Name: single-molecule f&ouml;rster resonance energy transfer methods for real-time investigation of the holliday junction resolution by gen1
Uploaded: 2019-09-18T13:00:00
Duration: 11 min 27 s
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Single-Molecule FÃƒÂ¶rster Resonance Energy Transfer Methods for Real-Time Investigation of the Holliday Junction Resolution by GEN1 at JoVE.com

This work was supported by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology through core funding and Competitive Research Award (CRG3) to S. M. H.

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

In this study,&#160;different smFRET techniques were implemented&#160;to determine the kinetics of HJ resolution by GEN130. Similar smFRET approaches were used to follow the double-flap DNA conformational requirement and cleavage by the DNA replication and repair flap endonuclease 142,43,44. Here, critical steps in this protocol are discussed. The silanization reaction should be free from any trace of humidity. The pegylation solution should be applied rapidly to the silanized glass once PEG is dissolved to avoid hydrolysis. In the multi-channel flow cell, any trapped air in the adhesive sheet should be removed to avoid leakage between neighboring channels. The PCA solution should be freshly prepared since it oxidizes over time. The addition of 10 N NaOH should be dropwise, with vortexing in between. The fluorescence background in the coverslip should be minimal before flowing the fluorescently labeled HJ. The imaging in the flow cell should be performed in one direction to avoid imaging bleached areas. In ALEX experiments, the power of the red laser should be reduced to avoid rapid bleaching of the acceptor. In the time-lapse experiments, the cycle time has to be shorter than the fastest event.
smFRET is a sensitive technique that can provide valuable real-time insights in biomolecular reactions. However, this method has several technical challenges, among which is achieving measurable change in FRET during the biochemical reaction. This is necessary to obtain well-separated features in the histograms and distinguishable states in the time-traces. In many cases, smFRET requires careful design of the substrates, selection of the fluorophore pairs and their positions, and amplification of FRET changes in the DNA substrate because of the little structural changes in the substrate45. Another approach for performing FRET is to use labeled proteins46. The observation window in FRET is limited by the stability of the acceptor such as Cy5 or Alexa Fluor 647 which tends to bleach more rapidly than the donor (Cy3 in this case). Therefore, FRET requires a continuous search for stable fluorophores to extend the experiment duration and efforts to develop oxygen scavenging systems to prolong the fluorescence signal and maximize the signal-to-noise ratio47,48.
Among the tips for troubleshooting in smFRET is balancing the several parameters involved in imaging such as the laser power, exposure time, cycle time, and number of cycles to maximize the fluorescence emission, prolong the experiment duration, and achieve appropriate sampling intervals for the enzyme dynamics. Longer observation times and minimal effects from photobleaching are essential to obtain high fidelity dwell time distributions that represent the enzyme dynamics. ALEX generates better histograms since this method is subjected to lower contributions from photobleached particles compared to single-color FRET. However, the temporal resolution in ALEX is lower than that in single-color FRET.
Finally, smFRET&#8217;s emphasis on detecting conformational/structural changes in individual molecules in real-time bridges the gap between high resolution structural techniques (i.e., X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, electron microscopy), which provides atomic resolution structural details under static conditions and bulk methods that yield the ensemble average of a measurable property. In many aspects, smFRET has proven to be a powerful technique for studying biological systems in real-time.

Single-molecule methods based on fluorescence detection provide high signal-to-noise ratios1. FRET is a spectroscopic technique that can measure distances in the range of 1&#8211;10 nm, rendering this technique as a molecular ruler for measuring distances in the nanometer range2,3. The absorption spectrum of the acceptor has a partial spectral overlap with the donor&#8217;s emission spectrum at the shorter wavelength end. FRET is mediated by the radiation-less energy transfer between a donor and acceptor pair, whereas the efficiency of energy transfer is dependent on the distance and orientation of the acceptor4.
Several approaches have been implemented to minimize the background and improve the detection efficiency of the fluorescence signal5,6. One approach is confocal microscopy, in which a pinhole restricts the excitation spot to a size below the diffraction limit7. Another approach is total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF), which is a wide-field illumination technique in which the light is directed off-axis above a critical angle8. The light is then totally internally reflected at the interface between the glass and aqueous solution, generating an evanescent wave that only illuminates the fluorophores attached to the glass surface and prevents background from the fluorophores in the rest of the solution.
In confocal microscopy, the molecules can be either freely diffusing or surface immobilized. The attained temporal resolution can be within microseconds to several milliseconds9. The confocal detection for a single molecule is performed by single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) and point-by-point scanning of the region of interest10. In TIRF, a time-series of a few hundreds of molecules immobilized on the surface is recorded by a position-sensitive two-dimensional charge coupled detector (CCD). The CCD amplifies the fluorescence signal either by intensified phosphor screen and microchannel plate or on-chip multiplication of photoelectrons (EMCCD). The temporal resolution is dependent on the readout speed and quantum efficiency of the CCD and usually on the order of few tens of milliseconds6.
HJ is a central intermediate in DNA repair and recombination11,12,13,14. HJ has two continuous and two crossing strands that connect between the continuous strands without intersecting each other. HJ exists in solution as X-stacked conformers, which undergo continuous isomerization by the continuous strands becoming crossing and the crossing strands becoming continuous in the other conformer15. Isomer preference of the HJ is dependent on the core sequence and ionic environment and has been extensively studied by FRET16,17,18,19.
GEN120 is a monomeric protein in solution21 and requires dimerization to cleave the HJ, thus allowing proper separation of the recombined strands22,23. The stacking conformer preference of the HJ influences the outcome of genetic recombination by setting the orientation of the resolution by the HJ resolvases24. Understanding how GEN1 binds the HJ, coordinates the two incisions, and ensures its full resolution have all been under intensive study21,22,23,25,26,27,28,29,30.
In this study, an objective based TIRF set-up is used as described previously31. Two-color alternating excitation (ALEX) is applied to determine the conformational changes upon the interaction of GEN1 with fluorophore labeled HJ. ALEX produces 2D histograms based on two ratiometric parameters FRET efficiency E, which is donor-acceptor distance-dependent, and the stoichiometry parameter S, which measures the donor-acceptor stoichiometry32. ALEX enables the sorting of fluorescent species based on the stoichiometries of the fluorophores including donor-only, acceptor-only, and mixed subpopulations. ALEX can extend the use of FRET to the full range and can detect differences in fluorophore brightness and oligomerization as well as monitor macromolecule-ligand interactions33.
It is found that GEN1 consistently succeeds in resolving the HJ within the lifetime of the GEN1-HJ complex. The time-dependent conformational changes are derived from the time-traces of individual molecules, while the histograms represent the distribution of the underlying populations. Using time-lapse single-color FRET, fast on-rates and slow off-rates for the GEN1 dimer are demonstrated, which increase the affinity of the assembled GEN1 dimer at the first incision product.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>(&#177;)-6-Hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchromane-2-carboxylic acid (Trolox)</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>238813</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>0.1 M sodium bicarbonate buffer</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>144-55-8</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10 % Novex Tris-Borate-EDTA gel</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>EC6275BOX</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>100 X TIRF objective</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td>NAPO 1.49</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3,4-dihroxybenzoic acid (PCA)</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>P5630</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>741442</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>6% Novex Tris-Borate-EDTA gel</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>EC6265BOX</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Adhesive sheet</td>
			<td>Grace bio-labs</td>
			<td>SA-S-1L</td>
			<td></td>
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		<tr>
			<td>Benchtop refrigerated centrifuge</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td>Z605212</td>
			<td></td>
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		<tr>
			<td>Biotin-PEG</td>
			<td>Laysan Bio</td>
			<td>Biotin-PEG-SVA 5000</td>
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			<td>Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA)</td>
			<td>New England Biolabs</td>
			<td>B9001S</td>
			<td></td>
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		<tr>
			<td>Calcium Chloride Dihydrate</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>31307</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>cation exchange column</td>
			<td>GE healthcare</td>
			<td>MonoS (4.6/100)</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cell distruptor</td>
			<td>Constant Cell Disruption System</td>
			<td>TS5/40/CE/GA</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Coomassie Brilliant Blue</td>
			<td>MP Biomedicals</td>
			<td>808274</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cy3 emission filter</td>
			<td>Chroma</td>
			<td>HQ600/40M-25</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cy5/Alexa Fluor 647 emission filter</td>
			<td>Chroma</td>
			<td>HQ700/40M-25</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dichroic for DV2 filter cube</td>
			<td>Photometrics</td>
			<td>630dcxr-18x26</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dithiothreitol (DTT)</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>R0861</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Drill</td>
			<td>Dremel</td>
			<td>200-1/21</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Electronic cutter</td>
			<td>Copam</td>
			<td>CP-2500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EMCCD camera</td>
			<td>Hamamatsu</td>
			<td>C9100-13</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Epoxy glue</td>
			<td>Devcon</td>
			<td>14250</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FPLC Aktapurifier UPC 10</td>
			<td>GE Healthcare</td>
			<td>28406268</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>GelQuant.NET software</td>
			<td>biochemlabsolutions.com</td>
			<td>Version 1.8.2</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>GEN1 entry vector</td>
			<td>Harvard plasmid repository</td>
			<td>HSCD00399935</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Glycerol</td>
			<td>Sigma Life Science</td>
			<td>G5516</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>green laser (emission 532 nm)</td>
			<td>Coherent</td>
			<td>Compass 315M-100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Heparin column</td>
			<td>GE healthcare</td>
			<td>HiTrap Heparin column</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HEPES</td>
			<td>BDH</td>
			<td>BDH4162</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Image splitter</td>
			<td>Photometrics</td>
			<td>Dualview (DV2)</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Imidazole</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>I2399</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Inverted microscope</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td>IX81</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Isopropyl-&#223;-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG)</td>
			<td>Goldbio.</td>
			<td>12481C100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Laser scanner</td>
			<td>GE healthcare</td>
			<td>Typhoon Trio</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>LB Broth</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP1426-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Long pass 532nm filter</td>
			<td>Semrock</td>
			<td>LPD02-532RU-25</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Magnesium Chloride</td>
			<td>Sigma Life Science</td>
			<td>M8266</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>mPEG</td>
			<td>Laysan Bio</td>
			<td>mPEG-SVA 5000</td>
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		<tr>
			<td>Neutravidin</td>
			<td>Pierce</td>
			<td>31000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ni-NTA column</td>
			<td>GE healthcare</td>
			<td>HisTrap FF</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NuPAGE 10% Bis-Tris gels</td>
			<td>Novex Life technologies</td>
			<td>NP0301BOX</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NuPAGE 10% Bis-Tris Protein Gels</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>NP0302PK2</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Origin software</td>
			<td>OriginLab Corporation</td>
			<td>Version 8.5</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF)</td>
			<td>Alexis Biochemicals</td>
			<td>270-184-G025</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phosphate-buffered saline</td>
			<td>GIBCO</td>
			<td>14190</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Polyethylene Tubing (I.D. 0.76 mm O.D. 1.22mm)</td>
			<td>Fisher (Becton Dickinson)</td>
			<td>427416</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (3,4-PCD)</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>P8279-25UN</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Quad-band dichroic</td>
			<td>Chroma Inc</td>
			<td>Z405/488/532/640rpc</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>red laser (emission 640 nm)</td>
			<td>Coherent</td>
			<td>Cube 640 100C</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium Chloride</td>
			<td>Fisher Chemical</td>
			<td>S271</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sorvall RC-6 plus centrifuge</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>46910</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Spectrophotometer</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>Nanodrop 2000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Syringe pump</td>
			<td>Harvard Apparatus</td>
			<td>70-3007</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Teflon tweezers</td>
			<td>Rubis</td>
			<td>K35A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tris Base</td>
			<td>Promega</td>
			<td>H5135</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ultracentrifuge</td>
			<td>Beckman Coulter</td>
			<td>Optima L-90K</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ultrafiltration membrane</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>UFC90300</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

single-molecule f&ouml;rster resonance energy transfer methods for real-time investigation of the holliday junction resolution by gen1

Bulk methods measure the ensemble behavior of molecules, in which individual reaction rates of the underlying steps are averaged throughout the population. Single-molecule F&#246;rster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) provides a recording of the conformational changes taking place by individual molecules in real-time. Therefore, smFRET is powerful in measuring structural changes in the enzyme or substrate during binding and catalysis. This work presents a protocol for single-molecule imaging of the interaction of a four-way Holliday junction (HJ) and gap endonuclease I (GEN1), a cytosolic homologous recombination enzyme. Also presented are single-color and two-color alternating excitation (ALEX) smFRET experimental protocols to follow the resolution of the HJ by GEN1 in real-time. The kinetics of GEN1 dimerization are determined at the HJ, which has been suggested to play a key role in the resolution of the HJ and has remained elusive until now. The techniques described here can be widely applied to obtain valuable mechanistic insights of many enzyme-DNA systems.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Single-Molecule FÃƒÂ¶rster Resonance Energy Transfer Methods for Real-Time Investigation of the Holliday Junction Resolution by GEN1 at JoVE.com

Single-Molecule FÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¶rster Resonance Energy Transfer Methods for Real-Time Investigation of the Holliday Junction Resolution by GEN1

Presented here is a protocol for performing single-molecule F&#246;rster resonance energy transfer to study HJ resolution. Two-color alternating excitation is used for determining the dissociation constants. Single-color time lapse smFRET is then applied in real-time cleavage assays to obtain the dwell time distribution prior to HJ resolution.

Single-Molecule F&ouml;rster Resonance Energy Transfer Methods for Real-Time Investigation of the Holliday Junction Resolution by GEN1

Bulk methods measure the ensemble behavior of molecules, in which individual reaction rates of the underlying steps are averaged throughout the ...

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