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Kokkaliari S, Grauso L, Mangoni A, Seabra G, Paul VJ, Luesch H. Isolation, Structure Elucidation, and Biological Activity of the Selective TACR2 Antagonist Tumonolide and its Aldehyde from a Marine Cyanobacterium. Chemistry 2024:e202401393. [PMID: 39023398 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202401393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
The macrocyclic tumonolide (1) with enamide functionality and the linear tumonolide aldehyde (2) are new interconverting natural products from a marine cyanobacterium with a peptide-polyketide skeleton, representing a hybrid of apratoxins and palmyrolides or laingolides. The planar structures were established by NMR and mass spectrometry. The relative configuration of the stereogenically-rich apratoxin-like polyketide portion was determined using J-based configuration analysis. The absolute configuration of tumonolide (1) was determined by chiral analysis of the amino acid units and computational methods, followed by NMR chemical shift and ECD spectrum prediction, indicating all-R configuration for the polyketide portion, as in palmyrolide A and contrary to the all-S configuration in apratoxins. Functional screening against a panel of 168 GPCR targets revealed tumonolide (1) as a selective antagonist of TACR2 with an IC50 of 7.0 μM, closely correlating with binding affinity. Molecular docking studies established the binding mode and rationalized the selectivity for TACR2 over TACR1 and TACR3. RNA sequencing upon treatment of HCT116 colorectal cancer cells demonstrated activation of the pulmonary fibrosis idiopathic signaling pathway and the insulin secretion signaling pathway at 20 μM, indicating its potential to modulate these pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Kokkaliari
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development (CNPD3), University of Florida, 1345 Center Drive, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Laura Grauso
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80055 Portici, Napoli, Italy
| | - Alfonso Mangoni
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80131, Napoli, Italy
| | - Gustavo Seabra
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development (CNPD3), University of Florida, 1345 Center Drive, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Valerie J Paul
- Smithsonian Marine Station at Ft. Pierce, 701 Seaway Drive, Ft. Pierce, Florida 34949, United States
| | - Hendrik Luesch
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development (CNPD3), University of Florida, 1345 Center Drive, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
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Braga Emidio N, Cheloha RW. Semi-synthetic nanobody-ligand conjugates exhibit tunable signaling properties and enhanced transcriptional outputs at neurokinin receptor-1. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e4866. [PMID: 38088474 PMCID: PMC10806929 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4866] [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: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Antibodies have proven highly valuable for therapeutic development; however, they are typically poor candidates for applications that require activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest collection of targets for clinically approved drugs. Nanobodies (Nbs), the smallest antibody fragments retaining full antigen-binding capacity, have emerged as promising tools for pharmacologic applications, including GPCR modulation. Past work has shown that conjugation of Nbs with ligands can provide GPCR agonists that exhibit improved activity and selectivity compared to their parent ligands. The neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R), a GPCR targeted for the treatment of pain, is activated by peptide agonists such as Substance P (SP) and neurokinin A (NKA), which induce signaling through multiple pathways (Gs , Gq and β-arrestin). In this study, we investigated whether conjugating NK1R ligands with Nbs that bind to a separate location on the receptor would provide chimeric compounds with distinctive signaling properties. We employed sortase A-mediated ligation to generate several conjugates consisting of Nbs linked to NK1R ligands. Many of these conjugates exhibited divergent and unexpected signaling properties and transcriptional outputs. For example, some Nb-NKA conjugates showed enhanced receptor binding capacity, high potency partial agonism, prolonged cAMP production, and an increase in transcriptional output associated with Gs signaling; whereas other conjugates were virtually inactive. Nanobody conjugation caused only minor alterations in ligand-induced upstream Gq signaling with unexpected enhancements in transcriptional (downstream) responses. Our findings underscore the potential of nanobody conjugation for providing compounds with advantageous properties such as biased agonism, prolonged duration of action, and enhanced transcriptional responses. These compounds hold promise not only for facilitating fundamental research on GPCR signal transduction mechanisms but also for the development of more potent and enduring therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nayara Braga Emidio
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney DiseasesNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Ross W. Cheloha
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney DiseasesNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMarylandUSA
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Soltani A, Hashemy SI. Homology modeling, virtual screening, molecular docking, and ADME approaches to identify a potent agent targeting NK2R protein. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2024; 71:213-222. [PMID: 37904319 DOI: 10.1002/bab.2533] [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: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
Neurokinin/tachykinin receptors are classified as the G-protein coupled receptor superfamily. The neurokinin 2 receptor (NK2R) is widely expressed in different tissues. NK2R is associated with a range of biological events, such as inflammation, smooth muscle contraction, intestinal motor functions, and asthma. Despite these diverse activities, no approved drugs targeting NK2R have been developed yet. Our study focuses on finding potential inhibitors for NK2R using virtual screening, molecular docking, and ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) approaches. We used a homology modeling approach and AlphaFold DB to obtain the three-dimensional structure of mouse and human NK2R proteins, respectively. The homology model of NK2R was predicted using MODELLER v10.3 and further refined and validated using the 3Drefine tool and RAMPAGE server, respectively. Molecular docking was performed using a library of 910 structurally similar molecules to four NK1R antagonists: aprepitant, casopitant, fosaprepitant, and rolapitant. Molecular docking revealed six small molecules that displayed high Chemscore fitness scores, and binding energies with desirable ligand-NK2R interactions. The evaluation of the in silico ADME profile, solubility, and permeability of the ligand molecules has revealed that the small molecules are potentially nontoxic and have the chance of exhibiting biological activity after oral administration. Further experimental studies (in vitro and in vivo assays) are required to evaluate the effectiveness of these inhibitors as therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Soltani
- Surgical Oncology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Seyed Isaac Hashemy
- Surgical Oncology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
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Madsen JJ, Petersen JE, Christensen DP, Hansen JB, Schwartz TW, Frimurer TM, Olsen OH. Deciphering specificity and cross-reactivity in tachykinin NK1 and NK2 receptors. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105438. [PMID: 37944618 PMCID: PMC10724690 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105438] [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: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The tachykinin receptors neurokinin 1 (NK1R) and neurokinin 2 (NK2R) are G protein-coupled receptors that bind preferentially to the natural peptide ligands substance P and neurokinin A, respectively, and have been targets for drug development. Despite sharing a common C-terminal sequence of Phe-X-Gly-Leu-Met-NH2 that helps direct biological function, the peptide ligands exhibit some degree of cross-reactivity toward each other's non-natural receptor. Here, we investigate the detailed structure-activity relationships of the ligand-bound receptor complexes that underlie both potent activation by the natural ligand and cross-reactivity. We find that the specificity and cross-reactivity of the peptide ligands can be explained by the interactions between the amino acids preceding the FxGLM consensus motif of the bound peptide ligand and two regions of the receptor: the β-hairpin of the extracellular loop 2 (ECL2) and a N-terminal segment leading into transmembrane helix 1. Positively charged sidechains of the ECL2 (R177 of NK1R and K180 of NK2R) are seen to play a vital role in the interaction. The N-terminal positions 1 to 3 of the peptide ligand are entirely dispensable. Mutated and chimeric receptor and ligand constructs neatly swap around ligand specificity as expected, validating the structure-activity hypotheses presented. These findings will help in developing improved agonists or antagonists for NK1R and NK2R.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesper J Madsen
- Global and Planetary Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA; Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA; Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Jacob E Petersen
- Section for Metabolic Receptology, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | - Thue W Schwartz
- Section for Metabolic Receptology, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas M Frimurer
- Section for Metabolic Receptology, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ole H Olsen
- Section for Metabolic Receptology, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Emidio NB, Cheloha RW. Semi-synthetic nanobody-ligand conjugates exhibit tunable signaling properties and enhanced transcriptional outputs at neurokinin receptor-1. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.08.561411. [PMID: 37986858 PMCID: PMC10659424 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.08.561411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Antibodies have proven highly valuable for therapeutic development; however, they are typically poor candidates for applications that require activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest collection of targets for clinically approved drugs. Nanobodies (Nbs), the smallest antibody fragments retaining full antigen-binding capacity, have emerged as promising tools for pharmacologic applications, including GPCR modulation. Past work has shown that conjugation of Nbs with ligands can provide GPCR agonists that exhibit improved activity and selectivity compared to their parent ligands. The neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R), a GPCR targeted for the treatment of pain, is activated by peptide agonists such as Substance P (SP) and neurokinin A (NKA), which induce signaling through multiple pathways (Gs, Gq and β-arrestin). In this study, we investigated whether conjugating NK1R ligands with Nbs that bind to a separate location on the receptor would provide chimeric compounds with distinctive signaling properties. We employed sortase A-mediated ligation to generate several conjugates consisting of Nbs linked to NK1R ligands. Many of these conjugates exhibited divergent and unexpected signaling properties and transcriptional outputs. For example, some Nb-NKA conjugates showed enhanced receptor binding capacity, high potency partial agonism, prolonged cAMP production, and an increase in transcriptional output associated with Gs signaling; whereas other conjugates were virtually inactive. Nanobody conjugation caused only minor alterations in ligand-induced upstream Gq signaling with unexpected enhancements in transcriptional (downstream) responses. Our findings underscore the potential of nanobody conjugation for providing compounds with advantageous properties such as biased agonism, prolonged duration of action, and enhanced transcriptional responses. These compounds hold promise not only for facilitating fundamental research on GPCR signal transduction mechanisms but also for the development of more potent and enduring therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nayara Braga Emidio
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20894, United States
| | - Ross W. Cheloha
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20894, United States
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Sun W, Yang F, Zhang H, Yuan Q, Ling S, Wang Y, Lv P, Li Z, Luo Y, Liu D, Yin W, Shi P, Xu HE, Tian C. Structural insights into neurokinin 3 receptor activation by endogenous and analogue peptide agonists. Cell Discov 2023; 9:66. [PMID: 37391393 DOI: 10.1038/s41421-023-00564-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurokinin 3 receptor (NK3R) is a tachykinin receptor essential for the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. The endogenous peptide agonist neurokinin B (NKB) preferentially activates NK3R, while substance P (SP) binds preferentially to NK1R. In addition, the SP analogue senktide more potently activates NK3R than NKB and SP. However, the mechanisms of preferential binding of peptide and NK3R activation remain elusive. Herein, we determined the cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the NK3R-Gq complex bound to NKB, SP and senktide. The three NK3R-Gq/peptide complexes utilize a class of noncanonical receptor activation mechanisms. Combining the structural analysis and functional assay illustrated that the consensus C-termini of the three peptide agonists share a conserved binding mode to NK3R, while the divergent N-termini of the peptides confer the preferential binding of the agonist to NK3R. In addition, the specific interactions between the N-terminus of senktide and the N-terminus and extracellular loops (ECL2 and ECL3) of NK3R lead to the improved activation displayed by senktide compared to SP and NKB. These findings pave the way to understand tachykinin receptor subtype selectivity and provide ideas to rationally develop drugs targeting NK3R.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Sun
- Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Joint Center for Biological Analytical Chemistry, Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Peptide Drug, Anhui Laboratory of Advanced Photonic Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Fan Yang
- Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Joint Center for Biological Analytical Chemistry, Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Peptide Drug, Anhui Laboratory of Advanced Photonic Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Huanhuan Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Joint Center for Biological Analytical Chemistry, Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Peptide Drug, Anhui Laboratory of Advanced Photonic Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Qingning Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Shenglong Ling
- Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Joint Center for Biological Analytical Chemistry, Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Peptide Drug, Anhui Laboratory of Advanced Photonic Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yuanxia Wang
- Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Joint Center for Biological Analytical Chemistry, Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Peptide Drug, Anhui Laboratory of Advanced Photonic Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Pei Lv
- Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Joint Center for Biological Analytical Chemistry, Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Peptide Drug, Anhui Laboratory of Advanced Photonic Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Zelin Li
- Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Joint Center for Biological Analytical Chemistry, Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Peptide Drug, Anhui Laboratory of Advanced Photonic Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yifan Luo
- Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Joint Center for Biological Analytical Chemistry, Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Peptide Drug, Anhui Laboratory of Advanced Photonic Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Dongsheng Liu
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wanchao Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan, Guangdong, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Pan Shi
- Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Joint Center for Biological Analytical Chemistry, Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Peptide Drug, Anhui Laboratory of Advanced Photonic Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
| | - H Eric Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Changlin Tian
- Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Joint Center for Biological Analytical Chemistry, Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Peptide Drug, Anhui Laboratory of Advanced Photonic Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- The Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Resonance Image, High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China.
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