Name: sigma's non-specific protease activity assay - casein as a substrate
Uploaded: 2008-09-17T09:14:00.000+00:00
Duration: 11 min 37 s
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Sigma's Non-specific Protease Activity Assay - Casein as a Substrate at JoVE.com

Before beginning the assay, we need to make sure that the following reagents are correctly prepared:
<ol>
<li>A 50 mM Potassium Phosphate Buffer, pH 7.5. Prepare using 11.4 mg/ml of potassium phospate dibasic, trihydrate in purified water and adjusting pH with 1M HCl. This solution is placed at 37&deg;C prior to use.</li>
<li>A 0.65% weight/volume casein solution, prepared by mixing 6.5 mg/ml of casein in the 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer. Gradually increased the solution temperature with gentle stirring to 80-85 &deg;C for about 10 minutes until a homogenous dispersion is achieved. It is very important not to boil the solution. The pH is then adjusted if necessary with NaOH and HCl. </li>
<li>A 110 mM Trichloroacetic acid solution, prepared by diluting a 6.1N stock 1:55 with purified water. Trichloroacetic acid is a strong acid and should be handled with care.</li>
<li>0.5 mM Folin &amp; Ciolcaltea's, or Folin's Phenol Reagent, which is the solution that will react with tyrosine to generate a measurable color change that will be directly related to the activity of proteases. Folin's Phenol Reagent is an acid and should be handled with care. </li>
<li>A 500 mM Sodium Carbonate solution, prepared using 53 mg/ml of anyhydrous sodium carbonate in purified water. An enzyme diluent solution, which consists of 10 mM Sodium Acetate Buffer with 5mM Calcium Acetate, pH 7.5, at 37&deg;C. This solution is what we use to dissolve solid protease samples or dilute enzyme solutions.</li>
<li>1.1 mM L-tyrosine Standard stock solution. Prepared using 0.2 mg/ml L-tyrosine in purified water and heated gently until the tyrosine dissolves. As with the casein, do not boil this solution. Allow the L-tyrosine standard to cool to room temperature. This solution will be diluted further to make our standard curve.</li>
<li>Protease solution. Immediately before use, dissolve protease in enzyme diluent solution prepared in step 6.</li>
</ol>
If necessary, use a solid protease sample of predetermined activity, which is dissolved using enzyme diluent to 0.1-0.2 units/ml. This solution serves as a positive control for the quality control assay and as validation for the calculations we will perform to determine enzyme activity.
Setting up the Protease Assay and Standard Curves
<ol>
<li>To begin this assay, find suitable vials that will hold about 15 mls. For each enzyme that will be tested, 4 vials are needed. One vial will be used as a blank, and three others will be used to assay activity of three dilutions of the protease. Three dilutions are useful when checking final calculations against each other. <ol>
<li>To each set of four vials, add 5mls of our 0.65% casein solution. Let them equilibrate in a water bath at 37&deg;C for about 5 minutes. </li>
<li>Add varying volumes of enzyme solution that will be tested to three of the test sample vials, but not the blank. Mix by swirling and incubate for 37&deg;C for exactly ten minutes. The protease activity and consequential liberation of tyrosine during this incubation time is what will be measured and compared between test samples.</li>
</ol></li>
<li>After this 10 minute incubation, add the 5 mls of the TCA reagent to each tube to stop the reaction. Then, add an appropriate volume of enzyme solution to each tube, even the blank, so that the final volume of enzyme solution in each tube is 1 ml. This is done to account for the absorbance value of the enzyme itself and to ensure that the final volume in each tube is equal. Incubate the solutions at 37&deg;C for 30 minutes. During this 30 minute incubation, you may want to set up your tyrosine standard dilutions. Use 6 dram vials (dram vials can be substituted with polypropylene tubes) that can easily hold 8 mls. To the six vials, add the 1.1 mM tyrosine standard stock solutions with the following volumes in mls: 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.40, 0.50. Don't add any tyrosine standard to the blank. Lower standards may be needed for impure test samples that will yield little color change. Once the tyrosine standard solution has been added, add an appropriate volume of purified water to each of the standards to bring the volume to 2 mls.</li>
<li>After the 30 minute incubation, filter each of the test solutions and the blank using a 0.45 um polyethersulfone syringe filter. Filtration is required to remove any insolubles from the samples. <ol>
<li>Add the filtration 2 mls of the test samples and blank filtrate to 4 dram vials that can hold at least 8 mls. The same type of vial in which the standards were prepared can be used. </li>
<li>To all of the vials containing the standards and standard blank, add 5mls of sodium carbonate. For best results, add 1 ml of Folin's reagent immediately afterwards. </li>
<li>Add sodium carbonate to regulate any pH drop created by the addition of the Folin's reagent.</li>
<li>Add sodium carbonate to the test samples and test blank. These solutions become cloudy after the addition of sodium carbonate. Add the Folin's reagent, which will react primarily with free tyrosine. </li>
<li>Mix the dram vials by swirling and incubate at 37&deg;C for 30 minutes.</li>
</ol>After this incubation, you should notice that the standards have a gradation of color correlating with the amount of tyrosine added; the highest concentrations of tyrosine appearing darkest. You can also notice appreciable color change in our test samples. 2mls of these solutions are filtered using a 0.45 um polyethersulfone syringe filter into suitable cuvettes. Now that the assay is performed,&nbsp;you can proceed to the spectrophotometer to record our absorbance values. </li>
</ol>
Measuring Absorbance and Calculating Enzyme Activity
<ol>
<li>The absorbance of the samples is measured by a spectrophotometer using a wavelength of 660nm. The light path is set to 1cm. Record the absorbance values for the standards, standard blank, the different test samples, and test blank. Once all of the data has been collected, the standard curve can be created. In order to generate the curve, difference in absorbance between the standard and standard blank must be calculated. This is the absorbance value attributable to the amount of tyrosine in the standard solutions. After this simple calculation, create the standard curve using a graphing program to plot the change in absorbance of our standards on the Y axis, versus the amount in micromoles for each of our 5 standards on the X axis. 
<table style="width: 416px; height: 118px;" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align:center">Volume of Tyrosine Standard </td><td style="text-align:center">uMoles Tyrosine </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align:center">0.05</td>
<td style="text-align:center">0.055</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align:center">0.10</td>
<td style="text-align:center">0.111</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align:center">0.20</td>
<td style="text-align:center">0.221</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align:center">0.40</td>
<td style="text-align:center">0.442</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align:center">0.50</td>
<td style="text-align:center">0.553</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</li>
<li>After data points have been entered, generate a line of best fit and corresponding slope equation. Find the change in absorbance in the test samples by calculating the difference between the test sample absorbance and the absorbance of the test blank. Inserting the absorbance value for one of the test samples into the slope equation and solving will result in the micromoles of tyrosine liberated during this particular proteolytic reaction. To get the activity of enzyme in units per/ml, perform the following calculation: (umole tyrosine equivalents released) x (11) Units/ml Enzyme = __________________________________________ (1) x (10) x (2) 11= Total volume (in milliliters) of assay 10= Time of assay (in minutes) as per the Unit definition 1= Volume of Enzyme (in milliliters) of enzyme used 2= Volume (in milliliters) used in Colorimetric Determination Take the number of micromoles tyrosine equivalents released obtained from the slope equation and multiply it by the total volume of the assay in mls, which in our case is 11mls. Divide this value by three other quantities: the time of the assay, which we ran for 10 minutes, the volume of enzyme used in the assay, which was varied (let's use 1ml), the volume of milliliters used in colorimetric detection, which may differ based on your cuvette. We used 2 mls.</li>
<li>Micromoles of tyrosine divided by time in minutes yields measurement of protease activity called "units". We can cancel out the units for volume measurement in the numerator and denominator, leaving a measurment of enzyme activity in terms of units/ml. In order to determine the activity in a solid protease sample diluted in enzyme diluent, we divide our activity in units/ml by the concentration of solid used in this assay originally in mg/ml., leaving us with activity in terms of units/mg. Units/ml enzyme Units/mg solid = _____________________ mg solid/ ml enzyme </li>
</ol>

<ol>
	<li>Anson, M. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> J. Gen. Physiol. 22, 79-89 (1938).</li><li>Folin, O., Ciocalteau, V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> J. Biol. Chem. 73, 627 (1929).</li></ol>

We've just shown you how to analyze protease activity using Sigma's universal protease activity assay. In addition, this assay is useful to ensure that our proteases have precisely determined activity before you receive them for your experiments. As you have seen, when doing this procedure, it's of paramount importance to remember to heat both the casein and tyrosine solutions slowly and not to boil them. Also, it's critical to prepare different blanks for both your standards and for each test sample that you have.

<table><tbody><tr><td>Protease</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>P4630</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Potassium Phosphate, Dibasic, Trihydrate</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>P5504</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Casein</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>C7078</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Trichloroacetic Acid</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>T0699</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Folin &amp;amp; Ciocalteu&#039;s Phenol Reagent</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>F9252</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sodium Carbonate, Anhydrous</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>S2127</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sodium Acetate, Trihydrate</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>S8625</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Calcium Acetate</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>C1000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>L-Tyrosine, Free Base</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>T3754</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Protease Profiler Kit</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>PP0500</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Protease Fluorescent Detection Kit</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>PF0100</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

sigma's non-specific protease activity assay - casein as a substrate

Proteases break peptide bonds. In the lab, it is often necessary to measure and/or compare the activity of proteases. Sigma's non-specific protease activity assay may be used as a standardized procedure to determine the activity of proteases, which is what we do during our quality control procedures. In this assay, casein acts as a substrate. When the protease we are testing digests casein, the amino acid tyrosine is liberated along with other amino acids and peptide fragments. Folin and Ciocalteus Phenol, or Folin's reagent primarily reacts with free tyrosine to produce a blue colored chromophore, which is quantifiable and measured as an absorbance value on the spectrophotometer. The more tyrosine that is released from casein, the more the chromophores are generated and the stronger the activity of the protease. Absorbance values generated by the activity of the protease are compared to a standard curve, which is generated by reacting known quantities of tyrosine with the F-C reagent to correlate changes in absorbance with the amount of tyrosine in micromoles. From the standard curve the activity of protease samples can be determined in terms of Units, which is the amount in micromoles of tyrosine equivalents released from casein per minute.
To view this article in Chinese, <a href="https://jove-com.bdigitaluss.remotexs.co/index/details.stp?ID=910">click here</a>

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Sigma's Non-specific Protease Activity Assay - Casein as a Substrate at JoVE.com

Sigma's Non-specific Protease Activity Assay - Casein as a Substrate

Proteases break peptide bonds. In the lab, it is often necessary to measure and/or compare the activity of proteases. Sigma's non-specific protease activity assay may be used as a standardized procedure to determine the activity of proteases.

Proteases break peptide bonds. In the lab, it is often necessary to measure and/or compare the activity of proteases.  Sigma's non-specific protease ...

<a class="grey_button" href="/video/910">
ChineseVersion
</a>

sigma-s-non-specific-protease-activity-assay-casein-as-a-substrate

Universidad San Sebastian

Research

Education

JoVE Journal

JoVE Core

Organic Chemistry

Biology

Unit 1

Alcohols and Phenols

SCIENTISTS IN ACTION

76.2K Views.  Sigma Aldrich.  ChineseVersion 

Video: Sigma's Non-specific Protease Activity Assay - Casein as a Substrate

The Determination of Protease Specificity in Mouse Tissue Extracts by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry: Manipulating PH to Cause Specificity Changes

Proteases have several biological functions, including protein activation/inactivation and food digestion. Identifying protease specificity is important for revealing protease function. The method proposed in this study determines protease specificity by measuring the molecular weight of unique substrates using Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The substrates contain iminobiotin, while the cleaved site consists of amino acids, and the spacer consists of polyethylene glycol. The cleaved substrate will generate a unique molecular weight using a cleaved amino acid. One of the merits of this method is that it may be carried out in one pot using crude samples, and it is also suitable for assessing multiple samples. In this article, we describe a simple experimental method optimized with samples extracted from mouse lung tissue, including tissue extraction, placement of digestive substrates into samples, purification of digestive substrates under different pH conditions, and measurement of the substrates&#39; molecular weight using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. In summary, this technique allows for the identification of protease specificity in crude samples derived from tissue extracts using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, which may easily be scaled up for multiple sample processing.

Here, we present a protocol to determine protease specificity in crude mouse tissue extracts using MALDI-TOF spectrometry.

Proteases have several biological functions, including protein activation/inactivation and food digestion. Identifying protease specificity is important ...

Biochemistry

Detection of Protease Activity by Fluorescent Peptide Zymography

The purpose of this method is to measure the proteolytic activity of complex biological samples. The samples are separated by molecular weight using electrophoresis through a resolving gel embedded with a degradable substrate. This method differs from traditional gel zymography in that a quenched fluorogenic peptide is covalently incorporated into the resolving gel instead of full length proteins, such as gelatin or casein. Use of the fluorogenic peptides enables direct detection of proteolytic activity without additional staining steps. Enzymes within the biological samples cleave the quenched fluorogenic peptide, resulting in an increase in fluorescence. The fluorescent signal in the gels is then imaged with a standard fluorescent gel scanner and quantified using densitometry. The use of peptides as the degradable substrate greatly expands the possible proteases detectable with zymographic techniques.

Here, we present a detailed protocol for a modified zymographic technique in which fluorescent peptides are used as the degradable substrate in place of native proteins. Electrophoresis of biological samples in fluorescent peptide zymograms enables detection of a wider range of proteases than previous zymographic techniques.

The purpose of this method is to measure the proteolytic activity of complex biological samples. The samples are separated by molecular weight using ...

Cancer Research

Use of Recombinant Fusion Proteins in a Fluorescent Protease Assay Platform and Their In-gel Renaturation

Proteases are intensively studied enzymes due to their essential roles in several biological pathways of living organisms and in pathogenesis; therefore, they are important drug targets. We have developed a magnetic-agarose-bead-based assay platform for the investigation of proteolytic activity, which is based on the use of recombinant fusion protein substrates. In order to demonstrate the use of this assay system, a protocol is presented on the example of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease. The introduced assay platform can be utilized efficiently in the biochemical characterization of proteases, including enzyme activity measurements in mutagenesis, kinetic, inhibition, or specificity studies, and it may be suitable for high-throughput substrate screening or may be adapted to other proteolytic enzymes.
In this assay system, the applied substrates contain N-terminal hexahistidine (His6) and maltose-binding protein (MBP) tags, cleavage sites for tobacco etch virus (TEV) and HIV-1 proteases, and a C-terminal fluorescent protein. The substrates can be efficiently produced in Escherichia coli cells and easily purified using nickel (Ni)-chelate-coated beads. During the assay, the proteolytic cleavage of bead-attached substrates leads to the release of fluorescent cleavage fragments, which can be measured by fluorimetry. Additionally, cleavage reactions can be analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). A protocol for the in-gel renaturation of assay components is also described, as partial renaturation of fluorescent proteins enables their detection based on molecular weight and fluorescence.

Here, we present the detailed procedure of a recently developed protease assay platform utilizing N-terminal hexahistidine/maltose-binding protein and fluorescent protein-fused recombinant substrates attached to the surface of nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid magnetic agarose beads. A subsequent in-gel analysis of the assay samples separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is also presented.

Proteases are intensively studied enzymes due to their essential roles in several biological pathways of living organisms and in pathogenesis; therefore, ...

A Fluorogenic Peptide Cleavage Assay to Screen for Proteolytic Activity: Applications for coronavirus spike protein activation

Enveloped viruses such as coronaviruses or influenza virus require proteolytic cleavage of their fusion protein to be able to infect the host cell. Often viruses exhibit cell and tissue tropism and are adapted to specific cell or tissue proteases. Moreover, these viruses can introduce mutations or insertions into their genome during replication that may affect the cleavage, and thus can contribute to adaptations to a new host. Here, we present a fluorogenic peptide cleavage assay that allows a rapid screening of peptides mimicking the cleavage site of viral fusion proteins. The technique is very flexible and can be used to investigate the proteolytic activity of a single protease on many different substrates, and in addition, it also allows exploration of the activity of multiple proteases on one or more peptide substrates. In this study, we used peptides mimicking the cleavage site motifs of the coronavirus spike protein. We tested human and camel derived Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronaviruses (MERS-CoV) to demonstrate that single and double substitutions in the cleavage site can alter the activity of furin and dramatically change cleavage efficiency. We also used this method in combination with bioinformatics to test furin cleavage activity of feline coronavirus spike proteins from different serotypes and strains. This peptide-based method is less labor- and time intensive than conventional methods used for the analysis of proteolytic activity for viruses, and results can be obtained within a single day.

We present a fluorogenic peptide cleavage assay that allows a rapid screening of the proteolytic activity of proteases on peptides representing the cleavage site of viral fusion peptides. This method can also be used on any other amino acid motif within a protein sequence to test for the protease activity.

Enveloped viruses such as coronaviruses or influenza virus require proteolytic cleavage of their fusion protein to be able to infect the host cell. Often ...

Use of the Protease Fluorescent Detection Kit to Determine Protease Activity

The Protease Fluorescent Detection Kit provides ready-to-use reagents for detecting the presence of protease activity. This simple assay to detect protease activity uses casein labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) as the substrate.
Protease activity results in the cleavage of the FITC-labeled casein substrate into smaller fragments, which do not precipitate under acidic conditions. After incubation of the protease sample and substrate, the reaction is acidified with the addition of trichloroacetic acid (TCA). The mixture is then centrifuged with the undigested substrate forming a pellet and the smaller, acid soluble fragments remaining in solution. The supernatant is neutralized and the fluorescence of the FITC-labeled fragments is measured.
The described kit procedure detects the trypsin protease control at a concentration of approximately 0.5 &mu;g/ml (5 ng of trypsin added to the assay). This sensitivity can be increased with a longer incubation time, up to 24 hours. The assay is performed in microcentrifuge tubes and procedures are provided for fluorescence detection using either cuvettes or multiwell plates.

The Protease Fluorescent Detection Kit is designed for the measurement of protease activity using fluorometry. It is also suitable for detection of trace amounts of protease contamination. The method is based on the proteolytic hydroysis of a proprietary formulation of a FITC-labeled casein substrate.

The Protease Fluorescent Detection Kit provides ready-to-use reagents for detecting the presence of protease activity. This simple assay to detect ...

The Importance of Correct Protein Concentration for Kinetics and Affinity Determination in Structure-function Analysis 

In this study, we explore the interaction between the bovine cysteine protease inhibitor cystatin B and a catalytically inactive form of papain (Fig. 1), a plant cysteine protease, by real-time label-free analysis using Biacore X100. Several cystatin B variants with point mutations in areas of interaction with papain, are produced. For each cystatin B variant we determine its specific binding concentration using calibration-free concentration analysis (CFCA) and compare the values obtained with total protein concentration as determined by A280. After that, the kinetics of each cystatin B variant binding to papain is measured using single-cycle kinetics (SCK). We show that one of the four cystatin B variants we examine is only partially active for binding. This partial activity, revealed by CFCA, translates to a significant difference in the association rate constant (ka) and affinity (KD), compared to the values calculated using total protein concentration. Using CFCA in combination with kinetic analysis in a structure-function study contributes to obtaining reliable results, and helps to make the right interpretation of the interaction mechanism.

The Importance of Correct Protein Concentration for Kinetics and Affinity Determination in Structure-function Analysis

We apply label-free protein interaction analysis using Biacore X100 for structure-function analysis of the binding of several cystatin B mutants to papain through kinetic characterization. Calibration-free concentration analysis (CFCA) measures the concentration of protein with retained binding activity without the need for a standard curve. We show that confirmation of concentrations using CFCA increases the reliability of the kinetic analysis and that kinetic constants can reliably be determined even if the activity of a recombinant protein is reduced.

In this study, we explore the interaction between the bovine cysteine protease inhibitor cystatin B and a catalytically inactive form of papain (Fig. 1), ...

Qualitative and Quantitative Assays for Detection and Characterization of Protein Antimicrobials

Initial evaluations of large microbial libraries for potential producers of novel antimicrobial proteins require both qualitative and quantitative methods to screen for target enzymes prior to investing greater research effort and resources. The goal of this protocol is to demonstrate two complementary assays for conducting these initial evaluations. The microslide diffusion assay provides an initial or simple detection screen to enable the qualitative and rapid assessment of proteolytic activity against an array of both viable and heat-killed bacterial target substrates. As a counterpart, the increased sensitivity and reproducibility of the dye-release assay provides a quantitative platform for evaluating and comparing environmental influences affecting the hydrolytic activity of protein antimicrobials. The ability to label specific heat-killed cell culture substrates with Remazol brilliant blue R dye expands this capability to tailor the dye-release assay to characterize enzymatic activity of interest.

Here, we present protocols to rapidly screen and characterize enzymes for antimicrobial activity. The microslide diffusion assay and the dye-release assay utilize target bacterial substrates for qualitative and quantitative enzymatic activity evaluation.

Initial evaluations of large microbial libraries for potential producers of novel antimicrobial proteins require both qualitative and quantitative methods ...

Immunology and Infection

The Use of a &#946;-lactamase-based Conductimetric Biosensor Assay to Detect Biomolecular Interactions

Biosensors are becoming increasingly important and implemented in various fields such as pathogen detection, molecular diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and food safety control. In this context, we used &#946;-lactamases as efficient reporter enzymes in several protein-protein interaction studies. Furthermore, their ability to accept insertions of peptides or structured proteins/domains strongly encourages the use of these enzymes to generate chimeric proteins. In a recent study, we inserted a single-domain antibody fragment into the Bacillus licheniformis BlaP &#946;-lactamase. These small domains, also called nanobodies, are defined as the antigen-binding domains of single chain antibodies from camelids. Like common double chain antibodies, they show high affinities and specificities for their targets. The resulting chimeric protein exhibited a high affinity against its target while retaining the &#946;-lactamase activity. This suggests that the nanobody and &#946;-lactamase moieties remain functional. In the present work, we report a detailed protocol that combines our hybrid &#946;-lactamase system to the biosensor technology. The specific binding of the nanobody to its target can be detected thanks to a conductimetric measurement of the protons released by the catalytic activity of the enzyme.

In this work, we report a new method to study protein-protein interactions using a conductimetric biosensor based on the hybrid &#946;-lactamase technology. This method relies on release of protons upon hydrolysis of &#946;-lactams.

Biosensors are becoming increasingly important and implemented in various fields such as pathogen detection, molecular diagnosis, environmental ...

Bioengineering

Evaluation of Caspase Activation to Assess Innate Immune Cell Death

Innate immunity provides the critical first line of defense in response to pathogens and sterile insults. A key mechanistic component of this response is the initiation of innate immune programmed cell death (PCD) to eliminate infected or damaged cells and propagate immune responses. However, excess PCD is associated with inflammation and pathology. Therefore, understanding the activation and regulation of PCD is a central aspect of characterizing innate immune responses and identifying new therapeutic targets across the disease spectrum.
This protocol provides methods for characterizing innate immune PCD activation by monitoring caspases, a family of cysteine-dependent proteases that are often associated with diverse PCD pathways, including&#160;apoptosis,&#160;pyroptosis, necroptosis, and PANoptosis. Initial reports characterized caspase-2, caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-10 as initiator caspases and caspase-3, caspase-6, and caspase-7 as effector caspases in apoptosis, while later studies found the inflammatory caspases, caspase-1, caspase-4, caspase-5, and caspase-11, drive pyroptosis. It is now known that there is extensive crosstalk between the caspases and other innate immune and&#160;cell death molecules across the previously defined PCD pathways, identifying a key knowledge gap in the mechanistic understanding of innate immunity and PCD and&#160;leading to the characterization of PANoptosis. PANoptosis is a unique innate immune inflammatory PCD pathway regulated by PANoptosome complexes, which integrate components, including caspases,&#160;from other cell death pathways.
Here, methods for assessing the activation of caspases in response to various stimuli are provided. These methods allow for the characterization of PCD pathways both in vitro and in vivo, as activated caspases undergo proteolytic cleavage that can be visualized by western blotting using optimal antibodies and blotting conditions. A protocol and western blotting workflow have been established that allow for the assessment of the activation of multiple caspases from the same cellular population, providing a comprehensive characterization of the PCD processes. This method can be applied across research areas in development, homeostasis, infection, inflammation, and cancer to evaluate PCD pathways throughout cellular processes in health and disease.

This protocol describes a comprehensive method for assessing caspase activation (caspase-1, caspase-3, caspase-7, caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-11) in response to both in vitro and in vivo (in mice) models of infection, sterile insults, and cancer to determine the initiation of cell death pathways, such as pyroptosis, apoptosis, necroptosis, and PANoptosis.

Innate immunity provides the critical first line of defense in response to pathogens and sterile insults. A key mechanistic component of this response is ...

A Fluorogenic Peptide Cleavage Assay to Screen the Proteolytic Activity of Proteases

Source: Jaimes, J. A., et al. <a href="https://app-jove-com.bdigitaluss.remotexs.co/v/58892">A Fluorogenic Peptide Cleavage Assay to Screen for Proteolytic Activity: Applications for coronavirus spike protein activation.</a> J. Vis. Exp. (2019).
This video demonstrates an assay to screen for the proteolytic activity of proteases using fluorogenic peptides. The protease recognizes its cleavage site on the peptide, cleaving it and separating the quencher from the fluorophore, enabling its fluorescence emission. The fluorescence signal is detected and analyzed to check for the cleavage efficiency of different peptide variants.

Sigma's Non-specific Protease Activity Assay - Casein as a Substrate

Transkrypcja

Podsumowanie

Przeglądaj więcej filmów

Rozdziały w tym wideo

The Determination of Protease Specificity in Mouse Tissue Extracts by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry: Manipulating PH to Cause Specificity Changes

Detection of Protease Activity by Fluorescent Peptide Zymography

Use of Recombinant Fusion Proteins in a Fluorescent Protease Assay Platform and Their In-gel Renaturation

A Fluorogenic Peptide Cleavage Assay to Screen for Proteolytic Activity: Applications for coronavirus spike protein activation

Use of the Protease Fluorescent Detection Kit to Determine Protease Activity

The Importance of Correct Protein Concentration for Kinetics and Affinity Determination in Structure-function Analysis

Qualitative and Quantitative Assays for Detection and Characterization of Protein Antimicrobials

The Use of a β-lactamase-based Conductimetric Biosensor Assay to Detect Biomolecular Interactions

Evaluation of Caspase Activation to Assess Innate Immune Cell Death

Test rozszczepienia peptydów fluorogenicznych w celu zbadania aktywności proteolitycznej proteaz