION: Sodium Azide is toxic.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1X TBST with 5% milk</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2. Used to block PVDF membrane and for antibody diltions. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>200 ul tips</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>4844</td>
			<td>For all Methods</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2-mercaptoethanol</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>M3148</td>
			<td>for SDS sample buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>4-20% polyacrylamide gel</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher: Invitrogen</td>
			<td>XP04205BOX</td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>5X Assay buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Method 1. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>5X Passive lysis buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Method 2. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>6X Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS)</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>A-485</td>
			<td>MedChemExpress</td>
			<td>HY-107455</td>
			<td>CBP/p300 Inhbitor for use in Methods 2 and 3. Dissolved in DMSO.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Acetyl-CBP(K1535)/p300(K1499) antibody</td>
			<td>Cell Signaling Technology</td>
			<td>4771</td>
			<td>For Method 1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Acetyl-CoA</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>A2056</td>
			<td>for use in Method 1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Acetyl-Histone H3 (Lys 27) antibody (H3K27ac)</td>
			<td>Cell Signaling Technology</td>
			<td>CST 8173</td>
			<td>antoibodies for H3K27ac for immunoblots and ChIP</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Acetyl-Histone H3 (Lys18) antibody (H3K18ac)</td>
			<td>Cell Signaling Technology</td>
			<td>CST 9675</td>
			<td>antoibodies for H3K18ac for immunoblots and ChIP</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>alpha tubulin antibody</td>
			<td>Millipore Sigma</td>
			<td>T5168</td>
			<td>For Method 2. Dilute 1:20,000</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Anacardic acid</td>
			<td>Cayman Chemical</td>
			<td>13144</td>
			<td>For Method 1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti-mouse IgG HRP linked secondary antibody</td>
			<td>Cell Signaling Technology</td>
			<td>7076</td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2. Dilute 1:10,000</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti-rabbit IgG secondary antibody</td>
			<td>Jackson ImmunoResearch</td>
			<td>711-035-152</td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2. Dilute 1:10,000 to 1:20,000</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Autoradiography film</td>
			<td>MIDSCI</td>
			<td>BX810</td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Belly Dancer Rotating Platform</td>
			<td>Stovall Life Science Incorporated</td>
			<td>not available</td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bovine Calf Serum (BCS)</td>
			<td>HyClone</td>
			<td>SH30072.03</td>
			<td>cell culture media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA)</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>A2153</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bromophenol Blue</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>B0126</td>
			<td>for SDS sample buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CDTA</td>
			<td>Spectrum Chemical</td>
			<td>125572-95-4</td>
			<td>For buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>cell scraper</td>
			<td>Millipore Sigma</td>
			<td>CLS3010</td>
			<td>For Method 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ChIP dilution buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Method 3. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ChIP Elution Buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Method 3. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Complete DMEM for MCF-7 Cells</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Methods 2 and 3. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Covaris 130 &#181;l microTUBE</td>
			<td>Covaris</td>
			<td>520045</td>
			<td>Sonication tube for use with Covaris S220 in Method 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Covaris S220 Focused-ultrasonicator</td>
			<td>Covaris</td>
			<td>S220</td>
			<td>DNA sonicator for use in Method 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>41639</td>
			<td>for drug dilution and vehicle control treatment</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DL-Dithiothreitol (DTT)</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>43815</td>
			<td>for SDS sample buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DMEM</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>10-013-CV</td>
			<td>cell culture media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EDTA</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP120-1</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Example transfer tank and transfer apparatus</td>
			<td>Bio-rad</td>
			<td>1704070</td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EZ-Magna ChIP A/G Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Kit</td>
			<td>Millipore Sigma</td>
			<td>17-10086</td>
			<td>For Method 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FK228 (Romidepsin)</td>
			<td>Cayman Chemical</td>
			<td>128517-07-7</td>
			<td>HDAC Inhibitor for use in Method 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Formaldehyde solution</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>F8775</td>
			<td>for cell fixation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>glycerol</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP229-1</td>
			<td>For buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>glycine</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>G7126</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HEPES</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>54457</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>High salt wash buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Method 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>IGEPAL (NP-40)</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>I3021</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Immobilon Chemiluminescent HRP Substrate</td>
			<td>Millipore Sigma</td>
			<td>WBKLS0500</td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>KCl</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP366-500</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>LiCl</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>L9650</td>
			<td>For buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>LiCl wash buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Method 3. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Low salt wash buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Method 3. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Magnetic Separator</td>
			<td>Promega</td>
			<td>Z5341</td>
			<td>For use in Method 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Methanol</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>494437</td>
			<td>For buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mini gel tank</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>A25977</td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MS-275 (Entinostat)</td>
			<td>Cayman Chemical</td>
			<td>209783-80-2</td>
			<td>HDAC Inhibitor for use in Method 2. Dissolved in DMSO.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NaCl</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>7647-14-5</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NaOH</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>S318-100</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation in Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Normal Rabbit IgG</td>
			<td>Bethyl Laboratories</td>
			<td>P120-101</td>
			<td>Control rabbit antibody for use in Method 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nuclei swelling buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Method 3. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PCR Cleanup Kit</td>
			<td>Qiagen</td>
			<td>28104</td>
			<td>For use in Method 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin/Streptomycin 100X</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>30-002-CI</td>
			<td>cell culture media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>21-040-CV</td>
			<td>For Methods 2 and 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PIPES</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>80635</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>powdered milk</td>
			<td>Nestle Carnation</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Power Pac 200 for western blot transfer</td>
			<td>Bio-rad</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Power Pac 3000 for SDS gel running</td>
			<td>Bio-rad</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Prestained Protein Ladder</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher</td>
			<td>26616</td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Protease Inhibitor Cocktail</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>PI8340</td>
			<td>for use in Method 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Protein A Magentic Beads</td>
			<td>New England BioLabs</td>
			<td>S1425S</td>
			<td>For use in Method 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Proteinase K</td>
			<td>New England BioLabs</td>
			<td>P8107S</td>
			<td>For use in Method 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PTC-100 Programmable Thermal Controller</td>
			<td>MJ Research Inc.</td>
			<td>PTC-100</td>
			<td>For Method 1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PVDF Transfer Membrane</td>
			<td>Millipore Sigma</td>
			<td>IEVH00005</td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Recombinant H3.1</td>
			<td>New England BioLabs</td>
			<td>M2503S</td>
			<td>for use in Method 1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Recombinant p300</td>
			<td>ENZO Life Sciences</td>
			<td>BML-SE451-0100</td>
			<td>for use in Method 1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SAHA (Vorinostat)</td>
			<td>Cayman Chemical</td>
			<td>149647-78-9</td>
			<td>HDAC Inhibitor for use in Method 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SDS lysis buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Method 3. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium Azide</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>26628-22-8</td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2. CAUTION: Sodium Azide is toxic. See SDS for proper handling.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium Bicarbonate</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>S233-500</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium deoxycholate</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>D6750</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>71725</td>
			<td>for SDS sample buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Standard Heatblock</td>
			<td>VWR Scientific Products</td>
			<td>MPN: 949030</td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Table top centrifuge</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td>5417R</td>
			<td>For all methods</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TE buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Method 3. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Transfer buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2. See Table 1 for recipe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trichostatin A</td>
			<td>Cayman Chemical</td>
			<td>58880-19-6</td>
			<td>HDAC Inhibitor for use in Method 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tris</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP152-5</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Triton X-100</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>T8787</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tween 20</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>9005-64-5</td>
			<td>for buffer preparation in Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>X-ray film processor</td>
			<td>Konica Minolta Medical &#38; Graphic, Inc.</td>
			<td>SRX-101A</td>
			<td>For Methods 1 and 2</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

assays for validating histone acetyltransferase inhibitors

Lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) catalyze acetylation of lysine residues on histones and other proteins to regulate chromatin dynamics and gene expression. KATs, such as CBP/p300, are under intense investigation as therapeutic targets due to their critical role in tumorigenesis of diverse cancers. The development of novel small molecule inhibitors targeting the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) function of KATs is challenging and requires robust assays that can validate the specificity and potency of potential inhibitors.
This article outlines a pipeline of three methods that provide rigorous in vitro validation for novel HAT inhibitors (HATi). These methods include a test tube HAT assay, Chromatin Hyperacetylation Inhibition (ChHAI) assay, and Chromatin Immunoprecipitation-quantitative PCR (ChIP-qPCR). In the HAT assay, recombinant HATs are incubated with histones in a test tube reaction, allowing for acetylation of specific lysine residues on the histone tails. This reaction can be blocked by a HATi and the relative levels of site-specific histone acetylation can be measured via immunoblotting. Inhibitors identified in the HAT assay need to be confirmed in the cellular environment.
The ChHAI assay uses immunoblotting to screen for novel HATi that attenuate the robust hyperacetylation of histones induced by a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi). The addition of an HDACi is helpful because basal levels of histone acetylation can be difficult to detect via immunoblotting.
The HAT and ChHAI assays measure global changes in histone acetylation, but do not provide information regarding acetylation at specific genomic regions. Therefore, ChIP-qPCR is used to investigate the effects of HATi on histone acetylation levels at gene regulatory elements. This is accomplished through selective immunoprecipitation of histone-DNA complexes and analysis of the purified DNA through qPCR. Together, these three assays allow for the careful validation of the specificity, potency, and mechanism of action of novel HATi.

The in vitro histone acetyltransferase (HAT) assay can be used to probe for compounds that inhibit p300 HAT activity towards a histone substrate. Figure 1A provides an experimental schematic for the HAT assay. Anacardic acid, a known HATi3,38, was utilized in this assay in a concentration range from 12.5-100 &#181;M. At 100 &#181;M, anacardic acid downregulates p300 catalyzed histone acetylation at Histone 3, Lysines 9 and 18 versus ...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Assays for Validating Histone Acetyltransferase Inhibitors at JoVE.com

Assays for Validating Histone Acetyltransferase Inhibitors

Inhibitors of histone acetyltransferases (HATs, also known as lysine acetyltransferases), such as CBP/p300, are potential therapeutics for treating cancer. However, rigorous methods for validating these inhibitors are needed. Three in vitro methods for validation include HAT assays with recombinant acetyltransferases, immunoblotting for histone acetylation in cell culture, and ChIP-qPCR.

Lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) catalyze acetylation of lysine residues on histones and other proteins to regulate chromatin dynamics and gene ...

These protocols are significant because they provide detailed steps for validation of the potency and selectivity of novel HAT inhibitors, which are important research tools and potential therapeutics. The techniques demonstrated in this video are easy to perform and provide information about the effects of HAT inhibitors on global and regional histone acetylation. They make it possible to understand epigenetic regulation of gene expression.Attention to the details is critical. It is important to follow the protocols step-by-step. Begin by preparing the enzymatic reaction in a 10 microliter volume inside a 0.2 milliliter PCR tube according to manuscript directions.Then incubate the complete reaction mixture at 30 degrees Celsius for one hour in a PCR thermal cycler. Meanwhile, add two mercaptoethanol at a one to 10 ratio to the 6X SDS sample buffer. Remove samples from the PCR thermal cycler and add two microliters of the prepared SDS sample buffer to each reaction mix.Heat the samples to 95 degrees Celsius for five minutes on a heat block, then cool them on ice. Store the samples at minus 20 or minus 80 degrees Celsius or proceed with gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. Seed 100, 000 MCF-7 cells in one milliliter of cell culture medium into each well of a 12-well plate and allow the cells to grow to 80 to 90%confluency.When the cells reach the desired confluency, aspirate the cell culture medium from wells four, five, and six, and pipette one milliliter of three micromolar MS275 in medium into each well. Then aspirate the cell culture medium from wells one, two, and three, and pipette one milliliter of diluted DMSO into each well. Return the cells to the incubator for four hours to allow for accumulation of acetylated histones in cells exposed to MS275.While the cells are incubating, prepare dilutions of A-485 in DMSO according to manuscript directions. When the incubation is finished, aspirate the medium from the wells and add the dilutions. Return the cells to the incubator and culture them for 20 hours, then aspirate the cell culture medium from the wells and wash the cells with one milliliter of PBS.Aspirate the PBS and add 100 microliters of passive lysis buffer. Store the plate at minus 80 degrees Celsius overnight. Pipette 100 microliters of sonicated chromatin from cells treated with DMSO into two 1.5 milliliter tubes, then pipette 400 microliters of ChIP dilution buffer to each tube to bring the total volume up to 500 microliters.Remove five microliters of the solution from one of the tubes and store it at minus 20 degrees Celsius as DMSO input. Prepare two tubes with sonicated chromatin from cells treated with A-485 in the same way. Use a pipette to add the IgG and H3K27 acetyl antibodies to the DMSO and A-485 samples.Then add 20 microliters of protein A magnetic beads to each tube, making sure that the beads are well resuspended. Rotate the samples overnight at four degrees Celsius. Pellet the protein A magnetic beads using a magnetic separator and remove the supernatant without disturbing the beads.Wash the beads with 500 microliters to one milliliter of low salt wash buffer and rotate them for five minutes at four degrees Celsius. Perform a quick spin down, pellet the beads with a magnetic separator and remove the supernatant. Repeat the wash procedure with high salt wash buffer, lithium chloride wash buffer, and TE buffer.After the wash with TE buffer, remove the input samples from the freezer and put them on ice. Thaw an aliquot of proteinase K, then pellet the beads using a magnetic separator and remove the TE buffer from the beads. Add 100 microliters of ChIP elution buffer and one microliter of proteinase K to every sample including the input samples and incubate them with shaking at 62 degrees Celsius for two hours using a thermocycler.After the incubation, heat the samples to 95 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes, then cool them to room temperature. Pellet the magnetic beads with a magnetic separator and transfer the DNA-containing supernatant to a new 1.5 milliliter tube. Purify the DNA using a standard PCR cleanup kit and run qPCR.The in vitro histone acetyltransferase assay was used to investigate the effect of anacardic acid on p300 HAT activity towards a histone substrate. A concentration range was tested and acetyl-CoA was not added to the negative control reaction. The immunoblot results were quantified with ImageJ, showing a clear reduction in acetyl H3K18 and acetyl H3K9 at 100 micromolar anacardic acid compared to the DMSO control.In the chromatin hyper-acetylation inhibition assay, treatment of MCF-7 cells with HDACi MS275 strongly upregulated acetylation of histone 3 on several lysine residues. The basal levels of acetyl H3K18 and acetyl H3K27 were low, showing the benefits of adding an HDACi in the ChHAI assay. The addition of A-485 in cells pretreated with MS275 attenuates the increased histone acetylation at H3K18 and H3K27, but not H3K9.The immunoblot results were also quantified with ImageJ. ChIP qPCR was used to investigate the effects of HAT inhibitors at gene regulatory elements that control oncogene expression. In the DMSO sample, the DNA precipitated by the IgG control antibody produced a higher Ct value than the acetyl H3K27 antibody in the qPCR reaction for the cyclin D1 promoter, indicating that the non-specific IgG control precipitated less DNA histone complexes than the acetyl H3K27 specific antibody at the promoter.Compared with the DMSO control, A-485 reduced acetyl H3K27 enrichment at the cyclin D1 promoter. Importantly, A-485 is known to significantly reduce acetyl H3K27 in cell culture. When attempting this protocol, keep in mind that the pre-incubation steps of the in vitro HAT and ChHAI assays are essential and should not be forgotten.It is also important to remember to save the input samples and to avoid loss of the beads during ChIP. After performing these procedures, ChIP-seq is an additional method that can be executed to gain global information about histone acetylation at regulatory elements for the entire genome. These protocols are helpful for scientists to carefully validate novel HAT inhibitors and to avoid publishing low-quality chemical probes in the literature.The validated HAT inhibitors can undergo further development as potential therapeutics.

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