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Collins JE, Jiang T, Lee JW, Wendt K, Nardella F, Jeon J, Paes R, Santos NM, Rocamora F, Chang M, Schaefer S, Cichewicz RH, Winzeler EA, Chakrabarti D. Understanding the Antiplasmodial Action of Resistance-Refractory Xanthoquinodin A1. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:2276-2287. [PMID: 38810215 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c00232] [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] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Our previous work identified a series of 12 xanthoquinodin analogues and 2 emodin-dianthrones with broad-spectrum activities against Trichomonas vaginalis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Cryptosporidium parvum, and Plasmodium falciparum. Analyses conducted in this study revealed that the most active analogue, xanthoquinodin A1, also inhibits Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites and the liver stage of Plasmodium berghei, with no cross-resistance to the known antimalarial targets PfACS, PfCARL, PfPI4K, or DHODH. In Plasmodium, inhibition occurs prior to multinucleation and induces parasite death following 12 h of compound exposure. This moderately fast activity has impeded resistance line generation, with xanthoquinodin A1 demonstrating an irresistible phenotype in both T. gondii and P. falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Collins
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, 12722 Research Parkway, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Tiantian Jiang
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Jin Woo Lee
- College of Pharmacy, Duksung Women's University, Seoul 01369, Republic of Korea
| | - Karen Wendt
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute for Natural Products Applications & Research Technologies, University of Oklahoma, 101 Stephenson Parkway, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
| | - Flore Nardella
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, 12722 Research Parkway, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Jin Jeon
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Raphaella Paes
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, 12722 Research Parkway, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Natalia Mojica Santos
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, 12722 Research Parkway, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Frances Rocamora
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Maya Chang
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Samuel Schaefer
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Robert H Cichewicz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute for Natural Products Applications & Research Technologies, University of Oklahoma, 101 Stephenson Parkway, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Debopam Chakrabarti
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, 12722 Research Parkway, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
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Creek D, Giannangelo C, Challis M, Siddiqui G, Edgar R, Malcolm T, Webb C, Drinkwater N, Vinh N, MacRaild C, Counihan N, Duffy S, Wittlin S, Devine S, Avery V, de Koning-Ward T, Scammells P, McGowan S. Chemoproteomics validates selective targeting of Plasmodium M1 alanyl aminopeptidase as an antimalarial strategy. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3251230. [PMID: 38746424 PMCID: PMC11092810 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3251230/v3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
New antimalarial drug candidates that act via novel mechanisms are urgently needed to combat malaria drug resistance. Here, we describe the multi-omic chemical validation of Plasmodium M1 alanyl metalloaminopeptidase as an attractive drug target using the selective inhibitor, MIPS2673. MIPS2673 demonstrated potent inhibition of recombinant Plasmodium falciparum ( Pf A-M1) and Plasmodium vivax ( Pv A-M1) M1 metalloaminopeptidases, with selectivity over other Plasmodium and human aminopeptidases, and displayed excellent in vitro antimalarial activity with no significant host cytotoxicity. Orthogonal label-free chemoproteomic methods based on thermal stability and limited proteolysis of whole parasite lysates revealed that MIPS2673 solely targets Pf A-M1 in parasites, with limited proteolysis also enabling estimation of the binding site on Pf A-M1 to within ~5 Å of that determined by X-ray crystallography. Finally, functional investigation by untargeted metabolomics demonstrated that MIPS2673 inhibits the key role of Pf A-M1 in haemoglobin digestion. Combined, our unbiased multi-omic target deconvolution methods confirmed the on-target activity of MIPS2673, and validated selective inhibition of M1 alanyl metalloaminopeptidase as a promising antimalarial strategy.
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Kieffer C, Primas N, Hutter S, Merckx A, Reininger L, Bach S, Ruchaud S, Gaillard F, Laget M, Amrane D, Hervé L, Castera-Ducros C, Renault J, Dumètre A, Rault S, Doerig C, Rathelot P, Vanelle P, Azas N, Verhaeghe P. Target fishing reveals PfPYK-1 and PfRab6 as potential targets of an antiplasmodial 4-anilino-2-trichloromethylquinazoline hit compound. Bioorg Med Chem 2024; 102:117654. [PMID: 38452406 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2024.117654] [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: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
We present investigations about the mechanism of action of a previously reported 4-anilino-2-trichloromethylquinazoline antiplasmodial hit-compound (Hit A), which did not share a common mechanism of action with established commercial antimalarials and presented a stage-specific effect on the erythrocytic cycle of P. falciparum at 8 < t < 16 h. The target of Hit A was searched by immobilising the molecule on a solid support via a linker and performing affinity chromatography on a plasmodial lysate. Several anchoring positions of the linker (6,7 and 3') and PEG-type linkers were assessed, to obtain a linked-hit molecule displaying in vitro antiplasmodial activity similar to that of unmodified Hit A. This allowed us to identify the PfPYK-1 kinase and the PfRab6 GTP-ase as potential targets of Hit A.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Kieffer
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, CERMN, 14000 Caen, France
| | - N Primas
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ICR UMR 7273, Equipe Pharmaco-Chimie Radicalaire, Faculté de Pharmacie, Marseille, France; AP-HM, Service Central de la Qualité et de l'Information Pharmaceutiques, Hôpital Conception, Marseille 13005, France
| | - S Hutter
- Aix Marseille Univ, IHU Méditerranée Infection, UMR VITROME, IRD, SSA, Mycology & Tropical Eucaryotic Pathogens, Marseille, France
| | - A Merckx
- Université Paris Cité, MERIT, IRD, Paris, France
| | - L Reininger
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR8227, Integrative Biology of Marine Models Laboratory (LBI2M), Station Biologique de Roscoff, 29680 Roscoff, France; Sorbonne Université, CNRS, FR2424, Plateforme de criblage KISSf (Kinase Inhibitor Specialized Screening Facility), Station Biologique de Roscoff, 29680 Roscoff, France
| | - S Bach
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR8227, Integrative Biology of Marine Models Laboratory (LBI2M), Station Biologique de Roscoff, 29680 Roscoff, France; Sorbonne Université, CNRS, FR2424, Plateforme de criblage KISSf (Kinase Inhibitor Specialized Screening Facility), Station Biologique de Roscoff, 29680 Roscoff, France
| | - S Ruchaud
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR8227, Integrative Biology of Marine Models Laboratory (LBI2M), Station Biologique de Roscoff, 29680 Roscoff, France; Sorbonne Université, CNRS, FR2424, Plateforme de criblage KISSf (Kinase Inhibitor Specialized Screening Facility), Station Biologique de Roscoff, 29680 Roscoff, France
| | - F Gaillard
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR8227, Integrative Biology of Marine Models Laboratory (LBI2M), Station Biologique de Roscoff, 29680 Roscoff, France; Sorbonne Université, CNRS, FR2424, Plateforme de criblage KISSf (Kinase Inhibitor Specialized Screening Facility), Station Biologique de Roscoff, 29680 Roscoff, France
| | - M Laget
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERMN, SSA, MCT, Marseille, France
| | - D Amrane
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ICR UMR 7273, Equipe Pharmaco-Chimie Radicalaire, Faculté de Pharmacie, Marseille, France
| | - L Hervé
- Université Paris Cité, MERIT, IRD, Paris, France
| | - C Castera-Ducros
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ICR UMR 7273, Equipe Pharmaco-Chimie Radicalaire, Faculté de Pharmacie, Marseille, France; AP-HM, Service Central de la Qualité et de l'Information Pharmaceutiques, Hôpital Conception, Marseille 13005, France
| | - J Renault
- Université de Rennes - Faculté de Pharmacie, ISCR UMR CNRS 6226, Equipe CORINT, Rennes, France
| | - A Dumètre
- Aix Marseille Univ, IHU Méditerranée Infection, UMR VITROME, IRD, SSA, Mycology & Tropical Eucaryotic Pathogens, Marseille, France
| | - S Rault
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, CERMN, 14000 Caen, France
| | - C Doerig
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
| | - P Rathelot
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ICR UMR 7273, Equipe Pharmaco-Chimie Radicalaire, Faculté de Pharmacie, Marseille, France; AP-HM, Service Central de la Qualité et de l'Information Pharmaceutiques, Hôpital Conception, Marseille 13005, France
| | - P Vanelle
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ICR UMR 7273, Equipe Pharmaco-Chimie Radicalaire, Faculté de Pharmacie, Marseille, France; AP-HM, Service Central de la Qualité et de l'Information Pharmaceutiques, Hôpital Conception, Marseille 13005, France
| | - N Azas
- Aix Marseille Univ, IHU Méditerranée Infection, UMR VITROME, IRD, SSA, Mycology & Tropical Eucaryotic Pathogens, Marseille, France.
| | - P Verhaeghe
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, DPM UMR 5063, F-38041 Grenoble, France; LCC-CNRS Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France; Service de Pharmacie, CHU de Nîmes, Place R. Debré, Nîmes, France.
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Pal K, Lala S, Agarwal P, Patel TS, Legac J, Rahman MA, Ahmedi S, Shahid N, Singh S, Kumari K, Madhav H, Sen A, Manzoor N, Dixit BC, Van Zyl R, Rosenthal PJ, Hoda N. Naphthyl bearing 1,3,4-thiadiazoleacetamides targeting the parasitic folate pathway as anti-infectious agents: in silico, synthesis, and biological approach. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:2768-2781. [PMID: 38107179 PMCID: PMC10718588 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00423f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria is still a complex and lethal parasitic infectious disease, despite the availability of effective antimalarial drugs. Resistance of malaria parasites to current treatments necessitates new antimalarials targeting P. falciparum proteins. The present study reported the design and synthesis of a series of a 2-(4-substituted piperazin-1-yl)-N-(5-((naphthalen-2-yloxy)methyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)acetamide hybrids for the inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (PfDHFR) using computational biology tools followed by chemical synthesis, structural characterization, and functional analysis. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antimalarial activity against CQ-sensitive PfNF54 and CQ-resistant PfW2 strain. Compounds T5 and T6 are the most active compounds having anti-plasmodial activity against PfNF54 with IC50 values of 0.94 and 3.46 μM respectively. Compound T8 is the most active against the PfW2 strain having an IC50 of 3.91 μM. Further, these active hybrids (T5, T6, and T8) were also evaluated for enzyme inhibition assay against PfDHFR. All the tested compounds were non-toxic against the Hek293 cell line with good selectivity indices. Hemolysis assay also showed non-toxicity of these compounds on normal uninfected human RBCs. In silico molecular docking studies were carried out in the binding pocket of both the wild-type and quadruple mutant Pf-DHFR-TS to gain further insights into probable modes of action of active compounds. ADME prediction and physiochemical properties support their drug-likeness. Additionally, they were screened for antileishmanial activity against L. donovani promastigotes to explore broader applications. Thus, this study provides molecular frameworks for developing potent antimalarials and antileishmanial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kavita Pal
- Drug Design and Synthesis Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi 110025 India +91 11 26985507 +91 9910200655
| | - Sahil Lala
- Pharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand South Africa
- Wits Institute for Research Malaria (WRIM), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand South Africa
| | - Priyanka Agarwal
- Pharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand South Africa
- Wits Institute for Research Malaria (WRIM), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand South Africa
| | - Tarosh S Patel
- Chemistry Department, V. P. & R. P. T. P Science College, Affiliated to Sardar Patel University Vallabh Vidyanagar 388 120 Gujarat India
| | - Jenny Legac
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco CA USA
| | - Md Ataur Rahman
- Chemistry Program, New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
| | - Saiema Ahmedi
- Medical Mycology Lab, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi 110025 India
| | - Nida Shahid
- Department of Chemistry, Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi India
| | - Sneha Singh
- Department of Molecular Biology, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences Bihar India
| | - Kajal Kumari
- Department of Molecular Biology, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences Bihar India
| | - Hari Madhav
- Drug Design and Synthesis Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi 110025 India +91 11 26985507 +91 9910200655
| | - Abhik Sen
- Department of Molecular Biology, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences Bihar India
| | - Nikhat Manzoor
- Medical Mycology Lab, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi 110025 India
| | - Bharat C Dixit
- Chemistry Department, V. P. & R. P. T. P Science College, Affiliated to Sardar Patel University Vallabh Vidyanagar 388 120 Gujarat India
| | - Robyn Van Zyl
- Pharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand South Africa
- Wits Institute for Research Malaria (WRIM), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand South Africa
| | | | - Nasimul Hoda
- Drug Design and Synthesis Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi 110025 India +91 11 26985507 +91 9910200655
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Imlay LS, Lawong AK, Gahalawat S, Kumar A, Xing C, Mittal N, Wittlin S, Churchyard A, Niederstrasser H, Crespo-Fernandez B, Posner BA, Gamo FJ, Baum J, Winzeler EA, LALEU B, Ready JM, Phillips MA. Fast-Killing Tyrosine Amide (( S)-SW228703) with Blood- and Liver-Stage Antimalarial Activity Associated with the Cyclic Amine Resistance Locus ( PfCARL). ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:527-539. [PMID: 36763526 PMCID: PMC10053980 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Current malaria treatments are threatened by drug resistance, and new drugs are urgently needed. In a phenotypic screen for new antimalarials, we identified (S)-SW228703 ((S)-SW703), a tyrosine amide with asexual blood and liver stage activity and a fast-killing profile. Resistance to (S)-SW703 is associated with mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum cyclic amine resistance locus (PfCARL) and P. falciparum acetyl CoA transporter (PfACT), similarly to several other compounds that share features such as fast activity and liver-stage activity. Compounds with these resistance mechanisms are thought to act in the ER, though their targets are unknown. The tyramine of (S)-SW703 is shared with some reported PfCARL-associated compounds; however, we observed that strict S-stereochemistry was required for the activity of (S)-SW703, suggesting differences in the mechanism of action or binding mode. (S)-SW703 provides a new chemical series with broad activity for multiple life-cycle stages and a fast-killing mechanism of action, available for lead optimization to generate new treatments for malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah S. Imlay
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Aloysus K. Lawong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Suraksha Gahalawat
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Ashwani Kumar
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Chao Xing
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
- Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Nimisha Mittal
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Sergio Wittlin
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4002, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, 4002, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Alisje Churchyard
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Hanspeter Niederstrasser
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | | | - Bruce A. Posner
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | | | - Jake Baum
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Elizabeth A. Winzeler
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Benoît LALEU
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, 1215 Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - Joseph M. Ready
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Margaret A. Phillips
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
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Abumsimir B, Al-Qaisi TS. The next generation of malaria treatments: the great expectations. Future Sci OA 2023; 9:FSO834. [PMID: 37009056 PMCID: PMC10061259 DOI: 10.2144/fsoa-2023-0018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Berjas Abumsimir
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Pharmacological & Diagnostic Research Centre (PDRC), Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Al-Ahliyya Amman University (AAU), Amman, 19328, Jordan
| | - Talal S Al-Qaisi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Pharmacological & Diagnostic Research Centre (PDRC), Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Al-Ahliyya Amman University (AAU), Amman, 19328, Jordan
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Oduselu GO, Afolabi R, Ademuwagun I, Vaughan A, Adebiyi E. Structure-based pharmacophore modeling, virtual screening, and molecular dynamics simulation studies for identification of Plasmodium falciparum 5-aminolevulinate synthase inhibitors. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 9:1022429. [PMID: 36714108 PMCID: PMC9877529 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.1022429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) 5-aminolevulinic acid synthase (5-ALAS) is an essential enzyme with high selectivity during liver stage development, signifying its potential as a prophylactic antimalarial drug target. The aim of this study was to identify important potential lead compounds which can serve as inhibitors of Pf 5-ALAS using pharmacophore modeling, virtual screening, qualitative structural assessment, in silico ADMET (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion and Toxicity) evaluation and molecular dynamics simulation. The best model of the tertiary structure of Pf 5-ALAS was obtained using MolProbity, while the following databases were explored for the pharmacophore-based virtual screening: CHEMBL, ChemDiv, ChemSpace, MCULE, MCULE-ULTIMATE, MolPort, NCI Open Chemical Repository, LabNetwork and ZINC databases. 2,621 compounds were screened against the modeled Pf 5-ALAS using AutoDock vina. The post-screening analysis was carried out using Discovery Studio while molecular dynamics simulation was performed on the best hits using NAMD-VMD and Galaxy Europe platform. Compound CSMS00081585868 was observed as the best hit with a binding affinity of -9.9 kcal/mol and predicted Ki of 52.10 nM, engaging in seven hydrogen bonds with the target's active site amino acid residues. The in silico ADMET prediction showed that all ten best hits possessed relatively good pharmacokinetic properties. The qualitative structural assessment of the best hit, CSMS00081585868, revealed that the presence of two pyridine scaffolds bearing hydroxy and fluorine groups linked by a pyrrolidine scaffold contributed significantly to its ability to have a strong binding affinity with the receptor. The best hit also showed stability in the active site of Pf 5-ALAS as confirmed from the RMSD obtained during the MD simulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gbolahan O. Oduselu
- Covenant University Bioinformatics Research (CUBRe), Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
- Department of Chemistry, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - Rufus Afolabi
- Covenant University Bioinformatics Research (CUBRe), Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
- Department of Biochemistry, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - Ibitayo Ademuwagun
- Covenant University Bioinformatics Research (CUBRe), Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
- Department of Biochemistry, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - Ashley Vaughan
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Ezekiel Adebiyi
- Covenant University Bioinformatics Research (CUBRe), Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
- Department of Computer and Information Science, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
- Covenant Applied Informatics and Communications ACE (CApIC-ACE), Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
- Division of Applied Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
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New Derivatives of the Multi-Stage Active Malaria Box Compound MMV030666 and Their Antiplasmodial Potencies. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15121503. [PMID: 36558954 PMCID: PMC9783227 DOI: 10.3390/ph15121503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
MMV's Malaria Box compound MMV030666 shows multi-stage activity against various strains of Plasmodium falciparum and lacks resistance development. To evaluate the importance of its diarylether partial structure, diarylthioethers and diphenylamines with varying substitution patterns were prepared. A number of evident structure-activity relationships were revealed. Physicochemical and pharmacokinetic parameters were determined experimentally (passive permeability) or calculated. Compared to the lead compound a diarylthioether was more active and less cytotoxic resulting in an excellent selectivity index of 850. In addition, pharmacokinetic and physicochemical parameters were improved.
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Makmur T, Siregar FA, Siregar S, Lubis IA, Bestari R, Zein U. Open Clinical Trial of Sambiloto ( Andrographis paniculata) Ethanolic Extract Capsules in Treatment of Malaria Patients in Batubara District, Indonesia. Med Arch 2022; 76:419-425. [PMID: 36937606 PMCID: PMC10019863 DOI: 10.5455/medarh.2022.76.419-425] [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: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Malaria infection is still a public health problem in Indonesia. One of the problems in combating malaria in Indonesia is the limited kind of antimalarial drugs provided by the government. Sambiloto (Andrographis paniculata) extract has been shown to have antimalarial activity in human clinical trials. Aim To assess the ability of a single A. paniculata ethanolic extract capsule to treat malaria in humans caused by Plasmodium falciparum or P. vivax alone or mixed infections of both. Methods An open clinical trial was conducted in Batubara District, Sumatra Utara Province, Indonesia, a malaria-endemic area. Sixty-nine malaria patients found in the field were diagnosed microscopically as malaria vivax, malaria falciparum, and mixed infections uncomplicated malaria with 12 years old and above. Previously all patients signed informed consent. All patients have been treated with A. paniculata ethanolic extract capsules 250 mg thrice a day for five days. Parasite density was calculated from D0, D1, D2, D3, D7, D14, and D28. Results The efficacy of A . paniculata ethanolic extract capsules 250 mg thrice a day for five days against malaria vivax, malaria falciparum, and mixed malaria patients was 94.2%. There are no side effects were found during treatment. Conclusion A. paniculata ethanolic extract can be used as an alternative antimalarial candidate derived from native Indonesian medicinal plants or as an adjunct in standard treatment for malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tri Makmur
- Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia
| | | | - Sahat Siregar
- Dr. Umar Zein Tropical Diseases and Infectious Clinic, Medan, Indonesia
| | | | - Ramadhan Bestari
- Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia
| | - Umar Zein
- Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia
- Dr. Umar Zein Tropical Diseases and Infectious Clinic, Medan, Indonesia
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10
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Sharma A, Cipriano M, Ferrins L, Hajduk SL, Mensa-Wilmot K. Hypothesis-generating proteome perturbation to identify NEU-4438 and acoziborole modes of action in the African Trypanosome. iScience 2022; 25:105302. [PMID: 36304107 PMCID: PMC9593816 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
NEU-4438 is a lead for the development of drugs against Trypanosoma brucei, which causes human African trypanosomiasis. Optimized with phenotypic screening, targets of NEU-4438 are unknown. Herein, we present a cell perturbome workflow that compares NEU-4438's molecular modes of action to those of SCYX-7158 (acoziborole). Following a 6 h perturbation of trypanosomes, NEU-4438 and acoziborole reduced steady-state amounts of 68 and 92 unique proteins, respectively. After analysis of proteomes, hypotheses formulated for modes of action were tested: Acoziborole and NEU-4438 have different modes of action. Whereas NEU-4438 prevented DNA biosynthesis and basal body maturation, acoziborole destabilized CPSF3 and other proteins, inhibited polypeptide translation, and reduced endocytosis of haptoglobin-hemoglobin. These data point to CPSF3-independent modes of action for acoziborole. In case of polypharmacology, the cell-perturbome workflow elucidates modes of action because it is target-agnostic. Finally, the workflow can be used in any cell that is amenable to proteomic and molecular biology experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrita Sharma
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USA
| | - Michael Cipriano
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Lori Ferrins
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Stephen L. Hajduk
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Kojo Mensa-Wilmot
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USA,Corresponding author
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11
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Schmidt H, Mauer K, Glaser M, Dezfuli BS, Hellmann SL, Silva Gomes AL, Butter F, Wade RC, Hankeln T, Herlyn H. Identification of antiparasitic drug targets using a multi-omics workflow in the acanthocephalan model. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:677. [PMID: 36180835 PMCID: PMC9523657 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08882-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 08/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background With the expansion of animal production, parasitic helminths are gaining increasing economic importance. However, application of several established deworming agents can harm treated hosts and environment due to their low specificity. Furthermore, the number of parasite strains showing resistance is growing, while hardly any new anthelminthics are being developed. Here, we present a bioinformatics workflow designed to reduce the time and cost in the development of new strategies against parasites. The workflow includes quantitative transcriptomics and proteomics, 3D structure modeling, binding site prediction, and virtual ligand screening. Its use is demonstrated for Acanthocephala (thorny-headed worms) which are an emerging pest in fish aquaculture. We included three acanthocephalans (Pomphorhynchus laevis, Neoechinorhynchus agilis, Neoechinorhynchus buttnerae) from four fish species (common barbel, European eel, thinlip mullet, tambaqui). Results The workflow led to eleven highly specific candidate targets in acanthocephalans. The candidate targets showed constant and elevated transcript abundances across definitive and accidental hosts, suggestive of constitutive expression and functional importance. Hence, the impairment of the corresponding proteins should enable specific and effective killing of acanthocephalans. Candidate targets were also highly abundant in the acanthocephalan body wall, through which these gutless parasites take up nutrients. Thus, the candidate targets are likely to be accessible to compounds that are orally administered to fish. Virtual ligand screening led to ten compounds, of which five appeared to be especially promising according to ADMET, GHS, and RO5 criteria: tadalafil, pranazepide, piketoprofen, heliomycin, and the nematicide derquantel. Conclusions The combination of genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics led to a broadly applicable procedure for the cost- and time-saving identification of candidate target proteins in parasites. The ligands predicted to bind can now be further evaluated for their suitability in the control of acanthocephalans. The workflow has been deposited at the Galaxy workflow server under the URL tinyurl.com/yx72rda7. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08882-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanno Schmidt
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Anthropology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany. .,Present address: Institute for Virology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Katharina Mauer
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Anthropology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Manuel Glaser
- Molecular and Cellular Modeling, Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Sören Lukas Hellmann
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Molecular Genetics and Genomic Analysis, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.,Present address: Nucleic Acids Core Facility, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Falk Butter
- Quantitative Proteomics, Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), Mainz, Germany
| | - Rebecca C Wade
- Molecular and Cellular Modeling, Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Heidelberg, Germany.,Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH) and Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Hankeln
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Molecular Genetics and Genomic Analysis, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Holger Herlyn
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Anthropology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
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12
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Tye MA, Payne NC, Johansson C, Singh K, Santos SA, Fagbami L, Pant A, Sylvester K, Luth MR, Marques S, Whitman M, Mota MM, Winzeler EA, Lukens AK, Derbyshire ER, Oppermann U, Wirth DF, Mazitschek R. Elucidating the path to Plasmodium prolyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitors that overcome halofuginone resistance. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4976. [PMID: 36008486 PMCID: PMC9403976 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32630-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of next-generation antimalarials that are efficacious against the human liver and asexual blood stages is recognized as one of the world's most pressing public health challenges. In recent years, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, including prolyl-tRNA synthetase, have emerged as attractive targets for malaria chemotherapy. We describe the development of a single-step biochemical assay for Plasmodium and human prolyl-tRNA synthetases that overcomes critical limitations of existing technologies and enables quantitative inhibitor profiling with high sensitivity and flexibility. Supported by this assay platform and co-crystal structures of representative inhibitor-target complexes, we develop a set of high-affinity prolyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitors, including previously elusive aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase triple-site ligands that simultaneously engage all three substrate-binding pockets. Several compounds exhibit potent dual-stage activity against Plasmodium parasites and display good cellular host selectivity. Our data inform the inhibitor requirements to overcome existing resistance mechanisms and establish a path for rational development of prolyl-tRNA synthetase-targeted anti-malarial therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Tye
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - N Connor Payne
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Catrine Johansson
- Botnar Research Centre, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kritika Singh
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sofia A Santos
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lọla Fagbami
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Akansha Pant
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Madeline R Luth
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sofia Marques
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Malcolm Whitman
- Department of Developmental Biology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maria M Mota
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Udo Oppermann
- Botnar Research Centre, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Dyann F Wirth
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ralph Mazitschek
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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13
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Parasite Viability as a Measure of In Vivo Drug Activity in Preclinical and Early Clinical Antimalarial Drug Assessment. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2022; 66:e0011422. [PMID: 35727057 PMCID: PMC9295577 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00114-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The rate at which parasitemia declines in a host after treatment with an antimalarial drug is a major metric for assessment of antimalarial drug activity in preclinical models and in early clinical trials. However, this metric does not distinguish between viable and nonviable parasites. Thus, enumeration of parasites may result in underestimation of drug activity for some compounds, potentially confounding its use as a metric for assessing antimalarial activity in vivo. Here, we report a study of the effect of artesunate on Plasmodium falciparum viability in humans and in mice. We first measured the drug effect in mice by estimating the decrease in parasite viability after treatment using two independent approaches to estimate viability. We demonstrate that, as previously reported in humans, parasite viability declines much faster after artesunate treatment than does the decline in parasitemia (termed parasite clearance). We also observed that artesunate kills parasites faster at higher concentrations, which is not discernible from the traditional parasite clearance curve and that each subsequent dose of artesunate maintains its killing effect. Furthermore, based on measures of parasite viability, we could accurately predict the in vivo recrudescence of infection. Finally, using pharmacometrics modeling, we show that the apparent differences in the antimalarial activity of artesunate in mice and humans are partly explained by differences in host removal of dead parasites in the two hosts. However, these differences, along with different pharmacokinetic profiles, do not fully account for the differences in activity. (This study has been registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry under identifier ACTRN12617001394336.)
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14
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High-Throughput Screening Platform To Identify Inhibitors of Protein Synthesis with Potential for the Treatment of Malaria. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2022; 66:e0023722. [PMID: 35647647 PMCID: PMC9211397 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00237-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Artemisinin-based combination therapies have been crucial in driving down the global burden of malaria, the world’s largest parasitic killer. However, their efficacy is now threatened by the emergence of resistance in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop new antimalarials with diverse mechanisms of action. One area of Plasmodium metabolism that has recently proven rich in exploitable antimalarial targets is protein synthesis, with a compound targeting elongation factor 2 now in clinical development and inhibitors of several aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases in lead optimization. Given the promise of these components of translation as viable drug targets, we rationalized that an assay containing all functional components of translation would be a valuable tool for antimalarial screening and drug discovery. Here, we report the development and validation of an assay platform that enables specific inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum translation (PfIVT) to be identified. The primary assay in this platform monitors the translation of a luciferase reporter in a P. falciparum lysate-based expression system. Hits identified in this primary assay are assessed in a counterscreen assay that enables false positives that directly interfere with the luciferase to be triaged. The remaining hit compounds are then assessed in an equivalent human IVT assay. This platform of assays was used to screen MMV’s Pandemic and Pathogen Box libraries, identifying several selective inhibitors of protein synthesis. We believe this new high-throughput screening platform has the potential to greatly expedite the discovery of antimalarials that act via this highly desirable mechanism of action.
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15
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PfMDR1 Transport Rates Assessed in Intact Isolated Plasmodium falciparum Digestive Vacuoles Reflect Functional Drug Resistance Relationship with pfmdr1 Mutations. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15020202. [PMID: 35215316 PMCID: PMC8875337 DOI: 10.3390/ph15020202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug resistance often emerges from mutations in solute transporters. Single amino acid exchanges may alter functionality of transporters with ‘de novo’ ability to transport drugs away from their site of action. The PfMDR1 transporter (or P-glycoprotein 1) is located in the membrane of the digestive vacuole (DV), functions as an ATP-dependent pump, and transports substrates into the DV. In this study, four strains of Plasmodium falciparum, carrying various pfmdr1 gene mutations, were analysed for their transport characteristics of Fluo-4 in isolated DVs of parasites. To obtain quantitative estimates for PfMDR1 DV surface expression, PfMDR1 protein amounts on each strain’s DV membrane were evaluated by quantitative ELISA. Fluo-4, acting as a substrate for PfMDR1, was applied in DV uptake assays (‘reverse Ca2+ imaging’). Viable DVs were isolated from trophozoite stages with preserved PfMDR1 activity. This newly developed assay enabled us to measure the number of Fluo-4 molecules actively transported into isolated DVs per PfMDR1 molecule. The drug-resistant strain Dd2 presented the highest transport rates, followed by K1 and the drug-sensitive strain 3D7, compatible with their copy numbers. With this assay, an evaluation of the probability of resistance formation for newly developed drugs can be implemented in early stages of drug development.
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16
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Chahine Z, Le Roch KG. Decrypting the complexity of the human malaria parasite biology through systems biology approaches. FRONTIERS IN SYSTEMS BIOLOGY 2022; 2:940321. [PMID: 37200864 PMCID: PMC10191146 DOI: 10.3389/fsysb.2022.940321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, is a unicellular protozoan responsible for over half a million deaths annually. With a complex life cycle alternating between human and invertebrate hosts, this apicomplexan is notoriously adept at evading host immune responses and developing resistance to all clinically administered treatments. Advances in omics-based technologies, increased sensitivity of sequencing platforms and enhanced CRISPR based gene editing tools, have given researchers access to more in-depth and untapped information about this enigmatic micro-organism, a feat thought to be infeasible in the past decade. Here we discuss some of the most important scientific achievements made over the past few years with a focus on novel technologies and platforms that set the stage for subsequent discoveries. We also describe some of the systems-based methods applied to uncover gaps of knowledge left through single-omics applications with the hope that we will soon be able to overcome the spread of this life-threatening disease.
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17
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Chakraborti S, Chhibber-Goel J, Sharma A. Drug targeting of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases in Anopheles species and Aedes aegypti that cause malaria and dengue. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:605. [PMID: 34895309 PMCID: PMC8665550 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-05106-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mosquito-borne diseases have a devastating impact on human civilization. A few species of Anopheles mosquitoes are responsible for malaria transmission, and while there has been a reduction in malaria-related deaths worldwide, growing insecticide resistance is a cause for concern. Aedes mosquitoes are known vectors of viral infections, including dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are key players in protein synthesis and are potent anti-infective drug targets. The structure-function activity relationship of aaRSs in mosquitoes (in particular, Anopheles and Aedes spp.) remains unexplored. METHODS We employed computational techniques to identify aaRSs from five different mosquito species (Anopheles culicifacies, Anopheles stephensi, Anopheles gambiae, Anopheles minimus, and Aedes aegypti). The VectorBase database ( https://vectorbase.org/vectorbase/app ) and web-based tools were utilized to predict the subcellular localizations (TargetP-2.0, UniProt, DeepLoc-1.0), physicochemical characteristics (ProtParam), and domain arrangements (PfAM, InterPro) of the aaRSs. Structural models for prolyl (PRS)-, and phenylalanyl (FRS)-tRNA synthetases-were generated using the I-TASSER and Phyre protein modeling servers. RESULTS Among the vector species, a total of 37 (An. gambiae), 37 (An. culicifacies), 37 (An. stephensi), 37 (An. minimus), and 35 (Ae. aegypti) different aaRSs were characterized within their respective mosquito genomes. Sequence identity amongst the aaRSs from the four Anopheles spp. was > 80% and in Ae. aegypti was > 50%. CONCLUSIONS Structural analysis of two important aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases [prolyl (PRS) and phenylanalyl (FRS)] of Anopheles spp. suggests structural and sequence similarity with potential antimalarial inhibitor [halofuginone (HF) and bicyclic azetidine (BRD1369)] binding sites. This suggests the potential for repurposing of these inhibitors against the studied Anopheles spp. and Ae. aegypti.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jyoti Chhibber-Goel
- Molecular Medicine, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
| | - Amit Sharma
- Molecular Medicine Group, National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
- Molecular Medicine, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
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18
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Synthesis and Structure-Activity Relationships of New 2-Phenoxybenzamides with Antiplasmodial Activity. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14111109. [PMID: 34832891 PMCID: PMC8625693 DOI: 10.3390/ph14111109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The 2-phenoxybenzamide 1 from the Medicines for Malaria Venture Malaria Box Project has shown promising multi-stage activity against different strains of P. falciparum. It was successfully synthesized via a retrosynthetic approach. Subsequently, twenty-one new derivatives were prepared and tested for their in vitro activity against blood stages of the NF54 strain of P. falciparum. Several insights into structure-activity relationships were revealed. The antiplasmodial activity and cytotoxicity of compounds strongly depended on the substitution pattern of the anilino partial structure as well as on the size of substituents. The diaryl ether partial structure had further impacts on the activity. Additionally, several physicochemical and pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated (log P, log D7.4 and ligand efficiency) or determined experimentally (passive permeability and CYP3A4 inhibition). The tert-butyl-4-{4-[2-(4-fluorophenoxy)-3-(trifluoromethyl)benzamido]phenyl}piperazine-1-carboxylate possesses high antiplasmodial activity against P. falciparum NF54 (PfNF54 IC50 = 0.2690 µM) and very low cytotoxicity (L-6 cells IC50 = 124.0 µM) resulting in an excellent selectivity index of 460. Compared to the lead structure 1 the antiplasmodial activity was improved as well as the physicochemical and some pharmacokinetic parameters.
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19
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Niemand J, van Biljon R, van der Watt M, van Heerden A, Reader J, van Wyk R, Orchard L, Chibale K, Llinás M, Birkholtz LM. Chemogenomic Fingerprints Associated with Stage-Specific Gametocytocidal Compound Action against Human Malaria Parasites. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:2904-2916. [PMID: 34569223 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00373] [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] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Kinase-focused inhibitors previously revealed compounds with differential activity against different stages of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes. MMV666810, a 2-aminopyrazine, is more active on late-stage gametocytes, while a pyrazolopyridine, MMV674850, preferentially targets early-stage gametocytes. Here, we probe the biological mechanisms underpinning this differential stage-specific killing using in-depth transcriptome fingerprinting. Compound-specific chemogenomic profiles were observed with MMV674850 treatment associated with biological processes shared between asexual blood stage parasites and early-stage gametocytes but not late-stage gametocytes. MMV666810 has a distinct profile with clustered gene sets associated primarily with late-stage gametocyte development, including Ca2+-dependent protein kinases (CDPK1 and 5) and serine/threonine protein kinases (FIKK). Chemogenomic profiling therefore highlights essential processes in late-stage gametocytes, on a transcriptional level. This information is important to prioritize compounds that preferentially compromise late-stage gametocytes for further development as transmission-blocking antimalarials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jandeli Niemand
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
- Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - Riëtte van Biljon
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - Mariëtte van der Watt
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - Ashleigh van Heerden
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - Janette Reader
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - Roelof van Wyk
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - Lindsey Orchard
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and the Huck Centre for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Kelly Chibale
- Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council, Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of Chemistry and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Manuel Llinás
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and the Huck Centre for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Lyn-Marié Birkholtz
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
- Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
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20
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Forte B, Ottilie S, Plater A, Campo B, Dechering KJ, Gamo FJ, Goldberg DE, Istvan ES, Lee M, Lukens AK, McNamara CW, Niles JC, Okombo J, Pasaje CFA, Siegel MG, Wirth D, Wyllie S, Fidock DA, Baragaña B, Winzeler EA, Gilbert IH. Prioritization of Molecular Targets for Antimalarial Drug Discovery. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:2764-2776. [PMID: 34523908 PMCID: PMC8608365 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
![]()
There is a shift
in antimalarial drug discovery from phenotypic
screening toward target-based approaches, as more potential drug targets
are being validated in Plasmodium species. Given
the high attrition rate and high cost of drug discovery, it is important
to select the targets most likely to deliver progressible drug candidates.
In this paper, we describe the criteria that we consider important
for selecting targets for antimalarial drug discovery. We describe
the analysis of a number of drug targets in the Malaria Drug Accelerator
(MalDA) pipeline, which has allowed us to prioritize targets that
are ready to enter the drug discovery process. This selection process
has also highlighted where additional data are required to inform
target progression or deprioritization of other targets. Finally,
we comment on how additional drug targets may be identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Forte
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Sabine Ottilie
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Andrew Plater
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Brice Campo
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, 1215 Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Daniel E. Goldberg
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine and Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Eva S. Istvan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine and Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Marcus Lee
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
| | - Amanda K. Lukens
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Case W. McNamara
- Calibr, a Division of The Scripps Research Institute, 11119 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Jacquin C. Niles
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge Massachusetts 02139-4307, United States
| | - John Okombo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Charisse Flerida A. Pasaje
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge Massachusetts 02139-4307, United States
| | | | - Dyann Wirth
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Susan Wyllie
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - David A. Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Beatriz Baragaña
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth A. Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Ian H. Gilbert
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
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21
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Lu KY, Mansfield CR, Fitzgerald MC, Derbyshire ER. Chemoproteomics for Plasmodium Parasite Drug Target Discovery. Chembiochem 2021; 22:2591-2599. [PMID: 33999499 PMCID: PMC8373781 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Emerging Plasmodium parasite drug resistance is threatening progress towards malaria control and elimination. While recent efforts in cell-based, high-throughput drug screening have produced first-in-class drugs with promising activities against different Plasmodium life cycle stages, most of these antimalarial agents have elusive mechanisms of action. Though challenging to address, target identification can provide valuable information to facilitate lead optimization and preclinical drug prioritization. Recently, proteome-wide methods for direct assessment of drug-protein interactions have emerged as powerful tools in a number of systems, including Plasmodium. In this review, we will discuss current chemoproteomic strategies that have been adapted to antimalarial drug target discovery, including affinity- and activity-based protein profiling and the energetics-based techniques thermal proteome profiling and stability of proteins from rates of oxidation. The successful application of chemoproteomics to the Plasmodium blood stage highlights the potential of these methods to link inhibitors to their molecular targets in more elusive Plasmodium life stages and intracellular pathogens in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan-Yi Lu
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, 213 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Christopher R Mansfield
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, 213 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Michael C Fitzgerald
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Emily R Derbyshire
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, 213 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, 124 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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22
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Cheeseman K, Jannot G, Lourenço N, Villares M, Berthelet J, Calegari-Silva T, Hamroune J, Letourneur F, Rodrigues-Lima F, Weitzman JB. Dynamic methylation of histone H3K18 in differentiating Theileria parasites. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3221. [PMID: 34050145 PMCID: PMC8163883 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23477-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Lysine methylation on histone tails impacts genome regulation and cell fate determination in many developmental processes. Apicomplexa intracellular parasites cause major diseases and they have developed complex life cycles with fine-tuned differentiation events. Yet, apicomplexa genomes have few transcription factors and little is known about their epigenetic control systems. Tick-borne Theileria apicomplexa species have relatively small, compact genomes and a remarkable ability to transform leucocytes in their bovine hosts. Here we report enriched H3 lysine 18 monomethylation (H3K18me1) on the gene bodies of repressed genes in Theileria macroschizonts. Differentiation to merozoites (merogony) leads to decreased H3K18me1 in parasite nuclei. Pharmacological manipulation of H3K18 acetylation or methylation impacted parasite differentiation and expression of stage-specific genes. Finally, we identify a parasite SET-domain methyltransferase (TaSETup1) that can methylate H3K18 and represses gene expression. Thus, H3K18me1 emerges as an important epigenetic mark which controls gene expression and stage differentiation in Theileria parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Cheeseman
- Université de Paris, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Guillaume Jannot
- Université de Paris, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Nelly Lourenço
- Université de Paris, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Marie Villares
- Université de Paris, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Jérémy Berthelet
- Université de Paris, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, CNRS, Paris, France.,Université de Paris, Functional and Adaptive Biology, CNRS, Paris, France
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23
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Duffey M, Blasco B, Burrows JN, Wells TNC, Fidock DA, Leroy D. Assessing risks of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to select next-generation antimalarials. Trends Parasitol 2021; 37:709-721. [PMID: 34001441 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2021.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Strategies to counteract or prevent emerging drug resistance are crucial for the design of next-generation antimalarials. In the past, resistant parasites were generally identified following treatment failures in patients, and compounds would have to be abandoned late in development. An early understanding of how candidate therapeutics lose efficacy as parasites evolve resistance is important to facilitate drug design and improve resistance detection and monitoring up to the postregistration phase. We describe a new strategy to assess resistance to antimalarial compounds as early as possible in preclinical development by leveraging tools to define the Plasmodium falciparum resistome, predict potential resistance risks of clinical failure for candidate therapeutics, and inform decisions to guide antimalarial drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Benjamin Blasco
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland; Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Didier Leroy
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland.
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24
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Lawong A, Gahalawat S, Okombo J, Striepen J, Yeo T, Mok S, Deni I, Bridgford JL, Niederstrasser H, Zhou A, Posner B, Wittlin S, Gamo FJ, Crespo B, Churchyard A, Baum J, Mittal N, Winzeler E, Laleu B, Palmer MJ, Charman SA, Fidock DA, Ready JM, Phillips MA. Novel Antimalarial Tetrazoles and Amides Active against the Hemoglobin Degradation Pathway in Plasmodium falciparum. J Med Chem 2021; 64:2739-2761. [PMID: 33620219 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c02022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Malaria control programs continue to be threatened by drug resistance. To identify new antimalarials, we conducted a phenotypic screen and identified a novel tetrazole-based series that shows fast-kill kinetics and a relatively low propensity to develop high-level resistance. Preliminary structure-activity relationships were established including identification of a subseries of related amides with antiplasmodial activity. Assaying parasites with resistance to antimalarials led us to test whether the series had a similar mechanism of action to chloroquine (CQ). Treatment of synchronized Plasmodium falciparum parasites with active analogues revealed a pattern of intracellular inhibition of hemozoin (Hz) formation reminiscent of CQ's action. Drug selections yielded only modest resistance that was associated with amplification of the multidrug resistance gene 1 (pfmdr1). Thus, we have identified a novel chemical series that targets the historically druggable heme polymerization pathway and that can form the basis of future optimization efforts to develop a new malaria treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aloysus Lawong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Suraksha Gahalawat
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - John Okombo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Josefine Striepen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Tomas Yeo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Sachel Mok
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Ioanna Deni
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Jessica L Bridgford
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Hanspeter Niederstrasser
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Anwu Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Bruce Posner
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Sergio Wittlin
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4002 Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Benigno Crespo
- Medicines Development Campus, GlaxoSmithKline, Tres Cantos, 28760 Madrid, Spain
| | - Alisje Churchyard
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ South Kensington, U.K
| | - Jake Baum
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ South Kensington, U.K
| | - Nimisha Mittal
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Elizabeth Winzeler
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Benoît Laleu
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, 1215 Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Susan A Charman
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Joseph M Ready
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Margaret A Phillips
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
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25
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Gunnarsson S, Prabakaran S. In silico identification of novel open reading frames in Plasmodium falciparum oocyte and salivary gland sporozoites using proteogenomics framework. Malar J 2021; 20:71. [PMID: 33546698 PMCID: PMC7866754 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03598-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Plasmodium falciparum causes the deadliest form of malaria, which remains one of the most prevalent infectious diseases. Unfortunately, the only licensed vaccine showed limited protection and resistance to anti-malarial drug is increasing, which can be largely attributed to the biological complexity of the parasite’s life cycle. The progression from one developmental stage to another in P. falciparum involves drastic changes in gene expressions, where its infectivity to human hosts varies greatly depending on the stage. Approaches to identify candidate genes that are responsible for the development of infectivity to human hosts typically involve differential gene expression analysis between stages. However, the detection may be limited to annotated proteins and open reading frames (ORFs) predicted using restrictive criteria. Methods The above problem is particularly relevant for P. falciparum; whose genome annotation is relatively incomplete given its clinical significance. In this work, systems proteogenomics approach was used to address this challenge, as it allows computational detection of unannotated, novel Open Reading Frames (nORFs), which are neglected by conventional analyses. Two pairs of transcriptome/proteome were obtained from a previous study where one was collected in the mosquito-infectious oocyst sporozoite stage, and the other in the salivary gland sporozoite stage with human infectivity. They were then re-analysed using the proteogenomics framework to identify nORFs in each stage. Results Translational products of nORFs that map to antisense, intergenic, intronic, 3′ UTR and 5′ UTR regions, as well as alternative reading frames of canonical proteins were detected. Some of these nORFs also showed differential expression between the two life cycle stages studied. Their regulatory roles were explored through further bioinformatics analyses including the expression regulation on the parent reference genes, in silico structure prediction, and gene ontology term enrichment analysis. Conclusion The identification of nORFs in P. falciparum sporozoites highlights the biological complexity of the parasite. Although the analyses are solely computational, these results provide a starting point for further experimental validation of the existence and functional roles of these nORFs,
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Gunnarsson
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Sudhakaran Prabakaran
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK.
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26
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Dembitsky VM, Ermolenko E, Savidov N, Gloriozova TA, Poroikov VV. Antiprotozoal and Antitumor Activity of Natural Polycyclic Endoperoxides: Origin, Structures and Biological Activity. Molecules 2021; 26:686. [PMID: 33525706 PMCID: PMC7865715 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26030686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Polycyclic endoperoxides are rare natural metabolites found and isolated in plants, fungi, and marine invertebrates. The purpose of this review is a comparative analysis of the pharmacological potential of these natural products. According to PASS (Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances) estimates, they are more likely to exhibit antiprotozoal and antitumor properties. Some of them are now widely used in clinical medicine. All polycyclic endoperoxides presented in this article demonstrate antiprotozoal activity and can be divided into three groups. The third group includes endoperoxides, which show weak antiprotozoal activity with a reliability of up to 70%, and this group includes only 1.1% of metabolites. The second group includes the largest number of endoperoxides, which are 65% and show average antiprotozoal activity with a confidence level of 70 to 90%. Lastly, the third group includes endoperoxides, which are 33.9% and show strong antiprotozoal activity with a confidence level of 90 to 99.6%. Interestingly, artemisinin and its analogs show strong antiprotozoal activity with 79 to 99.6% confidence against obligate intracellular parasites which belong to the genera Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Leishmania, and Coccidia. In addition to antiprotozoal activities, polycyclic endoperoxides show antitumor activity in the proportion: 4.6% show weak activity with a reliability of up to 70%, 65.6% show an average activity with a reliability of 70 to 90%, and 29.8% show strong activity with a reliability of 90 to 98.3%. It should also be noted that some polycyclic endoperoxides, in addition to antiprotozoal and antitumor properties, show other strong activities with a confidence level of 90 to 97%. These include antifungal activity against the genera Aspergillus, Candida, and Cryptococcus, as well as anti-inflammatory activity. This review provides insights on further utilization of polycyclic endoperoxides by medicinal chemists, pharmacologists, and the pharmaceutical industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valery M. Dembitsky
- Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Lethbridge College, 3000 College Drive South, Lethbridge, AB T1K 1L6, Canada;
- A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, 17 Palchevsky Str., 690041 Vladivostok, Russia;
| | - Ekaterina Ermolenko
- A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, 17 Palchevsky Str., 690041 Vladivostok, Russia;
| | - Nick Savidov
- Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Lethbridge College, 3000 College Drive South, Lethbridge, AB T1K 1L6, Canada;
| | - Tatyana A. Gloriozova
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, 10 Pogodinskaya Str., 119121 Moscow, Russia; (T.A.G.); (V.V.P.)
| | - Vladimir V. Poroikov
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, 10 Pogodinskaya Str., 119121 Moscow, Russia; (T.A.G.); (V.V.P.)
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27
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Yu X, Feng G, Zhang Q, Cao J. From Metabolite to Metabolome: Metabolomics Applications in Plasmodium Research. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:626183. [PMID: 33505389 PMCID: PMC7829456 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.626183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in research over the past few decades have greatly improved metabolomics-based approaches in studying parasite biology and disease etiology. This improves the investigation of varied metabolic requirements during life stages or when following transmission to their hosts, and fulfills the demand for improved diagnostics and precise therapeutics. Therefore, this review highlights the progress of metabolomics in malaria research, including metabolic mapping of Plasmodium vertebrate life cycle stages to investigate antimalarials mode of actions and underlying complex host-parasite interactions. Also, we discuss current limitations as well as make several practical suggestions for methodological improvements which could drive metabolomics progress for malaria from a comprehensive perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Yu
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, China.,Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Gaoqian Feng
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Qingfeng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Arrhythmias of the Ministry of Education of China, Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Cao
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, China.,Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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28
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Kumar M, Skillman K, Duraisingh MT. Linking nutrient sensing and gene expression in Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage parasites. Mol Microbiol 2020; 115:891-900. [PMID: 33236377 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Malaria is one of the most life-threatening infectious diseases worldwide, caused by infection of humans with parasites of the genus Plasmodium. The complex life cycle of Plasmodium parasites is shared between two hosts, with infection of multiple cell types, and the parasite needs to adapt for survival and transmission through significantly different metabolic environments. Within the blood-stage alone, parasites encounter changing levels of key nutrients, including sugars, amino acids, and lipids, due to differences in host dietary nutrition, cellular tropism, and pathogenesis. In this review, we consider the mechanisms that the most lethal of malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum, uses to sense nutrient levels and elicit changes in gene expression during blood-stage infections. These changes are brought about by several metabolic intermediates and their corresponding sensor proteins. Sensing of distinct nutritional signals can drive P. falciparum to alter the key blood-stage processes of proliferation, antigenic variation, and transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Kumar
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kristen Skillman
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Manoj T Duraisingh
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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29
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Madhav H, Hoda N. An insight into the recent development of the clinical candidates for the treatment of malaria and their target proteins. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 210:112955. [PMID: 33131885 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is an endemic disease, prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions which cost half of million deaths annually. The eradication of malaria is one of the global health priority nevertheless, current therapeutic efforts seem to be insufficient due to the emergence of drug resistance towards most of the available drugs, even first-line treatment ACT, unavailability of the vaccine, and lack of drugs with a new mechanism of action. Intensification of antimalarial research in recent years has resulted into the development of single dose multistage therapeutic agents which has advantage of overcoming the antimalarial drug resistance. The present review explored the current progress in the development of new promising antimalarials against prominent target proteins that have the potential to be a clinical candidate. Here, we also reviewed different aspects of drug resistance and highlighted new drug candidates that are currently in a clinical trial or clinical development, along with a few other molecules with excellent antimalarial activity overs ACTs. The summarized scientific value of previous approaches and structural features of antimalarials related to the activity are highlighted that will be helpful for the development of next-generation antimalarials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hari Madhav
- Drug Design and Synthesis Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), New Delhi, 110025, India.
| | - Nasimul Hoda
- Drug Design and Synthesis Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), New Delhi, 110025, India.
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