lecture II: drug-target characterizations Flashcards
What is needed to experimentally determine the affinity of a drug on a target?
- Pure drug
- Pure target
How can a pure target be obtained?
Protein purification
Protein purification methods
- Protein expression in bacteria
- Chromatography
Protein expression in bacteria steps
- cDNA encoding for protein of interest ligated into plasmid/vector for bacterial expression
- Transform bacteria
- Grow over night
- Harvest bacteria
- Cell lysis
Which method often uses protein expressed in bacteria?
Crystallography
Crystallography
Crystallography is the experimental science of determining the arrangement of atoms in crystalline solids.
Chromatography
Chromatography is a process for separating components of a mixture. To get the process started, the mixture is dissolved in a substance called the mobile phase, which carries it through a second substance called the stationary phase.
FPLC
Fast protein liquid chromatography
A typical laboratory FPLC consist of one or two high-precision pumps, a control unit, a column, a detection system and a fraction collector.
Types of chromatography
- Size exclusion
- Affinity
- Ion exchange
Radioligand competition assay
- competitive binding assay
- measures affinity
- method: A known antagonist (or ligand) for the target receptor is labelled with radioactivity and is added to cells or tissue such that it can bind to the receptors present. Once an equilibrium has been reached, the unbound ligands are removed by washing, filtration, or centrifugation. The extent of binding can then be measured by detecting the amount of radioactivity present in the cells or tissue, and the amount of radioactivity that was removed.
Radioligand competition assay evaluation
log([competing ligand]) vs. amount of radioligand bound
→gives IC50
IC50
Inhibitory concentration 50
Concentration at which the competing ligand displaces 50% of the radioligand.
Identification of same or different binding sites
Radiolabeled drug with known binding site (drug A) and addition of other drugs with unknown binding sites.
→ if the drug competes with drug A, then it has the same binding site
→ if the drug does not compete with drug A, then it has a different binding site
Elution
Elution is the process of extracting one material from another by washing with a solvent; as in washing of loaded ion-exchange resins to remove captured ions.
→ essentially, a type of competition
Size exclusion chromatography
Size exclusion chromatography separates molecules based on their size by filtration through a gel. The gel consists of spherical beads containing pores of a specific size distribution. Separation occurs when molecules of different sizes are included or excluded from the pores within the matrix.
Size exclusion chromatography elution order
- constant buffer flow & porous material
- Large molecules excluded from pores → elute first
- Small molecules diffuse in pores → elute later
Gel filtration: 205 nm absorbance
Peptide bond
Gel filtration: 280 nm absorbance
Tryptophan
Affinity chromatography
To separate recombinant protein from other proteins by its biophysical traits.
Affinity chromatography: different traits
- Hydrophobicity
- Ligands
→lectins, protein A/G, collagen - Metals
→IMAC - Protein tags
Protein tag examples
- His ∞ Ni-NTA
→6 His in a row likes to bind to Ni - GST ∞ glutathion-sepharose
- MBP ∞ amylose resin
→larger protein tag, but it may help POI to remain in solution when in bacteria - immunoprecipitation: myc, flag ∞ antibodies
→from myc pro-oncogene expressed in our cells
SPR
Surface plasmon resonance
Surface plasmon resonance is a biophysical phenomenon happening when light strikes a gold layer at the interface of two media (glass and buffer) at the angle of total internal reflection
SPR: Total angle of internal reflection
Angle of light at which total reflection occurs - light does not enter other media anymore
SPR steps
- POI is immobilized on surface
- Drug passes over chip surface in buffer solution
→when molecules/drugs are injected with buffer and bind to chip, it results in a change of mass on chip surface, subsequent change in diffractive index between media, which is a proportional change in diffraction angle
Evanescent wave
Evanescent waves are formed when sinusoidal waves are (internally) reflected off an interface at an angle greater than the critical angle so that total internal reflection occurs.
→the size of the evanescent wave changes as drug binds to protein on the chip, therefore the shadow/angle changes as well (proportional to mass change)
SPR: light angle
Light is shone at the total reflection angle
SPR: gold
Gold layer absorbs energy, resulting in decreased light intensity at a certain angle
SPR sensorgram
Measures the resonance signal, and thus affinity
→ time vs. resonance signal
Resonance signal
Change in angle of “shadow” in reflected light
→dependent on the mass found on the chip, which is then reflected in the shadow angle
SPR sensorgram phases
- Buffer flow
injection of drug - Association of drug with POI till equilibrium →on rate only
- Equilibrium point
wash off bound drug (buffer flow only) - Dissociation of drug →off rate only
KA
Equilibrium constant KA describes association tendency
KA equation
KA = [LR] / ([L][R])
→low KA = low affinity
→unit: M^-1
KD
Equilibrium constant KD describes dissociation tendency
→When drug is given at a concentration equal to its dissociation constant KD, 50% of the receptors will be occupied.
KD equation
KD = ([L][R]) / [LR]
→low KD = high affinity
→unit: M