Super-Resolution Imaging of Bacterial Secreted Proteins Using Genetic Code Expansion

Summary

This article provides a straightforward and clear protocol to label Salmonella secreted effectors using genetic code expansion (GCE) site-specifically and image the subcellular localization of secreted proteins in HeLa cells using direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM)

Abstract

Type three secretion systems (T3SSs) enable gram-negative bacteria to inject a battery of effector proteins directly into the cytosol of eukaryotic host cells. Upon entry, the injected effector proteins cooperatively modulate eukaryotic signaling pathways and reprogram cellular functions, enabling bacterial entry and survival. Monitoring and localizing these secreted effector proteins in the context of infections provides a footprint for defining the dynamic interface of host-pathogen interactions. However, labeling and imaging bacterial proteins in host cells without disrupting their structure/function is technically challenging.

Constructing fluorescent fusion proteins does not resolve this problem, because the fusion proteins jam the secretory apparatus and thus are not secreted. To overcome these obstacles, we recently employed a method for site-specific fluorescent labeling of bacterial secreted effectors, as well as other difficult-to-label proteins, using genetic code expansion (GCE). This paper provides a complete step-by-step protocol to label Salmonella secreted effectors using GCE site-specifically, followed by directions for imaging the subcellular localization of secreted proteins in HeLa cells using direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM)

Recent findings suggest that the incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) via GCE, followed by bio-orthogonal labeling with tetrazine-containing dyes, is a viable technique for selective labeling and visualization of bacterial secreted proteins and subsequent image analysis in the host. The goal of this article is to provide a straightforward and clear protocol that can be employed by investigators interested in conducting super-resolution imaging using GCE to study various biological processes in bacteria and viruses, as well as host-pathogen interactions.

Introduction

Bacterial infections have long been regarded as a serious hazard to human health. Pathogens use highly evolved, extremely powerful, and intricate defense systems, as well as a variety of bacterial virulence factors (referred to as effector proteins) to evade host immune responses and establish infections^1,2. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these systems and the role of individual effector proteins are still largely unknown due to the dearth of suitable approaches for directly following the crucial protein components and effectors in host cells during pathogenesis.

One t....

Protocol

1. Plasmid construction

1. Clone the gene expressing the POI into an expression plasmid (e.g., pET28a-sseJ10TAG) that expresses the POI in E. coli BL21 (DE3). This step facilitates in determining that the mutants are functional. 
2. For the visualization of Salmonella secreted effectors in host cells, construct an expression plasmid (pWSK29-sseJ-HA) that expresses the target POI SseJ under the control of its native promoter, as described in previous reports^7,12,24. Using site-directed mutagenesis, repla....

Results

This protocol paper describes a GCE-based method for site-specific fluorescent labeling and visualization of Salmonella secreted effectors, as depicted in Figure 1. Chemical structure of the ncAA bearing trans-cyclooctene bioorthogonal group (TCO) and the fluorescent dye are shown in Figure 1A. SseJ labeling was achieved by genetic incorporation of bioorthogonal ncAAs at an amber stop codon (see Figu.......

Discussion

The approach described herein was used to track the precise location of effector proteins injected into the host cell by the bacterial T3SS after infection. T3SSs are employed by intracellular pathogens such as Salmonella, Shigella, and Yersinia to transport virulence components into the host. The development of super-resolution imaging technologies has made it possible to visualize virulence factors at a previously unimaginable resolution^12,.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
10x Tris/Glycine SDS running buffer	BIO-RAD	1610732
Ammonium chloride	Fischer Scientific	A661-500
Ammonium sulphate	Fischer Scientific	BP212R-1
Ampicillin Sodium	Sigma-Aldrich	A0166	5 g
Antibiotic-Antimycotic (100x)	ThermiFischer Scientific	15240096
Arabinose	Sigma-Aldrich	A3256	500 g
Avanti J-26XP (High-Performance Centrifuge)	Beckman Coulter
Bacto-Agar	BD Diagnostics, Franklin Lakes, USA	214010
BDP-FL-tetrazine	Lumiprobe (USA)	2.14E+02
β-mercaptoethanol	Millipore	444203	250 mL
Bromophenol blue	Sigma-Aldrich	B8026
BSA	Sigma-Aldrich	A4503	500 g
Casein	Sigma-Aldrich	C8654
Catalase	Sigma-Aldrich	C9322
Chloramphenicol	Sigma-Aldrich	C1919
Click Amino Acid / trans-Cyclooct-2-en – L - Lysine (TCO*A)	SiChem GmbH	SC-8008	Size: 500 mg
DAPI (Hoechst33342)	Invitrogen	H3570
DeNovix DS-11+ Spectrophotometer	DeNovix
DMEM*	Corning	10-013-CV	* Used for maintaining HeLa Cell
DMEM**	Gibco	11965-092	**Used for bacterial infection in presence of ncAA, see section 5.4.
DMSO	Sigma-Aldrich	D8418	250 g
Donkey anti-rabbit Alexa fluoro555 secondary antibody	Invitrogen	A-31572
DPBS, 1x	Corning	21-031-CV
E. coli strain BL21 (DE3)	Novagen (Madison, WI)
EMCCD Camera	Andor	iXon Ultra 897-BV
Eppendorf Safe-Lock Tube 1.5 mL (PCR clean)	Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany	30123.328
Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)	Fischer	10082147
Fisherbrand Syringe Filters - Sterile (PVDF 0.22 µm)	Fischer Scientific	97203	Pack of 100
Gene Pulser Xcell Electroporator	BIO-RAD	1652660
Gentamycin	Sigma-Aldrich	G1272	10 mL
Gibco L-Glutamine (200 mM), 100x	Fischer Scientific	25-030-081
Glucose oxidase	Sigma-Aldrich	G7141-50KU
Glycerol	Fischer Scientific	BF229-4
HeLa cells	ATTC	CCL-2
HEPES Buffer	Corning	25-060-C1	100 mL
Hydrocloric acid	Fischer Scientific	A144-212
ImageJ			Image processing and analysis:  http://rsbweb.nih.gov/ij
IntantBlue	Expedeon	ISB1L	Coomassie-based stain
Isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG)	Sigma-Aldrich	I5502
Janelia Fluoro 646-tetrazine	Tocris Bioscience	7279
Kanamycin	Sigma-Aldrich	60615	5 g
LB Broth	BD Difco	244620	500 g
Lysozyme	Sigma-Aldrich	L6876
μManager (v. 1.4.2)			https://micro-manager.org/Download_Micro-Manager_Latest_Release
MES	Sigma-Aldrich	M3671	250 g
Micro pulser cuvette	BIO-RAD	165-2086	0.2 cm electrode gap, pkg. of 50
Nikon N-STORM	Nikon Instruments Inc.		https://www.microscope.healthcare.nikon.com/products/super-resolution-microscopes/n-storm-super-resolution
Nunc EasYFlask Cell Culture Flasks	ThermiFischer Scientific	156499
Omnipur Casamino Acid	Calbiochem	2240	500 g
Paraformaldehhyde (PFA)	Electron Microscopy Sciences	15710
PBS (10x)	Roche	11666789001
Penicillin-Streptomycin Solution (100x)	GenDEPOT	CA005-010	100 mL
pEVOL-PylRS-AF			For plasmid construction and map see following references 1. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2011, 50(17), 3878-81. 2. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl., 2012, 51, 4166-70.
Plasmid Mini-prep Kit	Qiagen	27106
plasmid pWSK29-sseJ10TAG-HA			Ref.: elife. 2021, 10, e67789.
plasmid pWSK29-sseJ-HA			Ref.: elife. 2021, 10, e67789.                                                                   Vector map of PWSK29: https://www.addgene.org/172972/
Pluronic F-127	Millipore	540025	Protein grade, 10% Solution
Potassium phosphate monobasic	Fischer Scientific	P285-500
Potassium sulphate	Acros Organic	424220250
Protease Inhibitor Cocktail Set I - Calbiochem	Sigma-Aldrich	539131	100x Solution
Rabbit anti-HA primary antibody	Sigma-Aldrich	H6908
S. enterica. serovar Typhimurium 14028s			Ref.: PLoS Biol. 2015, 13, e1002116.
Saponin	Sigma-Aldrich	47036-50G-F
Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)	Sigma-Aldrich	L3771
Sodium hydroxide	Fischer Scientific	SS255-1
Sodium Pyruvate (100 mM), 100x	Corning	25-060-C1	100 mL
Sonic Dismembrator Model 100	Fischer Scientific	24932
STED microsocpe (Leica TCS SP8 STED 3X system)	Leica Microsystems, Wetzlar, Germany		https://www.leica-microsystems.com/products/confocal-microscopes/p/leica-tcs-sp8-sted-one/
ThunderSTORM			https://zitmen.github.io/thunderstorm/
Trizma Base	Sigma-Aldrich	T1503
Trypsin-EDTA (1x), 0.25%	GenDEPOT	CA014-010
Tween-20	Sigma-Aldrich	P9416	100 mL
X-well tissue culture chamber slides	SARSTEDT	94.6190.802