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Prencipe F, Barzan C, Savian C, Spalluto G, Carosati E, De Amici M, Mosconi G, Gianferrara T, Federico S, Da Ros T. Gaucher Disease: A Glance from a Medicinal Chemistry Perspective. ChemMedChem 2024; 19:e202300641. [PMID: 38329692 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202300641] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Rare diseases are particular pathological conditions affecting a limited number of people and few drugs are known to be effective as therapeutic treatment. Gaucher disease, caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase, belongs to this class of disorders, and it is considered the most common among the Lysosomal Storage Diseases. The two main therapeutic approaches are the Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT) and the Substrate Reduction Therapy (SRT). ERT, consisting in replacing the defective enzyme by administering a recombinant enzyme, is effective in alleviating the visceral symptoms, hallmarks of the most common subtype of the disease whereas it has no effects when symptoms involve CNS, since the recombinant protein is unable to significantly cross the Blood Brain Barrier. The SRT strategy involves inhibiting glucosylceramide synthase (GCS), the enzyme responsible for the production of the associated storage molecule. The rational design of new inhibitors of GCS has been hampered by the lack of either the crystal structure of the enzyme or an in-silico model of the active site which could provide important information regarding the interactions of potential inhibitors with the target, but, despite this, interesting results have been obtained and are herein reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Prencipe
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri 1, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Chiara Barzan
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri 1, 34127, Trieste, Italy
- Molecular Genetics Institute, CNR Via Abbiategrasso 207, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Chiara Savian
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri 1, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Giampiero Spalluto
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri 1, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Emanuele Carosati
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri 1, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Marco De Amici
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milano Via Luigi Mangiagalli 25, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Giorgio Mosconi
- Fidia Farmaceutici Via Ponte della Fabbrica 3/A, 35021, Abano Terme, Italy
| | - Teresa Gianferrara
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri 1, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Stephanie Federico
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri 1, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Tatiana Da Ros
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri 1, 34127, Trieste, Italy
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Wang S, Klein SO, Urban S, Staudt M, Barthes NPF, Willmann D, Bacher J, Sum M, Bauer H, Peng L, Rennar GA, Gratzke C, Schüle KM, Zhang L, Einsle O, Greschik H, MacLeod C, Thomson CG, Jung M, Metzger E, Schüle R. Structure-guided design of a selective inhibitor of the methyltransferase KMT9 with cellular activity. Nat Commun 2024; 15:43. [PMID: 38167811 PMCID: PMC10762027 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44243-6] [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: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Inhibition of epigenetic regulators by small molecules is an attractive strategy for cancer treatment. Recently, we characterised the role of lysine methyltransferase 9 (KMT9) in prostate, lung, and colon cancer. Our observation that the enzymatic activity was required for tumour cell proliferation identified KMT9 as a potential therapeutic target. Here, we report the development of a potent and selective KMT9 inhibitor (compound 4, KMI169) with cellular activity through structure-based drug design. KMI169 functions as a bi-substrate inhibitor targeting the SAM and substrate binding pockets of KMT9 and exhibits high potency, selectivity, and cellular target engagement. KMT9 inhibition selectively downregulates target genes involved in cell cycle regulation and impairs proliferation of tumours cells including castration- and enzalutamide-resistant prostate cancer cells. KMI169 represents a valuable tool to probe cellular KMT9 functions and paves the way for the development of clinical candidate inhibitors as therapeutic options to treat malignancies such as therapy-resistant prostate cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Wang
- Klinik für Urologie und Zentrale Klinische Forschung, Klinikum der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian O Klein
- CIBSS Centre of Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sylvia Urban
- Klinik für Urologie und Zentrale Klinische Forschung, Klinikum der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Maximilian Staudt
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Nicolas P F Barthes
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Dominica Willmann
- Klinik für Urologie und Zentrale Klinische Forschung, Klinikum der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Bacher
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Manuela Sum
- Klinik für Urologie und Zentrale Klinische Forschung, Klinikum der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Helena Bauer
- Klinik für Urologie und Zentrale Klinische Forschung, Klinikum der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ling Peng
- Klinik für Urologie und Zentrale Klinische Forschung, Klinikum der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Georg A Rennar
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Christian Gratzke
- Klinik für Urologie und Zentrale Klinische Forschung, Klinikum der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Katrin M Schüle
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Lin Zhang
- Institut für Biochemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Oliver Einsle
- Institut für Biochemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Holger Greschik
- Klinik für Urologie und Zentrale Klinische Forschung, Klinikum der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Calum MacLeod
- Drug Discovery, Pharmaron UK Ltd, Hoddesdon, United Kingdom
| | | | - Manfred Jung
- CIBSS Centre of Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung, Standort Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Eric Metzger
- Klinik für Urologie und Zentrale Klinische Forschung, Klinikum der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung, Standort Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Roland Schüle
- Klinik für Urologie und Zentrale Klinische Forschung, Klinikum der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
- CIBSS Centre of Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung, Standort Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
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Tan L, Li W, Su Q. The comprehensive analysis of the prognostic and functional role of N-terminal methyltransferases 1 in pan-cancer. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16263. [PMID: 37901469 PMCID: PMC10607204 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Background NTMT1, a transfer methylase that adds methyl groups to the N-terminus of proteins, has been identified as a critical player in tumor development and progression. However, its precise function in pan-cancer is still unclear. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of its role in cancer, we performed a thorough bioinformatics analysis. Methods To conduct our analysis, we gathered data from multiple sources, including RNA sequencing and clinical data from the TCGA database, protein expression data from the UALCAN and HPA databases, and single-cell expression data from the CancerSEA database. Additionally, we utilized TISIDB to investigate the interaction between the tumor and the immune system. To assess the impact of NTMT1 on the proliferation of SNU1076 cells, we performed a CCK8 assay. We also employed cellular immunofluorescence to detect DNA damage and used flow cytometry to measure tumor cell apoptosis. Results Our analysis revealed that NTMT1 was significantly overexpressed in various types of tumors and that high levels of NTMT1 were associated with poor survival outcomes. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that NTMT1 may contribute to tumor development and progression by regulating pathways involved in cell proliferation and immune response. In addition, we found that knockdown of NTMT1 expression led to reduced cell proliferation, increased DNA damage, and enhanced apoptosis in HNSCC cells. Conclusion High expression of NTMT1 in tumors is associated with poor prognosis. The underlying regulatory mechanism of NTMT1 in cancer is complex, and it may be involved in both the promotion of tumor development and the inhibition of the tumor immune microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lifan Tan
- Department of Otolaryngology, West China-Guang’an Hospital, Sichuan University, Guang’an, Sichuan, China
| | - Wensong Li
- Department of Otolaryngology, West China-Guang’an Hospital, Sichuan University, Guang’an, Sichuan, China
| | - Qin Su
- Department of Otolaryngology, The People’s Hospital of Dujiangyan, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, China
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Chen P, Huang R, Hazbun TR. Unlocking the Mysteries of Alpha-N-Terminal Methylation and its Diverse Regulatory Functions. J Biol Chem 2023:104843. [PMID: 37209820 PMCID: PMC10293735 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104843] [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: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein post-translation modifications (PTMs) are a critical regulatory mechanism of protein function. Protein α-N-terminal (Nα) methylation is a conserved PTM across prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Studies of the Nα methyltransferases responsible for Να methylation and their substrate proteins have shown that the PTM involves diverse biological processes, including protein synthesis and degradation, cell division, DNA damage response, and transcription regulation. This review provides an overview of the progress toward the regulatory function of Να methyltransferases and their substrate landscape. More than 200 proteins in humans and 45 in yeast are potential substrates for protein Nα methylation based on the canonical recognition motif, XP[KR]. Based on recent evidence for a less stringent motif requirement, the number of substrates might be increased, but further validation is needed to solidify this concept. A comparison of the motif in substrate orthologs in selected eukaryotic species indicates intriguing gain and loss of the motif across the evolutionary landscape. We discuss the state of knowledge in the field that has provided insights into the regulation of protein Να methyltransferases and their role in cellular physiology and disease. We also outline the current research tools that are key to understanding Να methylation. Finally, challenges are identified and discussed that would aid in unlocking a system-level view of the roles of Να methylation in diverse cellular pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panyue Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Rong Huang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States; Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Tony R Hazbun
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States; Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.
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