Fluorescence microscopy is commonly used for imaging live mammalian cells. Here, we describe studies aimed at revealing the potential genotoxic effects of standard fluorescence microscopy. To assess DNA damage, a high throughput platform for single cell gel electrophoresis is used (e.g., the CometChip). Light emitted by three standard filters was studied: a) violet light [340–380 nm], used to excite DAPI and other blue fluorophores, b) blue light [460–500 nm] commonly used to image GFP and Calcein AM, and c) green light [528–553], useful for imaging red fluorophores. Results show that exposure of samples to light during imaging is indeed genotoxic even when the selected wavelengths are outside the range known to induce significant levels. Shorter excitation wavelengths and longer irradiation times lead to higher levels of DNA damage. We have also measured DNA damage in cells expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) or stained with Calcein AM, a widely used green fluorophore. Data show that Calcein AM leads to a synergistic increase in the levels of DNA damage and that even cells that are not being directly imaged sustain significant DNA damage from exposure to indirect light. The nature of light-induced DNA damage during imaging was assessed using the Fpg glycosylase, an enzyme that enables quantification of oxidative DNA damage. Oxidative damage was evident in cells exposed to violet light. Furthermore the Fpg glycosylase revealed the presence of oxidative DNA damage in blue-light exposed cells for which DNA damage was not detected using standard analysis conditions. Taken together, the results of these studies call attention to the potential confounding effects of DNA damage induced by standard imaging conditions, and identify wavelength, exposure time and fluorophore as parameters that can be modulated to reduce light-induced DNA damage.
DNA damaging agents can promote aging, disease and cancer and they are ubiquitous in the environment and produced within human cells as normal cellular metabolites. Ironically, at high doses DNA damaging agents are also used to treat cancer. The ability to quantify DNA damage responses is thus critical in the public health, pharmaceutical and clinical domains. Here, we describe a novel platform that exploits microfabrication techniques to pattern cells in a fixed microarray. The 'CometChip' is based upon the well-established single cell gel electrophoresis assay (a.k.a. the comet assay), which estimates the level of DNA damage by evaluating the extent of DNA migration through a matrix in an electrical field. The type of damage measured by this assay includes abasic sites, crosslinks, and strand breaks. Instead of being randomly dispersed in agarose in the traditional assay, cells are captured into an agarose microwell array by gravity. The platform also expands from the size of a standard microscope slide to a 96-well format, enabling parallel processing. Here we describe the protocols of using the chip to evaluate DNA damage caused by known genotoxic agents and the cellular repair response followed after exposure. Through the integration of biological and engineering principles, this method potentiates robust and sensitive measurements of DNA damage in human cells and provides the necessary throughput for genotoxicity testing, drug development, epidemiological studies and clinical assays.
Inflammation associated reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONs), including peroxynitrite (ONOO−) and nitric oxide (NO· ), create base lesions that potentially play a role in the toxicity and large-scale genomic rearrangements associated with many malignancies. Nevertheless, little is known about the functional role of base excision repair (BER) deficiencies following exposure to RONs. Here, we explore the role of XRCC1 in modulating the levels of RONs-induced genotoxicity. XRCC1 is a scaffold protein critical for BER for which polymorphisms modulate the risk of cancer. We exploited CHO and human glioblastoma cell lines engineered to carry varied levels of BER components to study XRCC1. Cytotoxicity and SSB-intermediate levels were evaluated following exposure to the ONOO− donor, SIN-1, and to gaseous NO·. XRCC1 null cells are slightly more sensitive to SIN-1 toxicity. To explore the potential importance of XRCC1 in response to NO· -induced lesions, we used small-scale bioreactors to expose cells to NO· and found that XRCC1 does not impact genotoxicity in CHO cells, suggesting a minimal role for XRCC1 in response to RONs. However, using a molecular beacon assay to measure AAG-mediated lesion removal in vitro, we found that XRCC1 facilitates AAG-initiated BER of two key NO· -induced lesions: 1,N6-ethenoadenine and hypoxanthine. Furthermore, overexpression of AAG rendered XRCC1 cells sensitive to NO· -induced DNA damage and toxicity. These results show that AAG is a key glycosylase in response to NO· exposure and that the cellular and functional impact of XRCC1 depends upon the level of AAG. These studies are some of the first to assess the functional role of XRCC1 in response to NO·, and demonstrate the importance of BER balance when considering the impact of XRCC1 polymorphisms in response to RONs.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic severely impacts health, economy, and society worldwide. Antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 are urgently needed to cope with this global crisis. It has been found that the biogenesis and release mechanisms of viruses share a common pathway with extracellular vesicles (EVs). We hypothesized that small molecule inhibitors of EV biogenesis/release could exert an anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect. Here, we screened 17 existing EV inhibitors and found that calpeptin, a cysteine proteinase inhibitor, exhibited the most potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity with no apparent cytotoxicity. Calpeptin demonstrated the dose-dependent inhibition against SARS-CoV-2 viral nucleoprotein expression in the infected cells with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 1.44 µM in Vero-E6 and 26.92 µM in Calu-3 cells, respectively. Moreover, calpeptin inhibited the production of infectious virions with the lower IC50 of 0.6 µM in Vero E6 cells and 10.12 µM in Calu-3 cells. Interestingly, a combination of calpeptin and remdesivir, the FDA-approved antiviral drug against SARS-CoV-2 viral replication, significantly enhanced the anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects compared to monotherapy. This study discovered calpeptin as a promising candidate for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug development. Further preclinical and clinical studies are warranted to elucidate the therapeutic efficacy of calpeptin and remdesivir combination in COVID-19.
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