1
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Jamabo M, Mahlalela M, Edkins AL, Boshoff A. Tackling Sleeping Sickness: Current and Promising Therapeutics and Treatment Strategies. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12529. [PMID: 37569903 PMCID: PMC10420020 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Human African trypanosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the extracellular protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei, and targeted for eradication by 2030. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the lengthening of the proposed time frame for eliminating human African trypanosomiasis as control programs were interrupted. Armed with extensive antigenic variation and the depletion of the B cell population during an infectious cycle, attempts to develop a vaccine have remained unachievable. With the absence of a vaccine, control of the disease has relied heavily on intensive screening measures and the use of drugs. The chemotherapeutics previously available for disease management were plagued by issues such as toxicity, resistance, and difficulty in administration. The approval of the latest and first oral drug, fexinidazole, is a major chemotherapeutic achievement for the treatment of human African trypanosomiasis in the past few decades. Timely and accurate diagnosis is essential for effective treatment, while poor compliance and resistance remain outstanding challenges. Drug discovery is on-going, and herein we review the recent advances in anti-trypanosomal drug discovery, including novel potential drug targets. The numerous challenges associated with disease eradication will also be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miebaka Jamabo
- Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6139, South Africa; (M.J.); (M.M.)
| | - Maduma Mahlalela
- Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6139, South Africa; (M.J.); (M.M.)
| | - Adrienne L. Edkins
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biomedical Biotechnology Research Centre (BioBRU), Rhodes University, Makhanda 6139, South Africa;
| | - Aileen Boshoff
- Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6139, South Africa; (M.J.); (M.M.)
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2
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Zheng Y, Schroeder S, Kanev GK, Botros SS, William S, Sabra ANA, Maes L, Caljon G, Gil C, Martinez A, Salado IG, Augustyns K, Edink E, Sijm M, de Heuvel E, de Esch IJP, van der Meer T, Siderius M, Sterk GJ, Brown D, Leurs R. To Target or Not to Target Schistosoma mansoni Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterase 4A? Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076817. [PMID: 37047792 PMCID: PMC10095301 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease with high morbidity. Recently, the Schistosoma mansoni phosphodiesterase SmPDE4A was suggested as a putative new drug target. To support SmPDE4A targeted drug discovery, we cloned, isolated, and biochemically characterized the full-length and catalytic domains of SmPDE4A. The enzymatically active catalytic domain was crystallized in the apo-form (PDB code: 6FG5) and in the cAMP- and AMP-bound states (PDB code: 6EZU). The SmPDE4A catalytic domain resembles human PDE4 more than parasite PDEs because it lacks the parasite PDE-specific P-pocket. Purified SmPDE4A proteins (full-length and catalytic domain) were used to profile an in-house library of PDE inhibitors (PDE4NPD toolbox). This screening identified tetrahydrophthalazinones and benzamides as potential hits. The PDE inhibitor NPD-0001 was the most active tetrahydrophthalazinone, whereas the approved human PDE4 inhibitors roflumilast and piclamilast were the most potent benzamides. As a follow-up, 83 benzamide analogs were prepared, but the inhibitory potency of the initial hits was not improved. Finally, NPD-0001 and roflumilast were evaluated in an in vitro anti-S. mansoni assay. Unfortunately, both SmPDE4A inhibitors were not effective in worm killing and only weakly affected the egg-laying at high micromolar concentrations. Consequently, the results with these SmPDE4A inhibitors strongly suggest that SmPDE4A is not a suitable target for anti-schistosomiasis therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zheng
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Georgi K Kanev
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sanaa S Botros
- Pharmacology Department, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, P.O. Box 30, Giza 12411, Egypt
| | - Samia William
- Parasitology Department, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, P.O. Box 30, Giza 12411, Egypt
| | - Abdel-Nasser A Sabra
- Pharmacology Department, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, P.O. Box 30, Giza 12411, Egypt
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Carmen Gil
- Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas (CIB-CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Martinez
- Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas (CIB-CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene G Salado
- Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Koen Augustyns
- Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ewald Edink
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten Sijm
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Erik de Heuvel
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Iwan J P de Esch
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tiffany van der Meer
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marco Siderius
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Geert Jan Sterk
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - David Brown
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK
| | - Rob Leurs
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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3
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Singh A, Malhotra D, Singh K, Chadha R, Bedi PMS. Thiazole derivatives in medicinal chemistry: Recent advancements in synthetic strategies, structure activity relationship and pharmacological outcomes. J Mol Struct 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.133479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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4
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Zara L, Moraca F, Van Muijlwijk-Koezen JE, Zarzycka B, Abel R, de Esch IJP. Exploring the Activity Profile of TbrPDEB1 and hPDE4 Inhibitors Using Free Energy Perturbation. ACS Med Chem Lett 2022; 13:904-910. [PMID: 35707144 PMCID: PMC9190044 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.1c00690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Zara
- Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Francesca Moraca
- Schrodinger, Inc., 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, United States
| | - Jacqueline E. Van Muijlwijk-Koezen
- Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Barbara Zarzycka
- Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Robert Abel
- Schrodinger, Inc., 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, United States
| | - Iwan J. P. de Esch
- Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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5
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Llanos MA, Alberca LN, Larrea SCV, Schoijet AC, Alonso GD, Bellera CL, Gavenet L, Talevi A. Homology Modeling and Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Trypanosoma cruzi Phosphodiesterase b1. Chem Biodivers 2021; 19:e202100712. [PMID: 34813143 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202100712] [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: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases have been implicated in the proliferation, differentiation and osmotic regulation of trypanosomatids; in some trypanosomatid species, they have been validated as molecular targets for the development of new therapeutic agents. Because the experimental structure of Trypanosoma cruzi PDEb1 (TcrPDEb1) has not been solved so far, an homology model of the target was created using the structure of Trypanosoma brucei PDEb1 (TbrPDEb1) as a template. The model was refined by extensive enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations, and representative snapshots were extracted from the trajectory by combined clustering analysis. This structural ensemble was used to develop a structure-based docking model of the target. The docking accuracy of the model was validated by redocking and cross-docking experiments using all available crystal structures of TbrPDEb1, whereas the scoring accuracy was validated through a retrospective screen, using a carefully curated dataset of compounds assayed against TbrPDEb1 and/or TcrPDEb1. Considering the results from in silico validations, the model may be applied in prospective virtual screening campaigns to identify novel hits, as well as to guide the rational design of potent and selective inhibitors targeting this enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel A Llanos
- Laboratory of Bioactive Research and Development (LIDeB), Faculty of Exact Sciences, University of La Plata - 47 and 115, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Lucas N Alberca
- Laboratory of Bioactive Research and Development (LIDeB), Faculty of Exact Sciences, University of La Plata - 47 and 115, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Salomé C Vilchez Larrea
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alejandra C Schoijet
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Guillermo D Alonso
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carolina L Bellera
- Laboratory of Bioactive Research and Development (LIDeB), Faculty of Exact Sciences, University of La Plata - 47 and 115, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) - CCT, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Luciana Gavenet
- Laboratory of Bioactive Research and Development (LIDeB), Faculty of Exact Sciences, University of La Plata - 47 and 115, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) - CCT, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Alan Talevi
- Laboratory of Bioactive Research and Development (LIDeB), Faculty of Exact Sciences, University of La Plata - 47 and 115, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) - CCT, La Plata, Argentina
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6
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Wijtmans M, Edink E, van Linden OP, Zheng Y, Blaazer AR, Siderius M, van Muijlwijk-Koezen JE. From recipe to research: introducing undergraduate students to the nature of science using a hybrid practical course centred on drug discovery for neglected diseases. Drug Discov Today 2021; 26:1359-1368. [PMID: 33609778 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
A hybrid undergraduate practical course involving synthetic medicinal chemistry on neglected diseases bridges the gap between skills, techniques and scientific research, and exposes students to the nature of science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maikel Wijtmans
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Division of Innovations in Human Health and Life Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ewald Edink
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Current address: Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Faculty of Agri, Food and Life Sciences, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, De Boelelaan 1109, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Oscar Pj van Linden
- Division of Innovations in Human Health and Life Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yang Zheng
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Antoni R Blaazer
- Division of Innovations in Human Health and Life Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marco Siderius
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jacqueline E van Muijlwijk-Koezen
- Division of Innovations in Human Health and Life Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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7
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Tetrahydrophthalazinone Inhibitor of Phosphodiesterase with In Vitro Activity against Intracellular Trypanosomatids. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2021; 65:AAC.00960-20. [PMID: 33361300 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00960-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The phosphodiesterase inhibitor tetrahydrophthalazinone NPD-008 was explored by phenotypic in vitro screening, target validation, and ultrastructural approaches against Trypanosoma cruzi NPD-008 displayed activity against different forms and strains of T. cruzi (50% effective concentration [EC50], 6.6 to 39.5 μM). NPD-008 increased cAMP levels of T. cruzi and its combination with benznidazole gave synergistic interaction. It was also moderately active against intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania infantum, confirming a potential activity profile as an antitrypanosomatid drug candidate.
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8
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de Heuvel E, Kooistra AJ, Edink E, van Klaveren S, Stuijt J, van der Meer T, Sadek P, Mabille D, Caljon G, Maes L, Siderius M, de Esch IJP, Sterk GJ, Leurs R. Discovery of Diaryl Ether Substituted Tetrahydrophthalazinones as TbrPDEB1 Inhibitors Following Structure-Based Virtual Screening. Front Chem 2021; 8:608030. [PMID: 33553105 PMCID: PMC7859335 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.608030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Several members of the 3′,5′-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) family play an essential role in cellular processes, which has labeled them as interesting targets for various diseases. The parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei, causative agent of human African trypanosomiasis, contains several cyclic AMP specific PDEs from which TbrPDEB1 is validated as a drug target. The recent discovery of selective TbrPDEB1 inhibitors has increased their potential for a novel treatment for this disease. Compounds characterized by a rigid biphenyl tetrahydrophthalazinone core structure were used as starting point for the exploration of novel TbrPDEB1 inhibitors. Using a virtual screening campaign and structure-guided design, diaryl ether substituted phthalazinones were identified as novel TbrPDEB1 inhibitors with IC50 values around 1 μM against T. brucei. This study provides important structure-activity relationship (SAR) information for the future design of effective parasite-specific PDE inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik de Heuvel
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Albert J Kooistra
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ewald Edink
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sjors van Klaveren
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey Stuijt
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Tiffany van der Meer
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Payman Sadek
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Dorien Mabille
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Marco Siderius
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Iwan J P de Esch
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Geert Jan Sterk
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Rob Leurs
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Munday JC, Kunz S, Kalejaiye TD, Siderius M, Schroeder S, Paape D, Alghamdi AH, Abbasi Z, Huang SX, Donachie AM, William S, Sabra AN, Sterk GJ, Botros SS, Brown DG, Hoffman CS, Leurs R, de Koning HP. Cloning and functional complementation of ten Schistosoma mansoni phosphodiesterases expressed in the mammalian host stages. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008447. [PMID: 32730343 PMCID: PMC7430754 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Only a single drug against schistosomiasis is currently available and new drug development is urgently required but very few drug targets have been validated and characterised. However, regulatory systems including cyclic nucleotide metabolism are emerging as primary candidates for drug discovery. Here, we report the cloning of ten cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) genes of S. mansoni, out of a total of 11 identified in its genome. We classify these PDEs by homology to human PDEs. Male worms displayed higher expression levels for all PDEs, in mature and juvenile worms, and schistosomula. Several functional complementation approaches were used to characterise these genes. We constructed a Trypanosoma brucei cell line in which expression of a cAMP-degrading PDE complements the deletion of TbrPDEB1/B2. Inhibitor screens of these cells expressing only either SmPDE4A, TbrPDEB1 or TbrPDEB2, identified highly potent inhibitors of the S. mansoni enzyme that elevated the cellular cAMP concentration. We further expressed most of the cloned SmPDEs in two pde1Δ/pde2Δ strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and some also in a specialised strain of Schizosacharomyces pombe. Five PDEs, SmPDE1, SmPDE4A, SmPDE8, SmPDE9A and SmPDE11 successfully complemented the S. cerevisiae strains, and SmPDE7var also complemented to a lesser degree, in liquid culture. SmPDE4A, SmPDE8 and SmPDE11 were further assessed in S. pombe for hydrolysis of cAMP and cGMP; SmPDE11 displayed considerable preferrence for cGMP over cAMP. These results and tools enable the pursuit of a rigorous drug discovery program based on inhibitors of S. mansoni PDEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane C. Munday
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Stefan Kunz
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Titilola D. Kalejaiye
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Marco Siderius
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Daniel Paape
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Ali H. Alghamdi
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Zainab Abbasi
- Biology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sheng Xiang Huang
- Biology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Anne-Marie Donachie
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Samia William
- Department of Pharmacology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, Egypt
| | - Abdel Nasser Sabra
- Department of Pharmacology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, Egypt
| | - Geert Jan Sterk
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sanaa S. Botros
- Department of Pharmacology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, Egypt
| | - David G. Brown
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, United Kingdom
| | - Charles S. Hoffman
- Biology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Rob Leurs
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Harry P. de Koning
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
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10
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Botros SS, El-Lakkany NM, Seif el-Din SH, William S, Sabra AN, Hammam OA, de Koning HP. The phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor roflumilast impacts Schistosoma mansoni ovipositing in vitro but displays only modest antischistosomal activity in vivo. Exp Parasitol 2020; 208:107793. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2019.107793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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