Revealing new therapeutic opportunities in hypertension through network-driven integrative genetic analysis and drug target prediction approach

Combined exercise training decreases blood pressure in OLDER women with NOS3 polymorphism providing changes in differentially methylated regions (DMRs)

The mechanisms by which the ageing process is associated to an unhealthy lifestyle and how they play an essential role in the aetiology of systemic arterial hypertension have not yet been completely elucidated. Our objective is to investigate the influence of NOS3 polymorphisms [-786T > C and (Glu298Asp)] on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) response, differentially methylated regions (DMRs), and physical fitness of adult and older women after a 14-week combined training intervention. The combined training was carried out for 14 weeks, performed 3 times a week, totalling 180 minutes weekly. The genotyping experiment used Illumina Infinium Global Screening Array version 2.0 (GSA V2.0) and Illumina's EPIC Infinium Methylation BeadChip. The participants were separated into SNP rs2070744 in TT (59.7 ± 6.2 years) and TC + CC (60.0 ± 5.2 years), and SNP rs17999 in GluGlu (58.8 ± 5.7 years) and GluAsp + AspAsp (61.6 ± 4.9 years). We observed an effect of time for variables BP, physical capacities, and cholesterol. DMRs related to SBP and DBP were identified for the rs2070744 and rs17999 groups pre- and decreased numbers of DMRs post-training. When we analysed the effect of exercise training in pre- and post-comparisons, the GluGlu SNP (rs17999) showed 10 DMRs, and after enrichment, we identified several biological biases. The combined training improved the SBP and DBP values of the participants regardless of the SNPs. In addition, exercise training affected DNA methylation differently between the groups of NOS3 polymorphisms.

Mechanistic Insight into the Enzymatic Inhibition of β-Amyrin against Mycobacterial Rv1636: In Silico and In Vitro Approaches

Simple Summary

Rv1636 is a mycobacterial universal stress protein whose expression level increases in different type of stress conditions. This protein promotes the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the host derived stress conditions generated during infection. Therefore in this manuscipt, we are trying to target Rv1636 using natural inhibitor. Targeting essential Mycobacterial protein using natural prodect was hypothesized to generate a molecule with low toxic effects and high inhibitory activity. It was found that Rv1636 contains ATPase activity and its ATPase activity gets disturbed by addition of β-Amyrin in the reaction. β-Amyrin was forund to interfere with the ATP binding site of Rv1636 which was confirmed by molecular docking anad dynamic studies. In addition to the ATPase activity, Rv1636 was also contain the cAMP binding capacity and also involved in balancing the cAMP levels inside cells. So, targeting Rv1636 using β-Amyrin disrupts its ATPase activity and cAMP regulatory activity and these conditions might make Mycobacterium tuberculosis more susceptible to the host derived stress conditions.

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has seen tremendous success as it has developed defenses to reside in host alveoli despite various host-related stress circumstances. Rv1636 is a universal stress protein contributing to mycobacterial survival in different host-derived stress conditions. Both ATP and cAMP can be bound with the Rv1636, and their binding actions are independent of one another. β-Amyrin, a triterpenoid compound, is abundant in medicinal plants and has many pharmacological properties and broad therapeutic potential. The current study uses biochemical, biophysical, and computational methods to define the binding of Rv1636 with β-Amyrin. A substantial interaction between β-Amyrin and Rv1636 was discovered by molecular docking studies, which helped decipher the critical residues involved in the binding process. VAL60 is a crucial residue found in the complexes of both Rv1636_β-Amyrin and Rv1636-ATP. Additionally, the Rv1636_β-Amyrin complex was shown to be stable by molecular dynamics simulation studies (MD), with minimal changes observed during the simulation. In silico observations were further complemented by in vitro assays. Successful cloning, expression, and purification of Rv1636 were accomplished using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. The results of the ATPase activity assay indicated that Rv1636’s ATPase activity was inhibited in the presence of various β-Amyrin concentrations. Additionally, circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) was used to examine modifications to Rv1636 secondary structure upon binding of β-Amyrin. Finally, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) advocated spontaneous binding of β-Amyrin with Rv1636 elucidating the thermodynamics of the Rv1636_β-Amyrin complex. Thus, the study establishes that β-Amyrin binds to Rv1636 with a significant affinity forming a stable complex and inhibiting its ATPase activity. The present study suggests that β-Amyrin might affect the functioning of Rv1636, which makes the bacterium vulnerable to different stress conditions.

Potential Efficacy of β-Amyrin Targeting Mycobacterial Universal Stress Protein by In Vitro and In Silico Approach

The emergence of drug resistance and the limited number of approved antitubercular drugs prompted identification and development of new antitubercular compounds to cure Tuberculosis (TB). In this work, an attempt was made to identify potential natural compounds that target mycobacterial proteins. Three plant extracts (A. aspera, C. gigantea and C. procera) were investigated. The ethyl acetate fraction of the aerial part of A. aspera and the flower ash of C. gigantea were found to be effective against M. tuberculosis H₃₇Rv. Furthermore, the GC-MS analysis of the plant fractions confirmed the presence of active compounds in the extracts. The Mycobacterium target proteins, i.e., available PDB dataset proteins and proteins classified in virulence, detoxification, and adaptation, were investigated. A total of ten target proteins were shortlisted for further study, identified as follows: BpoC, RipA, MazF4, RipD, TB15.3, VapC15, VapC20, VapC21, TB31.7, and MazF9. Molecular docking studies showed that β-amyrin interacted with most of these proteins and its highest binding affinity was observed with Mycobacterium Rv1636 (TB15.3) protein. The stability of the protein-ligand complex was assessed by molecular dynamic simulation, which confirmed that β-amyrin most firmly interacted with Rv1636 protein. Rv1636 is a universal stress protein, which regulates Mycobacterium growth in different stress conditions and, thus, targeting Rv1636 makes M. tuberculosis vulnerable to host-derived stress conditions.

The Material Basis and Mechanism of Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction in Treating Stable Angina Pectoris and Unstable Angina Pectoris

METHODS

Firstly, we used a network proximity approach to calculate and compare the effectiveness of the formula with that of Western drugs for each type of angina, including all targets and intersecting targets, from a topological perspective. Secondly, we compared the mechanisms of action of the two angina pectoris at three levels and five aspects, including conventional and modular analysis approaches. Thirdly, based on the unique functions of each angina in the complex heterogeneous network, we designed a reverse process for finding the material basis using dynamic, static, and enriched items as well as a total item. Finally, the designed inverse process, material basis, and mechanism of action were validated.

RESULTS

The target network of Xuefu Zhuyu decoction is closer to the target network of each type of angina than that of Western drugs, and the intersection targets have a closer proximity. Comparison of the mechanisms of action showed that stable angina and unstable angina had 158 common targets, while the unique targets were 34 and 1, respectively. Modularity analysis showed that the GO similarity of target modules was highly correlated with KEGG similarity. We ended up with 67 compounds upregulated for stable angina and 47 compounds upregulated for unstable angina. Our results were validated by literature mining, high-volume molecular docking, and miRNA enrichment analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

For both types of angina pectoris, Xuefu Zhuyu decoction is superior to Western drugs. A comparison of various aspects led to the unique mechanisms of action, from which the material basis of each type of angina was deduced.