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Singh P, Samanta K, Kebe NM, Michel G, Legrand B, Sitnikova VE, Kajava AV, Pagès M, Bastien P, Pomares C, Coux O, Hernandez JF. The C-terminal segment of Leishmania major HslU: Toward potential inhibitors of LmHslVU activity. Bioorg Chem 2021; 119:105539. [PMID: 34894575 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.105539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
It is urgent to develop less toxic and more efficient treatments for leishmaniases and trypanosomiases. We explore the possibility to target the parasite mitochondrial HslVU protease, which is essential for growth and has no analogue in the human host. For this, we develop compounds potentially inhibiting the complex assembly by mimicking the C-terminal (C-ter) segment of the ATPase HslU. We previously showed that a dodecapeptide derived from Leishmania major HslU C-ter segment (LmC12-U2, Cpd 1) was able to bind to and activate the digestion of a fluorogenic substrate by LmHslV. Here, we present the study of its structure-activity relationships. By replacing each essential residue with related non-proteinogenic residues, we obtained more potent analogues. In particular, a cyclohexylglycine residue at position 11 (cpd 24) allowed a more than three-fold gain in potency while reducing the size of compound 24 from twelve to six residues (cpd 50) without significant loss of potency, opening the way toward short HslU C-ter peptidomimetics as potential inhibitors of HslV proteolytic function. Finally, conjugates constituted of LmC6-U2 analogues and a mitochondrial penetrating peptide were found to penetrate into the promastigote form of L. infantum and to inhibit the parasite growth without showing toxicity toward human THP-1 cells at the same concentration (i.e. 30 μM).
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Singh
- IBMM, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Ndeye Mathy Kebe
- Centre de Recherche en Biologie Cellulaire de Montpellier (CRBM), UMR5237, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, 1919, route de Mende, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | - Grégory Michel
- Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire (C3M), U1065, Université Côte d'Azur, Inserm, Archimed Building, 151 route Saint Antoine de Ginestière, 06000 Nice, France
| | | | - Vera E Sitnikova
- International Research Institute of Bioengineering, ITMO University, Kronverksky Pr. 49, 197101 Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Andrey V Kajava
- Centre de Recherche en Biologie Cellulaire de Montpellier (CRBM), UMR5237, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, 1919, route de Mende, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | - Michel Pagès
- MIVEGEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, CHU, 191 avenue du Doyen Giraud, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | - Patrick Bastien
- MIVEGEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, CHU, 191 avenue du Doyen Giraud, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | - Christelle Pomares
- Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire (C3M), U1065, Université Côte d'Azur, Inserm, Archimed Building, 151 route Saint Antoine de Ginestière, 06000 Nice, France
| | - Olivier Coux
- Centre de Recherche en Biologie Cellulaire de Montpellier (CRBM), UMR5237, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, 1919, route de Mende, 34000 Montpellier, France.
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Trypanosoma brucei Tim50 Possesses PAP Activity and Plays a Critical Role in Cell Cycle Regulation and Parasite Infectivity. mBio 2021; 12:e0159221. [PMID: 34517757 PMCID: PMC8546626 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01592-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma brucei, the infective agent for African trypanosomiasis, possesses a homologue of the translocase of the mitochondrial inner membrane 50 (TbTim50). It has a pair of characteristic phosphatase signature motifs, DXDX(T/V). Here, we demonstrated that, besides its protein phosphatase activity, the recombinant TbTim50 binds and hydrolyzes phosphatidic acid in a concentration-dependent manner. Mutations of D242 and D244, but not of D345and D347, to alanine abolished these activities. In silico structural homology models identified the putative binding interfaces that may accommodate different phosphosubstrates. Interestingly, TbTim50 depletion in the bloodstream form (BF) of T. brucei reduced cardiolipin (CL) levels and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ). TbTim50 knockdown (KD) also reduced the population of G2/M phase and increased that of G1 phase cells; inhibited segregation and caused overreplication of kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), and reduced BF cell growth. Depletion of TbTim50 increased the levels of AMPK phosphorylation, and parasite morphology was changed with upregulation of expression of a few stumpy marker genes. Importantly, we observed that TbTim50-depleted parasites were unable to establish infection in mice. Proteomics analysis showed reductions in levels of the translation factors, flagellar transport proteins, and many proteasomal subunits, including those of the mitochondrial heat shock locus ATPase (HslVU), which is known to play a role in regulation of kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) replication. Reduction of the level of HslV in TbTim50 KD cells was further validated by immunoblot analysis. Together, our results showed that TbTim50 is essential for mitochondrial function, regulation of kDNA replication, and the cell cycle in the BF. Therefore, TbTim50 is an important target for structure-based drug design to combat African trypanosomiasis.
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Update on relevant trypanosome peptidases: Validated targets and future challenges. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2020; 1869:140577. [PMID: 33271348 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2020.140577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of the American Trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, and Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, the agents of Sleeping sickness (Human African Trypanosomiasis, HAT), as well as Trypanosoma brucei brucei, the agent of the cattle disease nagana, contain cysteine, serine, threonine, aspartyl and metallo peptidases. The most abundant among these enzymes are the cysteine proteases from the Clan CA, the Cathepsin L-like cruzipain and rhodesain, and the Cathepsin B-like enzymes, which have essential roles in the parasites and thus are potential targets for chemotherapy. In addition, several other proteases, present in one or both parasites, have been characterized, and some of them are also promising candidates for the developing of new drugs. Recently, new inhibitors, with good selectivity for the parasite proteasomes, have been described and are very promising as lead compounds for the development of new therapies for these neglected diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: "Play and interplay of proteases in health and disease".
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The HslV Protease from Leishmania major and Its Activation by C-terminal HslU Peptides. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20051021. [PMID: 30813632 PMCID: PMC6429459 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20051021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
HslVU is an ATP-dependent proteolytic complex present in certain bacteria and in the mitochondrion of some primordial eukaryotes, including deadly parasites such as Leishmania. It is formed by the dodecameric protease HslV and the hexameric ATPase HslU, which binds via the C-terminal end of its subunits to HslV and activates it by a yet unclear allosteric mechanism. We undertook the characterization of HslV from Leishmania major (LmHslV), a trypanosomatid that expresses two isoforms for HslU, LmHslU1 and LmHslU2. Using a novel and sensitive peptide substrate, we found that LmHslV can be activated by peptides derived from the C-termini of both LmHslU1 and LmHslU2. Truncations, Ala- and D-scans of the C-terminal dodecapeptide of LmHslU2 (LmC12-U2) showed that five out of the six C-terminal residues of LmHslU2 are essential for binding to and activating HslV. Peptide cyclisation with a lactam bridge allowed shortening of the peptide without loss of potency. Finally, we found that dodecapeptides derived from HslU of other parasites and bacteria are able to activate LmHslV with similar or even higher efficiency. Importantly, using electron microscopy approaches, we observed that the activation of LmHslV was accompanied by a large conformational remodeling, which represents a yet unidentified layer of control of HslV activation.
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Chang CY, Hu HT, Tsai CH, Wu WF. The degradation of RcsA by ClpYQ(HslUV) protease in Escherichia coli. Microbiol Res 2016; 184:42-50. [PMID: 26856452 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2016.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Revised: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
In Escherichia coli, RcsA, a positive activator for transcription of cps (capsular polysaccharide synthesis) genes, is degraded by the Lon protease. In lon mutant, the accumulation of RcsA leads to overexpression of capsular polysaccharide. In a previous study, overproduction of ClpYQ(HslUV) protease represses the expression of cpsB∷lacZ, but there has been no direct observation demonstrating that ClpYQ degrades RcsA. By means of a MBP-RcsA fusion protein, we showed that RcsA activated cpsB∷lacZ expression and could be rapidly degraded by Lon protease in SG22622 (lon(+)). Subsequently, the comparative half-life experiments performed in the bacterial strains SG22623 (lon) and AC3112 (lon clpY clpQ) indicated that the RcsA turnover rate in AC3112 was relatively slow and RcsA was stable at 30°C or 41°C. In addition, ClpY could interact with RscA in an in vitro pull-down assay, and the more rapid degradation of RcsA was observed in the presence of ClpYQ protease at 41°C. Thus, we conclude that RcsA is indeed proteolized by ClpYQ protease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Yang Chang
- Department of Agricultural Chemistry, College of Bio-Resource and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Hui-Ting Hu
- Department of Agricultural Chemistry, College of Bio-Resource and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chih-Hsuan Tsai
- Department of Agricultural Chemistry, College of Bio-Resource and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Whei-Fen Wu
- Department of Agricultural Chemistry, College of Bio-Resource and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
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Sung KH, Song HK. Insights into the molecular evolution of HslU ATPase through biochemical and mutational analyses. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103027. [PMID: 25050622 PMCID: PMC4106860 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2014] [Accepted: 06/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ATP-dependent HslVU complexes are found in all three biological kingdoms. A single HslV protease exists in each species of prokaryotes, archaea, and eukaryotes, but two HslUs (HslU1 and HslU2) are present in the mitochondria of eukaryotes. Previously, a tyrosine residue at the C-terminal tail of HslU2 has been identified as a key determinant of HslV activation in Trypanosoma brucei and a phenylalanine at the equivalent position to E. coli HslU is found in T. brucei HslU1. Unexpectedly, we found that an F441Y mutation in HslU enhanced the peptidase and caseinolytic activity of HslV in E. coli but it showed partially reduced ATPase and SulA degradation activity. Previously, only the C-terminal tail of HslU has been the focus of HslV activation studies. However, the Pro315 residue interacting with Phe441 in free HslU has also been found to be critical for HslV activation. Hence, our current biochemical analyses explore the importance of the loop region just before Pro315 for HslVU complex functionality. The proline and phenylalanine pair in prokaryotic HslU was replaced with the threonine and tyrosine pair from the functional eukaryotic HslU2. Sequence comparisons between multiple HslUs from three different biological kingdoms in combination with biochemical analysis of E. coli mutants have uncovered important new insights into the molecular evolutionary pathway of HslU.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hyun Kyu Song
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
- * E-mail:
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Mbang-Benet DE, Sterkers Y, Morelle C, Kebe NM, Crobu L, Portalès P, Coux O, Hernandez JF, Meghamla S, Pagès M, Bastien P. The bacterial-like HslVU protease complex subunits are involved in the control of different cell cycle events in trypanosomatids. Acta Trop 2014; 131:22-31. [PMID: 24299926 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2013.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2013] [Revised: 11/16/2013] [Accepted: 11/21/2013] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The trypanosomatid parasites Leishmania and Trypanosoma are responsible for the most important WHO-designated neglected tropical diseases, for which the need for cost-effective new drugs is urgent. In addition to the classical eukaryotic 20S and 26S proteasomes, these unconventional eukaryotes possess a bacterial-like protease complex, HslVU, made of proteolytic (HslV) and regulatory (HslU) subunits. In trypanosomatids, two paralogous genes are co-expressed: HslU1 and HslU2. Conflicting reports have been published with respect to subcellular localization, functional redundancy and putative roles of the different subunits of this complex in trypanosomatids. Here, we definitively established the mitochondrial localization of HslVU in L. major procyclic promastigotes and of HslV in T. brucei bloodstream trypomastigotes, the latter being the form responsible for the disease in the mammalian host. Moreover, our data demonstrate for the first time the essential nature of HslVU in the bloodstream trypomastigotes of T. brucei, in spite of mitochondrial repression at this stage. Interestingly, our work also allows distinguishing a specific role for the different members of the complex, as HslV and HslU1 appear to be involved in the control of different cell cycle events. Finally, these data validate HslVU as a promising drug target against these parasitic diseases of wide medical and economical importance.
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