A Bead-Based Proximity Assay for BRD4 Ligand Discovery

Bromodomain-containing proteins have emerged as desirable targets for anti-neoplastic and anti-inflammatory drug discovery. Toward the development of selective inhibitors of the BET family of bromodomains, we optimized bead-based assays to detect interactions between bromodomains and poly-acetylated histone peptides. Donor and acceptor beads bound to target and ligand are brought into proximity by this protein-protein interaction. After laser illumination, singlet oxygen evolved from donor beads travels to the spatially close acceptor beads, resulting in chemiluminesence. This AlphaScreen assay has proven amendable to high-throughput screening, secondary validation, and specificity profiling during lead discovery and optimization. Here we report our protocol for assay development to measure inhibition of ligand binding to bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4). We discuss the discovery of an appropriate probe, optimization of bead, probe, and protein concentrations, and the derivation of protein-probe inhibition curves. Finally, we explore the implementation of this technology for high-throughput screening of potential BRD4 inhibitors. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.