BacMam System for FRET-Based cAMP Sensor Expression in Studies of Melanocortin MC1 Receptor Activation

Abstract

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is a second messenger of many G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and a useful readout molecule to estimate the biological activity of various GPCR-specific agents. Here we report the development and use of a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor for cAMP (Epac2-camps) combined with a baculovirus-based BacMam transduction system. The constructed BacMam-Epac2-camps viral transduction system is a simple and robust tool for ligand screening at the second-messenger level in a variety of mammalian cell lines. The level of biosensor protein expression can easily be adjusted in a dose-dependent manner depending on the multiplicity of viral infection. For setting up the assay, we used a B16F10 murine melanoma cell line with endogenous expression of melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R). The receptor activation was characterized by a set of MC1R full and partial agonists. Bivalent ions Ca2+ as well as Mg2+ modulated ligand potencies, whereas the effect was ligand and ion specific. Results obtained for MC1R indicate that the BacMam-Epac2-camps system may also be applicable for studying the activation of other GPCRs and may be implemented in routine analysis as well as in high-throughput screening.