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This protocol illustrates a chemically induced protein dimerization system to create condensates on chromatin. The formation of promyelocytic leukemia (PML) nuclear body on telomeres with chemical dimerizers is demonstrated. Droplet growth, dissolution, localization and composition are monitored with live cell imaging, immunofluorescence (IF) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).
Chromatin-associated condensates are implicated in many nuclear processes, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. This protocol describes a chemically-induced protein dimerization system to create condensates on telomeres. The chemical dimerizer consists of two linked ligands that can each bind to a protein: Halo ligand to Halo-enzyme and trimethoprim (TMP) to E. coli dihydrofolate reductase (eDHFR), respectively. Fusion of Halo enzyme to a telomere protein anchors dimerizers to telomeres through covalent Halo ligand-enzyme binding. Binding of TMP to eDHFR recruits eDHFR-fused phase separating proteins to telomeres and induces condensate formation. Because TMP-eDHFR interaction is non-covalent, condensation can be reversed by using excess free TMP to compete with the dimerizer for eDHFR binding. An example of inducing promyelocytic leukemia (PML) nuclear body formation on telomeres and determining condensate growth, dissolution, localization and composition is shown. This method can be easily adapted to induce condensates at other genomic locations by fusing Halo to a protein that directly binds to the local chromatin or to dCas9 that is targeted to the genomic locus with a guide RNA. By offering the temporal resolution required for single cell live imaging while maintaining phase separation in a population of cells for biochemical assays, this method is suitable for probing both the formation and function of chromatin-associated condensates.
Many proteins and nucleic acids undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and self-assemble into biomolecular condensates to organize biochemistry in cells1,2. LLPS of chromatin-binding proteins leads to the formation of condensates that are associated with specific genomic loci and are implicated in various local chromatin functions3. For example, LLPS of HP1 protein underlies the formation of heterochromatin domains to organize the genome4,5, LLPS of transcription factors forms transcription centers to regulate transcripti....
1. Production of transient cell lines
Representative images of telomeric localization of SUMO identified by telomere DNA FISH and SUMO protein IF are shown in Figure 2. Cells with SIM recruitment enriched SUMO1 and SUMO 2/3 on telomeres compared to cells with SIM mutant recruitment. This indicates that SIM dimerization-induced SUMO enrichment on telomeres depends on SUMO-SIM interactions.
A representative time lapse movie of TRF1 and SIM after dimerization is shown in Video 1. Snapsho.......
This protocol demonstrated the formation and dissolution of condensates on telomeres with a chemical dimerization system. Kinetics of phase separation and droplet-fusion-induced telomere clustering are monitored with live imaging. Condensate localization and composition are determined with DNA FISH and protein IF.
There are two critical steps in this protocol. The first is to determine protein and dimerizer concentration. The success in inducing local phase separation at a genomic locus .......
This work was supported by US National Institutes of Health (1K22CA23763201 to H.Z., GM118510 to D.M.C.) and Charles E. Kaufman foundation to H.Z. The authors would like to thank Jason Tones for proofreading the manuscript.
....Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
0.25% Trypsin, 0.1% EDTA in HBSS w/o Calcium, Magnesium and Sodium Bicarbonate | Corning | MT25053CI | |
16% Formaldehyde (w/v), Methanol-free | Thermo Scientific | 28906 | Prepare 1% in 1x PBS |
6 Well Culture Plate | VWR | 10861-554 | |
Aluminum Foil | Fisher Scientific | 01-213-101 | |
Anti-mCherry antibody | Abcam | Ab183628 | |
Anti-PML antibody | Santa Cruz | sc966 | |
Anti-SUMO1 antibody | Abcam | Ab32058 | |
Anti-SUMO2/3 antibody | Cytoskeleton | Asm23 | |
Blocking Reagent | Roche | 11096176001 | |
Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) | Fisher Scientific | BP9706100 | |
BTX Tube micro 1.5ML | VWR | 89511-258 | |
Circle Cover Slips | Thermo Scientific | 3350 | |
Confocal microscope | Nikon | MQS31000 | |
DAPI | Fisher Scientific | D1306 | |
Dimethyl Sulphoxide | Sigma-Aldrich | 472301 | |
DMEM with L-Glutamine, 4.5g/L Glucose and Sodium Pyruvate | Corning | MT10017CV | |
EMCCD Camera | iXon Life | 897 | |
Ethanol | Fisher Scientific | 4355221 | |
Fetal Bovine Serum, Qualified, USDA-approved Regions | Gibco | A4766801 | |
Formamide, Deionized | MilliporeSigma | 46-101-00ML | |
Goat anti-Mouse IgG (H+L), Recombinant Secondary Antibody, Alexa Fluor 647 | Invitrogen | A28181 | |
Goat anti-Rabbit IgG (H+L), Recombinant Secondary Antibody, Alexa Fluor 647 | Invitrogen | A32733 | |
High Precision Straight Tapered Ultra Fine Point Tweezers/Forceps | Fisher Scientific | 12-000-122 | |
Laser merge module | Nikon | NIIMHF47180 | |
Leibovitz's L-15 Medium | Gibco | 21083027 | |
Lipofectamine 2000 Transfection Reagent | Invitrogen | 11668027 | |
Figure plotting software, MATLAB | The MathWorks | ||
Microscope Slide Box | Fisher Scientific | 34487 | |
Nail Polish | Fisher Scientific | 50-949-071 | |
Imaging software, NIS-Elements | Nikon | ||
Opti-MEM Reduced Serum Media | Gibco | 51985091 | |
Parafilm | Bemis | 13-374-12 | |
PBS 10x, pH 7.4 | Fisher Scientific | 70-011-044 | |
Penicillin-Streptomycin Solution,100X | Gibco | 15140122 | |
Piezo Z-Drive | Physik Instrumente (PI) | 91985 | |
Pipet Tips | VWR | 10017 | |
Plain and Frosted Clipped Corner Microscope Slides | Fisher Scientific | 22-037-246 | |
Poly-D-Lysine solution | Sigma-Aldrich | A-003-E | |
Sodium Azide | Fisher Scientific | BP922I-500 | |
Spinning disk | Yokogawa | CSU-X1 | |
Square Cover Slips | Thermo Scientific | 3305 | |
TBS 10x solution | Fisher Scientific | BP2471500 | |
TelC-Alexa488 | PNA Bio | F1004 | |
TMP | Synthesized by Chenoweth lab | Available upon request | |
TNH | Synthesized by Chenoweth lab | Available upon request | |
Tris Solution | Fisher Scientific | 92-901-00ML | |
Triton X-100 10% Solution | MilliporeSigma | 64-846-350ML | Prepare 0.5% in 1x PBS |
U2Os cell line | From E.V. Makayev lab (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) | HTB-96 | |
VECTASHIELD Antifade Mounting Medium | Vector Laboratories | NC9524612 |
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