1
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Tong B, Leong SG, Jian T, Niu G, Gai Y, Meng X, Lv H, Dong X, Ding X, Chen J. Site-specific pegylated IL2 mutein with biased IL2 receptor binding for cancer immunotherapy. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 136:112359. [PMID: 38815348 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112359] [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: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
While Interleukin 2 (IL2) has the capability to activate both NK and T cells robustly, its limited in vivo half-life, considerable toxicity, and tendency to boost Treg cells pose significant challenges, restricting its widespread application in cancer therapy. In this investigation, we engineered a novel IL2 variant (IL2-4M-PEG) with reduced CD25 binding activity and an extended half-life by substituting amino acids associated with CD25 binding and implementing site-directed PEGylation. IL2-4M-PEG notably amplifies effector cells over Treg cells. Furthermore, our findings reveal that IL2-4M-PEG, characterized by an extended half-life, exhibits anti-tumor effects in a mouse model. Consequently, this innovative IL2 holds the potential for enhancing combined cancer therapies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bei Tong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Sirou Grace Leong
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Tunyu Jian
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Guanting Niu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Yanan Gai
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiuhua Meng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Han Lv
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Xianchi Dong
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Engineering Research Center of Protein and Peptide Medicine, Ministry of Education, Nanjing, China.
| | - Xiaoqin Ding
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
| | - Jian Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
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2
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Deal PE, Lee H, Mondal A, Lolicato M, Mendonça PRFD, Black H, Jang S, El-Hilali X, Bryant C, Isacoff EY, Renslo AR, Minor DL. Development of covalent chemogenetic K 2P channel activators. Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:1305-1323.e9. [PMID: 39029456 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2024.06.006] [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: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Abstract
K2P potassium channels regulate excitability by affecting cellular resting membrane potential in the brain, cardiovascular system, immune cells, and sensory organs. Despite their important roles in anesthesia, arrhythmia, pain, hypertension, sleep, and migraine, the ability to control K2P function remains limited. Here, we describe a chemogenetic strategy termed CATKLAMP (covalent activation of TREK family K+ channels to clamp membrane potential) that leverages the discovery of a K2P modulator pocket site that reacts with electrophile-bearing derivatives of a TREK subfamily small-molecule activator, ML335, to activate the channel irreversibly. We show that CATKLAMP can be used to probe fundamental aspects of K2P function, as a switch to silence neuronal firing, and is applicable to all TREK subfamily members. Together, our findings exemplify a means to alter K2P channel activity that should facilitate molecular and systems level studies of K2P function and enable the search for new K2P modulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parker E Deal
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA
| | - Haerim Lee
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA
| | - Abhisek Mondal
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA
| | - Marco Lolicato
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA
| | | | - Holly Black
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Seil Jang
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA
| | - Xochina El-Hilali
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA
| | - Clifford Bryant
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA
| | - Ehud Y Isacoff
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Weill Neurohub, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bio-imaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Adam R Renslo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA.
| | - Daniel L Minor
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bio-imaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA; Departments of Biochemistry and Biophysics, and Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA; California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA.
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3
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Takahashi M, Chong HB, Zhang S, Yang TY, Lazarov MJ, Harry S, Maynard M, Hilbert B, White RD, Murrey HE, Tsou CC, Vordermark K, Assaad J, Gohar M, Dürr BR, Richter M, Patel H, Kryukov G, Brooijmans N, Alghali ASO, Rubio K, Villanueva A, Zhang J, Ge M, Makram F, Griesshaber H, Harrison D, Koglin AS, Ojeda S, Karakyriakou B, Healy A, Popoola G, Rachmin I, Khandelwal N, Neil JR, Tien PC, Chen N, Hosp T, van den Ouweland S, Hara T, Bussema L, Dong R, Shi L, Rasmussen MQ, Domingues AC, Lawless A, Fang J, Yoda S, Nguyen LP, Reeves SM, Wakefield FN, Acker A, Clark SE, Dubash T, Kastanos J, Oh E, Fisher DE, Maheswaran S, Haber DA, Boland GM, Sade-Feldman M, Jenkins RW, Hata AN, Bardeesy NM, Suvà ML, Martin BR, Liau BB, Ott CJ, Rivera MN, Lawrence MS, Bar-Peled L. DrugMap: A quantitative pan-cancer analysis of cysteine ligandability. Cell 2024; 187:2536-2556.e30. [PMID: 38653237 PMCID: PMC11143475 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.027] [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: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Cysteine-focused chemical proteomic platforms have accelerated the clinical development of covalent inhibitors for a wide range of targets in cancer. However, how different oncogenic contexts influence cysteine targeting remains unknown. To address this question, we have developed "DrugMap," an atlas of cysteine ligandability compiled across 416 cancer cell lines. We unexpectedly find that cysteine ligandability varies across cancer cell lines, and we attribute this to differences in cellular redox states, protein conformational changes, and genetic mutations. Leveraging these findings, we identify actionable cysteines in NF-κB1 and SOX10 and develop corresponding covalent ligands that block the activity of these transcription factors. We demonstrate that the NF-κB1 probe blocks DNA binding, whereas the SOX10 ligand increases SOX10-SOX10 interactions and disrupts melanoma transcriptional signaling. Our findings reveal heterogeneity in cysteine ligandability across cancers, pinpoint cell-intrinsic features driving cysteine targeting, and illustrate the use of covalent probes to disrupt oncogenic transcription-factor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariko Takahashi
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
| | - Harrison B Chong
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Siwen Zhang
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Tzu-Yi Yang
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Matthew J Lazarov
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Stefan Harry
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Kira Vordermark
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Jonathan Assaad
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Magdy Gohar
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Benedikt R Dürr
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Marianne Richter
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Himani Patel
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | | | | | | | - Karla Rubio
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Antonio Villanueva
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Junbing Zhang
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Maolin Ge
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Farah Makram
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Hanna Griesshaber
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Drew Harrison
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Ann-Sophie Koglin
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Samuel Ojeda
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Barbara Karakyriakou
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Alexander Healy
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - George Popoola
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Inbal Rachmin
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Neha Khandelwal
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | | | - Pei-Chieh Tien
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Nicholas Chen
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Tobias Hosp
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Sanne van den Ouweland
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Toshiro Hara
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Lillian Bussema
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Rui Dong
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Lei Shi
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Martin Q Rasmussen
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Ana Carolina Domingues
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Aleigha Lawless
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jacy Fang
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Satoshi Yoda
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Linh Phuong Nguyen
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Sarah Marie Reeves
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Farrah Nicole Wakefield
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Adam Acker
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Sarah Elizabeth Clark
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Taronish Dubash
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - John Kastanos
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Eugene Oh
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - David E Fisher
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Shyamala Maheswaran
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Daniel A Haber
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - Genevieve M Boland
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Moshe Sade-Feldman
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Russell W Jenkins
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Aaron N Hata
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Nabeel M Bardeesy
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Mario L Suvà
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | | | - Brian B Liau
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Christopher J Ott
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Miguel N Rivera
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Michael S Lawrence
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
| | - Liron Bar-Peled
- Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
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4
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Song L, Xu J, Shi Y, Zhao H, Zhang M, Wang Y, Cui Y, Chai X. An integrated strategy of UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis, network pharmacology, and molecular docking to explore the chemical constituents and mechanism of Zixue Powder against febrile seizures. Heliyon 2024; 10:e23865. [PMID: 38192830 PMCID: PMC10772254 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23865] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Febrile seizures (FS) are the most common type of seizures for children. As a commonly used representative cold formula for resuscitation, Zixue Powder (ZP) has shown great efficacy for the treatment of FS in clinic, while its active ingredients and underlying mechanism remain largely unclear. This study aimed to preliminarily elucidate the material basis of ZP and the potential mechanism for the treatment of FS through ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), network pharmacology, and molecular docking. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was firstly applied to characterize the ingredients in ZP, followed by network pharmacology to explore the potential bioactive ingredients and pathways of ZP against FS. Furthermore, molecular docking technique was employed to verify the binding affinity between the screened active ingredients and targets. As a result, 75 ingredients were identified, containing flavonoids, chromogenic ketones, triterpenes and their saponins, organic acids, etc. Through the current study, we focused on 13 potential active ingredients and 14 key potential anti-FS targets of ZP, such as IL6, STAT3, TNF, and MMP9. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis showed that inflammatory response, EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, and neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction were the main anti-FS signaling pathways. Licochalcones A and B, 26-deoxycimicifugoside, and hederagenin were screened as the main potential active ingredients by molecular docking. In conclusion, this study provides an effective in-depth investigation of the chemical composition, potential bioactive components, and possible anti-FS mechanism of ZP, which lays the foundation for pharmacodynamic studies and clinical applications of ZP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingling Song
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin Key Laboratory of TCM Chemistry and Analysis, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
| | - Jian Xu
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin Key Laboratory of TCM Chemistry and Analysis, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
| | - Yanqiong Shi
- Department of Pharmacy, Xuhui District Central Hospital, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Hemiao Zhao
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin Key Laboratory of TCM Chemistry and Analysis, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
| | - Min Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin Key Laboratory of TCM Chemistry and Analysis, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
| | - Yuefei Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin Key Laboratory of TCM Chemistry and Analysis, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
| | - Ying Cui
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin Key Laboratory of TCM Chemistry and Analysis, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
| | - Xin Chai
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin Key Laboratory of TCM Chemistry and Analysis, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
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5
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Takahashi M, Chong HB, Zhang S, Lazarov MJ, Harry S, Maynard M, White R, Murrey HE, Hilbert B, Neil JR, Gohar M, Ge M, Zhang J, Durr BR, Kryukov G, Tsou CC, Brooijmans N, Alghali ASO, Rubio K, Vilanueva A, Harrison D, Koglin AS, Ojeda S, Karakyriakou B, Healy A, Assaad J, Makram F, Rachman I, Khandelwal N, Tien PC, Popoola G, Chen N, Vordermark K, Richter M, Patel H, Yang TY, Griesshaber H, Hosp T, van den Ouweland S, Hara T, Bussema L, Dong R, Shi L, Rasmussen MQ, Domingues AC, Lawless A, Fang J, Yoda S, Nguyen LP, Reeves SM, Wakefield FN, Acker A, Clark SE, Dubash T, Fisher DE, Maheswaran S, Haber DA, Boland G, Sade-Feldman M, Jenkins R, Hata A, Bardeesy N, Suva ML, Martin B, Liau B, Ott C, Rivera MN, Lawrence MS, Bar-Peled L. DrugMap: A quantitative pan-cancer analysis of cysteine ligandability. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.20.563287. [PMID: 37961514 PMCID: PMC10634688 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.20.563287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Cysteine-focused chemical proteomic platforms have accelerated the clinical development of covalent inhibitors of a wide-range of targets in cancer. However, how different oncogenic contexts influence cysteine targeting remains unknown. To address this question, we have developed DrugMap , an atlas of cysteine ligandability compiled across 416 cancer cell lines. We unexpectedly find that cysteine ligandability varies across cancer cell lines, and we attribute this to differences in cellular redox states, protein conformational changes, and genetic mutations. Leveraging these findings, we identify actionable cysteines in NFκB1 and SOX10 and develop corresponding covalent ligands that block the activity of these transcription factors. We demonstrate that the NFκB1 probe blocks DNA binding, whereas the SOX10 ligand increases SOX10-SOX10 interactions and disrupts melanoma transcriptional signaling. Our findings reveal heterogeneity in cysteine ligandability across cancers, pinpoint cell-intrinsic features driving cysteine targeting, and illustrate the use of covalent probes to disrupt oncogenic transcription factor activity.
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6
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Deal PE, Lee H, Mondal A, Lolicato M, de Mendonca PRF, Black H, El-Hilali X, Bryant C, Isacoff EY, Renslo AR, Minor DL. Development of covalent chemogenetic K 2P channel activators. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.15.561774. [PMID: 37905049 PMCID: PMC10614804 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.15.561774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
K2P potassium channels regulate excitability by affecting cellular resting membrane potential in the brain, cardiovascular system, immune cells, and sensory organs. Despite their important roles in anesthesia, arrhythmia, pain, hypertension, sleep, and migraine, the ability to control K2P function remains limited. Here, we describe a chemogenetic strategy termed CATKLAMP (Covalent Activation of TREK family K+ channels to cLAmp Membrane Potential) that leverages the discovery of a site in the K2P modulator pocket that reacts with electrophile-bearing derivatives of a TREK subfamily small molecule activator, ML335, to activate the channel irreversibly. We show that the CATKLAMP strategy can be used to probe fundamental aspects of K2P function, as a switch to silence neuronal firing, and is applicable to all TREK subfamily members. Together, our findings exemplify a new means to alter K2P channel activity that should facilitate studies both molecular and systems level studies of K2P function and enable the search for new K2P modulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parker E. Deal
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California 93858-2330 USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 93858-2330 USA
| | - Haerim Lee
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California 93858-2330 USA
| | - Abhisek Mondal
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California 93858-2330 USA
| | - Marco Lolicato
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California 93858-2330 USA
| | | | - Holly Black
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Xochina El-Hilali
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 93858-2330 USA
| | - Clifford Bryant
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 93858-2330 USA
| | - Ehud Y. Isacoff
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Weill Neurohub, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bio-imaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Adam R. Renslo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 93858-2330 USA
| | - Daniel L. Minor
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California 93858-2330 USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bio-imaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
- Departments of Biochemistry and Biophysics, and Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, California 93858-2330 USA
- California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research, University of California, San Francisco, California 93858-2330 USA
- Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, California 93858-2330 USA
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7
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Mushtaq M, Usmani S, Jabeen A, Nur-E-Alam M, Ahmed S, Ahmad A, Ul-Haq Z. Identification of potent anti-immunogenic agents through virtual screening, 3D-QSAR studies, and in vitro experiments. Mol Divers 2023:10.1007/s11030-023-10709-4. [PMID: 37550601 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-023-10709-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
A wealth of literature has highlighted the discovery of various immune modulators, frequently used in clinical practice, yet associated with numerous drawbacks. In light of this pharmacological deficiency, medical scientists are motivated to develop new immune modulators with minimized adverse effects yet retaining the improved therapeutic potential. T-cell differentiation and growth are central to human defense and are regulated by interleukin-2 (IL-2), an immune-modulatory cytokine. However, scientific investigation is hindered due to its flat binding site and widespread hotspot residues. In this regard, a prompt and logical investigation guided by integrated computational techniques was undertaken to unravel new and potential leads against IL-2. In particular, the combination of score-based and pharmacophore-based virtual screening approaches were employed, reducing the data from millions of small molecules to a manageable number. Subsequent docking and 3D-QSAR prediction via CoMFA further helped remove false positives from the data. The reliability of the model was assessed via standard metrics, which explain the model's fitness and the robustness of the model in predicting the activity of new compounds. The extensive virtual screening herein led to the identification of a total of 24 leads with potential anti-IL-2 activity. Furthermore, the theoretical findings were corroborated with in vitro testing, further endorsing the anti-inflammatory potential of the identified leads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamona Mushtaq
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, ICCBS,, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
| | - Saman Usmani
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, ICCBS,, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
| | - Almas Jabeen
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, ICCBS,, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
| | - Mohammad Nur-E-Alam
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box. 2457, Riyadh, 11451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Sarfaraz Ahmed
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box. 2457, Riyadh, 11451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Aftab Ahmad
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA, 92618, USA
| | - Zaheer Ul-Haq
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, ICCBS,, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan.
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8
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Walker K, Baravalle R, Holyfield R, Kalms J, Wright H, Seewooruthun C, Muskett FW, Scott-Tucker A, Merritt A, Henry A, Lawson ADG, Hall G, Prosser C, Carr MD. Identification and characterisation of anti-IL-13 inhibitory single domain antibodies provides new insights into receptor selectivity and attractive opportunities for drug discovery. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1216967. [PMID: 37483614 PMCID: PMC10359924 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1216967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Interleukin-13 (IL-13) is a cytokine involved in T-cell immune responses and is a well validated therapeutic target for the treatment of asthma, along with other allergic and inflammatory diseases. IL-13 signals through a ternary signalling complex formed with the receptors IL-13Rα1 and IL-4Rα. This complex is assembled by IL-13 initially binding IL-13Rα1, followed by association of the binary IL-13:IL-13Rα1 complex with IL-4Rα. The receptors are shared with IL-4, but IL-4 initially binds IL-4Rα. Here we report the identification and characterisation of a diverse panel of single-domain antibodies (VHHs) that bind to IL-13 (KD 40 nM-5.5 μM) and inhibit downstream IL-13 signalling (IC50 0.2-53.8 μM). NMR mapping showed that the VHHs recognise a number of epitopes on IL-13, including previously unknown allosteric sites. Further NMR investigation of VHH204 bound to IL-13 revealed a novel allosteric mechanism of inhibition, with the antibody stabilising IL-13 in a conformation incompatible with receptor binding. This also led to the identification of a conformational equilibrium for free IL-13, providing insights into differing receptor signalling complex assembly seen for IL-13 compared to IL-4, with formation of the IL-13:IL-13Rα1 complex required to stabilise IL-13 in a conformation with high affinity for IL-4Rα. These findings highlight new opportunities for therapeutic targeting of IL-13 and we report a successful 19F fragment screen of the IL-13:VHH204 complex, including binding sites identified for several hits. To our knowledge, these 19F containing fragments represent the first small-molecules shown to bind to IL-13 and could provide starting points for a small-molecule drug discovery programme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayleigh Walker
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Roberta Baravalle
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Holyfield
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Jacqueline Kalms
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
- UCB Biopharma, UCB Pharma, Slough, United Kingdom
| | - Helena Wright
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Chitra Seewooruthun
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Frederick W. Muskett
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | | | - Andy Merritt
- LifeArc, Centre for Therapeutics Discovery, Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, Stevenage, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Gareth Hall
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Christine Prosser
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
- UCB Biopharma, UCB Pharma, Slough, United Kingdom
| | - Mark D. Carr
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
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9
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Peña-Guerrero J, Fernández-Rubio C, García-Sosa AT, Nguewa PA. BRCT Domains: Structure, Functions, and Implications in Disease-New Therapeutic Targets for Innovative Drug Discovery against Infections. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:1839. [PMID: 37514027 PMCID: PMC10386641 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15071839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The search for new therapeutic targets and their implications in drug development remains an emerging scientific topic. BRCT-bearing proteins are found in Archaea, Bacteria, Eukarya, and viruses. They are traditionally involved in DNA repair, recombination, and cell cycle control. To carry out these functions, BRCT domains are able to interact with DNA and proteins. Moreover, such domains are also implicated in several pathogenic processes and malignancies including breast, ovarian, and lung cancer. Although these domains exhibit moderately conserved folding, their sequences show very low conservation. Interestingly, sequence variations among species are considered positive traits in the search for suitable therapeutic targets, since non-specific drug interactions might be reduced. These main characteristics of BRCT, as well as its critical implications in key biological processes in the cell, have prompted the study of these domains as therapeutic targets. This review explores the possible roles of BRCT domains as therapeutic targets for drug discovery. We describe their common structural features and relevant interactions and pathways, as well as their implications in pathologic processes. Drugs commonly used to target these domains are also presented. Finally, based on their structures, we describe new drug design possibilities using modern and innovative techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Peña-Guerrero
- ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Navarra, IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), E-31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Celia Fernández-Rubio
- ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Navarra, IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), E-31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Alfonso T García-Sosa
- Chair of Molecular Technology, Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Paul A Nguewa
- ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Navarra, IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), E-31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
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10
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Yu W, Weber DJ, MacKerell AD. Integrated Covalent Drug Design Workflow Using Site Identification by Ligand Competitive Saturation. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:3007-3021. [PMID: 37115781 PMCID: PMC10205696 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Covalent drug design is an important component in drug discovery. Traditional drugs interact with their target in a reversible equilibrium, while irreversible covalent drugs increase the drug-target interaction duration by forming a covalent bond with targeted residues and thus may offer a more effective therapeutic approach. To facilitate the design of this class of ligands, computational methods can be used to help identify reactive nucleophilic residues, frequently cysteines, on a target protein for covalent binding, to test various warhead groups for their potential reactivities, and to predict noncovalent contributions to binding that can facilitate drug-target interactions that are important for binding specificity. To further aid covalent drug design, we extended a functional group mapping approach based on explicit solvent all-atom molecular simulations (SILCS: site identification by ligand competitive saturation) that intrinsically considers protein flexibility, functional group, and protein desolvation along with functional group-protein interactions. Through docking of a library of representative warhead fragments using SILCS-Monte Carlo (SILCS-MC), reactive cysteines can be correctly identified for proteins being tested. Furthermore, a machine learning model was trained to quantify the effectiveness of various warhead groups for proteins using metrics from SILCS-MC as well as experimental model compound warhead reactivity data. The ability to rank covalent molecular binders with similar warheads using SILCS ligand grid free energy (LGFE) ranking was also tested for several proteins. Based on these tools, an integrated SILCS-based workflow was developed, named SILCS-Covalent, which can both qualitatively and quantitatively inform covalent drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbo Yu
- Computer-Aided Drug Design Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR), Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
- Center for Biomolecular Therapeutics (CBT), School of Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - David J. Weber
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR), Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
- Center for Biomolecular Therapeutics (CBT), School of Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Alexander D. MacKerell
- Computer-Aided Drug Design Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR), Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
- Center for Biomolecular Therapeutics (CBT), School of Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
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11
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Thompson AA, Harbut MB, Kung PP, Karpowich NK, Branson JD, Grant JC, Hagan D, Pascual HA, Bai G, Zavareh RB, Coate HR, Collins BC, Côte M, Gelin CF, Damm-Ganamet KL, Gholami H, Huff AR, Limon L, Lumb KJ, Mak PA, Nakafuku KM, Price EV, Shih AY, Tootoonchi M, Vellore NA, Wang J, Wei N, Ziff J, Berger SB, Edwards JP, Gardet A, Sun S, Towne JE, Venable JD, Shi Z, Venkatesan H, Rives ML, Sharma S, Shireman BT, Allen SJ. Identification of small-molecule protein-protein interaction inhibitors for NKG2D. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2216342120. [PMID: 37098070 PMCID: PMC10160951 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2216342120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
NKG2D (natural-killer group 2, member D) is a homodimeric transmembrane receptor that plays an important role in NK, γδ+, and CD8+ T cell-mediated immune responses to environmental stressors such as viral or bacterial infections and oxidative stress. However, aberrant NKG2D signaling has also been associated with chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, and as such NKG2D is thought to be an attractive target for immune intervention. Here, we describe a comprehensive small-molecule hit identification strategy and two distinct series of protein-protein interaction inhibitors of NKG2D. Although the hits are chemically distinct, they share a unique allosteric mechanism of disrupting ligand binding by accessing a cryptic pocket and causing the two monomers of the NKG2D dimer to open apart and twist relative to one another. Leveraging a suite of biochemical and cell-based assays coupled with structure-based drug design, we established tractable structure-activity relationships with one of the chemical series and successfully improved both the potency and physicochemical properties. Together, we demonstrate that it is possible, albeit challenging, to disrupt the interaction between NKG2D and multiple protein ligands with a single molecule through allosteric modulation of the NKG2D receptor dimer/ligand interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron A. Thompson
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Michael B. Harbut
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA19002
| | - Pei-Pei Kung
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Nathan K. Karpowich
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA19002
| | - Jeffrey D. Branson
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA19002
| | - Joanna C. Grant
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Deborah Hagan
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA19002
| | - Heather A. Pascual
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Guoyun Bai
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | | | - Heather R. Coate
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Bernard C. Collins
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Marjorie Côte
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Christine F. Gelin
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | | | - Hadi Gholami
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Adam R. Huff
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA19002
| | - Luis Limon
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Kevin J. Lumb
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA19002
| | - Puiying A. Mak
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Kohki M. Nakafuku
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Edmund V. Price
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA19002
| | - Amy Y. Shih
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Mandana Tootoonchi
- Discovery Immunology, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Nadeem A. Vellore
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Jocelyn Wang
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Na Wei
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Jeannie Ziff
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Scott B. Berger
- Discovery Immunology, Janssen Research & Development, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA19002
| | - James P. Edwards
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Agnès Gardet
- Discovery Immunology, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Siquan Sun
- Discovery Immunology, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Jennifer E. Towne
- Discovery Immunology, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | | | - Zhicai Shi
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA19002
| | | | - Marie-Laure Rives
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Sujata Sharma
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA19002
| | - Brock T. Shireman
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, CA92121
| | - Samantha J. Allen
- Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Research & Development, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA19002
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12
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Rehman AU, Khurshid B, Ali Y, Rasheed S, Wadood A, Ng HL, Chen HF, Wei Z, Luo R, Zhang J. Computational approaches for the design of modulators targeting protein-protein interactions. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2023; 18:315-333. [PMID: 36715303 PMCID: PMC10149343 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2023.2171396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are intriguing targets for designing novel small-molecule inhibitors. The role of PPIs in various infectious and neurodegenerative disorders makes them potential therapeutic targets . Despite being portrayed as undruggable targets, due to their flat surfaces, disorderedness, and lack of grooves. Recent progresses in computational biology have led researchers to reconsider PPIs in drug discovery. AREAS COVERED In this review, we introduce in-silico methods used to identify PPI interfaces and present an in-depth overview of various computational methodologies that are successfully applied to annotate the PPIs. We also discuss several successful case studies that use computational tools to understand PPIs modulation and their key roles in various physiological processes. EXPERT OPINION Computational methods face challenges due to the inherent flexibility of proteins, which makes them expensive, and result in the use of rigid models. This problem becomes more significant in PPIs due to their flexible and flat interfaces. Computational methods like molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and machine learning can integrate the chemical structure data into biochemical and can be used for target identification and modulation. These computational methodologies have been crucial in understanding the structure of PPIs, designing PPI modulators, discovering new drug targets, and predicting treatment outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashfaq Ur Rehman
- Departments of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering, Graduate Program in Chemical and Materials Physics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Medicinal Bioinformatics Center, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, Zhejiang, China
| | - Beenish Khurshid
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Yasir Ali
- National Center for Bioinformatics, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Salman Rasheed
- National Center for Bioinformatics, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Abdul Wadood
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Ho-Leung Ng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
| | - Hai-Feng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, National Experimental Teaching Center for Life Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhiqiang Wei
- Medicinal Chemistry and Bioinformatics Center, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Ray Luo
- Departments of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering, Graduate Program in Chemical and Materials Physics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Jian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Medicinal Bioinformatics Center, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, Zhejiang, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
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13
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Zhou AL, Jensen DR, Peterson FC, Thomas MA, Schlimgen RR, Dwinell MB, Smith BC, Volkman BF. Fragment-based drug discovery of small molecule ligands for the human chemokine CCL28. SLAS DISCOVERY : ADVANCING LIFE SCIENCES R & D 2023:S2472-5552(23)00019-9. [PMID: 36841432 DOI: 10.1016/j.slasd.2023.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
The mucosal chemokine CCL28 is a promising target for immunotherapy drug development due to its elevated expression level in epithelial cells and critical role in creating and maintaining an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Using sulfotyrosine as a probe, NMR chemical shift mapping identified a potential receptor-binding hotspot on the human CCL28 surface. CCL28 was screened against 2,678 commercially available chemical fragments by 2D NMR, yielding thirteen verified hits. Computational docking predicted that two fragments could occupy adjoining subsites within the sulfotyrosine recognition cleft. Dual NMR titrations confirmed their ability to bind CCL28 simultaneously, thereby validating an initial fragment pair for linking and merging strategies to design high-potency CCL28 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela L Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Davin R Jensen
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; Program in Chemical Biology, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Francis C Peterson
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; Program in Chemical Biology, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Monica A Thomas
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Roman R Schlimgen
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Michael B Dwinell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; Center for Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Brian C Smith
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; Program in Chemical Biology, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Brian F Volkman
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; Program in Chemical Biology, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; Center for Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
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14
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Shin WH, Kumazawa K, Imai K, Hirokawa T, Kihara D. Quantitative comparison of protein-protein interaction interface using physicochemical feature-based descriptors of surface patches. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1110567. [PMID: 36814641 PMCID: PMC9939524 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1110567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Driving mechanisms of many biological functions in a cell include physical interactions of proteins. As protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are also important in disease development, protein-protein interactions are highlighted in the pharmaceutical industry as possible therapeutic targets in recent years. To understand the variety of protein-protein interactions in a proteome, it is essential to establish a method that can identify similarity and dissimilarity between protein-protein interactions for inferring the binding of similar molecules, including drugs and other proteins. In this study, we developed a novel method, protein-protein interaction-Surfer, which compares and quantifies similarity of local surface regions of protein-protein interactions. protein-protein interaction-Surfer represents a protein-protein interaction surface with overlapping surface patches, each of which is described with a three-dimensional Zernike descriptor (3DZD), a compact mathematical representation of 3D function. 3DZD captures both the 3D shape and physicochemical properties of the protein surface. The performance of protein-protein interaction-Surfer was benchmarked on datasets of protein-protein interactions, where we were able to show that protein-protein interaction-Surfer finds similar potential drug binding regions that do not share sequence and structure similarity. protein-protein interaction-Surfer is available at https://kiharalab.org/ppi-surfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woong-Hee Shin
- Department of Chemistry Education, Sunchon National University, Suncheon, South Korea,Department of Advanced Components and Materials Engineering, Sunchon National University, Suncheon, South Korea
| | - Keiko Kumazawa
- Pharmaceutical Discovery Research Laboratories, Teijin Pharma Limited, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kenichiro Imai
- Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takatsugu Hirokawa
- Division of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan,Transborder Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Daisuke Kihara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States,Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States,Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States,*Correspondence: Daisuke Kihara,
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15
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Bum-Erdene K, Yeh IJ, Gonzalez-Gutierrez G, Ghozayel MK, Pollok K, Meroueh SO. Small-Molecule Cyanamide Pan-TEAD·YAP1 Covalent Antagonists. J Med Chem 2023; 66:266-284. [PMID: 36562717 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Transcriptional enhanced associate domains (TEADs) are transcription factors that bind to cotranscriptional activators like the yes-associated protein (YAP) or its paralog transcriptional coactivator with a PDZ-binding motif (TAZ). TEAD·YAP/TAZ target genes are involved in tissue and immune homeostasis, organ size control, tumor growth, and metastasis. Here, we report isoindoline and octahydroisoindole small molecules with a cyanamide electrophile that forms a covalent bond with a conserved cysteine in the TEAD palmitate-binding cavity. Time- and concentration-dependent studies against TEAD1-4 yielded second-order rate constants kinact/KI greater than 100 M-1 s-1. Compounds inhibited YAP1 binding to TEADs with submicromolar IC50 values. Cocrystal structures with TEAD2 enabled structure-activity relationship studies. In mammalian cells, compounds suppressed CTGF mRNA levels and inhibited TEAD1-4 transcriptional activity with submicromolar IC50 values. Inhibition of TEAD binding to YAP1 in mammalian cells was also observed. Several compounds inhibited the cell viability of sarcoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, glioblastoma, and breast cancer cells with single-digit micromolar IC50 values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khuchtumur Bum-Erdene
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
| | - I-Ju Yeh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
| | - Giovanni Gonzalez-Gutierrez
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - Mona K Ghozayel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
| | - Karen Pollok
- Department of Pediatrics, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Indiana University Simon Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
| | - Samy O Meroueh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
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16
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Lerma Romero JA, Kolmar H. Accessing Transient Binding Pockets by Protein Engineering and Yeast Surface Display Screening. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2681:249-274. [PMID: 37405652 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3279-6_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
The binding pocket of some therapeutic targets can acquire multiple conformations that, to some extent, depend on the protein dynamics and the interaction with other molecules. The inability to reach the binding pocket can impose a substantial or even insurmountable barrier for the de novo identification or optimization of small-molecule ligands. Herein, we describe a protocol for the engineering of a target protein and a yeast display FACS sorting strategy to identify protein variants with a stable transient binding pocket with improved binding for a cryptic site-specific ligand. This strategy may facilitate drug discovery using the resulting protein variants with accessible binding pockets for ligand screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge A Lerma Romero
- Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Harald Kolmar
- Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.
- Centre for Synthetic Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.
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17
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Ozdemir ES, Nussinov R. Pathogen-driven cancers from a structural perspective: Targeting host-pathogen protein-protein interactions. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1061595. [PMID: 36910650 PMCID: PMC9997845 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1061595] [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: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Host-pathogen interactions (HPIs) affect and involve multiple mechanisms in both the pathogen and the host. Pathogen interactions disrupt homeostasis in host cells, with their toxins interfering with host mechanisms, resulting in infections, diseases, and disorders, extending from AIDS and COVID-19, to cancer. Studies of the three-dimensional (3D) structures of host-pathogen complexes aim to understand how pathogens interact with their hosts. They also aim to contribute to the development of rational therapeutics, as well as preventive measures. However, structural studies are fraught with challenges toward these aims. This review describes the state-of-the-art in protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between the host and pathogens from the structural standpoint. It discusses computational aspects of predicting these PPIs, including machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, and overviews available computational methods and their challenges. It concludes with examples of how theoretical computational approaches can result in a therapeutic agent with a potential of being used in the clinics, as well as future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emine Sila Ozdemir
- Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Ruth Nussinov
- Cancer Innovation Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, United States.,Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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18
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Li X, Guo Y, Li J, Yu Z, Cheng J, Ren F, Jia H, Zhang Y, Cui S, Zhang T, Shi W. Discovery and Structural Explorations of G-Protein Biased μ-Opioid Receptor Agonists. ChemMedChem 2022; 17:e202200416. [PMID: 36210341 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202200416] [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: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Compounds that activate only the G-protein signalling pathway represent an effective strategy for making safer opioids. In the present study, we report the design, synthesis and evaluation of two classes of novel PZM21 derivatives containing the benzothiophene ring and biphenyl ring group respectively as biased μ-opioid receptor (μOR) agonists. The new compound SWG-LX-33 showed potent μOR agonist activity and produced μOR-dependent analgesia. SWG-LX-33 does not activate the β-arrestin-2 signalling pathway in vitro even at high concentrations. Computational docking demonstrated the amino acid residue ASN150 to be critical for the weak efficacy and potency of μOR agonists in arrestin recruitment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, P. R. China
- State National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100061, P. R. China
| | - Yanhao Guo
- College of Science, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang, 050018, P. R. China
| | - Jing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, P. R. China
| | - Zixing Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, P. R. China
| | - Jingchao Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, P. R. China
| | - Fengxia Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, P. R. China
| | - Hongxin Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, P. R. China
| | - Yatong Zhang
- College of Science, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang, 050018, P. R. China
| | - Shiqiang Cui
- College of Science, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang, 050018, P. R. China
| | - Tao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, P. R. China
| | - Weiguo Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, P. R. China
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19
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Abstract
Covalent drugs have been used to treat diseases for more than a century, but tools that facilitate the rational design of covalent drugs have emerged more recently. The purposeful addition of reactive functional groups to existing ligands can enable potent and selective inhibition of target proteins, as demonstrated by the covalent epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors used to treat various cancers. Moreover, the identification of covalent ligands through 'electrophile-first' approaches has also led to the discovery of covalent drugs, such as covalent inhibitors for KRAS(G12C) and SARS-CoV-2 main protease. In particular, the discovery of KRAS(G12C) inhibitors validates the use of covalent screening technologies, which have become more powerful and widespread over the past decade. Chemoproteomics platforms have emerged to complement covalent ligand screening and assist in ligand discovery, selectivity profiling and target identification. This Review showcases covalent drug discovery milestones with emphasis on the lessons learned from these programmes and how an evolving toolbox of covalent drug discovery techniques facilitates success in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Boike
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Novartis-Berkeley Center for Proteomics and Chemistry Technologies, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Nathaniel J Henning
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Novartis-Berkeley Center for Proteomics and Chemistry Technologies, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Daniel K Nomura
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Novartis-Berkeley Center for Proteomics and Chemistry Technologies, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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20
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IL-2 Flexible Loops Might Play a Role in IL-2 Interaction with the High-Affinity IL-2 Receptor: A Molecular Dynamics (MD) Study. J CHEM-NY 2022. [DOI: 10.1155/2022/3646375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The clinical use of high-dose IL-2 in cancer immunotherapy faces several drawbacks such as toxicity and unfavorable pharmacokinetic profile. These drawbacks can be avoided by inhibiting IL-2 interaction with the CD25 subunit, which is a component of the high-affinity IL-2 receptor (IL-2Rαβγ). Several studies showed mutations of potential IL-2 residues such as R38, F42, Y45, and Y72 would produce IL-2 that is CD25-independent. In essence, structural comparison between wild-type (WT) IL-2 and CD25-independent IL-2 can be very insightful to assess the role of IL-2 flexibility and conformation in the IL-2 receptor interactions. Here, we investigated the flexibility loops and conformation of IL-2m (F24A, Y45A, and L72G), which is known to be CD25-independent, and IL-2m2 (F42Y and L72R) mutants along with WT IL-2 using MD simulations. Despite residue mutations, both IL-2m and IL-2m2 showed comparable conformational compactness and better stability than WT IL-2. Interestingly, IL-2m and IL-2m2 mutants showed rigid BC and CD loops in comparison to WT IL-2 . Also, the AB loop conformation of IL-2m was a bent structure compared to the WT IL-2 and IL-2m2. Principal component analysis (PCA) and free-energy landscape results suggested IL-2m and IL-2m2 have stable conformations compared to the WT IL-2. Therefore, these mutation sites of IL-2 produced stable and rigid loops that might prevent IL-2 from binding to the CD25 subunit. Our results can help to assess IL-2 flexibility loops to design new CD25-independent IL-2 mutants without compromising the IL-2 structure.
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21
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Sarma H, Sastry GN. A Computational Study on the Interaction of NSP10 and NSP14: Unraveling the RNA Synthesis Proofreading Mechanism in SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:30003-30022. [PMID: 36035077 PMCID: PMC9397572 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c03007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The interaction of exoribonuclease (ExoN) nonstructural protein (NSP14) with NSP10 co-factors is crucial for high-fidelity proofreading activity of coronavirus replication and transcription. Proofreading function is critical for maintaining the large genomes to ensure replication proficiency; therefore, while maintaining the viral replication fitness, quick resistance has been reported to the nucleotide analogue (NA) drugs. Therefore, targeting the NSP14 and NSP10 interacting interface with small molecules or peptides could be a better strategy to obstruct replication processes of coronaviruses (CoVs). A comparative study on the binding mechanism of NSP10 with the NSP14 ExoN domain of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and four SARS-CoV-2 NSP14mutant complexes has been carried out. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) dynamics, per-residue binding free energy (BFE) analyses, and the identification of interface hotspot residues have been studied using molecular dynamics simulations and various computational tools. The BFE of the SARS-CoV NSP14-NSP10 complex was higher when compared to novel SARS-CoV-2 and MERS. However, SARS-CoV-2 NSP14mutant systems display a higher BFE as compared to the wild type (WT) but lower than SARS-CoV and MERS. Despite the high BFE, the SARS-CoV NSP14-NSP10 complex appears to be structurally more flexible in many regions especially the catalytic site, which is not seen in SARS-CoV-2 and its mutant or MERS complexes. The significantly high residue energy contribution of key interface residues and hotspots reveals that the high binding energy between NSP14 and NSP10 may enhance the functional activity of the proofreading complex, as the NSP10-NSP14 interaction is essential in maintaining the stability of the ExoN domain for the replicative fitness of CoVs. The factors discussed for SARS-CoV-2 complexes may be responsible for NSP14 ExoN having a high replication proficiency, significantly leading to the evolution of new variants of SARS-CoV-2. The NSP14 residues V66, T69, D126, and I201and eight residues of NSP10 (L16, F19, V21, V42, M44, H80, K93, and F96) are identified as common hotspots. Overall, the interface area, hotspot locations, bonded/nonbonded contacts, and energies between NSP14 and NSP10 may pave a way in designing potential inhibitors to disrupt NSP14-NSP10 interactions of CoVs especially SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himakshi Sarma
- Advanced Computation and Data Sciences Division,
CSIR−North East Institute of Science and Technology,
Jorhat, Assam785006, India
| | - G. Narahari Sastry
- Advanced Computation and Data Sciences Division,
CSIR−North East Institute of Science and Technology,
Jorhat, Assam785006, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative
Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
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22
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Therapeutic Mechanism and Key Active Ingredients of Shenfu Injection in Sepsis: A Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Approach. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2022; 2022:9686149. [PMID: 36062176 PMCID: PMC9439916 DOI: 10.1155/2022/9686149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
At present, although the early treatment of sepsis is advocated, the treatment effect of sepsis is unsatisfactory, and the mortality rate remains high. Shenfu injection (SFI) has been used to treat sepsis with good clinical efficacy. Based on network pharmacology, this study adopted a new research strategy to identify the potential therapeutic targets and key active ingredients of SFI for sepsis from the perspective of the pathophysiology of sepsis. This analysis identified 28 active ingredients of SFI based on UHPLC-QQQ MS, including 18 ginsenosides and 10 aconite alkaloids. 59 targets were associated with the glycocalyx and sepsis pathways. Based on the number of targets related to the pathophysiological process of sepsis, we identified songorine, ginsenoside Rf, ginsenoside Re, and karacoline as the key active ingredients of SFI for the treatment of sepsis. According to the cluster analysis of MCODE and the validation on the GEO dataset, LGALS3, BCHE, AKT1, and IL2 were identified as the core targets. This study further explored the therapeutic mechanism and the key active ingredients of SFI in sepsis and provided candidate compounds for drug development.
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23
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Human endogenous retrovirus-K (HERV-K) reverse transcriptase (RT) structure and biochemistry reveals remarkable similarities to HIV-1 RT and opportunities for HERV-K-specific inhibition. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2200260119. [PMID: 35771941 PMCID: PMC9271190 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2200260119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A large percentage of the human genome is composed of repetitive elements that are relics of past viral infections. Expression of these human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) is associated with a variety of diseases, including cancer; however, causality remains to be established. A subset of these HERVs express proteins with reverse transcriptase (RT) activity. This has inspired several clinical studies of antiviral RT inhibitors for indications in which HERV expression is associated with disease. We have determined the X-ray structure of an HERV reverse transcriptase. This structure clarifies the reasons for poor inhibition by 3TC (lamivudine) and lack of inhibition by nonnucleoside inhibitors nevirapine and efavirenz. This structure will enable the design of selective HERV-K RT tools for drug target validation. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) comprise nearly 8% of the human genome and are derived from ancient integrations of retroviruses into the germline. The biology of HERVs is poorly defined, but there is accumulating evidence supporting pathological roles in diverse diseases, such as cancer, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases. Functional proteins are produced by HERV-encoded genes, including reverse transcriptases (RTs), which could be a contributor to the pathology attributed to aberrant HERV-K expression. To facilitate the discovery and development of HERV-K RT potent and selective inhibitors, we expressed active HERV-K RT and determined the crystal structure of a ternary complex of this enzyme with a double-stranded DNA substrate. We demonstrate a range of RT inhibition with antiretroviral nucleotide analogs, while classic nonnucleoside analogs do not inhibit HERV-K RT. Detailed comparisons of HERV-K RT with other known RTs demonstrate similarities to diverse RT families and a striking similarity to the HIV-1 RT asymmetric heterodimer. Our analysis further reveals opportunities for selective HERV-K RT inhibition.
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24
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Sarma H, Jamir E, Sastry GN. Protein-protein interaction of RdRp with its co-factor NSP8 and NSP7 to decipher the interface hotspot residues for drug targeting: A comparison between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. J Mol Struct 2022; 1257:132602. [PMID: 35153334 PMCID: PMC8824464 DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.132602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
In this study we explored the molecular mechanism of RdRp (Non-Structural Protein, NSP12) interaction with its co-factors NSP7 and NSP8 which is the main toolbox for RNA replication and transcription of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. The replication complex is a heterotetramer consists of one NSP12, one NSP7 and two NSP8. Extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were applied on both the heterotetramer complexes to generate the conformations and were used to estimate the MMPBSA binding free energy (BFE) and per-residue energy decomposition of NSP12-NSP8 and NSP12-NSP7 and NSP7-NSP8 complexes. The BFE of SARS-CoV-2 heterotetramer complex with its corresponding partner protein was significantly higher as compared to SARS-CoV. Interface hotspot residues were predicted using different methods implemented in KFC (Knowledge-based FADA and Contracts), HotRegion and Robetta web servers. Per-residue energy decomposition analysis showed that the predicted interface hotspot residues contribute more energy towards the formation of complexes and most of the predicted hotspot residues are clustered together. However, there is a slight difference in the residue-wise energy contribution in the interface NSPs on heterotetramer viral replication complex of both coronaviruses. While the overall replication complex of SARS-CoV-2 was found to be slightly flexible as compared to SARS-CoV. This difference in terms of structural flexibility/stability and energetic characteristics of interface residues including hotspots at PPI interface in the viral replication complexes may be the reason of higher rate of RNA replication of SARS-CoV-2 as compared to SARS-CoV. Overall, the interaction profile at PPI interface such as, interface area, hotspot residues, nature of bonds and energies between NSPs, may provide valuable insights in designing of small molecules or peptide/peptidomimetic ligands which can fit into the PPI interface to disrupt the interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himakshi Sarma
- Advanced Computation and Data Sciences Division, CSIR - North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, Assam, India
| | - Esther Jamir
- Advanced Computation and Data Sciences Division, CSIR - North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, Assam, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - G Narahari Sastry
- Advanced Computation and Data Sciences Division, CSIR - North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, Assam, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
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25
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Structure-based assessment and druggability classification of protein-protein interaction sites. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7975. [PMID: 35562538 PMCID: PMC9106675 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12105-8] [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: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The featureless interface formed by protein–protein interactions (PPIs) is notorious for being considered a difficult and poorly druggable target. However, recent advances have shown PPIs to be druggable, with the discovery of potent inhibitors and stabilizers, some of which are currently being clinically tested and approved for medical use. In this study, we assess the druggability of 12 commonly targeted PPIs using the computational tool, SiteMap. After evaluating 320 crystal structures, we find that the PPI binding sites have a wide range of druggability scores. This can be attributed to the unique structural and physiochemical features that influence their ligand binding and concomitantly, their druggability predictions. We then use these features to propose a specific classification system suitable for assessing PPI targets based on their druggability scores and measured binding-affinity. Interestingly, this system was able to distinguish between different PPIs and correctly categorize them into four classes (i.e. very druggable, druggable, moderately druggable, and difficult). We also studied the effects of protein flexibility on the computed druggability scores and found that protein conformational changes accompanying ligand binding in ligand-bound structures result in higher protein druggability scores due to more favorable structural features. Finally, the drug-likeness of many published PPI inhibitors was studied where it was found that the vast majority of the 221 ligands considered here, including orally tested/marketed drugs, violate the currently acceptable limits of compound size and hydrophobicity parameters. This outcome, combined with the lack of correlation observed between druggability and drug-likeness, reinforces the need to redefine drug-likeness for PPI drugs. This work proposes a PPI-specific classification scheme that will assist researchers in assessing the druggability and identifying inhibitors of the PPI interface.
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26
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Einsiedel J, Schmidt MF, Hübner H, Gmeiner P. Development of disulfide-functionalized peptides covalently binding G protein-coupled receptors. Bioorg Med Chem 2022; 61:116720. [PMID: 35334449 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2022.116720] [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: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A broadly applicable synthesis of peptides incorporating mixed disulfides between cysteine and homocysteine and cysteamine was developed. The method was established using pharmacologically relevant G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) ligands including the μ-receptor agonist Dmt-DALDA and extended to the orexin derivative Oxa(17-33) and NT(8-13), the C-terminal hexapeptide of neurotensin. The newly developed NT(8-13) analog 6b incorporating an S-functionalized homocysteine revealed covalent binding of the neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1) in a radioligand depletion study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Einsiedel
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Straße 10, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Maximilian F Schmidt
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Straße 10, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Harald Hübner
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Straße 10, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Peter Gmeiner
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Straße 10, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany.
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27
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Rehman AU, Lu S, Khan AA, Khurshid B, Rasheed S, Wadood A, Zhang J. Hidden allosteric sites and De-Novo drug design. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2021; 17:283-295. [PMID: 34933653 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2022.2017876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hidden allosteric sites are not visible in apo-crystal structures, but they may be visible in holo-structures when a certain ligand binds and maintains the ligand intended conformation. Several computational and experimental techniques have been used to investigate these hidden sites but identifying them remains a challenge. AREAS COVERED This review provides a summary of the many theoretical approaches for predicting hidden allosteric sites in disease-related proteins. Furthermore, promising cases have been thoroughly examined to reveal the hidden allosteric site and its modulator. EXPERT OPINION In the recent past, with the development in scientific techniques and bioinformatics tools, the number of drug targets for complex human diseases has significantly increased but unfortunately most of these targets are undruggable due to several reasons. Alternative strategies such as finding cryptic (hidden) allosteric sites are an attractive approach for exploitation of the discovery of new targets. These hidden sites are difficult to recognize compared to allosteric sites, mainly due to a lack of visibility in the crystal structure. In our opinion, after many years of development, MD simulations are finally becoming successful for obtaining a detailed molecular description of drug-target interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashfaq Ur Rehman
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Clinical and Fundamental Research Center, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Shaoyong Lu
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Clinical and Fundamental Research Center, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Abdul Aziz Khan
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Development and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, and Brain Science and Technology Research Center, Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Beenish Khurshid
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Salman Rasheed
- National Center for Bioinformatics, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Abdul Wadood
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Jian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Clinical and Fundamental Research Center, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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28
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Gironda-Martínez A, Gorre ÉMD, Prati L, Gosalbes JF, Dakhel S, Cazzamalli S, Samain F, Donckele EJ, Neri D. Identification and Validation of New Interleukin-2 Ligands Using DNA-Encoded Libraries. J Med Chem 2021; 64:17496-17510. [PMID: 34821503 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Interleukin-2 (IL2) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays a crucial role in immunity, which is increasingly being used for therapeutic applications. There is growing interest in developing IL2-based therapeutics which do not interact with the alpha subunit of the IL2 receptor (CD25) as this protein is primarily found on immunosuppressive regulatory T cells (Tregs). Screenings of a new DNA-encoded library, comprising 669,240 members, provided a novel series of IL2 ligands, subsequently optimized by medicinal chemistry. One of these molecules (compound 18) bound to IL2 with a dissociation constant of 0.34 μM was able to form a kinetically stable complex with IL2 in size-exclusion chromatography and recognized the CD25-binding site as evidenced by competition experiments with the NARA1 antibody. Compound 18 and other members of the series may represent the starting point for the discovery of potent small-molecule modulators of IL2 activity, abrogating the binding to CD25.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Émile M D Gorre
- Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Luca Prati
- Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | | | - Sheila Dakhel
- Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | | | - Florent Samain
- Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | | | - Dario Neri
- Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland.,Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 3, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland.,Philogen S.p.A, 53100 Siena, Italy
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29
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Sannigrahi A, Chattopadhyay K. Pore formation by pore forming membrane proteins towards infections. ADVANCES IN PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2021; 128:79-111. [PMID: 35034727 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Over the last 25 years, the biology of membrane proteins, including the PFPs-membranes interactions is seeking attention for the development of successful drug molecules against a number of infectious diseases. Pore forming toxins (PFTs), the largest family of PFPs are considered as a group of virulence factors produced in a large number of pathogenic systems which include streptococcus, pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, group A and B streptococci, Corynebacterium diphtheria and many more. PFTs are generally utilized by the disease causing pathogens to disrupt the host first line of defense i.e. host cell membranes through pore formation strategy. Although, pore formation is the principal mode of action of the PFTs but they can have additional adverse effects on the hosts including immune evasion. Recently, structural investigation of different PFTs have imparted the molecular mechanistic insights into how PFTs get transformed from its inactive state to active toxic state. On the basis of their structural entity, PFTs have been classified in different types and their mode of actions alters in terms of pore formation and corresponding cellular toxicity. Although pathogen genome analysis can identify the probable PFTs depending upon their structural diversity, there are so many PFTs which utilize the local environmental conditions to generate their pore forming ability using a novel strategy which is known as "conformational switch" of a protein. This conformational switch is considered as characteristics of the phase shifting proteins which were often utilized by many pathogenic systems to protect them from the invaders through allosteric communication between distant regions of the protein. In this chapter, we discuss the structure function relationships of PFTs and how activity of PFTs varies with the change in the environmental conditions has been explored. Finally, we demonstrate these structural insights to develop therapeutic potential to treat the infections caused by multidrug resistant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achinta Sannigrahi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
| | - Krishnananda Chattopadhyay
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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30
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Kamalinia G, Grindel BJ, Takahashi TT, Millward SW, Roberts RW. Directing evolution of novel ligands by mRNA display. Chem Soc Rev 2021; 50:9055-9103. [PMID: 34165126 PMCID: PMC8725378 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00160d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
mRNA display is a powerful biological display platform for the directed evolution of proteins and peptides. mRNA display libraries covalently link the displayed peptide or protein (phenotype) with the encoding genetic information (genotype) through the biochemical activity of the small molecule puromycin. Selection for peptide/protein function is followed by amplification of the linked genetic material and generation of a library enriched in functional sequences. Iterative selection cycles are then performed until the desired level of function is achieved, at which time the identity of candidate peptides can be obtained by sequencing the genetic material. The purpose of this review is to discuss the development of mRNA display technology since its inception in 1997 and to comprehensively review its use in the selection of novel peptides and proteins. We begin with an overview of the biochemical mechanism of mRNA display and its variants with a particular focus on its advantages and disadvantages relative to other biological display technologies. We then discuss the importance of scaffold choice in mRNA display selections and review the results of selection experiments with biological (e.g., fibronectin) and linear peptide library architectures. We then explore recent progress in the development of "drug-like" peptides by mRNA display through the post-translational covalent macrocyclization and incorporation of non-proteogenic functionalities. We conclude with an examination of enabling technologies that increase the speed of selection experiments, enhance the information obtained in post-selection sequence analysis, and facilitate high-throughput characterization of lead compounds. We hope to provide the reader with a comprehensive view of current state and future trajectory of mRNA display and its broad utility as a peptide and protein design tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Golnaz Kamalinia
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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31
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Small organic molecules accelerate the expansion of regulatory T cells. Bioorg Chem 2021; 111:104908. [PMID: 33895604 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.104908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 04/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The regulatory T cells (Treg cells) expressing CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + markers are indispensable for the initiation of immune homeostasis and tolerance to self-antigens in both mice and humans. A decrease in regulatory T cells leads to various autoimmune pathologies. Herein, we report three low molecular weight, small organic molecules as a new series of Treg proliferators TRP-1-3. These small molecules were tested for their proliferative effect on regulatory T cells. It was found that TRP-1 (Oleracein E) strongly accelerates the Treg proliferation in vitro in a concentration-dependent manner. The effect was evident for all subsets of Treg cells tested, including naturally occurring, thymus-derived and peripherally-induced or adaptive Treg, indicating an effect independent of the maturation site. Importantly, increased Treg cells numbers by TRP-1 correlated with improved CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + expression in vitro, while propidium iodide-based staining showed low TRP-1-induced cytotoxicity. Molecular docking plus simulation studies of these TRP-1-3 with IL-2R, mTOR and TCR receptors suggest a TCR-based Treg cells activation mechanism. Because of its high Treg cells activities and low cellular cytotoxicity, TRP-1-3 may be useful in stimulating ex-vivo/in-vivo, Treg cell-specific responses for therapeutic applications.
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32
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Kim J, Lee JY, Park SY, Lee YJ, Kim MS. Crystal structure of human interleukin-2 in complex with TCB2, a new antibody-drug candidate with antitumor activity. Oncoimmunology 2021; 10:1899671. [PMID: 33796411 PMCID: PMC7971329 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2021.1899671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy via interleukin-2 (IL-2) mediated activation of anti-tumor immune response is a promising approach for cancer treatment. The multi-potent cytokine, IL-2 has a central role in immune cell activation and homeostasis. Since IL-2 preferentially activates immunosuppressive T regulatory cells by IL-2Rα dependent manner, blocking IL-2:IL-2Rα interaction is a key to amplify the IL-2 activity in effector T cells toward anti-tumor response. Anti-IL-2 monoclonal antibodies are good candidates to control the IL-2:IL-2Rα interaction. In a previous study, we developed a new IL-2Rα mimetic antibody, TCB2, and showed that the human IL-2(hIL-2):TCB2 complex can stimulate T effector cells specifically and elicit potent anti-cancer immunotherapeutic effect, especially when administered in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors. To understand the molecular mechanism, we determined the crystal structure of TCB2-Fab in a complex with hIL-2 at 2.5 Å resolution. Our structural analysis reveals that TCB2 binds to the central area of the hIL-2Rα binding region on hIL-2, and binding angle and epitope are different from previously known hIL-2Rα mimicking antibody NARA1 which recognizes the top part of hIL-2. TCB2 binding to hIL-2 also induces an allosteric effect that increases the affinity for the hetero-dimeric hIL-2 receptor, IL-2R(β + γ), on effector T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieun Kim
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun-Young Lee
- Selecxine, Bio Open Innovation Center #1204, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Suk-Youl Park
- Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Republic of Korea
| | - You Jeong Lee
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Sung Kim
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
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33
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In silico data mining of large-scale databases for the virtual screening of human interleukin-2 inhibitors. ACTA PHARMACEUTICA (ZAGREB, CROATIA) 2021; 71:33-56. [PMID: 32697741 DOI: 10.2478/acph-2021-0002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is involved in the activation and differentiation of T-helper cells. Uncontrolled activated T cells play a key role in the pathophysiology by stimulating inflammation and autoimmune diseases like arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn's disease. T cells activation can be suppressed either by preventing IL-2 production or blocking the IL-2 interaction with its receptor. Hence, IL-2 is now emerging as a target for novel therapeutic approaches in several autoimmune disorders. This study was carried out to set up an effective virtual screening (VS) pipeline for IL-2. Four docking/scoring approaches (FRED, MOE, GOLD and Surflex-Dock) were compared in the re-docking process to test their performance in producing correct binding modes of IL-2 inhibitors. Surflex-Dock and FRED were the best in predicting the native pose in its top-ranking position. Shapegauss and CGO scoring functions identified the known inhibitors of IL-2 in top 1, 5 and 10 % of library and differentiated binders from non-binders efficiently with average AUC of > 0.9 and > 0.7, resp. The applied docking protocol served as a basis for the VS of a large database that will lead to the identification of more active compounds against IL-2.
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34
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Bansia H, Mahanta P, Yennawar NH, Ramakumar S. Small Glycols Discover Cryptic Pockets on Proteins for Fragment-Based Approaches. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:1322-1333. [PMID: 33570386 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c01126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cryptic pockets are visible in ligand-bound protein structures but are occluded in unbound structures. Utilizing these pockets in fragment-based drug-design provides an attractive option for proteins not tractable by classical binding sites. However, owing to their hidden nature, they are difficult to identify. Here, we show that small glycols find cryptic pockets on a diverse set of proteins. Initial crystallography experiments serendipitously revealed the ability of ethylene glycol, a small glycol, to identify a cryptic pocket on the W6A mutant of the RBSX protein (RBSX-W6A). Explicit-solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of RBSX-W6A with the exposed state of the cryptic pocket (ethylene glycol removed) revealed closure of the pocket reiterating that the exposed state of cryptic pockets in general are unstable in the absence of ligands. Also, no change in the pocket was observed for simulations of RBSX-W6A with the occluded state of the cryptic pocket, suggesting that water molecules are not able to open the cryptic pocket. "Cryptic-pocket finding" potential of small glycols was then supported and generalized through additional crystallography experiments, explicit-cosolvent MD simulations, and protein data set construction and analysis. The cryptic pocket on RBSX-W6A was found again upon repeating the crystallography experiments with another small glycol, propylene glycol. Use of ethylene glycol as a probe molecule in cosolvent MD simulations led to the enhanced sampling of the exposed state of experimentally observed cryptic sites on a test set of two proteins (Niemann-Pick C2, Interleukin-2). Further, analyses of protein structures with validated cryptic sites showed that ethylene glycol molecules bind to sites on proteins (Bcl-xL, G-actin, myosin II, and glutamate receptor 2), which become apparent upon binding of biologically relevant ligands. Our study thus suggests potential application of the small glycols in experimental and computational fragment-based approaches to identify cryptic pockets in apparently undruggable and/or difficult targets, making these proteins amenable to drug-design strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harsh Bansia
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India
| | - Pranjal Mahanta
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India
| | - Neela H Yennawar
- The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, State College, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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35
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Lu W, Kostic M, Zhang T, Che J, Patricelli MP, Jones LH, Chouchani ET, Gray NS. Fragment-based covalent ligand discovery. RSC Chem Biol 2021; 2:354-367. [PMID: 34458789 PMCID: PMC8341086 DOI: 10.1039/d0cb00222d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted covalent inhibitors have regained widespread attention in drug discovery and have emerged as powerful tools for basic biomedical research. Fueled by considerable improvements in mass spectrometry sensitivity and sample processing, chemoproteomic strategies have revealed thousands of proteins that can be covalently modified by reactive small molecules. Fragment-based drug discovery, which has traditionally been used in a target-centric fashion, is now being deployed on a proteome-wide scale thereby expanding its utility to both the discovery of novel covalent ligands and their cognate protein targets. This powerful approach is allowing ‘high-throughput’ serendipitous discovery of cryptic pockets leading to the identification of pharmacological modulators of proteins previously viewed as “undruggable”. The reactive fragment toolkit has been enabled by recent advances in the development of new chemistries that target residues other than cysteine including lysine and tyrosine. Here, we review the emerging area of covalent fragment-based ligand discovery, which integrates the benefits of covalent targeting and fragment-based medicinal chemistry. We discuss how the two strategies synergize to facilitate the efficient discovery of new pharmacological modulators of established and new therapeutic target proteins. Covalent fragment-based ligand discovery greatly facilitates the discovery of useful fragments for drug discovery and helps unveil chemical-tractable biological targets in native biological systems.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenchao Lu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA .,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA 02215 USA
| | - Milka Kostic
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA
| | - Tinghu Zhang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA .,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA 02215 USA
| | - Jianwei Che
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA .,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA 02215 USA.,Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA
| | | | - Lyn H Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA
| | - Edward T Chouchani
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA .,Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA 02215 USA
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA .,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA 02215 USA
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36
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Dehbashi M, Hojati Z, Motovali-Bashi M, Ganjalikhani-Hakemi M, Shimosaka A, Cho WC. Computational study for suppression of CD25/IL-2 interaction. Biol Chem 2021; 402:167-178. [PMID: 33544473 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2020-0326] [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: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Cancer recurrence presents a huge challenge in cancer patient management. Immune escape is a key mechanism of cancer progression and metastatic dissemination. CD25 is expressed in regulatory T (Treg) cells including tumor-infiltrating Treg cells (TI-Tregs). These cells specially activate and reinforce immune escape mechanism of cancers. The suppression of CD25/IL-2 interaction would be useful against Treg cells activation and ultimately immune escape of cancer. Here, software, web servers and databases were used, at which in silico designed small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), de novo designed peptides and virtual screened small molecules against CD25 were introduced for the prospect of eliminating cancer immune escape and obtaining successful treatment. We obtained siRNAs with low off-target effects. Further, small molecules based on the binding homology search in ligand and receptor similarity were introduced. Finally, the critical amino acids on CD25 were targeted by a de novo designed peptide with disulfide bond. Hence we introduced computational-based antagonists to lay a foundation for further in vitro and in vivo studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moein Dehbashi
- Division of Genetics, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, 81746-73441, Islamic Republic of Iran
| | - Zohreh Hojati
- Division of Genetics, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, 81746-73441, Islamic Republic of Iran
| | - Majid Motovali-Bashi
- Division of Genetics, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, 81746-73441, Islamic Republic of Iran
| | - Mazdak Ganjalikhani-Hakemi
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 81746-73461, Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran.,Acquired Immunodeficiency Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran
| | | | - William C Cho
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, HKSAR, China
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37
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In Silico Identification of Potential Druggable Binding Sites on CIN85 SH3 Domain. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22020534. [PMID: 33430321 PMCID: PMC7825788 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) play a pivotal role in the regulation of many physiological processes. The dysfunction of some PPIs interactions led to the alteration of different biological pathways causing various diseases including cancer. In this context, the inhibition of PPIs represents an attractive strategy for the design of new antitumoral agents. In recent years, computational approaches were successfully used to study the interactions between proteins, providing useful hints for the design of small molecules able to modulate PPIs. Targeting PPIs presents several challenges mainly due to the large and flat binding surface that lack the typical binding pockets of traditional drug targets. Despite these hurdles, substantial progress has been made in the last decade resulting in the identification of PPI modulators where some of them even found clinical use. This study focuses on MUC1-CIN85 PPI which is involved in the migration and invasion of cancer cells. Particularly, we investigated the presence of druggable binding sites on the CIN85 surface which provided new insights for the structure-based design of novel MUC1-CIN85 PPI inhibitors as anti-metastatic agents.
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38
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Simien JM, Haglund E. Topological Twists in Nature. Trends Biochem Sci 2021; 46:461-471. [PMID: 33419636 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2020.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The first entangled protein was observed about 30 years ago, resulting in an increased interest for uncovering the biological functions and biophysical properties of these complex topologies. Recently, the Pierced Lasso Topology (PLT) was discovered in which a covalent bond forms an intramolecular loop, leaving one or both termini free to pierce the loop. This topology is related to knots and other entanglements. PLTs exist in many well-researched systems where the PLTs have previously been unnoticed. PLTs represents 18% of all disulfide containing proteins across all kingdoms of life. In this review, we investigate the biological implications of this specific topology in which the PLT-forming disulfide may act as a molecular switch for protein function and consequently human health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ellinor Haglund
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.
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39
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Gerak CAN, Cho SY, Kolesnikov M, Okon M, Murphy MEP, Sessions RB, Roberge M, McIntosh LP. Biophysical characterization of the ETV6 PNT domain polymerization interfaces. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100284. [PMID: 33450226 PMCID: PMC7949025 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
ETV6 is an E26 transformation specific family transcriptional repressor that self-associates by its PNT domain to facilitate cooperative DNA binding. Chromosomal translocations frequently generate constitutively active oncoproteins with the ETV6 PNT domain fused to the kinase domain of one of many protein tyrosine kinases. Although an attractive target for therapeutic intervention, the propensity of the ETV6 PNT domain to polymerize via the tight head-to-tail association of two relatively flat interfaces makes it challenging to identify suitable small molecule inhibitors of this protein-protein interaction. Herein, we provide a comprehensive biophysical characterization of the ETV6 PNT domain interaction interfaces to aid future drug discovery efforts and help define the mechanisms by which its self-association mediates transcriptional repression. Using NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and molecular dynamics simulations, along with amide hydrogen exchange measurements, we demonstrate that monomeric PNT domain variants adopt very stable helical bundle folds that do not change in conformation upon self-association into heterodimer models of the ETV6 polymer. Surface plasmon resonance-monitored alanine scanning mutagenesis studies identified hot spot regions within the self-association interfaces. These regions include both central hydrophobic residues and flanking salt-bridging residues. Collectively, these studies indicate that small molecules targeted to these hydrophobic or charged regions within the relatively rigid interfaces could potentially serve as orthosteric inhibitors of ETV6 PNT domain polymerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe A N Gerak
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sophia Y Cho
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Maxim Kolesnikov
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mark Okon
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael E P Murphy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Michel Roberge
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lawrence P McIntosh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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40
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Karakus U, Sahin D, Mittl PRE, Mooij P, Koopman G, Boyman O. Receptor-gated IL-2 delivery by an anti-human IL-2 antibody activates regulatory T cells in three different species. Sci Transl Med 2020; 12:12/574/eabb9283. [DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abb9283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Stimulation of regulatory T (Treg) cells holds great promise for the treatment of autoimmune, chronic inflammatory, and certain metabolic diseases. Recent clinical trials with low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) to expand Treg cells led to beneficial results in autoimmunity, but IL-2 immunotherapy can activate both Treg cells and pathogenic T cells. Use of IL-2 receptor α (IL-2Rα, CD25)–biased IL-2/anti–IL-2 antibody complexes improves IL-2 selectivity for Treg cells; however, the mechanism of action of such IL-2 complexes is incompletely understood, thus hampering their translation into clinical trials. Using a cell-based and dynamic IL-2R platform, we identified a particular anti-human IL-2 antibody, termed UFKA-20. When bound to UFKA-20, IL-2 failed to stimulate cells expressing IL-2Rβ (CD122) and IL-2Rγ (CD132), unless these cells also expressed high amounts of CD25. CD25 allowed IL-2/UFKA-20 complexes to bind, and binding to CD25 in the presence of CD122 and CD132 was followed by rapid dissociation of UFKA-20 from IL-2, delivery of IL-2 to CD122 and CD132, and intracellular signaling. IL-2/UFKA-20 complexes efficiently and preferentially stimulated CD4+ Treg cells in freshly isolated human T cells ex vivo and in mice and rhesus macaques in vivo. The crystal structure of the IL-2/UFKA-20 complex demonstrated that UFKA-20 interfered with IL-2 binding to CD122 and, to a lesser extent, also CD25. Together, we translated CD25-biased IL-2 complexes from mice to nonhuman primates and extended our mechanistic understanding of how CD25-biasing anti-human IL-2 antibodies work, which paves the way to clinical trials of CD25-biased IL-2 complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ufuk Karakus
- Department of Immunology, University Hospital Zurich, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dilara Sahin
- Department of Immunology, University Hospital Zurich, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Peer R. E. Mittl
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Petra Mooij
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, 2288 GJ Rijswijk, Netherlands
| | - Gerrit Koopman
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, 2288 GJ Rijswijk, Netherlands
| | - Onur Boyman
- Department of Immunology, University Hospital Zurich, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, CH-8006 Zurich, Switzerland
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41
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Mukhatayev Z, Dellacecca ER, Cosgrove C, Shivde R, Jaishankar D, Pontarolo-Maag K, Eby JM, Henning SW, Ostapchuk YO, Cedercreutz K, Issanov A, Mehrotra S, Overbeck A, Junghans RP, Leventhal JR, Le Poole IC. Antigen Specificity Enhances Disease Control by Tregs in Vitiligo. Front Immunol 2020; 11:581433. [PMID: 33335528 PMCID: PMC7736409 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.581433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin disease characterized by melanocyte destruction. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are greatly reduced in vitiligo skin, and replenishing peripheral skin Tregs can provide protection against depigmentation. Ganglioside D3 (GD3) is overexpressed by perilesional epidermal cells, including melanocytes, which prompted us to generate GD3-reactive chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) Tregs to treat vitiligo. Mice received either untransduced Tregs or GD3-specific Tregs to test the hypothesis that antigen specificity contributes to reduced autoimmune reactivity in vitro and in vivo. CAR Tregs displayed increased IL-10 secretion in response to antigen, provided superior control of cytotoxicity towards melanocytes, and supported a significant delay in depigmentation compared to untransduced Tregs and vehicle control recipients in a TCR transgenic mouse model of spontaneous vitiligo. The latter findings were associated with a greater abundance of Tregs and melanocytes in treated mice versus both control groups. Our data support the concept that antigen-specific Tregs can be prepared, used, and stored for long-term control of progressive depigmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhussipbek Mukhatayev
- Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.,Laboratory of Molecular immunology and Immunobiotechnology, M.A. Aitkhozhin's Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Emilia R Dellacecca
- Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Cormac Cosgrove
- Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Rohan Shivde
- Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Dinesh Jaishankar
- Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | | | - Jonathan M Eby
- Oncology Research Institute, Loyola University, Maywood, IL, United States
| | - Steven W Henning
- Oncology Research Institute, Loyola University, Maywood, IL, United States
| | - Yekaterina O Ostapchuk
- Laboratory of Molecular immunology and Immunobiotechnology, M.A. Aitkhozhin's Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Kettil Cedercreutz
- Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Alpamys Issanov
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
| | - Shikhar Mehrotra
- Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Andreas Overbeck
- Department for Surgery of Pigment Disorders, Lumiderm, Madrid, Spain
| | - Richard P Junghans
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Boston University, Boston MA, United States
| | - Joseph R Leventhal
- Comprehensive Transplant Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - I Caroline Le Poole
- Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
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42
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Khalil R, Usmani S, Nur-E-Alam M, Ahmed S, Ul-Haq Z. Site-directed Fragnomics and MD Simulations Approaches to Identify Interleukin-2 Inhibitors. Med Chem 2020; 17:407-417. [PMID: 33191887 DOI: 10.2174/1573406416999201113104501] [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: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The aberrant expression of Interleukin-2 (IL2), the chief regulator of immunity, is associated with many auto-immune diseases. At present, there is no FDA approved drug targeting IL2, which puts forth the need for small molecular inhibitors to block IL2 and its receptor interaction. METHODOLOGY Herein, we used the contemporary fragnomics approach to design novel drug-like inhibitors targeting IL2. Briefly, the RECAP (Retrosynthetic Combinatorial Analysis Procedure) package implemented in MOE (Molecular Operating Environment check) software suite was utilised to obtain fragments fulfilling the 'rule of three' criteria for fragments. The binding site of IL2 was divided into three smaller grooves, and the fragments were docked to screen their affinity for a particular site, followed by site-directed RECAP synthesis. RESULTS A focused library of 10,000 compounds was prepared by re-combining the fragments according to their affinity for a particular site as observed in docking. Docking and subsequent analysis of newly synthesised compounds identified 40 privileged leads, presenting hydrogen bonding with basic residues of the pocket. A QSAR model was implied to predict the IC50 of the compounds and to analyse the electrostatic and hydrophobic contour maps. The resulting hits were found to be modest IL2 inhibitors with predicted inhibitory activity in the range of 5.17-4.40 nM. Further Dynamic simulation studies were carried out to determine the stability of the inhibitor-IL2 complex. CONCLUSION Our findings underline the potential of the novel compounds as valuable pharmacological agents in diseases characterised by IL2 overexpression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruqaiya Khalil
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
| | - Saman Usmani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Mohammad Nur-E-Alam
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box. 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sarfaraz Ahmed
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box. 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Zaheer Ul-Haq
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
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43
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Mitoma S, El-Khaiat HM, Uto T, Sato K, Sekiguchi S, Norimine J. Characterization of bovine interleukin-2 stably expressed in HEK-293 cells. J Vet Med Sci 2020; 83:134-141. [PMID: 33177289 PMCID: PMC7870392 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.20-0423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Interleukin 2 (IL-2) is a pleotropic cytokine and well-known as a T cell growth factor in immunology. It is now known to exert both immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive effects, optimizing immunological microenvironments for effector and regulatory T cell responses. The immunomodulatory role of IL-2 is critical for deciding whether or not T cell responses against specific antigens result in protection. We have established a mammalian cell line (HEK-293) stably expressing bovine IL-2 (boIL-2) (designated as HEK-293/boIL-2), using the piggyBac transposon system. The concentration of recombinant bovine IL-2 (rboIL-2) in the culture supernatant of HEK-293/boIL-2 reached 100 ng/ml on day 7 and showed similar proliferative activity to recombinant human IL-2 (rhuIL-2) for bovine peripheral mononuclear blood cells. Although rhuIL-2 has been often used to activate bovine T cells, our results indicate that characteristics of the T cell activation through rboIL-2 and huIL-2 appear slightly but significantly different. Interestingly, the rboIL-2/anti-boIL-2 monoclonal antibody (C5) (rboIL-2/C5) complex strongly induced proliferation of bovine NKp46+cells, natural killer (NK) cells, in vitro. This indicates that the rboIL-2/C5 complex could function as an IL-2 agonist specifically to increase the NK cell population, which in turn could enhance the activity of NK cells leading to protective immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuya Mitoma
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1 Gakuen-Kibanadai-Nishi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
| | - Heba M El-Khaiat
- Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, 13736 Moshtohor, Toukh, Qalyubia, Egypt
| | - Tomofumi Uto
- Division of Immunology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan
| | - Katsuaki Sato
- Division of Immunology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan
| | - Satoshi Sekiguchi
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1 Gakuen-Kibanadai-Nishi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan.,Division of Prevention and Control for Animal Diseases, Center for Animal Disease Control, University of Miyazaki, 1-1 Gakuen-Kibanadai-Nishi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
| | - Junzo Norimine
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1 Gakuen-Kibanadai-Nishi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
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44
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Iida S, Nakamura HK, Mashimo T, Fukunishi Y. Structural Fluctuations of Aromatic Residues in an Apo-Form Reveal Cryptic Binding Sites: Implications for Fragment-Based Drug Design. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:9977-9986. [PMID: 33140952 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c04963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cryptic sites are binding pockets that are transiently formed in an apo form or that are induced by ligand binding. The investigation of cryptic sites is crucial for drug discovery, since these sites are ubiquitous in disease-related human proteins, and targeting them expands the number of drug targets greatly. However, although many computational studies have attempted to identify cryptic sites, the detection remains challenging. Here, we aimed to characterize and detect cryptic sites in terms of structural fluctuations in an apo form, investigating proteins each of which possesses a cryptic site. From their X-ray structures, we saw that aromatic residues tended to be found in cryptic sites. To examine structural fluctuations of the apo forms, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, producing probability distributions of the solvent-accessible surface area per aromatic residue. To detect aromatic residues in cryptic sites, we have proposed a "cryptic-site index" based on the distribution, demonstrating the performance via several measures, such as recall and specificity. Besides, we found that high-ranking aromatic residues were likely to probe concaves in a cryptic site. This implies that such fluctuations provide a profile of scaffolds of compounds with the potential to bind to a particular cryptic site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinji Iida
- Technology Research Association for Next-Generation Natural Products Chemistry, 2-3-26, Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan
| | - Hironori K Nakamura
- Biomodeling Research Co., Ltd., 1-704-2, Uedanishi, Tenpaku-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 468-0058, Japan
| | - Tadaaki Mashimo
- Technology Research Association for Next-Generation Natural Products Chemistry, 2-3-26, Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan.,IMSBIO Co., Ltd., 4-21-1, Higashiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-0013, Japan
| | - Yoshifumi Fukunishi
- Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, AIST Tokyo Waterfront, 2-3-26 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan
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45
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Han Y, Cheng L, Sun W. Analysis of Protein-Protein Interaction Networks through Computational Approaches. Protein Pept Lett 2020; 27:265-278. [PMID: 31692419 DOI: 10.2174/0929866526666191105142034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The interactions among proteins and genes are extremely important for cellular functions. Molecular interactions at protein or gene levels can be used to construct interaction networks in which the interacting species are categorized based on direct interactions or functional similarities. Compared with the limited experimental techniques, various computational tools make it possible to analyze, filter, and combine the interaction data to get comprehensive information about the biological pathways. By the efficient way of integrating experimental findings in discovering PPIs and computational techniques for prediction, the researchers have been able to gain many valuable data on PPIs, including some advanced databases. Moreover, many useful tools and visualization programs enable the researchers to establish, annotate, and analyze biological networks. We here review and list the computational methods, databases, and tools for protein-protein interaction prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Han
- Cardiovascular Department, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Liang Cheng
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Weiju Sun
- Cardiovascular Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
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46
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Tan YS, Verma CS. Straightforward Incorporation of Multiple Ligand Types into Molecular Dynamics Simulations for Efficient Binding Site Detection and Characterization. J Chem Theory Comput 2020; 16:6633-6644. [PMID: 32810406 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c00405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Binding site identification and characterization is an important initial step in structure-based drug design. To account for the effects of protein flexibility and solvation, several cosolvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methods that incorporate small organic molecules into the protein's solvent box to probe for binding sites have been developed. However, most of these methods are highly inefficient, as they allow for the use of only one probe type at a time, which means that multiple sets of simulations have to be performed to map different types of binding sites. The high probe concentrations used in some of these methods also necessitate the use of artificial repulsive forces to prevent the probes from aggregating. Here, we present multiple-ligand-mapping MD (mLMMD), a method that incorporates multiple types of probes for simultaneous and efficient mapping of different types of binding sites without the need for introduction of artificial forces that may cause unintended mapping artifacts. We validate the method on a diverse set of 10 proteins and show that the mLMMD probes are able to reliably identify hydrophobic, hydrogen-bonding, charged, and cryptic binding sites in all of the test cases. Our results also highlight the potential utility of mLMMD for virtual screening and rational drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaw Sing Tan
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671
| | - Chandra S Verma
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671.,Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543.,School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551
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47
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Computational methods-guided design of modulators targeting protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Eur J Med Chem 2020; 207:112764. [PMID: 32871340 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) play a pivotal role in extensive biological processes and are thus crucial to human health and the development of disease states. Due to their critical implications, PPIs have been spotlighted as promising drug targets of broad-spectrum therapeutic interests. However, owing to the general properties of PPIs, such as flat surfaces, featureless conformations, difficult topologies, and shallow pockets, previous attempts were faced with serious obstacles when targeting PPIs and almost portrayed them as "intractable" for decades. To date, rapid progress in computational chemistry and structural biology methods has promoted the exploitation of PPIs in drug discovery. These techniques boost their cost-effective and high-throughput traits, and enable the study of dynamic PPI interfaces. Thus, computational methods represent an alternative strategy to target "undruggable" PPI interfaces and have attracted intense pharmaceutical interest in recent years, as exemplified by the accumulating number of successful cases. In this review, we first introduce a diverse set of computational methods used to design PPI modulators. Herein, we focus on the recent progress in computational strategies and provide a comprehensive overview covering various methodologies. Importantly, a list of recently-reported successful examples is highlighted to verify the feasibility of these computational approaches. Finally, we conclude the general role of computational methods in targeting PPIs, and also discuss future perspectives on the development of such aids.
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48
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Dolbois A, Batiste L, Wiedmer L, Dong J, Brütsch M, Huang D, Deerain NM, Spiliotopoulos D, Cheng-Sánchez I, Laul E, Nevado C, Śledź P, Caflisch A. Hitting a Moving Target: Simulation and Crystallography Study of ATAD2 Bromodomain Blockers. ACS Med Chem Lett 2020; 11:1573-1580. [PMID: 32832026 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.0c00080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Small molecule ligand binding to the ATAD2 bromodomain is investigated here through the synergistic combination of molecular dynamics and protein crystallography. A previously unexplored conformation of the binding pocket upon rearrangement of the gatekeeper residue Ile1074 has been found. Further, our investigations reveal how minor structural differences in the ligands result in binding with different plasticity of the ZA loop for this difficult-to-drug bromodomain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aymeric Dolbois
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Batiste
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lars Wiedmer
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jing Dong
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Manuela Brütsch
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Danzhi Huang
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicholas M Deerain
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dimitrios Spiliotopoulos
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Iván Cheng-Sánchez
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Eleen Laul
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Cristina Nevado
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Paweł Śledź
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Amedeo Caflisch
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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49
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Brooks BD, Closmore A, Yang J, Holland M, Cairns T, Cohen GH, Bailey-Kellogg C. Characterizing Epitope Binding Regions of Entire Antibody Panels by Combining Experimental and Computational Analysis of Antibody: Antigen Binding Competition. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25163659. [PMID: 32796656 PMCID: PMC7464469 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25163659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccines and immunotherapies depend on the ability of antibodies to sensitively and specifically recognize particular antigens and specific epitopes on those antigens. As such, detailed characterization of antibody-antigen binding provides important information to guide development. Due to the time and expense required, high-resolution structural characterization techniques are typically used sparingly and late in a development process. Here, we show that antibody-antigen binding can be characterized early in a process for whole panels of antibodies by combining experimental and computational analyses of competition between monoclonal antibodies for binding to an antigen. Experimental "epitope binning" of monoclonal antibodies uses high-throughput surface plasmon resonance to reveal which antibodies compete, while a new complementary computational analysis that we call "dock binning" evaluates antibody-antigen docking models to identify why and where they might compete, in terms of possible binding sites on the antigen. Experimental and computational characterization of the identified antigenic hotspots then enables the refinement of the competitors and their associated epitope binding regions on the antigen. While not performed at atomic resolution, this approach allows for the group-level identification of functionally related monoclonal antibodies (i.e., communities) and identification of their general binding regions on the antigen. By leveraging extensive epitope characterization data that can be readily generated both experimentally and computationally, researchers can gain broad insights into the basis for antibody-antigen recognition in wide-ranging vaccine and immunotherapy discovery and development programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin D. Brooks
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rocky Vista University, Ivins, UT 84738, USA
- Inovan Inc., Fargo, ND 58102, USA
- Department of Microbiology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (T.C.); (G.H.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-435-222-1403
| | - Adam Closmore
- Department of Pharmacy, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USA;
| | - Juechen Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USA; (J.Y.); (M.H.)
| | - Michael Holland
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USA; (J.Y.); (M.H.)
| | - Tina Cairns
- Department of Microbiology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (T.C.); (G.H.C.)
| | - Gary H. Cohen
- Department of Microbiology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (T.C.); (G.H.C.)
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50
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Keeley A, Petri L, Ábrányi-Balogh P, Keserű GM. Covalent fragment libraries in drug discovery. Drug Discov Today 2020; 25:983-996. [PMID: 32298798 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2020.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Targeted covalent inhibitors and chemical probes have become integral parts of drug discovery approaches. Given the advantages of fragment-based drug discovery, screening electrophilic fragments emerged as a promising alternative to discover and validate novel targets and to generate viable chemical starting points even for targets that are barely tractable. In this review, we present recent principles and considerations in the design of electrophilic fragment libraries from the selection of the appropriate covalent warhead through the design of the covalent fragment to the compilation of the library. We then summarize recent screening methodologies of covalent fragments against surrogate models, proteins, and the whole proteome, or living cells. Finally, we highlight recent drug discovery applications of covalent fragment libraries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Keeley
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - László Petri
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Péter Ábrányi-Balogh
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - György M Keserű
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary.
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