Real-Time cAMP Dynamics in Live Cells Using the Fluorescent cAMP Difference Detector In Situ

Summary

The protocol presented in this study illustrates the effectiveness of the cAMP Difference Detector In Situ in measuring cAMP through two methods. One method utilizes a 96-well plate reading spectrophotometer with HEK-293 cells. The other method demonstrates individual HASM cells under a fluorescent microscope.

Abstract

cAMP Difference Detector In Situ (cADDis) is a novel biosensor that allows for the continuous measurement of cAMP levels in living cells. The biosensor is created from a circularly permuted fluorescent protein linked to the hinge region of Epac2. This creates a single fluorophore biosensor that displays either increased or decreased fluorescence upon binding of cAMP. The biosensor exists in red and green upward versions, as well as green downward versions, and several red and green versions targeted to subcellular locations. To illustrate the effectiveness of the biosensor, the green downward version, which decreases in fluorescence upon cAMP binding, was used. Two protocols using this sensor are demonstrated: one utilizing a 96-well plate reading spectrophotometer compatible with high-throughput screening and another utilizing single-cell imaging on a fluorescent microscope. On the plate reader, HEK-293 cells cultured in 96-well plates were stimulated with 10 µM forskolin or 10 nM isoproterenol, which induced rapid and large decreases in fluorescence in the green downward version. The biosensor was used to measure cAMP levels in individual human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells monitored under a fluorescent microscope. The green downward biosensor displayed similar responses to populations of cells when stimulated with forskolin or isoproterenol. This single-cell assay allows visualization of the biosensor location at 20x and 40x magnification. Thus, this cAMP biosensor is sensitive and flexible, allowing real-time measurement of cAMP in both immortalized and primary cells, and with single cells or populations of cells. These attributes make cADDis a valuable tool for studying cAMP signaling dynamics in living cells.

Introduction

Adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate, cAMP, plays a central role in cellular communication and the coordination of various physiological processes. cAMP acts as a second messenger, relaying external signals from hormones, neurotransmitters, or other extracellular molecules to initiate a cascade of intracellular events¹. Moreover, cAMP is intricately involved in various signaling pathways, including those associated with G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and adenylyl cyclases. Understanding the role of cAMP in cellular signaling is fundamental to unraveling the complex mechanisms that underlie normal cellular functions and the deve....

Protocol

The details of all the reagents and equipment used for the study are listed in the Table of Materials.

1. Plate reading spectrophotometer high-throughput assay

1. Seeding HEK-293 cells with the cADDis BacMam vector in a 96-well plate (Day 1)
   1. Split and infect cells in a viral hood.
      1. Warm HEK media (Table 1) and 0.25% trypsin-EDTA in a 37 °C water bath.
      2. Disinfect the hood and the materials by wi.......

Discussion

Accurate and sensitive measurement of cAMP is crucial for understanding its role in various cellular processes and for studying the activity of cAMP-dependent signaling pathways. There are several methods commonly employed to measure cAMP levels, including ELISA, radioimmunoassay, FRET biosensors, and the GloSensor cAMP assay^{14,15,16,17,18}. Each cAMP assay has.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
96-well plate (clear)	Fisherbrand	21-377-203
35 mm dish	Greiner Bio-One	627870	Cell culture dishes with glass bottom
96-well plate	Corning	3904	Black with clear flat bottom
Antibiotic-Antimycotic (100x)	Gibco	15240062	For HEK and HASM media
BZ-X fluorescence microscope	Keyence
Calcium chloride (IM)	Quality Biological Inc	E506	For HASM media
Centrifuge tube (15 mL)	Thermo Scientific	339651
DMEM (1x)	Gibco	11965092	HEK media
DPBS with Mg2+ and Ca2+	Gibco	14040-133
DPBS without Mg2+ and Ca2+	Corning	14040-133
Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)	R&D systems	S11195	For HEK and HASM media
Forskolin	Millipore	344270	Drug
Green Down cADDis cAMP Assay Kit	Montana Molecular	#D0200G	Reagent
Ham's F-12K	Gibco	21127022	For HASM media
HEPES (1M)	Gibco	15630080	For HASM media
Isoproterenol	Sigma	I6504	Drug
L-glutamine 200 mM (100x)	Gibco	25030-081	For HASM media
Microcentrifuge tube (2 mL)	Eppendorf	22363352
Primocin	Invitrogen	ant-pm-1	Antibiotic for HASM media
RNAse away	Thermo Scientific	700511	Reagent
Sodium hydroxide solution	Sigma	S2770	For HASM media
Spectrmax M5 plate reader	Molecular Devices
Trichostatin A	TCI America	T2477	Reagent
Trypsin EDTA	Gibco	25200-056	Reagent