An in vitro cytidine deaminase assay to monitor APOBEC activity on DNA.

APOBEC enzymes promote the deamination of cytosine (C) to uracil (U) in DNA to defend cells against viruses but also serve as a predominant source of mutations in cancer genomes. This protocol describes an assay to monitor APOBEC deaminase activity in vitro on a synthetic DNA oligonucleotide. The method described here focuses specifically on APOBEC3B to illustrate the different steps of the assay. However, the protocol can be applied to monitor the DNA deaminase activity of any other member of the APOBEC family, such as APOBEC3A. This assay involves preparing APOBEC3B-expressing cell extract or purifying APOBEC3B by immunoprecipitation, followed by incubation with a single-stranded DNA containing a TpC motif. The deaminated cytosine is then removed by recombinant Uracil DNA Glycosylase present in the reaction to form an abasic site. The abasic site creates a weakness in the DNA's backbone, causing the DNA to be cleaved under high temperatures and alkaline conditions. Denaturing gel electrophoresis is used to separate cleaved DNA from full-length DNA, enabling the quantification of the percentage of deamination induced by APOBEC3B. This protocol can be used to determine the presence of APOBEC and the regulation of APOBEC activity in specific cell lines, to study substrate preference targeted by different members of the APOBEC family and different APOBEC mutants, or to determine the efficiency and specificity of inhibitor compounds against APOBEC enzymes.