An adaptable luminescence resonance energy transfer assay for measuring and screening protein-protein interactions and their inhibition.

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are central to biological processes and represent an important class of therapeutic targets. Here we show that the interaction between FK506-binding protein 12 fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP-FKBP) and the rapamycin-binding domain of mTor fused to Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase (FRB-eDHFR) can be sensitively detected (signal-to-background ratio (S/B)>100) and accurately quantified within an impure cell lysate matrix using a luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) assay. Ascomycin-mediated inhibition of GFP-FKBP-rapamycin-FRB-eDHFR complex formation was also detected at high S/B ratio (>80) and Z'-factor (0.89). The method leverages the selective, stable binding of trimethoprim (TMP)-terbium complex conjugates to eDHFR, and time-resolved, background-free detection of the long-lifetime (∼ms) terbium-to-GFP LRET signal that indicates target binding. TMP-eDHFR labeling can be adapted to develop high-throughput screening assays and complementary, quantitative counter-screens for a wide variety of PPI targets with a broad range of affinities that may not be amenable to purification.