Uncovering Aberrant Mutant PKA Function with Flow Cytometric FRET

Biology has been revolutionized by tools that allow the detection and characterization of protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based methods have become particularly attractive as they allow quantitative studies of PPIs within the convenient and relevant context of living cells. We describe here an approach that allows the rapid construction of live-cell FRET-based binding curves using a commercially available flow cytometer. We illustrate a simple method for absolutely calibrating the cytometer, validating our binding assay against the gold standard isothermal calorimetry (ITC), and using flow cytometric FRET to uncover the structural and functional effects of the Cushing-syndrome-causing mutation (L206R) on PKA’s catalytic subunit. We discover that this mutation not only differentially affects PKAcat’s binding to its multiple partners but also impacts its rate of catalysis. These findings improve our mechanistic understanding of this disease-causing mutation, while illustrating the simplicity, general applicability, and power of flow cytometric FRET. [Display omitted] •Absolute calibration of commercially available flow cytometer for quantitative FRET•Flow cytometry can generate FRET-based binding curves, validated by ITC•Mutant PKAcat (L206R) associated with Cushing syndrome cannot bind PKAreg•L206R differentially affects PKAcat binding to its partners and slows catalysis Lee et al. describe a powerful approach to performing quantitative biochemistry with flow cytometry. Using flow cytometric FRET, they demonstrate that the Cushing-disease-causing mutation L206R in PKAcat results in not only a differential binding deficit to its partners but also a disruption in catalytic efficiency.