IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,276,654
Granted Patent B2
US 12,276,654 · App. 15/733,113 · Granted Apr 15, 2025

Chemical probe-dependent evaluation of protein activity and uses thereof

Inventors: Raymond E. Moellering (Chicago, IL); Gang Li (Chicago, IL)
Assignee: The University of Chicago
G01N33/5035A61K31/7088C07K14/003C07K16/44C12P19/34G01N33/542C07K2317/622C07K2318/20G01N2458/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,276,654
App. No.
15/733,113
Granted
Apr 15, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed, in part, are methods and compositions for evaluating two or more target proteins from the same family through the use of a molecular construct that contains a targeting group and a retrieval tag. The method can, in some aspects, quantify the activity and function of the proteins of interest, visualize active enzymes at the subcellular and intercellular scale, and increase dynamic range via signal amplification.

Claims (25)

1. A method for evaluating two or more target proteins of interest from the same family in a specified functional form, the method comprising:

(i) contacting a sample comprising or suspected of comprising the two or more proteins of interest with a molecular construct comprising: a targeting group operatively linked to a retrieval tag; wherein the targeting group comprises a small molecule probe that specifically binds and covalently links to the specialized functional form of the two or more target proteins of interest;

(ii) contacting the sample with at least two antibody-oligo constructs, wherein at least one of the constructs comprises a first antibody operatively linked to a first oligo and at least a second construct comprises a second antibody operatively linked to a second oligo; wherein the first antibody specifically binds to one of the two or more target proteins of interest and the second antibody specifically binds to the other of the two or more target proteins of interest;

(iii) contacting the sample with a second molecular construct comprising a retrieval tag binder operatively linked to a retrieval oligo;

(iv) incubating the sample under conditions sufficient for the ligation or annealing of the first oligo to the retrieval oligo when the first and retrieval oligos are in close proximity to each other and ligation of the second oligo to the retrieval oligo when the second and retrieval oligos are in close proximity to each other; and

(v) detecting the ligated or annealed first and retrieval oligo and the ligated or annealed second and retrieval oligo.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more target proteins of interest are enzymes.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises determining the abundance of each of the two or more target proteins of interest in the specialized functional form in the sample, wherein determining the abundance of protein in a specialized functional form comprises one or more of: (i) PCR amplification of the ligated first and retrieval oligo and of the ligated second and retrieval oligo or PCR amplification of the first and second oligo and (ii) primer extension and/or PCR amplification of the annealed first and retrieval oligo and of the annealed second and retrieval oligo.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retrieval tag is covalently linked to the targeting group through a linker.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the linker is organic or is an aliphatic linker.

6. The method of any claim 1 , wherein the first antibody is covalently linked to a first oligo and/or the second antibody is covalently linked to a second oligo.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first antibody and/or second antibody is operatively linked to a first and/or second oligo, respectively, through a non-covalently bound secondary antibody and wherein the non-covalently bound secondary antibody is covalently linked to the first or second oligo.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first, second, and/or retrieval oligos are single-stranded oligos.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein (ii) further comprises contacting the sample with one or more bridging oligos, wherein at least one of the one or more bridging oligos comprises complementary regions to both the first oligo and the retrieval oligo and at least one of the one or more bridging oligos comprises complementary regions to both the second oligo and the retrieval oligo.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises performing rolling circle amplification after step (iv).

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises contacting the sample with a first labeled primer and/or second labeled primer, wherein the first labeled primer is specifically complementary to the first oligo and non-complementary to the second oligo and the second labeled primer is specifically complementary to the second oligo and non-complementary to the first oligo.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample in (i) comprises live cells.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises spatially detecting the specialized functional form of the two or more target proteins of interest.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more target proteins of interest are non-modified proteins and/or are expressed from endogenous non-genetically modified genes.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample comprises less than 5000 cells and/or less than 1 μg of total protein.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises determining the total amount of target proteins of interest.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises adding a suspected target protein modifier.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first antibody operatively linked to the first oligo and/or the second antibody operatively linked to the second oligo comprises a molecular label.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the molecular label comprises a fluorescent molecule.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the small molecule probe comprises fluorophosphonate, diphenylphosphonate, sulfonyl fluoride, acyloxymethyl ketone, phenoxymethylketone, vinyl sulfone, epoxide, halomethylketone, alpha-haloester, alpha-haloamide, α, β-unsaturated ester, α, β-unsaturated ketone, diazomethylketone, acyl phosphate, acylphosphonate, hydroxamate, carbamate, ester, thioester, 2-deoxy-2-fluoro glycoside, α-bromobenzylphosphonate, nucleotide acyl phosphate, and/or 2-ethynylnaphthalene.

Assignments (2)
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded Sep 1, 2020
From: UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
To: NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH), U.S. DEPT. OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (DHHS), U.S. GOVERNMENT
Reel/Frame 053656/0775 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 19, 2020
From: MOELLERING, RAYMOND E.; LI, GANG
To: THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Reel/Frame 052701/0056 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62589946 · Nov 22, 2017
Related Publication 20200355673A1 · Nov 12, 2020
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