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Kojima M, Abe S, Furuta T, Hirata K, Yao X, Kobayashi A, Kobayashi R, Ueno T. High-throughput structure determination of an intrinsically disordered protein using cell-free protein crystallization. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2322452121. [PMID: 38861600 PMCID: PMC11194560 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2322452121] [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: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) play a crucial role in various biological phenomena, dynamically changing their conformations in response to external environmental cues. To gain a deeper understanding of these proteins, it is essential to identify the determinants that fix their structures at the atomic level. Here, we developed a pipeline for rapid crystal structure analysis of IDP using a cell-free protein crystallization (CFPC) method. Through this approach, we successfully demonstrated the determination of the structure of an IDP to uncover the key determinants that stabilize its conformation. Specifically, we focused on the 11-residue fragment of c-Myc, which forms an α-helix through dimerization with a binding partner protein. This fragment was strategically recombined with an in-cell crystallizing protein and was expressed in a cell-free system. The resulting crystal structures of the c-Myc fragment were successfully determined at a resolution of 1.92 Å and we confirmed that they are identical to the structures of the complex with the native binding partner protein. This indicates that the environment of the scaffold crystal can fix the structure of c-Myc. Significantly, these crystals were obtained directly from a small reaction mixture (30 µL) incubated for only 72 h. Analysis of eight crystal structures derived from 22 mutants revealed two hydrophobic residues as the key determinants responsible for stabilizing the α-helical structure. These findings underscore the power of our CFPC screening method as a valuable tool for determining the structures of challenging target proteins and elucidating the essential molecular interactions that govern their stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariko Kojima
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Midori-ku, Yokohama226-8501, Japan
| | - Satoshi Abe
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Midori-ku, Yokohama226-8501, Japan
| | - Tadaomi Furuta
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Midori-ku, Yokohama226-8501, Japan
| | - Kunio Hirata
- Synchrotron Radiation Life Science Instrumentation Unit, RIKEN/SPring-8 Center, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo679-5148, Japan
| | - Xinchen Yao
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Midori-ku, Yokohama226-8501, Japan
| | - Ayako Kobayashi
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Midori-ku, Yokohama226-8501, Japan
| | - Ririko Kobayashi
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Midori-ku, Yokohama226-8501, Japan
| | - Takafumi Ueno
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Midori-ku, Yokohama226-8501, Japan
- Research Center for Autonomous Systems Materialogy (ASMat), Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Midori-ku, Yokohama226-8501, Japan
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2
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Zhao W, Ouyang C, Huang C, Zhang J, Xiao Q, Zhang F, Wang H, Lin F, Wang J, Wang Z, Jiang B, Li Q. ELP3 stabilizes c-Myc to promote tumorigenesis. J Mol Cell Biol 2024; 15:mjad059. [PMID: 37771073 PMCID: PMC11054291 DOI: 10.1093/jmcb/mjad059] [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: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
ELP3, the catalytic subunit of the Elongator complex, is an acetyltransferase and associated with tumor progression. However, the detail of ELP3 oncogenic function remains largely unclear. Here, we found that ELP3 stabilizes c-Myc to promote tumorigenesis in an acetyltransferase-independent manner. Mechanistically, ELP3 competes with the E3-ligase FBXW7β for c-Myc binding, resulting in the inhibition of FBXW7β-mediated ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of c-Myc. ELP3 knockdown diminishes glycolysis and glutaminolysis and dramatically retards cell proliferation and xenograft growth by downregulating c-Myc, and such effects are rescued by the reconstitution of c-Myc expression. Moreover, ELP3 and c-Myc were found overexpressed with a positive correlation in colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. Taken together, we elucidate a new function of ELP3 in promoting tumorigenesis by stabilizing c-Myc, suggesting that inhibition of ELP3 is a potential strategy for treating c-Myc-driven carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wentao Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
- Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Neuroscience, Fujian Key Laboratory of Brain Tumors Diagnosis and Precision Treatment, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361003, China
| | - Cong Ouyang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Chen Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Jiaojiao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Qiao Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Fengqiong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Huihui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Furong Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Jinyang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Zhanxiang Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Neuroscience, Fujian Key Laboratory of Brain Tumors Diagnosis and Precision Treatment, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361003, China
| | - Bin Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Qinxi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
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3
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Venkatraman S, Balasubramanian B, Thuwajit C, Meller J, Tohtong R, Chutipongtanate S. Targeting MYC at the intersection between cancer metabolism and oncoimmunology. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1324045. [PMID: 38390324 PMCID: PMC10881682 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1324045] [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: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
MYC activation is a known hallmark of cancer as it governs the gene targets involved in various facets of cancer progression. Of interest, MYC governs oncometabolism through the interactions with its partners and cofactors, as well as cancer immunity via its gene targets. Recent investigations have taken interest in characterizing these interactions through multi-Omic approaches, to better understand the vastness of the MYC network. Of the several gene targets of MYC involved in either oncometabolism or oncoimmunology, few of them overlap in function. Prominent interactions have been observed with MYC and HIF-1α, in promoting glucose and glutamine metabolism and activation of antigen presentation on regulatory T cells, and its subsequent metabolic reprogramming. This review explores existing knowledge of the role of MYC in oncometabolism and oncoimmunology. It also unravels how MYC governs transcription and influences cellular metabolism to facilitate the induction of pro- or anti-tumoral immunity. Moreover, considering the significant roles MYC holds in cancer development, the present study discusses effective direct or indirect therapeutic strategies to combat MYC-driven cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simran Venkatraman
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Brinda Balasubramanian
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Chanitra Thuwajit
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Jaroslaw Meller
- Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Division of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Rutaiwan Tohtong
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Somchai Chutipongtanate
- Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Milk, microbiome, Immunity and Lactation research for Child Health (MILCH) and Novel Therapeutics Lab, Division of Epidemiology, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
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4
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Bhowmick S, Roy K, Saha A. Structure-guided screening of protein-protein interaction for the identification of Myc-Max heterodimer complex modulators. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-19. [PMID: 38109131 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2294174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
De-regulation of oncogenic myelocytomatosis (c-Myc or Myc) transcription factor is one of the most common molecular anomalies encountered in human cancers, and it is typically linked to many aggressive malignancies including breast, lung, cervix, colon glioblastomas, and other haematological organs. The Myc belongs to the basic helix-loop-helix zipper protein family (bHLH-ZIP), and its dimerization with another principal interactor protein partner Myc-associated factor X (Max) is essentially required for cellular transformation, cell growth and proliferation, and transcriptional activation. Intermolecular interactions have been evaluated between hetero-dimer Myc-Max protein, which identified protein-protein interaction (PPI) specific modulators using highly précised molecular docking study followed by long-range interaction stability analyzed through molecular dynamic (MD) simulation. Moreover, ADME profile analyses have been estimated for screened hit compounds. MM-GBSA-based binding free energy (ΔG) estimations have been performed for all screened hit compounds obtained from multi-step molecular docking-based virtual screening technique. According to the employed various rigorous multi-chemometric techniques, four identified inhibitors/modulators appear to have a considerable number of intermolecular contacts with hotspot residues in the hetero-dimer interface region of the Myc-Max PPI complex. However, identified hit compounds might need further structural optimization or extensive biophysical analyses for better understanding of the molecular mechanism for exhibiting the Myc-Max PPI interface binding stability.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shovonlal Bhowmick
- Department of Chemical Technology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
| | - Kunal Roy
- Drug Theoretics and Cheminformatics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India
| | - Achintya Saha
- Department of Chemical Technology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
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5
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Xie Z, Zhao S, Li Y, Deng Y, Shi Y, Chen X, Li Y, Li H, Chen C, Wang X, Liu E, Tu Y, Shi P, Tong J, Gutierrez-Beltran E, Li J, Bozhkov PV, Qian W, Zhou M, Wang W. Phenolic acid-induced phase separation and translation inhibition mediate plant interspecific competition. NATURE PLANTS 2023; 9:1481-1499. [PMID: 37640933 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01499-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Phenolic acids (PAs) secreted by donor plants suppress the growth of their susceptible plant neighbours. However, how structurally diverse ensembles of PAs are perceived by plants to mediate interspecific competition remains a mystery. Here we show that a plant stress granule (SG) marker, RNA-BINDING PROTEIN 47B (RBP47B), is a sensor of PAs in Arabidopsis. PAs, including salicylic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid and so on, directly bind RBP47B, promote its phase separation and trigger SG formation accompanied by global translation inhibition. Salicylic acid-induced global translation inhibition depends on RBP47 family members. RBP47s regulate the proteome rather than the absolute quantity of SG. The rbp47 quadruple mutant shows a reduced sensitivity to the inhibitory effect of the PA mixture as well as to that of PA-rich rice when tested in a co-culturing ecosystem. In this Article, we identified the long sought-after PA sensor as RBP47B and illustrated that PA-induced SG-mediated translational inhibition was one of the PA perception mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhouli Xie
- State Key Laboratory for Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shuai Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Li
- State Key Laboratory for Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yuhua Deng
- Joint Graduate Program of Peking-Tsinghua-NIBS, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yabo Shi
- Joint Graduate Program of Peking-Tsinghua-NIBS, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Li
- State Key Laboratory for Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Haiwei Li
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, Beijing, China
| | - Changtian Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Xingwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Enhui Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, Beijing, China
| | - Yuchen Tu
- State Key Laboratory for Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Shi
- State Key Laboratory for Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinjin Tong
- State Key Laboratory for Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Emilio Gutierrez-Beltran
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, University of Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Jiayu Li
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Peter V Bozhkov
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Weiqiang Qian
- State Key Laboratory for Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mian Zhou
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Plant Gene Resources and Biotechnology for Carbon Reduction and Environmental Improvement, Beijing, China.
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
| | - Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
- Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
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6
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Liu W, Chen L, Yin D, Yang Z, Feng J, Sun Q, Lai L, Guo X. Visualizing single-molecule conformational transition and binding dynamics of intrinsically disordered proteins. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5203. [PMID: 37626077 PMCID: PMC10457384 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41018-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) play crucial roles in cellular processes and hold promise as drug targets. However, the dynamic nature of IDPs remains poorly understood. Here, we construct a single-molecule electrical nanocircuit based on silicon nanowire field-effect transistors (SiNW-FETs) and functionalize it with an individual disordered c-Myc bHLH-LZ domain to enable label-free, in situ, and long-term measurements at the single-molecule level. We use the device to study c-Myc interaction with Max and/or small molecule inhibitors. We observe the self-folding/unfolding process of c-Myc and reveal its interaction mechanism with Max and inhibitors through ultrasensitive real-time monitoring. We capture a relatively stable encounter intermediate ensemble of c-Myc during its transition from the unbound state to the fully folded state. The c-Myc/Max and c-Myc/inhibitor dissociation constants derived are consistent with other ensemble experiments. These proof-of-concept results provide an understanding of the IDP-binding/folding mechanism and represent a promising nanotechnology for IDP conformation/interaction studies and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhe Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, 292 Chengfu Road, Haidian District, 100871, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Limin Chen
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Dongbao Yin
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, 292 Chengfu Road, Haidian District, 100871, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Zhiheng Yang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, 292 Chengfu Road, Haidian District, 100871, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Jianfei Feng
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, 292 Chengfu Road, Haidian District, 100871, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Qi Sun
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, 292 Chengfu Road, Haidian District, 100871, Beijing, P. R. China.
| | - Luhua Lai
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, 292 Chengfu Road, Haidian District, 100871, Beijing, P. R. China.
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, P. R. China.
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, P. R. China.
| | - Xuefeng Guo
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, 292 Chengfu Road, Haidian District, 100871, Beijing, P. R. China.
- Center of Single-Molecule Sciences, Institute of Modern Optics, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, 300350, Tianjin, P. R. China.
- National Biomedical Imaging Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China.
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7
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Shukla S, Riveros C, Al-Toubat M, Chardon-Robles J, Osumi T, Serrano S, Kase AM, Petit JL, Meurice N, Gleba J, Copland JA, Chauhan J, Fletcher S, Balaji KC. The Bivalent Bromodomain Inhibitor MT-1 Inhibits Prostate Cancer Growth. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3851. [PMID: 37568667 PMCID: PMC10416835 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15153851] [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] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Bromodomains (BD) are epigenetic readers of histone acetylation involved in chromatin remodeling and transcriptional regulation of several genes including protooncogene cellular myelocytomatosis (c-Myc). c-Myc is difficult to target directly by agents due to its disordered alpha helical protein structure and predominant nuclear localization. The epigenetic targeting of c-Myc by BD inhibitors is an attractive therapeutic strategy for prostate cancer (PC) associated with increased c-Myc upregulation with advancing disease. MT-1 is a bivalent BD inhibitor that is 100-fold more potent than the first-in-class BD inhibitor JQ1. MT-1 decreased cell viability and causes cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase in castration-sensitive and resistant PC cell lines in a dose-dependent fashion. The inhibition of c-Myc function by MT-1 was molecularly corroborated by the de-repression of Protein Kinase D1 (PrKD) and increased phosphorylation of PrKD substrate proteins: threonine 120, serine 11, and serine 216 amino acid residues in β-Catenin, snail, and cell division cycle 25c (CDC25c) proteins, respectively. The treatment of 3D cell cultures derived from three unique clinically annotated heavily pretreated patient-derived PC xenografts (PDX) mice models with increasing doses of MT-1 demonstrated the lowest IC50 in tumors with c-Myc amplification and clinically resistant to Docetaxel, Cabazitaxel, Abiraterone, and Enzalutamide. An intraperitoneal injection of either MT-1 or in combination with 3jc48-3, an inhibitor of obligate heterodimerization with MYC-associated protein X (MAX), in mice implanted with orthotopic PC PDX, decreased tumor growth. This is the first pre-clinical study demonstrating potential utility of MT-1 in the treatment of PC with c-Myc dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjeev Shukla
- Department of Urology, University of Florida Health, Jacksonville, FL 32209, USA
| | - Carlos Riveros
- Department of Urology, University of Florida Health, Jacksonville, FL 32209, USA
| | - Mohammed Al-Toubat
- Department of Urology, University of Florida Health, Jacksonville, FL 32209, USA
| | - Jonathan Chardon-Robles
- Department of Urology, University of Florida Health, Jacksonville, FL 32209, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Teruko Osumi
- Department of Urology, University of Florida Health, Jacksonville, FL 32209, USA
| | - Samuel Serrano
- Department of Urology, University of Florida Health, Jacksonville, FL 32209, USA
| | - Adam M. Kase
- Department of Hematology Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Joachim L. Petit
- Department of Hematology Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Nathalie Meurice
- Department of Hematology Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Justyna Gleba
- Cancer Biology Department, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - John A. Copland
- Cancer Biology Department, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Jay Chauhan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Steven Fletcher
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - K. C. Balaji
- Department of Urology, University of Florida Health, Jacksonville, FL 32209, USA
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8
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Li S, Wang Y, Lai L. Small molecules in regulating protein phase separation. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2023; 55:1075-1083. [PMID: 37294104 PMCID: PMC10415206 DOI: 10.3724/abbs.2023106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Biomolecular condensates formed by phase separation are involved in many cellular processes. Dysfunctional or abnormal condensates are closely associated with neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and other diseases. Small molecules can effectively regulate protein phase separation by modulating the formation, dissociation, size and material properties of condensates. Discovery of small molecules to regulate protein phase separation provides chemical probes for deciphering the underlying mechanism and potential novel treatments for condensate-related diseases. Here we review the advances of small molecule regulation of phase separation. The discovery, chemical structures of recently found small molecule phase separation regulators and how they modulate biological condensates are summarized and discussed. Possible strategies to accelerate the discovery of more liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS)-regulating small molecules are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyang Li
- Center for Quantitative BiologyAcademy for Advanced Interdisciplinary StudiesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
| | - Yanyan Wang
- BNLMSPeking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences at College of Chemistry and Molecular EngineeringPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
| | - Luhua Lai
- Center for Quantitative BiologyAcademy for Advanced Interdisciplinary StudiesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
- BNLMSPeking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences at College of Chemistry and Molecular EngineeringPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
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9
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Yuan C, Wang Z, Wang Z, Liu W, Li G, Meng J, Wu R, Wu Q, Wang J, Mei W. Novel Chiral Ru(II) Complexes as Potential c-myc G-quadruplex DNA Stabilizers Inducing DNA Damage to Suppress Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Progression. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010203. [PMID: 36613647 PMCID: PMC9820592 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently, effective drugs for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) are lacking in clinics. c-myc is one of the core members during TNBC tumorigenesis, and G-rich sequences in the promoter region can form a G-quadruplex conformation, indicating that the c-myc inhibitor is a possible strategy to fight cancer. Herein, a series of chiral ruthenium(II) complexes ([Ru(bpy)2(DPPZ-R)](ClO4)2, Λ/Δ-1: R = -H, Λ/Δ-2: R = -Br, Λ/Δ-3: R = -C≡C(C6H4)NH2) were researched based on their interaction with c-myc G-quadruplex DNA. Λ-3 and Δ-3 show high affinity and stability to decrease their replication. Additional studies showed that Λ-3 and Δ-3 exhibit higher inhibition against different tumor cells than other molecules. Δ-3 decreases the viability of MDA-MB-231 cells with an IC50 of 25.51 μM, which is comparable with that of cisplatin, with an IC50 of 25.9 μM. Moreover, Δ-3 exhibits acceptable cytotoxic activity against MDA-MB-231 cells in a zebrafish xenograft breast cancer model. Further studies suggested that Δ-3 decreases the viability of MDA-MB-231 cells predominantly through DNA-damage-mediated apoptosis, which may be because Δ-3 can induce DNA damage. In summary, the results indicate that Ru(II) complexes containing alkinyl groups can be developed as c-myc G-quadruplex DNA binders to block TNBC progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanling Yuan
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zhixiang Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zongtao Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Wentao Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Guohu Li
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jinlan Meng
- Department of Physiology, School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Ruzhen Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Qiong Wu
- Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 530316, China
- Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Centre of Molecular Probe and Biomedicine Imaging, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Correspondence: (Q.W.); (W.M.)
| | - Jiacheng Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Wenjie Mei
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Centre of Molecular Probe and Biomedicine Imaging, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Correspondence: (Q.W.); (W.M.)
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10
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Ahamad S, Bhat SA. The Emerging Landscape of Small-Molecule Therapeutics for the Treatment of Huntington's Disease. J Med Chem 2022; 65:15993-16032. [PMID: 36490325 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene (HTT). The new insights into HD's cellular and molecular pathways have led to the identification of numerous potent small-molecule therapeutics for HD therapy. The field of HD-targeting small-molecule therapeutics is accelerating, and the approval of these therapeutics to combat HD may be expected in the near future. For instance, preclinical candidates such as naphthyridine-azaquinolone, AN1, AN2, CHDI-00484077, PRE084, EVP4593, and LOC14 have shown promise for further optimization to enter into HD clinical trials. This perspective aims to summarize the advent of small-molecule therapeutics at various stages of clinical development for HD therapy, emphasizing their structure and design, therapeutic effects, and specific mechanisms of action. Further, we have highlighted the key drivers involved in HD pathogenesis to provide insights into the basic principle for designing promising anti-HD therapeutic leads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakir Ahamad
- Department of Chemistry, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh202002, India
| | - Shahnawaz A Bhat
- Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh202002, India
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11
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Berkeley RF, Debelouchina GT. Chemical tools for study and modulation of biomolecular phase transitions. Chem Sci 2022; 13:14226-14245. [PMID: 36545140 PMCID: PMC9749140 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc04907d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomolecular phase transitions play an important role in organizing cellular processes in space and time. Methods and tools for studying these transitions, and the intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) that often drive them, are typically less developed than tools for studying their folded protein counterparts. In this perspective, we assess the current landscape of chemical tools for studying IDPs, with a specific focus on protein liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). We highlight methodologies that enable imaging and spectroscopic studies of these systems, including site-specific labeling with small molecules and the diverse range of capabilities offered by inteins and protein semisynthesis. We discuss strategies for introducing post-translational modifications that are central to IDP and LLPS function and regulation. We also investigate the nascent field of noncovalent small-molecule modulators of LLPS. We hope that this review of the state-of-the-art in chemical tools for interrogating IDPs and LLPS, along with an associated perspective on areas of unmet need, can serve as a valuable and timely resource for these rapidly expanding fields of study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond F. Berkeley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | - Galia T. Debelouchina
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
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12
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3JC48-3 (methyl 4'-methyl-5-(7-nitrobenzo[c][1,2,5]oxadiazol-4-yl)-[1,1'-biphenyl]-3-carboxylate): a novel MYC/MAX dimerization inhibitor reduces prostate cancer growth. Cancer Gene Ther 2022; 29:1550-1557. [PMID: 35440696 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-022-00455-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The proto-oncogene cellular myelocytomatosis (c-Myc) is a transcription factor that is upregulated in several human cancers. Therapeutic targeting of c-Myc remains a challenge because of a disordered protein tertiary structure. The basic helical structure and zipper protein of c-Myc forms an obligate heterodimer with its partner MYC-associated factor X (MAX) to function as a transcription factor. An attractive strategy is to inhibit MYC/MAX dimerization to decrease c-Myc transcriptional function. Several methods have been described to inhibit MYC/MAX dimerization including small molecular inhibitors and proteomimetics. We studied the effect of a second-generation small molecular inhibitor 3JC48-3 on prostate cancer growth and viability. In our experimental studies, we found 3JC48-3 decreases prostate cancer cells' growth and viability in a dose-dependent fashion in vitro. We confirmed inhibition of MYC/MAX dimerization by 3JC48-3 using immunoprecipitation experiments. We have previously shown that the MYC/MAX heterodimer is a transcriptional repressor of a novel kinase protein kinase D1 (PrKD1). Treatment with 3JC48-3 upregulated PrKD1 expression and phosphorylation of known PrKD1 substrates: the threonine 120 (Thr-120) residue in beta-catenin and the serine 216 (Ser-216) in Cell Division Cycle 25 (CDC25C). The mining of gene expression in human metastatic prostate cancer samples demonstrated an inverse correlation between PrKD1 and c-Myc expression. Normal mice and mice with patient-derived prostate cancer xenografts (PDX) tolerated intraperitoneal injections of 3JC48-3 up to 100 mg/kg body weight without dose-limiting toxicity. Preliminary results in these PDX mouse models suggest that 3JC48-3 may be effective in decreasing the rate of tumor growth. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that 3JC48-3 is a potent MYC/MAX heterodimerization inhibitor that decreases prostate cancer growth and viability associated with upregulation of PrKD1 expression and kinase activity.
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13
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Wang X, Chong B, Sun Z, Ruan H, Yang Y, Song P, Liu Z. More is simpler: Decomposition of ligand-binding affinity for proteins being disordered. Protein Sci 2022; 31:e4375. [PMID: 35762723 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In statistical mechanics, it is well known that the huge number of degrees of freedom does not complicate the problem as it seems, but actually greatly simplifies the analysis (e.g., to give a Boltzmann distribution). Here, we reveal that the ensemble averaging from the vast conformations of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) greatly simplifies the nature of binding affinity, which can be reliably decomposed into a sum of the ligandability of IDP and the capacity of ligand. Such an unexpected regularity is applied to facilitate the virtual screening upon IDPs. It also provides essential insight in understanding the specificity difference between IDPs and conventional ordered proteins since the specificity is caused by deviation from the baseline behavior of protein-ligand binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Wang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Chong
- School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhaoxi Sun
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Hao Ruan
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yingguang Yang
- School of Cyberscience, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Pengbo Song
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhirong Liu
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing, China
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14
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Intrinsically disordered proteins and proteins with intrinsically disordered regions in neurodegenerative diseases. Biophys Rev 2022; 14:679-707. [DOI: 10.1007/s12551-022-00968-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
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15
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Samarasinghe KTG, An E, Genuth MA, Chu L, Holley SA, Crews CM. OligoTRAFTACs: A generalizable method for transcription factor degradation. RSC Chem Biol 2022; 3:1144-1153. [PMID: 36128504 PMCID: PMC9428672 DOI: 10.1039/d2cb00138a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted transcription factor degradation using oligonucleotide-based transcription factor targeting chimeras (TRAFTACs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kusal T. G. Samarasinghe
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Elvira An
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Miriam A. Genuth
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Ling Chu
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Scott A. Holley
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Craig M. Crews
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
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16
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Therapeutics-how to treat phase separation-associated diseases. Emerg Top Life Sci 2021; 4:307-318. [PMID: 32364240 PMCID: PMC7733670 DOI: 10.1042/etls20190176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation has drawn attention as many neurodegeneration or cancer-associated proteins are able to form liquid membraneless compartments (condensates) by liquid-liquid phase separation. Furthermore, there is rapidly growing evidence that disease-associated mutation or post-translational modification of these proteins causes aberrant location, composition or physical properties of the condensates. It is ambiguous whether aberrant condensates are always causative in disease mechanisms, however they are likely promising potential targets for therapeutics. The conceptual framework of liquid-liquid phase separation provides opportunities for novel therapeutic approaches. This review summarises how the extensive recent advances in understanding control of nucleation, growth and composition of condensates by protein post-translational modification has revealed many possibilities for intervention by conventional small molecule enzyme inhibitors. This includes the first proof-of-concept examples. However, understanding membraneless organelle formation as a physical chemistry process also highlights possible physicochemical mechanisms of intervention. There is huge demand for innovation in drug development, especially for challenging diseases of old age including neurodegeneration and cancer. The conceptual framework of liquid-liquid phase separation provides a new paradigm for thinking about modulating protein function and is very different from enzyme lock-and-key or structured binding site concepts and presents new opportunities for innovation.
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17
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Iconaru LI, Das S, Nourse A, Shelat AA, Zuo J, Kriwacki RW. Small Molecule Sequestration of the Intrinsically Disordered Protein, p27 Kip1, Within Soluble Oligomers. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167120. [PMID: 34197833 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Proteins that exhibit intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are prevalent in the human proteome and perform diverse biological functions, including signaling and regulation. Due to these important roles, misregulation of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) is associated with myriad human diseases, including neurodegeneration and cancer. The inherent flexibility of IDPs limits the applicability of the traditional structure-based drug design paradigm; therefore, IDPs have long been considered "undruggable". Using NMR spectroscopy and other methods, we previously discovered small, drug-like molecules that bind specifically, albeit weakly, to dynamic clusters of aromatic residues within p27Kip1 (p27), an archetypal disordered protein involved in cell cycle regulation. Here, using synthetic chemistry, NMR spectroscopy and other biophysical methods, we discovered elaborated analogs of our previously reported molecules with 30-fold increased affinity for p27 (apparent Kd = 57 ± 19 μM). Strikingly, using analytical ultracentrifugation methods, we showed that the highest affinity compounds caused p27 to form soluble, disordered oligomers. Based on these observations, we propose that sequestration within soluble oligomers may represent a general strategy for therapeutically targeting disease-associated IDPs in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi I Iconaru
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA; Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA; Present address: Sanofi, Waltham, MA 02451, USA
| | - Sourav Das
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Amanda Nourse
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA; Molecular Interactions Analysis Shared Resource, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Anang A Shelat
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Jian Zuo
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, NE 68178, USA.
| | - Richard W Kriwacki
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
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18
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Whitfield JR, Soucek L. The long journey to bring a Myc inhibitor to the clinic. J Cell Biol 2021; 220:212429. [PMID: 34160558 PMCID: PMC8240852 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202103090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The oncogene Myc is deregulated in the majority of human tumors and drives numerous hallmarks of cancer. Despite its indisputable role in cancer development and maintenance, Myc is still undrugged. Developing a clinical inhibitor for Myc has been particularly challenging owing to its intrinsically disordered nature and lack of a binding pocket, coupled with concerns regarding potentially deleterious side effects in normal proliferating tissues. However, major breakthroughs in the development of Myc inhibitors have arisen in the last couple of years. Notably, the direct Myc inhibitor that we developed has just entered clinical trials. Celebrating this milestone, with this Perspective, we pay homage to the different strategies developed so far against Myc and all of the researchers focused on developing treatments for a target long deemed undruggable.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Soucek
- Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, Edifici Cellex, Barcelona, Spain.,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.,Peptomyc S.L., Barcelona, Spain
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19
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Synthetic fluorescent MYC probe: Inhibitor binding site elucidation and development of a high-throughput screening assay. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 42:116246. [PMID: 34130216 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
We report the discovery of a fluorescent small molecule probe. This probe exhibits an emission increase in the presence of the oncoprotein MYC that can be attenuated by a competing inhibitor. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry analysis, rationalized by induced-fit docking, suggests it binds to the "coiled-coil" region of the leucine zipper domain. Point mutations of this site produced functional MYC constructs resistant to inhibition in an oncogenic transformation assay by compounds that displace the probe. Utilizing this probe, we have developed a high-throughput assay to identify MYC inhibitor scaffolds. Screening of a diversity library (N = 1408, 384-well) and a library of pharmacologically active compounds (N = 1280, 1536-well) yielded molecules with greater drug-like properties than the probe. One lead is a potent inhibitor of oncogenic transformation and is specific for MYC relative to resistant mutants and transformation-inducing oncogenes. This method is simple, inexpensive, and does not require protein modification, DNA binding, or the dimer partner MAX. This assay presents an opportunity for MYC inhibition researchers to discover unique scaffolds.
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20
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Biesaga M, Frigolé-Vivas M, Salvatella X. Intrinsically disordered proteins and biomolecular condensates as drug targets. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2021; 62:90-100. [PMID: 33812316 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered domains represent attractive therapeutic targets because they play key roles in cancer, as well as in neurodegenerative and infectious diseases. They are, however, considered undruggable because they do not form stable binding pockets for small molecules and, therefore, have not been prioritized in drug discovery. Under physiological solution conditions many biomedically relevant intrinsically disordered proteins undergo phase separation processes leading to the formation of mesoscopic highly dynamic assemblies, generally known as biomolecular condensates that define environments that can be quite different from the solutions surrounding them. In what follows, we review key recent findings in this area and show how biomolecular condensation can offer opportunities for modulating the activities of intrinsically disordered targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Biesaga
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028, Barcelona, Spain; Joint BSC-IRB Research Programme in Computational Biology, Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Frigolé-Vivas
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028, Barcelona, Spain; Joint BSC-IRB Research Programme in Computational Biology, Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xavier Salvatella
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028, Barcelona, Spain; Joint BSC-IRB Research Programme in Computational Biology, Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028, Barcelona, Spain; ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.
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21
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Chong B, Yang Y, Wang ZL, Xing H, Liu Z. Reinforcement learning to boost molecular docking upon protein conformational ensemble. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:6800-6806. [PMID: 33724276 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp06378a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are widely involved in human diseases and thus are attractive therapeutic targets. In practice, however, it is computationally prohibitive to dock large ligand libraries to thousands and tens of thousands of conformations. Here, we propose a reversible upper confidence bound (UCB) algorithm for the virtual screening of IDPs to address the influence of the conformation ensemble. The docking process is dynamically arranged so that attempts are focused near the boundary to separate top ligands from the bulk accurately. It is demonstrated in the example of transcription factor c-Myc that the average docking number per ligand can be greatly reduced while the performance is merely slightly affected. This study suggests that reinforcement learning is highly efficient in solving the bottleneck of virtual screening due to the conformation ensemble in the rational drug design of IDPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Chong
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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22
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Caputo VS, Trasanidis N, Xiao X, Robinson ME, Katsarou A, Ponnusamy K, Prinjha RK, Smithers N, Chaidos A, Auner HW, Karadimitris A. Brd2/4 and Myc regulate alternative cell lineage programmes during early osteoclast differentiation in vitro. iScience 2021; 24:101989. [PMID: 33490899 PMCID: PMC7807155 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 11/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteoclast (OC) development in response to nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL) is critical for bone homeostasis in health and in disease. The early and direct chromatin regulatory changes imparted by the BET chromatin readers Brd2-4 and OC-affiliated transcription factors (TFs) during osteoclastogenesis are not known. Here, we demonstrate that in response to RANKL, early OC development entails regulation of two alternative cell fate transcriptional programmes, OC vs macrophage, with repression of the latter following activation of the former. Both programmes are regulated in a non-redundant manner by increased chromatin binding of Brd2 at promoters and of Brd4 at enhancers/super-enhancers. Myc, the top RANKL-induced TF, regulates OC development in co-operation with Brd2/4 and Max and by establishing negative and positive regulatory loops with other lineage-affiliated TFs. These insights into the transcriptional regulation of osteoclastogenesis suggest the clinical potential of selective targeting of Brd2/4 to abrogate pathological OC activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina S. Caputo
- Hugh & Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research, Centre for Haematology, Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Nikolaos Trasanidis
- Hugh & Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research, Centre for Haematology, Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Xiaolin Xiao
- Hugh & Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research, Centre for Haematology, Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Mark E. Robinson
- Hugh & Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research, Centre for Haematology, Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Alexia Katsarou
- Hugh & Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research, Centre for Haematology, Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Haematology, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Kanagaraju Ponnusamy
- Hugh & Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research, Centre for Haematology, Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Rab K. Prinjha
- Medicines Research Centre, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, UK
| | | | - Aristeidis Chaidos
- Hugh & Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research, Centre for Haematology, Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Haematology, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Holger W. Auner
- Hugh & Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research, Centre for Haematology, Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Haematology, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Anastasios Karadimitris
- Hugh & Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research, Centre for Haematology, Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Haematology, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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23
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Structure-based peptide design targeting intrinsically disordered proteins: Novel histone H4 and H2A peptidic inhibitors. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:934-948. [PMID: 33598107 PMCID: PMC7856395 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins/protein regions (IDPs/IDPRs) are emerging drug targets. Lack of fast methods hinders the discovery of inhibitors for IDPs/ IDPRs. Fast and inexpensive structure-based approaches have been developed. The developed methods were applied to succesfully design inhibitors targeting the disordered tail of histone H4 and H2A. The presented methods can be widely used to identify inhibitors for other IDPs/IDPRs.
A growing body of research has demonstrated that targeting intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDPRs) is feasible and represents a new trending strategy in drug discovery. However, the number of inhibitors targeting IDPs/IDPRs is increasing slowly due to limitations of the methods that can be used to accelerate the discovery process. We have applied structure-based methods to successfully develop the first peptidic inhibitor (HIPe - Histone Inhibitory Peptide) that targets histone H4 that are released from NETs (Neutrophil Extracellular Traps). HIPe binds stably to the disordered N-terminal tail of histone H4, thereby preventing histone H4-induced cell death. Recently, by utilisation of the same state-of-the-art approaches, we have developed a novel peptidic inhibitor (CHIP - Cyclical Histone H2A Interference Peptide) that binds to NET-resident histone H2A, which results in a blockade of monocyte adhesion and consequently reduction in atheroprogression. Here, we present comprehensive details on the computational methods utilised to design and develop HIPe and CHIP. We have exploited protein–protein complexes as starting structures for rational peptide design and then applied binding free energy methods to predict and prioritise binding strength of the designed peptides with histone H4 and H2A. By doing this way, we have modelled only around 20 peptides and from these were able to select 4–5 peptides, from a total of more than a trillion candidate peptides, for functional characterisation in different experiments. The developed computational protocols are generic and can be widely used to design and develop novel inhibitors for other disordered proteins.
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Key Words
- ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome
- BFE, binding free energy
- BRCA-1, breast cancer type1 susceptibility protein
- CCL5, chemokine ligand 5
- CHIP, cyclical histone H2A interference peptide
- Computer-aided molecular design (CAMD)
- DC, decomposition
- Disordered proteins
- H2A, histone H2A
- H2B, histone H2B
- H3, histone H3
- H4, histone H4
- HIPe, histone inhibitory peptide
- HNP1, human neutrophil peptide 1
- Histones
- IDPRs, intrinsically disordered protein regions
- IDPs, intrinsically disordered proteins
- MD, molecular dynamics
- MM/GBSA, molecular mechanics/generalised born surface area
- NETs, neutrophil extracellular traps
- Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs)
- PDB, protein data bank
- PPIs, protein-protein interactions
- PTP1B, protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B
- Peptides
- Protein-protein interactions (PPIs)
- SMCs, smooth muscle cells
- aMD, accelerated molecular dynamics
- p53, tumor protein 53
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24
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Chen L, Cheng B, Sun Q, Lai L. Ligand-based optimization and biological evaluation of N-(2,2,2-trichloro-1-(3-phenylthioureido)ethyl)acetamide derivatives as potent intrinsically disordered protein c-Myc inhibitors. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2021; 31:127711. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2020.127711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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25
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Abstract
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have become increasingly useful in the modern drug development process. In this review, we give a broad overview of the current application possibilities of MD in drug discovery and pharmaceutical development. Starting from the target validation step of the drug development process, we give several examples of how MD studies can give important insights into the dynamics and function of identified drug targets such as sirtuins, RAS proteins, or intrinsically disordered proteins. The role of MD in antibody design is also reviewed. In the lead discovery and lead optimization phases, MD facilitates the evaluation of the binding energetics and kinetics of the ligand-receptor interactions, therefore guiding the choice of the best candidate molecules for further development. The importance of considering the biological lipid bilayer environment in the MD simulations of membrane proteins is also discussed, using G-protein coupled receptors and ion channels as well as the drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes as relevant examples. Lastly, we discuss the emerging role of MD simulations in facilitating the pharmaceutical formulation development of drugs and candidate drugs. Specifically, we look at how MD can be used in studying the crystalline and amorphous solids, the stability of amorphous drug or drug-polymer formulations, and drug solubility. Moreover, since nanoparticle drug formulations are of great interest in the field of drug delivery research, different applications of nano-particle simulations are also briefly summarized using multiple recent studies as examples. In the future, the role of MD simulations in facilitating the drug development process is likely to grow substantially with the increasing computer power and advancements in the development of force fields and enhanced MD methodologies.
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Ross J, Miron CE, Plescia J, Laplante P, McBride K, Moitessier N, Möröy T. Targeting MYC: From understanding its biology to drug discovery. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 213:113137. [PMID: 33460833 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.113137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The MYC oncogene is considered to be a high priority target for clinical intervention in cancer patients due to its aberrant activation in more than 50% of human cancers. Direct small molecule inhibition of MYC has traditionally been hampered by its intrinsically disordered nature and lack of both binding site and enzymatic activity. In recent years, however, a number of strategies for indirectly targeting MYC have emerged, guided by the advent of protein structural information and the growing set of computational tools that can be used to accelerate the hit to lead process in medicinal chemistry. In this review, we provide an overview of small molecules developed for clinical applications of these strategies, which include stabilization of the MYC guanine quadruplex, inhibition of BET factor BRD4, and disruption of the MYC:MAX heterodimer. The recent identification of novel targets for indirect MYC inhibition at the protein level is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Ross
- Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), 110 Pine Ave W., Montréal, Québec, H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Caitlin E Miron
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St. W., Montréal, Québec, H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Jessica Plescia
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St. W., Montréal, Québec, H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Patricia Laplante
- AmorChem II Ventures Inc., 4 Westmount Sq. Bureau 160, Westmount, Québec, H3Z 2S6, Canada
| | - Kevin McBride
- AmorChem II Ventures Inc., 4 Westmount Sq. Bureau 160, Westmount, Québec, H3Z 2S6, Canada
| | - Nicolas Moitessier
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St. W., Montréal, Québec, H3A 0B8, Canada.
| | - Tarik Möröy
- Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), 110 Pine Ave W., Montréal, Québec, H2W 1R7, Canada; Département de microbiologie, infectiologie et immunologie, Université de Montréal, 2900, boul. Édouard-Montpetit, Montréal, Québec, H3T 1J4, Canada; Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St. W., Montréal, Québec, H3A 0B8, Canada.
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27
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Ruan H, Yu C, Niu X, Zhang W, Liu H, Chen L, Xiong R, Sun Q, Jin C, Liu Y, Lai L. Computational strategy for intrinsically disordered protein ligand design leads to the discovery of p53 transactivation domain I binding compounds that activate the p53 pathway. Chem Sci 2020; 12:3004-3016. [PMID: 34164069 PMCID: PMC8179352 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc04670a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins or intrinsically disordered regions (IDPs) have gained much attention in recent years due to their vital roles in biology and prevalence in various human diseases. Although IDPs are perceived as attractive therapeutic targets, rational drug design targeting IDPs remains challenging because of their conformational heterogeneity. Here, we propose a hierarchical computational strategy for IDP drug virtual screening (IDPDVS) and applied it in the discovery of p53 transactivation domain I (TAD1) binding compounds. IDPDVS starts from conformation sampling of the IDP target, then it combines stepwise conformational clustering with druggability evaluation to identify potential ligand binding pockets, followed by multiple docking screening runs and selection of compounds that can bind multi-conformations. p53 is an important tumor suppressor and restoration of its function provides an opportunity to inhibit cancer cell growth. TAD1 locates at the N-terminus of p53 and plays key roles in regulating p53 function. No compounds that directly bind to TAD1 have been reported due to its highly disordered structure. We successfully used IDPDVS to identify two compounds that bind p53 TAD1 and restore wild-type p53 function in cancer cells. Our study demonstrates that IDPDVS is an efficient strategy for IDP drug discovery and p53 TAD1 can be directly targeted by small molecules. A hierarchical computational strategy for IDP drug virtual screening (IDPDVS) was proposed and successfully applied to identify compounds that bind p53 TAD1 and restore wild-type p53 function in cancer cells.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Ruan
- BNLMS, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University Beijing 100871 China +861062757486
| | - Chen Yu
- BNLMS, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University Beijing 100871 China +861062757486
| | - Xiaogang Niu
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University Beijing 100871 China.,Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, Peking University Beijing 100871 China
| | - Weilin Zhang
- BNLMS, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University Beijing 100871 China +861062757486
| | - Hanzhong Liu
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University Beijing 100871 China +861062751490
| | - Limin Chen
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University Beijing 100871 China
| | - Ruoyao Xiong
- BNLMS, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University Beijing 100871 China +861062757486
| | - Qi Sun
- BNLMS, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University Beijing 100871 China +861062757486
| | - Changwen Jin
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University Beijing 100871 China.,Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, Peking University Beijing 100871 China
| | - Ying Liu
- BNLMS, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University Beijing 100871 China +861062757486.,Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University Beijing 100871 China +861062751490
| | - Luhua Lai
- BNLMS, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University Beijing 100871 China +861062757486.,Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University Beijing 100871 China +861062751490.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University Beijing 100871 China
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28
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Abstract
To screen and identify ideal leading compounds from a drug library (ZINC15 database) with potential inhibition effect against c-Myc to contribute to medication design and development.A series of computer-aided virtual screening techniques were performed to identify potential inhibitors of c-Myc. LibDock from the software Discovery Studio was used to do a structure-based screening after ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) and toxicity prediction. Molecular docking was utilized to show the binding affinity and potential mechanism between ligands and c-Myc. Stability of the ligand-receptor complex was analyzed by molecular dynamic simulation at the end of the research.Compounds with more interactive energy which are confirmed to be the potential inhibitors for c-Myc were identified from the ZINC15 databases. Additionally, those compounds are also anticipated with fewer ames mutagenicity, rodent carcinogenicity, nondevelopmental toxic potential, and tolerant with cytochrome p450 2D6(CYP2D6). Dynamic simulation analysis also revealed that the very compounds had more favorable potential energy compared with 10058-F4(ZINC12406714). Furthermore, we prove that those compounds are stable and can exist in natural conditions.This study demonstrates that the compounds are potential therapeutic inhibitors for c-Myc. These compounds are safe and stable for drug candidates and may play a critical role in c-Myc inhibitor development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junan Ren
- Clinical College, Jilin University, Changchun
| | | | - Junliang Ge
- Clinical College, Jilin University, Changchun
| | - Bo Wu
- Clinical College, Jilin University, Changchun
- Department of Orthopedics
| | - Weihang Li
- Department of Orthopaedics, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xian, China
| | - Xinhui Wang
- Clinical College, Jilin University, Changchun
- Department of Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun
| | - Liyan Zhao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital of Jilin University
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29
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Truica MI, Burns MC, Han H, Abdulkadir SA. Turning Up the Heat on MYC: Progress in Small-Molecule Inhibitors. Cancer Res 2020; 81:248-253. [PMID: 33087323 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-20-2959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
MYC is a highly validated oncogenic transcription factor and cancer target. However, the disordered nature of this protein has made it a challenging target, with no clinical stage, direct small-molecule MYC inhibitors available. Recent work leveraging a large in silico chemical library and a rapid in vivo screen has expanded the chemotypes of direct small-molecule inhibitors (MYCi). Novel MYCi represent a class of improved MYC chemical probes that bind directly to MYC to inhibit its function and to promote its degradation by enhancing GSK3β-mediated phosphorylation. One of these compounds, MYCi975, has shown remarkable tolerability and efficacy in vivo and is associated with a selective effect on MYC target gene expression. Additional effects of MYCi on the tumor immune microenvironment including immune cell infiltration and upregulation of PD-L1 expression provide a rationale for combining MYCi with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy to enhance antitumor efficacy. Our strategy for developing MYCi demonstrates an efficient way to identify selective and well-tolerated MYC inhibitors. The new MYCi provide tools for probing MYC function and serve as starting points for the development of novel anti-MYC therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihai I Truica
- Department of Urology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Michael C Burns
- Department of Hematology-Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Huiying Han
- Department of Urology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Sarki A Abdulkadir
- Department of Urology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois. .,The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.,Department of Pathology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
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30
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Chong B, Yang Y, Zhou C, Huang Q, Liu Z. Ensemble-Based Thermodynamics of the Fuzzy Binding between Intrinsically Disordered Proteins and Small-Molecule Ligands. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:4967-4974. [PMID: 33054197 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c00963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In contrast to the "lock-and-key" model underlying the long-term success of structural biology and rational drug design, intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) exist in an ensemble of highly heterogeneous conformations even after binding with small-molecule ligands. It remains controversial how to characterize the thermodynamics of such fuzzy interactions. Here, we derive an ensemble-based thermodynamic framework to analyze the apparent affinity between IDPs and ligands. It is shown that the apparent affinity is related to the interaction free energy between the individual conformation and ligand in a way similar to Jarzynski's equality in nonequilibrium statistics. The oncoprotein c-Myc is adopted as an example to demonstrate the related properties, for example, the distribution of conformation-ligand interaction free energy, the entropic contribution from the ensemble, the conformation shift under ligand binding, and how to control the error under a limited number of sampled conformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Chong
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yingguang Yang
- School of Cyberscience, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Chenguang Zhou
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qiaojing Huang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Zhirong Liu
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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31
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Yiu SPT, Dorothea M, Hui KF, Chiang AKS. Lytic Induction Therapy against Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated Malignancies: Past, Present, and Future. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12082142. [PMID: 32748879 PMCID: PMC7465660 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) lytic induction therapy is an emerging virus-targeted therapeutic approach that exploits the presence of EBV in tumor cells to confer specific killing effects against EBV-associated malignancies. Efforts have been made in the past years to uncover the mechanisms of EBV latent-lytic switch and discover different classes of chemical compounds that can reactivate the EBV lytic cycle. Despite the growing list of compounds showing potential to be used in the lytic induction therapy, only a few are being tested in clinical trials, with varying degrees of success. This review will summarize the current knowledge on EBV lytic reactivation, the major hurdles of translating the lytic induction therapy into clinical settings, and highlight some potential strategies in the future development of this therapy for EBV-related lymphoid and epithelial malignancies.
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32
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MNDA controls the expression of MCL-1 and BCL-2 in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells. Exp Hematol 2020; 88:68-82.e5. [PMID: 32682001 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2020.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The myeloid nuclear differentiation antigen (MNDA) is a stress-induced protein that promotes degradation of the anti-apoptotic factor MCL-1 and apoptosis in myeloid cells. MNDA is also expressed in normal lymphoid cells and in B-cell clones isolated from individuals with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a disease characterized by abnormal apoptosis control. We found that MNDA expression levels inversely correlate with the amount of the anti-apoptotic proteins MCL-1 and BCL-2 in human CLL samples. We report that in response to chemotherapeutic agents that induce genotoxic stress, MNDA exits its typical nucleolar localization and accumulates in the nucleoplasm of CLL and lymphoid cells. Then, MNDA binds chromatin at Mcl1 and Bcl2 genes and affects the transcriptional competence of RNA polymerase II. Our data also reveal that MNDA specifically associates with Mcl1 and Bcl2 (pre-) mRNAs and favors their rapid turnover as a prompt response to genotoxic stress. We propose that this rapid dynamic tuning of RNA levels, which leads to the destabilization of Mcl1 and Bcl2 transcripts, represents a post-transcriptional mechanism of apoptosis control in CLL cells. These results provide an explanation of previous clinical data and corroborate the finding that higher MNDA expression levels in CLL are associated with a better clinical course.
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33
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Chen J, Liu X, Chen J. Targeting Intrinsically Disordered Proteins through Dynamic Interactions. Biomolecules 2020; 10:E743. [PMID: 32403216 PMCID: PMC7277182 DOI: 10.3390/biom10050743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are over-represented in major disease pathways and have attracted significant interest in understanding if and how they may be targeted using small molecules for therapeutic purposes. While most existing studies have focused on extending the traditional structure-centric drug design strategies and emphasized exploring pre-existing structure features of IDPs for specific binding, several examples have also emerged to suggest that small molecules could achieve specificity in binding IDPs and affect their function through dynamic and transient interactions. These dynamic interactions can modulate the disordered conformational ensemble and often lead to modest compaction to shield functionally important interaction sites. Much work remains to be done on further elucidation of the molecular basis of the dynamic small molecule-IDP interaction and determining how it can be exploited for targeting IDPs in practice. These efforts will rely critically on an integrated experimental and computational framework for disordered protein ensemble characterization. In particular, exciting advances have been made in recent years in enhanced sampling techniques, Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)-computing, and protein force field optimization, which have now allowed rigorous physics-based atomistic simulations to generate reliable structure ensembles for nontrivial IDPs of modest sizes. Such de novo atomistic simulations will play crucial roles in exploring the exciting opportunity of targeting IDPs through dynamic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianlin Chen
- Department of Hematology, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), Taizhou 318000, Zhejiang, China;
| | - Xiaorong Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA;
| | - Jianhan Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA;
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
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34
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Beaulieu ME, Castillo F, Soucek L. Structural and Biophysical Insights into the Function of the Intrinsically Disordered Myc Oncoprotein. Cells 2020; 9:E1038. [PMID: 32331235 PMCID: PMC7226237 DOI: 10.3390/cells9041038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Myc is a transcription factor driving growth and proliferation of cells and involved in the majority of human tumors. Despite a huge body of literature on this critical oncogene, our understanding of the exact molecular determinants and mechanisms that underlie its function is still surprisingly limited. Indubitably though, its crucial and non-redundant role in cancer biology makes it an attractive target. However, achieving successful clinical Myc inhibition has proven challenging so far, as this nuclear protein is an intrinsically disordered polypeptide devoid of any classical ligand binding pockets. Indeed, Myc only adopts a (partially) folded structure in some contexts and upon interacting with some protein partners, for instance when dimerizing with MAX to bind DNA. Here, we review the cumulative knowledge on Myc structure and biophysics and discuss the implications for its biological function and the development of improved Myc inhibitors. We focus this biophysical walkthrough mainly on the basic region helix-loop-helix leucine zipper motif (bHLHLZ), as it has been the principal target for inhibitory approaches so far.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Laura Soucek
- Peptomyc S.L., Edifici Cellex, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (F.C.); (L.S.)
- Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Edifici Cellex, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08035 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08035 Bellaterra, Spain
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35
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Chacón Simon S, Wang F, Thomas LR, Phan J, Zhao B, Olejniczak ET, Macdonald JD, Shaw JG, Schlund C, Payne W, Creighton J, Stauffer SR, Waterson AG, Tansey WP, Fesik SW. Discovery of WD Repeat-Containing Protein 5 (WDR5)-MYC Inhibitors Using Fragment-Based Methods and Structure-Based Design. J Med Chem 2020; 63:4315-4333. [PMID: 32223236 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The frequent deregulation of MYC and its elevated expression via multiple mechanisms drives cells to a tumorigenic state. Indeed, MYC is overexpressed in up to ∼50% of human cancers and is considered a highly validated anticancer target. Recently, we discovered that WD repeat-containing protein 5 (WDR5) binds to MYC and is a critical cofactor required for the recruitment of MYC to its target genes and reported the first small molecule inhibitors of the WDR5-MYC interaction using structure-based design. These compounds display high binding affinity, but have poor physicochemical properties and are hence not suitable for in vivo studies. Herein, we conducted an NMR-based fragment screening to identify additional chemical matter and, using a structure-based approach, we merged a fragment hit with the previously reported sulfonamide series. Compounds in this series can disrupt the WDR5-MYC interaction in cells, and as a consequence, we observed a reduction of MYC localization to chromatin.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Shaun R Stauffer
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Alex G Waterson
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | | | - Stephen W Fesik
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
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36
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Sadar MD. Discovery of drugs that directly target the intrinsically disordered region of the androgen receptor. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2020; 15:551-560. [PMID: 32100577 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2020.1732920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and regions (IDRs) lack stable three-dimensional structure making drug discovery challenging. A validated therapeutic target for diseases such as prostate cancer is the androgen receptor (AR) which has a disordered amino-terminal domain (NTD) that contains all of its transcriptional activity. Drug discovery against the AR-NTD is of intense interest as a potential treatment for disease such as advanced prostate cancer that is driven by truncated constitutively active splice variants of AR that lack the C-terminal ligand-binding domain (LBD).Areas covered: This article presents an overview of the relevance of AR and its intrinsically disordered NTD as a drug target. AR structure and approaches to blocking AR transcriptional activity are discussed. The discovery of small molecules, including the libraries used, proven binders to the AR-NTD, and site of interaction of these small molecules in the AR-NTD are presented along with discussion of the Phase I clinical trial.Expert opinion: The lack of drugs in the clinic that directly bind IDPs/IDRs reflects the difficulty of targeting these proteins and obtaining specificity. However, it may also point to an inappropriateness of too closely borrowing concepts and resources from drug discovery to folded proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne D Sadar
- Genome Sciences, BC Cancer and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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37
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Carmicheal J, Atri P, Sharma S, Kumar S, Chirravuri Venkata R, Kulkarni P, Salgia R, Ghersi D, Kaur S, Batra SK. Presence and structure-activity relationship of intrinsically disordered regions across mucins. FASEB J 2020; 34:1939-1957. [PMID: 31908009 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201901898rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Many members of the mucin family are evolutionarily conserved and are often aberrantly expressed and glycosylated in various benign and malignant pathologies leading to tumor invasion, metastasis, and immune evasion. The large size and extensive glycosylation present challenges to study the mucin structure using traditional methods, including crystallography. We offer the hypothesis that the functional versatility of mucins may be attributed to the presence of intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) that provide dynamism and flexibility and that the IDRs offer potential therapeutic targets. Herein, we examined the links between the mucin structure and function based on IDRs, posttranslational modifications (PTMs), and potential impact on their interactome. Using sequence-based bioinformatics tools, we observed that mucins are predicted to be moderately (20%-40%) to highly (>40%) disordered and many conserved mucin domains could be disordered. Phosphorylation sites overlap with IDRs throughout the mucin sequences. Additionally, the majority of predicted O- and N- glycosylation sites in the tandem repeat regions occur within IDRs and these IDRs contain a large number of functional motifs, that is, molecular recognition features (MoRFs), which directly influence protein-protein interactions (PPIs). This investigation provides a novel perspective and offers an insight into the complexity and dynamic nature of mucins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Carmicheal
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Pranita Atri
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Sunandini Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Sushil Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.,Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | | | - Prakash Kulkarni
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Ravi Salgia
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Dario Ghersi
- School of Interdisciplinary Informatics, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Sukhwinder Kaur
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.,Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Surinder K Batra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.,Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
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38
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Yu X, Azzo A, Bilinovich SM, Li X, Dozmorov M, Kurita R, Nakamura Y, Williams DC, Ginder GD. Disruption of the MBD2-NuRD complex but not MBD3-NuRD induces high level HbF expression in human adult erythroid cells. Haematologica 2019; 104:2361-2371. [PMID: 31004025 PMCID: PMC6959176 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2018.210963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
As high fetal hemoglobin levels ameliorate the underlying pathophysiological defects in sickle cell anemia and beta (β)-thalassemia, understanding the mechanisms that enforce silencing of fetal hemoglobin postnatally offers the promise of effective molecular therapy. Depletion of the Nucleosome Remodeling and Deacetylase complex member MBD2 causes a 10-20-fold increase in γ-globin gene expression in adult β-globin locus yeast artificial chromosome transgenic mice. To determine the effect of MBD2 depletion in human erythroid cells, genome editing technology was utilized to knockout MBD2 in Human Umbilical cord Derived Erythroid Progenitor-2 cells resulting in γ/γ+β mRNA levels of approximately 50% and approximately 40% fetal hemoglobin by high performance liquid chromatography. In contrast, MBD3 knockout had no appreciable effect on γ-globin expression. Knockdown of MBD2 in primary adult erythroid cells consistently increased γ/γ+β mRNA ratios by approximately 10-fold resulting in approximately 30-40% γ/γ+β mRNA levels and a corresponding increase in γ-globin protein. MBD2 exerts its repressive effects through recruitment of the chromatin remodeler CHD4 via a coiled-coil domain, and the histone deacetylase core complex via an intrinsically disordered region. Enforced expression of wild-type MBD2 in MBD2 knockout cells caused a 5-fold decrease in γ-globin mRNA while neither the coiled-coil mutant nor the intrinsically disordered region mutant MBD2 proteins had an inhibitory effect. Co-immunoprecipitation assays showed that the coiled-coil and intrinsically disorder region mutations disrupt complex formation by dissociating the CHD4 and the histone deacetylase core complex components, respectively. These results establish the MBD2 Nucleosome Remodeling and Deacetylase complex as a major silencer of fetal hemoglobin in human erythroid cells and point to the coiled-coil and intrinsically disordered region of MBD2 as potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Yu
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Alexander Azzo
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
- Center for Clinical and Translational Research, PhD Program in Cancer and Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
- MD-PhD Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Stephanie M Bilinovich
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Xia Li
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Mikhail Dozmorov
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Ryo Kurita
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yukio Nakamura
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - David C Williams
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Gordon D Ginder
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
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39
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Ghadermarzi S, Li X, Li M, Kurgan L. Sequence-Derived Markers of Drug Targets and Potentially Druggable Human Proteins. Front Genet 2019; 10:1075. [PMID: 31803227 PMCID: PMC6872670 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.01075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research shows that majority of the druggable human proteome is yet to be annotated and explored. Accurate identification of these unexplored druggable proteins would facilitate development, screening, repurposing, and repositioning of drugs, as well as prediction of new drug–protein interactions. We contrast the current drug targets against the datasets of non-druggable and possibly druggable proteins to formulate markers that could be used to identify druggable proteins. We focus on the markers that can be extracted from protein sequences or names/identifiers to ensure that they can be applied across the entire human proteome. These markers quantify key features covered in the past works (topological features of PPIs, cellular functions, and subcellular locations) and several novel factors (intrinsic disorder, residue-level conservation, alternative splicing isoforms, domains, and sequence-derived solvent accessibility). We find that the possibly druggable proteins have significantly higher abundance of alternative splicing isoforms, relatively large number of domains, higher degree of centrality in the protein-protein interaction networks, and lower numbers of conserved and surface residues, when compared with the non-druggable proteins. We show that the current drug targets and possibly druggable proteins share involvement in the catalytic and signaling functions. However, unlike the drug targets, the possibly druggable proteins participate in the metabolic and biosynthesis processes, are enriched in the intrinsic disorder, interact with proteins and nucleic acids, and are localized across the cell. To sum up, we formulate several markers that can help with finding novel druggable human proteins and provide interesting insights into the cellular functions and subcellular locations of the current drug targets and potentially druggable proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Ghadermarzi
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Xingyi Li
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Min Li
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Lukasz Kurgan
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
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40
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Davey NE, Babu MM, Blackledge M, Bridge A, Capella-Gutierrez S, Dosztanyi Z, Drysdale R, Edwards RJ, Elofsson A, Felli IC, Gibson TJ, Gutmanas A, Hancock JM, Harrow J, Higgins D, Jeffries CM, Le Mercier P, Mészáros B, Necci M, Notredame C, Orchard S, Ouzounis CA, Pancsa R, Papaleo E, Pierattelli R, Piovesan D, Promponas VJ, Ruch P, Rustici G, Romero P, Sarntivijai S, Saunders G, Schuler B, Sharan M, Shields DC, Sussman JL, Tedds JA, Tompa P, Turewicz M, Vondrasek J, Vranken WF, Wallace BA, Wichapong K, Tosatto SCE. An intrinsically disordered proteins community for ELIXIR. F1000Res 2019; 8. [PMID: 31824649 PMCID: PMC6880265 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.20136.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are now recognised as major determinants in cellular regulation. This white paper presents a roadmap for future e-infrastructure developments in the field of IDP research within the ELIXIR framework. The goal of these developments is to drive the creation of high-quality tools and resources to support the identification, analysis and functional characterisation of IDPs. The roadmap is the result of a workshop titled “An intrinsically disordered protein user community proposal for ELIXIR” held at the University of Padua. The workshop, and further consultation with the members of the wider IDP community, identified the key priority areas for the roadmap including the development of standards for data annotation, storage and dissemination; integration of IDP data into the ELIXIR Core Data Resources; and the creation of benchmarking criteria for IDP-related software. Here, we discuss these areas of priority, how they can be implemented in cooperation with the ELIXIR platforms, and their connections to existing ELIXIR Communities and international consortia. The article provides a preliminary blueprint for an IDP Community in ELIXIR and is an appeal to identify and involve new stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norman E Davey
- Division of Cancer Biology, Institute of Cancer Research, UK, London, SW3 6JB, UK
| | - M Madan Babu
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology,, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Martin Blackledge
- Institut de Biologie Structurale, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, 38000, France
| | - Alan Bridge
- Swiss-Prot Group, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Zsuzsanna Dosztanyi
- Department of Biochemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary
| | | | - Richard J Edwards
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Arne Elofsson
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Isabella C Felli
- Department of Chemistry and CERM "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Toby J Gibson
- Structural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Aleksandras Gutmanas
- Protein Data Bank in Europe, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - John M Hancock
- ELIXIR Hub, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Jen Harrow
- ELIXIR Hub, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Desmond Higgins
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular & Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D4, Ireland
| | - Cy M Jeffries
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Philippe Le Mercier
- Swiss-Prot Group, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Balint Mészáros
- Department of Biochemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary
| | - Marco Necci
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Cedric Notredame
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, 08003, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sandra Orchard
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Christos A Ouzounis
- BCPL-CPERI, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thessalonica, 57001, Greece
| | - Rita Pancsa
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary
| | - Elena Papaleo
- Computational Biology Laboratory, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark
| | - Roberta Pierattelli
- Department of Chemistry and CERM "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Damiano Piovesan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Vasilis J Promponas
- Bioinformatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, CY-1678, Cyprus
| | - Patrick Ruch
- HES-SO/HEG and SIB Text Mining, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Gabriella Rustici
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Pedro Romero
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706-1544, USA
| | | | - Gary Saunders
- ELIXIR Hub, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Benjamin Schuler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Malvika Sharan
- Structural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Denis C Shields
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular & Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D4, Ireland
| | - Joel L Sussman
- Department of Structural Biology and the Israel Structural Proteomics, Center (ISPC), Weizmann Institute of Science, Reḥovot, 7610001, Israel
| | | | - Peter Tompa
- VIB Center for Structural Biology (CSB), VIB Flemish Institute for Biotechnology, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Michael Turewicz
- Faculty of Medicine, Medizinisches Proteom-Center, Ruhr University Bochum, GesundheitsCampus 4, Bochum, 44801, Germany
| | - Jiri Vondrasek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, CAS, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Wim F Vranken
- VUB/ULB Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels and Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, B-1050, Belgium
| | - Bonnie Ann Wallace
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, WC1H 0HA, UK
| | - Kanin Wichapong
- Department of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Singh V, Patel KA, Sharma RK, Patil PR, Joshi AS, Parihar R, Athilingam T, Sinha N, Ganesh S, Sinha P, Roy I, Thakur AK. Discovery of Arginine Ethyl Ester as Polyglutamine Aggregation Inhibitor: Conformational Transitioning of Huntingtin N-Terminus Augments Aggregation Suppression. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:3969-3985. [PMID: 31460743 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.9b00167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic disorder caused by a CAG expansion mutation in the huntingtin gene leading to polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion in the N-terminal part of huntingtin (Httex1). Expanded polyQ, through a complex aggregation pathway, forms aggregates in neurons and presents a potential therapeutic target. Here we show Httex1 aggregation suppression by arginine and arginine ethyl ester (AEE) in vitro, as well as in yeast and mammalian cell models of HD, bearing expanded polyQ. These molecules also rescue locomotion dysfunction in HD Drosophila model. Both molecules alter the hydrogen bonding network of polyQ to enhance its aqueous solubility and delay aggregation. AEE shows direct binding with the NT17 part of Httex1 to induce structural changes to impart an enhanced inhibitory effect. This study provides a platform for the development of better arginine based therapeutic molecules against polyQ-rich Httex1 aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virender Singh
- Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Kinjal A. Patel
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab 160062, India
| | - Raj Kumar Sharma
- Centre of Biomedical Research, SGPGIMS Campus, Raibarelly Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226014, India
| | - Pratik R. Patil
- Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
| | - Abhayraj S. Joshi
- Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
| | - Rashmi Parihar
- Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
| | - Thamarailingam Athilingam
- Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
| | - Neeraj Sinha
- Centre of Biomedical Research, SGPGIMS Campus, Raibarelly Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226014, India
| | - Subramaniam Ganesh
- Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
| | - Pradip Sinha
- Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
| | - Ipsita Roy
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab 160062, India
| | - Ashwani Kumar Thakur
- Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
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42
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Hitting on the move: Targeting intrinsically disordered protein states of the MDM2-p53 interaction. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 182:111588. [PMID: 31421630 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins are an emerging class of proteins without a folded structure and currently disorder-based drug targeting remains a challenge. p53 is the principal regulator of cell division and growth whereas MDM2 consists its main negative regulator. The MDM2-p53 recognition is a dynamic and multistage process that amongst other, employs the dissociation of a transient α-helical N-terminal ''lid'' segment of MDM2 from the proximity of the p53-complementary interface. Several small molecule inhibitors have been reported to inhibit the formation of the p53-MDM2 complex with the vast majority mimicking the p53 residues Phe19, Trp23 and Leu26. Recently, we have described the transit from the 3-point to 4-point pharmacophore model stabilizing this intrinsically disordered N-terminus by increasing the binding affinity by a factor of 3. Therefore, we performed a thorough SAR analysis, including chiral separation of key compound which was evaluated by FP and 2D NMR. Finally, p53-specific anti-cancer activity towards p53-wild-type cancer cells was observed for several representative compounds.
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Rational design using sequence information only produces a peptide that binds to the intrinsically disordered region of p53. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8584. [PMID: 31253862 PMCID: PMC6599006 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44688-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) of proteins are involved in many diseases. The rational drug design against disease-mediating proteins is often based on the 3D structure; however, the flexible structure of IDRs hinders the use of such structure-based design methods. Here, we developed a rational design method to obtain a peptide that can bind an IDR using only sequence information based on the statistical contact energy of amino acid pairs. We applied the method to the disordered C-terminal domain of the tumor suppressor p53. Titration experiments revealed that one of the designed peptides, DP6, has a druggable affinity of ~1 μM to the p53 C-terminal domain. NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation revealed that DP6 selectively binds to the vicinity of the target sequence in the C-terminal domain of p53. DP6 inhibits the nonspecific DNA binding of a tetrameric form of the p53 C-terminal domain, but does not significantly affect the specific DNA binding of a tetrameric form of the p53 core domain. Single-molecule measurements revealed that DP6 retards the 1D sliding of p53 along DNA, implying modulation of the target searching of p53. Statistical potential-based design may be useful in designing peptides that target IDRs for therapeutic purposes.
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44
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Investigating targets for neuropharmacological intervention by molecular dynamics simulations. Biochem Soc Trans 2019; 47:909-918. [PMID: 31085614 DOI: 10.1042/bst20190048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Medical research has identified over 500 brain disorders. Among these, there are still only very few neuropathologies whose causes are fully understood and, consequently, very few drugs whose mechanism of action is known. No FDA drug has been identified for major neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. We still lack effective treatments and strategies for modulating progression or even early neurodegenerative disease onset diagnostic tools. A great support toward the highly needed identification of neuroactive drugs comes from computer simulation methods and, in particular, from molecular dynamics (MD). This provides insight into structure-function relationship of a target and predicts structure, dynamics and energetics of ligand/target complexes under biologically relevant conditions like temperature and physiological saline concentration. Here, we present examples of the predictive power of MD for neuroactive ligands/target complexes. This brief survey from our own research shows the usefulness of partnerships between academia and industry, and from joint efforts between experimental and theoretical groups.
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45
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Martinelli AHS, Lopes FC, John EBO, Carlini CR, Ligabue-Braun R. Modulation of Disordered Proteins with a Focus on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Other Pathologies. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20061322. [PMID: 30875980 PMCID: PMC6471803 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20061322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) do not have rigid 3D structures, showing changes in their folding depending on the environment or ligands. Intrinsically disordered proteins are widely spread in eukaryotic genomes, and these proteins participate in many cell regulatory metabolism processes. Some IDPs, when aberrantly folded, can be the cause of some diseases such as Alzheimer′s, Parkinson′s, and prionic, among others. In these diseases, there are modifications in parts of the protein or in its entirety. A common conformational variation of these IDPs is misfolding and aggregation, forming, for instance, neurotoxic amyloid plaques. In this review, we discuss some IDPs that are involved in neurodegenerative diseases (such as beta amyloid, alpha synuclein, tau, and the “IDP-like” PrP), cancer (p53, c-Myc), and diabetes (amylin), focusing on the structural changes of these IDPs that are linked to such pathologies. We also present the IDP modulation mechanisms that can be explored in new strategies for drug design. Lastly, we show some candidate drugs that can be used in the future for the treatment of diseases caused by misfolded IDPs, considering that cancer therapy has more advanced research in comparison to other diseases, while also discussing recent and future developments in this area of research. Therefore, we aim to provide support to the study of IDPs and their modulation mechanisms as promising approaches to combat such severe diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne H S Martinelli
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology & Department of Biophysics, Biosciences Institute-IB, (UFRGS), Porto Alegre CEP 91501-970, RS, Brazil.
| | - Fernanda C Lopes
- Center for Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre CEP 91501-970, RS, Brazil.
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre CEP 91501-970, RS, Brazil.
| | - Elisa B O John
- Center for Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre CEP 91501-970, RS, Brazil.
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre CEP 91501-970, RS, Brazil.
| | - Célia R Carlini
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre CEP 91501-970, RS, Brazil.
- Graduate Program in Medicine and Health Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre CEP 91410-000, RS, Brazil.
- Brain Institute-InsCer, Laboratory of Neurotoxins, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre CEP 90610-000, RS, Brazil.
| | - Rodrigo Ligabue-Braun
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre CEP 90050-170, RS, Brazil.
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Peng Y, Alexov E, Basu S. Structural Perspective on Revealing and Altering Molecular Functions of Genetic Variants Linked with Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20030548. [PMID: 30696058 PMCID: PMC6386852 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20030548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Structural information of biological macromolecules is crucial and necessary to deliver predictions about the effects of mutations-whether polymorphic or deleterious (i.e., disease causing), wherein, thermodynamic parameters, namely, folding and binding free energies potentially serve as effective biomarkers. It may be emphasized that the effect of a mutation depends on various factors, including the type of protein (globular, membrane or intrinsically disordered protein) and the structural context in which it occurs. Such information may positively aid drug-design. Furthermore, due to the intrinsic plasticity of proteins, even mutations involving radical change of the structural and physico⁻chemical properties of the amino acids (native vs. mutant) can still have minimal effects on protein thermodynamics. However, if a mutation causes significant perturbation by either folding or binding free energies, it is quite likely to be deleterious. Mitigating such effects is a promising alternative to the traditional approaches of designing inhibitors. This can be done by structure-based in silico screening of small molecules for which binding to the dysfunctional protein restores its wild type thermodynamics. In this review we emphasize the effects of mutations on two important biophysical properties, stability and binding affinity, and how structures can be used for structure-based drug design to mitigate the effects of disease-causing variants on the above biophysical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunhui Peng
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA.
| | - Emil Alexov
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA.
| | - Sankar Basu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA.
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Carabet LA, Rennie PS, Cherkasov A. Therapeutic Inhibition of Myc in Cancer. Structural Bases and Computer-Aided Drug Discovery Approaches. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 20:E120. [PMID: 30597997 PMCID: PMC6337544 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20010120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Revised: 12/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Myc (avian myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog) represents one of the most sought after drug targets in cancer. Myc transcription factor is an essential regulator of cell growth, but in most cancers it is overexpressed and associated with treatment-resistance and lethal outcomes. Over 40 years of research and drug development efforts did not yield a clinically useful Myc inhibitor. Drugging the "undruggable" is problematic, as Myc inactivation may negatively impact its physiological functions. Moreover, Myc is a disordered protein that lacks effective binding pockets on its surface. It is well established that the Myc function is dependent on dimerization with its obligate partner, Max (Myc associated factor X), which together form a functional DNA-binding domain to activate genomic targets. Herein, we provide an overview of the knowledge accumulated to date on Myc regulation and function, its critical role in cancer, and summarize various strategies that are employed to tackle Myc-driven malignant transformation. We focus on important structure-function relationships of Myc with its interactome, elaborating structural determinants of Myc-Max dimer formation and DNA recognition exploited for therapeutic inhibition. Chronological development of small-molecule Myc-Max prototype inhibitors and corresponding binding sites are comprehensively reviewed and particular emphasis is placed on modern computational drug design methods. On the outlook, technological advancements may soon provide the so long-awaited Myc-Max clinical candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavinia A Carabet
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia, 2660 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada.
| | - Paul S Rennie
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia, 2660 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada.
| | - Artem Cherkasov
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia, 2660 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada.
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48
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Kiss R, Csizmadia G, Solti K, Keresztes A, Zhu M, Pickhardt M, Mandelkow E, Tóth G. Structural Basis of Small Molecule Targetability of Monomeric Tau Protein. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9:2997-3006. [PMID: 29944336 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The therapeutic targeting of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) by small molecules has been a challenge due to their heterogeneous conformational ensembles. A potential therapeutic strategy to alleviate the aggregation of IDPs is to maintain them in their native monomeric state by small molecule binding. This study investigates the structural basis of small molecule druggability of native monomeric Tau whose aggregation is linked to the onset of Tauopathies such as Alzheimer's disease. Initially, two available monomeric conformational ensembles of a shorter Tau construct K18 (also termed Tau4RD) were analyzed which revealed striking structural differences between the two ensembles, while similar number of hot spots and small molecule binding sites were identified on monomeric Tau ensembles as on tertiary folded proteins of similar size. Remarkably, some critical fibril forming sequence regions of Tau (V306-K311, V275-K280) participated in hot spot formation with higher frequency compared to other regions. As an example of small molecule binding to monomeric Tau, it was shown that methylene blue (MB) bound to monomeric K18 and full-length Tau selectively with high affinity (Kd = 125.8 nM and 86.6 nM, respectively) with binding modes involving Cys291 and Cys322, previously reported to be oxidized in the presence of MB. Overall, our results provide structure-based evidence that Tau can be a viable drug target for small molecules and indicate that specific small molecules may be able to bind to monomeric Tau and influence the way in which the protein interacts among itself and with other proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Róbert Kiss
- MTA-TTK-NAP B - Drug Discovery Research Group − Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1245 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Georgina Csizmadia
- MTA-TTK-NAP B - Drug Discovery Research Group − Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1245 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Katalin Solti
- MTA-TTK-NAP B - Drug Discovery Research Group − Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1245 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Keresztes
- MTA-TTK-NAP B - Drug Discovery Research Group − Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1245 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Max Zhu
- Cantabio Pharmaceuticals, Sunnyvale, California 94085, United States
| | - Marcus Pickhardt
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str. 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- CAESAR Research Center/Max-Planck-Institute, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, 53175 Bonn, Germany
| | - Eckhard Mandelkow
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str. 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- CAESAR Research Center/Max-Planck-Institute, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, 53175 Bonn, Germany
| | - Gergely Tóth
- MTA-TTK-NAP B - Drug Discovery Research Group − Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1245 Budapest, Hungary
- Cantabio Pharmaceuticals, Sunnyvale, California 94085, United States
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49
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How dynamic docking simulations can help to tackle tough drug targets. Future Med Chem 2018; 10:2763-2765. [DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2018-0295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
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50
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Chong B, Li M, Li T, Yu M, Zhang Y, Liu Z. Conservation of Potentially Druggable Cavities in Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. ACS OMEGA 2018; 3:15643-15652. [PMID: 31458221 PMCID: PMC6643371 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b02092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) exist in highly dynamic conformational ensembles, which pose a major obstacle for drug development targeting IDPs because traditional rational drug design relies on unique three-dimensional structures. Here, we analyzed the conservation (especially structural conservation) of potentially druggable cavities in 22 ensembles of IDPs. It was found that there is considerable conservation for potentially druggable cavities within each ensemble. The average common atom percentage of potentially druggable cavities is as high as 54%. The average root-mean-squared deviation of common atoms ranges between 1 and 8 Å for multichain IDPs, and a common pocket is kept after direct alignment of cavities. In addition, the conservation of potentially druggable cavities varies among different proteins. In the comparison of multi- and single-chain IDPs, some multichain IDPs have an extremely high conservation, whereas another multichain IDPs' conservation appears worse, and the single-chain IDPs have relatively moderate conservations. This study is a new attempt to generally assess the potentially druggable cavities in IDPs for taking IDPs as druggable targets, and this work also lends support to the opinion of IDPs tending to bind to "multiconformational affinity" compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Chong
- College of Chemistry and Molecular
Engineering, Center for Quantitative Biology, and Beijing National
Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Maodong Li
- College of Chemistry and Molecular
Engineering, Center for Quantitative Biology, and Beijing National
Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Tong Li
- Department
of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua
University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Miao Yu
- College of Chemistry and Molecular
Engineering, Center for Quantitative Biology, and Beijing National
Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yugang Zhang
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell
University, New York 14850, United States
| | - Zhirong Liu
- College of Chemistry and Molecular
Engineering, Center for Quantitative Biology, and Beijing National
Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- E-mail: (Z.L.)
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