1
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McCallum M, Park YJ, Stewart C, Sprouse KR, Addetia A, Brown J, Tortorici MA, Gibson C, Wong E, Ieven M, Telenti A, Veesler D. Human coronavirus HKU1 recognition of the TMPRSS2 host receptor. Cell 2024:S0092-8674(24)00646-9. [PMID: 38964328 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.006] [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: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
The human coronavirus HKU1 spike (S) glycoprotein engages host cell surface sialoglycans and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) to initiate infection. The molecular basis of HKU1 binding to TMPRSS2 and determinants of host receptor tropism remain elusive. We designed an active human TMPRSS2 construct enabling high-yield recombinant production in human cells of this key therapeutic target. We determined a cryo-electron microscopy structure of the HKU1 RBD bound to human TMPRSS2, providing a blueprint of the interactions supporting viral entry and explaining the specificity for TMPRSS2 among orthologous proteases. We identified TMPRSS2 orthologs from five mammalian orders promoting HKU1 S-mediated entry into cells along with key residues governing host receptor usage. Our data show that the TMPRSS2 binding motif is a site of vulnerability to neutralizing antibodies and suggest that HKU1 uses S conformational masking and glycan shielding to balance immune evasion and receptor engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew McCallum
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Young-Jun Park
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Cameron Stewart
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kaitlin R Sprouse
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Amin Addetia
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jack Brown
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Cecily Gibson
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Emily Wong
- Vir Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Margareta Ieven
- Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology, Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - David Veesler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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2
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Fernández I, Saunders N, Duquerroy S, Bolland WH, Arbabian A, Baquero E, Blanc C, Lafaye P, Haouz A, Buchrieser J, Schwartz O, Rey FA. Structural basis of TMPRSS2 zymogen activation and recognition by the HKU1 seasonal coronavirus. Cell 2024:S0092-8674(24)00647-0. [PMID: 38964326 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.007] [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: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
The human seasonal coronavirus HKU1-CoV, which causes common colds worldwide, relies on the sequential binding to surface glycans and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) for entry into target cells. TMPRSS2 is synthesized as a zymogen that undergoes autolytic activation to process its substrates. Several respiratory viruses, in particular coronaviruses, use TMPRSS2 for proteolytic priming of their surface spike protein to drive membrane fusion upon receptor binding. We describe the crystal structure of the HKU1-CoV receptor binding domain in complex with TMPRSS2, showing that it recognizes residues lining the catalytic groove. Combined mutagenesis of interface residues and comparison across species highlight positions 417 and 469 as determinants of HKU1-CoV host tropism. The structure of a receptor-blocking nanobody in complex with zymogen or activated TMPRSS2 further provides the structural basis of TMPRSS2 activating conformational change, which alters loops recognized by HKU1-CoV and dramatically increases binding affinity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Fernández
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3569, Structural Virology Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Nell Saunders
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3569, Virus & Immunity Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Stéphane Duquerroy
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3569, Structural Virology Unit, 75015 Paris, France; Université Paris-Saclay, Faculté des Sciences, Orsay, France
| | - William H Bolland
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3569, Virus & Immunity Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Atousa Arbabian
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3569, Structural Virology Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Eduard Baquero
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, INSERM U1222, Nanoimaging core, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Catherine Blanc
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, Pasteur-TheraVectys Joint Lab, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Lafaye
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3528, Antibody Engineering Facility-C2RT, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Ahmed Haouz
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3528, Crystalogenesis Facility-C2RT, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Julian Buchrieser
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3569, Virus & Immunity Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Olivier Schwartz
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3569, Virus & Immunity Unit, 75015 Paris, France; Vaccine Research Institute, Créteil, France.
| | - Félix A Rey
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3569, Structural Virology Unit, 75015 Paris, France.
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3
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Belitškin D, Munne P, Pant SM, Anttila JM, Suleymanova I, Belitškina K, Kirchhofer D, Janetka J, Käsper T, Jalil S, Pouwels J, Tervonen TA, Klefström J. Hepsin promotes breast tumor growth signaling via the TGFβ-EGFR axis. Mol Oncol 2024; 18:547-561. [PMID: 37872868 PMCID: PMC10920082 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13545] [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: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepsin, a type II transmembrane serine protease, is commonly overexpressed in prostate and breast cancer. The hepsin protein is stabilized by the Ras-MAPK pathway, and, downstream, this protease regulates the degradation of extracellular matrix components and activates growth factor pathways, such as the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) pathway. However, how exactly active hepsin promotes cell proliferation machinery to sustain tumor growth is not fully understood. Here, we show that genetic deletion of the gene encoding hepsin (Hpn) in a WAP-Myc model of aggressive MYC-driven breast cancer inhibits tumor growth in the primary syngrafted sites and the growth of disseminated tumors in the lungs. The suppression of tumor growth upon loss of hepsin was accompanied by downregulation of TGFβ and EGFR signaling together with a reduction in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) protein levels. We further demonstrate in 3D cultures of patient-derived breast cancer explants that both basal TGFβ signaling and EGFR protein expression are inhibited by neutralizing antibodies or small-molecule inhibitors of hepsin. The study demonstrates a role for hepsin as a regulator of cell proliferation and tumor growth through TGFβ and EGFR pathways, warranting consideration of hepsin as a potential indirect upstream target for therapeutic inhibition of TGFβ and EGFR pathways in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Belitškin
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of HelsinkiFinland
| | - Pauliina Munne
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of HelsinkiFinland
| | - Shishir M. Pant
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of HelsinkiFinland
| | - Johanna M. Anttila
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of HelsinkiFinland
| | - Ilida Suleymanova
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of HelsinkiFinland
| | - Kati Belitškina
- Pathology DepartmentNorth Estonia Medical CentreTallinnEstonia
| | - Daniel Kirchhofer
- Department of Early Discovery BiochemistryGenentech, Inc.South San FranciscoCAUSA
| | - James Janetka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiophysicsWashington University School of MedicineSt. LouisMOUSA
| | | | - Sami Jalil
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of HelsinkiFinland
| | - Jeroen Pouwels
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of HelsinkiFinland
| | - Topi A. Tervonen
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of HelsinkiFinland
| | - Juha Klefström
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of HelsinkiFinland
- Foundation for the Finnish Cancer Institute, Helsinki & FICAN SouthHelsinki University HospitalFinland
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4
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Xu S, Xu X, Wang Z, Wu R. A Systematic Investigation of Proteoforms with N-Terminal Glycine and Their Dynamics Reveals Its Impacts on Protein Stability. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202315286. [PMID: 38117010 PMCID: PMC10981938 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202315286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
The N-termini of proteins can regulate their degradation, and the same protein with different N-termini may have distinct dynamics. Recently, it was found that N-terminal glycine can serve as a degron recognized by two E3 ligases, but N-terminal glycine was also reported to stabilize proteins. Here we developed a chemoenzymatic method for selective enrichment of proteoforms with N-terminal glycine and integrated dual protease cleavage to further improve the enrichment specificity. Over 2000 unique peptides with protein N-terminal glycine were analyzed from >1000 proteins, and most of them are previously unknown, indicating the effectiveness of the current method to capture low-abundance proteoforms with N-terminal glycine. The degradation rates of proteoforms with N-terminal glycine were quantified along with those of proteins from the whole proteome. Bioinformatic analyses reveal that proteoforms with N-terminal glycine with the fastest and slowest degradation rates have different functions and localizations. Membrane proteins with N-terminal glycine and proteins with N-terminal glycine from the N-terminal methionine excision degrade more rapidly. Furthermore, the secondary structures, adjacent amino acid residues, and protease specificities for N-terminal glycine are also vital for protein degradation. The results advance our understanding of the effects of N-terminal glycine on protein properties and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Senhan Xu
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Xing Xu
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Zeyu Wang
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Ronghu Wu
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
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5
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McCallum M, Park YJ, Stewart C, Sprouse KR, Brown J, Tortorici MA, Gibson C, Wong E, Ieven M, Telenti A, Veesler D. Human coronavirus HKU1 recognition of the TMPRSS2 host receptor. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.09.574565. [PMID: 38260518 PMCID: PMC10802434 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.09.574565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
The human coronavirus HKU1 spike (S) glycoprotein engages host cell surface sialoglycans and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) to initiate infection. The molecular basis of HKU1 binding to TMPRSS2 and determinants of host receptor tropism remain elusive. Here, we designed an active human TMPRSS2 construct enabling high-yield recombinant production in human cells of this key therapeutic target. We determined a cryo-electron microscopy structure of the HKU1 RBD bound to human TMPRSS2 providing a blueprint of the interactions supporting viral entry and explaining the specificity for TMPRSS2 among human type 2 transmembrane serine proteases. We found that human, rat, hamster and camel TMPRSS2 promote HKU1 S-mediated entry into cells and identified key residues governing host receptor usage. Our data show that serum antibodies targeting the HKU1 RBD TMPRSS2 binding-site are key for neutralization and that HKU1 uses conformational masking and glycan shielding to balance immune evasion and receptor engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew McCallum
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Young-Jun Park
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Cameron Stewart
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Jack Brown
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Cecily Gibson
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Emily Wong
- Vir Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Margareta Ieven
- Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology, Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - David Veesler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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6
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Wang H, Yang Q, Liu X, Xu Z, Shao M, Li D, Duan Y, Tang J, Yu X, Zhang Y, Hao A, Wang Y, Chen J, Zhu C, Guddat L, Chen H, Zhang L, Chen X, Jiang B, Sun L, Rao Z, Yang H. Structure-based discovery of dual pathway inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 entry. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7574. [PMID: 37990007 PMCID: PMC10663540 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42527-5] [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: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Since 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has evolved rapidly and gained resistance to multiple therapeutics targeting the virus. Development of host-directed antivirals offers broad-spectrum intervention against different variants of concern. Host proteases, TMPRSS2 and CTSL/CTSB cleave the SARS-CoV-2 spike to play a crucial role in the two alternative pathways of viral entry and are characterized as promising pharmacological targets. Here, we identify compounds that show potent inhibition of these proteases and determine their complex structures with their respective targets. Furthermore, we show that applying inhibitors simultaneously that block both entry pathways has a synergistic antiviral effect. Notably, we devise a bispecific compound, 212-148, exhibiting the dual-inhibition ability of both TMPRSS2 and CTSL/CTSB, and demonstrate antiviral activity against various SARS-CoV-2 variants with different viral entry profiles. Our findings offer an alternative approach for the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 antivirals, as well as application for broad-spectrum treatment of viral pathogenic infections with similar entry pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haofeng Wang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Qi Yang
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoce Liu
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Zili Xu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Maolin Shao
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Dongxu Li
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Yinkai Duan
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | | | - Xianqiang Yu
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yumin Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Aihua Hao
- The Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yajie Wang
- The Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Chen
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Chenghao Zhu
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Luke Guddat
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Hongli Chen
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Leike Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.
| | | | - Biao Jiang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Lei Sun
- The Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zihe Rao
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences and School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haitao Yang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, P.R. China.
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7
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Sun S, Hu K, Wang L, Liu M, Zhang Y, Dong N, Wu Q. Spatial position is a key determinant of N-glycan functionality of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain of human hepsin. FEBS J 2023; 290:3966-3982. [PMID: 36802168 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2023]
Abstract
The scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) domain is a key constituent in diverse proteins. N-glycosylation is important in protein expression and function. In the SRCR domain of different proteins, N-glycosylation sites and functionality vary substantially. In this study, we examined the importance of N-glycosylation site positions in the SRCR domain of hepsin, a type II transmembrane serine protease involved in many pathophysiological processes. We analysed hepsin mutants with alternative N-glycosylation sites in the SRCR and protease domains using three-dimensional modelling, site-directed mutagenesis, HepG2 cell expression, immunostaining, and western blotting. We found that the N-glycan function in the SRCR domain in promoting hepsin expression and activation on the cell surface cannot be replaced by alternatively created N-glycans in the protease domain. Within the SRCR domain, the presence of an N-glycan in a confined surface area was essential for calnexin-assisted protein folding, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) exiting, and zymogen activation of hepsin on the cell surface. Hepsin mutants with alternative N-glycosylation sites on the opposite side of the SRCR domain were trapped by ER chaperones, resulting in the activation of the unfolded protein response in HepG2 cells. These results indicate that the spatial N-glycan positioning in the SRCR domain is a key determinant in the interaction with calnexin and subsequent cell surface expression of hepsin. These findings may help to understand the conservation and functionality of N-glycosylation sites in the SRCR domains of different proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shijin Sun
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Kaixuan Hu
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Lina Wang
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Meng Liu
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yikai Zhang
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Ningzheng Dong
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Qingyu Wu
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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8
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Wu Q, Li S, Zhang X, Dong N. Type II Transmembrane Serine Proteases as Modulators in Adipose Tissue Phenotype and Function. Biomedicines 2023; 11:1794. [PMID: 37509434 PMCID: PMC10376093 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11071794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Adipose tissue is a crucial organ in energy metabolism and thermoregulation. Adipose tissue phenotype is controlled by various signaling mechanisms under pathophysiological conditions. Type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSPs) are a group of trypsin-like enzymes anchoring on the cell surface. These proteases act in diverse tissues to regulate physiological processes, such as food digestion, salt-water balance, iron metabolism, epithelial integrity, and auditory nerve development. More recently, several members of the TTSP family, namely, hepsin, matriptase-2, and corin, have been shown to play a role in regulating lipid metabolism, adipose tissue phenotype, and thermogenesis, via direct growth factor activation or indirect hormonal mechanisms. In mice, hepsin deficiency increases adipose browning and protects from high-fat diet-induced hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and obesity. Similarly, matriptase-2 deficiency increases fat lipolysis and reduces obesity and hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet-fed mice. In contrast, corin deficiency increases white adipose weights and cell sizes, suppresses adipocyte browning and thermogenic responses, and causes cold intolerance in mice. These findings highlight an important role of TTSPs in modifying cellular phenotype and function in adipose tissue. In this review, we provide a brief description about TTSPs and discuss recent findings regarding the role of hepsin, matriptase-2, and corin in regulating adipose tissue phenotype, energy metabolism, and thermogenic responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyu Wu
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Shuo Li
- Department of Cancer Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Xianrui Zhang
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Ningzheng Dong
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
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9
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Koistinen H, Kovanen RM, Hollenberg MD, Dufour A, Radisky ES, Stenman UH, Batra J, Clements J, Hooper JD, Diamandis E, Schilling O, Rannikko A, Mirtti T. The roles of proteases in prostate cancer. IUBMB Life 2023; 75:493-513. [PMID: 36598826 PMCID: PMC10159896 DOI: 10.1002/iub.2700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Since the proposition of the pro-invasive activity of proteolytic enzymes over 70 years ago, several roles for proteases in cancer progression have been established. About half of the 473 active human proteases are expressed in the prostate and many of the most well-characterized members of this enzyme family are regulated by androgens, hormones essential for development of prostate cancer. Most notably, several kallikrein-related peptidases, including KLK3 (prostate-specific antigen, PSA), the most well-known prostate cancer marker, and type II transmembrane serine proteases, such as TMPRSS2 and matriptase, have been extensively studied and found to promote prostate cancer progression. Recent findings also suggest a critical role for proteases in the development of advanced and aggressive castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Perhaps the most intriguing evidence for this role comes from studies showing that the protease-activated transmembrane proteins, Notch and CDCP1, are associated with the development of CRPC. Here, we review the roles of proteases in prostate cancer, with a special focus on their regulation by androgens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannu Koistinen
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Haematology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Finland
| | - Ruusu-Maaria Kovanen
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Haematology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Finland
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Pathology, HUS Diagnostic Centre, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Morley D Hollenberg
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology and Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Antoine Dufour
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology and Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Evette S. Radisky
- Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.A
| | - Ulf-Håkan Stenman
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Haematology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Finland
| | - Jyotsna Batra
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
- Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Judith Clements
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
- Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - John D. Hooper
- Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Eleftherios Diamandis
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Oliver Schilling
- Institute for Surgical Pathology, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Antti Rannikko
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Urology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tuomas Mirtti
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Pathology, HUS Diagnostic Centre, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
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10
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Chen Y, Tang L, Huang W, Abisola FH, Zhang Y, Zhang G, Yao L. Identification of a prognostic cuproptosis-related signature in hepatocellular carcinoma. Biol Direct 2023; 18:4. [PMID: 36750831 PMCID: PMC9903524 DOI: 10.1186/s13062-023-00358-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cuproptosis is a new type of copper-induced cell death that is characterized by the aggregation of lipoylated tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle proteins. However, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. The goal of this research is to develop a cuproptosis-related signature predicting the prognosis of HCC. METHODS The cuproptosis-related genes were defined using Pearson correlation coefficients. LASSO-Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the prognostic values of cuproptosis-related genes to construct a cuproptosis-related prognostic model. The immune microenvironment analysis was performed by "ssGSEA" to reveal the associated immune cell infiltration patterns with the cuproptosis-related genes signature. The expression levels of one of the prognostic genes PDXK were then verified in HCC samples by Western Blot and immunohistochemistry. The potential roles of target genes in cuproptosis were further explored during in-vitro experiments. RESULTS A total of 136 cuproptosis-related genes were discovered using Pearson correlation analysis in HCC. A cuproptosis-related signature that included 5 cuproptosis-related genes (PDXK, HPN, SLC25A28, RNFT1, CLEC3B) was established in the TCGA-LIHC training cohort. TCGA validation cohort and another two external validation cohorts confirmed the robustness of the signature's predictive value. Moreover, a nomogram using the risk score was created to best predict the survival of HCC patients. The immune microenvironment analysis revealed distinct immune infiltrations patterns between different risk groups based on the signature model. Furthermore, the upregulation of PDXK was confirmed in HCC tumor tissues in 30 clinical HCC specimens. The knockdown of PDXK reduced the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells. Besides, the expression of PDXK was upregulated after the induction of cuproptosis by elesclomol-CuCL2, which could be suppressed when pretreated with a copper ion chelator. And PDXK deficiency increased the sensitivity of HCC cells to cuproptosis inducer. CONCLUSION Our study identified a new cuproptosis-related gene signature that could predict the prognosis of HCC patient. Besides, the upregulated PDXK could promote the proliferation and metastasis of HCC. And PDXK deficiency facilities cuproptosis in HCC. Therefore, these fundings highlighted that PDXK might serve as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqiao Chen
- grid.216417.70000 0001 0379 7164Department of General Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan China ,grid.216417.70000 0001 0379 7164National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Lu Tang
- grid.216417.70000 0001 0379 7164Department of Anesthesiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan China
| | - Wentao Huang
- grid.216417.70000 0001 0379 7164Department of Thoracic Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan China
| | - Fakolade Hannah Abisola
- grid.216417.70000 0001 0379 7164Department of Thoracic Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan China
| | - Youyu Zhang
- grid.216417.70000 0001 0379 7164Department of Thoracic Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan China
| | - Gewen Zhang
- grid.216417.70000 0001 0379 7164Department of General Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan China ,grid.216417.70000 0001 0379 7164National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Lei Yao
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. .,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
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11
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Sargsyan A, Doridot L, Hannou SA, Tong W, Srinivasan H, Ivison R, Monn R, Kou HH, Haldeman JM, Arlotto M, White PJ, Grimsrud PA, Astapova I, Tsai LT, Herman MA. HGFAC is a ChREBP-regulated hepatokine that enhances glucose and lipid homeostasis. JCI Insight 2023; 8:e153740. [PMID: 36413406 PMCID: PMC9870088 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.153740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbohydrate response element-binding protein (ChREBP) is a carbohydrate-sensing transcription factor that regulates both adaptive and maladaptive genomic responses in coordination of systemic fuel homeostasis. Genetic variants in the ChREBP locus associate with diverse metabolic traits in humans, including circulating lipids. To identify novel ChREBP-regulated hepatokines that contribute to its systemic metabolic effects, we integrated ChREBP ChIP-Seq analysis in mouse liver with human genetic and genomic data for lipid traits and identified hepatocyte growth factor activator (HGFAC) as a promising ChREBP-regulated candidate in mice and humans. HGFAC is a protease that activates the pleiotropic hormone hepatocyte growth factor. We demonstrate that HGFAC-KO mice had phenotypes concordant with putative loss-of-function variants in human HGFAC. Moreover, in gain- and loss-of-function genetic mouse models, we demonstrate that HGFAC enhanced lipid and glucose homeostasis, which may be mediated in part through actions to activate hepatic PPARγ activity. Together, our studies show that ChREBP mediated an adaptive response to overnutrition via activation of HGFAC in the liver to preserve glucose and lipid homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashot Sargsyan
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ludivine Doridot
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sarah A. Hannou
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Wenxin Tong
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Harini Srinivasan
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rachael Ivison
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ruby Monn
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Henry H. Kou
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jonathan M. Haldeman
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michelle Arlotto
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Phillip J. White
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, and
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Paul A. Grimsrud
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, and
| | - Inna Astapova
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, and
| | - Linus T. Tsai
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark A. Herman
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, and
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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12
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Structure and activity of human TMPRSS2 protease implicated in SARS-CoV-2 activation. Nat Chem Biol 2022; 18:963-971. [PMID: 35676539 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01059-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2) has been identified as key host cell factor for viral entry and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, TMPRSS2 proteolytically processes the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein, enabling virus-host membrane fusion and infection of the airways. We present here a recombinant production strategy for enzymatically active TMPRSS2 and characterization of its matured proteolytic activity, as well as its 1.95 Å X-ray cocrystal structure with the synthetic protease inhibitor nafamostat. Our study provides a structural basis for the potent but nonspecific inhibition by nafamostat and identifies distinguishing features of the TMPRSS2 substrate binding pocket that explain specificity. TMPRSS2 cleaved SARS-CoV-2 S protein at multiple sites, including the canonical S1/S2 cleavage site. We ranked the potency of clinical protease inhibitors with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations ranging from 1.4 nM to 120 µM and determined inhibitor mechanisms of action, providing the groundwork for drug development efforts to selectively inhibit TMPRSS2.
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13
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Peptidomimetic inhibitors of TMPRSS2 block SARS-CoV-2 infection in cell culture. Commun Biol 2022; 5:681. [PMID: 35804152 PMCID: PMC9270327 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03613-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) primes the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein for host cell entry and represents a promising target for COVID-19 therapy. Here we describe the in silico development and in vitro characterization of peptidomimetic TMPRSS2 inhibitors. Molecular docking studies identified peptidomimetic binders of the TMPRSS2 catalytic site, which were synthesized and coupled to an electrophilic serine trap. The compounds inhibit TMPRSS2 while demonstrating good off-target selectivity against selected coagulation proteases. Lead candidates are stable in blood serum and plasma for at least ten days. Finally, we show that selected peptidomimetics inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Spike-driven pseudovirus entry and authentic SARS-CoV-2 infection with comparable efficacy as camostat mesylate. The peptidomimetic TMPRSS2 inhibitors also prevent entry of recent SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern Delta and Omicron BA.1. In sum, our study reports antivirally active and stable TMPRSS2 inhibitors with prospects for further preclinical and clinical development as antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2 and other TMPRSS2-dependent viruses. This study describes the development and characterization of peptidomimetic inhibitors of TMPRSS2, which primes the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. The inhibitors are shown to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells as efficiently as camostat mesylate.
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14
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Mehner C, Hockla A, Coban M, Madden B, Estrada R, Radisky DC, Radisky ES. Activity-based protein profiling reveals active serine proteases that drive malignancy of human ovarian clear cell carcinoma. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102146. [PMID: 35716777 PMCID: PMC9304776 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) is an understudied poor prognosis subtype of ovarian cancer lacking in effective targeted therapies. Efforts to define molecular drivers of OCCC malignancy may lead to new therapeutic targets and approaches. Among potential targets are secreted proteases, enzymes which in many cancers serve as key drivers of malignant progression. Here, we found that inhibitors of trypsin-like serine proteases suppressed malignant phenotypes of OCCC cell lines. To identify the proteases responsible for malignancy in OCCC, we employed activity-based protein profiling to directly analyze enzyme activity. We developed an activity-based probe featuring an arginine diphenylphosphonate warhead to detect active serine proteases of trypsin-like specificity and a biotin handle to facilitate affinity purification of labeled proteases. Using this probe, we identified active trypsin-like serine proteases within the complex proteomes secreted by OCCC cell lines, including two proteases in common, tissue plasminogen activator and urokinase-type plasminogen activator. Further interrogation of these proteases showed that both were involved in cancer cell invasion and proliferation of OCCC cells and were also detected in in vivo models of OCCC. We conclude the detection of tissue plasminogen activator and urokinase-type plasminogen activator as catalytically active proteases and significant drivers of the malignant phenotype may point to these enzymes as targets for new therapeutic strategies in OCCC. Our activity-based probe and profiling methodology will also serve as a valuable tool for detection of active trypsin-like serine proteases in models of other cancers and other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Mehner
- Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA,Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Alexandra Hockla
- Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Mathew Coban
- Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Benjamin Madden
- Medical Genome Facility Proteomics Core, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Derek C. Radisky
- Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Evette S. Radisky
- Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA,For correspondence: Evette S. Radisky
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15
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Knaff PM, Müller P, Kersten C, Wettstein L, Münch J, Landfester K, Mailänder V. Structure-Based Design of High-Affinity and Selective Peptidomimetic Hepsin Inhibitors. Biomacromolecules 2022; 23:2236-2242. [PMID: 35593713 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c01011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In many solid tumors, increased upregulation of transmembrane serine proteases (TTSPs) leads to an overactivation of growth factors, which promotes tumor progression. Here, we have used a combinatorial methodology to develop high-affinity tetrapeptidic inhibitors. A previous virtual screening of 8000 peptide combinations against the crystal structure of the TTSP hepsin identified a series of recognition sequences, customized for the non-prime substrate binding (P) sites of this serine protease. A combination of the top recognition sequences with an electrophilic warhead resulted in highly potent inhibitors with good selectivity against coagulation proteases factor Xa and thrombin. Structure-activity relationships of two selected compounds were further elucidated by investigation of their stability in biological fluids as well as the influence of the warhead and truncated inhibitors on the inhibitory potency. Overall, this methodology yielded compounds as selective inhibitors for potential cancer drug development, where hepsin is overexpressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Maximilian Knaff
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, Mainz 55128, Germany.,Dermatology Clinic of the University Medicine of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstraße 1, Mainz 55131, Germany
| | - Patrick Müller
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, Mainz 55128, Germany
| | - Christian Kersten
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, Mainz 55128, Germany
| | - Lukas Wettstein
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm 89081, Germany
| | - Jan Münch
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm 89081, Germany
| | - Katharina Landfester
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, Mainz 55128, Germany
| | - Volker Mailänder
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, Mainz 55128, Germany.,Dermatology Clinic of the University Medicine of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstraße 1, Mainz 55131, Germany
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16
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In Silico Screening and Testing of FDA-Approved Small Molecules to Block SARS-CoV-2 Entry to the Host Cell by Inhibiting Spike Protein Cleavage. Viruses 2022; 14:v14061129. [PMID: 35746605 PMCID: PMC9231362 DOI: 10.3390/v14061129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic began in 2019, but it is still active. The development of an effective vaccine reduced the number of deaths; however, a treatment is still needed. Here, we aimed to inhibit viral entry to the host cell by inhibiting spike (S) protein cleavage by several proteases. We developed a computational pipeline to repurpose FDA-approved drugs to inhibit protease activity and thus prevent S protein cleavage. We tested some of our drug candidates and demonstrated a decrease in protease activity. We believe our pipeline will be beneficial in identifying a drug regimen for COVID-19 patients.
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17
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Sure F, Bertog M, Afonso S, Diakov A, Rinke R, Madej MG, Wittmann S, Gramberg T, Korbmacher C, Ilyaskin AV. Transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) proteolytically activates the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) by cleaving the channel's γ-subunit. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102004. [PMID: 35504352 PMCID: PMC9163703 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is a heterotrimer consisting of α-, β-, and γ-subunits. Channel activation requires proteolytic release of inhibitory tracts from the extracellular domains of α-ENaC and γ-ENaC; however, the proteases involved in the removal of the γ-inhibitory tract remain unclear. In several epithelial tissues, ENaC is coexpressed with the transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2). Here, we explored the effect of human TMPRSS2 on human αβγ-ENaC heterologously expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. We found that coexpression of TMPRSS2 stimulated ENaC-mediated whole-cell currents by approximately threefold, likely because of an increase in average channel open probability. Furthermore, TMPRSS2-dependent ENaC stimulation was not observed using a catalytically inactive TMPRSS2 mutant and was associated with fully cleaved γ-ENaC in the intracellular and cell surface protein fractions. This stimulatory effect of TMPRSS2 on ENaC was partially preserved when inhibiting its proteolytic activity at the cell surface using aprotinin but was abolished when the γ-inhibitory tract remained attached to its binding site following introduction of two cysteine residues (S155C–Q426C) to form a disulfide bridge. In addition, computer simulations and site-directed mutagenesis experiments indicated that TMPRSS2 can cleave γ-ENaC at sites both proximal and distal to the γ-inhibitory tract. This suggests a dual role of TMPRSS2 in the proteolytic release of the γ-inhibitory tract. Finally, we demonstrated that TMPRSS2 knockdown in cultured human airway epithelial cells (H441) reduced baseline proteolytic activation of endogenously expressed ENaC. Thus, we conclude that TMPRSS2 is likely to contribute to proteolytic ENaC activation in epithelial tissues in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Sure
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Marko Bertog
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Sara Afonso
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Alexei Diakov
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Ralf Rinke
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Erlangen, Germany
| | - M Gregor Madej
- Department of Biophysics II/Structural Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Sabine Wittmann
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Thomas Gramberg
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christoph Korbmacher
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Alexandr V Ilyaskin
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Erlangen, Germany
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18
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Lu L, Cole A, Huang D, Wang Q, Guo Z, Yang W, Lu J. Clinical Significance of Hepsin and Underlying Signaling Pathways in Prostate Cancer. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12020203. [PMID: 35204704 PMCID: PMC8961580 DOI: 10.3390/biom12020203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The hepsin gene encodes a type II transmembrane serine protease. Previous studies have shown the overexpression of hepsin in prostate cancer, and the dysregulation of hepsin promotes cancer cell proliferation, migration, and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. The review incorporated with our work showed that hepsin expression levels were specifically increased in prostate cancer, and higher expression in metastatic tumors than in primary tumors was also observed. Moreover, increased expression was associated with poor outcomes for patients with prostate cancer. Using in silico protein–protein interaction prediction, mechanistic analysis showed that hepsin interacted with eight other oncogenic proteins, whose expression was significantly correlated with hepsin expression in prostate cancer. The oncogenic functions of hepsin are mainly linked to proteolytic activities that disrupt epithelial integrity and regulatorily interact with other genes to influence cell-proliferation, EMT/metastasis, inflammatory, and tyrosine-kinase-signaling pathways. Moreover, genomic amplifications of hepsin, not deletions or other alterations, were significantly associated with prostate cancer metastasis. Targeting hepsin using a specific inhibitor or antibodies significantly attenuates its oncogenic behaviors. Therefore, hepsin could be a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for prostate cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Lu
- GoPath Laboratories, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089, USA; (L.L.); (D.H.); (Q.W.); (Z.G.)
| | - Adam Cole
- TruCore Pathology, Little Rock, AR 72204, USA;
| | - Dan Huang
- GoPath Laboratories, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089, USA; (L.L.); (D.H.); (Q.W.); (Z.G.)
| | - Qiang Wang
- GoPath Laboratories, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089, USA; (L.L.); (D.H.); (Q.W.); (Z.G.)
| | - Zhongming Guo
- GoPath Laboratories, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089, USA; (L.L.); (D.H.); (Q.W.); (Z.G.)
| | - Wancai Yang
- GoPath Laboratories, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089, USA; (L.L.); (D.H.); (Q.W.); (Z.G.)
- Department of Pathology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
- Correspondence: (W.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Jim Lu
- GoPath Laboratories, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089, USA; (L.L.); (D.H.); (Q.W.); (Z.G.)
- Correspondence: (W.Y.); (J.L.)
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19
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Song Y, Qayyum S, Greer RA, Slominski RM, Raman C, Slominski AT, Song Y. Vitamin D3 and its hydroxyderivatives as promising drugs against COVID-19: a computational study. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022; 40:11594-11610. [PMID: 34415218 PMCID: PMC8858339 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1964601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The epidemiologic correlation between the poor prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vitamin D deficiency has been observed worldwide, however, their molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we used combined molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy analyses to investigate the potentials of vitamin D3 and its hydroxyderivatives as TMPRSS2 inhibitor and to inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), as well as to unveil molecular and structural basis of 1,25(OH)2D3 capability to inhibit ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 RBD interactions. The results show that vitamin D3 and its hydroxyderivatives are favorable to bind active site of TMPRSS2 and the binding site(s) between ACE2 and SARS-CoV2-RBD, which indicate that vitamin D3 and its biologically active hydroxyderivatives can serve as TMPRSS2 inhibitor and can inhibit ACE2 binding of SARS-CoV-2 RBD to prevent SARS-CoV-2 entry. Interaction of 1,25(OH)2D3 with SARS-CoV-2 RBD and ACE2 resulted in the conformation and dynamical motion changes of the binding surfaces between SARS-CoV-2 RBD and ACE2 to interrupt the binding of SARS-CoV-2 RBD with ACE2. The interaction of 1,25(OH)2D3 with TMPRSS2 also caused the conformational and dynamical motion changes of TMPRSS2, which could affect TMPRSS2 to prime SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins. Our results propose that vitamin D3 and its biologically active hydroxyderivatives are promising drugs or adjuvants in the treatment of COVID-19. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuwei Song
- Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Shariq Qayyum
- Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Rory A. Greer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Radomir M. Slominski
- Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA,Department of Medicine and Microbiology, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Chander Raman
- Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA,Department of Medicine and Microbiology, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Andrzej T. Slominski
- Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cancer Chemoprevention Program, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA,Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service, VA Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Yuhua Song
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
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20
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Damalanka VC, Voss JJLP, Mahoney MW, Primeau T, Li S, Klampfer L, Janetka JW. Macrocyclic Inhibitors of HGF-Activating Serine Proteases Overcome Resistance to Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors and Block Lung Cancer Progression. J Med Chem 2021; 64:18158-18174. [PMID: 34902246 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), the ligand for the MET receptor tyrosine kinase, is a tumor-promoting factor that is abundant in the tumor microenvironment. Proteolytic activation of inactive pro-HGF by one or more of the serine endopeptidases matriptase, hepsin, and HGF activator is the rate-limiting step in HGF/MET signaling. Herein, we have rationally designed a novel class of side chain cyclized macrocyclic peptide inhibitors. The new series of cyclic tripeptides has superior metabolic stability and significantly improved pharmacokinetics in mice relative to the corresponding linear peptides. We identified the lead compound VD2173 that potently inhibits matriptase and hepsin, which was tested in parallel alongside the acyclic inhibitor ZFH7116 using both in vitro and in vivo models of lung cancer. We demonstrated that both compounds block pro-HGF activation, abrogate HGF-mediated wound healing, and overcome resistance to EGFR- and MET-targeted therapy in lung cancer models. Furthermore, VD2173 inhibited HGF-dependent growth of lung cancer tumors in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vishnu C Damalanka
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Jorine J L P Voss
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Matthew W Mahoney
- ProteXase Therapeutics, Inc., Saint Louis, Missouri 63108, United States
| | - Tina Primeau
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Shunqiang Li
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Lidija Klampfer
- ProteXase Therapeutics, Inc., Saint Louis, Missouri 63108, United States
| | - James W Janetka
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri 63110, United States.,ProteXase Therapeutics, Inc., Saint Louis, Missouri 63108, United States
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21
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Zhao X, Luo S, Huang K, Xiong D, Zhang JZH, Duan L. Targeting mechanism for SARS-CoV-2 in silico: interaction and key groups of TMPRSS2 toward four potential drugs. NANOSCALE 2021; 13:19218-19237. [PMID: 34787160 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr06313h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The global dissemination of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has seriously endangered human health. The number of confirmed cases is still increasing; however, treatment options are limited. Transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), as a key protease that primes the binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), has become an attractive target and received widespread attention. Thus, four potential drugs (bromhexine, camostat, gabexate, and nafamostat) were used to explore the mechanism of binding with TMPRSS2 in this work. A 65 ns molecular dynamics simulation was performed three times for each drug-TMPRSS2 system for reliable energy calculation and conformational analysis, of which the simulations of nafamostat-TMPRSS2 systems were further extended to 150 ns three times due to the discovery of two binding modes. Through the results of calculating binding free energy by nine methods, the binding affinity of camostat, gabexate, and nafamostat to TMPRSS2 showed great advantages compared with bromhexine, where the nafamostat was surprisingly found to present two reasonable binding conformations (forward and reverse directions). Two negatively charged amino acids (Asp435 and Glu299) can clamp the two positively charged groups (guanidinium group and amidinium group) in either forward or reverse fashion, and the forward one is more stable than the reverse. In addition, compared with gabexate, the dimethylamino group in camostat forms more van der Waals interactions with surrounding hot-spots His296 and Val280, resulting in a stronger affinity to TMPRSS2. For bromhexine, multiple binding sites are displayed in the binding pocket due to its small molecular structure, and van der Waals interactions play the dominant role in the binding process. In particular, six typical hot-spots were identified in the last three serine protease inhibitor systems, i.e., Asp435, Ser436, Gln438, Trp461, Ser463, and Gly464. The guanidinium groups of the drugs have powerful interactions with adjacent residues due to the formation of more hydrogen bonds, suggesting that this may be the critical site for drug design against TMPRSS2. This work provides valuable molecular insight into these four drug-TMPRSS2 binding mechanisms and is helpful for designing and screening drugs targeting TMPRSS2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Zhao
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China.
| | - Song Luo
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China.
| | - Kaifang Huang
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Danyang Xiong
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China.
| | - John Z H Zhang
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
- NYU-ECNU Center for Computational Chemistry at NYU Shanghai, Shanghai, 200062, China
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, NY, NY 10003, USA
| | - Lili Duan
- School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China.
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22
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Belitškin D, Pant SM, Munne P, Suleymanova I, Belitškina K, Hongisto HA, Englund J, Raatikainen T, Klezovitch O, Vasioukhin V, Li S, Wu Q, Monni O, Kuure S, Laakkonen P, Pouwels J, Tervonen TA, Klefström J. Hepsin regulates TGFβ signaling via fibronectin proteolysis. EMBO Rep 2021; 22:e52532. [PMID: 34515392 PMCID: PMC8567232 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202152532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Transforming growth factor‐beta (TGFβ) is a multifunctional cytokine with a well‐established role in mammary gland development and both oncogenic and tumor‐suppressive functions. The extracellular matrix (ECM) indirectly regulates TGFβ activity by acting as a storage compartment of latent‐TGFβ, but how TGFβ is released from the ECM via proteolytic mechanisms remains largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that hepsin, a type II transmembrane protease overexpressed in 70% of breast tumors, promotes canonical TGFβ signaling through the release of latent‐TGFβ from the ECM storage compartment. Mammary glands in hepsin CRISPR knockout mice showed reduced TGFβ signaling and increased epithelial branching, accompanied by increased levels of fibronectin and latent‐TGFβ1, while overexpression of hepsin in mammary tumors increased TGFβ signaling. Cell‐free and cell‐based experiments showed that hepsin is capable of direct proteolytic cleavage of fibronectin but not latent‐TGFβ and, importantly, that the ability of hepsin to activate TGFβ signaling is dependent on fibronectin. Altogether, this study demonstrates a role for hepsin as a regulator of the TGFβ pathway in the mammary gland via a novel mechanism involving proteolytic downmodulation of fibronectin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Belitškin
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Shishir M Pant
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pauliina Munne
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ilida Suleymanova
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kati Belitškina
- Pathology Department, North Estonia Medical Centre, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Hanna-Ala Hongisto
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Johanna Englund
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tiina Raatikainen
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olga Klezovitch
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Valeri Vasioukhin
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Shuo Li
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Qingyu Wu
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Outi Monni
- Research Programs Unit/Applied Tumor Genomics Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Kuure
- GM-Unit, Laboratory Animal Centre, Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pirjo Laakkonen
- Laboratory Animal Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jeroen Pouwels
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Topi A Tervonen
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juha Klefström
- Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program and Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Finnish Cancer Institute & FICAN South, Helsinki University Hospital (HUS), Helsinki, Finland
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23
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Mahoney M, Damalanka VC, Tartell MA, Chung DH, Lourenço AL, Pwee D, Mayer Bridwell AE, Hoffmann M, Voss J, Karmakar P, Azouz NP, Klingler AM, Rothlauf PW, Thompson CE, Lee M, Klampfer L, Stallings CL, Rothenberg ME, Pöhlmann S, Whelan SPJ, O'Donoghue AJ, Craik CS, Janetka JW. A novel class of TMPRSS2 inhibitors potently block SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV viral entry and protect human epithelial lung cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2108728118. [PMID: 34635581 PMCID: PMC8694051 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2108728118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The host cell serine protease TMPRSS2 is an attractive therapeutic target for COVID-19 drug discovery. This protease activates the Spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and of other coronaviruses and is essential for viral spread in the lung. Utilizing rational structure-based drug design (SBDD) coupled to substrate specificity screening of TMPRSS2, we have discovered covalent small-molecule ketobenzothiazole (kbt) TMPRSS2 inhibitors which are structurally distinct from and have significantly improved activity over the existing known inhibitors Camostat and Nafamostat. Lead compound MM3122 (4) has an IC50 (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) of 340 pM against recombinant full-length TMPRSS2 protein, an EC50 (half-maximal effective concentration) of 430 pM in blocking host cell entry into Calu-3 human lung epithelial cells of a newly developed VSV-SARS-CoV-2 chimeric virus, and an EC50 of 74 nM in inhibiting cytopathic effects induced by SARS-CoV-2 virus in Calu-3 cells. Further, MM3122 blocks Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cell entry with an EC50 of 870 pM. MM3122 has excellent metabolic stability, safety, and pharmacokinetics in mice, with a half-life of 8.6 h in plasma and 7.5 h in lung tissue, making it suitable for in vivo efficacy evaluation and a promising drug candidate for COVID-19 treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Mahoney
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110
- ProteXase Therapeutics, Inc., Saint Louis, MO 63108
| | - Vishnu C Damalanka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110
| | - Michael A Tartell
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110
- Program in Virology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Dong Hee Chung
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - André Luiz Lourenço
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - Dustin Pwee
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Anne E Mayer Bridwell
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110
| | - Markus Hoffmann
- Infection Biology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen 37077, Germany
- Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Jorine Voss
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110
| | - Partha Karmakar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110
| | - Nurit P Azouz
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Andrea M Klingler
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Paul W Rothlauf
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110
- Program in Virology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Cassandra E Thompson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110
| | - Melody Lee
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | | | - Christina L Stallings
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110
| | - Marc E Rothenberg
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Stefan Pöhlmann
- Infection Biology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen 37077, Germany
- Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Sean P J Whelan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110
| | - Anthony J O'Donoghue
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Charles S Craik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - James W Janetka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110;
- ProteXase Therapeutics, Inc., Saint Louis, MO 63108
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24
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Ovulation sources coagulation protease cascade and hepatocyte growth factor to support physiological growth and malignant transformation. Neoplasia 2021; 23:1123-1136. [PMID: 34688971 PMCID: PMC8550993 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2021.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Ovulatory follicular fluid exerts a long-lasting transformation activity covering throughout the ovulation cycle. The ovulation injury-coagulation proteases-hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) cascade is responsible for the sustained activity. Ovulation sources HGF into the peritoneal cavity, then into the blood circulation. This coagulation-HGF cascade promotes the transformation of fallopian tube epithelial cells and ovarian cancer cells. Physiologically, it promotes the growth of the corpus luteum and injured epithelium after ovulation.
The fallopian tube fimbrial epithelium, which is exposed to the follicular fluid (FF) contents of ovulation, is regarded as the main origin of ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma. Previously, we found that growth factors in FF, such as IGF2, are responsible for the malignant transformation of fallopian tube epithelium. However, ovulation is a monthly transient event, whereas carcinogenesis requires continuous, long-term exposure. Here, we found the transformation activity of FF sustained for more than 30 days after drainage into the peritoneal fluid (PF). Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), activated through the ovulation injury-tissue factor–thrombin–HGF activator (HGFA)–HGF cleavage cascade confers a sustained transformation activity to fallopian tube epithelium, high-grade serous carcinoma. Physiologically, the high reserve of the coagulation-HGF cascade sources a sustained level of HGF in PF, then to the blood circulation. This HGF axis promotes the growth of the corpus luteum and repair of tissue injury after ovulation.
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25
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Jeon S, Blazyte A, Yoon C, Ryu H, Jeon Y, Bhak Y, Bolser D, Manica A, Shin ES, Cho YS, Kim BC, Ryoo N, Choi H, Bhak J. Regional TMPRSS2 V197M Allele Frequencies Are Correlated with COVID-19 Case Fatality Rates. Mol Cells 2021; 44:680-687. [PMID: 34588322 PMCID: PMC8490206 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2021.2249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease, COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), has a higher case fatality rate in European countries than in others, especially East Asian ones. One potential explanation for this regional difference is the diversity of the viral infection efficiency. Here, we analyzed the allele frequencies of a nonsynonymous variant rs12329760 (V197M) in the TMPRSS2 gene, a key enzyme essential for viral infection and found a significant association between the COVID-19 case fatality rate and the V197M allele frequencies, using over 200,000 present-day and ancient genomic samples. East Asian countries have higher V197M allele frequencies than other regions, including European countries which correlates to their lower case fatality rates. Structural and energy calculation analysis of the V197M amino acid change showed that it destabilizes the TMPRSS2 protein, possibly negatively affecting its ACE2 and viral spike protein processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungwon Jeon
- Korean Genomics Center (KOGIC), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Information and Biotechnology, UNIST, Ulsan 44919, Korea
| | - Asta Blazyte
- Korean Genomics Center (KOGIC), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Information and Biotechnology, UNIST, Ulsan 44919, Korea
| | - Changhan Yoon
- Korean Genomics Center (KOGIC), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Information and Biotechnology, UNIST, Ulsan 44919, Korea
| | - Hyojung Ryu
- Korean Genomics Center (KOGIC), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Information and Biotechnology, UNIST, Ulsan 44919, Korea
| | - Yeonsu Jeon
- Korean Genomics Center (KOGIC), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Information and Biotechnology, UNIST, Ulsan 44919, Korea
| | - Youngjune Bhak
- Korean Genomics Center (KOGIC), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Information and Biotechnology, UNIST, Ulsan 44919, Korea
| | | | - Andrea Manica
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Eun-Seok Shin
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Ulsan Medical Center, Ulsan 44686, Korea
- Personal Genomics Institute (PGI), Genome Research Foundation (GRF), Cheongju 28160, Korea
| | | | | | - Namhee Ryoo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu 42601, Korea
| | - Hansol Choi
- Korean Genomics Center (KOGIC), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Information and Biotechnology, UNIST, Ulsan 44919, Korea
| | - Jong Bhak
- Korean Genomics Center (KOGIC), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Information and Biotechnology, UNIST, Ulsan 44919, Korea
- Geromics, Ltd., Cambridge CB1 3NF, UK
- Personal Genomics Institute (PGI), Genome Research Foundation (GRF), Cheongju 28160, Korea
- Clinomics, Inc., Ulsan 44919, Korea
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26
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Hsin F, Hsu YC, Tsai YF, Lin SW, Liu HM. The transmembrane serine protease hepsin suppresses type I interferon induction by cleaving STING. Sci Signal 2021; 14:14/687/eabb4752. [PMID: 34131022 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abb4752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Many viral proteases mediate the evasion of antiviral innate immunity by cleaving adapter proteins in the interferon (IFN) induction pathway. Host proteases are also involved in innate immunity and inflammation. Here, we report that the transmembrane protease hepsin (also known as TMPRSS1), which is predominantly present in hepatocytes, inhibited the induction of type I IFN during viral infections. Knocking out hepsin in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) increased the viral infection-induced expression of Ifnb1, an Ifnb1 promoter reporter, and an IFN-sensitive response element promoter reporter. Ectopic expression of hepsin in cultured human hepatocytes and HEK293T cells suppressed the induction of IFNβ during viral infections by reducing the abundance of STING. These effects depended on the protease activity of hepsin. We identified a putative hepsin target site in STING and showed that mutating this site protected STING from hepsin-mediated cleavage. In addition to hepatocytes, several hepsin-producing prostate cancer cell lines showed reduced STING-mediated type I IFN induction and responses. These results reveal a role for hepsin in suppressing STING-mediated type I IFN induction, which may contribute to the vulnerability of hepatocytes to chronic viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fu Hsin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan.,Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chen Hsu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan.,Liver Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Foundation, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Fei Tsai
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Wha Lin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Helene Minyi Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
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27
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Hu X, Shrimp JH, Guo H, Xu M, Chen CZ, Zhu W, Zakharov AV, Jain S, Shinn P, Simeonov A, Hall MD, Shen M. Discovery of TMPRSS2 Inhibitors from Virtual Screening as a Potential Treatment of COVID-19. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2021; 4:1124-1135. [PMID: 34136758 PMCID: PMC8043206 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has prompted researchers to pivot their efforts to finding antiviral compounds and vaccines. In this study, we focused on the human host cell transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), which plays an important role in the viral life cycle by cleaving the spike protein to initiate membrane fusion. TMPRSS2 is an attractive target and has received attention for the development of drugs against SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome. Starting with comparative structural modeling and a binding model analysis, we developed an efficient pharmacophore-based approach and applied a large-scale in silico database screening for small-molecule inhibitors against TMPRSS2. The hits were evaluated in the TMPRSS2 biochemical assay and the SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped particle entry assay. A number of novel inhibitors were identified, providing starting points for the further development of drug candidates for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Hu
- National Center
for Advancing
Translational Sciences, National Institutes
of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Jonathan H. Shrimp
- National Center
for Advancing
Translational Sciences, National Institutes
of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Hui Guo
- National Center
for Advancing
Translational Sciences, National Institutes
of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Miao Xu
- National Center
for Advancing
Translational Sciences, National Institutes
of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Catherine Z. Chen
- National Center
for Advancing
Translational Sciences, National Institutes
of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Wei Zhu
- National Center
for Advancing
Translational Sciences, National Institutes
of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Alexey V. Zakharov
- National Center
for Advancing
Translational Sciences, National Institutes
of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Sankalp Jain
- National Center
for Advancing
Translational Sciences, National Institutes
of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Paul Shinn
- National Center
for Advancing
Translational Sciences, National Institutes
of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Anton Simeonov
- National Center
for Advancing
Translational Sciences, National Institutes
of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Matthew D. Hall
- National Center
for Advancing
Translational Sciences, National Institutes
of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Min Shen
- National Center
for Advancing
Translational Sciences, National Institutes
of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
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28
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Mahoney M, Damalanka VC, Tartell MA, Chung DH, Lourenco AL, Pwee D, Mayer Bridwell AE, Hoffmann M, Voss J, Karmakar P, Azouz N, Klingler AM, Rothlauf PW, Thompson CE, Lee M, Klampfer L, Stallings C, Rothenberg ME, Pöhlmann S, Whelan SP, O'Donoghue AJ, Craik CS, Janetka JW. A novel class of TMPRSS2 inhibitors potently block SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV viral entry and protect human epithelial lung cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2021. [PMID: 34131661 DOI: 10.1101/2021.05.06.442935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The host cell serine protease TMPRSS2 is an attractive therapeutic target for COVID-19 drug discovery. This protease activates the Spike protein of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and of other coronaviruses and is essential for viral spread in the lung. Utilizing rational structure-based drug design (SBDD) coupled to substrate specificity screening of TMPRSS2, we have discovered a novel class of small molecule ketobenzothiazole TMPRSS2 inhibitors with significantly improved activity over existing irreversible inhibitors Camostat and Nafamostat. Lead compound MM3122 ( 4 ) has an IC 50 of 340 pM against recombinant full-length TMPRSS2 protein, an EC 50 of 430 pM in blocking host cell entry into Calu-3 human lung epithelial cells of a newly developed VSV SARS-CoV-2 chimeric virus, and an EC 50 of 74 nM in inhibiting cytopathic effects induced by SARS-CoV-2 virus in Calu-3 cells. Further, MM3122 blocks Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cell entry with an EC 50 of 870 pM. MM3122 has excellent metabolic stability, safety, and pharmacokinetics in mice with a half-life of 8.6 hours in plasma and 7.5 h in lung tissue, making it suitable for in vivo efficacy evaluation and a promising drug candidate for COVID-19 treatment.
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Monticelli M, Hay Mele B, Benetti E, Fallerini C, Baldassarri M, Furini S, Frullanti E, Mari F, Andreotti G, Cubellis MV, Renieri A. Protective Role of a TMPRSS2 Variant on Severe COVID-19 Outcome in Young Males and Elderly Women. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:596. [PMID: 33921689 PMCID: PMC8073081 DOI: 10.3390/genes12040596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The protease encoded by the TMPRSS2 gene facilitates viral infections and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2. We analyzed the TMPRSS2 sequence and correlated the protein variants with the clinical features of a cohort of 1177 patients affected by COVID-19 in Italy. Nine relatively common variants (allele frequency > 0.01) and six missense variants which may affect the protease activity according to PolyPhen-2 in HumVar-trained mode were identified. Among them, p.V197M (p.Val197Met) (rs12329760) emerges as a common variant that has a deleterious effect on the protease and a protective effect on the patients. Its role appears particularly relevant in two subgroups of patients-young males and elderly women-and among those affected by co-morbidities, where the variant frequency is higher among individuals who were mildly affected by the disease and did not need hospitalization or oxygen therapy than among those more severely affected, who required oxygen therapy, ventilation or intubation. This study provides useful information for the identification of patients at risk of developing a severe form of COVID-19, and encourages the usage of drugs affecting the expression of TMPRSS2 or inhibiting protein activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Monticelli
- Department of Biology, Università Federico II, 80126 Napoli, Italy; (M.M.); (B.H.M.)
| | - Bruno Hay Mele
- Department of Biology, Università Federico II, 80126 Napoli, Italy; (M.M.); (B.H.M.)
- Integrative Marine Ecology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy
| | - Elisa Benetti
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (S.F.); (E.F.); (F.M.); (A.R.)
| | - Chiara Fallerini
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (S.F.); (E.F.); (F.M.); (A.R.)
- Medical Genetics, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Margherita Baldassarri
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (S.F.); (E.F.); (F.M.); (A.R.)
- Medical Genetics, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Simone Furini
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (S.F.); (E.F.); (F.M.); (A.R.)
| | - Elisa Frullanti
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (S.F.); (E.F.); (F.M.); (A.R.)
- Medical Genetics, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Francesca Mari
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (S.F.); (E.F.); (F.M.); (A.R.)
- Medical Genetics, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | | | | | - Maria Vittoria Cubellis
- Department of Biology, Università Federico II, 80126 Napoli, Italy; (M.M.); (B.H.M.)
- Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare—CNR, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
| | - Alessandra Renieri
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (S.F.); (E.F.); (F.M.); (A.R.)
- Medical Genetics, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy
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Ohno A, Maita N, Tabata T, Nagano H, Arita K, Ariyoshi M, Uchida T, Nakao R, Ulla A, Sugiura K, Kishimoto K, Teshima-Kondo S, Okumura Y, Nikawa T. Crystal structure of inhibitor-bound human MSPL that can activate high pathogenic avian influenza. Life Sci Alliance 2021; 4:4/6/e202000849. [PMID: 33820827 PMCID: PMC8046417 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202000849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The structure of extracellular domain of MSPL and inhibitor complex helps to understand the TTSP functions, including TMPRSS2, and provides the insights of the infection of influenza and SARS-CoV. Infection of certain influenza viruses is triggered when its HA is cleaved by host cell proteases such as proprotein convertases and type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSP). HA with a monobasic motif is cleaved by trypsin-like proteases, including TMPRSS2 and HAT, whereas the multibasic motif found in high pathogenicity avian influenza HA is cleaved by furin, PC5/6, or MSPL. MSPL belongs to the TMPRSS family and preferentially cleaves [R/K]-K-K-R↓ sequences. Here, we solved the crystal structure of the extracellular region of human MSPL in complex with an irreversible substrate-analog inhibitor. The structure revealed three domains clustered around the C-terminal α-helix of the SPD. The inhibitor structure and its putative model show that the P1-Arg inserts into the S1 pocket, whereas the P2-Lys and P4-Arg interacts with the Asp/Glu-rich 99-loop that is unique to MSPL. Based on the structure of MSPL, we also constructed a homology model of TMPRSS2, which is essential for the activation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and infection. The model may provide the structural insight for the drug development for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayako Ohno
- Department of Nutritional Physiology, Institute of Medical Nutrition, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Nobuo Maita
- Division of Disease Proteomics, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Takanori Tabata
- Laboratory for Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Research Center, Asahikasei Pharma, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Hikaru Nagano
- Department of Nutrition, Graduate School of Comprehensive Rehabilitation, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kyohei Arita
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Mariko Ariyoshi
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takayuki Uchida
- Department of Nutritional Physiology, Institute of Medical Nutrition, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Reiko Nakao
- Department of Nutritional Physiology, Institute of Medical Nutrition, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Anayt Ulla
- Department of Nutritional Physiology, Institute of Medical Nutrition, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Kosuke Sugiura
- Department of Nutritional Physiology, Institute of Medical Nutrition, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.,Department of Orthopedics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Koji Kishimoto
- Graduate School of Technology, Industrial and Social Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Shigetada Teshima-Kondo
- Department of Nutrition, Graduate School of Comprehensive Rehabilitation, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuushi Okumura
- Department of Nutrition and Health, Faculty of Nutritional Science, Sagami Women's University, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takeshi Nikawa
- Department of Nutritional Physiology, Institute of Medical Nutrition, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
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Hu X, Shrimp JH, Guo H, Xu M, Chen CZ, Zhu W, Zakharov A, Jain S, Shinn P, Simeonov A, Hall MD, Shen M. Discovery of TMPRSS2 inhibitors from virtual screening. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2021:2020.12.28.424413. [PMID: 33398276 PMCID: PMC7781311 DOI: 10.1101/2020.12.28.424413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has prompted researchers to pivot their efforts to finding antiviral compounds and vaccines. In this study, we focused on the human host cell transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), which plays an important role in the viral life cycle by cleaving the spike protein to initiate membrane fusion. TMPRSS2 is an attractive target and has received attention for the development of drugs against SARS and MERS. Starting with comparative structural modeling and binding model analysis, we developed an efficient pharmacophore-based approach and applied a large-scale in silico database screening for small molecule inhibitors against TMPRSS2. The hits were evaluated in the TMPRSS2 biochemical assay and the SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped particle (PP) entry assay. A number of novel inhibitors were identified, providing starting points for further development of drug candidates for the treatment of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Hu
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
| | - Jonathan H. Shrimp
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
| | - Hui Guo
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
| | - Miao Xu
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
| | - Catherine Z. Chen
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
| | - Wei Zhu
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
| | - Alexey Zakharov
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
| | - Sankalp Jain
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
| | - Paul Shinn
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
| | - Anton Simeonov
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
| | - Matthew D. Hall
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
| | - Min Shen
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
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32
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Li S, Wang L, Sun S, Wu Q. Hepsin: a multifunctional transmembrane serine protease in pathobiology. FEBS J 2020; 288:5252-5264. [PMID: 33300264 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cell membrane-bound serine proteases are important in the maintenance of physiological homeostasis. Hepsin is a type II transmembrane serine protease highly expressed in the liver. Recent studies indicate that hepsin activates prohepatocyte growth factor in the liver to enhance Met signaling, thereby regulating glucose, lipid, and protein metabolism. In addition, hepsin functions in nonhepatic tissues, including the adipose tissue, kidney, and inner ear, to regulate adipocyte differentiation, urinary protein processing, and auditory function, respectively. In mouse models, hepsin deficiency lowers blood glucose, lipid, and protein levels, impairs uromodulin assembly in renal epithelial cells, and causes hearing loss. Elevated hepsin expression has also been found in many cancers. As a type II transmembrane protease, cell surface expression and zymogen activation are essential for hepsin activity. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge regarding hepsin biosynthesis, activation, and functions in pathobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Li
- Department of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH, USA
| | - Lina Wang
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Shijin Sun
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Qingyu Wu
- Department of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH, USA.,Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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Fuentes-Prior P. Priming of SARS-CoV-2 S protein by several membrane-bound serine proteinases could explain enhanced viral infectivity and systemic COVID-19 infection. J Biol Chem 2020; 296:100135. [PMID: 33268377 PMCID: PMC7834812 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.rev120.015980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has already caused over a million deaths worldwide, and this death toll will be much higher before effective treatments and vaccines are available. The causative agent of the disease, the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, shows important similarities with the previously emerged SARS-CoV-1, but also striking differences. First, SARS-CoV-2 possesses a significantly higher transmission rate and infectivity than SARS-CoV-1 and has infected in a few months over 60 million people. Moreover, COVID-19 has a systemic character, as in addition to the lungs, it also affects the heart, liver, and kidneys among other organs of the patients and causes frequent thrombotic and neurological complications. In fact, the term "viral sepsis" has been recently coined to describe the clinical observations. Here I review current structure-function information on the viral spike proteins and the membrane fusion process to provide plausible explanations for these observations. I hypothesize that several membrane-associated serine proteinases (MASPs), in synergy with or in place of TMPRSS2, contribute to activate the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Relative concentrations of the attachment receptor, ACE2, MASPs, their endogenous inhibitors (the Kunitz-type transmembrane inhibitors, HAI-1/SPINT1 and HAI-2/SPINT2, as well as major circulating serpins) would determine the infection rate of host cells. The exclusive or predominant expression of major MASPs in specific human organs suggests a direct role of these proteinases in e.g., heart infection and myocardial injury, liver dysfunction, kidney damage, as well as neurological complications. Thorough consideration of these factors could have a positive impact on the control of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Fuentes-Prior
- Molecular Bases of Disease, Biomedical Research Institute (IIB) Sant Pau, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
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34
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Gioia M, Ciaccio C, Calligari P, De Simone G, Sbardella D, Tundo G, Fasciglione GF, Di Masi A, Di Pierro D, Bocedi A, Ascenzi P, Coletta M. Role of proteolytic enzymes in the COVID-19 infection and promising therapeutic approaches. Biochem Pharmacol 2020; 182:114225. [PMID: 32956643 PMCID: PMC7501082 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In the Fall of 2019 a sudden and dramatic outbreak of a pulmonary disease (Coronavirus Disease COVID-19), due to a new Coronavirus strain (i.e., SARS-CoV-2), emerged in the continental Chinese area of Wuhan and quickly diffused throughout the world, causing up to now several hundreds of thousand deaths. As for common viral infections, the crucial event for the viral life cycle is the entry of genetic material inside the host cell, realized by the spike protein of the virus through its binding to host receptors and its activation by host proteases; this is followed by translation of the viral RNA into a polyprotein, exploiting the host cell machinery. The production of individual mature viral proteins is pivotal for replication and release of new virions. Several proteolytic enzymes either of the host and of the virus act in a concerted fashion to regulate and coordinate specific steps of the viral replication and assembly, such as (i) the entry of the virus, (ii) the maturation of the polyprotein and (iii) the assembly of the secreted virions for further diffusion. Therefore, proteases involved in these three steps are important targets, envisaging that molecules which interfere with their activity are promising therapeutic compounds. In this review, we will survey what is known up to now on the role of specific proteolytic enzymes in these three steps and of most promising compounds designed to impair this vicious cycle.
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Key Words
- covid-19, coronavirus disease – 19
- sars-cov, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- sars-cov-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome – 2
- mers-cov, middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- orf, open reading frame
- plpro, papain-like protease
- mpro, main protease
- pp, polyprotein
- nsp, non structural protein
- rdrp, rna dependent rna polymerase
- hel, helicase
- s protein, spike protein
- tmprss2, trans-membrane protease serine protease-2
- tmprss4, trans-membrane protease serine protease-4
- hat, human airway trypsin-like protease
- tgn, trans-golgi network
- ace2, angiotensin-converting enzyme receptor-2
- rbd, receptor binding domain
- pc, pro-protein convertase
- hcov-oc43, human coronavirus-oc43
- mhv-a59, murine hepatitis virus – a59
- hiv, human immunodeficiency virus
- cmk, chloro-methyl-ketone
- dec, decanoyl
- phac, phenyl-acetyl
- ttsp, type ii transmembrane serine proteases family
- hpv, human papillomavirus
- hbv, hepatitis b virus
- evd, ebola virus disease
- zikv, zika virus
- jev, japanese encephalitis virus
- fpv, feline panleukopenia virus
- hpaiv, highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
- cdv, canine distemper virus
- rsv, respiratory syncytial virus (rsv)
- a1at, alpha-1-anti trypsin
- aebsf, 4-(2-aminomethyl)-benzene sulphonyl fluoride
- bhh, bromhexine hydrochloride
- pcsk, pro-protein convertase subtilisin/kexin
- ampk, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase
- hcov-nl63, human coronavirus – nl63
- hcov-229e, human coronavirus – 229e
- hcov-hku1, human coronavirus – hku1
- 3cpro, 3chymotrypsin protease of rhinoviruses
- 3d-qsar, three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationships
- fda, food and drug agency
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Affiliation(s)
- Magda Gioia
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy.
| | - Chiara Ciaccio
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy.
| | - Paolo Calligari
- Department of Chemical and Technological Sciences, University of Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Donato Di Pierro
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
| | - Alessio Bocedi
- Department of Chemical and Technological Sciences, University of Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
| | - Paolo Ascenzi
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, Roma, Italy,Interdepartmental Laboratory for Electron Microscopy, Roma Tre University, Roma, Italy
| | - Massimo Coletta
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy.
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35
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Schütz D, Ruiz-Blanco YB, Münch J, Kirchhoff F, Sanchez-Garcia E, Müller JA. Peptide and peptide-based inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 entry. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2020; 167:47-65. [PMID: 33189768 PMCID: PMC7665879 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2020.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 11/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
To date, no effective vaccines or therapies are available against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pandemic agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Due to their safety, efficacy and specificity, peptide inhibitors hold great promise for the treatment of newly emerging viral pathogens. Based on the known structures of viral proteins and their cellular targets, antiviral peptides can be rationally designed and optimized. The resulting peptides may be highly specific for their respective targets and particular viral pathogens or exert broad antiviral activity. Here, we summarize the current status of peptides inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 entry and outline the strategies used to design peptides targeting the ACE2 receptor or the viral spike protein and its activating proteases furin, transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), or cathepsin L. In addition, we present approaches used against related viruses such as SARS-CoV-1 that might be implemented for inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desiree Schütz
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Yasser B Ruiz-Blanco
- Computational Biochemistry, Center of Medical Biotechnology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45117 Essen, Germany
| | - Jan Münch
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Frank Kirchhoff
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Elsa Sanchez-Garcia
- Computational Biochemistry, Center of Medical Biotechnology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45117 Essen, Germany.
| | - Janis A Müller
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
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Kwon H, Ha H, Jeon H, Jang J, Son SH, Lee K, Park SK, Byun Y. Structure-activity relationship studies of dipeptide-based hepsin inhibitors with Arg bioisosteres. Bioorg Chem 2020; 107:104521. [PMID: 33334587 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.104521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Hepsin is a type II transmembrane serine protease (TTSP) associated with cell proliferation and overexpressed in several types of cancer including prostate cancer (PCa). Because of its significant role in cancer progression and metastasis, hepsin is an attractive protein as a potential therapeutic and diagnostic biomarker for PCa. Based on the reported Leu-Arg dipeptide-based hepsin inhibitors, we performed structural modification and determined in vitro hepsin- and matriptase-inhibitory activities. Comprehensive structure-activity relationship studies identified that the p-guanidinophenylalanine-based dipeptide analog 22a exhibited a strong hepsin-inhibitory activity (Ki = 50.5 nM) and 22-fold hepsin selectivity over matriptase. Compound 22a could be a prototype molecule for structural optimization of dipeptide-based hepsin inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmok Kwon
- College of Pharmacy, Korea University, 2511 Sejong-ro, Jochiwon-eup, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunsoo Ha
- College of Pharmacy, Korea University, 2511 Sejong-ro, Jochiwon-eup, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
| | - Hayoung Jeon
- College of Pharmacy, Korea University, 2511 Sejong-ro, Jochiwon-eup, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaebong Jang
- College of Pharmacy, Korea University, 2511 Sejong-ro, Jochiwon-eup, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Hyun Son
- College of Pharmacy, Korea University, 2511 Sejong-ro, Jochiwon-eup, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
| | - Kiho Lee
- College of Pharmacy, Korea University, 2511 Sejong-ro, Jochiwon-eup, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
| | - Song-Kyu Park
- College of Pharmacy, Korea University, 2511 Sejong-ro, Jochiwon-eup, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
| | - Youngjoo Byun
- College of Pharmacy, Korea University, 2511 Sejong-ro, Jochiwon-eup, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Center, Korea University Guro Hospital, 148 Gurodong-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 08308, Republic of Korea.
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37
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N-glycan in the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain of hepsin promotes intracellular trafficking and cell surface expression. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 161:818-827. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.06.109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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38
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Hussain M, Jabeen N, Amanullah A, Baig AA, Aziz B, Shabbir S, Raza F, Uddin N. Molecular docking between human TMPRSS2 and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein: conformation and intermolecular interactions. AIMS Microbiol 2020; 6:350-360. [PMID: 33029570 PMCID: PMC7535071 DOI: 10.3934/microbiol.2020021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Entry of SARS-CoV-2, etiological agent of COVID-19, in the host cell is driven by the interaction of its spike protein with human ACE2 receptor and a serine protease, TMPRSS2. Although complex between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and ACE2 has been structurally resolved, the molecular details of the SARS-CoV-2 and TMPRSS2 complex are still elusive. TMPRSS2 is responsible for priming of the viral spike protein that entails cleavage of the spike protein at two potential sites, Arg685/Ser686 and Arg815/Ser816. The present study aims to investigate the conformational attributes of the molecular complex between TMPRSS2 and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, in order to discern the finer details of the priming of viral spike protein. Briefly, full length structural model of TMPRSS2 was developed and docked against the resolved structure of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with directional restraints of both cleavage sites. The docking simulations showed that TMPRSS2 interacts with the two different loops of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, each containing different cleavage sites. Key functional residues of TMPRSS2 (His296, Ser441 and Ser460) were found to interact with immediate flanking residues of cleavage sites of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Compared to the N-terminal cleavage site (Arg685/Ser686), TMPRSS2 region that interact with C-terminal cleavage site (Arg815/Ser816) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was predicted as relatively more druggable. In summary, the present study provides structural characteristics of molecular complex between human TMPRSS2 and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and points to the candidate drug targets that could further be exploited to direct structure base drug designing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mushtaq Hussain
- Bioinformatics and Molecular Medicine Research Group, Dow Research Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, Dow College of Biotechnology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi-Pakistan
| | - Nusrat Jabeen
- Department of Microbiology, University of Karachi, Karachi-Pakistan
| | - Anusha Amanullah
- Bioinformatics and Molecular Medicine Research Group, Dow Research Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, Dow College of Biotechnology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi-Pakistan
| | - Ayesha Ashraf Baig
- Bioinformatics and Molecular Medicine Research Group, Dow Research Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, Dow College of Biotechnology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi-Pakistan
| | - Basma Aziz
- Bioinformatics and Molecular Medicine Research Group, Dow Research Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, Dow College of Biotechnology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi-Pakistan
| | - Sanya Shabbir
- Bioinformatics and Molecular Medicine Research Group, Dow Research Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, Dow College of Biotechnology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi-Pakistan.,Department of Microbiology, University of Karachi, Karachi-Pakistan
| | - Fozia Raza
- Bioinformatics and Molecular Medicine Research Group, Dow Research Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, Dow College of Biotechnology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi-Pakistan
| | - Nasir Uddin
- Bioinformatics and Molecular Medicine Research Group, Dow Research Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, Dow College of Biotechnology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi-Pakistan.,Faculty of Computer Science, IBA, Karachi-Pakistan
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39
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Potential clinical drugs as covalent inhibitors of the priming proteases of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2020; 18:2200-2208. [PMID: 32868983 PMCID: PMC7448953 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In less than eight months, the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) virus has resulted in over 20,000,000 confirmed cases and over 700,000 deaths around the world. With the increasing worldwide spreading of this disease, the lack of effective drugs against SARS-CoV-2 infection makes the situation even more dangerous and unpredictable. Although many forces are speeding up to develop prevention and treatment therapeutics, it is unlikely that any de novo drugs will be available in months. Drug repurposing holds the promise to significantly save the time for drug development, since it could use existing clinic drugs to treat new diseases. Based on the “steric-clashes alleviating receptor (SCAR)” strategy developed in our lab recently, we screened the library of clinic and investigational drugs, and identified nine drugs that might be repurposed as covalent inhibitors of the priming proteases (cathepsin B, cathepsin L, and TMPRSS2) of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Among these hits, five are known covalent inhibitors, and one is an anti-virus drug. Therefore, we hope our work would provide rational and timely help for developing anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.
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40
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In Silico Identification of Potential Natural Product Inhibitors of Human Proteases Key to SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25173822. [PMID: 32842606 PMCID: PMC7504347 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25173822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Presently, there are no approved drugs or vaccines to treat COVID-19, which has spread to over 200 countries and at the time of writing was responsible for over 650,000 deaths worldwide. Recent studies have shown that two human proteases, TMPRSS2 and cathepsin L, play a key role in host cell entry of SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, inhibitors of these proteases were shown to block SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here, we perform virtual screening of 14,011 phytochemicals produced by Indian medicinal plants to identify natural product inhibitors of TMPRSS2 and cathepsin L. AutoDock Vina was used to perform molecular docking of phytochemicals against TMPRSS2 and cathepsin L. Potential phytochemical inhibitors were filtered by comparing their docked binding energies with those of known inhibitors of TMPRSS2 and cathepsin L. Further, the ligand binding site residues and non-covalent interactions between protein and ligand were used as an additional filter to identify phytochemical inhibitors that either bind to or form interactions with residues important for the specificity of the target proteases. This led to the identification of 96 inhibitors of TMPRSS2 and 9 inhibitors of cathepsin L among phytochemicals of Indian medicinal plants. Further, we have performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to analyze the stability of the protein-ligand complexes for the three top inhibitors of TMPRSS2 namely, qingdainone, edgeworoside C and adlumidine, and of cathepsin L namely, ararobinol, (+)-oxoturkiyenine and 3α,17α-cinchophylline. Interestingly, several herbal sources of identified phytochemical inhibitors have antiviral or anti-inflammatory use in traditional medicine. Further in vitro and in vivo testing is needed before clinical trials of the promising phytochemical inhibitors identified here.
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41
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Inhibition of TMPRSS2 by HAI-2 reduces prostate cancer cell invasion and metastasis. Oncogene 2020; 39:5950-5963. [PMID: 32778768 PMCID: PMC7416816 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-020-01413-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
TMPRSS2 is an important membrane-anchored serine protease involved in human prostate cancer progression and metastasis. A serine protease physiologically often comes together with a cognate inhibitor for execution of proteolytically biologic function; however, TMPRSS2's cognate inhibitor is still elusive. To identify the cognate inhibitor of TMPRSS2, in this study, we applied co-immunoprecipitation and LC/MS/MS analysis and isolated hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitors (HAIs) to be potential inhibitor candidates for TMPRSS2. Moreover, the recombinant HAI-2 proteins exhibited a better inhibitory effect on TMPRSS2 proteolytic activity than HAI-1, and recombinant HAI-2 proteins had a high affinity to form a complex with TMPRSS2. The immunofluorescence images further showed that TMPRSS2 was co-localized to HAI-2. Both KD1 and KD2 domain of HAI-2 showed comparable inhibitory effects on TMPRSS2 proteolytic activity. In addition, HAI-2 overexpression could suppress the induction effect of TMPRSS2 on pro-HGF activation, extracellular matrix degradation and prostate cancer cell invasion. We further determined that the expression levels of TMPRSS2 were inversely correlated with HAI-2 levels during prostate cancer progression. In orthotopic xenograft animal model, TMPRSS2 overexpression promoted prostate cancer metastasis, and HAI-2 overexpression efficiently blocked TMPRSS2-induced metastasis. In summary, the results together indicate that HAI-2 can function as a cognate inhibitor for TMPRSS2 in human prostate cancer cells and may serve as a potential factor to suppress TMPRSS2-mediated malignancy.
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42
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Chikhale RV, Gupta VK, Eldesoky GE, Wabaidur SM, Patil SA, Islam MA. Identification of potential anti-TMPRSS2 natural products through homology modelling, virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulation studies. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2020; 39:1-16. [PMID: 32741259 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1798813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recent outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a pandemic of COVID-19. The absence of a therapeutic drug and vaccine is causing severe loss of life and economy worldwide. SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 employ the host cellular serine protease TMPRSS2 for spike (S) protein priming for viral entry into host cells. A potential way to reduce the initial site of SARS-CoV-2 infection may be to inhibit the activity of TMPRSS2. In the current study, the three-dimensional structure of TMPRSS2 was generated by homology modelling and subsequently validated with a number of parameters. The structure-based virtual screening of Selleckchem database was performed through 'Virtual Work Flow' (VSW) to find out potential lead-like TMPRSS2 inhibitors. Camostat and bromhexine are known TMPRSS2 inhibitor drugs, hence these were used as control molecules throughout the study. Based on better dock score, binding-free energy and binding interactions compared to the control molecules, six molecules (Neohesperidin, Myricitrin, Quercitrin, Naringin, Icariin, and Ambroxol) were found to be promising against the TMPRSS2. Binding interactions analysis revealed a number of significant binding interactions with binding site amino residues of TMPRSS2. The all-atoms molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study indicated that all proposed molecules retain inside the receptor in dynamic states. The binding energy calculated from the MD simulation trajectories also favour the strong affinity of the molecules towards the TMPRSS2. Proposed molecules belong to the bioflavonoid class of phytochemicals and are reported to possess antiviral activity, our study indicates their possible potential for application in COVID-19.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vivek K Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases (ICMR), Agra, India
| | - Gaber E Eldesoky
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saikh M Wabaidur
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shripad A Patil
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases (ICMR), Agra, India
| | - Md Ataul Islam
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- School of Health Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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43
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Hepsin enhances liver metabolism and inhibits adipocyte browning in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:12359-12367. [PMID: 32404422 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1918445117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepsin is a transmembrane serine protease primarily expressed in the liver. To date, the physiological function of hepsin remains poorly defined. Here we report that hepsin-deficient mice have low levels of blood glucose and lipids and liver glycogen, but increased adipose tissue browning and basal metabolic rates. The phenotype is caused by reduced hepatocyte growth factor activation and impaired Met signaling, resulting in decreased liver glucose and lipid metabolism and enhanced adipocyte browning. Hepsin-deficient mice exhibit marked resistance to high-fat diet-induced obesity, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia. In db/db mice, hepsin deficiency ameliorates obesity and diabetes. These data indicate that hepsin is a key regulator in liver metabolism and energy homeostasis, suggesting that hepsin could be a therapeutic target for treating obesity and diabetes.
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44
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Knaff PM, Kersten C, Willbold R, Champanhac C, Crespy D, Wittig R, Landfester K, Mailänder V. From In Silico to Experimental Validation: Tailoring Peptide Substrates for a Serine Protease. Biomacromolecules 2020; 21:1636-1643. [PMID: 32191450 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.0c00240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Smart nanocarriers for the transport of drugs to tumor cells are nowadays of great interest for treating cancer. The use of enzymatic stimuli to cleave peptide-based drug nanocapsules for the selective release of nanocapsule cargo in close proximity to tumor cells opens new possibilities in cancer research. In the present work, we demonstrate a methodology for finding and optimizing cleavable substrate sequences by the type II transmembrane serine protease hepsin, which is highly overexpressed in prostate cancer. The design and screening of combinatorial libraries in silico against the binding cavity of hepsin allow the identification of a panel of promising substrates with high-calculated docking scores. In vitro screening verifies the predictions and showed that all substrates are cleaved by hepsin with higher efficiency than the literature known hepsin substrate RQLR↓VVGG. The introduction of d-amino acids on a selected peptide with the highest catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) renders it resistant to cleavage by plasma or serum while maintaining their susceptibility to hepsin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Maximilian Knaff
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany.,Medical Clinic (Hematology, Oncology and Pulmonology), University Medicine of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Langenbeckstraße 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Christian Kersten
- Institute for Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Ramona Willbold
- Biology Group, Institute for Laser Technologies in Medicine and Metrology (ILM) at Ulm University, Helmholtzstraße 12, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Carole Champanhac
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Daniel Crespy
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Molecular Science and Engineering, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), 21210 Rayong, Thailand
| | - Rainer Wittig
- Biology Group, Institute for Laser Technologies in Medicine and Metrology (ILM) at Ulm University, Helmholtzstraße 12, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Katharina Landfester
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Volker Mailänder
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany.,Medical Clinic (Hematology, Oncology and Pulmonology), University Medicine of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Langenbeckstraße 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany
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45
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MET targeting: time for a rematch. Oncogene 2020; 39:2845-2862. [PMID: 32034310 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-020-1193-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
MET, the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) for hepatocyte growth factor, is a proto-oncogene involved in embryonic development and throughout life in homeostasis and tissue regeneration. Deregulation of MET signaling has been reported in numerous malignancies, prompting great interest in MET targeting for cancer therapy. The present review offers a summary of the biology of MET and its known functions in normal physiology and carcinogenesis, followed by an overview of the most relevant MET-targeting strategies and corresponding clinical trials, highlighting both past setbacks and promising future prospects. By placing their efforts on a more precise stratification strategy through the genetic analysis of tumors, modern trials such as the NCI-MATCH trial could revive the past enthusiasm for MET-targeted therapy.
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46
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Szabo R, Callies LK, Bugge TH. Matriptase drives early-onset intestinal failure in a mouse model of congenital tufting enteropathy. Development 2019; 146:dev183392. [PMID: 31628112 PMCID: PMC6899019 DOI: 10.1242/dev.183392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Syndromic congenital tufting enteropathy (CTE) is a life-threatening recessive human genetic disorder that is caused by mutations in SPINT2, encoding the protease inhibitor HAI-2, and is characterized by severe intestinal dysfunction. We recently reported the generation of a Spint2-deficient mouse model of CTE. Here, we show that the CTE-associated early-onset intestinal failure and lethality of Spint2-deficient mice is caused by unchecked activity of the serine protease matriptase. Macroscopic and histological defects observed in the absence of HAI-2, including villous atrophy, luminal bleeding, loss of mucin-producing goblet cells, loss of defined crypt architecture and the resulting acute inflammatory response in the large intestine, were all prevented by intestinal-specific inactivation of the St14 gene encoding matriptase. The CTE-associated loss of the cell junctional proteins EpCAM and claudin 7 was also prevented. As a result, inactivation of intestinal matriptase allowed Spint2-deficient mice to gain weight after birth and dramatically increased their lifespan. These data implicate matriptase as a causative agent in the development of CTE and may provide a new target for the treatment of CTE in individuals carrying SPINT2 mutations.This article has an associated 'The people behind the papers' interview.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Szabo
- Proteases and Tissue Remodeling Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - LuLu K Callies
- Proteases and Tissue Remodeling Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Thomas H Bugge
- Proteases and Tissue Remodeling Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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47
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Autoactivation and calpain-1-mediated shedding of hepsin in human hepatoma cells. Biochem J 2019; 476:2355-2369. [DOI: 10.1042/bcj20190375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
AbstractHepsin is a transmembrane serine protease implicated in many biological processes, including hepatocyte growth, urinary protein secretion, auditory nerve development, and cancer metastasis. Zymogen activation is critical for hepsin function. To date, how hepsin is activated and regulated in cells remains an enigma. In this study, we conducted site-directed mutagenesis, cell expression, plasma membrane protein labeling, trypsin digestion, Western blotting, and flow cytometry experiments in human hepatoma HepG2 cells, where hepsin was originally discovered, and SMMC-7721 cells. Our results show that hepsin is activated by autocatalysis on the cell surface but not intracellularly. Moreover, we show that hepsin undergoes ectodomain shedding. In the conditioned medium from HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells, we detected a soluble fragment comprising nearly the entire extracellular region of hepsin. By testing protease inhibitors, gene knockdown, and site-directed mutagenesis, we identified calpain-1 as a primary protease that acted extracellularly to cleave Tyr52 in the juxtamembrane space of hepsin. These results provide new insights into the biochemical and cellular mechanisms that regulate hepsin expression and activity.
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48
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Damalanka VC, Wildman SA, Janetka JW. Piperidine carbamate peptidomimetic inhibitors of the serine proteases HGFA, matriptase and hepsin. MEDCHEMCOMM 2019; 10:1646-1655. [PMID: 31803403 DOI: 10.1039/c9md00234k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Matriptase and hepsin are type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSPs). Along with related S1 trypsin like serine protease HGFA (hepatocyte growth factor activator), their unregulated proteolytic activity has been associated with cancer including tumor progression and metastasis. These three proteases have two substrates in common, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and macrophage stimulating protein (MSP), the ligands for MET and recepteur d'origine nantais (RON) receptor tyrosine kinases. Mechanism-based tetrapeptide and benzamidine inhibitors of these proteases have been shown to block HGF/MET and MSP/RON cancer cell signaling. Herein, we have rationally designed a new class of peptidomimetic hybrid small molecule piperidine carbamate dipeptide inhibitors comparable in potency to much larger tetrapeptides. We have identified multiple compounds which have potent activity against matriptase and hepsin and with excellent selectivity over the off-target serine proteases factor Xa and thrombin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vishnu C Damalanka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics , Washington University School of Medicine , St. Louis , Missouri , USA . ; Tel: +314 362 0509
| | - Scott A Wildman
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center , Drug Development Core , University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison , Wisconsin , USA
| | - James W Janetka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics , Washington University School of Medicine , St. Louis , Missouri , USA . ; Tel: +314 362 0509
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49
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Recent progress on inhibitors of the type II transmembrane serine proteases, hepsin, matriptase and matriptase-2. Future Med Chem 2019; 11:743-769. [DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2018-0446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSP) family play a vital role in cell growth and development but many are also implicated in disease. Two of the well-studied TTSPs, matriptase and hepsin proteolytically process multiple protein substrates such as the inactive single-chain zymogens pro-HGF and pro-macrophage stimulating protein into the active heterodimeric forms, HGF and macrophage stimulating protein. These two proteases also have many other substrates which are associated with cancer and tumor progression. Another related TTSP, matriptase-2 is expressed in the liver and functions by regulating iron homoeostasis through the cleavage of hemojuvelin and thus is implicated in iron overload diseases. In the present review, we will discuss inhibitor design strategy and Structure activity relationships of TTSP inhibitors, which have been reported in the literature.
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50
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Damalanka VC, Han Z, Karmakar P, O’Donoghue AJ, La Greca F, Kim T, Pant SM, Helander J, Klefström J, Craik CS, Janetka JW. Discovery of Selective Matriptase and Hepsin Serine Protease Inhibitors: Useful Chemical Tools for Cancer Cell Biology. J Med Chem 2018; 62:480-490. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vishnu C. Damalanka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
| | - Zhenfu Han
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
| | - Partha Karmakar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
| | - Anthony J. O’Donoghue
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, California, 92093, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158, United States
| | - Florencia La Greca
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158, United States
| | - Tommy Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
| | - Shishir M. Pant
- Cancer Cell Circuitry Laboratory, Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Biology & Medicum, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 63, Haartmaninkatu 8, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jonathan Helander
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
| | - Juha Klefström
- Cancer Cell Circuitry Laboratory, Research Programs Unit/Translational Cancer Biology & Medicum, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 63, Haartmaninkatu 8, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Charles S. Craik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158, United States
| | - James W. Janetka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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