Name: high-throughput confocal imaging of quantum dot-conjugated sars-cov-2 spike trimers to track binding and endocytosis in hek293t cells
Uploaded: 2022-04-21T12:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about High-throughput Confocal Imaging of Quantum Dot-Conjugated SARS-CoV-2 Spike Trimers to Track Binding and Endocytosis in HEK293T Cells at JoVE.com

This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH. Naval Research Laboratory provided funding via its internal Nanoscience Institute. Reagent preparation was supported via the NRL COVID-19 base fund.

The HEK293T cell line used in this study is an immortalized cell line. No human or animal subjects were used in this study.
1. Cell culturing and seeding
<ol>
	<li>Inside a sterile biosafety cabinet, wearing personal protective equipment (including lab gloves, lab coat, and safety glasses), prepare cell culture medium by supplementing Dulbecco&#39;s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 1% penicillin/streptomycin (P/S), and 250 &#181;g/mL G418.
	<ol...

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The method described in this article provides the necessary steps for imaging functionalized QDs in human cells using high-throughput confocal microscopy. This method is best suited for cells where endocytosis is the main route of viral entry rather than the activity of TMPRSS2 and membrane fusion, as it enables the study of SARS-CoV-2 Spike and hACE2 endocytosis. Because of the nature of the QD model and the C-terminal His-tag on the commercially available Spike trimer, any TMPRSS2 cleavage of Spike S1 and S2 domains wo...

Fluorescence microscopy enables researchers to peer into the inner workings of the cell using specialized dyes1, genetically encoded fluorescent proteins2, and fluorescent nanoparticles in the form of quantum dots (QDs)3. For the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus of 2019 (SARS-CoV-2) global pandemic, researchers have employed fluorescence microscopy to understand how the virus interacts with the cell both at the plasma membrane and in the cytoplasm. For example, researchers have been able to gain insights into the binding of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein on the virion&#39;s surface to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) on the surface of human cells, subsequent internalization via fusion at the plasma membrane, and endocytosis of the Spike:hACE2 protein complex4,5. Great insights have also been gained into the SARS-CoV-2 egress from cells via the lysosome using cellular fluorescence imaging, a unique feature of coronaviruses previously thought to occur via traditional vesicle budding from the Golgi, as it is with many other viruses6. A mainstay of almost all aspects of biological research, the cellular fluorescence microscopy technique has necessarily advanced in its breadth and scope of applications from super-resolution imaging of whole animals to automated high-content multi-parametric imaging for drug screening. Here, automated high-content confocal microscopy is applied to the study of SARS-CoV-2 cell entry using fluorescent QDs conjugated to the viral spike protein.
High-content analysis of images generated by biological imaging platforms allows for greater extraction of valuable biological insights than single parameters such as whole-well intensity, that one would obtain using a multi-modal plate reader7. By separating the objects in a field of view using automated segmentation algorithms, each object or a population of objects can be analyzed for parameters such as intensity, area, and texture in each available fluorescence channel8. Combining many measurements into multivariate datasets is a useful approach for phenotypic profiling. When the desired phenotype is known, such as QD internalization in the form of puncta, one can use the measurements related to puncta such as size, number, and intensity to assess the efficacy of a treatment.
Cloud-based high content imaging analysis software can accommodate a large variety of instrument data outputs, including the high content imaging platform. By using a cloud-based server for image storage and online analysis, the user is able to upload their data from either the imaging instrument or from the network drive where the data is stored. The analysis portion of the protocol is conducted within the cloud software environment, and data can be exported in a variety of file formats for downstream data visualization.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is composed of nonstructural and structural proteins that aid in its assembly and replication. SARS-CoV-2 spike has two domains called S1 and S2, with S1 containing the receptor-binding domain responsible for hACE2 interactions at the plasma membrane9. Spike has also been found to interact with other molecules at the plasma membrane that may act as co-receptors in addition to hACE210,11. Throughout the spike protein sequence and particularly at the S1/S2 interface, there are protease cleavage sites that enable fusion at the membrane after the transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2)12. Various recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike proteins have been produced from individual receptor binding domains, to S1, S2, S1 with S2, and whole spike trimers from multiple commercial vendors for use in research activities13.
In this work, the surface of QDs was functionalized with recombinant spike trimers that contain a histidine tag (QD-Spike). The QDs produced by Naval Research Laboratory Optical Nanomaterials Section contain a cadmium selenide core and a zinc sulfide shell14,15. The zinc on the QD surface coordinates the histidine residues within the recombinant protein to form a functionalized QD that resembles a SARS-CoV-2 viral particle in form and function. The generation of the nanoparticles and protein conjugation was previously described using the QD-conjugated receptor binding domain15. This method describes the cell culture preparations, QD treatment, image acquisition, and data analysis protocol that can guide a researcher in studying SARS-CoV-2 Spike activity in the physiological context of a human cell.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>32% Paraformaldehyde</td>
			<td>Electron Microscopy Sciences</td>
			<td>15714</td>
			<td>Used for fixing cells after quantum dot treatment, final concentration 3.2% 
			Used for stabilizing QDs in Optimem I and preventing non-specific interactions, final concentration 0.1%</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>7.5% Bovine Serum Albumin</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>15260-037</td>
			<td>Used as a cell viability dye for fluorescence cell counting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Acridine Orange / Propidium Iodide Stain</td>
			<td>Logos Biosystems</td>
			<td>F23001</td>
			<td>Microwell plates used for seeding cells and assaying QD-Spike</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Black clear bottom 96 well coated plate coated with poly-D-lysine</td>
			<td>Greiner</td>
			<td>655946</td>
			<td>Used to support cell culture, DMEM supplement</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Characterized Fetal Bovine Serum</td>
			<td>Cytiva/HyClone</td>
			<td>SH30071.03</td>
			<td>Cloud-based high-content image analysis software; V2.9.1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Columbus Analyzer</td>
			<td>Perkin Elmer</td>
			<td>NA</td>
			<td>Used for labeling cell nuclei and cell bodies after fixation, deep red nuclear dye</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DRAQ5 (5 mM)</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>62252</td>
			<td>Basal media for HEK293T cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dulbecco&#39;s Minimal Essential Media, D-glucose (4.5g/L), L-glutamine, sodium pyruvate (110 mg/L), phenol red</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>11995-065</td>
			<td>Used for arranging data after export from Columbus; V2110 Microsoft 365</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Excel</td>
			<td>Microsoft</td>
			<td>NA</td>
			<td>Used to continue selection of hACE2-GFP positive cells, DMEM supplement</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>G418</td>
			<td>InvivoGen</td>
			<td>ant-gn-5</td>
			<td>Human embryonic kidney cell line stably expression human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 tagged with GFP</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HEK293T hACE2-GFP</td>
			<td>Codex Biosolutions</td>
			<td>CB-97100-203</td>
			<td>Automated cell counter</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Luna Automated Cell Counter</td>
			<td>Logos Biosystems</td>
			<td>NA</td>
			<td>Used for fluorescence cell counting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Luna Cell Counting Slides</td>
			<td>Logos Biosystems</td>
			<td>L12001</td>
			<td>High-content imaging platform</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Opera Phenix</td>
			<td>Perkin Elmer</td>
			<td>NA</td>
			<td>Imaging media, used for incubating cells with quantum dots</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Opti-MEM I Reduced Serum Medium</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>11058-021</td>
			<td>Phosphate-buffered saline without calcium or magnesium used for washing cells during passaging and assaying</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PBS -/-</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>10010-023</td>
			<td>Used to prevent bacterial contamination of cell culture, DMEM supplement</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin Streptomycin</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>15140-122</td>
			<td>Used for graphing, data visualization, and statistical analysis;V9.1.0</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Prism</td>
			<td>GraphPad</td>
			<td>NA</td>
			<td>Used for assaying SARS-Cov-2 Spike binding to hACE2 and monitoring Spike endocytosis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Quantum Dot 608 nm-Spike (QD608-Spike)</td>
			<td>custom made by Naval Research Laboratory</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Used for inhibition of SARS-Cov-2 Spike binding to hACE2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SARS-CoV-2 (2019-nCoV) Spike Neutralizing Antibody, Mouse Mab</td>
			<td>Sino Biological</td>
			<td>40592-MM57</td>
			<td>Used to dissociate cells from flask during passaging</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TrypLE Express</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>12605-010</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

high-throughput confocal imaging of quantum dot-conjugated sars-cov-2 spike trimers to track binding and endocytosis in hek293t cells

The development of new technologies for cellular fluorescence microscopy has facilitated high-throughput screening methods for drug discovery. Quantum dots are fluorescent nanoparticles with excellent photophysical properties imbued with bright and stable photoluminescence as well as narrow emission bands. Quantum dots are spherical in shape, and with the proper modification of the surface chemistry, can be used to conjugate biomolecules for cellular applications. These optical properties, combined with the ability to functionalize them with biomolecules, make them an excellent tool for investigating receptor-ligand interactions and cellular trafficking. Here, we present a method that uses quantum dots to track the binding and endocytosis of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This protocol can be used as a guide for experimentalists looking to utilize quantum dots to study protein-protein interactions and trafficking in the context of cellular physiology.

Upon treatment, the QDs will be internalized as the nanoparticle will bind to ACE2 on the plasma membrane and induce endocytosis. Using an ACE2-GFP expressing cell line, translocation of both QDs and ACE2 can be visualized using fluorescence microscopy. Once internalized, the two QD and ACE2 signals show strong colocalization. From these images, image segmentation and subsequent analysis can be performed to extract relevant parameters such as spot count (Figure 1, Figure...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about High-throughput Confocal Imaging of Quantum Dot-Conjugated SARS-CoV-2 Spike Trimers to Track Binding and Endocytosis in HEK293T Cells at JoVE.com

High-throughput Confocal Imaging of Quantum Dot-Conjugated SARS-CoV-2 Spike Trimers to Track Binding and Endocytosis in HEK293T Cells

In this protocol, quantum dots conjugated to recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike enable cell-based assays to monitor spike binding to hACE2 at the plasma membrane and subsequent endocytosis of the bound proteins into the cytoplasm.

The development of new technologies for cellular fluorescence microscopy has facilitated high-throughput screening methods for drug discovery. Quantum ...

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