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Kour S, Biswas I, Sheoran S, Arora S, Sheela P, Duppala SK, Murthy DK, Pawar SC, Singh H, Kumar D, Prabhu D, Vuree S, Kumar R. Artificial intelligence and nanotechnology for cervical cancer treatment: Current status and future perspectives. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jddst.2023.104392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
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Hwang J, Strange N, Mazraani R, Phillips MJ, Gamble AB, Huston WM, Tyndall JDA. Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of P2-modified proline analogues targeting the HtrA serine protease in Chlamydia. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 230:114064. [PMID: 35007862 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.114064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
High temperature requirement A (HtrA) serine proteases have emerged as a novel class of antibacterial target, which are crucial in protein quality control and are involved in the pathogenesis of a wide array of bacterial infections. Previously, we demonstrated that HtrA in Chlamydia is essential for bacterial survival, replication and virulence. Here, we report a new series of proline (P2)-modified inhibitors of Chlamydia trachomatis HtrA (CtHtrA) developed by proline ring expansion and Cγ-substitutions. The structure-based drug optimization process was guided by molecular modelling and in vitro pharmacological evaluation of inhibitory potency, selectivity and cytotoxicity. Compound 25 from the first-generation 4-substituted proline analogues increased antiCtHtrA potency and selectivity over human neutrophil elastase (HNE) by approximately 6- and 12-fold, respectively, relative to the peptidic lead compound 1. Based on this compound, second-generation substituted proline residues containing 1,2,3-triazole moieties were synthesized by regioselective azide-alkyne click chemistry. Compound 49 demonstrated significantly improved antichlamydial activity in whole cell assays, diminishing the bacterial infectious progeny below the detection limit at the lowest dose tested. Compound 49 resulted in approximately 9- and 22-fold improvement in the inhibitory potency and selectivity relative to 1, respectively. To date, compound 49 is the most potent HtrA inhibitor developed against Chlamydia spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimin Hwang
- School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Natalie Strange
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rami Mazraani
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Matthew J Phillips
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Allan B Gamble
- School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
| | - Wilhelmina M Huston
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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Cabrera-Pardo JR, Fuentealba J, Gavilán J, Cajas D, Becerra J, Napiórkowska M. Exploring the Multi-Target Neuroprotective Chemical Space of Benzofuran Scaffolds: A New Strategy in Drug Development for Alzheimer's Disease. Front Pharmacol 2020; 10:1679. [PMID: 32082168 PMCID: PMC7005051 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible and progressive neurodegenerative disorder that slowly destroys memory. The precise mechanism of AD is still not entirely understood and remains under discussion; it is believed to be a multifactorial disease in which a number of mechanisms are involved in its pathogenesis. Worldwide, near 37 million people suffer from the effects of AD. As a cause of death for elderly, it is predicted that AD will rank third in the coming years, just behind cancer and heart disease. Unfortunately, AD remains an incurable condition. Despite the devastating problems associated with AD, there are only four FDA approved drugs for palliative treatment of this pathology. Hence, renewed scientific efforts are required not only to uncover more insights into the AD process but also to develop more efficient pharmacological tools against this disease. Due to the complexity and multiple mechanisms at play in the progression of AD, the development of drugs by rational design is extremely difficult. The existing drugs to fight against Alzheimer's have had limited success, mainly due to their ability to modulate only one of the mechanisms involved in AD. As opposed to single-targeted strategies, the identification of small molecules able to affect multiple pathways involved in Alzheimer's is a promising strategy to develop more efficient medicines against this disease. Central to existing efforts to develop pharmaceuticals controlling AD is the discovery of new chemicals displaying strong neuroactivity. Benzofurans are privileged oxygen containing heterocycles that have a strong neuroprotective behavior, inhibiting several of the important events involved in the AD process. In this review, an approach is presented that relies on expanding the neuroprotective chemical space of benzofuran scaffolds by accessing them from Andean-Patagonian fungi and synthetic sources (chemical libraries). The exploration of the neuroprotective chemical space of these scaffolds has the potential to allow the discovery of substitution patterns that display multi-target neuroactivity against multiple events involved in AD. This benzofuran chemical framework will establish a multi-target chemical space that could set the basis for the development of super drugs against AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime R. Cabrera-Pardo
- Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Bio-Bio, Concepción, Chile
- Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
| | - Jorge Fuentealba
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Javiera Gavilán
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Daniel Cajas
- Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - José Becerra
- Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Mariola Napiórkowska
- Chair and Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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Activity and Functional Importance of Helicobacter pylori Virulence Factors. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1149:35-56. [PMID: 31016624 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2019_358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori is a very successful Gram-negative pathogen colonizing the stomach of humans worldwide. Infections with this bacterium can generate pathologies ranging from chronic gastritis and peptic ulceration to gastric cancer. The best characterized H. pylori virulence factors that cause direct cell damage include an effector protein encoded by the cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA), a type IV secretion system (T4SS) encoded in the cag-pathogenicity island (cag PAI), vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), high temperature requirement A (HtrA, a serine protease) and cholesterol glycosyl-transferase (CGT). Since these H. pylori factors are either surface-exposed, secreted or translocated, they can directly interact with host cell molecules and are able to hijack cellular functions. Studies on these bacterial factors have progressed substantially in recent years. Here, we review the current status in the characterization of signaling cascades by these factors in vivo and in vitro, which comprise the disruption of cell-to-cell junctions, induction of membrane rearrangements, cytoskeletal dynamics, proliferative, pro-inflammatory, as well as, pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic responses or immune evasion. The impact of these signal transduction modules in the pathogenesis of H. pylori infections is discussed.
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Koulouridi E, Valli M, Ntie-Kang F, Bolzani VDS. A primer on natural product-based virtual screening. PHYSICAL SCIENCES REVIEWS 2019. [DOI: 10.1515/psr-2018-0105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Databases play an important role in various computational techniques, including virtual screening (VS) and molecular modeling in general. These collections of molecules can contain a large amount of information, making them suitable for several drug discovery applications. For example, vendor, bioactivity data or target type can be found when searching a database. The introduction of these data resources and their characteristics is used for the design of an experiment. The description of the construction of a database can also be a good advisor for the creation of a new one. There are free available databases and commercial virtual libraries of molecules. Furthermore, a computational chemist can find databases for a general purpose or a specific subset such as natural products (NPs). In this chapter, NP database resources are presented, along with some guidelines when preparing an NP database for drug discovery purposes.
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Proteolysis in Helicobacter pylori-Induced Gastric Cancer. Toxins (Basel) 2017; 9:toxins9040134. [PMID: 28398251 PMCID: PMC5408208 DOI: 10.3390/toxins9040134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Revised: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Persistent infections with the human pathogen and class-I carcinogen Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) are closely associated with the development of acute and chronic gastritis, ulceration, gastric adenocarcinoma and lymphoma of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) system. Disruption and depolarization of the epithelium is a hallmark of H. pylori-associated disorders and requires extensive modulation of epithelial cell surface structures. Hence, the complex network of controlled proteolysis which facilitates tissue homeostasis in healthy individuals is deregulated and crucially contributes to the induction and progression of gastric cancer through processing of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, cell surface receptors, membrane-bound cytokines, and lateral adhesion molecules. Here, we summarize the recent reports on mechanisms how H. pylori utilizes a variety of extracellular proteases, involving the proteases Hp0169 and high temperature requirement A (HtrA) of bacterial origin, and host matrix-metalloproteinases (MMPs), a disintegrin and metalloproteinases (ADAMs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). H. pylori-regulated proteases represent predictive biomarkers and attractive targets for therapeutic interventions in gastric cancer.
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Wessler S, Schneider G, Backert S. Bacterial serine protease HtrA as a promising new target for antimicrobial therapy? Cell Commun Signal 2017; 15:4. [PMID: 28069057 PMCID: PMC5223389 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-017-0162-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that the bacterial chaperone and serine protease high temperature requirement A (HtrA) is closely associated with the establishment and progression of several infectious diseases. HtrA activity enhances bacterial survival under stress conditions, but also has direct effects on functions of the cell adhesion protein E-cadherin and extracellular matrix proteins, including fibronectin and proteoglycans. Although HtrA cannot be considered as a pathogenic factor per se, it exhibits favorable characteristics making HtrA a potentially attractive drug target to combat various bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silja Wessler
- Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Microbiology, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Billroth Str. 11, A-5020, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Gisbert Schneider
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, CH-8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Steffen Backert
- Division of Microbiology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Staudtstr. 5, D-91058, Erlangen, Germany
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Identification of E-cadherin signature motifs functioning as cleavage sites for Helicobacter pylori HtrA. Sci Rep 2016; 6:23264. [PMID: 26983597 PMCID: PMC4794652 DOI: 10.1038/srep23264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The cell adhesion protein and tumour suppressor E-cadherin exhibits important functions in the prevention of gastric cancer. As a class-I carcinogen, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has developed a unique strategy to interfere with E-cadherin functions. In previous studies, we have demonstrated that H. pylori secretes the protease high temperature requirement A (HtrA) which cleaves off the E-cadherin ectodomain (NTF) on epithelial cells. This opens cell-to-cell junctions, allowing bacterial transmigration across the polarised epithelium. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism of the HtrA-E-cadherin interaction and identified E-cadherin cleavage sites for HtrA. Mass-spectrometry-based proteomics and Edman degradation revealed three signature motifs containing the [VITA]-[VITA]-x-x-D-[DN] sequence pattern, which were preferentially cleaved by HtrA. Based on these sites, we developed a substrate-derived peptide inhibitor that selectively bound and inhibited HtrA, thereby blocking transmigration of H. pylori. The discovery of HtrA-targeted signature sites might further explain why we detected a stable 90 kDa NTF fragment during H. pylori infection, but also additional E-cadherin fragments ranging from 105 kDa to 48 kDa in in vitro cleavage experiments. In conclusion, HtrA targets E-cadherin signature sites that are accessible in in vitro reactions, but might be partially masked on epithelial cells through functional homophilic E-cadherin interactions.
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Perna AM, Rodrigues T, Schmidt TP, Böhm M, Stutz K, Reker D, Pfeiffer B, Altmann KH, Backert S, Wessler S, Schneider G. Fragment-Based De Novo Design Reveals a Small-Molecule Inhibitor ofHelicobacter PyloriHtrA. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201504035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Perna AM, Rodrigues T, Schmidt TP, Böhm M, Stutz K, Reker D, Pfeiffer B, Altmann KH, Backert S, Wessler S, Schneider G. Fragment-Based De Novo Design Reveals a Small-Molecule Inhibitor of Helicobacter Pylori HtrA. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2015; 54:10244-8. [PMID: 26069090 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201504035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Sustained identification of innovative chemical entities is key for the success of chemical biology and drug discovery. We report the fragment-based, computer-assisted de novo design of a small molecule inhibiting Helicobacter pylori HtrA protease. Molecular binding of the designed compound to HtrA was confirmed through biophysical methods, supporting its functional activity in vitro. Hit expansion led to the identification of the currently best-in-class HtrA inhibitor. The results obtained reinforce the validity of ligand-based de novo design and binding-kinetics-guided optimization for the efficient discovery of pioneering lead structures and prototyping drug-like chemical probes with tailored bioactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Perna
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich (Switzerland)
| | - Tiago Rodrigues
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich (Switzerland)
| | | | - Manja Böhm
- Department of Biology, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany)
| | - Katharina Stutz
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich (Switzerland)
| | - Daniel Reker
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich (Switzerland)
| | - Bernhard Pfeiffer
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich (Switzerland)
| | - Karl-Heinz Altmann
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich (Switzerland)
| | - Steffen Backert
- Department of Biology, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany)
| | - Silja Wessler
- Department of Molecular Biology, Universität Salzburg (Austria)
| | - Gisbert Schneider
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich (Switzerland).
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Perna AM, Reisen F, Schmidt TP, Geppert T, Pillong M, Weisel M, Hoy B, Simister PC, Feller SM, Wessler S, Schneider G. Inhibiting Helicobacter pylori HtrA protease by addressing a computationally predicted allosteric ligand binding site. Chem Sci 2014; 5:3583-3590. [PMID: 26819700 PMCID: PMC4724879 DOI: 10.1039/c4sc01443j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori is associated with inflammatory diseases and can cause gastric cancer and mucosa-associated lymphoma. One of the bacterium's key proteins is high temperature requirement A (HpHtrA) protein, an extracellular serine protease that cleaves E-cadherin of gastric epithelial cells, which leads to loss of cell-cell adhesion. Inhibition of HpHtrA may constitute an intervention strategy against H. pylori infection. Guided by the computational prediction of hypothetical ligand binding sites on the surface of HpHtrA, we performed residue mutation experiments that confirmed the functional relevance of an allosteric region. We virtually screened for potential ligands addressing this surface cleft located between the catalytic and PDZ1 domains. Our receptor-based computational method represents protein surface pockets in terms of graph frameworks and retrieves small molecules that satisfy the constraints given by the pocket framework. A new chemical entity was identified that blocked E-cadherin cleavage in vitro by direct binding to HpHtrA, and efficiently blocked pathogen transmigration across the gastric epithelial barrier. A preliminary crystal structure of HpHtrA confirms the validity of a comparative "homology" model of the enzyme, which we used for the computational study. The results of this study demonstrate that addressing orphan protein surface cavities of target macromolecules can lead to new bioactive ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maria Perna
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Felix Reisen
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas P Schmidt
- University of Salzburg, Department of Molecular Biology, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Tim Geppert
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Max Pillong
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Weisel
- Goethe-University, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, 60322 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Benjamin Hoy
- University of Salzburg, Department of Molecular Biology, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Philip C Simister
- University of Oxford, Department of Oncology, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, OX3 9DS Oxford, UK
| | - Stephan M Feller
- University of Oxford, Department of Oncology, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, OX3 9DS Oxford, UK ; Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Molecular Medicine, 06120 Halle, Germany
| | - Silja Wessler
- University of Salzburg, Department of Molecular Biology, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Gisbert Schneider
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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Graphs and networks in chemical and biological informatics: past, present and future. Future Med Chem 2012; 4:2039-47. [DOI: 10.4155/fmc.12.128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemical and biological network analysis has recently garnered intense interest from the perspective of drug design and discovery. While graph theoretic concepts have a long history in chemistry – predating quantum mechanics – and graphical measures of chemical structures date back to the 1970s, it is only recently with the advent of public repositories of information and availability of high-throughput assays and computational resources that network analysis of large-scale chemical networks, such as protein–protein interaction networks, has become possible. Drug design and discovery are undergoing a paradigm shift, from the notion of ‘one target, one drug’ to a much more nuanced view that relies on multiple sources of information: genomic, proteomic, metabolomic and so on. This holistic view of drug design is an incredibly daunting undertaking still very much in its infancy. Here, we focus on current developments in graph- and network-centric approaches in chemical and biological informatics, with particular reference to applications in the fields of SAR modeling and drug design. Key insights from the past suggest a path forward via visualization and fusion of multiple sources of chemical network data.
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