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Bánáti D, Hellman-Regen J, Mack I, Young HA, Benton D, Eggersdorfer M, Rohn S, Dulińska-Litewka J, Krężel W, Rühl R. Defining a vitamin A5/X specific deficiency - vitamin A5/X as a critical dietary factor for mental health. INT J VITAM NUTR RES 2024; 94:443-475. [PMID: 38904956 DOI: 10.1024/0300-9831/a000808] [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: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
A healthy and balanced diet is an important factor to assure a good functioning of the central and peripheral nervous system. Retinoid X receptor (RXR)-mediated signaling was identified as an important mechanism of transmitting major diet-dependent physiological and nutritional signaling such as the control of myelination and dopamine signalling. Recently, vitamin A5/X, mainly present in vegetables as provitamin A5/X, was identified as a new concept of a vitamin which functions as the nutritional precursor for enabling RXR-mediated signaling. The active form of vitamin A5/X, 9-cis-13,14-dehydroretinoic acid (9CDHRA), induces RXR-activation, thereby acting as the central switch for enabling various heterodimer-RXR-signaling cascades involving various partner heterodimers like the fatty acid and eicosanoid receptors/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), the cholesterol receptors/liver X receptors (LXRs), the vitamin D receptor (VDR), and the vitamin A(1) receptors/retinoic acid receptors (RARs). Thus, nutritional supply of vitamin A5/X might be a general nutritional-dependent switch for enabling this large cascade of hormonal signaling pathways and thus appears important to guarantee an overall organism homeostasis. RXR-mediated signaling was shown to be dependent on vitamin A5/X with direct effects for beneficial physiological and neuro-protective functions mediated systemically or directly in the brain. In summary, through control of dopamine signaling, amyloid β-clearance, neuro-protection and neuro-inflammation, the vitamin A5/X - RXR - RAR - vitamin A(1)-signaling might be "one of" or even "the" critical factor(s) necessary for good mental health, healthy brain aging, as well as for preventing drug addiction and prevention of a large array of nervous system diseases. Likewise, vitamin A5/X - RXR - non-RAR-dependent signaling relevant for myelination/re-myelination and phagocytosis/brain cleanup will contribute to such regulations too. In this review we discuss the basic scientific background, logical connections and nutritional/pharmacological expert recommendations for the nervous system especially considering the ageing brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diána Bánáti
- Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Hungary
| | - Julian Hellman-Regen
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Campus Benjamin Franklin, Section Neurobiology, University Medicine Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabelle Mack
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hayley A Young
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, Swansea University, UK
| | - David Benton
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, Swansea University, UK
| | - Manfred Eggersdorfer
- Department of Healthy Ageing, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), The Netherlands
| | - Sascha Rohn
- Department of Food Chemistry and Analysis, Institute of Food Technology and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Wojciech Krężel
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Inserm U1258, CNRS UMR 7104, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
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Kinoshita K, Motomura K, Ushida K, Hirata Y, Konno A, Hirai H, Kotani S, Hitora-Imamura N, Kurauchi Y, Seki T, Katsuki H. Nurr1 overexpression in the primary motor cortex alleviates motor dysfunction induced by intracerebral hemorrhage in the striatum in mice. Neurotherapeutics 2024:e00370. [PMID: 38704311 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurot.2024.e00370] [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: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Hemorrhage-induced injury of the corticospinal tract (CST) in the internal capsule (IC) causes severe neurological dysfunction in both human patients and rodent models of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). A nuclear receptor Nurr1 (NR4A2) is known to exert anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in several neurological disorders. Previously we showed that Nurr1 ligands prevented CST injury and alleviated neurological deficits after ICH in mice. To prove direct effect of Nurr1 on CST integrity, we examined the effect of Nurr1 overexpression in neurons of the primary motor cortex on pathological consequences of ICH in mice. ICH was induced by intrastriatal injection of collagenase type VII, where hematoma invaded into IC. Neuron-specific overexpression of Nurr1 was induced by microinjection of synapsin I promoter-driven adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector into the primary motor cortex. Nurr1 overexpression significantly alleviated motor dysfunction but showed only modest effect on sensorimotor dysfunction after ICH. Nurr1 overexpression also preserved axonal structures in IC, while having no effect on hematoma-associated inflammatory events, oxidative stress, and neuronal death in the striatum after ICH. Immunostaining revealed that Nurr1 overexpression increased the expression of Ret tyrosine kinase and phosphorylation of Akt and ERK1/2 in neurons in the motor cortex. Moreover, administration of Nurr1 ligands 1,1-bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(p-chlorophenyl)methane or amodiaquine increased phosphorylation levels of Akt and ERK1/2 as well as expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and Ret genes in the cerebral cortex. These results suggest that the therapeutic effect of Nurr1 on striatal ICH is attributable to the preservation of CST by acting on cortical neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keita Kinoshita
- Department of Chemico-Pharmacological Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and School of Pharmacy, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Kensuke Motomura
- Department of Chemico-Pharmacological Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and School of Pharmacy, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Keisuke Ushida
- Department of Chemico-Pharmacological Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and School of Pharmacy, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Yuma Hirata
- Department of Chemico-Pharmacological Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and School of Pharmacy, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Ayumu Konno
- Department of Neurophysiology & Neural Repair, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Hirai
- Department of Neurophysiology & Neural Repair, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Kotani
- Global Center for Natural Resources Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Natsuko Hitora-Imamura
- Department of Chemico-Pharmacological Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and School of Pharmacy, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Yuki Kurauchi
- Department of Chemico-Pharmacological Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and School of Pharmacy, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Takahiro Seki
- Department of Chemico-Pharmacological Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and School of Pharmacy, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Himeji Dokkyo University, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Katsuki
- Department of Chemico-Pharmacological Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and School of Pharmacy, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
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Sai M, Vietor J, Kornmayer M, Egner M, López-García Ú, Höfner G, Pabel J, Marschner JA, Wein T, Merk D. Structure-Guided Design of Nurr1 Agonists Derived from the Natural Ligand Dihydroxyindole. J Med Chem 2023; 66:13556-13567. [PMID: 37751901 PMCID: PMC10578347 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
The neuroprotective transcription factor Nurr1 was recently found to bind the dopamine metabolite 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) providing access to Nurr1 ligand design from a natural template. We screened a custom set of 14 k extended DHI analogues in silico for optimized descendants to select 24 candidates for microscale synthesis and in vitro testing. Three out of six primary hits were validated as novel Nurr1 agonists with up to sub-micromolar binding affinity, highlighting the druggability of the Nurr1 surface region lining helix 12. In vitro profiling confirmed cellular target engagement of DHI descendants and demonstrated remarkable additive effects of combined Nurr1 agonist treatment, indicating diverse binding sites mediating Nurr1 activation, which may open new avenues in Nurr1 modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Moritz Kornmayer
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Markus Egner
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Úrsula López-García
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Georg Höfner
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Jörg Pabel
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Julian A. Marschner
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Wein
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Daniel Merk
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
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4
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Kim W, Tripathi M, Kim C, Vardhineni S, Cha Y, Kandi SK, Feitosa M, Kholiya R, Sah E, Thakur A, Kim Y, Ko S, Bhatia K, Manohar S, Kong YB, Sindhu G, Kim YS, Cohen B, Rawat DS, Kim KS. An optimized Nurr1 agonist provides disease-modifying effects in Parkinson's disease models. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4283. [PMID: 37463889 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39970-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The nuclear receptor, Nurr1, is critical for both the development and maintenance of midbrain dopamine neurons, representing a promising molecular target for Parkinson's disease (PD). We previously identified three Nurr1 agonists (amodiaquine, chloroquine and glafenine) that share an identical chemical scaffold, 4-amino-7-chloroquinoline (4A7C), suggesting a structure-activity relationship. Herein we report a systematic medicinal chemistry search in which over 570 4A7C-derivatives were generated and characterized. Multiple compounds enhance Nurr1's transcriptional activity, leading to identification of an optimized, brain-penetrant agonist, 4A7C-301, that exhibits robust neuroprotective effects in vitro. In addition, 4A7C-301 protects midbrain dopamine neurons in the MPTP-induced male mouse model of PD and improves both motor and non-motor olfactory deficits without dyskinesia-like behaviors. Furthermore, 4A7C-301 significantly ameliorates neuropathological abnormalities and improves motor and olfactory dysfunctions in AAV2-mediated α-synuclein-overexpressing male mouse models. These disease-modifying properties of 4A7C-301 may warrant clinical evaluation of this or analogous compounds for the treatment of patients with PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woori Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Program in Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Mohit Tripathi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Chunhyung Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Program in Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | | | - Young Cha
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Program in Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | | | - Melissa Feitosa
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Program in Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Rohit Kholiya
- Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Eric Sah
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Program in Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Anuj Thakur
- Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Yehan Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Program in Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Sanghyeok Ko
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Program in Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Kaiya Bhatia
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Program in Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Sunny Manohar
- Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Young-Bin Kong
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Program in Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Gagandeep Sindhu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Yoon-Seong Kim
- Institute for Neurological Therapeutics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Bruce Cohen
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Diwan S Rawat
- Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India.
| | - Kwang-Soo Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA.
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Program in Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA.
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Vietor J, Gege C, Stiller T, Busch R, Schallmayer E, Kohlhof H, Höfner G, Pabel J, Marschner JA, Merk D. Development of a Potent Nurr1 Agonist Tool for In Vivo Applications. J Med Chem 2023; 66:6391-6402. [PMID: 37127285 PMCID: PMC10184128 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Nuclear receptor related 1 (Nurr1) is a neuroprotective transcription factor and an emerging target in neurodegenerative diseases. Despite strong evidence for a role in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, pharmacological control and validation of Nurr1 are hindered by a lack of suitable ligands. We have discovered considerable Nurr1 activation by the clinically studied dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitor vidofludimus calcium and systematically optimized this scaffold to a Nurr1 agonist with nanomolar potency, strong activation efficacy, and pronounced preference over the highly related receptors Nur77 and NOR1. The optimized compound induced Nurr1-regulated gene expression in astrocytes and exhibited favorable pharmacokinetics in rats, thus emerging as a superior chemical tool to study Nurr1 activation in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Vietor
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | | | - Tanja Stiller
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Romy Busch
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Espen Schallmayer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | | | - Georg Höfner
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Jörg Pabel
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Julian A Marschner
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Daniel Merk
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
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6
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Arifi S, Zaienne D, Heering J, Wein T, Zhubi R, Chaikuad A, Knapp S, Marschner JA, Merk D. Fragment-based discovery of orphan nuclear receptor Nur77/NGFI-B ligands. Bioorg Chem 2022; 129:106164. [PMID: 36162288 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2022.106164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The transcription factor nerve growth factor-induced clone B (NGFI-B, Nur77, NR4A1) is an orphan nuclear receptor playing a role in cell survival and apoptosis regulation. Pharmacological Nur77 modulation holds promise for cancer and (neuro-)inflammatory disease treatment. The available Nur77 ligand scaffolds based on highly lipophilic natural products cytosporone B, celastrol and isoalantolactone are inadequate for the development of potent Nur77 modulators with favorable properties as chemical tools and future drugs. By fragment library screening and subsequent modeling for fragment extension, we have obtained a set of new Nur77 ligands offering alternative chemotypes for the development of Nur77 agonists and inverse agonists. Computer-aided fragment extension in a second stage screening yielded a Nur77 agonist with significant activation efficacy and preference over the related NR4A receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Arifi
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Daniel Zaienne
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jan Heering
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, 60596 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Thomas Wein
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Rezart Zhubi
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany; Structural Genomics Consortium, BMLS, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Apirat Chaikuad
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany; Structural Genomics Consortium, BMLS, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Stefan Knapp
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany; Structural Genomics Consortium, BMLS, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Julian A Marschner
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Daniel Merk
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany; Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany.
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7
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Willems S, Merk D. Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology of Nurr1 Modulators: An Emerging Strategy in Neurodegeneration. J Med Chem 2022; 65:9548-9563. [PMID: 35797147 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Nuclear receptor related 1 (Nurr1) is a transcription factor with neuroprotective and antineuroinflammatory properties. Observations from genetic studies and human patients support potential of Nurr1 as a therapeutic target in neurodegeneration, but due to a lack of high-quality chemical tools for pharmacological control of Nurr1, its target validation is pending. Nevertheless, considerable progress has recently been made in elucidating structural and functional characteristics of Nurr1, and several ligand scaffolds have been discovered. Here, we analyze Nurr1's structure and mechanisms compared to other nuclear receptors, summarize the known small molecule Nurr1 ligands, and discuss the available evidence for the therapeutic potential of Nurr1 in neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Willems
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany.,Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Daniel Merk
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany.,Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
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8
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Zaienne D, Arifi S, Marschner JA, Heering J, Merk D. Druggability Evaluation of the Neuron Derived Orphan Receptor (NOR-1) Reveals Inverse NOR-1 Agonists. ChemMedChem 2022; 17:e202200259. [PMID: 35704774 PMCID: PMC9542104 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202200259] [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: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The neuron derived orphan receptor (NOR‐1, NR4A3) is among the least studied nuclear receptors. Its physiological role and therapeutic potential remain widely elusive which is in part due to the lack of chemical tools that can directly modulate NOR‐1 activity. To probe the possibility of pharmacological NOR‐1 modulation, we have tested a drug fragment library for NOR‐1 activation and repression. Despite low hit‐rate (<1 %), we have obtained three NOR‐1 ligand chemotypes one of which could be rapidly expanded to an analogue comprising low micromolar inverse NOR‐1 agonist potency and altering NOR‐1 regulated gene expression in a cellular setting. It confirms druggability of the transcription factor and may serve as an early tool to assess the role and potential of NOR‐1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Zaienne
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Silvia Arifi
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Julian A Marschner
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377, Munich, Germany
| | - Jan Heering
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Daniel Merk
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377, Munich, Germany.,Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
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9
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Willems S, Marschner JA, Kilu W, Faudone G, Busch R, Duensing‐Kropp S, Heering J, Merk D. Nurr1 Modulation Mediates Neuroprotective Effects of Statins. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2104640. [PMID: 35488520 PMCID: PMC9218776 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202104640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The ligand-sensing transcription factor Nurr1 emerges as a promising therapeutic target for neurodegenerative pathologies but Nurr1 ligands for functional studies and therapeutic validation are lacking. Here pronounced Nurr1 modulation by statins for which clinically relevant neuroprotective effects are demonstrated, is reported. Several statins directly affect Nurr1 activity in cellular and cell-free settings with low micromolar to sub-micromolar potencies. Simvastatin as example exhibits anti-inflammatory effects in astrocytes, which are abrogated by Nurr1 knockdown. Differential gene expression analysis in native and Nurr1-silenced cells reveals strong proinflammatory effects of Nurr1 knockdown while simvastatin treatment induces several neuroprotective mechanisms via Nurr1 involving changes in inflammatory, metabolic and cell cycle gene expression. Further in vitro evaluation confirms reduced inflammatory response, improved glucose metabolism, and cell cycle inhibition of simvastatin-treated neuronal cells. These findings suggest Nurr1 involvement in the well-documented but mechanistically elusive neuroprotection by statins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Willems
- Institute of Pharmaceutical ChemistryGoethe University FrankfurtMax‐von‐Laue‐Str. 9Frankfurt60438Germany
| | - Julian A. Marschner
- Department of PharmacyLudwig‐Maximilians‐Universität MünchenButenandtstr. 5‐13Munich81377Germany
| | - Whitney Kilu
- Institute of Pharmaceutical ChemistryGoethe University FrankfurtMax‐von‐Laue‐Str. 9Frankfurt60438Germany
| | - Giuseppe Faudone
- Institute of Pharmaceutical ChemistryGoethe University FrankfurtMax‐von‐Laue‐Str. 9Frankfurt60438Germany
| | - Romy Busch
- Department of PharmacyLudwig‐Maximilians‐Universität MünchenButenandtstr. 5‐13Munich81377Germany
| | - Silke Duensing‐Kropp
- Department of PharmacyLudwig‐Maximilians‐Universität MünchenButenandtstr. 5‐13Munich81377Germany
| | - Jan Heering
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMPTheodor‐Stern‐Kai 7Frankfurt60596Germany
| | - Daniel Merk
- Institute of Pharmaceutical ChemistryGoethe University FrankfurtMax‐von‐Laue‐Str. 9Frankfurt60438Germany
- Department of PharmacyLudwig‐Maximilians‐Universität MünchenButenandtstr. 5‐13Munich81377Germany
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10
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Willems S, Müller M, Ohrndorf J, Heering J, Proschak E, Merk D. Scaffold hopping from amodiaquine to novel Nurr1 agonist chemotypes via microscale analogue libraries. ChemMedChem 2022; 17:e202200026. [PMID: 35132775 PMCID: PMC9305750 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202200026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Several lines of evidence suggest the ligand‐sensing transcription factor Nurr1 as a promising target to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Nurr1 modulators to validate and exploit this therapeutic potential are rare, however. To identify novel Nurr1 agonist chemotypes, we have employed the Nurr1 activator amodiaquine as template for microscale analogue library synthesis. The first set of analogues was based on the 7‐chloroquiolin‐4‐amine core fragment of amodiaquine and revealed superior N‐substituents compared to diethylaminomethylphenol contained in the template. A second library of analogues was subsequently prepared to replace the chloroquinolineamine scaffold. The two sets of analogues enabled a full scaffold hop from amodiaquine to a novel Nurr1 agonist sharing no structural features with the lead but comprising superior potency on Nurr1. Additionally, pharmacophore modeling based on the entire set of active and inactive analogues suggested key features for Nurr1 agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Willems
- Goethe University Frankfurt: Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt am Main, Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, GERMANY
| | - Marcel Müller
- Goethe University Frankfurt: Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt am Main, Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, GERMANY
| | - Julia Ohrndorf
- Goethe University Frankfurt: Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt am Main, Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, GERMANY
| | - Jan Heering
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME Division Translational Medicine Branch Lab ScreeningPort: Fraunhofer-Institut fur Translationale Medizin und Pharmakologie ITMP Drug Discovery Research ScreeningPort, ITMP, GERMANY
| | - Ewgenij Proschak
- Goethe University Frankfurt: Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt am Main, Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, GERMANY
| | - Daniel Merk
- Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt am Main, Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt, GERMANY
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Zaienne D, Willems S, Schierle S, Heering J, Merk D. Development and Profiling of Inverse Agonist Tools for the Neuroprotective Transcription Factor Nurr1. J Med Chem 2021; 64:15126-15140. [PMID: 34633810 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The ligand-sensing transcription factor nuclear receptor related 1 (Nurr1) evolves as an appealing target to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Despite its therapeutic potential observed in various rodent models, potent modulators for Nurr1 are lacking as pharmacological tools. Here, we report the structure-activity relationship and systematic optimization of indole-based inverse Nurr1 agonists. Optimized analogues decreased the receptor's intrinsic transcriptional activity by up to more than 90% and revealed preference for inhibiting Nurr1 monomer activity. In orthogonal cell-free settings, we detected displacement of NCoRs and disruption of the Nurr1 homodimer as molecular modes of action. The inverse Nurr1 agonists reduced the expression of Nurr1-regulated genes in T98G cells, and treatment with an inverse Nurr1 agonist mimicked the effect of Nurr1 silencing on interleukin-6 release from LPS-stimulated human astrocytes. The indole-based inverse Nurr1 agonists valuably extend the toolbox of Nurr1 modulators to further probe the role of Nurr1 in neuroinflammation, cancer, and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Zaienne
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, D-60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Sabine Willems
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, D-60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Simone Schierle
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, D-60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jan Heering
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, D-60596 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Daniel Merk
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, D-60438 Frankfurt, Germany.,Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, D-81377 Munich, Germany
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Kholodar SA, Lang G, Cortopassi WA, Iizuka Y, Brah HS, Jacobson MP, England PM. Analogs of the Dopamine Metabolite 5,6-Dihydroxyindole Bind Directly to and Activate the Nuclear Receptor Nurr1. ACS Chem Biol 2021; 16:1159-1163. [PMID: 34165961 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The nuclear receptor-related 1 protein, Nurr1, is a transcription factor critical for the development and maintenance of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, a cell population that progressively loses the ability to make dopamine and degenerates in Parkinson's disease. Recently, we demonstrated that Nurr1 binds directly to and is regulated by the endogenous dopamine metabolite 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI). Unfortunately, DHI is an unstable compound, and thus a poor tool for studying Nurr1 function. Here, we report that 5-chloroindole, an unreactive analog of DHI, binds directly to the Nurr1 ligand binding domain with micromolar affinity and stimulates the activity of Nurr1, including the transcription of genes governing the synthesis and packaging of dopamine.
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Willems S, Zaienne D, Merk D. Targeting Nuclear Receptors in Neurodegeneration and Neuroinflammation. J Med Chem 2021; 64:9592-9638. [PMID: 34251209 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Nuclear receptors, also known as ligand-activated transcription factors, regulate gene expression upon ligand signals and present as attractive therapeutic targets especially in chronic diseases. Despite the therapeutic relevance of some nuclear receptors in various pathologies, their potential in neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation is insufficiently established. This perspective gathers preclinical and clinical data for a potential role of individual nuclear receptors as future targets in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis, and concomitantly evaluates the level of medicinal chemistry targeting these proteins. Considerable evidence suggests the high promise of ligand-activated transcription factors to counteract neurodegenerative diseases with a particularly high potential of several orphan nuclear receptors. However, potent tools are lacking for orphan receptors, and limited central nervous system exposure or insufficient selectivity also compromises the suitability of well-studied nuclear receptor ligands for functional studies. Medicinal chemistry efforts are needed to develop dedicated high-quality tool compounds for the therapeutic validation of nuclear receptors in neurodegenerative pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Willems
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Daniel Zaienne
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Daniel Merk
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
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