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Rodriguez Galvan JJ, de Vries M, Belblidia S, Fisher A, Prescott RA, Crosse KM, Mangel WF, Duerr R, Dittmann M. In-silico docking platform with serine protease inhibitor (SERPIN) structures identifies host cysteine protease targets with significance for SARS-CoV-2. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2022.11.18.517133. [PMID: 36415456 PMCID: PMC9681043 DOI: 10.1101/2022.11.18.517133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Serine Protease Inhibitors (SERPINs) regulate protease activity in various physiological processes such as inflammation, cancer metastasis, angiogenesis, and neurodegenerative diseases. However, their potential in combating viral infections, where proteases are also crucial, remains underexplored. This is due to our limited understanding of SERPIN expression during viral-induced inflammation and of the SERPINs' full spectrum of target proteases. Here, we demonstrate widespread expression of human SERPINs in response to respiratory virus infections, both in vitro and in vivo , alongside classical antiviral effectors. Through comprehensive in-silico docking with full-length SERPIN and protease 3D structures, we confirm known inhibitors of specific proteases; more importantly, the results predict novel SERPIN-protease interactions. Experimentally, we validate the direct inhibition of key proteases essential for viral life cycles, including the SERPIN PAI-1's capability to inhibit select cysteine proteases such as cathepsin L, and the serine protease TMPRSS2. Consequently, PAI-1 suppresses spike maturation and multi-cycle SARS-CoV-2 replication. Our findings challenge conventional notions of SERPIN selectivity, underscore the power of in-silico docking for SERPIN target discovery, and offer potential therapeutic interventions targeting host proteolytic pathways to combat viruses with urgent unmet therapeutic needs. SIGNIFICANCE Serine protease inhibitors (SERPINs) play crucial roles in various physiological processes, including viral infections. However, our comprehension of the full array of proteases targeted by the SERPIN family has traditionally been limited, hindering a comprehensive understanding of their regulatory potential. We developed an in-silico docking platform to identify new SERPIN target proteases expressed in the respiratory tract, a critical viral entry portal. The platform confirmed known and predicted new targets for every SERPIN examined, shedding light on previously unrecognized patterns in SERPIN selectivity. Notably, both key proteases for SARS-CoV-2 maturation were among the newly predicted targets, which we validated experimentally. This underscores the platform's potential in uncovering targets with significance in viral infections, paving the way to define the full potential of the SERPIN family in infectious disease and beyond.
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Izaguirre G, Phan LMU, Asif S, Alam S, Meyers C, Rong L. Diversity in Proprotein Convertase Reactivity among Human Papillomavirus Types. Viruses 2023; 16:39. [PMID: 38257739 PMCID: PMC10820984 DOI: 10.3390/v16010039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The cleavage of viral surface proteins by furin is associated with some viruses' high virulence and infectivity. The human papillomavirus (HPV) requires the proteolytic processing of its capsid proteins for activation before entry. Variability in reactivity with furin and other proprotein convertases (PCs) among HPV types was investigated. HPV16, the most prevalent and carcinogenic HPV type, reacted with PCs with the broadest selectivity compared to other types in reactions of pseudoviral particles with the recombinant PCs, furin, PC4, PC5, PACE4, and PC7. Proteolytic preactivation was assessed using a well-established entry assay into PC-inhibited cells based on the green fluorescent protein as a reporter. The inhibition of the target cell PC activity with serpin-based PC-selective inhibitors also showed a diversity of PC selectivity among HPV types. HPV16 reacted with furin at the highest rate compared to the other types in time-dependent preactivation reactions and produced the highest entry values standardized to pseudoviral particle concentration. The predominant expression of furin in keratinocytes and the high reactivity of HPV16 with this enzyme highlight the importance of selectively targeting furin as a potential antiviral therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Izaguirre
- Department of Periodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Lam Minh Uyen Phan
- Department of Periodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Shaan Asif
- Department of Periodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Samina Alam
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Penn State University, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
| | - Craig Meyers
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Penn State University, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
| | - Lijun Rong
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
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Van Lam van T, Ivanova T, Lindberg I, Böttcher-Friebertshäuser E, Steinmetzer T, Hardes K. Design, synthesis, and characterization of novel fluorogenic substrates of the proprotein convertases furin, PC1/3, PC2, PC5/6, and PC7. Anal Biochem 2022; 655:114836. [PMID: 35964735 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2022.114836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Proprotein convertases (PCs) are involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases, making them promising drug targets. Most assays for PCs have been performed with few standard substrates, regardless of differences in cleavage efficiencies. Derived from studies on substrate-analogue inhibitors, 11 novel substrates were synthesized and characterized with five PCs. H-Arg-Arg-Tle-Lys-Arg-AMC is the most efficiently cleaved furin substrate based on its kcat/KM value. Due to its higher kcat value, acetyl-Arg-Arg-Tle-Arg-Arg-AMC was selected for further measurements to demonstrate the benefit of this improved substrate. Compared to our standard conditions, its use allowed a 10-fold reduction of the furin concentration, which enabled Ki value determinations of previously described tight-binding inhibitors under classical conditions. Under these circumstances, a slow-binding behavior was observed for the first time with inhibitor MI-1148. In addition to furin, four additional PCs were used to characterize these substrates. The most efficiently cleaved PC1/3 substrate was Ac-Arg-Arg-Arg-Tle-Lys-Arg-AMC. The highest kcat/KM values for PC2 and PC7 were found for the N-terminally unprotected analogue of this substrate, although other substrates possess higher kcat values. The highest efficiency for PC5/6A was observed for the substrate Ac-Arg-Arg-Tle-Lys-Arg-AMC. In summary, we have identified new substrates for furin, PC1/3, PC2, and PC7 suitable for improved enzyme-kinetic measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuy Van Lam van
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps University, Marbacher Weg 6, D-35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Teodora Ivanova
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps University, Marbacher Weg 6, D-35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Iris Lindberg
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | | | - Torsten Steinmetzer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps University, Marbacher Weg 6, D-35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Kornelia Hardes
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps University, Marbacher Weg 6, D-35032, Marburg, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, D-35394, Giessen, Germany.
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Tsai YT, Li CY, Huang YH, Chang TS, Lin CY, Chuang CH, Wang CY, Anuraga G, Chang TH, Shih TC, Lin ZY, Chen YL, Chung I, Lee KH, Chang CC, Sung SY, Yang KH, Tsui WL, Yap CV, Wu MH. Galectin-1 orchestrates an inflammatory tumor-stroma crosstalk in hepatoma by enhancing TNFR1 protein stability and signaling in carcinoma-associated fibroblasts. Oncogene 2022; 41:3011-3023. [PMID: 35459781 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-022-02309-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Most cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) arise with the fibrotic microenvironment where hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are critical components in HCC progression. Therefore, CAF normalization could be a feasible therapy for HCC. Galectin-1 (Gal-1), a β-galactoside-binding lectin, is critical for HSC activation and liver fibrosis. However, few studies has evaluated the pathological role of Gal-1 in HCC stroma and its role in hepatic CAF is unclear. Here we showed that Gal-1 mainly expressed in HCC stroma, but not cancer cells. High expression of Gal-1 is correlated with CAF markers and poor prognoses of HCC patients. In co-culture systems, targeting Gal-1 in CAFs or HSCs, using small hairpin (sh)RNAs or an therapeutic inhibitor (LLS30), downregulated plasminogen activator inhibitor-2 (PAI-2) production which suppressed cancer stem-like cell properties and invasion ability of HCC in a paracrine manner. The Gal-1-targeting effect was mediated by increased a disintegrin and metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17)-dependent TNF-receptor 1 (TNFR1) shedding/cleavage which inhibited the TNF-α → JNK → c-Jun/ATF2 signaling axis of pro-inflammatory gene transcription. Silencing Gal-1 in CAFs inhibited CAF-augmented HCC progression and reprogrammed the CAF-mediated inflammatory responses in a co-injection xenograft model. Taken together, the findings uncover a crucial role of Gal-1 in CAFs that orchestrates an inflammatory CSC niche supporting HCC progression and demonstrate that targeting Gal-1 could be a potential therapy for fibrosis-related HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao-Tsung Tsai
- International PhD Program for Translational Science, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Translational Medicine, College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Yi Li
- International PhD Program for Translational Science, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Translational Medicine, College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Hua Huang
- Graduate Institute of Translational Medicine, College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Center for Cell Therapy and Regeneration Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Te-Sheng Chang
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Yen Lin
- Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | - Chih-Yang Wang
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Gangga Anuraga
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Hao Chang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tsung-Chieh Shih
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Zu-Yau Lin
- Hepatobiliary Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Faculty of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yuh-Ling Chen
- Institute of Oral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Ivy Chung
- Universiti Malaya Cancer Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia.,Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia
| | - Kuen-Haur Lee
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Che-Chang Chang
- International PhD Program for Translational Science, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Translational Medicine, College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shian-Ying Sung
- International PhD Program for Translational Science, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Translational Medicine, College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Huei Yang
- International PhD Program for Translational Science, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Translational Medicine, College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Lin Tsui
- International PhD Program for Translational Science, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Translational Medicine, College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chee-Voon Yap
- International PhD Program for Translational Science, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Translational Medicine, College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Heng Wu
- International PhD Program for Translational Science, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Graduate Institute of Translational Medicine, College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Center for Cell Therapy and Regeneration Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. .,TMU Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Scott BM, Sheffield WP. Engineering the serpin α 1 -antitrypsin: A diversity of goals and techniques. Protein Sci 2019; 29:856-871. [PMID: 31774589 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
α1 -Antitrypsin (α1 -AT) serves as an archetypal example for the serine proteinase inhibitor (serpin) protein family and has been used as a scaffold for protein engineering for >35 years. Techniques used to engineer α1 -AT include targeted mutagenesis, protein fusions, phage display, glycoengineering, and consensus protein design. The goals of engineering have also been diverse, ranging from understanding serpin structure-function relationships, to the design of more potent or more specific proteinase inhibitors with potential therapeutic relevance. Here we summarize the history of these protein engineering efforts, describing the techniques applied to engineer α1 -AT, specific mutants of interest, and providing an appended catalog of the >200 α1 -AT mutants published to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Scott
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.,Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland
| | - William P Sheffield
- Canadian Blood Services, Centre for Innovation, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Chmelař J, Kotál J, Kovaříková A, Kotsyfakis M. The Use of Tick Salivary Proteins as Novel Therapeutics. Front Physiol 2019; 10:812. [PMID: 31297067 PMCID: PMC6607933 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The last three decades of research into tick salivary components have revealed several proteins with important pharmacological and immunological activities. Two primary interests have driven research into tick salivary secretions: the search for suitable pathogen transmission blocking or “anti-tick” vaccine candidates and the search for novel therapeutics derived from tick salivary components. Intensive basic research in the field of tick salivary gland transcriptomics and proteomics has identified several major protein families that play important roles in tick feeding and overcoming vertebrate anti-tick responses. Moreover, these families contain members with unrealized therapeutic potential. Here we review the major tick salivary protein families exploitable in medical applications such as immunomodulation, inhibition of hemostasis and inflammation. Moreover, we discuss the potential, opportunities, and challenges in searching for novel tick-derived drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jindřich Chmelař
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Jan Kotál
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Laboratory of Genomics and Proteomics of Disease Vectors, Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Parasitology, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Anna Kovaříková
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Michail Kotsyfakis
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Laboratory of Genomics and Proteomics of Disease Vectors, Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Parasitology, České Budějovice, Czechia
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