Molecular Association Assay Systems for Imaging Protein-Protein Interactions in Mammalian Cells.

ABSTRACT: Molecular imaging probes play a pivotal role in assaying molecular events in various physiological systems. In this study, we demonstrate a new genre of bioluminescent probes for imaging protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in mammalian cells, named the molecular association assay (MAA) probe. The MAA probe is designed to be as simple as a full-length marine luciferase fused to a protein of interest with a flexible linker. This simple fusion protein alone surprisingly works by recognizing a specific ligand, interacting with a counterpart protein of the PPI, and developing bioluminescence (BL) in mammalian cells. We made use of an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to simulate the binding modes and working mechanisms. Our AlphaFold-based analysis on the binding mode suggests that the hinge re

SUBMITTER: Kim SB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12109908 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature