Development of a High-Throughput Screening Assay for Inhibitors of Small Ubiquitin-Like Modifier Proteases

作者：Yang Wei^*; Wang Liangli; Paschen Wulf

来源：Journal of Biomolecular Screening, 2013, 18(5): 621-628.

DOI：10.1177/1087057113479971

• AlphaScreen technology
• assay development
• inhibitor
• SUMO proteases
• SUMO

Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO1-3) is a small group of proteins that are ligated to lysine residues in target proteins. SUMO conjugation is a highly dynamic process, as SUMOylated proteins are rapidly deconjugated by SUMO proteases. SUMO conjugation/deconjugation plays pivotal roles in major cellular pathways and is associated with a number of pathological conditions. It is therefore of significant clinical interest to develop new strategies to screen for compounds to specifically interfere with SUMO conjugation/deconjugation. Here, we describe a novel high-throughput screening (HTS)-compatible assay to identify inhibitors of SUMO proteases. The assay is based on AlphaScreen technology and uses His-tagged SUMO2 conjugated to Strep-tagged SUMO3 as a SUMO protease substrate. A bacterial SUMOylation system was used to generate this substrate. A three-step purification strategy was employed to yield substrate of high quality. Our data indicated that this unique substrate can be readily detected in the AlphaScreen assays in a dose-dependent manner. Cleavage reactions by SUMO protease with or without inhibitor were monitored based on AlphaScreen signals. Furthermore, the assay was adapted to a 384-well format, and the interplate and interday variability was evaluated in eight 384-well plates. The average Z' factor was 0.83 +/- 0.04, confirming the suitability for HTS applications.

• 出版日期2013-6