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Zhou H, Zhai J, Gong H, Fang R, Zhao Y, Luo W. Novel pyrrolidine-alkylamino-substituted dicyanoisophorone derivatives as near-infrared fluorescence probe for imaging β-amyloid in vitro and in vivo. Anal Chim Acta 2024; 1317:342894. [PMID: 39030021 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2024.342894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The formation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques is one of the key neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Near-infrared (NIR) probes show great potential for imaging of Aβ plaques in vivo and in vitro. Dicyanoisophorone (DCIP) based Aβ probes have attracted considerable attention due to their exceptional properties. However, DCIP probes still has some drawbacks, such as short emission wavelength (<650 nm) and low fluorescence intensity after binding to Aβ. It is clear that further modification is needed to improve their luminescence efficiency and sensitivity. RESULTS We designed and synthesize four novel pyrrolidine-alkylamino-substituted DCIP derivatives (6a-d) as imaging agents for β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregates. Compound 6c responds better to Aβ aggregates than the other three compounds (6a, 6b and 6d) and its precursor DCIP. The calculated detection limit is to be as low as 0.23 μM. Compound 6c shows no cytotoxicity in the tested concentration for SH-SY5Y and HL-7702 cells. Additionally, compound 6c is successfully applied to monitor Aβ aggregates in live SH-SY5Y cells and APP/PS1 transgenic mice. The retention time in the transgenic mice brain is much longer than that of age-matched wild-type mice. SIGNIFICANCE The results indicates that compound 6c had an excellent ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and it could effectively distinguish APP/PS1 transgenic mice and wide-type mice. This represents its promising applications for Aβ detection in basic and biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zhou
- Henan Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine Innovation and Transformation, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China; Pharmaceutical Engineering Department, Henan Technical Institute, Kaifeng, 475004, China
| | - Jihang Zhai
- Henan Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine Innovation and Transformation, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China
| | - Huiyuan Gong
- Henan Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine Innovation and Transformation, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China
| | - Ru Fang
- Henan Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine Innovation and Transformation, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China
| | - Yongmei Zhao
- Pharmaceutical Engineering Department, Henan Technical Institute, Kaifeng, 475004, China.
| | - Wen Luo
- Henan Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine Innovation and Transformation, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China; State Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drugs, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
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Ashok S, Ramachandra Rao S. Updates on protein-prenylation and associated inherited retinopathies. FRONTIERS IN OPHTHALMOLOGY 2024; 4:1410874. [PMID: 39026984 PMCID: PMC11254824 DOI: 10.3389/fopht.2024.1410874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Membrane-anchored proteins play critical roles in cell signaling, cellular architecture, and membrane biology. Hydrophilic proteins are post-translationally modified by a diverse range of lipid molecules such as phospholipids, glycosylphosphatidylinositol, and isoprenes, which allows their partition and anchorage to the cell membrane. In this review article, we discuss the biochemical basis of isoprenoid synthesis, the mechanisms of isoprene conjugation to proteins, and the functions of prenylated proteins in the neural retina. Recent discovery of novel prenyltransferases, prenylated protein chaperones, non-canonical prenylation-target motifs, and reversible prenylation is expected to increase the number of inherited systemic and blinding diseases with aberrant protein prenylation. Recent important investigations have also demonstrated the role of several unexpected regulators (such as protein charge, sequence/protein-chaperone interaction, light exposure history) in the photoreceptor trafficking of prenylated proteins. Technical advances in the investigation of the prenylated proteome and its application in vision research are discussed. Clinical updates and technical insights into known and putative prenylation-associated retinopathies are provided herein. Characterization of non-canonical prenylation mechanisms in the retina and retina-specific prenylated proteome is fundamental to the understanding of the pathogenesis of protein prenylation-associated inherited blinding disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudhat Ashok
- Department of Ophthalmology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Sriganesh Ramachandra Rao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
- Neuroscience Program, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
- Research Service, VA Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY, United States
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3
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Hildebrandt ER, Sarkar A, Ravishankar R, Kim JH, Schmidt WK. Evaluating protein prenylation of human and viral CaaX sequences using a humanized yeast system. Dis Model Mech 2024; 17:dmm050516. [PMID: 38818856 PMCID: PMC11152559 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.050516] [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: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Prenylated proteins are prevalent in eukaryotic biology (∼1-2% of proteins) and are associated with human disease, including cancer, premature aging and infections. Prenylated proteins with a C-terminal CaaX sequence are targeted by CaaX-type prenyltransferases and proteases. To aid investigations of these enzymes and their targets, we developed Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that express these human enzymes instead of their yeast counterparts. These strains were developed in part to explore human prenyltransferase specificity because of findings that yeast FTase has expanded specificity for sequences deviating from the CaaX consensus (i.e. atypical sequence and length). The humanized yeast strains displayed robust prenyltransferase activity against CaaX sequences derived from human and pathogen proteins containing typical and atypical CaaX sequences. The system also recapitulated prenylation of heterologously expressed human proteins (i.e. HRas and DNAJA2). These results reveal that substrate specificity is conserved for yeast and human farnesyltransferases but is less conserved for type I geranylgeranyltransferases. These yeast systems can be easily adapted for investigating the prenylomes of other organisms and are valuable new tools for helping define the human prenylome, which includes physiologically important proteins for which the CaaX modification status is unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R. Hildebrandt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Anushka Sarkar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Rajani Ravishankar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - June H. Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Walter K. Schmidt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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4
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Ehtewish H, Mesleh A, Ponirakis G, Lennard K, Al Hamad H, Chandran M, Parray A, Abdesselem H, Wijten P, Decock J, Alajez NM, Ramadan M, Khan S, Ayadathil R, Own A, Elsotouhy A, Albagha O, Arredouani A, Blackburn JM, Malik RA, El-Agnaf OMA. Profiling the autoantibody repertoire reveals autoantibodies associated with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1256745. [PMID: 38107644 PMCID: PMC10722091 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1256745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Dementia is a debilitating neurological disease affecting millions of people worldwide. The exact mechanisms underlying the initiation and progression of the disease remain to be fully defined. There is an increasing body of evidence for the role of immune dysregulation in the pathogenesis of dementia, where blood-borne autoimmune antibodies have been studied as potential markers associated with pathological mechanisms of dementia. Methods This study included plasma from 50 cognitively normal individuals, 55 subjects with MCI (mild cognitive impairment), and 22 subjects with dementia. Autoantibody profiling for more than 1,600 antigens was performed using a high throughput microarray platform to identify differentially expressed autoantibodies in MCI and dementia. Results The differential expression analysis identified 33 significantly altered autoantibodies in the plasma of patients with dementia compared to cognitively normal subjects, and 38 significantly altered autoantibodies in the plasma of patients with dementia compared to subjects with MCI. And 20 proteins had significantly altered autoantibody responses in MCI compared to cognitively normal individuals. Five autoantibodies were commonly dysregulated in both dementia and MCI, including anti-CAMK2A, CKS1B, ETS2, MAP4, and NUDT2. Plasma levels of anti-ODF3, E6, S100P, and ARHGDIG correlated negatively with the cognitive performance scores (MoCA) (r2 -0.56 to -0.42, value of p < 0.001). Additionally, several proteins targeted by autoantibodies dysregulated in dementia were significantly enriched in the neurotrophin signaling pathway, axon guidance, cholinergic synapse, long-term potentiation, apoptosis, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. Conclusion We have shown multiple dysregulated autoantibodies in the plasma of subjects with MCI and dementia. The corresponding proteins for these autoantibodies are involved in neurodegenerative pathways, suggesting a potential impact of autoimmunity on the etiology of dementia and the possible benefit for future therapeutic approaches. Further investigations are warranted to validate our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanan Ehtewish
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
- Neurological Disorders Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Areej Mesleh
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
- Neurological Disorders Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Georgios Ponirakis
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Katie Lennard
- Sengenics Corporation, Level M, Plaza Zurich, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Hanadi Al Hamad
- Geriatric and Memory Clinic, Rumailah Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar
| | - Mani Chandran
- Geriatric and Memory Clinic, Rumailah Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar
| | - Aijaz Parray
- The Neuroscience Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar
| | - Houari Abdesselem
- Proteomics Core Facility, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Patrick Wijten
- Diabetes Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Julie Decock
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
- Translational Cancer and Immunity Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Nehad M. Alajez
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
- Translational Cancer and Immunity Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Marwan Ramadan
- Geriatric and Memory Clinic, Rumailah Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar
| | - Shafi Khan
- Geriatric and Memory Clinic, Rumailah Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar
| | - Raheem Ayadathil
- The Neuroscience Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar
| | - Ahmed Own
- The Neuroscience Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar
- Department of Neuroradiology, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Ahmed Elsotouhy
- The Neuroscience Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar
- Department of Clinical Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Omar Albagha
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Abdelilah Arredouani
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
- Diabetes Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Jonathan M. Blackburn
- Sengenics Corporation, Level M, Plaza Zurich, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Rayaz A. Malik
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Omar M. A. El-Agnaf
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
- Neurological Disorders Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
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Suazo KF, Bělíček J, Schey GL, Auger SA, Petre AM, Li L, Błażewska KM, Kopečný D, Distefano MD. Thinking outside the CaaX-box: an unusual reversible prenylation on ALDH9A1. RSC Chem Biol 2023; 4:913-925. [PMID: 37920391 PMCID: PMC10619140 DOI: 10.1039/d3cb00089c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein lipidation is a post-translational modification that confers hydrophobicity on protein substrates to control their cellular localization, mediate protein trafficking, and regulate protein function. In particular, protein prenylation is a C-terminal modification on proteins bearing canonical motifs catalyzed by prenyltransferases. Prenylated proteins have been of interest due to their numerous associations with various diseases. Chemical proteomic approaches have been pursued over the last decade to define prenylated proteomes (prenylome) and probe their responses to perturbations in various cellular systems. Here, we describe the discovery of prenylation of a non-canonical prenylated protein, ALDH9A1, which lacks any apparent prenylation motif. This enzyme was initially identified through chemical proteomic profiling of prenylomes in various cell lines. Metabolic labeling with an isoprenoid probe using overexpressed ALDH9A1 revealed that this enzyme can be prenylated inside cells but does not respond to inhibition by prenyltransferase inhibitors. Site-directed mutagenesis of the key residues involved in ALDH9A1 activity indicates that the catalytic C288 bears the isoprenoid modification likely through an NAD+-dependent mechanism. Furthermore, the isoprenoid modification is also susceptible to hydrolysis, indicating a reversible modification. We hypothesize that this modification originates from endogenous farnesal or geranygeranial, the established degradation products of prenylated proteins and results in a thioester form that accumulates. This novel reversible prenoyl modification on ALDH9A1 expands the current paradigm of protein prenylation by illustrating a potentially new type of protein-lipid modification that may also serve as a novel mechanism for controlling enzyme function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiall F Suazo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota Minneapolis MN 55455 USA
| | - Jakub Bělíček
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University CZ-78371 Czech Republic
| | - Garrett L Schey
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota Minneapolis MN 55455 USA
| | - Shelby A Auger
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota Minneapolis MN 55455 USA
| | - Alexandru M Petre
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota Minneapolis MN 55455 USA
| | - Ling Li
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Minnesota Minneapolis MN 55455 USA
| | - Katarzyna M Błażewska
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology Łódź Poland
| | - David Kopečný
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University CZ-78371 Czech Republic
| | - Mark D Distefano
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota Minneapolis MN 55455 USA
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6
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Hildebrandt ER, Sarkar A, Ravishankar R, Kim JH, Schmidt WK. A Humanized Yeast System for Evaluating the Protein Prenylation of a Wide Range of Human and Viral CaaX Sequences. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.19.558494. [PMID: 37786692 PMCID: PMC10541624 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.19.558494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
The C-terminal CaaX sequence (cysteine-aliphatic-aliphatic-any of several amino acids) is subject to isoprenylation on the conserved cysteine and is estimated to occur in 1-2% of proteins within yeast and human proteomes. Recently, non-canonical CaaX sequences in addition to shorter and longer length CaX and CaaaX sequences have been identified that can be prenylated. Much of the characterization of prenyltransferases has relied on the yeast system because of its genetic tractability and availability of reporter proteins, such as the a-factor mating pheromone, Ras GTPase, and Ydj1 Hsp40 chaperone. To compare the properties of yeast and human prenyltransferases, including the recently expanded target specificity of yeast farnesyltransferase, we have developed yeast strains that express human farnesyltransferase or geranylgeranyltransferase-I in lieu of their yeast counterparts. The humanized yeast strains display robust prenyltransferase activity that functionally replaces yeast prenyltransferase activity in a wide array of tests, including the prenylation of a wide variety of canonical and non-canonical human CaaX sequences, virus encoded CaaX sequences, non-canonical length sequences, and heterologously expressed human proteins HRas and DNAJA2. These results reveal highly overlapping substrate specificity for yeast and human farnesyltransferase, and mostly overlapping substrate specificity for GGTase-I. This yeast system is a valuable tool for further defining the prenylome of humans and other organisms, identifying proteins for which prenylation status has not yet been determined.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anushka Sarkar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia
| | | | - June H. Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia
| | - Walter K. Schmidt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia
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7
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Chang X, Zhang F, Zhu S, Yang Z, Feng X, Liu Y. Photoredox-catalyzed diastereoselective dearomative prenylation and reverse-prenylation of electron-deficient indole derivatives. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3876. [PMID: 37391418 PMCID: PMC10313782 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39633-9] [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: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Prenylated and reverse-prenylated indolines are privileged scaffolds in numerous naturally occurring indole alkaloids with a broad spectrum of important biological properties. Development of straightforward and stereoselective methods to enable the synthesis of structurally diverse prenylated and reverse-prenylated indoline derivatives is highly desirable and challenging. In this context, the most direct approaches to achieve this goal generally rely on transition-metal-catalyzed dearomative allylic alkylation of electron-rich indoles. However, the electron-deficient indoles are much less explored, probably due to their diminished nucleophilicity. Herein, a photoredox-catalyzed tandem Giese radical addition/Ireland-Claisen rearrangement is disclosed. Diastereoselective dearomative prenylation and reverse-prenylation of electron-deficient indoles proceed smoothly under mild conditions. An array of tertiary α-silylamines as radical precursors is readily incorporated in 2,3-disubstituted indolines with high functional compatibility and excellent diastereoselectivity (>20:1 d.r.). The corresponding transformations of the secondary α-silylamines provide the biologically important lactam-fused indolines in one-pot synthesis. Subsequently, a plausible photoredox pathway is proposed based on control experiments. The preliminary bioactivity study reveals a potential anticancer property of these structurally appealing indolines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuexue Chang
- Institute of Chemical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Fangqing Zhang
- Institute of Chemical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Shibo Zhu
- Institute of Chemical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Zhuang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xiaoming Feng
- Institute of Chemical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China.
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry & Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Yangbin Liu
- Institute of Chemical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China.
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8
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Jung D, Bachmann HS. Regulation of protein prenylation. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 164:114915. [PMID: 37236024 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114915] [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: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Prenyltransferases (PTases) are known to play a role in embryonic development, normal tissue homeostasis and cancer by posttranslationally modifying proteins involved in these processes. They are being discussed as potential drug targets in an increasing number of diseases, ranging from Alzheimer's disease to malaria. Protein prenylation and the development of specific PTase inhibitors (PTIs) have been subject to intense research in recent decades. Recently, the FDA approved lonafarnib, a specific farnesyltransferase inhibitor that acts directly on protein prenylation; and bempedoic acid, an ATP citrate lyase inhibitor that might alter intracellular isoprenoid composition, the relative concentrations of which can exert a decisive influence on protein prenylation. Both drugs represent the first approved agent in their respective substance class. Furthermore, an overwhelming number of processes and proteins that regulate protein prenylation have been identified over the years, many of which have been proposed as molecular targets for pharmacotherapy in their own right. However, certain aspects of protein prenylation, such as the regulation of PTase gene expression or the modulation of PTase activity by phosphorylation, have attracted less attention, despite their reported influence on tumor cell proliferation. Here, we want to summarize the advances regarding our understanding of the regulation of protein prenylation and the potential implications for drug development. Additionally, we want to suggest new lines of investigation that encompass the search for regulatory elements for PTases, especially at the genetic and epigenetic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Jung
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Biomedical Education and Research (ZBAF), School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
| | - Hagen S Bachmann
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Biomedical Education and Research (ZBAF), School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany.
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