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Powers AS, Pham V, Burger WAC, Thompson G, Laloudakis Y, Barnes NW, Sexton PM, Paul SM, Christopoulos A, Thal DM, Felder CC, Valant C, Dror RO. Structural basis of efficacy-driven ligand selectivity at GPCRs. Nat Chem Biol 2023; 19:805-814. [PMID: 36782010 PMCID: PMC10299909 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01247-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
A drug's selectivity for target receptors is essential to its therapeutic utility, but achieving selectivity between similar receptors is challenging. The serendipitous discovery of ligands that stimulate target receptors more strongly than closely related receptors, despite binding with similar affinities, suggests a solution. The molecular mechanism of such 'efficacy-driven selectivity' has remained unclear, however, hindering design of such ligands. Here, using atomic-level simulations, we reveal the structural basis for the efficacy-driven selectivity of a long-studied clinical drug candidate, xanomeline, between closely related muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs). Xanomeline's binding mode is similar across mAChRs in their inactive states but differs between mAChRs in their active states, with divergent effects on active-state stability. We validate this mechanism experimentally and use it to design ligands with altered efficacy-driven selectivity. Our results suggest strategies for the rational design of ligands that achieve efficacy-driven selectivity for many pharmaceutically important G-protein-coupled receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander S Powers
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Vi Pham
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Wessel A C Burger
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- ARC Centre for Cryo-Electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Geoff Thompson
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Yianni Laloudakis
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas W Barnes
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Patrick M Sexton
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- ARC Centre for Cryo-Electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Arthur Christopoulos
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- ARC Centre for Cryo-Electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Neuromedicines Discovery Center, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - David M Thal
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- ARC Centre for Cryo-Electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Celine Valant
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Ron O Dror
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Yu P, Dong WP, Tang YB, Chen HZ, Cui YY, Bian XL. Huperzine A lowers intraocular pressure via the M3 mAChR and provides retinal neuroprotection via the M1 mAChR: a promising agent for the treatment of glaucoma. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2021; 9:332. [PMID: 33708959 PMCID: PMC7944337 DOI: 10.21037/atm-20-8093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Background Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease that shares similar pathological mechanisms with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Drug treatments for glaucoma increasingly rely upon both lowering of intraocular pressure (IOP) and optic nerve protection, as lowering of IOP alone has been unsatisfactory. Huperzine A (HupA) is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI) used for AD. This study investigated the potential of HupA as a treatment for glaucoma. Methods The ability of HupA to lower IOP via causing pupil constriction was assessed using New Zealand rabbits. The retinal neuroprotective effects of HupA were assessed in vivo using rat retinas subjected to ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) and in vitro using primary retinal neurons (PRNs) suffering from oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). Results HupA caused pupil constriction in a dose-time dependent manner which was reversed by the nonselective muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) antagonist atropine and the selective M3 mAChR antagonist 4-DAMP. However, HupA had no effect on isolated iris muscle tension and calcium flow indicating an indirect M3 mAChR mediated effect. HupA exerted a neuroprotective effect against I/R and OGD to attenuate the retinal pathological lesion, improve retinal neuronal cell viability, reverse oxidative stress injury by increasing GSH levels and SOD activity, and decreasing MDA content and reduce the retinal neuronal apoptosis by decreasing Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-3 expression with no effect on the calcium flow tests. The effects were abolished by atropine and the selective M1 mAChR antagonist pirenzepine in OGD-induced PRNs suggesting an indirect M1 mAChR-mediated effect via inhibiting AChE activity to increase endogenous ACh level. Furthermore, HupA increased phosphorylated AKT level and decreased the levels of phosphorylated JNK, P38 MAPK and ERK via M1 mAChR antagonists indicating an involvement of activating the M1 mAChR and the downstream AKT/MAPK signaling pathway in the protective effects of HupA. Conclusions HupA could significantly decrease IOP via activating M3 mAChR indirectly and produce retinal neuroprotective effect through M1 mAChR/AKT/MAPK by increasing endogenous ACh level. These investigations demonstrated that HupA was an effective drug in glaucoma treatment and the clinical application of HupA and other AChEIs for glaucoma patients should be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Yu
- Department of Pharmacy, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Department of Pharmacology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen-Pei Dong
- Department of Pharmacology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Department of General Surgery, Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery Center of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ya-Bin Tang
- Department of Pharmacy, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong-Zhuan Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yong-Yao Cui
- Department of Pharmacology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Lan Bian
- Department of Pharmacy, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Wang ZP, Liu HZ, Zhu L, Hu YM, Cui YY, Niu YY, Lu Y, Chen HZ. The effect of absolute configuration on activity, subtype selectivity (M3/M2) of 3α-acyloxy-6β-acetoxyltropane derivatives as muscarinic M3 receptor antagonists. Bioorg Med Chem 2013; 21:1234-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2012.12.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2012] [Revised: 12/19/2012] [Accepted: 12/20/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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