Cellular Membrane Affinity Chromatography Columns to Identify Specialized Plant Metabolites Interacting with Immobilized Tropomyosin Kinase Receptor B

Summary

The protocol describes the preparation of cell membrane affinity chromatography (CMAC) columns with immobilized cell membrane fragments containing functional transmembrane tropomyosin kinase receptor B proteins. The use of CMAC columns in the identification of specialized plant metabolites interacting with these receptors and present in complex natural mixtures is also explained.

Abstract

Chemicals synthesized by plants, fungi, bacteria, and marine invertebrates have been a rich source of new drug hits and leads. Medicines such as statins, penicillin, paclitaxel, rapamycin, or artemisinin, commonly used in medical practice, have been first identified and isolated from natural products. However, the identification and isolation of biologically active specialized metabolites from natural sources is a challenging and time-consuming process. Traditionally, individual metabolites are isolated and purified from complex mixtures, following the extraction of biomass. Subsequently, the isolated molecules are tested in functional assays to verify their biological activity. Here we present the use of cellular membrane affinity chromatography (CMAC) columns to identify biologically active compounds directly from complex mixtures. CMAC columns allow for the identification of compounds interacting with immobilized functional transmembrane proteins (TMPs) embedded in their native phospholipid bilayer environment. This is a targeted approach, which requires knowing the TMP whose activity one intends to modulate with the newly identified small molecule drug candidate. In this protocol, we present an approach to prepare CMAC columns with immobilized tropomyosin kinase receptor B (TrkB), which has emerged as a viable target for drug discovery for numerous nervous system disorders. In this article, we provide a detailed protocol to assemble the CMAC column with immobilized TrkB receptors using neuroblastoma cell lines overexpressing TrkB receptors. We further present the approach to investigate the functionality of the column and its use in the identification of specialized plant metabolites interacting with TrkB receptors.

Introduction

Botanical mixtures are rich in pharmacologically active compounds¹, serving as a good source for the identification of new drug hits and leads^2,3,4,5. The discovery of new medicines from natural products has been a fruitful approach and many currently approved drugs originated from compounds first identified in nature. The chemical diversity of natural compounds is hard to be matched by man-made libraries of chemically synthesized molecules. Many natural compounds interact with and modulate human protein targets ....

Protocol

1. Cell culture of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells (TrkB and TrkB-NULL (parental) cell lines)

NOTE: Cell lines (SH-SY5Y Cell Line (TrkB, BR6) and SH-SY5Y Parental Cell Line (TrkB NULL))^49,50 were purchased from Kerafast. Cultured cells are used as a source of the transmembrane receptors to be immobilized for the preparation of CMAC columns. The following steps describe how to obtain cell membrane fragments and assemble funct.......

Discussion

Identification of active compounds present in complex mixtures of specialized metabolites is a very challenging task²³. Traditionally, individual compounds are isolated, and their activity is tested in different assays. This approach is time-consuming and costly and often leads to isolation and identification of the most abundant and well-characterized compounds²³. Currently used high-throughput screening assays rely heavily on screening combinatorial chemistry librari.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
7-8 Dihydroxyflavone hydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	D5446-10 mg	≥98% (HPLC)
Adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) disodium salt hydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	A2383-1 g
Ammonium acetate	VWR Chemicals BDH	BDH9204-500 g
BDNF antibody	Invitrogen	PA5-15198-400 μL	Primary antibody; 2 mg/mL of concentration
Benzamidine hydrochloride hydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	B6506-25 g
Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) human	Sigma-Aldrich	B3795-10 μg	Recombinant, expressed in E. coli, lyophilized powder, suitable for cell culture
Calcium chloride	VWR Analytical	BDH9224-1 kg
Cholic acid sodium salt	Alfa Aesar	J62050-100 g
Dounce homogenizer	VWR	71000-516	40 mL, 285 mm (overall lenght), 32 x 140 mm (O.D. x H)
Ethanol	Sigma-Aldrich	493511
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)	VWR Analytical	BDH-9232-500 g
Fetal bovine serum	Sigma-Aldrich	F2442-500 mL	sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
G418 disulfate salt solution	Sigma-Aldrich	G8168-100 mL	50 mg/mL in H2O, 0.1 μm filtered, suitable for cell culture
Glycerol	VWR Life Science	E520-100 mL
Immobilized artificial membrane (IAM.PC.DD2)	Regis Technologies, Inc.	1-771050-500
Magnesium chloride hexahydrate	VWR Analytical	BDH9244-500 mL
Methanol	Sigma-Aldrich	322425
Nikon Plan Fluor	Nikon		Confocal laser scanning microscope
Normal goat serum (10%)	Life Technologies	50197Z
Penicillin-Streptomycin	Sigma-Aldrich	P4333-100 mL
Phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (PMSF)	Thermo Scientific	36978-5 g
Phosphate buffered saline (PBS)	VWR Life Science	K812-500 mL	1x
Potassium chloride	VWR Chemicals BDH	0395-1 kg
Protease inhibitor cocktail	VWR Life Science Ambreso	M221-1 mL	Proteomics grade, containing 50 mM AEBSF, 30 µM aprotonin, 1 mM bestatin, 1 mM E-64 and 1 mM leupeptin
RPMI-1640 medium	Sigma-Aldrich	R8758-500 mL	with L-glutamine and sodium bicarbonate, liquid, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
Secondary antibody goat anti-rabbit IgG (H+L)	Invitrogen Alexa Flour Plus 488	A32731
SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma cell lines expressing Trk-B	Kerafast	ECP007
SH-SY5Y Trk-NULL cell line	Kerafast	ECP005
Snake skin dialysis tubing	Thermo Scientific	88245	10K MWCO, 35 mm dry I.D.
Sodium azide	Sigma-Aldrich	S2002
Sodium chloride	BDH VWR Analytical	BDH9286-2.5 kg
Tricorn 5/20 column	GE Healthcare	24-4064-08
Tris-HCl	VWR Life Science	0497-1 kg
Trypsin-EDTA solution	Sigma-Aldrich	T4049-500 mL	0.25%, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture, 2.5 g porcine trypsin and 0.2 g EDTA