Exploring Biomolecular Interaction Between the Molecular Chaperone Hsp90 and Its Client Protein Kinase Cdc37 using Field-Effect Biosensing Technology

Summary

Field-effect biosensing (FEB) is a label-free technique for detecting biomolecular interactions. It measures the electric current through the graphene biosensor to which the binding targets are immobilized. The FEB technology was used to evaluate biomolecular interactions between Hsp90 and Cdc37 and a strong interaction between the two proteins was detected.

Abstract

Biomolecular interactions play versatile roles in numerous cellular processes by regulating and coordinating functionally relevant biological events. Biomolecules such as proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, fatty acids, nucleic acids, and enzymes are fundamental building blocks of living beings; they assemble into complex networks in biosystems to synchronize a myriad of life events. Proteins typically utilize complex interactome networks to carry out their functions; hence it is mandatory to evaluate such interactions to unravel their importance in cells at both cellular and organism levels. Toward this goal, we introduce a rapidly emerging technology, field-effect biosensing (FEB), to determine specific biomolecular interactions. FEB is a benchtop, label-free, and reliable biomolecular detection technique to determine specific interactions and uses high-quality electronic-based biosensors. The FEB technology can monitor interactions in the nanomolar range due to the biocompatible nanomaterials used on its biosensor surface. As a proof of concept, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) between heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and cell division cycle 37 (Cdc37) was elucidated. Hsp90 is an ATP-dependent molecular chaperone that plays an essential role in the folding, stability, maturation, and quality control of many proteins, thereby regulating multiple vital cellular functions. Cdc37 is regarded as a protein kinase-specific molecular chaperone, as it specifically recognizes and recruits protein kinases to Hsp90 to regulate their downstream signal transduction pathways. As such, Cdc37 is considered a co-chaperone of Hsp90. The chaperone-kinase pathway (Hsp90/Cdc37 complex) is hyper-activated in multiple malignancies promoting cellular growth; therefore, it is a potential target for cancer therapy. The present study demonstrates the efficiency of FEB technology using the Hsp90/Cdc37 model system. FEB detected a strong PPI between the two proteins (K_D values of 0.014 µM, 0.053 µM, and 0.072 µM in three independent experiments). In summary, FEB is a label-free and cost-effective PPI detection platform, which offers fast and accurate measurements.

Introduction

Biomolecular interactions:
Proteins are essential parts of organisms and participate in numerous molecular pathways such as cell metabolism, cell structure, cell signaling, immune responses, cell adhesion, and more. While some proteins perform their function(s) independently, most proteins interact with other proteins using a binding interface to coordinate proper biological activity¹.

Biomolecular interactions can mainly be classified based on the distinct structural and functional characteristics of proteins involved², for example, based on the protein surfaces, the co....

Protocol

NOTE: The recombinant proteins used in this study, Hsp90 and Cdc37, were commercially obtained (see Table of Materials).

1. Chip activation

NOTE: All materials to be used in the experiment are listed in the Table of Materials. Filter all prepared solutions through a sterile 0.2 μm filter.

1. Prepare 1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino propyl) carbodiimide (EDC) solution by adding 2 mg of EDC to 2.5 mL of 1 M 2-(N-morpholino) ethane sulfonic acid (MES) buffer (pH = 6.0) in a 15 mL tube. Prepare N-Hydroxysulfosuccinimide (sulfo-NHS) solutions by adding 6 mg of....

Results

Results from experiment 1:
The target protein Hsp90 (500 nM) was immobilized to the chip following the target immobilization protocol as described above. For the first experiment, 10 concentrations of the analyte protein, Cdc37, ranging from 25 nM to 5,000 nM, were prepared based on the data available in the literature (see Table 1).

The steps of the experiment can be monitored in real-time by following the alterations occurring in the I-Response (

Discussion

In this study, the feasibility of using the FEB technology (a real-time kinetic characterization approach) was evaluated to determine the biomolecular interaction between Hsp90 and Cdc37. The initial exploratory experiment (first experiment) suggested that choosing the proper analyte concentrations is a critical part of the experiment and that the experiment should be designed by including concentration points above and below the K_D value, which were predicted based on the data available in the literature.

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Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Automated analysis software	Agile plus software, Cardea (Nanomed)	NA CAS number: NA	Referred to in the text as the automated analysis software supplied with the instrument. Generates automated analysis.
COOH-BPU (Biosensing Processing Unit)	Agile plus software, Cardea (Nanomed)	NA CAS number: NA	biosensor chip
Data review software	Datalign 1.0, Cardea (Nanomed)	NA CAS number: NA	Referred to as the supplied data review software in the text. Supplied with the instrument and allows to review and export the information data points.
Dialysis bag	CelluSep,  Membrane filtration products	T2-10-15 CAS number: NA	T2 tubings (6,000-8,000 MWCO), (10 mm fw, 6.4mm Ø, 0.32ml/cm, 15m)
EDC (1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino propyl) carbodiimide)	Cardea (Nanomed)	EDC160322-02 CAS number: 25952-53-8	White powder
ITC (Isothermal titration calorimetry) system	Microcal-PEAQ-ITC (Malvern, United Kingdom)	NA CAS number: NA
MES (2-(N-morpholino) ethane sulfonic acid) buffer	Merck	M3671-50G CAS number: 4432-31-9	White powder
NHS (N-Hydroxysulfosuccinimide) chips	Cardea (Nanomed)	NA CAS number: NA	Graphene-based chip
PBS (Phosphate-buffered saline) X 10	Bio-Lab	001623237500  CAS number: 7758-11-4	Liquid transparent solution
Pipete	Thermo Scientific	11855231 CAS number: NA	Finnpipette F3 5-50 µL, yellow
Quench 1 (3.9 mM amino-PEG5-alcohol in 1 X PBS)	Cardea (Nanomed)	0105-001-002-001 CAS number: NA	Liquid, transparent solution
Quench 2 (1 M ethanolamine (pH=8.5))	Cardea (Nanomed)	0105-001-003-001 CAS number: NA	Liquid, transparent solution
Recombinant protein Cdc37	Abcam	ab256157 CAS number: NA
Recombinant protein Hsp90 beta	Abcam	ab80033 CAS number: NA
Spreadsheet	Excel, Microsoft office	NA CAS number: NA
Statistical software	GraphPad, Prism	NA CAS number: NA	Referred to as the other statistical software. Sigma plot, phyton or other statistical programes may also be used
Sulfo-NHS	Cardea (Nanomed)	NHS160321-07 CAS number: 106627-54-7	White powder
Tips	Alex red	LC 1093-800-000 CAS number: NA	Tip 1-200 µl, in bulk, 1,000 pcs