1
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Wang D, Wang Y. Identification of protein partners for small molecules reshapes the understanding of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and drug discovery. Life Sci 2024:123031. [PMID: 39226989 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.123031] [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: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 08/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
AIMS Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the severe subtype of nonalcoholic fatty diseases (NAFLD) with few options of treatment. Patients with NASH exhibit partial responses to the current therapeutics, and adverse effects. Identification of the binding proteins for the drugs is essential to understanding the mechanism and adverse effects of the drugs, and fuels the discovery of potent and safe drugs. This paper aims to critically discuss recent advances in covalent and noncovalent approaches for identifying binding proteins that mediate NASH progression, along with an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms by which these targets regulate NASH. MATERIALS AND METHODS A literature search was conducted to identify the relevant studies in the database of PubMed and American Chemical Society. The search covered articles published from January 1990 to July 2024, using the search terms of with the keywords such as NASH, benzophenone, diazirine, photo-affinity labeling, thermal protein profiling, CETSA, target identification. KEY FINDINGS The covalent approaches utilize drugs modified with diazirine and benzophenone to covalently crosslink with the target proteins, which facilitates the purification and identification of target proteins. In addition, they map the binding sites in the target proteins. By contrast, noncovalent approaches identify the binding targets of unmodified drugs in the intact cell proteome. The advantages and limitations of both approaches have been compared, along with a comprehensive analysis of recent innovations that further enhance the efficiency and specificity. SIGNIFICANCE The analyses of the applicability of these approaches provide novel tools to delineate NASH pathogenesis and promotes drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danyi Wang
- School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Yibing Wang
- School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, China; Shanghai Frontiers Science Research Base of Exercise and Metabolic Health, China.
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2
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Patel S, Karlsson M, Klahn JT, Gambino F, Costa H, McGuire KA, Baumgartner CK, Williams J, Sandoz S, Kath JE. Quantitative target engagement of RIPK1 in human whole blood via the cellular thermal shift assay for potential pre-clinical and clinical applications. SLAS DISCOVERY : ADVANCING LIFE SCIENCES R & D 2024; 29:100135. [PMID: 38101572 DOI: 10.1016/j.slasd.2023.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
The cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA®) is a target engagement method widely used for preclinical characterization of small molecule compounds. CETSA® has been used for semi-quantitative readouts in whole blood with PBMC isolation, and quantitative, plate-based readouts using cell lines. However, there has been no quantitative evaluation of CETSA® in unprocessed human whole blood, which is preferred for clinical applications. Here we report two separate assay formats - Alpha CETSA® and MSD CETSA® - that require less than 100 μL of whole blood per sample without PBMC isolation. We chose RIPK1 as a proof-of-concept target and, by measuring engagement of seven different inhibitors, demonstrate high assay sensitivity and robustness. These quantitative CETSA® platforms enable possible applications in preclinical pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic studies, and direct target engagement with small molecules in clinical trials.
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3
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Figueroa-Navedo AM, Ivanov AR. Experimental and data analysis advances in thermal proteome profiling. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2024; 4:100717. [PMID: 38412830 PMCID: PMC10921035 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2024.100717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Method development for mass spectrometry (MS)-based thermal shift proteomic assays have advanced to probe small molecules with known and unknown protein-ligand interaction mechanisms and specificity, which is predominantly used in characterization of drug-protein interactions. In the discovery of target and off-target protein-ligand interactions, a thorough investigation of method development and their impact on the sensitivity and accuracy of protein-small molecule and protein-protein interactions is warranted. In this review, we discuss areas of improvement at each stage of thermal proteome profiling data analysis that includes processing of MS-based data, method development, and their effect on the overall quality of thermal proteome profiles. We also overview the optimization of experimental strategies and prioritization of an increased number of independent biological replicates over the number of evaluated temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Figueroa-Navedo
- Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alexander R Ivanov
- Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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4
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Tang J, Sun Q, Xie Y, Zheng Q, Ding Y. Virus-like Iron-Gold Heterogeneous Nanoparticles for Drug Target Screening. Anal Chem 2023; 95:17187-17192. [PMID: 37962582 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c01762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Drug-target recognition has great impacts on revealing mechanisms of pharmacological activities, especially drug resistance and off-target effects. In recent years, chemoproteomics has been widely used for drug target screening and discovery due to its high-throughput, high accuracy, and sensitivity. However, there still remain challenges on how to efficiently and unambiguously track target proteins from complex biological matrices. Herein, we report a drug target screening method based on virus-like iron-gold heterogeneous nanoparticles (Au@Fe3O4 NPs). The unique structure of Au@Fe3O4 NPs not only maintains the magnetism of Fe3O4 NPs to facilitate protein enrichment and purification, but also increases drug modification by introducing more active sites on the surface of Au NPs. After coincubating the drug modified NPs with the cell lysate, the high loading of drug on the surface of Au@Fe3O4 NPs was beneficial for capturing target proteins with low abundance. This well-designed heterogeneous nanomaterial provides a novel strategy for improving the efficiency and accuracy of affinity-based proteomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayue Tang
- Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Ministry of Education, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Qi Sun
- Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Ministry of Education, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yuxin Xie
- Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Ministry of Education, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Qiuling Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Ministry of Education, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Ya Ding
- Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Ministry of Education, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
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5
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Pan S, Ding A, Li Y, Sun Y, Zhan Y, Ye Z, Song N, Peng B, Li L, Huang W, Shao H. Small-molecule probes from bench to bedside: advancing molecular analysis of drug-target interactions toward precision medicine. Chem Soc Rev 2023; 52:5706-5743. [PMID: 37525607 DOI: 10.1039/d3cs00056g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decade, remarkable advances have been witnessed in the development of small-molecule probes. These molecular tools have been widely applied for interrogating proteins, pathways and drug-target interactions in preclinical research. While novel structures and designs are commonly explored in probe development, the clinical translation of small-molecule probes remains limited, primarily due to safety and regulatory considerations. Recent synergistic developments - interfacing novel chemical probes with complementary analytical technologies - have introduced and expedited diverse biomedical opportunities to molecularly characterize targeted drug interactions directly in the human body or through accessible clinical specimens (e.g., blood and ascites fluid). These integrated developments thus offer unprecedented opportunities for drug development, disease diagnostics and treatment monitoring. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the structure and design of small-molecule probes with novel functionalities and the integrated development with imaging, proteomics and other emerging technologies. We further highlight recent applications of integrated small-molecule technologies for the molecular analysis of drug-target interactions, including translational applications and emerging opportunities for whole-body imaging, tissue-based measurement and blood-based analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sijun Pan
- The Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE, Future Technologies), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Aixiang Ding
- The Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE, Future Technologies), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Yisi Li
- The Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE, Future Technologies), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Yaxin Sun
- The Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE, Future Technologies), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Yueqin Zhan
- The Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE, Future Technologies), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Zhenkun Ye
- The Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE, Future Technologies), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Ning Song
- The Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE, Future Technologies), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Bo Peng
- Frontiers Science Center for Flexible Electronics, Xi'an Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE) and Xi'an Institute of Biomedical Materials & Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 127 West Youyi Road, Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Lin Li
- The Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE, Future Technologies), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Wei Huang
- The Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE, Future Technologies), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
- Frontiers Science Center for Flexible Electronics, Xi'an Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE) and Xi'an Institute of Biomedical Materials & Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 127 West Youyi Road, Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Huilin Shao
- Institute for Health Innovation & Technology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583, Singapore
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6
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George AL, Sidgwick FR, Watt JE, Martin MP, Trost M, Marín-Rubio JL, Dueñas ME. Comparison of Quantitative Mass Spectrometric Methods for Drug Target Identification by Thermal Proteome Profiling. J Proteome Res 2023; 22:2629-2640. [PMID: 37439223 PMCID: PMC10407934 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.3c00111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Thermal proteome profiling (TPP) provides a powerful approach to studying proteome-wide interactions of small therapeutic molecules and their target and off-target proteins, complementing phenotypic-based drug screens. Detecting differences in thermal stability due to target engagement requires high quantitative accuracy and consistent detection. Isobaric tandem mass tags (TMTs) are used to multiplex samples and increase quantification precision in TPP analysis by data-dependent acquisition (DDA). However, advances in data-independent acquisition (DIA) can provide higher sensitivity and protein coverage with reduced costs and sample preparation steps. Herein, we explored the performance of different DIA-based label-free quantification approaches compared to TMT-DDA for thermal shift quantitation. Acute myeloid leukemia cells were treated with losmapimod, a known inhibitor of MAPK14 (p38α). Label-free DIA approaches, and particularly the library-free mode in DIA-NN, were comparable of TMT-DDA in their ability to detect target engagement of losmapimod with MAPK14 and one of its downstream targets, MAPKAPK3. Using DIA for thermal shift quantitation is a cost-effective alternative to labeled quantitation in the TPP pipeline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L. George
- Laboratory
for Biological Mass Spectrometry, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 4HH, U.K.
| | - Frances R. Sidgwick
- Laboratory
for Biological Mass Spectrometry, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 4HH, U.K.
| | - Jessica E. Watt
- Newcastle
Cancer Centre, Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Medical School, Newcastle University, Paul O’Gorman Building, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, U.K.
| | - Mathew P. Martin
- Newcastle
Cancer Centre, Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Medical School, Newcastle University, Paul O’Gorman Building, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, U.K.
| | - Matthias Trost
- Laboratory
for Biological Mass Spectrometry, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 4HH, U.K.
| | - José Luis Marín-Rubio
- Laboratory
for Biological Mass Spectrometry, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 4HH, U.K.
| | - Maria Emilia Dueñas
- Laboratory
for Biological Mass Spectrometry, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 4HH, U.K.
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7
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Kang J, Seshadri M, Cupp-Sutton KA, Wu S. Toward the analysis of functional proteoforms using mass spectrometry-based stability proteomics. FRONTIERS IN ANALYTICAL SCIENCE 2023; 3:1186623. [PMID: 39072225 PMCID: PMC11281393 DOI: 10.3389/frans.2023.1186623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Functional proteomics aims to elucidate biological functions, mechanisms, and pathways of proteins and proteoforms at the molecular level to examine complex cellular systems and disease states. A series of stability proteomics methods have been developed to examine protein functionality by measuring the resistance of a protein to chemical or thermal denaturation or proteolysis. These methods can be applied to measure the thermal stability of thousands of proteins in complex biological samples such as cell lysate, intact cells, tissues, and other biological fluids to measure proteome stability. Stability proteomics methods have been popularly applied to observe stability shifts upon ligand binding for drug target identification. More recently, these methods have been applied to characterize the effect of structural changes in proteins such as those caused by post-translational modifications (PTMs) and mutations, which can affect protein structures or interactions and diversify protein functions. Here, we discussed the current application of a suite of stability proteomics methods, including thermal proteome profiling (TPP), stability of proteomics from rates of oxidation (SPROX), and limited proteolysis (LiP) methods, to observe PTM-induced structural changes on protein stability. We also discuss future perspectives highlighting the integration of top-down mass spectrometry and stability proteomics methods to characterize intact proteoform stability and understand the function of variable protein modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Kang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States
| | - Meena Seshadri
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States
| | - Kellye A. Cupp-Sutton
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States
| | - Si Wu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States
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8
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Bailey MA, Tang Y, Park HJ, Fitzgerald MC. Comparative Analysis of Protein Folding Stability-Based Profiling Methods for Characterization of Biological Phenotypes. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2023; 34:383-393. [PMID: 36802530 PMCID: PMC10164353 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.2c00248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Recently, a new suite of mass spectrometry-based proteomic methods has been developed that enables evaluation of protein folding stability on the proteomic scale. These methods utilize chemical and thermal denaturation approaches (SPROX and TPP, respectively) as well as proteolysis strategies (DARTS, LiP, and PP) to assess protein folding stability. The analytical capabilities of these technique have been well-established for protein target discovery applications. However, less is known about the relative advantages and disadvantages of using these different strategies to characterize biological phenotypes. Reported here is a comparative study of SPROX, TPP, LiP, and conventional protein expression level measurements using both a mouse model of aging and a mammalian cell culture model of breast cancer. Analyses on proteins in brain tissue cell lysates derived from 1- and 18-month-old mice (n = 4-5 at each time point) and on proteins in cell lysates derived from the MCF-7 and MCF-10A cell lines revealed a majority of the differentially stabilized protein hits in each phenotype analysis had unchanged expression levels. In both phenotype analyses, TPP generated the largest number and fraction of differentially stabilized protein hits. Only a quarter of all the protein hits identified in each phenotype analysis had a differential stability that was detected using multiple techniques. This work also reports the first peptide-level analysis of TPP data, which was required for the correct interpretation of the phenotype analyses performed here. Studies on selected protein stability hits also uncovered phenotype-related functional changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan A. Bailey
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Yun Tang
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Hye-Jin Park
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708
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9
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Kawatkar A, Clark RA, Hopcroft L, Roaquin DA, Tomlinson R, Zuhl AM, Lamont GM, Kettle JG, Critchlow SE, Castaldi MP, Goldberg FW, Zhang AX. Chemical Biology Approaches Confirm MCT4 as the Therapeutic Target of a Cellular Optimized Hit. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:296-303. [PMID: 36602435 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Lactic acid transport is a key process maintaining glycolytic flux in tumors. Inhibition of this process will result in glycolytic shutdown, impacting on cell growth and survival and thus has been pursued as a therapeutic approach for cancers. Using a cell-based screen in a MCT4-dependent cell line, we identified and optimized compounds for their ability to inhibit the efflux of intracellular lactic acid with good physical and pharmacokinetic properties. To deconvolute the mechanism of lactic acid efflux inhibition, we have developed three assays to measure cellular target engagement. Specifically, we synthesized a biologically active photoaffinity probe (IC50 < 10 nM), and using this probe, we demonstrated selective engagement of MCT4 of our parent molecule through a combination of confocal microscopy and in-cell chemoproteomics. As an orthogonal assay, the cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) confirmed binding to MCT4 in the cellular system. Comparisons of lactic acid efflux potencies in cells with differential expression of MCT family members further confirmed that the optimized compounds inhibit the efflux of lactic acid through the inhibition of MCT4. Taken together, these data demonstrate the power of orthogonal chemical biology methods to determine cellular target engagement, particularly for proteins not readily amenable to traditional biophysical methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarti Kawatkar
- Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Waltham, Massachusetts02451, United States
| | - Roger A Clark
- Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, CambridgeCB2 0AA, U.K
| | | | - Debora Ann Roaquin
- Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Waltham, Massachusetts02451, United States
| | - Ronald Tomlinson
- Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Waltham, Massachusetts02451, United States
| | - Andrea M Zuhl
- Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Waltham, Massachusetts02451, United States
| | | | | | | | - M Paola Castaldi
- Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Waltham, Massachusetts02451, United States
| | | | - Andrew X Zhang
- Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Waltham, Massachusetts02451, United States
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10
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Hyer CD, Lin HJL, Haderlie CT, Berg M, Price JC. C Half: Folding Stability Made Simple. J Proteome Res 2023; 22:605-614. [PMID: 36707058 PMCID: PMC9904287 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.2c00619] [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] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The structure of a protein defines its function and integrity and correlates with the protein folding stability (PFS). Quantifying PFS allows researchers to assess differential stability of proteins in different disease or ligand binding states, providing insight into protein efficacy and potentially serving as a metric of protein quality. There are a number of mass spectrometry (MS)-based methods to assess PFS, such as Thermal Protein Profiling (TPP), Stability of Proteins from Rates of Oxidation (SPROX), and Iodination Protein Stability Assay (IPSA). Despite the critical value that PFS studies add to the understanding of mechanisms of disease and treatment development, proteomics research is still primarily dominated by concentration-based studies. We found that a major reason for the lack of PFS studies is the lack of a user-friendly data processing tool. Here we present the first user-friendly software, CHalf, with a graphical user interface for calculating PFS. Besides calculating site-specific PFS of a given protein from chemical denature folding stability assays, CHalf is also compatible with thermal denature folding stability assays. CHalf also includes a set of data visualization tools to help identify changes in PFS across protein sequences and in between different treatment conditions. We expect the introduction of CHalf to lower the barrier of entry for researchers to investigate PFS, promoting the usage of PFS in studies. In the long run, we expect this increase in PFS research to accelerate our understanding of the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad D. Hyer
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young
University, Provo, Utah84602, United States
| | - Hsien-Jung L. Lin
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young
University, Provo, Utah84602, United States
| | - Connor T. Haderlie
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young
University, Provo, Utah84602, United States
| | - Monica Berg
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young
University, Provo, Utah84602, United States
| | - John C. Price
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young
University, Provo, Utah84602, United States
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11
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Abstract
Environmental agents of exposure can damage proteins, affecting protein function and cellular protein homeostasis. Specific residues are inherently chemically susceptible to damage from individual types of exposure. Amino acid content is not completely predictive of protein susceptibility, as secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures of proteins strongly influence the reactivity of the proteome to individual exposures. Because we cannot readily predict which proteins will be affected by which chemical exposures, mass spectrometry-based proteomic strategies are necessary to determine the protein targets of environmental toxins and toxicants. This review describes the mechanisms by which environmental exposure to toxins and toxicants can damage proteins and affect their function, and emerging omic methodologies that can be used to identify the protein targets of a given agent. These methods include target identification strategies that have recently revolutionized the drug discovery field, such as activity-based protein profiling, protein footprinting, and protein stability profiling technologies. In particular, we highlight the necessity of multiple, complementary approaches to fully interrogate how protein integrity is challenged by individual exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph C Genereux
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
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12
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Feng F, Zhang W, Chai Y, Guo D, Chen X. Label-free target protein characterization for small molecule drugs: recent advances in methods and applications. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2023; 223:115107. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2022.115107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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13
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Abstract
Knowing that the drug candidate binds to its intended target is a vital part of drug discovery. Thus, several labeled and label-free methods have been developed to study target engagement. In recent years, the cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) with its variations has been widely adapted to drug discovery workflows. Western blot–based CETSA is used primarily to validate the target binding of a molecule to its target protein whereas CETSA based on bead chemistry detection methods (CETSA HT) has been used to screen molecular libraries to find novel molecules binding to a pre-determined target. Mass spectrometry–based CETSA also known as thermal proteome profiling (TPP) has emerged as a powerful tool for target deconvolution and finding novel binding partners for old and novel molecules. With this technology, it is possible to probe thermal shifts among over 7,000 proteins from one sample and to identify the wanted target binding but also binding to unwanted off-targets known to cause adverse effects. In addition, this proteome-wide method can provide information on the biological process initiated by the ligand binding. The continued development of mass spectrometry labeling reagents, such as isobaric tandem mass tag technology (TMT) continues to increase the throughput of CETSA MS, allowing its use for structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies with a limited number of molecules. In this review, we discussed the differences between different label-free methods to study target engagement, but our focus was on CETSA and recent advances in the CETSA method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuomas Aleksi Tolvanen
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.,Pelago Bioscience AB, Solna, Sweden
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