Name: fractionation for resolution of soluble and insoluble huntingtin species
Uploaded: 2018-02-27T14:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Fractionation for Resolution of Soluble and Insoluble Huntingtin Species at JoVE.com

This work was supported by the NIH (RO1-NS090390). We would also like to thank Dr. Joan Steffanfor technical assistance and discussion during the development of this assay.

Animal Ethics Statement - Experiments were carried out in strict accordance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the National Institutes of Health and an approved animal research protocol by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at the University of California, Irvine, an AAALAC accredited institution. All efforts were made to minimize animal suffering.
1. Preparation of Lysis Buffers
<ol>
	<li>Prepare &#34;Soluble&#34; lysis buffer (10 mM Tris pH 7....

<ol>
	<li>Ochaba, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=PIAS1+Regulates+Mutant+Huntingtin+Accumulation+and+Huntington's+Disease-Associated+Phenotypes+In+Vivo.">PIAS1 Regulates Mutant Huntingtin Accumulation and Huntington's Disease-Associated Phenotypes In Vivo.</a> Neuron. 90 (3), 507-520 (2016).</li><li>La Spada, A. R., Taylor, J. P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Repeat+expansion+disease:+progress+and+puzzles+in+disease+pathogenesis.">Repeat expansion disease: progress and puzzles in disease pathogenesis.</a> Nat Rev Genet. 11 (4), 247-258 (2010).</li><li>Reiner, A., Dragatsis, I., Dietrich, P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Genetics+and+neuropathology+of+Huntington's+disease.">Genetics and neuropathology of Huntington's disease.</a> Int Rev Neurobiol. 98, 325-372 (2011).</li><li>The Huntington's Disease Collaborative Research Group. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+novel+gene+containing+a+trinucleotide+repeat+that+is+expanded+and+unstable+on+Huntington's+disease+chromosomes.">A novel gene containing a trinucleotide repeat that is expanded and unstable on Huntington's disease chromosomes.</a> Cell. 72 (6), 971-983 (1993).</li><li>Sassone, J., Colciago, C., Cislaghi, G., Silani, V., Ciammola, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Huntington's+disease:+the+current+state+of+research+with+peripheral+tissues.">Huntington's disease: the current state of research with peripheral tissues.</a> Exp Neurol. 219 (2), 385-397 (2009).</li><li>Weydt, P., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Thermoregulatory+and+metabolic+defects+in+Huntington's+disease+transgenic+mice+implicate+PGC-1alpha+in+Huntington's+disease+neurodegeneration.">Thermoregulatory and metabolic defects in Huntington's disease transgenic mice implicate PGC-1alpha in Huntington's disease neurodegeneration.</a> Cell Metab. 4 (5), 349-362 (2006).</li><li>Schulte, J., Littleton, J. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+biological+function+of+the+Huntingtin+protein+and+its+relevance+to+Huntington's+Disease+pathology.">The biological function of the Huntingtin protein and its relevance to Huntington's Disease pathology.</a> Curr Trends Neurol. 5, 65-78 (2011).</li><li>Gipson, T. A., Neueder, A., Wexler, N. S., Bates, G. P., Housman, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Aberrantly+spliced+HTT,+a+new+player+in+Huntington's+disease+pathogenesis.">Aberrantly spliced HTT, a new player in Huntington's disease pathogenesis.</a> RNA Biol. 10 (11), 1647-1652 (2013).</li><li>Neueder, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+pathogenic+exon+1+HTT+protein+is+produced+by+incomplete+splicing+in+Huntington's+disease+patients.">The pathogenic exon 1 HTT protein is produced by incomplete splicing in Huntington's disease patients.</a> Sci Rep. 7 (1), 1307 (2017).</li><li>Arndt, J. R., Chaibva, M., Legleiter, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+emerging+role+of+the+first+17+amino+acids+of+huntingtin+in+Huntington's+disease.">The emerging role of the first 17 amino acids of huntingtin in Huntington's disease.</a> Biomol Concepts. 6 (1), 33-46 (2015).</li><li>Saudou, F., Finkbeiner, S., Devys, D., Greenberg, M. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Huntingtin+acts+in+the+nucleus+to+induce+apoptosis+but+death+does+not+correlate+with+the+formation+of+intranuclear+inclusions.">Huntingtin acts in the nucleus to induce apoptosis but death does not correlate with the formation of intranuclear inclusions.</a> Cell. 95 (1), 55-66 (1998).</li><li>Kim, S., Kim, K. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Therapeutic+Approaches+for+Inhibition+of+Protein+Aggregation+in+Huntington's+Disease.">Therapeutic Approaches for Inhibition of Protein Aggregation in Huntington's Disease.</a> Exp Neurobiol. 23 (1), 36-44 (2014).</li><li>O'Rourke, J. G., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=SUMO-2+and+PIAS1+modulate+insoluble+mutant+huntingtin+protein+accumulation.">SUMO-2 and PIAS1 modulate insoluble mutant huntingtin protein accumulation.</a> Cell Rep. 4 (2), 362-375 (2013).</li><li>Shibata, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Regulation+of+intracellular+accumulation+of+mutant+Huntingtin+by+Beclin+1.">Regulation of intracellular accumulation of mutant Huntingtin by Beclin 1.</a> J Biol Chem. 281 (20), 14474-14485 (2006).</li><li>Apostol, B. L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+cell-based+assay+for+aggregation+inhibitors+as+therapeutics+of+polyglutamine-repeat+disease+and+validation+in+Drosophila.">A cell-based assay for aggregation inhibitors as therapeutics of polyglutamine-repeat disease and validation in Drosophila.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 100 (10), 5950-5955 (2003).</li><li>Wanker, E. E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Membrane+filter+assay+for+detection+of+amyloid-like+polyglutamine-containing+protein+aggregates.">Membrane filter assay for detection of amyloid-like polyglutamine-containing protein aggregates.</a> Methods Enzymol. 309, 375-386 (1999).</li><li>Sontag, E. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Detection+of+Mutant+Huntingtin+Aggregation+Conformers+and+Modulation+of+SDS-Soluble+Fibrillar+Oligomers+by+Small+Molecules.">Detection of Mutant Huntingtin Aggregation Conformers and Modulation of SDS-Soluble Fibrillar Oligomers by Small Molecules.</a> J Huntingtons Dis. 1 (1), 119-132 (2012).</li><li>Grima, J. C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mutant+Huntingtin+Disrupts+the+Nuclear+Pore+Complex.">Mutant Huntingtin Disrupts the Nuclear Pore Complex.</a> Neuron. 94 (1), 93-107 (2017).</li><li>Sontag, E. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Methylene+blue+modulates+huntingtin+aggregation+intermediates+and+is+protective+in+Huntington's+disease+models.">Methylene blue modulates huntingtin aggregation intermediates and is protective in Huntington's disease models.</a> J Neurosci. 32 (32), 11109-11119 (2012).</li><li>Trushina, E., Rana, S., McMurray, C. T., Hua, D. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Tricyclic+pyrone+compounds+prevent+aggregation+and+reverse+cellular+phenotypes+caused+by+expression+of+mutant+huntingtin+protein+in+striatal+neurons.">Tricyclic pyrone compounds prevent aggregation and reverse cellular phenotypes caused by expression of mutant huntingtin protein in striatal neurons.</a> BMC Neurosci. 10, 73 (2009).</li><li>Shahmoradian, S. H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=TRiC's+tricks+inhibit+huntingtin+aggregation.">TRiC's tricks inhibit huntingtin aggregation.</a> Elife. 2, e00710 (2013).</li><li>Kim, Y. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Proteasome+inhibition+induces+alpha-synuclein+SUMOylation+and+aggregate+formation.">Proteasome inhibition induces alpha-synuclein SUMOylation and aggregate formation.</a> J Neurol Sci. 307 (1-2), 157-161 (2011).</li><li>Goldberg, N. R. S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Human+Neural+Progenitor+Transplantation+Rescues+Behavior+and+Reduces+alpha-Synuclein+in+a+Transgenic+Model+of+Dementia+with+Lewy+Bodies.">Human Neural Progenitor Transplantation Rescues Behavior and Reduces alpha-Synuclein in a Transgenic Model of Dementia with Lewy Bodies.</a> Stem Cells Transl Med. 6 (6), 1477-1490 (2017).</li></ol>

Some precautions are needed for the above protocols to ensure consistent and quantitative results. First, mHTT in both fractions will spontaneously form aggregates over time upon multiple freeze thaw cycles, particularly when in a high concentration. It is thus critical to freeze aliquots of the protein preps, and thaw only the needed volume prior to running the assay as described in the protocol above. Further, if insoluble fraction yields white precipitant upon thawing, reconstitution may be necessary by an additional ...

The disruption of protein quality control networks that ensure proper folding and degradation of cellular proteins is likely central to pathology in Alzheimer&#39;s disease (AD), Parkinson&#39;s disease (PD), Huntington&#39;s disease (HD), and other &#34;protein misfolding&#34; disorders2,3. A detailed understanding of the proteostasis network components and their contributions to pathology are therefore crucial to developing improved therapeutic interventions. HD is caused by the abnormal expansion of a CAG repeat within the HD gene resulting in an expanded stretch of polyglutamines (polyQ) in the huntingtin (HTT) protein4. A consistent pathological feature of HD pathogenesis is the resulting misfolding, accumulation, and aggregation of HTT in regions of the brain and in peripheral tissues, which has been shown to interfere in several ways with normal cell homeostasis and function5,6. While HTT is ubiquitously expressed, medium spiny neurons in the striatum are selectively vulnerable and most overtly affected with notable cortical atrophy also associated with HD pathogenesis.
The formation of aggregates of HTT in the brain of HD patients and animal models has typically served as a proxy marker for disease progression and dominant-negative gain of function for mHTT7. Although the precise mechanisms by which protein misfolding and aggregation may contribute to mHTT-induced toxicity remain unclear, the formation of these inclusions in the brain of HD patients and various animal models is an invariant and inevitable feature. Inclusions appear to be comprised largely of accumulated HTT fragments containing the N-terminal expanded polyQ, indicating that proteolysis and processing of full-length HTT as well as alternative splicing8,9 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of HD. N-terminal HTT fragments may constitute a pathologic form of HTT that can aggregate rapidly, nucleate, and accelerate or propagate the aggregation process10.
However, the presence of these inclusions does not necessarily correlate with HTT-induced toxicity or cell death11. HTT has been proposed to undergo an aggregation process from a soluble monomer through soluble oligomeric species and &#946;-sheet fibrils to insoluble aggregates and inclusions12. Resolving these various protein species via standard biochemical assays has been a challenge in the field due to their stability in low-detergent lysis buffer and difficulty in visualizing using standard biochemical assays. Thus, methodological considerations are critical in detecting the degree and pattern of accumulated and aggregated mHTT.
The protocol presented here provides a method to visualize several intermediates of HTT, specifically the formation of an insoluble HMW HTT species that appears to closely track with HD pathogenesis and disease progression1,13,14. Being able to resolve and track multiple species of mHTT provides researchers a biochemical tool to study disease pathogenesis and evaluate potential therapeutic interventions through their modulation and impact on disease pathogenesis.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Sterile Filter</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>SCGP505RE</td>
			<td>Screw cap, sterile vaccum filter</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1 mL Tissue Grinder, Dounce</td>
			<td>Wheaton</td>
			<td>357538</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sonicator</td>
			<td>Qsonica</td>
			<td>Model Q125</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DC Protein Assay</td>
			<td>Biorad</td>
			<td>5000111</td>
			<td>Comparable to Lowry assay</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tris 1M buffer solution</td>
			<td>Alfa Aesar</td>
			<td>J60636</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Triton X-100</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>BP151-100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NaCl 5M solution</td>
			<td>Teknova</td>
			<td>S0251</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Glycerol</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>BP229-1</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>20% SDS solution</td>
			<td>Teknova</td>
			<td>S0295</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>N-ethylmaleimide</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>E1271</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phenylmethylsulfony flouride</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P7626</td>
			<td>create 100mM stock solution in 100%EtOH, store at 4&#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium orthovanadate</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>S6508</td>
			<td>Create 0.5M stock solution in water</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Leupeptin</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>L2884</td>
			<td>Create 10mg/ml stock solution in water</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Aprotinin</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>A1153</td>
			<td>Create 10mg/ml stock solution in water</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium Fluoride</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>S4504</td>
			<td>Create 500mM stock solution in water</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Anti-HTT</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>MAB5492</td>
			<td>Use 1:1000 for western blot, 1:500 for filter retardation assay</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Anti-GAPDH</td>
			<td>Novus Biologicals</td>
			<td>NB100-56875</td>
			<td>Use 1:1000 for soluble western blot</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

fractionation for resolution of soluble and insoluble huntingtin species

The accumulation of misfolded proteins is central to pathology in Huntington's disease (HD) and many other neurodegenerative disorders. Specifically, a key pathological feature of HD is the aberrant accumulation of mutant HTT (mHTT) protein into high molecular weight complexes and intracellular inclusion bodies composed of fragments and other proteins. Conventional methods to measure and understand the contributions of various forms of mHTT-containing aggregates include fluorescence microscopy, western blot analysis, and filter trap assays. 
However, most of these methods are conformation specific, and therefore may not resolve the full state of mHTT protein flux due to the complex nature of aggregate solubility and resolution.
For the identification of aggregated mHTT and various modified forms and complexes, separation and solubilization of the cellular aggregates and fragments is mandatory. Here we describe a method to isolate and visualize soluble mHTT, monomers, oligomers, fragments, and an insoluble high molecular weight (HMW) accumulated mHTT species. HMW mHTT tracks with disease progression, corresponds with mouse behavior readouts, and has been beneficially modulated by certain therapeutic interventions1. This approach can be used with mouse brain, peripheral tissues, and cell culture but may be adapted to other model systems or disease contexts.

Resolution of soluble and insoluble cell lysates following fractionation can be detected using western analysis and filter retardation assays (Figure 2). As an example, HEK293T cells were transfected using transfection reagent (e.g., lipofectamine 2000), with HTT exon 1 encoding cDNA containing 97 glutamine repeats15 followed by the poly proline rich region, and these cells were allowed to express for 44 h. Cells were treated ...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Fractionation for Resolution of Soluble and Insoluble Huntingtin Species at JoVE.com

Fractionation for Resolution of Soluble and Insoluble Huntingtin Species

A method is described for fractionation of insoluble and soluble mutant huntingtin species from mouse brain and cell culture. The method described is useful for characterization and quantification of huntingtin protein flux and aids in analyzing protein homeostasis in disease pathogenesis and in the presence of perturbations

The accumulation of misfolded proteins is central to pathology in Huntington's disease (HD) and many other neurodegenerative disorders. Specifically, a ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Biochemistry

High-throughput Screening of Carbohydrate-degrading Enzymes Using Novel Insoluble Chromogenic Substrate Assay Kits

Carbohydrates active enzymes (CAZymes) have multiple roles in vivo and are widely used for industrial processing in the biofuel, textile, detergent, paper ...

Brain Membrane Fractionation: An Ex Vivo Approach to Assess Subsynaptic Protein Localization

Brain Membrane Fractionation: An Ex Vivo Approach to Assess Subsynaptic Protein Localization

Assessing the synaptic protein composition and function constitutes an important challenge in neuroscience. However, it is not easy to evaluate ...

Enrichment of Detergent-insoluble Protein Aggregates from Human Postmortem Brain

In this study, we describe an abbreviated single-step fractionation protocol for the enrichment of detergent-insoluble protein aggregates from human ...

Quantitative and Qualitative Method for Sphingomyelin by LC-MS Using Two Stable Isotopically Labeled Sphingomyelin Species

We present a method of analyzing sphingomyelin (SM) qualitatively and quantitatively by liquid chromatography-electrospray Ionization-tandem mass ...

Generation of Native, Untagged Huntingtin Exon1 Monomer and Fibrils Using a SUMO Fusion Strategy

Huntington&#39;s Disease (HD) is an inherited fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by a CAG expansion (&#8805;36) in the first exon of the HD gene, ...

Detection of Small GTPase Prenylation and GTP Binding Using Membrane Fractionation and  GTPase-linked Immunosorbent Assay

The Rho GTPase family belongs to the Ras superfamily and includes approximately 20 members in humans. Rho GTPases are important in the regulation of ...

The Identification of Sea Lamprey Pheromones Using Bioassay-Guided Fractionation

Bioassay-guided fractionation is an iterative approach that uses the results of physiological and behavioral bioassays to guide the isolation and ...

Cell Fractionation of U937 Cells in the Absence of High-speed Centrifugation

In this protocol we detail a method to obtain subcellular fractions of U937 cells without the use of ultracentrifugation or indiscriminate detergents. ...

Measuring Interactions between Fluorescent Probes and Lignin in Plant Sections by sFLIM Based on Native Autofluorescence

In lignocellulosic biomass (LB), the activity of enzymes is limited by the appearance of non-specific interactions with lignin during the hydrolysis ...

Conventional BODIPY Conjugates for Live-Cell Super-Resolution Microscopy and Single-Molecule Tracking

Single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) techniques overcome the optical diffraction limit of conventional fluorescence microscopy and can resolve ...