An alternative assay to discover potential calmodulin inhibitors using a human fluorophore-labeled CaM protein

Anal Biochem. 2009 Apr 1;387(1):64-70. doi: 10.1016/j.ab.2009.01.002. Epub 2009 Jan 13.

Abstract

This article describes the development of a new fluorescent-engineered human calmodulin, hCaM M124C-mBBr, useful in the identification of potential calmodulin (CaM) inhibitors. An hCaM mutant containing a unique cysteine residue at position 124 on the protein was expressed, purified, and chemically modified with the fluorophore monobromobimane (mBBr). The fluorophore-labeled protein exhibited stability and functionality to the activation of calmodulin-sensitive cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDE1) similar to wild-type hCaM. The hCaM M124C-mBBr is highly sensitive to detecting inhibitor interaction given that it showed a quantum efficiency of 0.494, approximately 20 times more than the value for wild-type hCaM, and a large spectral change ( approximately 80% quenching) when the protein is in the presence of saturating inhibitor concentrations. Two natural products previously shown to act as CaM inhibitors, malbrancheamide (1) and tajixanthone hydrate (2), and the well-known CaM inhibitor chlorpromazine (CPZ) were found to quench the hCaM M124C-mBBr fluorescence, and the IC(50) values were comparable to those obtained for the wild-type protein. These results support the use of hCaM M124C-mBBr as a fluorescence biosensor and a powerful analytical tool in the high-throughput screening demanded by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biosensing Techniques
  • Bridged Bicyclo Compounds
  • Calmodulin / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Calmodulin / genetics
  • Circular Dichroism
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Humans
  • Indole Alkaloids / chemistry
  • Inhibitory Concentration 50
  • Models, Molecular
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases / metabolism
  • Spectrometry, Fluorescence

Substances

  • Bridged Bicyclo Compounds
  • Calmodulin
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Indole Alkaloids
  • malbrancheamide
  • Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases
  • monobromobimane