1
|
Kumari P, Agrawal P, Umarao P, Ramachandran V, Gourinath S. Identification of Small Molecule Inhibitors Targeting Phosphoserine Phosphatase: A Novel Target for the Development of Antiamoebic Drugs. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:27906-27918. [PMID: 38973836 PMCID: PMC11223228 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c09439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Amoebiasis, a widespread disease caused by the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica, poses challenges due to the adverse effects of existing antiamoebic drugs and rising drug resistance. Novel targeted drugs are in need of the hour to combat the prevalence of this disease. Given the significance of cysteine for Entamoeba survival, the rate-determining step in the serine (the sole substrate of cysteine synthesis) biosynthetic pathway, i.e., the conversion of 3-phosphoserine to l-serine catalyzed by phosphoserine phosphatase (PSP), emerges as a promising drug target. Our previous study unveils the essential role of EhPSP in amoebas' survival, particularly under oxidative stress, by increasing cysteine production. The study also revealed that EhPSP differs significantly from its human counterpart, both structurally and biochemically, highlighting its potential as a viable target for developing new antiamoebic drugs. In the present study, employing in silico screening of vast natural and synthetic small chemical compound libraries, we identified 21 potential EhPSP inhibitor molecules. Out of the 21 compounds examined, only five could inhibit the catalytic activity of EhPSP. The inhibition capability of these five compounds was subsequently validated by in silico binding free energy calculations, SPR-based real-time binding studies, and molecular simulations to assess the stability of the EhPSP-inhibitor complexes. By identifying the five potential inhibitors that can target cysteine synthesis via EhPSP, our findings establish EhPSP as a drug candidate that can serve as a foundation for antiamoebic drug research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Kumari
- International
Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110067, India
- Structural
Biology Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Prakhar Agrawal
- International
Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Preeti Umarao
- Structural
Biology Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Vijayan Ramachandran
- The
Centre for Innovation in Brain Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721, Arizona, United States
| | - Samudrala Gourinath
- Structural
Biology Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ahmad S, Zhang J, Wang H, Zhu H, Dong Q, Zong S, Wang T, Chen Y, Ge L. The Phosphoserine Phosphatase Alters the Free Amino Acid Compositions and Fecundity in Cyrtorhinus lividipennis Reuter. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232315283. [PMID: 36499611 PMCID: PMC9740327 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The mirid bug Cyrtorhinus lividipennis (Reuter) is an important predator that consumes eggs and young nymphs of the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens as a primary food source and thus becomes an important member of the rice ecosystem. We identified and characterized the ClPSP gene in C. lividipennis encoding the phosphoserine phosphatase enzyme. The ClPSP has an open reading frame (ORF) of 957 bp encoding a protein with a length of 294bp and it possesses a haloacid dehalogenase-like (HAD) hydrolase, phosphoserine phosphatase, eukaryotic-like (HAD_PSP_eu) conserved domain. Furthermore, the in silico analysis of the ClPSP gene unveiled its distinct characteristics and it serves as a key player in the modulation of amino acids. The ClPSP showed expression in all developmental stages, with higher expression observed in the ovary and fat body. Silencing the ClPSP by RNA interference (RNAi) significantly decreased PSP enzyme activity and expression compared to dsGFP at two days after emergence (2DAE). The dsPSP treatment altered free hemolymph amino acid compositions, resulting in a significant reduction of serine (Ser) and Arginine (Arg) proportions and a significant increase of Threonine (Thr), Cystine (Cys), and Tyrosine (Tyr) in the C. lividipennis female at 2 DAE. Additionally, a hindered total protein concentration in the ovary and fat body, and reduced vitellogenin (Vg) expression, body weight, and number of laid eggs, were also observed. The same treatment also prolonged the preoviposition period and hindered ovarian development. Our data, for the first time, demonstrated the influential role of the PSP gene in modulating the fecundity of C. lividipennis and provide a platform for future insect pest control programs using the PSP gene in modulating fecundity.
Collapse
|
3
|
Desure S, Mallika A, Roy M, Jyoti A, Kaushik S, Srivastava VK. The flip side of reactive oxygen species in the tropical disease-Amoebiasis. Chem Biol Drug Des 2021; 98:930-942. [PMID: 34519164 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Entamoeba histolytica is the conductive agent of amoebiasis. Upon the parasite's infection, macrophages and neutrophils are activated by interferon γ, IL-13 and tumour necrosis factor. These immune cells then carry out the amoebicidal activity by releasing nitric oxide synthase and reactive oxygen species (ROS). This review talks about the protective and destructive role of ROS in Eh. E. histolytica has defence strategies against oxidative stress which is a result of excess ROS production. They possess antioxidants for their defence such as L-Cysteine, flavodiiron proteins, peroxiredoxin and trichostatin A, which contribute to the parasite's virulence. The ROS are harmful to the host cells as excess ROS production stimulates cell death by mechanisms like apoptosis and necroptosis. NADPH oxidase (NOX) is a key source of ROS in mammalian cells and causes apoptosis of host cells via the protein kinase transduction pathway. This review provides insights into why NOX inhibitors that could be a potent antiparasitic drug, is not effective for in vivo purposes. This paper also gives an insight into a solution that could be a potent source in generating new treatment and vaccines for amoebiasis by targeting parasite development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sakshi Desure
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Jaipur, India
| | - Arya Mallika
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Jaipur, India
| | - Mrinalini Roy
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Jaipur, India
| | - Anupam Jyoti
- Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, India
| | - Sanket Kaushik
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Jaipur, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Devi S, Tomar P, Faisal Tarique K, Gourinath S. Inhibiting Pyridoxal Kinase of Entamoeba histolytica Is Lethal for This Pathogen. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:660466. [PMID: 33937101 PMCID: PMC8085340 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.660466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP) functions as a cofactor for hundreds of different enzymes that are crucial to the survival of microorganisms. PLP-dependent enzymes have been extensively characterized and proposed as drug targets in Entamoeba histolytica. This pathogen is unable to synthesize vitamin B6via de-novo pathway and relies on the uptake of vitamin B6 vitamers from the host which are then phosphorylated by the enzyme pyridoxal kinase to produce PLP, the active form of vitamin B6. Previous studies from our lab shows that EhPLK is essential for the survival and growth of this protozoan parasite and its active site differs significantly with respect to its human homologue making it a potential drug target. In-silico screening of EhPLK against small molecule libraries were performed and top five ranked molecules were shortlisted on the basis of docking scores. These compounds dock into the PLP binding site of the enzyme such that binding of these compounds hinders the binding of substrate. Of these five compounds, two compounds showed inhibitory activity with IC50 values between 100-250 μM when tested in-vitro. The effect of these compounds proved to be extremely lethal for Entamoeba trophozoites in cultured cells as the growth was hampered by 91.5% and 89.5% when grown in the presence of these compounds over the period of 72 hours.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Suneeta Devi
- Structural Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Priya Tomar
- Structural Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Khaja Faisal Tarique
- Structural Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.,Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Samudrala Gourinath
- Structural Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kumari P, Vijayan R, Gourinath S. Structural analysis of EhPSP in complex with 3-phosphoglyceric acid from Entamoeba histolytica reveals a basis for its lack of phosphoglycerate mutase activity. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 178:1-10. [PMID: 33631257 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.02.153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Entamoeba histolytica phosphoserine phosphatase (EhPSP), a regulatory enzyme in the serine biosynthetic pathway, is also a structural homolog of cofactor-dependent phosphoglycerate mutase (dPGM). However, despite sharing many of its catalytic residues with dPGM, EhPSP displays no significant mutase activity. In the current work, we determined a crystal structure of EhPSP in complex with 3-PGA to 2.5 Å resolution and observed striking differences between the orientation of 3-PGA bound to EhPSP and that to its other homologous structures. We also performed computational modeling and simulations of the intermediate 2,3-bisphosphoglyceric acid into the active site of EhPSP to better understand its mechanistic details. Based on these results and those of a similar study with the dPGMs from E. coli and B. pseudomallei, the affinity of EhPSP for 2,3-BPG was concluded to be lower than those of the other proteins. Moreover, a different set of 2,3-BPG interacting residues was observed in EhPSP compared to dPGMs, with all of the crucial interacting residues of dPGMs either missing or substituted with weakly interacting residues. This study has expanded our understanding, at the structural level, of the inability of EhPSP to catalyze the mutase reaction and has strengthened earlier conclusions indicating it to be a true phosphatase.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Kumari
- School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Singh RK, Kumar D, Gourinath S. Phosphoserine aminotransferase has conserved active site from microbes to higher eukaryotes with minor deviations. Protein Pept Lett 2021; 28:996-1008. [PMID: 33588715 DOI: 10.2174/0929866528666210215140231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Serine is ubiquitously synthesized in all living organisms from the glycolysis intermediate 3-phosphoglycerate (PGA) by phosphoserine biosynthetic pathway, consisting of three different enzymes, namely: 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PGDH), phosphoserine aminotransferase (PSAT), and phosphoserine phosphatase (PSP). Any functional defect or mutation in these enzymes may cause deliberating conditions, such as colon cancer progression and chemoresistance in humans. Phosphoserine aminotransferase (PSAT) is the second enzyme in this pathway that converts phosphohydroxypyruvate (PHP) to O-phospho-L-serine (OPLS). Humans encode two isoforms of this enzyme: PSAT1 and PSAT2. PSAT1 exists as a functional dimer, where each protomer has a large and a small domain; each large domain contains a Lys residue that covalently binds PLP. The PLP-binding site of human PSAT1 and most of its active site residues are highly conserved in all known PSAT structures except for Cys-80. Interestingly, Two PSAT structures from different organisms show halide binding near their active site. While the human PSAT1 shows a water molecule at this site with different interacting residues, suggesting the inability of halide binding in the human enzyme. Analysis of the human PSAT1 structure showed a big patch of positive charge around the active site, in contrast to the bacterial PSATs. Compared to human PSAT1, the PSAT2 isoform lacks 46 residues at its C-terminal tail. This tail region is present at the opening of the active site as observed in the other PSAT structures. Further structural work on human PSAT2 may reveal the functional importance of these 46 residues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rohit Kumar Singh
- Structural Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi - 110067. India
| | - Devbrat Kumar
- Structural Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi - 110067. India
| | - Samudrala Gourinath
- Structural Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi - 110067. India
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Karnkowska A, Treitli SC, Brzoň O, Novák L, Vacek V, Soukal P, Barlow LD, Herman EK, Pipaliya SV, Pánek T, Žihala D, Petrželková R, Butenko A, Eme L, Stairs CW, Roger AJ, Eliáš M, Dacks JB, Hampl V. The Oxymonad Genome Displays Canonical Eukaryotic Complexity in the Absence of a Mitochondrion. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 36:2292-2312. [PMID: 31387118 PMCID: PMC6759080 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery that the protist Monocercomonoides exilis completely lacks mitochondria demonstrates that these organelles are not absolutely essential to eukaryotic cells. However, the degree to which the metabolism and cellular systems of this organism have adapted to the loss of mitochondria is unknown. Here, we report an extensive analysis of the M. exilis genome to address this question. Unexpectedly, we find that M. exilis genome structure and content is similar in complexity to other eukaryotes and less "reduced" than genomes of some other protists from the Metamonada group to which it belongs. Furthermore, the predicted cytoskeletal systems, the organization of endomembrane systems, and biosynthetic pathways also display canonical eukaryotic complexity. The only apparent preadaptation that permitted the loss of mitochondria was the acquisition of the SUF system for Fe-S cluster assembly and the loss of glycine cleavage system. Changes in other systems, including in amino acid metabolism and oxidative stress response, were coincident with the loss of mitochondria but are likely adaptations to the microaerophilic and endobiotic niche rather than the mitochondrial loss per se. Apart from the lack of mitochondria and peroxisomes, we show that M. exilis is a fully elaborated eukaryotic cell that is a promising model system in which eukaryotic cell biology can be investigated in the absence of mitochondria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Karnkowska
- Department of Parasitology, BIOCEV, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic
- Department of Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Sebastian C Treitli
- Department of Parasitology, BIOCEV, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Brzoň
- Department of Parasitology, BIOCEV, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Novák
- Department of Parasitology, BIOCEV, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Vacek
- Department of Parasitology, BIOCEV, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Soukal
- Department of Parasitology, BIOCEV, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Lael D Barlow
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Emily K Herman
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Shweta V Pipaliya
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Tomáš Pánek
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - David Žihala
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Romana Petrželková
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Anzhelika Butenko
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Laura Eme
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Courtney W Stairs
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Andrew J Roger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - Marek Eliáš
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
- Institute of Environmental Technologies, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Joel B Dacks
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Vladimír Hampl
- Department of Parasitology, BIOCEV, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|