James L. Kofron

Microarrayed Compound Screening (μARCS) to Identify Activators and Inhibitors of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase

A novel and innovative high-throughput screening assay was developed to identify both activators and inhibitors of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) using microarrayed compound screening (μARCS) technology. Test compounds were arrayed at a density of 8640 on a polystyrene sheet, and the enzyme and peptide substrate were introduced into the assay by incorporating them into an agarose gel followed by placement of the gels onto the compound sheet. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) was delivered via a membrane, and the phosphorylated biotinylated substrate was captured onto a streptavidin affinity membrane (SAM™). For detection, the SAM™ was removed, washed, and imaged on a phosphor screen overnight. A library of more than 700,000 compounds was screened using this format to identify novel activators and inhibitors of AMPK. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2004:112-121)

A cell-based microarrayed compound screening format for identifying agonists of G-protein-coupled receptors.

The identification of agonist and antagonist leads for G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is of critical importance to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. We report on the utilization of a novel, high-density, well-less screening platform known as microarrayed compound screening microARCS) that tests 8640 compounds in the footprint of a standard microtiter plate for the identification of novel agonists for a specific G-protein-coupled receptor. Although receptors coupled to the G alpha(q) protein can readily be assessed by fluorescence-based Ca(2+) release measurements, many GPCRs that are coupled to G alpha(s) or G alpha(i/o) proteins are not amenable to functional evaluation in such a high-throughput manner. In this study, the human dopamine D(4.4) receptor, which normally couples through the G alpha(i/o) protein to inhibit adenylate cyclase and to reduce levels of intracellular cAMP, was coupled to intracellular Ca(2+) release by stably coexpressing this receptor with a chimeric G(alpha qo5) protein in HEK-293 cells. In microARCS format, the cells expressing D(4.4) receptor and G alpha(qo5) protein were preloaded with fluo-4, cast into a 1% agarose gel, placed above the compound sheets, and imaged successively using a ViewLux charge-coupled device imaging system. Dopamine and other agonists evoked an increase in fluorescence response that appeared as bright spots in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Utilizing this technology, a library of 260,000 compounds was rapidly screened and led to the identification of several novel agonists. These agonists were further characterized using a fluorometric imaging plate reader assay. Excellent confirmation rates coupled with enhanced efficiency and throughput enable microARCS to serve as an alternative platform for the screening and identification of novel GPCR agonists.

Fluorescence displacement method for the determination of receptor-ligand binding constants

The equilibrium constant for the binding of a spectroscopically invisible ligand to its protein receptor can be determined in a competition experiment, by using a structural analog that contains a reporter group (fluorophor). A novel mathematical treatment of the multiple equilibria allows the analysis to be performed under tight-binding conditions. The equilibrium equation for mixtures of two mutually competitive tight-binding ligands can be expressed in a recursive form, a form in which the dependent variable appears on both sides and the solution is found iteratively. The algorithm is also applicable to the special case of weak binding, where the concentration of the bound ligand can be neglected in the mass balance. The fluorescence displacement method is demonstrated on the determination cyclophilin binding to cyclosporin A (CsA), in competition with its fluorescent derivative, [D-Lys(Dns)]8-CsA.

An Offline-Addition Format for Identifying GPCR Modulators by Screening 384-Well Mixed Compounds in the FLIPR

Although fluorescence imaging plate reader (FLIPR)-based assays have been widely used in high-throughput screening, improved efficiencies in throughput and fidelity continue to be investigated. This study presents an offline compound addition protocol coupled with a testing strategy using mixtures of compounds in a 384-well format to identify antagonists of the neurokinin-1 receptor expressed in the human astrocytoma cell line (U373 MG). Substance P evoked a concentration-dependent increase in intracellular cellular Ca2+ with an EC50 value of 0.30 ± 0.17 nM, which was inhibited by neurokinin-1 (NK1) antagonists L-733,060 and L-703,606. Test compounds, as mixtures of 10 compounds/well, were added to the cells offline using an automated dispensing unit and incubated prior to performing the assay in the FLIPR. Using the offline protocol, a higher through put of ~200,000 compounds was achieved in an 8-h working day, and several novel structural classes of compounds were identified as antagonists for the NK1 receptor. These studies demonstrate that the offline compound addition format using a mixture of compounds in a 384-well FLIPR assay provides an efficient platform for screening and identifying modulators for G-protein-coupled receptors. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2005:46-55)

Utilization of Microarrayed Compound Screening (μARCS) to Identify Inhibitors of p56lck Tyrosine Kinase

Protein tyrosine kinases play critical roles in cell signaling and are considered attractive targets for drug discovery. The authors have applied μARCS (microarrayed compound screening) technology to develop a high-throughput screen for finding inhibitors of the p56lck tyrosine kinase. Initial assay development was performed in a homogeneous time-resolved (LANCE™) format in 96-well microplates and then converted into the gel-based μARCS format. The μARCS methodology is a well-less screening format in which 8640 compounds are arrayed on a microplate-sized piece of polystyene and subsequently assayed by placing reagents cast in agarose gels in contact with these compound sheets. A blotting paper soaked with adenosine triphosphate is applied on the gel to initiate the kinase reaction in the gel. Using this screening methodology, 300,000 compounds were screened in less than 40 h. Substantial reagent reduction was achieved by converting this tyrosine kinase assay from a 96-well plate assay to μARCS, resulting in significant cost savings. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2004: 12-21)

Synthesis of oxalyl phosphate and processing of the acyl phosphate by phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent enzymes

The mixed anhydride of oxalic and phosphoric acids, oxalyl phosphate, has been prepared by reaction of oxalyl chloride and inorganic phosphate in aqueous solution. The product was purified by anion exchange chromatography and characterized by 31P and 13C NMR. This acyl phosphate has a half-life of 51 h at pH 5.0 and 4 degrees C. Oxalyl phosphate, an analogue of phosphoenolpyruvate, is a slow substrate for pyruvate kinase, undergoing an enzyme-dependent phosphotransfer reaction to produce ATP from ADP. Oxalyl phosphate substitutes for phosphoenolpyruvate in the reaction catalyzed by pyruvate, phosphate dikinase. The acyl phosphate reacts with the free enzyme to give the phosphorylated form of the enzyme. Removal of the potent product inhibitor, oxalate, from the reaction mixtures by gel filtration chromatography permitted further reaction of the phosphorylated enzyme with pyrophosphate and AMP to give ATP and Pi in a single turnover assay. Oxalyl phosphate also served as a phospho group donor in a partial reaction catalyzed by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase wherein GDP is phosphorylated at the expense of oxalyl phosphate.