We describe the procedure and data analysis of a chemical screening system for glucocorticoid stress hormone signaling using zebrafish larvae: the Glucocorticoid Responsive In vivo Zebrafish Luciferase activitY (GRIZLY) assay. The assay sensitively and specifically detects effects on glucocorticoid signaling by compounds that require metabolization or affect endogenous glucocorticoid production.
Glucocorticoid stress hormones and their artificial derivatives are widely used drugs to treat inflammation, but long-term treatment with glucocorticoids can lead to severe side effects. Test systems are needed to search for novel compounds influencing glucocorticoid signaling in vivo or to determine unwanted effects of compounds on the glucocorticoid signaling pathway. We have established a transgenic zebrafish assay which allows the measurement of glucocorticoid signaling activity in vivo and in real-time, the GRIZLY assay (Glucocorticoid Responsive In vivo Zebrafish Luciferase activitY). The luciferase-based assay detects effects on glucocorticoid signaling with high sensitivity and specificity, including effects by compounds that require metabolization or affect endogenous glucocorticoid production. We present here a detailed protocol for conducting chemical screens with this assay. We describe data acquisition, normalization, and analysis, placing a focus on quality control and data visualization. The assay provides a simple, time-resolved, and quantitative readout. It can be operated as a stand-alone platform, but is also easily integrated into high-throughput screening workflows. It furthermore allows for many applications beyond chemical screening, such as environmental monitoring of endocrine disruptors or stress research.
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are steroid hormones produced by the adrenal gland which play important roles during the stress response and in the regulation of metabolism1. GCs bind cytoplasmic glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) of the nuclear receptor superfamily which, upon binding, translocate into the nucleus2. Here, they can for example repress transcription by interfering with other transcription factors (transrepression) or activate gene transcription via glucocorticoid response elements (GREs, transactivation). Due to their anti-inflammatory properties, both natural and artificial GCs are widely used drugs in the treatment of a number of diseases, such as asthma or arthritis3. However, especially long-term use of GCs can lead to severe side effects, including diabetes and glaucoma4. Therefore, novel compounds targeting GC signaling with potentially more beneficial treatment efficiency and tolerability are highly sought after. Importantly, ligand effects observed in cultured cells can differ from those seen in vivo5. Such effects might bias results obtained with conventional cell culture based pharmaceutical screening assays. Chemical in vivo screening as enabled by the zebrafish model has recently come into focus, as it allows the determination of effects not detectable in cell culture6,7.
Hormonal signaling pathways can also be affected by environmental pollutants. So-called endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) affect various hormone regulated processes8. Thus, reproduction and sexual differentiation of aquatic organisms can be modulated by substances with estrogen-like activities. Recently, concerns have been raised that metabolic disorders might be linked to EDCs in the environment9. One pathway targeted by such "metabolic disruption" is the glucocorticoid pathway, which has also been implicated in xenobiotics effects on development and immune function10,11. However, compared with the large amount of information available on compounds interfering with sex steroid hormone action, relatively little is known about endocrine disruption effects mediated via the GR. Therefore, tools are needed that allow monitoring pollutant effects on GC signaling in vivo.
The zebrafish has long been a popular model in developmental biology and has more recently also attracted researchers from other fields, including endocrinology12. Compared with other teleosts, the GC signaling system of zebrafish is more similar to that of mammals, since the zebrafish genome contains only one GR gene as opposed to the duplicated receptors in many other fish species13-15. In addition, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is already functional in 5 day old zebrafish larvae, which increase endogenous GC production in response to stressors14,16-18.
We have recently generated a transgenic zebrafish line, GRE:Luc, which allows for the monitoring of GC signaling activity in vivo and in real-time18. The line carries a luciferase reporter gene construct under control of a minimal TATA box promoter and four concatemerized GREs (Figure 1a). GC induced bioluminescence can be measured from single GRE:Luc larvae in 96 well microtiter plates in vivo over prolonged periods of time. This GRIZLY assay (for "Glucocorticoid Responsive In vivo Zebrafish Luciferase activitY") can be used in a number of different research fields, such as stress research, environmental monitoring, and pharmacological screens18. We were able to detect the endogenous rise in cortisol after osmotic stress from single larvae and could follow the maturation of the response during development. Furthermore, we could monitor the effects on GC signaling of organotins that require metabolization by the larva. Importantly, the line was able to detect these effects at environmentally relevant concentrations. Finally, in a pilot screen the assay sensitively and specifically detected compounds with GC activity from a chemical library, including one compound that stimulated endogenous cortisol production in the larvae. Here, we describe a detailed protocol for chemical screens using the GRIZLY assay.
We present here the workflow and data analysis for a chemical screen measuring GC activity in vivo using the GRIZLY assay18. The assay has quality control characteristics and performance measures that are comparable with conventional cell based screens, an important advantage for its use in high-throughput settings. In addition, however, the in vivo assay detects also compounds that are not accessible to in vitro screens. This is exemplified by the presence of the prohormone pregnenolone among the hits. Thus, the GRIZLY assay extends the scope of screens aimed at GC signaling activity.
The importance of the detection of in vivo effects with our assay is also illustrated by results we obtained with the organotin pollutants DBT and TBT18. DBT, but not TBT, has been shown to inhibit GC signaling in mammalian cell culture, and we observed the same in zebrafish cell cultures expressing the GRE:Luc reporter. Importantly however, in the GRIZLY assay, TBT showed inhibitory activity on the GC pathway, as it can be converted to DBT by the larval metabolism. This inhibition was observed already at environmentally relevant concentrations of TBT. These results further illustrate the potential of the GRIZLY assay in detecting compound effects based on inter-organ cross-talk and metabolic modifications of the compounds in the living animal. They also highlight the application potential of the GRIZLY assay for environmental monitoring. Thus, endocrine disruptor effects can be studied at the level of receptor signaling, where the disruptor interferes with GC signaling activity induced by a GR agonist such as dexamethasone. Another possibility is to study compound effects on pregnenolone-stimulated GC synthesis. The high throughput quality of the assay should permit the rapid screening of environmental sample libraries.
The use of luciferase as a reporter gene allows for a high dynamic range of detection of signaling activity23. Indeed, the sensitivity of the assay makes it possible to detect osmotic stress-induced GC production from single larvae18. The high temporal resolution achieved with the luciferase reporter allows us to follow signaling activities over time, which makes it possible to analyze also the kinetics of the data.
A potential drawback for some applications is the limited suitability for spatial monitoring of this reporter system. Fluorescent reporter systems might be better suited for assays that require monitoring of certain areas of the larvae. However, such assays might suffer from lower sensitivities due to background effects caused by the excitation light, which also poses limits on the detection of fluorescent compounds. Additionally, they might provide less kinetic resolution because of the generally higher stability of fluorescent proteins23. Furthermore, they present challenges in terms of imaging equipment, data analysis and data storage that might limit their use for smaller research labs.
The set-up of the GRIZLY assay as a microtiter plate based assay allows for easy integration into typical screening workflows. The assay is easily applicable also in smaller research labs due to its simple handling and data analysis. At the same time, it allows for a substantial degree of automation, e.g. automated drug application by pipetting robots or automated distribution of embryos by embryo sorting devices24,25. The simple readout does not require automated screening microscopes or sophisticated image analysis software, yet provides a rich set of data on temporal and quantitative aspects of the studied signaling pathway.
In summary, we present a step-by-step protocol for a relatively inexpensive, robust and easy-to-handle chemical screening assay for GC signaling activity in vivo and in real time. The assay allows the determination of in vivo effects of compounds on GC signaling not detectable in cell culture based assays. Among the many applications for the assay are e.g. the determination of genetic effects on glucocorticoid signaling, environmental monitoring of endocrine disruptor effects on glucocorticoid synthesis and signaling activity, and the screening of compounds for unwanted effects on GC signaling or for novel in vivo modulators of this important signaling pathway.
The authors have nothing to disclose.
We thank S. Burkhart, C. Hofmann and Simone Gräßle for excellent technical assistance and are grateful to M. Ferg for help with data analysis. We also thank S. Rastegar for critical comments on the manuscript. We acknowledge funding by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (to MW), the DFG (DI913/4-1) and the Helmholtz Program BioInterfaces at KIT.
Name | Company | Catalog Number | コメント |
Buffer composition + reagents | |||
Dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) | Carl Roth GmbH & Co KG | A994.2 | |
FDA approved drug library | Enzo Life Sciences | BML-2841-0100 | |
Luciferin | Biosynth | L-8220 | |
Dexamethasone | Sigma-Aldrich | D4902 | |
Methylene Blue | Sigma-Aldrich | M9140 | |
E3 | N/A | N/A | 5 mM NaCl, 0.17 mM KCl, 0.33 mM CaCl2 |
Instruments | |||
Multiprobe II | PerkinElmer | 8 channel, equipped with disposable tip adaptor | |
Liquidator 96 | Steinbrenner Laborsysteme | hand-operated 96-channel pipette | |
EnVision XCite Multilabel Plate Reader | PerkinElmer | Equipped with stacker automation, temperature control, barcode reader and enhanced luminescence detector | |
Plasticware + consumables | |||
96-Well Storage Plate | ABgene | AB-0765 | round well, 0.8 ml |
Cover films, | ratiolab | 6018412 | self adhesive, DMSO resistent |
Pipette tips | Steinbrenner Laborsysteme | LRF-200L | for liquidator 96, 200 μl, low retention |
TopSeal-A | PerkinElmer | 6005185 | |
OptiPlate-96 | PerkinElmer | 6005299 | white opaque 96-well microplate |
Barcode Labels | PerkinElmer | 1608182 | |
filtered polypropylene IsoTip pipette tips | Corning | S058.4809 | |
Animals | |||
GRE:Luc fish | N/A | ZDB-TGCONSTRCT-120920-1 | available at the European Zebrafish Resource Centre EZRC, Karlsruhe |