1
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Nagar P, Bhowmick K, Chawla A, Malik MZ, Subbarao N, Kaur I, Dhar SK. Plasmodium falciparum cysteine protease Falcipain 3: A potential enzyme for proteolytic processing of histone acetyltransferase PfGCN5. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2024. [PMID: 38924147 DOI: 10.1002/bab.2630] [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: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
In spite of 150 years of studying malaria, the unique features of the malarial parasite, Plasmodium, still perplex researchers. One of the methods by which the parasite manages its gene expression is epigenetic regulation, the champion of which is PfGCN5, an essential enzyme responsible for acetylating histone proteins. PfGCN5 is a ∼170 kDa chromatin-remodeling enzyme that harbors the conserved bromodomain and acetyltransferase domain situated in its C-terminus domain. Although the PfGCN5 proteolytic processing is essential for its activity, the specific protease involved in this process still remains elusive. Identification of PfGCN5 interacting proteins through immunoprecipitation (IP) followed by LC-tandem mass spectrometry analysis revealed the presence of food vacuolar proteins, such as the cysteine protease Falcipain 3 (FP3), in addition to the typical members of the PfGCN5 complex. The direct interaction between FP3 and PfGCN5 was further validated by in vitro pull-down assay as well as IP assay. Subsequently, use of cysteine protease inhibitor E64d led to the inhibition of protease-specific processing of PfGCN5 with concomitant enrichment and co-localization of PfGCN5 and FP3 around the food vacuole as evidenced by confocal microscopy as well as electron microscopy. Remarkably, the proteolytic cleavage of the nuclear protein PfGCN5 by food vacuolar protease FP3 is exceptional and atypical in eukaryotic organisms. Targeting the proteolytic processing of GCN5 and the associated protease FP3 could provide a novel approach for drug development aimed at addressing the growing resistance of parasites to current antimalarial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Nagar
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Krishanu Bhowmick
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
- The Institute for Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, New York, USA
| | - Aishwarya Chawla
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Md Zubbair Malik
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
- Department of Genetics and Bioinformatics, Dasman Diabetes Institute, Dasman, Kuwait
| | - Naidu Subbarao
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Inderjeet Kaur
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
- Department of Biotechnology, Central University of Haryana, Mahendergarh, Haryana, India
| | - Suman Kumar Dhar
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
- TERI School of Advanced Studies, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, India
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2
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Pasupureddy R, Verma S, Goyal B, Pant A, Sharma R, Bhatt S, Vashisht K, Singh S, Saxena AK, Dixit R, Chakraborti S, Pandey KC. Understanding the complex formation of falstatin; an endogenous macromolecular inhibitor of falcipains. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 265:130420. [PMID: 38460641 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
Proteolytic activity constitutes a fundamental process essential for the survival of the malaria parasite and is thus highly regulated. Falstatin, a protease inhibitor of Plasmodium falciparum, tightly regulates the activity of cysteine hemoglobinases, falcipain-2 and 3 (FP2, FP3), by inhibiting FP2 through a single surface exposed loop. However, the multimeric nature of falstatin and its interaction with FP2 remained unexplored. Here we report that the N-terminal falstatin region is highly disordered, and needs chaperone activity (heat-shock protein 70, HSP70) for its folding. Protein-protein interaction assays showed a significant interaction between falstatin and HSP70. Further, characterization of the falstatin multimer through a series of biophysical techniques identified the formation of a falstatin decamer, which was extremely thermostable. Computational analysis of the falstatin decamer showed the presence of five falstatin dimers, with each dimer aligned in a head-to-tail orientation. Further, the falstatin C-terminal region was revealed to be primarily involved in the oligomerization process. Stoichiometric analysis of the FP2-falstatin multimer showed the formation of a heterooligomeric complex in a 1:1 ratio, with the participation of ten subunits of each protein. Taken together, our results report a novel protease-inhibitor complex and strengthens our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of major plasmodium hemoglobinases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Pasupureddy
- Parasite-Host Biology Group, ICMR National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India.
| | - Sonia Verma
- Parasite-Host Biology Group, ICMR National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India; Department of Biotechnology, Noida Institute of Engineering & Technology, UP, India
| | - Bharti Goyal
- Parasite-Host Biology Group, ICMR National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, UP, India
| | - Akansha Pant
- Parasite-Host Biology Group, ICMR National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Ruby Sharma
- School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Shruti Bhatt
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India.
| | - Kapil Vashisht
- Parasite-Host Biology Group, ICMR National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
| | - Ajay K Saxena
- School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
| | - Rajnikant Dixit
- Parasite-Host Biology Group, ICMR National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, UP, India.
| | - Soumyananda Chakraborti
- Parasite-Host Biology Group, ICMR National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, UP, India.
| | - Kailash C Pandey
- Parasite-Host Biology Group, ICMR National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, UP, India.
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3
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González JEH, Salas-Sarduy E, Alvarez LH, Valiente PA, Arni RK, Pascutti PG. Three Decades of Targeting Falcipains to Develop Antiplasmodial Agents: What have we Learned and What can be Done Next? Curr Med Chem 2024; 31:2234-2263. [PMID: 37711130 DOI: 10.2174/0929867331666230913165219] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is a devastating infectious disease that affects large swathes of human populations across the planet's tropical regions. It is caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium, with Plasmodium falciparum being responsible for the most lethal form of the disease. During the intraerythrocytic stage in the human hosts, malaria parasites multiply and degrade hemoglobin (Hb) using a battery of proteases, which include two cysteine proteases, falcipains 2 and 3 (FP-2 and FP-3). Due to their role as major hemoglobinases, FP-2 and FP-3 have been targeted in studies aiming to discover new antimalarials and numerous inhibitors with activity against these enzymes, and parasites in culture have been identified. Nonetheless, cross-inhibition of human cysteine cathepsins remains a serious hurdle to overcome for these compounds to be used clinically. In this article, we have reviewed key functional and structural properties of FP-2/3 and described different compound series reported as inhibitors of these proteases during decades of active research in the field. Special attention is also paid to the wide range of computer-aided drug design (CADD) techniques successfully applied to discover new active compounds. Finally, we provide guidelines that, in our understanding, will help advance the rational discovery of new FP-2/3 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Enrique Hernández González
- Multiuser Center for Biomolecular Innovation, IBILCE/UNESP, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UZA II, University of Vienna, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | - Emir Salas-Sarduy
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, CONICET, San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnología (EByN), Universidad de San Martín (UNSAM), San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Pedro Alberto Valiente
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Pedro Geraldo Pascutti
- Laboratório de Modelagem e Dinâmica Molecular, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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4
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Detomasi TC, Batka AE, Valastyan JS, Hydorn MA, Craik CS, Bassler BL, Marletta MA. Proteases influence colony aggregation behavior in Vibrio cholerae. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105386. [PMID: 37898401 PMCID: PMC10709122 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105386] [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: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggregation behavior provides bacteria protection from harsh environments and threats to survival. Two uncharacterized proteases, LapX and Lap, are important for Vibrio cholerae liquid-based aggregation. Here, we determined that LapX is a serine protease with a preference for cleavage after glutamate and glutamine residues in the P1 position, which processes a physiologically based peptide substrate with a catalytic efficiency of 180 ± 80 M-1s-1. The activity with a LapX substrate identified by a multiplex substrate profiling by mass spectrometry screen was 590 ± 20 M-1s-1. Lap shares high sequence identity with an aminopeptidase (termed VpAP) from Vibrio proteolyticus and contains an inhibitory bacterial prepeptidase C-terminal domain that, when eliminated, increases catalytic efficiency on leucine p-nitroanilide nearly four-fold from 5.4 ± 4.1 × 104 M-1s-1 to 20.3 ± 4.3 × 104 M-1s-1. We demonstrate that LapX processes Lap to its mature form and thus amplifies Lap activity. The increase is approximately eighteen-fold for full-length Lap (95.7 ± 5.6 × 104 M-1s-1) and six-fold for Lap lacking the prepeptidase C-terminal domain (11.3 ± 1.9 × 105 M-1s-1). In addition, substrate profiling reveals preferences for these two proteases that could inform in vivo function. Furthermore, purified LapX and Lap restore the timing of the V. cholerae aggregation program to a mutant lacking the lapX and lap genes. Both proteases must be present to restore WT timing, and thus they appear to act sequentially: LapX acts on Lap, and Lap acts on the substrate involved in aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler C Detomasi
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Allison E Batka
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Julie S Valastyan
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA; The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
| | - Molly A Hydorn
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Charles S Craik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Bonnie L Bassler
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA; The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
| | - Michael A Marletta
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA; California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
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5
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Verma K, Lahariya AK, Verma G, Kumari M, Gupta D, Maurya N, Verma AK, Mani A, Schneider KA, Bharti PK. Screening of potential antiplasmodial agents targeting cysteine protease-Falcipain 2: a computational pipeline. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:8121-8164. [PMID: 36218071 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2130984] [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: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The spread of antimalarial drug resistance is a substantial challenge in achieving global malaria elimination. Consequently, the identification of novel therapeutic candidates is a global health priority. Malaria parasite necessitates hemoglobin degradation for its survival, which is mediated by Falcipain 2 (FP2), a promising antimalarial target. In particular, FP2 is a key enzyme in the erythrocytic stage of the parasite's life cycle. Here, we report the screening of approved drugs listed in DrugBank using a computational pipeline that includes drug-likeness, toxicity assessments, oral toxicity evaluation, oral bioavailability, docking analysis, maximum common substructure (MCS) and molecular dynamics (MD) Simulations analysis to identify capable FP2 inhibitors, which are hence potential antiplasmodial agents. A total of 45 drugs were identified, which have positive drug-likeness, no toxic features and good bioavailability. Among these, six drugs showed good binding affinity towards FP2 compared to E64, an epoxide known to inhibit FP2. Notably, two of them, Cefalotin and Cefoxitin, shared the highest MCS with E64, which suggests that they possess similar biological activity as E64. In an investigation using MD for 100 ns, Cefalotin and Cefoxitin showed adequate protein compactness as well as satisfactory complex stability. Overall, these computational approach findings can be applied for designing and developing specific inhibitors or new antimalarial agents for the treatment of malaria infections.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanika Verma
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Ayush Kumar Lahariya
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Garima Verma
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
- School of Studies in Microbiology, Jiwaji University, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Monika Kumari
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
- Department of Biotechnology, St. Aloysius' (Autonomous) College, Affiliated to Rani Durgawati University, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Jabalpur, India
| | - Divanshi Gupta
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rani Durgawati University, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Neha Maurya
- Department of Biotechnology, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, Prayagraj, India
| | - Anil Kumar Verma
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Ashutosh Mani
- Department of Biotechnology, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, Prayagraj, India
| | | | - Praveen Kumar Bharti
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
- Department of Parasite Host Biology, National Institute of Malaria Research, Delhi, India
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6
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Argüello-García R, Carrero JC, Ortega-Pierres MG. Extracellular Cysteine Proteases of Key Intestinal Protozoan Pathogens-Factors Linked to Virulence and Pathogenicity. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12850. [PMID: 37629029 PMCID: PMC10454693 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612850] [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: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Intestinal diseases caused by protistan parasites of the genera Giardia (giardiasis), Entamoeba (amoebiasis), Cryptosporidium (cryptosporidiosis) and Blastocystis (blastocystosis) represent a major burden in human and animal populations worldwide due to the severity of diarrhea and/or inflammation in susceptible hosts. These pathogens interact with epithelial cells, promoting increased paracellular permeability and enterocyte cell death (mainly apoptosis), which precede physiological and immunological disorders. Some cell-surface-anchored and molecules secreted from these parasites function as virulence markers, of which peptide hydrolases, particularly cysteine proteases (CPs), are abundant and have versatile lytic activities. Upon secretion, CPs can affect host tissues and immune responses beyond the site of parasite colonization, thereby increasing the pathogens' virulence. The four intestinal protists considered here are known to secrete predominantly clan A (C1- and C2-type) CPs, some of which have been characterized. CPs of Giardia duodenalis (e.g., Giardipain-1) and Entamoeba histolytica (EhCPs 1-6 and EhCP112) degrade mucin and villin, cause damage to intercellular junction proteins, induce apoptosis in epithelial cells and degrade immunoglobulins, cytokines and defensins. In Cryptosporidium, five Cryptopains are encoded in its genome, but only Cryptopains 4 and 5 are likely secreted. In Blastocystis sp., a legumain-activated CP, called Blastopain-1, and legumain itself have been detected in the extracellular medium, and the former has similar adverse effects on epithelial integrity and enterocyte survival. Due to their different functions, these enzymes could represent novel drug targets. Indeed, some promising results with CP inhibitors, such as vinyl sulfones (K11777 and WRR605), the garlic derivative, allicin, and purified amoebic CPs have been obtained in experimental models, suggesting that these enzymes might be useful drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raúl Argüello-García
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México City 07360, Mexico;
| | - Julio César Carrero
- Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), México City 04510, Mexico
| | - M. Guadalupe Ortega-Pierres
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México City 07360, Mexico;
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7
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Mukherjee S, Nguyen S, Sharma E, Goldberg DE. Maturation and substrate processing topography of the Plasmodium falciparum invasion/egress protease plasmepsin X. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4537. [PMID: 35927261 PMCID: PMC9352755 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32271-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The malaria parasite Plasmodium invades a host erythrocyte, multiplies within a parasitophorous vacuole (PV) and then ruptures the PV and erythrocyte membranes in a process known as egress. Both egress and invasion are controlled by effector proteins discharged from specialized secretory organelles. The aspartic protease plasmepsin X (PM X) regulates activity for many of these effectors, but it is unclear how PM X accesses its diverse substrates that reside in different organelles. PM X also autoprocesses to generate different isoforms. The function of this processing is not understood. We have mapped the self-cleavage sites and have constructed parasites with cleavage site mutations. Surprisingly, a quadruple mutant that remains full-length retains in vitro activity, is trafficked normally, and supports normal egress, invasion and parasite growth. The N-terminal half of the prodomain stays bound to the catalytic domain even after processing and is required for proper intracellular trafficking of PM X. We find that this enzyme cleaves microneme and exoneme substrates before discharge, while the rhoptry substrates that are dependent on PM X activity are cleaved after exoneme discharge into the PV. The data give insight into the temporal, spatial and biochemical control of this unusual but important aspartic protease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumit Mukherjee
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, and Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Suong Nguyen
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, and Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Eashan Sharma
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, and Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Daniel E Goldberg
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, and Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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8
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Uddin A, Gupta S, Mohammad T, Shahi D, Hussain A, Alajmi MF, El-Seedi HR, Hassan I, Singh S, Abid M. Target-Based Virtual Screening of Natural Compounds Identifies a Potent Antimalarial With Selective Falcipain-2 Inhibitory Activity. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:850176. [PMID: 35462917 PMCID: PMC9020225 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.850176] [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: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
We employed a comprehensive approach of target-based virtual high-throughput screening to find potential hits from the ZINC database of natural compounds against cysteine proteases falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 (FP2 and FP3). Molecular docking studies showed the initial hits showing high binding affinity and specificity toward FP2 were selected. Furthermore, the enzyme inhibition and surface plasmon resonance assays were performed which resulted in a compound ZINC12900664 (ST72) with potent inhibitory effects on purified FP2. ST72 exhibited strong growth inhibition of chloroquine-sensitive (3D7; EC50 = 2.8 µM) and chloroquine-resistant (RKL-9; EC50 = 6.7 µM) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Stage-specific inhibition assays revealed a delayed and growth defect during parasite growth and development in parasites treated with ST72. Furthermore, ST72 significantly reduced parasite load and increased host survival in a murine model infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA. No Evans blue staining in ST72 treatment indicated that ST72 mediated protection of blood–brain barrier integrity in mice infected with P. berghei. ST72 did not show any significant hemolysis or cytotoxicity against human HepG2 cells suggesting a good safety profile. Importantly, ST72 with CQ resulted in improved growth inhibitory activity than individual drugs in both in vitro and in vivo studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amad Uddin
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Sonal Gupta
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Taj Mohammad
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Diksha Shahi
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Afzal Hussain
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed F. Alajmi
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hesham R. El-Seedi
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, Biomedical Centre, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Imtaiyaz Hassan
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
- *Correspondence: Shailja Singh, ; Mohammad Abid,
| | - Mohammad Abid
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
- *Correspondence: Shailja Singh, ; Mohammad Abid,
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9
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Hernández González JE, Alberca LN, Masforrol González Y, Reyes Acosta O, Talevi A, Salas-Sarduy E. Tetracycline Derivatives Inhibit Plasmodial Cysteine Protease Falcipain-2 through Binding to a Distal Allosteric Site. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 62:159-175. [PMID: 34962803 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c01189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Allosteric inhibitors regulate enzyme activity from remote and usually specific pockets. As they promise an avenue for less toxic and safer drugs, the identification and characterization of allosteric inhibitors has gained great academic and biomedical interest in recent years. Research on falcipain-2 (FP-2), the major papain-like cysteine hemoglobinase of Plasmodium falciparum, might benefit from this strategy to overcome the low selectivity against human cathepsins shown by active site-directed inhibitors. Encouraged by our previous finding that methacycline inhibits FP-2 noncompetitively, here we assessed other five tetracycline derivatives against this target and characterized their inhibition mechanism. As previously shown for methacycline, tetracycline derivatives inhibited FP-2 in a noncompetitive fashion, with Ki values ranging from 121 to 190 μM. A possible binding to the S' side of the FP-2 active site, similar to that described by X-ray crystallography (PDB: 6SSZ) for the noncompetitive inhibitor E-chalcone 48 (EC48), was experimentally discarded by kinetic analysis using a large peptidyl substrate spanning the whole active site. By combining lengthy molecular dynamics (MD) simulations that allowed methacycline to diffuse from solution to different FP-2 surface regions and free energy calculations, we predicted the most likely binding mode of the ligand. Of note, the proposed binding pose explains the low differences in Ki values observed for the tested tetracycline derivatives and the calculated binding free energies match the experimental values. Overall, this study has implications for the design of novel allosteric inhibitors against FP-2 and sets the basis for further optimization of the tetracycline scaffold to produce more potent and selective inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Enrique Hernández González
- Departamento de Física, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, Jardim Nazareth, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo CEP 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Lucas N Alberca
- Laboratory of Bioactive Compounds Research and Development (LIDeB), Department of Biological Sciences, Exact Sciences College, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata B1900ADU, Argentina
| | | | - Osvaldo Reyes Acosta
- Chemistry and Physics Department, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Alan Talevi
- Laboratory of Bioactive Compounds Research and Development (LIDeB), Department of Biological Sciences, Exact Sciences College, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata B1900ADU, Argentina
| | - Emir Salas-Sarduy
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Rodolfo Ugalde"─Universidad Nacional de San Martín─CONICET, San Martín B1650HMP, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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10
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Chakrabarti M, Joshi N, Kumari G, Singh P, Shoaib R, Munjal A, Kumar V, Behl A, Abid M, Garg S, Gupta S, Singh S. Interaction of Plasmodium falciparum apicortin with α- and β-tubulin is critical for parasite growth and survival. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4688. [PMID: 33633135 PMCID: PMC7907060 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83513-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytoskeletal structures of Apicomplexan parasites are important for parasite replication, motility, invasion to the host cell and survival. Apicortin, an Apicomplexan specific protein appears to be a crucial factor in maintaining stability of the parasite cytoskeletal assemblies. However, the function of apicortin, in terms of interaction with microtubules still remains elusive. Herein, we have attempted to elucidate the function of Plasmodium falciparum apicortin by monitoring its interaction with two main components of parasite microtubular structure, α-tubulin-I and β-tubulin through in silico and in vitro studies. Further, a p25 domain binding generic drug Tamoxifen (TMX), was used to disrupt PfApicortin-tubulin interactions which led to the inhibition in growth and progression of blood stage life cycle of P. falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malabika Chakrabarti
- grid.10706.300000 0004 0498 924XSpecial Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 India
| | - Nishant Joshi
- grid.410868.30000 0004 1781 342XDepartment of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Gautam Budh Nagar, Noida, 201314 UP India
| | - Geeta Kumari
- grid.10706.300000 0004 0498 924XSpecial Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 India
| | - Preeti Singh
- grid.10706.300000 0004 0498 924XSpecial Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 India
| | - Rumaisha Shoaib
- grid.411818.50000 0004 0498 8255Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi, 110025 India
| | - Akshay Munjal
- grid.10706.300000 0004 0498 924XSpecial Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 India
| | - Vikash Kumar
- grid.10706.300000 0004 0498 924XSpecial Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 India
| | - Ankita Behl
- grid.10706.300000 0004 0498 924XSpecial Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 India
| | - Mohammad Abid
- grid.411818.50000 0004 0498 8255Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi, 110025 India
| | - Swati Garg
- grid.10706.300000 0004 0498 924XSpecial Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 India
| | - Sonal Gupta
- grid.10706.300000 0004 0498 924XSpecial Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 India
| | - Shailja Singh
- grid.10706.300000 0004 0498 924XSpecial Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 India ,grid.410868.30000 0004 1781 342XDepartment of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Gautam Budh Nagar, Noida, 201314 UP India
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11
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Aratikatla E, Kalamuddin M, Malhotra P, Mohmmed A, Bhattacharya AK. Enantioselective Synthesis of γ-Phenyl-γ-amino Vinyl Phosphonates and Sulfones and Their Application to the Synthesis of Novel Highly Potent Antimalarials. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:29025-29037. [PMID: 33225134 PMCID: PMC7675543 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c03470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Racemic and enantioselective syntheses of γ-phenyl-γ-amino vinyl phosphonates and sulfones have been achieved using Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons olefination of trityl protected α-phenyl-α-amino aldehydes with tetraethyl methylenediphosphonate and diethyl ((phenylsulfonyl)methyl)phosphonate, respectively, without any racemization. The present strategy has also been successfully applied to the synthesis of peptidyl vinyl phosphonate and peptidyl vinyl sulfone derivatives as potential cysteine protease inhibitors of Chagas disease, K11002, with 100% de. The developed synthetic protocol was further utilized to synthesize hybrid molecules consisting of artemisinin as an inhibitor of major cysteine protease falcipain-2 present in the food vacuole of the malarial parasite. The synthesized artemisinin-dipeptidyl vinyl sulfone hybrid compounds showed effective in vitro inhibition of falcipain-2 and potent parasiticidal efficacies against Plasmodium falciparum in nanomolar ranges. Overall, the developed synthetic protocol could be effectively utilized to design cysteine protease inhibitors not only as novel antimalarial compounds but also to be involved in other life-threatening diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eswar
K. Aratikatla
- Division
of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical
Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NCL, Pune 411 008, India
| | - Md Kalamuddin
- International
Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB) Aruna Asif
Ali Marg, New Delhi 100 067, India
| | - Pawan Malhotra
- International
Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB) Aruna Asif
Ali Marg, New Delhi 100 067, India
| | - Asif Mohmmed
- International
Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB) Aruna Asif
Ali Marg, New Delhi 100 067, India
| | - Asish K. Bhattacharya
- Division
of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical
Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NCL, Pune 411 008, India
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12
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Uddin A, Singh V, Irfan I, Mohammad T, Singh Hada R, Imtaiyaz Hassan M, Abid M, Singh S. Identification and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of carvacrol derivatives as potential anti-malarial against Plasmodium falciparum falcipain-2 protease. Bioorg Chem 2020; 103:104142. [PMID: 32763521 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.104142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
In an effort to develop a potent anti-malarial agent against Plasmodium falciparum, a structure-guided virtual screening using an in-house library comprising 652 compounds was performed. By docking studies, we identified two compounds (JMI-105 and JMI-346) which formed significant non-covalent interactions and fit well in the binding pocket of PfFP-2. We affirmed this observation by MD simulation studies. As evident by the biochemical analysis, such as enzyme inhibition assay, Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), live-cell imaging and hemozoin inhibition, JMI-105 and JMI-346 at 25 µM concentration showed an inhibitory effect on purified PfFP-2. JMI-105 and JMI-346 inhibited the growth of CQS (3D7; IC50 = 8.8 and 13 µM) and CQR (RKL-9; IC50 = 14.3 and 33 µM) strains of P. falciparum. Treatment with compounds resulted in defect in parasite growth and development. No significant hemolysis or cytotoxicity towards human cells was observed suggesting that these molecules are non-toxic. We pursued, structural optimization on JMI-105 and in the process, SAR oriented derivatives (5a-5l) were synthesized and evaluated for growth inhibition potential. JMI-105 significantly decreased parasitemia and prolonged host survival in a murine model with P. berghei ANKA infection. The compounds (JMI-105 and JMI-346) against PfFP-2 have the potential to be used as an anti-malarial agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amad Uddin
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India; Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Vigyasa Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Iram Irfan
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Taj Mohammad
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Rahul Singh Hada
- Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh 201314, India
| | - Md Imtaiyaz Hassan
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Mohammad Abid
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India.
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India.
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13
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Rosenthal PJ. Falcipain cysteine proteases of malaria parasites: An update. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2020; 1868:140362. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2020.140362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 01/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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14
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Kumar B, Mohammad T, Amaduddin, Hussain A, Islam A, Ahmad F, Alajmi MF, Singh S, Pandey KC, Hassan MI, Abid M. Targeting metacaspase-3 from Plasmodium falciparum towards antimalarial therapy: A combined approach of in-silico and in-vitro investigation. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2020; 39:421-430. [PMID: 31900062 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2019.1711194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is a global challenge, and its infection is propagated through Plasmodium falciparum, an obligate human parasite. The genome of P. falciparum encodes many proteases that play significant roles in their survival and pathogenesis thus being considered as attractive drug targets. P. falciparum metacaspase-3 (PfMCA3) is one such protease and a validated drug target to control malarial infection. First, we modeled the three-dimensional structure of PfMCA3 and predicted its ligand-binding pocket. The structural features of PfMCA3 were used for virtual screening followed by docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies to identify potent inhibitors. We used an in-house library of 513 compounds for screening to identify lead molecule fits well in the active site pocket of PfMCA3. The binding affinity and mechanism were investigated by combined docking and MD simulation studies. Docking studies reveal that the selected compounds are forming enough number of non-covalent interactions to the PfMCA3. In the enzyme inhibition assay, one of the selected compounds, H6 was found with appreciable inhibitory potential. MD simulation studies further support the binding of compound H6 with PfMCA3 and formation of a stable complex throughout the simulation trajectory. Taken together, we proposed that compound H6 is a promising lead scaffold that can be further exploited as a potential inhibitor of PfMCA3 for therapeutic management of malarial infection.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhumika Kumar
- Department of Bioscience, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India.,Protein Biochemistry and Engineering Lab, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
| | - Taj Mohammad
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Amaduddin
- Department of Bioscience, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India.,Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Afzal Hussain
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Asimul Islam
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Faizan Ahmad
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Mohamed F Alajmi
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Kailash C Pandey
- Protein Biochemistry and Engineering Lab, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
| | - Md Imtaiyaz Hassan
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Mohammad Abid
- Department of Bioscience, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
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15
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Siddiqui FA, Cabrera M, Wang M, Brashear A, Kemirembe K, Wang Z, Miao J, Chookajorn T, Yang Z, Cao Y, Dong G, Rosenthal PJ, Cui L. Plasmodium falciparum Falcipain-2a Polymorphisms in Southeast Asia and Their Association With Artemisinin Resistance. J Infect Dis 2019; 218:434-442. [PMID: 29659945 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiy188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Falcipain-2a ([FP2a] PF3D7_1115700) is a Plasmodium falciparum cysteine protease and hemoglobinase. Functional FP2a is required for potent activity of artemisinin, and in vitro selection for artemisinin resistance selected for an FP2a nonsense mutation. Methods To investigate associations between FP2a polymorphisms and artemisinin resistance and to characterize the diversity of the enzyme in parasites from the China-Myanmar border, we sequenced the full-length FP2a gene in 140 P falciparum isolates collected during 2004-2011. Results The isolates were grouped into 8 different haplotype groups. Haplotype group I appeared in samples obtained after 2008, coinciding with implementation of artemisinin-based combination therapy in this region. In functional studies, compared with wild-type parasites, the FP2a haplotypes demonstrated increased ring survival, and all haplotype groups exhibited significantly reduced FP2a activity, with group I showing the slowest protease kinetics and reduced parasite fitness. Conclusions These results suggest that altered hemoglobin digestion due to FP2a mutations may contribute to artemisinin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faiza A Siddiqui
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
| | - Mynthia Cabrera
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
| | - Meilian Wang
- College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang
| | - Awtum Brashear
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
| | - Karen Kemirembe
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
| | - Zenglei Wang
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
| | - Jun Miao
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
| | - Thanat Chookajorn
- Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Zhaoqing Yang
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, China
| | - Yaming Cao
- College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang
| | - Gang Dong
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Liwang Cui
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
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16
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Kumar B, Verma S, Kashif M, Sharma R, Atul, Dixit R, Singh AP, Pande V, Saxena AK, Abid M, Pandey KC. Metacaspase-3 of Plasmodium falciparum: An atypical trypsin-like serine protease. Int J Biol Macromol 2019; 138:309-320. [PMID: 31301397 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.07.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Metacaspases are clan CD cysteine peptidases found in plants, fungi and protozoa that possess a conserved Peptidase_C14 domain, homologous to the human caspases and a catalytic His/Cys dyad. Earlier reports have indicated the role of metacaspases in cell death; however, metacaspases of human malaria parasite remains poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to functionally characterize a novel malarial protease, P. falciparum metacaspase-3 (PfMCA3). Unlike other clan CD peptidases, PfMCA3 has an atypical active site serine (Ser1865) residue in place of canonical cysteine and it phylogenetically forms a distinct branch across the species. To investigate whether this domain retains catalytic activity, we expressed, purified and refolded the Peptidase_C14 domain of PfMCA3 which was found to express in all asexual stages. PfMCA3 exhibited trypsin-like serine protease activity with ser1865 acting as catalytic residue to cleave trypsin oligopeptide substrate. PfMCA3 is inhibited by trypsin-like serine protease inhibitors. Our study found that PfMCA3 enzymatic activity was abrogated when catalytic serine1865 (S1865A) was mutated. Moreover, PfMCA3 was found to be inactive against caspase substrate. Overall, our study characterizes a novel metacaspase of P. falciparum, different from human caspases and not responsible for the caspase-like activity, therefore, could be considered as a potential chemotherapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhumika Kumar
- National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, 110077, India; Department of Bioscience, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Sonia Verma
- National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, 110077, India
| | | | - Ruby Sharma
- Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Atul
- Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, 263001, India
| | - Rajnikant Dixit
- National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, 110077, India
| | - Agam P Singh
- National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Veena Pande
- Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, 263001, India
| | - Ajay K Saxena
- Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Mohammad Abid
- Department of Bioscience, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Kailash C Pandey
- National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, 110077, India; National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Bhopal, 462001, India.
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17
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Guo P, Wang Z, Wang Q, Liu H, Zhang Y, Xu H, Zhao P. Fibroinase and its physiological inhibitors involved in the regulation of silk gland development in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 106:19-27. [PMID: 30639702 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2019.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Fibroinase, a cathepsin L-like cysteine protease, was previously identified in the silk gland of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. It shows high degradation activity during the pre-pupa period, when the silk gland undergoes apoptosis and remodeling. Here, we recombinantly expressed pro-fibroinase and activated it in vitro. Fibroinase showed optimal hydrolytic activity at pH 4.0 and its optimum temperature was about 42 °C. One physiological inhibitor, B. mori cysteine protease inhibitor (BCPI) was found, which showed strong inhibitory activity against fibroinase. The inhibitory reaction was caused by the formation of a non-covalent complex; this is in contrast to a previously reported mode of fibroinase inhibition by Serpin18. Expression profiles and immunolocalization analysis demonstrated that fibroinase was involved in silk gland development by degrading silk proteins and apoptosis/remodeling of silk glands at specific points. Furthermore, the comparison of the temporal expression of fibroinase and its inhibitors, BCPI and Serpin18, indicated that these inhibitors were involved in the silk gland development by regulating the activity of fibroinase from the fifth instar until the early spinning stage. These findings improve our understanding of the mechanism of protease regulation and its inhibitors in silk gland development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengchao Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sericultural Science, Chongqing engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Zhan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Qian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Huawei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yunshi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Haiyang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Ping Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sericultural Science, Chongqing engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
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18
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Crucial residues in falcipains that mediate hemoglobin hydrolysis. Exp Parasitol 2019; 197:43-50. [PMID: 30648557 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2019.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 11/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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19
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Koeller CM, Bangs JD. Processing and targeting of cathepsin L (TbCatL) to the lysosome in
Trypanosoma brucei. Cell Microbiol 2019; 21:e12980. [DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carolina M. Koeller
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences University at Buffalo (SUNY) Buffalo New York USA
| | - James D. Bangs
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences University at Buffalo (SUNY) Buffalo New York USA
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20
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Pratap S, Naaz F, Reddy S, Jha KK, Sharma K, Sahal D, Akhter M, Nayakanti D, Kumar HMS, Kumari V, Pandey K, Shafi S. Anti-proliferative and anti-malarial activities of spiroisoxazoline analogues of artemisinin. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2018:e1800192. [PMID: 30537298 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.201800192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
A series of spiroisoxazoline analogues of artemisinin was synthesized by employing 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between various in situ generated nitrile oxides and artemisitene. All the synthesized compounds were tested for their anti-proliferative and anti-malarial activities. Among the compounds tested, compound 11a was found to be potent against the HCT-15 cancer cell line with IC50 = 4.04 μM when compared to 5-fluorouracil (IC50 = 35.53 μM). DNA cell cycle analysis shows that 11a was inhibiting cell proliferation at the G2/M phase. Compound 11b was found to be most active against Plasmodium falciparum with IC50 = 0.1 μM and also blocked host hemoglobin hydrolysis by the falcipain-3 receptor. It was demonstrated to have better dynamics of parasite killing efficiency than artemisinin. Molecular docking studies revealed that these compounds interacted with falcipain-3 receptor sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surya Pratap
- Research Scholar, Department of Biosciences, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Anantapur, India
| | - Fatima Naaz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
| | - Srinivas Reddy
- Vaccine Immunology Laboratory, Natural Products Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, India
- CNRS, Immunopathology and Therapeutic Chemistry/Laboratory of Excellence Medalis, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Strasbourg, France
| | - Kunal K Jha
- Chemical and Biological Crystallography Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Science, Shiv Nadar University, Tehsil Dadri, India
| | - Kalicharan Sharma
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
| | - Dinakar Sahal
- Malaria Research Laboratory, ICGEB, New Delhi, India
| | - Mymoona Akhter
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
| | - Devanna Nayakanti
- Research Scholar, Department of Biosciences, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Anantapur, India
| | - Halmuthur M S Kumar
- Vaccine Immunology Laboratory, Natural Products Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Vandana Kumari
- National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Kailash Pandey
- National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
- National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Bhopal, India
| | - Syed Shafi
- Department of Chemistry, School of Chemical and Life Science, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
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21
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Pant A, Kumar R, Wani NA, Verma S, Sharma R, Pande V, Saxena AK, Dixit R, Rai R, Pandey KC. Allosteric Site Inhibitor Disrupting Auto-Processing of Malarial Cysteine Proteases. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16193. [PMID: 30385827 PMCID: PMC6212536 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34564-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Falcipains are major haemoglobinases of Plasmodium falciparum required for parasite growth and development. They consist of pro- and mature domains that interact via 'hot-spot' interactions and maintain the structural integrity of enzyme in zymogen state. Upon sensing the acidic environment, these interactions dissociate and active enzyme is released. For inhibiting falcipains, several active site inhibitors exist, however, compounds that target via allosteric mechanism remains uncharacterized. Therefore, we designed and synthesized six azapeptide compounds, among which, NA-01 & NA-03 arrested parasite growth by specifically blocking the auto-processing of falcipains. Inhibitors showed high affinity for enzymes in presence of the prodomain without affecting the secondary structure. Binding of NA-03 at the interface induced rigidity in the prodomain preventing structural reorganization. We further reported a histidine-dependent activation of falcipain. Collectively, for the first time we provide a framework for blocking the allosteric site of crucial haemoglobinases of the human malaria parasite. Targeting the allosteric site could provide high selectivity and less vulnerable to drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Pant
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka Sector 8, New Delhi, India
- Department of Biotechnology, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
| | - R Kumar
- Integrated Science Lab, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - N A Wani
- Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India
| | - S Verma
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka Sector 8, New Delhi, India
- Department of Biotechnology, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
| | - R Sharma
- School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - V Pande
- Department of Biotechnology, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
| | - A K Saxena
- School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - R Dixit
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka Sector 8, New Delhi, India
| | - R Rai
- Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India
| | - K C Pandey
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka Sector 8, New Delhi, India.
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Bhopal, MP - 462001, India.
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Rational Design of Recombinant Papain-Like Cysteine Protease: Optimal Domain Structure and Expression Conditions for Wheat-Derived Enzyme Triticain-α. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:ijms18071395. [PMID: 28661426 PMCID: PMC5535888 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18071395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Triticain-α is a papain-like cysteine protease from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) that possesses activity towards toxic gluten-derived peptides, and was thus proposed as a novel therapeutic tool for celiac disease. We report an original approach employing rational design of domain architecture of Triticain-α and selection of the appropriate expression system for development of cheap and efficient protocol yielding active recombinant enzyme. The segregated catalytic domain of Triticain-α did not adopt native structure in bacteria, neither being expressed as a single protein nor upon conjugation or co-expression with extrinsic chaperones. Meanwhile, its attachment to prodomain of the enzyme resulted in generation of insoluble (inclusion bodies) product that can be transformed into active protease upon refolding in vitro. The estimated yield of the product was affected by affinity six-histidine tag required for its single-step purification with the preferable N-terminal position of the tag. Expression of the two-domain Triticain-α construct in yeast (Pichia pastoris) strain GS115 and bacterial (Escherichia coli) strain Rosetta gami B (DE3) led to the accumulation of a soluble protein, which underwent autocatalytic maturation during expression (in yeast)/purification (in bacteria) procedures and exhibited pronounced protease activity. Furthermore, expression and solubility of such construct in Rosetta gami B (DE3) cells was improved by reducing the temperature of the bacterial growth yielding more active enzyme than yeast counterpart presumably due to facilitated formation of a characteristic disulfide bond critical for maintaining the catalytic site. We suggest that these findings are helpful for obtaining active Triticain-α preparations for scientific or medical applications, and can be employed for the design and production of beneficial recombinant products based on other papain-like cysteine proteases.
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Verma S, Dixit R, Pandey KC. Cysteine Proteases: Modes of Activation and Future Prospects as Pharmacological Targets. Front Pharmacol 2016; 7:107. [PMID: 27199750 PMCID: PMC4842899 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteolytic enzymes are crucial for a variety of biological processes in organisms ranging from lower (virus, bacteria, and parasite) to the higher organisms (mammals). Proteases cleave proteins into smaller fragments by catalyzing peptide bonds hydrolysis. Proteases are classified according to their catalytic site, and distributed into four major classes: cysteine proteases, serine proteases, aspartic proteases, and metalloproteases. This review will cover only cysteine proteases, papain family enzymes which are involved in multiple functions such as extracellular matrix turnover, antigen presentation, processing events, digestion, immune invasion, hemoglobin hydrolysis, parasite invasion, parasite egress, and processing surface proteins. Therefore, they are promising drug targets for various diseases. For preventing unwanted digestion, cysteine proteases are synthesized as zymogens, and contain a prodomain (regulatory) and a mature domain (catalytic). The prodomain acts as an endogenous inhibitor of the mature enzyme. For activation of the mature enzyme, removal of the prodomain is necessary and achieved by different modes. The pro-mature domain interaction can be categorized as protein-protein interactions (PPIs) and may be targeted in a range of diseases. Cysteine protease inhibitors are available that can block the active site but no such inhibitor available yet that can be targeted to block the pro-mature domain interactions and prevent it activation. This review specifically highlights the modes of activation (processing) of papain family enzymes, which involve auto-activation, trans-activation and also clarifies the future aspects of targeting PPIs to prevent the activation of cysteine proteases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Verma
- Host-Parasite Interaction Biology Group, National Institute of Malaria Research, Indian Council of Medical Research New Delhi, India
| | - Rajnikant Dixit
- Host-Parasite Interaction Biology Group, National Institute of Malaria Research, Indian Council of Medical Research New Delhi, India
| | - Kailash C Pandey
- Department of Biochemistry, National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Indian Council of Medical Research Bhopal, India
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Independent amino acid residues in the S2 pocket of falcipain-3 determine its specificity for P2 residues in substrates. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2015; 202:11-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2015.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2015] [Revised: 09/24/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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25
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Substrate specificity studies of the cysteine peptidases falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 from Plasmodium falciparum and demonstration of their kininogenase activity. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2013; 187:111-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2013.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2012] [Revised: 10/20/2012] [Accepted: 01/16/2013] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Sundararaj S, Singh D, Saxena AK, Vashisht K, Sijwali PS, Dixit R, Pandey KC. The Ionic and hydrophobic interactions are required for the auto activation of cysteine proteases of Plasmodium falciparum. PLoS One 2012; 7:e47227. [PMID: 23077573 PMCID: PMC3473063 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2012] [Accepted: 09/11/2012] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The Plasmodium falciparum cysteine proteases falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 are major hemoglobinases and potential antimalarial drug targets. Our previous studies demonstrated that these enzymes are equipped with specific domains for specific functions. Structural and functional analysis of falcipains showed that they have unique domains including a refolding domain and a hemoglobin binding domain. As with many proteases, falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 are synthesized as inactive zymogens. However, it is not known how these enzymes get activated for hemoglobin hydrolysis. In this study, we are presenting the first evidence that salt bridges and hydrophobic interactions are required for the auto activation of cysteine proteases of P.falciparum. To investigate the mechanism of activation of these enzymes, we expressed the wild type protein as well as different mutants in E.coli. Refolding was assessed by circular dichroism. Both CD and trans activation data showed that the wild type enzymes and mutants are rich in secondary structures with similar folds. Our study revealed that prodomain-mature domain of falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 interacts via salt bridges and hydrophobic interactions. We mutated specific residues of falcipain-2 and falcipain-3, and evaluated their ability to undergo auto processing. Mutagenesis result showed that two salt bridges (Arg¹⁸⁵- Glu²²¹, Glu²¹⁰- Lys⁴⁰³) in falcipain-2, and one salt bridge (Arg²⁰²-Glu²³⁸) in falcipain-3, play crucial roles in the activation of these enzymes. Further study revealed that hydrophobic interactions present both in falcipain-2 (Phe²¹⁴ Trp⁴⁴⁹ Trp⁴⁵³) and falcipain-3 (Phe²³¹ Trp⁴⁵⁷ Trp⁴⁶¹) also play important roles in the activation of these enzymes. Our results revealed the interactions involved in auto processing of two major hemoglobinases of malaria parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinivasan Sundararaj
- Host–Parasite Interaction Biology Group, National Institute of Malaria Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
| | - Deepak Singh
- Host–Parasite Interaction Biology Group, National Institute of Malaria Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
| | - Ajay K. Saxena
- Structural Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Kapil Vashisht
- Host–Parasite Interaction Biology Group, National Institute of Malaria Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Rajnikant Dixit
- Host–Parasite Interaction Biology Group, National Institute of Malaria Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
| | - Kailash C. Pandey
- Host–Parasite Interaction Biology Group, National Institute of Malaria Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
- * E-mail:
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Sarduy ES, Chávez Planes MDLA. Efficient expression systems for cysteine proteases of malaria parasites: too good to be true? Bioengineered 2012; 4:107-14. [PMID: 23018863 DOI: 10.4161/bioe.22348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Papain-like cysteine proteases of malaria parasites are considered important chemotherapeutic targets or valuable models for the evaluation of drug candidates. Consequently, many of these enzymes have been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli for their biochemical characterization. However, their expression has been problematic, showing low yield and leading to the formation of insoluble aggregates. Given that highly-productive expression systems are required for the high-throughput evaluation of inhibitors, we analyzed the existing expression systems to identify the causes of such apparent issues. We found that significant divergences in codon and nucleotide composition from host genes are the most probable cause of expression failure, and propose several strategies to overcome these limitations. Finally we predict that yeast hosts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris may be better suited than E. coli for the efficient expression of plasmodial genes, presumably leading to soluble and active products reproducing structural and functional characteristics of the natural enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emir Salas Sarduy
- Centro de Estudio de Proteínas, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de la Habana, Havana, Cuba.
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Structure-function of falcipains: malarial cysteine proteases. J Trop Med 2012; 2012:345195. [PMID: 22529862 PMCID: PMC3317066 DOI: 10.1155/2012/345195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2011] [Revised: 10/12/2011] [Accepted: 10/27/2011] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence indicates that cysteine proteases play essential role in malaria parasites; therefore an obvious area of investigation is the inhibition of these enzymes to treat malaria. Studies with cysteine protease inhibitors and manipulating cysteine proteases genes have suggested a role for cysteine proteases in hemoglobin hydrolysis. The best characterized Plasmodium cysteine proteases are falcipains, which are papain family enzymes. Falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 are major hemoglobinases of P. falciparum. Structural and functional analysis of falcipains showed that they have unique domains including a refolding domain and a hemoglobin binding domain. Overall, the complexes of falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 with small and macromolecular inhibitors provide structural insight to facilitate the design or modification of effective drug treatment against malaria. Drug development targeting falcipains should be aided by a strong foundation of biochemical and structural studies.
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Identification of lead compounds targeting the cathepsin B-like enzyme of Eimeria tenella. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2011; 56:1190-201. [PMID: 22143531 DOI: 10.1128/aac.05528-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Cysteine peptidases have been implicated in the development and pathogenesis of Eimeria. We have identified a single-copy cathepsin B-like cysteine peptidase gene in the genome database of Eimeria tenella (EtCatB). Molecular modeling of the predicted protein suggested that it differs significantly from host enzymes and could be a good drug target. EtCatB was expressed and secreted as a soluble, active, glycosylated mature enzyme from Pichia pastoris. Biochemical characterization of the recombinant enzyme confirmed that it is cathepsin B-like. Screening of a focused library against the enzyme identified three inhibitors (a nitrile, a thiosemicarbazone, and an oxazolone) that can be used as leads for novel drug discovery against Eimeria. The oxazolone scaffold is a novel cysteine peptidase inhibitor; it may thus find widespread use.
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30
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Centenary celebrations article: Cysteine proteases of human malaria parasites. J Parasit Dis 2011; 35:94-103. [PMID: 23024488 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-011-0084-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2011] [Accepted: 11/09/2011] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
There is an urgent need for new drugs against malaria, which takes millions of lives annually. Cysteine proteases are potential new drug targets, especially when current drugs are showing resistance. Falcipains and vivapains are well characterized cysteine proteases of P. falciparum and P. vivax, respectively. Studies with cysteine protease inhibitors and manipulating cysteine proteases specific genes have suggested their roles in hemoglobin hydrolysis. In P. falciparum, falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 are major hemoglobinases that hydrolyze host erythrocyte hemoglobin in the parasite food vacuole. It is confirmed that disruption of the falcipain-2 gene led to a transient block in hemoglobin hydrolysis, and disruption of falcipain-3 gene was not possible, suggesting that protease is essential for erythrocytic parasites. On the other hand, vivapain-2, vivapain-3 and vivapain-4 are important cysteine proteases of P. vivax, which shared a number of features with falcipain-2 and falcipain-3. A recent study indicates that vivapains and aspartic protease of P. vivax works collaboratively to enhance the parasites' ability to hydrolyze host erythrocyte hemoglobin. Studies also indicate that falcipains and vivapains also hydrolyse the erythrocyte cytoskeleton proteins and involved in rupture of red blood cell. Structural and biochemical analysis of falcipains and vivapains showed that they have unique domains for specific functions. Overall, the complexes of cysteine proteases with small and macromolecular inhibitors provide structural insight to facilitate the drug design. Therefore, giving due importance to the cysteine proteases, this review will briefly focus the recent advancement in the field of cysteine proteases of human malaria parasites.
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Rosenthal PJ. Falcipains and other cysteine proteases of malaria parasites. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2011; 712:30-48. [PMID: 21660657 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-8414-2_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
A number of cysteine proteases of malaria parasites have been described and many more are suggested by analysis of the Plasmodium falciparum genome sequence. The best characterized of these proteases are the falcipains, a family of four papain-family enzymes. Falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 act in concert with other proteases to hydrolyze host erythrocyte hemoglobin in the parasite food vacuole. Disruption of the falcipain-2 gene led to a transient block in hemoglobin hydrolysis and parasites with increased sensitivity to protease inhibitors. Disruption of the falcipain-3 gene was not possible, strongly suggesting that this protease is essential for erythrocytic parasites. Disruption of the falcipain-1 gene did not alter development in erythrocytes, but led to decreased production of oocysts in mosquitoes. other papain-family proteases predicted by the genome sequence include dipeptidyl peptidases, a calpain homolog and serine-repeat antigens (SERAs). Dipeptidyl aminopeptidase 1 appears to be essential and localized to the food vacuole, suggesting a role in hemoglobin hydrolysis. Dipeptidyl aminopeptidase 3 appears to play a role in the rupture of erythrocytes by mature parasites. the P. falciparum calpain homolog gene could not be disrupted, suggesting that the protein is essential and a role in the parasite cell cycle has been suggested. Nine P. falciparum SERAs have cysteine protease motifs, but in some the active site cys is replaced by a Ser. Gene disruption studies suggested that SERA-5 and SERA-6 are essential. activation of SERA-5 by a serine protease seems to be required for merozoite egress from the erythrocyte. New drugs for malaria are greatly needed and cysteine proteases represent potential drug targets. cysteine protease inhibitors have demonstrated potent antimalarial effects and the optimization and testing of falcipain inhibitor antimalarials is underway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip J Rosenthal
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
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Malaria-Infected Mice Are Cured by a Single Low Dose of a New Silylamide Trioxane Plus Mefloquine. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2009; 2:228-235. [PMID: 27713236 PMCID: PMC3978545 DOI: 10.3390/ph2030228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2009] [Revised: 12/08/2009] [Accepted: 12/18/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Three thermally and hydrolytically stable silylamide trioxanes have been prepared from the natural trioxane artemisinin in only five simple chemical steps and in at least 56% overall yield. Two of these new chemical entities completely cured malariainfected mice at a single oral dose of only 8 mg/kg combined with 24 mg/kg of mefloquine hydrochloride. The high efficacy of this ACT chemotherapy is considerably better than the efficacy using the popular trioxane drug artemether plus mefloquine hydrochloride.
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Kerr ID, Lee JH, Farady CJ, Marion R, Rickert M, Sajid M, Pandey KC, Caffrey CR, Legac J, Hansell E, McKerrow JH, Craik CS, Rosenthal PJ, Brinen LS. Vinyl sulfones as antiparasitic agents and a structural basis for drug design. J Biol Chem 2009; 284:25697-703. [PMID: 19620707 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.014340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Cysteine proteases of the papain superfamily are implicated in a number of cellular processes and are important virulence factors in the pathogenesis of parasitic disease. These enzymes have therefore emerged as promising targets for antiparasitic drugs. We report the crystal structures of three major parasite cysteine proteases, cruzain, falcipain-3, and the first reported structure of rhodesain, in complex with a class of potent, small molecule, cysteine protease inhibitors, the vinyl sulfones. These data, in conjunction with comparative inhibition kinetics, provide insight into the molecular mechanisms that drive cysteine protease inhibition by vinyl sulfones, the binding specificity of these important proteases and the potential of vinyl sulfones as antiparasitic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iain D Kerr
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158-2550, USA
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Pandey KC, Barkan DT, Sali A, Rosenthal PJ. Regulatory elements within the prodomain of Falcipain-2, a cysteine protease of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. PLoS One 2009; 4:e5694. [PMID: 19479029 PMCID: PMC2682653 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2008] [Accepted: 03/24/2009] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Falcipain-2, a papain family cysteine protease of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, plays a key role in parasite hydrolysis of hemoglobin and is a potential chemotherapeutic target. As with many proteases, falcipain-2 is synthesized as a zymogen, and the prodomain inhibits activity of the mature enzyme. To investigate the mechanism of regulation of falcipain-2 by its prodomain, we expressed constructs encoding different portions of the prodomain and tested their ability to inhibit recombinant mature falcipain-2. We identified a C-terminal segment (Leu155–Asp243) of the prodomain, including two motifs (ERFNIN and GNFD) that are conserved in cathepsin L sub-family papain family proteases, as the mediator of prodomain inhibitory activity. Circular dichroism analysis showed that the prodomain including the C-terminal segment, but not constructs lacking this segment, was rich in secondary structure, suggesting that the segment plays a crucial role in protein folding. The falcipain-2 prodomain also efficiently inhibited other papain family proteases, including cathepsin K, cathepsin L, cathepsin B, and cruzain, but it did not inhibit cathepsin C or tested proteases of other classes. A structural model of pro-falcipain-2 was constructed by homology modeling based on crystallographic structures of mature falcipain-2, procathepsin K, procathepsin L, and procaricain, offering insights into the nature of the interaction between the prodomain and mature domain of falcipain-2 as well as into the broad specificity of inhibitory activity of the falcipain-2 prodomain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailash C. Pandey
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - David T. Barkan
- Departments of Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Graduate Group in Bioinformatics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Andrej Sali
- Departments of Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Philip J. Rosenthal
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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35
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Subramanian S, Hardt M, Choe Y, Niles RK, Johansen EB, Legac J, Gut J, Kerr ID, Craik CS, Rosenthal PJ. Hemoglobin cleavage site-specificity of the Plasmodium falciparum cysteine proteases falcipain-2 and falcipain-3. PLoS One 2009; 4:e5156. [PMID: 19357776 PMCID: PMC2663817 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2009] [Accepted: 03/10/2009] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Plasmodium falciparum cysteine proteases falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 degrade host hemoglobin to provide free amino acids for parasite protein synthesis. Hemoglobin hydrolysis has been described as an ordered process initiated by aspartic proteases, but cysteine protease inhibitors completely block the process, suggesting that cysteine proteases can also initiate hemoglobin hydrolysis. To characterize the specific roles of falcipains, we used three approaches. First, using random P1 – P4 amino acid substrate libraries, falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 demonstrated strong preference for cleavage sites with Leu at the P2 position. Second, with overlapping peptides spanning α and β globin and proteolysis-dependent 18O labeling, hydrolysis was seen at many cleavage sites. Third, with intact hemoglobin, numerous cleavage products were identified. Our results suggest that hemoglobin hydrolysis by malaria parasites is not a highly ordered process, but rather proceeds with rapid cleavage by falcipains at multiple sites. However, falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 show strong specificity for P2 Leu in small peptide substrates, in agreement with the specificity in optimized small molecule inhibitors that was identified previously. These results are consistent with a principal role of falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 in the hydrolysis of hemoglobin by P. falciparum and with the possibility of developing small molecule inhibitors with optimized specificity as antimalarial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoba Subramanian
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Markus Hardt
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Youngchool Choe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Richard K. Niles
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Eric B. Johansen
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Legac
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Jiri Gut
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Iain D. Kerr
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Charles S. Craik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Philip J. Rosenthal
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Cryptopain-1, a cysteine protease of Cryptosporidium parvum, does not require the pro-domain for folding. Parasitology 2008; 136:149-57. [PMID: 19091155 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182008005350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY Cryptosporidium parvum is an intracellular protozoan parasite that causes cryptosporidiosis in mammals including humans. In the current study, the gene encoding the cysteine protease of C. parvum (cryptopain-1) was identified and the biochemical properties of the recombinant enzyme were characterized. Cryptopain-1 shared common structural properties with cathepsin L-like papain family enzymes, but lacked a typical signal peptide sequence and contained a possible transmembrane domain near the amino terminus and a unique insert in the front of the mature domain. The recombinant cryptopain-1 expressed in Escherichia coli and refolded to the active form showed typical biochemical properties of cathepsin L-like enzymes. The folding determinant of cryptopain-1 was characterized through multiple constructs with or without different lengths of the pro-domain of the enzyme expressed in E. coli and assessment of their refolding abilities. All constructs, except one that did not contain the full-length mature domain, successfully refolded into the active enzymes, suggesting that cryptopain-1 did not require the pro-domain for folding. Western blot analysis showed that cryptopain-1 was expressed in the sporozoites and the enzyme preferentially degraded proteins, including collagen and fibronectin, but not globular proteins. This suggested a probable role for cryptopain-1 in host cell invasion and/or egression by the parasite.
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Ettari R, Nizi E, Di Francesco ME, Dude MA, Pradel G, Vičík R, Schirmeister T, Micale N, Grasso S, Zappalà M. Development of Peptidomimetics with a Vinyl Sulfone Warhead as Irreversible Falcipain-2 Inhibitors. J Med Chem 2008; 51:988-96. [DOI: 10.1021/jm701141u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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38
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Pandey KC, Singh N, Arastu-Kapur S, Bogyo M, Rosenthal PJ. Falstatin, a cysteine protease inhibitor of Plasmodium falciparum, facilitates erythrocyte invasion. PLoS Pathog 2006; 2:e117. [PMID: 17083274 PMCID: PMC1630708 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.0020117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2006] [Accepted: 09/21/2006] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Erythrocytic malaria parasites utilize proteases for a number of cellular processes, including hydrolysis of hemoglobin, rupture of erythrocytes by mature schizonts, and subsequent invasion of erythrocytes by free merozoites. However, mechanisms used by malaria parasites to control protease activity have not been established. We report here the identification of an endogenous cysteine protease inhibitor of Plasmodium falciparum, falstatin, based on modest homology with the Trypanosoma cruzi cysteine protease inhibitor chagasin. Falstatin, expressed in Escherichia coli, was a potent reversible inhibitor of the P. falciparum cysteine proteases falcipain-2 and falcipain-3, as well as other parasite- and nonparasite-derived cysteine proteases, but it was a relatively weak inhibitor of the P. falciparum cysteine proteases falcipain-1 and dipeptidyl aminopeptidase 1. Falstatin is present in schizonts, merozoites, and rings, but not in trophozoites, the stage at which the cysteine protease activity of P. falciparum is maximal. Falstatin localizes to the periphery of rings and early schizonts, is diffusely expressed in late schizonts and merozoites, and is released upon the rupture of mature schizonts. Treatment of late schizionts with antibodies that blocked the inhibitory activity of falstatin against native and recombinant falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 dose-dependently decreased the subsequent invasion of erythrocytes by merozoites. These results suggest that P. falciparum requires expression of falstatin to limit proteolysis by certain host or parasite cysteine proteases during erythrocyte invasion. This mechanism of regulation of proteolysis suggests new strategies for the development of antimalarial agents that specifically disrupt erythrocyte invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailash C Pandey
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Naresh Singh
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Shirin Arastu-Kapur
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Matthew Bogyo
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Philip J Rosenthal
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
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Wang SX, Pandey KC, Somoza JR, Sijwali PS, Kortemme T, Brinen LS, Fletterick RJ, Rosenthal PJ, McKerrow JH. Structural basis for unique mechanisms of folding and hemoglobin binding by a malarial protease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006; 103:11503-8. [PMID: 16864794 PMCID: PMC1544199 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0600489103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Falcipain-2 (FP2), the major cysteine protease of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, is a hemoglobinase and promising drug target. Here we report the crystal structure of FP2 in complex with a protease inhibitor, cystatin. The FP2 structure reveals two previously undescribed cysteine protease structural motifs, designated FP2(nose) and FP2(arm), in addition to details of the active site that will help focus inhibitor design. Unlike most cysteine proteases, FP2 does not require a prodomain but only the short FP2(nose) motif to correctly fold and gain catalytic activity. Our structure and mutagenesis data suggest a molecular basis for this unique mechanism by highlighting the functional role of two Tyr within FP2(nose) and a conserved Glu outside this motif. The FP2(arm) motif is required for hemoglobinase activity. The structure reveals topographic features and a negative charge cluster surrounding FP2(arm) that suggest it may serve as an exo-site for hemoglobin binding. Motifs similar to FP2(nose) and FP2(arm) are found only in related plasmodial proteases, suggesting that they confer malaria-specific functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie X. Wang
- *Department of Pathology and the Sandler Center, Box 2550, Byers Hall N508, and
| | - Kailash C. Pandey
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, Box 0811, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - John R. Somoza
- Celera Genomics, 180 Kimball Way, South San Francisco, CA 94080
| | - Puran S. Sijwali
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, Box 0811, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - Tanja Kortemme
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences and California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research, and Departments of
| | | | - Robert J. Fletterick
- Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143; and
| | - Philip J. Rosenthal
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, Box 0811, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - James H. McKerrow
- *Department of Pathology and the Sandler Center, Box 2550, Byers Hall N508, and
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences and California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research, and Departments of
- **To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
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40
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Hogg T, Nagarajan K, Herzberg S, Chen L, Shen X, Jiang H, Wecke M, Blohmke C, Hilgenfeld R, Schmidt CL. Structural and functional characterization of Falcipain-2, a hemoglobinase from the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:25425-37. [PMID: 16777845 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m603776200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is caused by protozoan erythrocytic parasites of the Plasmodium genus, with Plasmodium falciparum being the most dangerous and widespread disease-causing species. Falcipain-2 (FP-2) of P. falciparum is a papain-family (C1A) cysteine protease that plays an important role in the parasite life cycle by degrading erythrocyte proteins, most notably hemoglobin. Inhibition of FP-2 and its paralogues prevents parasite maturation, suggesting these proteins may be valuable targets for the design of novel antimalarial drugs, but lack of structural knowledge has impeded progress toward the rational discovery of potent, selective, and efficacious inhibitors. As a first step toward this goal, we present here the crystal structure of mature FP-2 at 3.1 A resolution, revealing novel structural features of the FP-2 subfamily proteases including a dynamic beta-hairpin hemoglobin binding motif, a flexible N-terminal alpha-helical extension, and a unique active-site cleft. We also demonstrate by biochemical methods that mature FP-2 can proteolytically process its own precursor in trans at neutral to weakly alkaline pH, that the binding of hemoglobin to FP-2 is strictly pH-dependent, and that FP-2 preferentially binds methemoglobin over hemoglobin. Because the specificity and proteolytic activity of FP-2 toward its multiple targets appears to be pH-dependent, we suggest that environmental pH may play an important role in orchestrating FP-2 function over the different life stages of the parasite. Moreover, it appears that selectivity of FP-2 for methemoglobin may represent an evolutionary adaptation to oxidative stress conditions within the host cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanis Hogg
- Institute of Biochemistry, Center for Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
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41
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Abstract
Hemoglobin degradation by Plasmodium is a massive catabolic process within the parasite food vacuole that is important for the organism's survival in its host erythrocyte. A proteolytic pathway is responsible for generating amino acids from hemoglobin. Each of the enzymes involved has its own peculiarities to be exploited for development of antimalarial agents that will starve the parasite or result in build-up of toxic intermediates. There are a number of unanswered questions concerning the cell biology, biochemistry and metabolic roles of this crucial pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Goldberg
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Medicine, Washington University, 660 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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42
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Singh N, Sijwali PS, Pandey KC, Rosenthal PJ. Plasmodium falciparum: biochemical characterization of the cysteine protease falcipain-2'. Exp Parasitol 2005; 112:187-92. [PMID: 16337629 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2005.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2005] [Revised: 10/24/2005] [Accepted: 10/27/2005] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The Plasmodium falciparum cysteine proteases falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 are hemoglobinases and potential antimalarial drug targets. The falcipain-2' gene was identified recently and is nearly identical in sequence to falcipain-2. The product of this gene has not been studied previously. The mature protease domain of falcipain-2' was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and refolded to active enzyme. Functional analysis revealed similar biochemical properties to those of falcipain-2, including pH optima (pH 5.5-7.0), reducing requirements, and substrate preference. Studies with cysteine protease inhibitors showed similar inhibition of falcipain-2 and falcipain-2', although specificities were not identical. Considering activity against the presumed biological substrate, both enzymes readily hydrolyzed hemoglobin. Our results confirm that falcipain-2' is an active hemoglobinase and suggest that falcipain-2 and falcipain-2' play similar roles in erythrocytic parasites but that, for promising cysteine protease inhibitors, it will be important to confirm activity against this additional target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naresh Singh
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0811, USA
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43
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Goh LL, Sim TS. Characterization of amino acid variation at strategic positions in parasite and human proteases for selective inhibition of falcipains in Plasmodium falciparum. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2005; 335:762-70. [PMID: 16095562 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.07.147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2005] [Accepted: 07/25/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Falcipains (FP) of Plasmodium falciparum are important virulence factors marked as potential targets for antimalarial drug discovery. In this study, the previously uncharacterized fp2B (PF11_0161) was shown to be highly expressed as an active enzyme during the erythrocytic stage. With three related proteases in the FP family and the existence of human homologues, it is prudent to identify clusters of residues unique to the parasite proteases that can be targeted selectively for drug design. Using bioinformatic tools, we have carefully mapped out a highly conserved and unique region constituted by I85, S149, and A151 in the plasmodial proteases that can influence the development of compounds capable of inhibiting the entire FP family. Taking drug interactions with the human homologues into consideration, these residues in FP2B were replaced with the cognate residues found in human cathepsin L (catL) for evaluation. Despite the high sequence similarity between the FP2 isozymes (97.5%), FP2B is found to be more tolerant to amino acid substitution at position 149 than FP2A. This structural disparity implied that residues mediating peptide substrate interactions are not fully conserved across the FP family and warrant attention in the design and evaluation of protease inhibitors focused on the FPs. The simultaneous substitution of the neighboring residues (I85 or A151) rendered the double mutants (S149A/I85M and S149A/A151D) completely inactive. Significantly, the mutations did not result in 'catL-like' specificity, suggesting that substrate-based inhibitors could be rationally designed against these important parasite-specific structural determinants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liuh Ling Goh
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, MD4A, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117597, Singapore
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44
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Goh SL, Goh LL, Sim TS. Cysteine protease falcipain 1 in Plasmodium falciparum is biochemically distinct from its isozymes. Parasitol Res 2005; 97:295-301. [PMID: 16041608 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-005-1430-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2005] [Accepted: 06/07/2005] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Falcipains form a class of papain-like cysteine proteases found in Plasmodium falciparum. This group of proteases has been suggested to be promising targets for anti-malarial chemotherapy. Despite being the first falcipain to be identified, the physiological role(s) of falcipain 1 (fp1) remains a mystery. Its suggested functions include haemoglobin degradation, erythrocytic invasion and oocyst production. In this study, the procurement of the gene coding for fp1 and its soluble expression in a heterologous host, Escherichia coli, have enabled further enzyme characterization. The recombinant fp1 protease was found to be unlike falcipain 2 (fp2A) in being more active at neutral pH than at acidic pH against the Z-LR-AMC fluorogenic substrate, suggesting a probable localization in the cytosol and not in the food vacuole. Interestingly, a common cysteine specific inhibitor, E64, did not inhibit fp1 activity, indicating dissimilar biochemical characteristics of fp1 from the other falcipains. This may be explained by computational analysis of the primary structures of the falcipain isozymes, as well as that of papain. The analysis revealed that Tyr61 (papain numbering), which is correspondingly absent in fp1, might be an important residue involved in E64 substrate binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- S L Goh
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, MD4A, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore, 117597, Singapore
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45
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Pandey KC, Wang SX, Sijwali PS, Lau AL, McKerrow JH, Rosenthal PJ. The Plasmodium falciparum cysteine protease falcipain-2 captures its substrate, hemoglobin, via a unique motif. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005; 102:9138-43. [PMID: 15964982 PMCID: PMC1166610 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0502368102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2005] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Falcipain-2 (FP2) is a papain family cysteine protease and important hemoglobinase of erythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Inhibitors of FP2 block hemoglobin hydrolysis and parasite development, suggesting that this enzyme is a promising target for antimalarial chemotherapy. FP2 and related plasmodial cysteine proteases have an unusual 14-aa motif near the C terminus of the catalytic domain. Recent solution of the structure of FP2 showed this motif to form a beta-hairpin that is distant from the enzyme active site and protrudes out from the protein. To evaluate the function of this motif, we compared the activity of the wild-type enzyme with that of a mutant lacking 10 aa of the motif (Delta10FP2). Delta10FP2 had nearly identical activity to that of the wild-type enzyme against peptide substrates and the protein substrates casein and gelatin. However, Delta10FP2 demonstrated negligible activity against hemoglobin or globin. FP2 that was inhibited with trans-epoxysuccinyl-L-leucylamido-(4-guanidino)butane (FP2E-64) formed a complex with hemoglobin, but Delta10FP2E-64 did not, indicating that the motif mediates binding to hemoglobin independent of the active site. A peptide encoding the motif blocked hemoglobin hydrolysis, but not the hydrolysis of casein. Kinetics for the inhibition of Delta10FP2 were very similar to those for FP2 with peptidyl and protein inhibitors, but Delta10FP2 was poorly inhibited by the inhibitory prodomain of FP2. Our results indicate that FP2 utilizes an unusual motif for two specific functions, interaction with hemoglobin, its natural substrate, and interaction with the prodomain, its natural inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailash C Pandey
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, P.O. Box 0811, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
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46
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Rosenthal PJ. Cysteine proteases of malaria parasites. Int J Parasitol 2004; 34:1489-99. [PMID: 15582526 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2004.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 244] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2004] [Revised: 10/07/2004] [Accepted: 10/07/2004] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
A number of cysteine proteases of malaria parasites have been described, and many more putative cysteine proteases are suggested by analysis of the Plasmodium falciparum genome sequence. Studies with protease inhibitors have suggested roles for cysteine proteases in hemoglobin hydrolysis, erythrocyte rupture, and erythrocyte invasion by erythrocytic malaria parasites. The best characterised Plasmodium cysteine proteases are the falcipains, a family of papain-family (clan CA) enzymes. Falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 are hemoglobinases that appear to hydrolyse host erythrocyte hemoglobin in the parasite food vacuole. This function was recently confirmed for falcipain-2, with the demonstration that disruption of the falcipain-2 gene led to a transient block in hemoglobin hydrolysis. A role for falcipain-1 in erythrocyte invasion was recently suggested, but disruption of the falcipain-1 gene did not alter parasite development. Other papain-family proteases predicted by the genome sequence include dipeptidyl peptidases, a calpain homolog, and serine-repeat antigens. The serine-repeat antigens have cysteine protease motifs, but in some the active site Cys is replaced by a Ser. One of these proteins, SERA-5, was recently shown to have serine protease activity. As SERA-5 and some other serine-repeat antigens localise to the parasitophorous vacuole in mature parasites, they may play a role in erythrocyte rupture. The P. falciparum genome sequence also predicts more distantly related (clan CD and CE) cysteine proteases, but biochemical characterisation of these proteins has not been done. New drugs for malaria are greatly needed, and cysteine proteases may provide useful new drug targets. Cysteine protease inhibitors have demonstrated potent antimalarial effects, and the optimisation and testing of falcipain inhibitor antimalarials is underway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip J Rosenthal
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0811, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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47
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Goh LL, Sim TS. Homology modeling and mutagenesis analyses of Plasmodium falciparum falcipain 2A: implications for rational drug design. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2004; 323:565-72. [PMID: 15369788 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.08.130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2004] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The hemoglobin-degrading cysteine proteases falcipains of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum are regarded as potential drug targets. Despite their obvious importance in the virulence of malaria, these proteases remain poorly characterized at the structural levels. Using a bioinformatic and site-directed mutagenesis approach, residues essential for the structure and function of FP2A are elucidated in this study. In total, nine mutants of FP2A were constructed to test the proposed importance of seven different amino acid residues. These recombinant protease mutants were solubly expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography for enzymatic assessments. Notably, substitutions at positions C99 and C119 induce structural alterations and led to significant reduction in enzyme activity (>97%). The analyses also validated the role of the active triad comprising of C42, H174, and N204 in catalysis and identified a serine at position 149 which is required for specific peptide substrate interactions. The parasite-specific residues, C99, C119, and S149, represent potential sites for differential targeting, since the corresponding residues are absent in the human host's isozymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liuh Ling Goh
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, MD4A, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117597, Singapore
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48
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Na BK, Kim TS, Rosenthal PJ, Lee JK, Kong Y. Evaluation of cysteine proteases of Plasmodium vivax as antimalarial drug targets: sequence analysis and sensitivity to cysteine protease inhibitors. Parasitol Res 2004; 94:312-7. [PMID: 15372231 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-004-1216-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2004] [Accepted: 08/03/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Cysteine proteases perform critical roles in the life cycles of malaria parasites. In Plasmodium falciparum, treatment of cysteine protease inhibitors inhibits hemoglobin hydrolysis and blocks the parasite development in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that plasmodial cysteine proteases may be interesting targets for new chemotherapeutics. To determine whether sequence diversity may limit chemotherapy against Plasmodium vivax, we analyzed sequence variations in the genes encoding three cysteine proteases, vivapain-1, -2 and -3, in 22 wild isolates of P. vivax. The sequences were highly conserved among wild isolates. A small number of substitutions leading to amino acid changes were found, while they did not modify essential residues for the function or structure of the enzymes. The substrate specificities and sensitivities to synthetic cysteine protease inhibitors of vivapain-2 and -3 from wild isolates were also very similar. These results support the suggestion that cysteine proteases of P. vivax are promising antimalarial chemotherapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byoung-Kuk Na
- Department of Molecular Parasitology and Center for Molecular Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine and Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Suwon 440-746, Korea
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