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Zhang H, Yao J, Xiao G, Xie J, Mao S, Sun C, Yao J, Yan J, Tu P. Discovery of drug targets based on traditional Chinese medicine microspheres (TCM-MPs) fishing strategy combined with bio-layer interferometry (BLI) technology. Anal Chim Acta 2024; 1305:342542. [PMID: 38677836 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2024.342542] [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: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Target discovery of natural products is a key step in the development of new drugs, and it is also a difficult speed-limiting step. In this study, a traditional Chinese medicine microspheres (TCM-MPs) target fishing strategy was developed to discover the key drug targets from complex system. The microspheres are composed of Fe3O4 magnetic nanolayer, oleic acid modified layer, the photoaffinity group (4- [3-(Trifluoromethyl)-3H-diazirin-3-yl] benzoic acid, TAD) layer and active small molecule layer from inside to outside. TAD produces highly reactive carbene under ultraviolet light, which can realize the self-assembly and fixation of drug active small molecules with non-selective properties. Here, taking Shenqi Jiangtang Granules (SJG) as an example, the constructed TCM-MPs was used to fish the related proteins of human glomerular mesangial cells (HMCs) lysate. 28 differential proteins were screened. According to the target analysis based on bioinformatics, GNAS was selected as the key target, which participated in insulin secretion and cAMP signaling pathway. To further verify the interaction effect of GNAS and small molecules, a reverse fishing technique was established based on bio-layer interferometry (BLI) coupled with UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS/MS. The results displayed that 26 small molecules may potentially interact with GNAS, and 7 of them were found to have strong binding activity. In vitro experiments for HMCs have shown that 7 active compounds can significantly activate the cAMP pathway by binding to GNAS. The developed TCM-MPs target fishing strategy combined with BLI reverse fishing technology to screen out key proteins that directly interact with active ingredients from complex target protein systems is significant for the discovery of drug targets for complex systems of TCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zhang
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, No. 18, Chaowang Road, Hangzhou, 310014, China; State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Jiangyu Yao
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, No. 18, Chaowang Road, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Guyu Xiao
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, No. 18, Chaowang Road, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Jianhui Xie
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, No. 18, Chaowang Road, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Shuying Mao
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, No. 18, Chaowang Road, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Chenghong Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Integration and Innovation of Classic Formula and Modern Chinese Medicine, Lunan Pharmaceutical Group Co. LTD., Shandong, 276006, China
| | - Jingchun Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Integration and Innovation of Classic Formula and Modern Chinese Medicine, Lunan Pharmaceutical Group Co. LTD., Shandong, 276006, China
| | - Jizhong Yan
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, No. 18, Chaowang Road, Hangzhou, 310014, China.
| | - Pengfei Tu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China.
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2
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Fratev F. R346K Mutation in the Mu Variant of SARS-CoV-2 Alters the Interactions with Monoclonal Antibodies from Class 2: A Free Energy Perturbation Study. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:627-631. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c01243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Filip Fratev
- Micar Innovation (Micar21) Ltd., Persenk 34B, 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at El Paso, 1101 N Campbell Street, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
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3
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Chang CC, Pan SF, Wu MH, Cheng CT, Su YR, Jiang SJ, Hsu HJ. Combinatorial Virtual Screening Revealed a Novel Scaffold for TNKS Inhibition to Combat Colorectal Cancer. Biomedicines 2022; 10:143. [PMID: 35052822 PMCID: PMC8773749 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10010143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The abnormal Wnt signaling pathway leads to a high expression of β-catenin, which causes several types of cancer, particularly colorectal cancer (CRC). The inhibition of tankyrase (TNKS) activity can reduce cancer cell growth, invasion, and resistance to treatment by blocking the Wnt signaling pathway. A pharmacophore search and pharmacophore docking were performed to identify potential TNKS inhibitors in the training databases. The weighted MM/PBSA binding free energy of the docking model was calculated to rank the databases. The reranked results indicated that 26.98% of TNKS inhibitors that were present in the top 5% of compounds in the database and near an ideal value ranked 28.57%. The National Cancer Institute database was selected for formal virtual screening, and 11 potential TNKS inhibitors were identified. An enzyme-based experiment was performed to demonstrate that of the 11 potential TNKS inhibitors, NSC295092 and NSC319963 had the most potential. Finally, Wnt pathway analysis was performed through a cell-based assay, which indicated that NSC319963 is the most likely TNKS inhibitor (pIC50 = 5.59). The antiproliferation assay demonstrated that NSC319963 can decrease colorectal cancer cell growth; therefore, the proposed method successfully identified a novel TNKS inhibitor that can alleviate CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Chun Chang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien 97004, Taiwan;
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (M.-H.W.); (Y.-R.S.)
| | - Sheng-Feng Pan
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan;
| | - Min-Huang Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (M.-H.W.); (Y.-R.S.)
| | - Chun-Tse Cheng
- Department of Life Sciences, College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan;
| | - Yan-Rui Su
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (M.-H.W.); (Y.-R.S.)
| | - Shinn-Jong Jiang
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan;
| | - Hao-Jen Hsu
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan;
- Department of Life Sciences, College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan;
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4
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Fratev F. N501Y and K417N Mutations in the Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2 Alter the Interactions with Both hACE2 and Human-Derived Antibody: A Free Energy of Perturbation Retrospective Study. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:6079-6084. [PMID: 34806876 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c01242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The N501Y and K417N mutations in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and their combination gave rise to questions, but the data on their mechanism of action at the molecular level were limited. In this study, we present free energy perturbation (FEP) calculations, performed at the end of December 2020, for the interactions of the spike S1 receptor-binding domain (RBD) with both the ACE2 receptor and an antibody derived from COVID-19 patients. Our results showed that the S1 RBD-ACE2 interactions were significantly increased whereas those with the STE90-C11 antibody dramatically decreased. The K417N mutation in a combination with N501Y fully abolished the antibody effect. However, Lys417Asn seems to have a compensatory mechanism of action increasing the S1 RBD-ACE2 free energy of binding. This may explain the increased spread of the virus observed in the U.K. and South Africa and also gives rise to an important question regarding the possible human immune response and the success of the already available vaccines. Notably, when the experimental data became available confirming our calculations, it was demonstrated that protein-protein FEP can be a useful tool for providing urgent data to the scientific community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Fratev
- Micar Innovation (Micar21) Ltd., Persenk 34B, 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at El Paso, 1101 N Campbell Street, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
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5
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Moumbock AFA, Li J, Tran HTT, Hinkelmann R, Lamy E, Jessen HJ, Günther S. ePharmaLib: A Versatile Library of e-Pharmacophores to Address Small-Molecule (Poly-)Pharmacology. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:3659-3666. [PMID: 34236848 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Bioactive compounds oftentimes bind to several target proteins, thereby exhibiting polypharmacology. Experimentally determining these interactions is however laborious, and structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) of bioactive compounds could expedite drug discovery by prioritizing hits for experimental validation. Here, we present ePharmaLib, a library of 15,148 e-pharmacophores modeled from solved structures of pharmaceutically relevant protein-ligand complexes of the screening Protein Data Bank (sc-PDB). ePharmaLib can be used for target fishing of phenotypic hits, side effect predictions, drug repurposing, and scaffold hopping. In retrospective SBVS, a good balance was obtained between computational efficiency and predictive accuracy. As a proof of concept, we carried out prospective SBVS in conjunction with a photometric assay, which inferred that the mechanism of action of neopterin (an endogenous immunomodulator) putatively stems from its inhibition (IC50 = 18 μM) of the human purine nucleoside phosphorylase. This ready-to-use library is freely available at http://www.pharmbioinf.uni-freiburg.de/epharmalib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélien F A Moumbock
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Straße 9, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany.,Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstraße 21, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jianyu Li
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Straße 9, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Hoai T T Tran
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Straße 9, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany.,Molecular Preventive Medicine, University Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Engesserstaße 4, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Rahel Hinkelmann
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstraße 21, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Evelyn Lamy
- Molecular Preventive Medicine, University Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Engesserstaße 4, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Henning J Jessen
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstraße 21, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Günther
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Straße 9, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
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6
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Inhibition of Glycine Re-Uptake: A Potential Approach for Treating Pain by Augmenting Glycine-Mediated Spinal Neurotransmission and Blunting Central Nociceptive Signaling. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11060864. [PMID: 34200954 PMCID: PMC8230656 DOI: 10.3390/biom11060864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the myriad of cellular and molecular processes identified as contributing to pathological pain, disinhibition of spinal cord nociceptive signaling to higher cortical centers plays a critical role. Importantly, evidence suggests that impaired glycinergic neurotransmission develops in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord in inflammatory and neuropathic pain models and is a key maladaptive mechanism causing mechanical hyperalgesia and allodynia. Thus, it has been hypothesized that pharmacological agents capable of augmenting glycinergic tone within the dorsal horn may be able to blunt or block aberrant nociceptor signaling to the brain and serve as a novel class of analgesics for various pathological pain states. Indeed, drugs that enhance dysfunctional glycinergic transmission, and in particular inhibitors of the glycine transporters (GlyT1 and GlyT2), are generating widespread interest as a potential class of novel analgesics. The GlyTs are Na+/Cl−-dependent transporters of the solute carrier 6 (SLC6) family and it has been proposed that the inhibition of them presents a possible mechanism by which to increase spinal extracellular glycine concentrations and enhance GlyR-mediated inhibitory neurotransmission in the dorsal horn. Various inhibitors of both GlyT1 and GlyT2 have demonstrated broad analgesic efficacy in several preclinical models of acute and chronic pain, providing promise for the approach to deliver a first-in-class non-opioid analgesic with a mechanism of action differentiated from current standard of care. This review will highlight the therapeutic potential of GlyT inhibitors as a novel class of analgesics, present recent advances reported for the field, and discuss the key challenges associated with the development of a GlyT inhibitor into a safe and effective agent to treat pain.
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7
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Benito-Muñoz C, Perona A, Felipe R, Pérez-Siles G, Núñez E, Aragón C, López-Corcuera B. Structural Determinants of the Neuronal Glycine Transporter 2 for the Selective Inhibitors ALX1393 and ORG25543. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:1860-1872. [PMID: 34003005 PMCID: PMC8691691 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
![]()
The
neuronal glycine transporter GlyT2 modulates inhibitory glycinergic
neurotransmission by controlling the extracellular concentration of
synaptic glycine and the supply of neurotransmitter to the presynaptic
terminal. Spinal cord glycinergic neurons present in the dorsal horn
diminish their activity in pathological pain conditions and behave
as gate keepers of the touch-pain circuitry. The pharmacological blockade
of GlyT2 reduces the progression of the painful signal to rostral
areas of the central nervous system by increasing glycine extracellular
levels, so it has analgesic action. O-[(2-benzyloxyphenyl-3-fluorophenyl)methyl]-l-serine (ALX1393) and N-[[1-(dimethylamino)cyclopentyl]methyl]-3,5-dimethoxy-4-(phenylmethoxy)benzamide
(ORG25543) are two selective GlyT2 inhibitors with nanomolar affinity
for the transporter and analgesic effects in pain animal models, although
with deficiencies which preclude further clinical development. In
this report, we performed a comparative ligand docking of ALX1393
and ORG25543 on a validated GlyT2 structural model including all ligand
sites constructed by homology with the crystallized dopamine transporter
from Drosophila melanogaster. Molecular dynamics
simulations and energy analysis of the complex and functional analysis
of a series of point mutants permitted to determine the structural
determinants of ALX1393 and ORG25543 discrimination by GlyT2. The
ligands establish simultaneous contacts with residues present in transmembrane
domains 1, 3, 6, and 8 and block the transporter in outward-facing
conformation and hence inhibit glycine transport. In addition, differential
interactions of ALX1393 with the cation bound at Na1 site and ORG25543
with TM10 define the differential sites of the inhibitors and explain
some of their individual features. Structural information about the
interactions with GlyT2 may provide useful tools for new drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Benito-Muñoz
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Almudena Perona
- Departamento de Química en Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel Felipe
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Gonzalo Pérez-Siles
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Enrique Núñez
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Aragón
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- IdiPAZ-Hospital Universitario La Paz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Beatriz López-Corcuera
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- IdiPAZ-Hospital Universitario La Paz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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8
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Halloy F, Iyer PS, Ghidini A, Lysenko V, Barman-Aksözen J, Grubenmann CP, Jucker J, Wildner-Verhey van Wijk N, Ruepp MD, Minder EI, Minder AE, Schneider-Yin X, Theocharides APA, Schümperli D, Hall J. Repurposing of glycine transport inhibitors for the treatment of erythropoietic protoporphyria. Cell Chem Biol 2021; 28:1221-1234.e6. [PMID: 33756123 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2021.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is a rare disease in which patients experience severe light sensitivity. It is caused by a deficiency of ferrochelatase (FECH), the last enzyme in heme biosynthesis (HBS). The lack of FECH causes accumulation of its photoreactive substrate protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) in patients' erythrocytes. Here, we explored an approach for the treatment of EPP by decreasing PPIX synthesis using small-molecule inhibitors directed to factors in the HBS pathway. We generated a FECH-knockout clone from K562 erythroleukemia cells, which accumulates PPIX and undergoes oxidative stress upon light exposure. We used these matched cell lines to screen a set of publicly available inhibitors of factors in the HBS pathway. Inhibitors of the glycine transporters GlyT1 and GlyT2 lowered levels of PPIX and markers of oxidative stress selectively in K56211B4 cells, and in primary erythroid cultures from an EPP patient. Our findings open the door to investigation of glycine transport inhibitors for HBS disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Halloy
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Pavithra S Iyer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alice Ghidini
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Veronika Lysenko
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital and University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jasmin Barman-Aksözen
- Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Municipal Hospital Waid and Triemli, 8063 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Chia-Pei Grubenmann
- Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Municipal Hospital Waid and Triemli, 8063 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jessica Jucker
- Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Municipal Hospital Waid and Triemli, 8063 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Marc-David Ruepp
- UK Dementia Research Institute at King's College London, SE5 9RT London, UK; Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK
| | - Elisabeth I Minder
- Department for Endocrinology, Diabetology, Porphyria, Municipal Hospital Waid and Triemli, 8063 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anna-Elisabeth Minder
- Department for Endocrinology, Diabetology, Porphyria, Municipal Hospital Waid and Triemli, 8063 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Xiaoye Schneider-Yin
- Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Municipal Hospital Waid and Triemli, 8063 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre P A Theocharides
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital and University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Schümperli
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Jonathan Hall
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
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9
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Recent developments in ligands and chemical probes targeting solute carrier transporters. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2021; 62:53-63. [PMID: 33689964 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Solute carrier (SLC) membrane transporters remain a largely unexploited target class, despite their central roles in cell identity and metabolism. This gap is reflected in the lack of high-quality chemical ligands or probes and in the small number of compounds that have progressed toward clinical development. In this review, we discuss recent advancements in SLC ligand discovery as well as new candidates that have been added to the investigational toolkit, with a particular focus on first-in-class ligands and the cognate discovery strategies. The availability of new probes expands the opportunity to elucidate the functions of SLCs and their relevance in physiology and explores any future potential of SLC druggability.
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10
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Brill SE, Maraslioglu A, Kurz C, Kramer F, Fuhr MF, Singh A, Friauf E. Glycinergic Transmission in the Presence and Absence of Functional GlyT2: Lessons From the Auditory Brainstem. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2021; 12:560008. [PMID: 33633558 PMCID: PMC7900164 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2020.560008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Synaptic transmission is controlled by re-uptake systems that reduce transmitter concentrations in the synaptic cleft and recycle the transmitter into presynaptic terminals. The re-uptake systems are thought to ensure cytosolic concentrations in the terminals that are sufficient for reloading empty synaptic vesicles (SVs). Genetic deletion of glycine transporter 2 (GlyT2) results in severely disrupted inhibitory neurotransmission and ultimately to death. Here we investigated the role of GlyT2 at inhibitory glycinergic synapses in the mammalian auditory brainstem. These synapses are tuned for resilience, reliability, and precision, even during sustained high-frequency stimulation when endocytosis and refilling of SVs probably contribute substantially to efficient replenishment of the readily releasable pool (RRP). Such robust synapses are formed between MNTB and LSO neurons (medial nucleus of the trapezoid body, lateral superior olive). By means of patch-clamp recordings, we assessed the synaptic performance in controls, in GlyT2 knockout mice (KOs), and upon acute pharmacological GlyT2 blockade. Via computational modeling, we calculated the reoccupation rate of empty release sites and RRP replenishment kinetics during 60-s challenge and 60-s recovery periods. Control MNTB-LSO inputs maintained high fidelity neurotransmission at 50 Hz for 60 s and recovered very efficiently from synaptic depression. During 'marathon-experiments' (30,600 stimuli in 20 min), RRP replenishment accumulated to 1,260-fold. In contrast, KO inputs featured severe impairments. For example, the input number was reduced to ~1 (vs. ~4 in controls), implying massive functional degeneration of the MNTB-LSO microcircuit and a role of GlyT2 during synapse maturation. Surprisingly, neurotransmission did not collapse completely in KOs as inputs still replenished their small RRP 80-fold upon 50 Hz | 60 s challenge. However, they totally failed to do so for extended periods. Upon acute pharmacological GlyT2 inactivation, synaptic performance remained robust, in stark contrast to KOs. RRP replenishment was 865-fold in marathon-experiments, only ~1/3 lower than in controls. Collectively, our empirical and modeling results demonstrate that GlyT2 re-uptake activity is not the dominant factor in the SV recycling pathway that imparts indefatigability to MNTB-LSO synapses. We postulate that additional glycine sources, possibly the antiporter Asc-1, contribute to RRP replenishment at these high-fidelity brainstem synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina E Brill
- Animal Physiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Ayse Maraslioglu
- Animal Physiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Catharina Kurz
- Animal Physiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Florian Kramer
- Animal Physiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Martin F Fuhr
- Animal Physiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Abhyudai Singh
- Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Eckhard Friauf
- Animal Physiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
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11
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Ackermann TM, Allmendinger L, Höfner G, Wanner KT. MS Binding Assays for Glycine Transporter 2 (GlyT2) Employing Org25543 as Reporter Ligand. ChemMedChem 2021; 16:199-215. [PMID: 32734692 PMCID: PMC7821181 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202000342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
This study describes the first binding assay for glycine transporter 2 (GlyT2) following the concept of MS Binding Assays. The selective GlyT2 inhibitor Org25543 was employed as a reporter ligand and it was quantified with a highly sensitive and rapid LC-ESI-MS/MS method. Binding of Org25543 at GlyT2 was characterized in kinetic and saturation experiments with an off-rate of 7.07×10-3 s-1 , an on-rate of 1.01×106 M-1 s-1 , and an equilibrium dissociation constant of 7.45 nM. Furthermore, the inhibitory constants of 19 GlyT ligands were determined in competition experiments. The validity of the GlyT2 affinities determined with the binding assay was examined by a comparison with published inhibitory potencies from various functional assays. With the capability for affinity determination towards GlyT2 the developed MS Binding Assays provide the first tool for affinity profiling of potential ligands and it represents a valuable new alternative to functional assays addressing GlyT2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M. Ackermann
- Department of Pharmacy, Center for Drug ResearchLudwig-Maximilians-Universität MunichButenandtstraße 781377MunichGermany
| | - Lars Allmendinger
- Department of Pharmacy, Center for Drug ResearchLudwig-Maximilians-Universität MunichButenandtstraße 781377MunichGermany
| | - Georg Höfner
- Department of Pharmacy, Center for Drug ResearchLudwig-Maximilians-Universität MunichButenandtstraße 781377MunichGermany
| | - Klaus T. Wanner
- Department of Pharmacy, Center for Drug ResearchLudwig-Maximilians-Universität MunichButenandtstraße 781377MunichGermany
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Hauf K, Barsch L, Bauer D, Buchert R, Armbruster A, Frauenfeld L, Grasshoff U, Eulenburg V. GlyT1 encephalopathy: Characterization of presumably disease causing GlyT1 mutations. Neurochem Int 2020; 139:104813. [PMID: 32712301 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2020.104813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Glycine constitutes a major inhibitory neurotransmitter predominantly in caudal regions of the CNS. The extracellular glycine concentration is regulated synergistically by two high affinity, large capacity transporters GlyT1 and GlyT2. Both proteins are encoded by single genes SLC6A9 and SLC6A5, respectively. Mutations within the SLC6A5 gene encoding for GlyT2 have been demonstrated to be causative for hyperekplexia (OMIM #614618), a complex neuromuscular disease, in humans. In contrast, mutations within the SLC6A9 gene encoding for GlyT1 have been associated with GlyT1 encephalopathy (OMIM #601019), a disease causing severe postnatal respiratory deficiency, muscular hypotonia and arthrogryposis. The consequences of the respective GlyT1 mutations on the function of the transporter protein, however, have not yet been analysed. In this study we present the functional characterisation of three previously published GlyT1 mutations, two mutations predicted to cause truncation of GlyT1 (GlyT1Q573* and GlyT1K310F+fs*31) and one predicted to cause an amino acid exchange within transmembrane domain 7 of the transporter (GlyT1S407G), that are associated with GlyT1 encephalopathy. Additionally, the characterization of a novel mutation predicted to cause an amino acid exchange within transmembrane domain 1 (GlyT1V118M) identified in two fetuses showing increased nuchal translucency and arthrogryposis in routine ultrasound scans is demonstrated. We show that in recombinant systems the two presumably truncating mutations resulted in an intracellular retained GlyT1 protein lacking the intracellular C-terminal domain. In both cases this truncated protein did not show any residual transport activity. The point mutations, hGlyT1S407G and hGlyT1V118M, were processed correctly, but showed severely diminished activity, thus constituting a functional knock-out in-vivo. Taken together our data demonstrate that all analysed mutations of GlyT1 that have been identified in GlyT1 encephalopathy patients cause severe impairment of transporter function. This is consistent with the idea that loss of GlyT1 function is indeed causal for the disease phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Hauf
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - L Barsch
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - D Bauer
- Department of Biology, TU Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - R Buchert
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - A Armbruster
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - L Frauenfeld
- Institute of Pathology and Neuropathology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - U Grasshoff
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - V Eulenburg
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Biochemistry, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
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Fratev F, Gutierrez DA, Aguilera RJ, Tyagi A, Damodaran C, Sirimulla S. Discovery of new AKT1 inhibitors by combination of in silico structure based virtual screening approaches and biological evaluations. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2020; 39:368-377. [DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1715835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Filip Fratev
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
- Micar Innovation (Micar 21) Ltd, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Denisse A. Gutierrez
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Renato J. Aguilera
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Ashish Tyagi
- Department of Urology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Chendil Damodaran
- Department of Urology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Suman Sirimulla
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
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