Methods for measuring HMGB1 release during immunogenic cell death

The exodus of the alarmin high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) from the nucleus constitutes a crucial cellular danger signal and manifests as a sequential process in which HMGB1 first exits the nucleus into the cytoplasm and then is secreted or passively released through the permeabilized plasma membrane. Extracellular HMGB1 can interact with pattern recognition receptors to stimulate innate immune responses. Here, we describe a discovery pipeline for the identification of pharmacological agents endowed with HMGB1 releasing properties. The “retention using selective hooks” (RUSH) system in which a streptavidin-NLS3 fusion protein serves as a nuclear hook to sequester streptavidin-binding peptide (SBP) fused with HMGB1 and green fluorescent protein (GFP) allowed for synchronizing HMGB1 increase. Thus, exclusively in the presence of biotin, which liberates HMGB1-SBP-GFP from its nuclear hook, immunogenic cell death (ICD) inducers such as anthracyclines are able to cause the nucleo-cytoplasmic translocation of HMGB1-SBP-GFP. This system facilitates the identification of HMGB1 releasing agents in medium- to high-throughput screening assays.