1
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Vats S, Bobrovs R, Söderhjelm P, Bhakat S. AlphaFold-SFA: Accelerated sampling of cryptic pocket opening, protein-ligand binding and allostery by AlphaFold, slow feature analysis and metadynamics. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0307226. [PMID: 39190764 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Sampling rare events in proteins is crucial for comprehending complex phenomena like cryptic pocket opening, where transient structural changes expose new binding sites. Understanding these rare events also sheds light on protein-ligand binding and allosteric communications, where distant site interactions influence protein function. Traditional unbiased molecular dynamics simulations often fail to sample such rare events, as the free energy barrier between metastable states is large relative to the thermal energy. This renders these events inaccessible on the timescales typically simulated by unbiased molecular dynamics, limiting our understanding of these critical processes. In this paper, we proposed a novel unsupervised learning approach termed as slow feature analysis (SFA) which aims to extract slowly varying features from high-dimensional temporal data. SFA trained on small unbiased molecular dynamics simulations launched from AlphaFold generated conformational ensembles manages to capture rare events governing cryptic pocket opening, protein-ligand binding, and allosteric communications in a kinase. Metadynamics simulations using SFA as collective variables manage to sample 'deep' cryptic pocket opening within a few hundreds of nanoseconds which was beyond the reach of microsecond long unbiased molecular dynamics simulations. SFA augmented metadynamics also managed to capture conformational plasticity of protein upon ligand binding/unbinding and provided novel insights into allosteric communication in receptor-interacting protein kinase 2 (RIPK2) which dictates protein-protein interaction. Taken together, our results show how SFA acts as a dimensionality reduction tool which bridges the gap between AlphaFold, molecular dynamics simulation and metadynamics in context of capturing rare events in biomolecules, extending the scope of structure-based drug discovery in the era of AlphaFold.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shray Vats
- Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | | | - Pär Söderhjelm
- Division of Biophysical Chemistry, Chemical Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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2
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Denesyuk AI, Denessiouk K, Johnson MS, Uversky VN. Structural Catalytic Core of the Members of the Superfamily of Acid Proteases. Molecules 2024; 29:3451. [PMID: 39124857 PMCID: PMC11313796 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29153451] [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: 06/21/2024] [Revised: 07/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The superfamily of acid proteases has two catalytic aspartates for proteolysis of their peptide substrates. Here, we show a minimal structural scaffold, the structural catalytic core (SCC), which is conserved within each family of acid proteases, but varies between families, and thus can serve as a structural marker of four individual protease families. The SCC is a dimer of several structural blocks, such as the DD-link, D-loop, and G-loop, around two catalytic aspartates in each protease subunit or an individual chain. A dimer made of two (D-loop + DD-link) structural elements makes a DD-zone, and the D-loop + G-loop combination makes a psi-loop. These structural markers are useful for protein comparison, structure identification, protein family separation, and protein engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander I. Denesyuk
- Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory, Biochemistry, InFLAMES Research Flagship Center, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland; (K.D.); (M.S.J.)
| | - Konstantin Denessiouk
- Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory, Biochemistry, InFLAMES Research Flagship Center, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland; (K.D.); (M.S.J.)
| | - Mark S. Johnson
- Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory, Biochemistry, InFLAMES Research Flagship Center, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland; (K.D.); (M.S.J.)
| | - Vladimir N. Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
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3
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Mishra V, Deshmukh A, Rathore I, Chakraborty S, Patankar S, Gustchina A, Wlodawer A, Yada RY, Bhaumik P. Inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum plasmepsins by drugs targeting HIV-1 protease: A way forward for antimalarial drug discovery. Curr Res Struct Biol 2024; 7:100128. [PMID: 38304146 PMCID: PMC10830516 DOI: 10.1016/j.crstbi.2024.100128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium species are causative agents of malaria, a disease that is a serious global health concern. FDA-approved HIV-1 protease inhibitors (HIV-1 PIs) have been reported to be effective in reducing the infection by Plasmodium parasites in the population co-infected with both HIV-1 and malaria. However, the mechanism of HIV-1 PIs in mitigating Plasmodium pathogenesis during malaria/HIV-1 co-infection is not fully understood. In this study we demonstrate that HIV-1 drugs ritonavir (RTV) and lopinavir (LPV) exhibit the highest inhibition activity against plasmepsin II (PMII) and plasmepsin X (PMX) of P. falciparum. Crystal structures of the complexes of PMII with both drugs have been determined. The inhibitors interact with PMII via multiple hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. The P4 moiety of RTV forms additional interactions compared to LPV and exhibits conformational flexibility in a large S4 pocket of PMII. Our study is also the first to report inhibition of P. falciparum PMX by RTV and the mode of binding of the drug to the PMX active site. Analysis of the crystal structures implies that PMs can accommodate bulkier groups of these inhibitors in their S4 binding pockets. Structurally similar active sites of different vacuolar and non-vacuolar PMs suggest the potential of HIV-1 PIs in targeting these enzymes with differential affinities. Our structural investigations and biochemical data emphasize PMs as crucial targets for repurposing HIV-1 PIs as antimalarial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana Mishra
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Anuradha Deshmukh
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Ishan Rathore
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
- Protein Structure Section, Center for Structural Biology, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Satadru Chakraborty
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Swati Patankar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Alla Gustchina
- Protein Structure Section, Center for Structural Biology, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Alexander Wlodawer
- Protein Structure Section, Center for Structural Biology, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Rickey Y. Yada
- Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, 248-2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Prasenjit Bhaumik
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
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4
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Khan A, Taj S, Malak N, Swelum AA, Khan A, Nasreen N, Niaz S, Wu WF. Integrating In Vitro and In Silico Approaches to Assess Monotheca buxifolia Plant Extract against Rhipicephalus ( Boophilus) microplus and Sarcoptes scabiei. Molecules 2023; 28:6930. [PMID: 37836773 PMCID: PMC10574717 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28196930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Tick and mite infestations pose significant challenges to animal health, agriculture, and public health worldwide. The search for effective and environmentally friendly acaricidal agents has led researchers to explore natural alternatives. In this study, we investigated the acaricidal potential of the Monotheca buxifolia plant extract against Rhipicephalus microplus ticks and Sarcoptes scabiei mites. Additionally, we employed a computational approach to identify phytochemicals from the extract that could serve as drug candidates against these ectoparasites. The contact bioassay results demonstrated that the M. buxifolia plant extract exhibited significant efficacy against R. microplus and S. scabiei, with higher concentrations outperforming the positive control acaricide permethrin in terms of mite mortality. Time exposure to the extract also showed a positive correlation with better lethal concentration (LC50 and LC90) values. Similarly, the adult immersion test revealed a notable inhibition of tick oviposition via the plant extract, especially at higher concentrations. The two-protein primary structure, secondary structure and stability were predicted using the Expasy's ProtParam server, SOPMA and SUSUI server, respectively. Using Homology modeling, the 3D structure of the protein was obtained and validated through the ERRAT server, and active sites were determined through the CASTp server. The docking analysis revealed that Alpha-Amyrenyl acetate and alpha-Tocopherol exhibited the highest docking scores for S. scabiei and R. microplus aspartic protease proteins, respectively. These phytochemicals demonstrated strong binding interactions, suggesting their potential as acaricidal drug candidates. In conclusion, the M. buxifolia plant extract displayed significant acaricidal activity against R. microplus and S. scabiei. Moreover, the computational approach identified promising phytochemicals that could serve as potential drug candidates for controlling these ectoparasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Afshan Khan
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan; (A.K.); (S.T.); (N.M.); (N.N.); (S.N.)
| | - Salman Taj
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan; (A.K.); (S.T.); (N.M.); (N.N.); (S.N.)
| | - Nosheen Malak
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan; (A.K.); (S.T.); (N.M.); (N.N.); (S.N.)
| | - Ayman A. Swelum
- Department of Animal Production, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Adil Khan
- Department of Biology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB E4L 1G7, Canada
- Department of Botany & Zoology, Bacha Khan University Charsadda, Charsadda 24420, Pakistan
| | - Nasreen Nasreen
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan; (A.K.); (S.T.); (N.M.); (N.N.); (S.N.)
| | - Sadaf Niaz
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan; (A.K.); (S.T.); (N.M.); (N.N.); (S.N.)
| | - Wen-Feng Wu
- Department of Radiology, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi 60002, Taiwan
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5
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Meller A, Bhakat S, Solieva S, Bowman GR. Accelerating Cryptic Pocket Discovery Using AlphaFold. J Chem Theory Comput 2023. [PMID: 36948209 PMCID: PMC10373493 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c01189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
Cryptic pockets, or pockets absent in ligand-free, experimentally determined structures, hold great potential as drug targets. However, cryptic pocket openings are often beyond the reach of conventional biomolecular simulations because certain cryptic pocket openings involve slow motions. Here, we investigate whether AlphaFold can be used to accelerate cryptic pocket discovery either by generating structures with open pockets directly or generating structures with partially open pockets that can be used as starting points for simulations. We use AlphaFold to generate ensembles for 10 known cryptic pocket examples, including five that were deposited after AlphaFold's training data were extracted from the PDB. We find that in 6 out of 10 cases AlphaFold samples the open state. For plasmepsin II, an aspartic protease from the causative agent of malaria, AlphaFold only captures a partial pocket opening. As a result, we ran simulations from an ensemble of AlphaFold-generated structures and show that this strategy samples cryptic pocket opening, even though an equivalent amount of simulations launched from a ligand-free experimental structure fails to do so. Markov state models (MSMs) constructed from the AlphaFold-seeded simulations quickly yield a free energy landscape of cryptic pocket opening that is in good agreement with the same landscape generated with well-tempered metadynamics. Taken together, our results demonstrate that AlphaFold has a useful role to play in cryptic pocket discovery but that many cryptic pockets may remain difficult to sample using AlphaFold alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artur Meller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University in St. Louis, 660 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University in St. Louis, 660 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Soumendranath Bhakat
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University in St. Louis, 660 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Shahlo Solieva
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Gregory R Bowman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University in St. Louis, 660 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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6
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Bobrovs R, Basens EE, Drunka L, Kanepe I, Matisone S, Velins KK, Andrianov V, Leitis G, Zelencova-Gopejenko D, Rasina D, Jirgensons A, Jaudzems K. Exploring Aspartic Protease Inhibitor Binding to Design-Selective Antimalarials. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:3263-3273. [PMID: 35712895 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Selectivity is a major issue in the development of drugs targeting pathogen aspartic proteases. Here, we explore the selectivity-determining factors by studying specifically designed malaria aspartic protease (plasmepsin) open-flap inhibitors. Metadynamics simulations are used to uncover the complex binding/unbinding pathways of these inhibitors and describe the critical transition states in atomistic resolution. The simulation results are compared with experimentally determined enzymatic activities. Our findings demonstrate that plasmepsin inhibitor selectivity can be achieved by targeting the flap loop with hydrophobic substituents that enable ligand binding under the flap loop, as such a behavior is not observed for several other aspartic proteases. The ability to estimate the selectivity of compounds before they are synthesized is of considerable importance in drug design; therefore, we expect that our approach will be useful in selective inhibitor designs against not only aspartic proteases but also other enzyme classes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raitis Bobrovs
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV1006, Latvia
| | | | - Laura Drunka
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV1006, Latvia
| | - Iveta Kanepe
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV1006, Latvia
| | - Sofija Matisone
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV1006, Latvia
| | | | - Victor Andrianov
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV1006, Latvia
| | - Gundars Leitis
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV1006, Latvia
| | | | - Dace Rasina
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV1006, Latvia
| | - Aigars Jirgensons
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV1006, Latvia
| | - Kristaps Jaudzems
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV1006, Latvia
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7
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Combining classical molecular docking with self-consistent charge density-functional tight-binding computations for the efficient and quality prediction of ligand binding structure. JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/17475198221101999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
To improve the successful prediction rate of the existing molecular docking methods, a new docking approach is proposed that consists of three steps: generating an ensemble of docked poses with a conventional docking method, performing clustering analysis of the ensemble to select the representative poses, and optimizing the representative structures with a low-cost quantum mechanics method. Three quantum mechanics methods, self-consistent charge density-functional tight-binding, ONIOM(DFT:PM6), and ONIOM(SCC-DFTB:PM6), are tested on 18 ligand-receptor bio-complexes. The rate of successful binding pose predictions by the proposed self-consistent charge density-functional tight-binding docking method is the highest, at 67%. The self-consistent charge density-functional tight-binding docking method should be useful for the structure-based drug design.
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8
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Edgar RCS, Counihan NA, McGowan S, de Koning-Ward TF. Methods Used to Investigate the Plasmodium falciparum Digestive Vacuole. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 11:829823. [PMID: 35096663 PMCID: PMC8794586 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.829823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum malaria remains a global health problem as parasites continue to develop resistance to all antimalarials in use. Infection causes clinical symptoms during the intra-erythrocytic stage of the lifecycle where the parasite infects and replicates within red blood cells (RBC). During this stage, P. falciparum digests the main constituent of the RBC, hemoglobin, in a specialized acidic compartment termed the digestive vacuole (DV), a process essential for survival. Many therapeutics in use target one or multiple aspects of the DV, with chloroquine and its derivatives, as well as artemisinin, having mechanisms of action within this organelle. In order to better understand how current therapeutics and those under development target DV processes, techniques used to investigate the DV are paramount. This review outlines the involvement of the DV in therapeutics currently in use and focuses on the range of techniques that are currently utilized to study this organelle including microscopy, biochemical analysis, genetic approaches and metabolomic studies. Importantly, continued development and application of these techniques will aid in our understanding of the DV and in the development of new therapeutics or therapeutic partners for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca C. S. Edgar
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Natalie A. Counihan
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Sheena McGowan
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Centre to Impact AMR, Monash University, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Tania F. de Koning-Ward
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
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9
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Kleandrova VV, Scotti L, Bezerra Mendonça Junior FJ, Muratov E, Scotti MT, Speck-Planche A. QSAR Modeling for Multi-Target Drug Discovery: Designing Simultaneous Inhibitors of Proteins in Diverse Pathogenic Parasites. Front Chem 2021; 9:634663. [PMID: 33777898 PMCID: PMC7987820 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.634663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitic diseases remain as unresolved health issues worldwide. While for some parasites the treatments involve drug combinations with serious side effects, for others, chemical therapies are inefficient due to the emergence of drug resistance. This urges the search for novel antiparasitic agents able to act through multiple mechanisms of action. Here, we report the first multi-target model based on quantitative structure-activity relationships and a multilayer perceptron neural network (mt-QSAR-MLP) to virtually design and predict versatile inhibitors of proteins involved in the survival and/or infectivity of different pathogenic parasites. The mt-QSAR-MLP model exhibited high accuracy (>80%) in both training and test sets for the classification/prediction of protein inhibitors. Several fragments were directly extracted from the physicochemical and structural interpretations of the molecular descriptors in the mt-QSAR-MLP model. Such interpretations enabled the generation of four molecules that were predicted as multi-target inhibitors against at least three of the five parasitic proteins reported here with two of the molecules being predicted to inhibit all the proteins. Docking calculations converged with the mt-QSAR-MLP model regarding the multi-target profile of the designed molecules. The designed molecules exhibited drug-like properties, complying with Lipinski’s rule of five, as well as Ghose’s filter and Veber’s guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria V Kleandrova
- Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Research of Quality and Technology of Food Production, Moscow State University of Food Production, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Luciana Scotti
- Postgraduate Program in Natural and Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | | | - Eugene Muratov
- Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Marcus T Scotti
- Postgraduate Program in Natural and Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Alejandro Speck-Planche
- Postgraduate Program in Natural and Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
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10
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Bhakat S. Pepsin-like aspartic proteases (PAPs) as model systems for combining biomolecular simulation with biophysical experiments. RSC Adv 2021; 11:11026-11047. [PMID: 35423571 PMCID: PMC8695779 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra10359d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Pepsin-like aspartic proteases (PAPs) are a class of aspartic proteases which shares tremendous structural similarity with human pepsin. One of the key structural features of PAPs is the presence of a β-hairpin motif otherwise known as flap. The biological function of the PAPs is highly dependent on the conformational dynamics of the flap region. In apo PAPs, the conformational dynamics of the flap is dominated by the rotational degrees of freedom associated with χ1 and χ2 angles of conserved Tyr (or Phe in some cases). However it is plausible that dihedral order parameters associated with several other residues might play crucial roles in the conformational dynamics of apo PAPs. Due to their size, complexities associated with conformational dynamics and clinical significance (drug targets for malaria, Alzheimer's disease etc.), PAPs provide a challenging testing ground for computational and experimental methods focusing on understanding conformational dynamics and molecular recognition in biomolecules. The opening of the flap region is necessary to accommodate substrate/ligand in the active site of the PAPs. The BIG challenge is to gain atomistic details into how reversible ligand binding/unbinding (molecular recognition) affects the conformational dynamics. Recent reports of kinetics (K i, K d) and thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, TΔS, and ΔG) associated with macro-cyclic ligands bound to BACE1 (belongs to PAP family) provide a perfect challenge (how to deal with big ligands with multiple torsional angles and select optimum order parameters to study reversible ligand binding/unbinding) for computational methods to predict binding free energies and kinetics beyond typical test systems e.g. benzamide-trypsin. In this work, i reviewed several order parameters which were proposed to capture the conformational dynamics and molecular recognition in PAPs. I further highlighted how machine learning methods can be used as order parameters in the context of PAPs. I then proposed some open ideas and challenges in the context of molecular simulation and put forward my case on how biophysical experiments e.g. NMR, time-resolved FRET etc. can be used in conjunction with biomolecular simulation to gain complete atomistic insights into the conformational dynamics of PAPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumendranath Bhakat
- Division of Biophysical Chemistry, Center for Molecular Protein Science, Department of Chemistry, Lund University P. O. Box 124 SE-22100 Lund Sweden +46-769608418
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11
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Cheuka PM, Dziwornu G, Okombo J, Chibale K. Plasmepsin Inhibitors in Antimalarial Drug Discovery: Medicinal Chemistry and Target Validation (2000 to Present). J Med Chem 2020; 63:4445-4467. [PMID: 31913032 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b01622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Plasmepsins represent novel antimalarial drug targets. However, plasmepsin-based antimalarial drug discovery efforts in the past 2 decades have generally suffered some drawbacks including lack of translatability of target inhibition to potent parasite inhibition in vitro and in vivo as well as poor selectivity over the related human aspartic proteases. Most studies reported in this period have over-relied on the use of hemoglobinase plasmepsins I-IV (particularly I and II) as targets for the new inhibitors even though these are known to be nonessential at the asexual stage of parasite development. Therefore, future antimalarial drug discovery efforts seeking to identify plasmepsin inhibitors should focus on incorporating non-hemoglobinase plasmepsins such as V, IX, and X in their screening in order to maximize chances of success. Additionally, there is need to go beyond just target enzymatic activity profiling to establishing cellular activity, physicochemical as well as drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics properties and finally in vivo proof-of-concept while ensuring selectivity over related human host proteases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Mubanga Cheuka
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zambia, Great East Road Campus, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Godwin Dziwornu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - John Okombo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University, 701 West 168th Street, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Kelly Chibale
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.,Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.,Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.,South African Medical Research Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
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12
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Tetrahydroisoquinoline-Based Non-Peptidomimetic Plasmepsin Inhibitors. Chem Heterocycl Compd (N Y) 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10593-020-02623-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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13
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Bobrovs R, Jaudzems K, Jirgensons A. Exploiting Structural Dynamics To Design Open-Flap Inhibitors of Malarial Aspartic Proteases. J Med Chem 2019; 62:8931-8950. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b00184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Raitis Bobrovs
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV1006, Latvia
| | - Kristaps Jaudzems
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV1006, Latvia
| | - Aigars Jirgensons
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV1006, Latvia
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14
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Kinena L, Leitis G, Kanepe-Lapsa I, Bobrovs R, Jaudzems K, Ozola V, Suna E, Jirgensons A. Azole-based non-peptidomimetic plasmepsin inhibitors. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2018; 351:e1800151. [DOI: 10.1002/ardp.201800151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Linda Kinena
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis; Riga Latvia
| | | | | | | | | | - Vita Ozola
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis; Riga Latvia
| | - Edgars Suna
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis; Riga Latvia
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15
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Mishra V, Rathore I, Arekar A, Sthanam LK, Xiao H, Kiso Y, Sen S, Patankar S, Gustchina A, Hidaka K, Wlodawer A, Yada RY, Bhaumik P. Deciphering the mechanism of potent peptidomimetic inhibitors targeting plasmepsins - biochemical and structural insights. FEBS J 2018; 285:3077-3096. [PMID: 29943906 DOI: 10.1111/febs.14598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Revised: 06/10/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Malaria is a deadly disease killing worldwide hundreds of thousands people each year and the responsible parasite has acquired resistance to the available drug combinations. The four vacuolar plasmepsins (PMs) in Plasmodium falciparum involved in hemoglobin (Hb) catabolism represent promising targets to combat drug resistance. High antimalarial activities can be achieved by developing a single drug that would simultaneously target all the vacuolar PMs. We have demonstrated for the first time the use of soluble recombinant plasmepsin II (PMII) for structure-guided drug discovery with KNI inhibitors. Compounds used in this study (KNI-10742, 10743, 10395, 10333, and 10343) exhibit nanomolar inhibition against PMII and are also effective in blocking the activities of PMI and PMIV with the low nanomolar Ki values. The high-resolution crystal structures of PMII-KNI inhibitor complexes reveal interesting features modulating their differential potency. Important individual characteristics of the inhibitors and their importance for potency have been established. The alkylamino analog, KNI-10743, shows intrinsic flexibility at the P2 position that potentiates its interactions with Asp132, Leu133, and Ser134. The phenylacetyl tripeptides, KNI-10333 and KNI-10343, accommodate different ρ-substituents at the P3 phenylacetyl ring that determine the orientation of the ring, thus creating novel hydrogen-bonding contacts. KNI-10743 and KNI-10333 possess significant antimalarial activity, block Hb degradation inside the food vacuole, and show no cytotoxicity on human cells; thus, they can be considered as promising candidates for further optimization. Based on our structural data, novel KNI derivatives with improved antimalarial activity could be designed for potential clinical use. DATABASE: Structural data are available in the PDB under the accession numbers 5YIE, 5YIB, 5YID, 5YIC, and 5YIA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana Mishra
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, India
| | - Ishan Rathore
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, India
| | - Anagha Arekar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, India
| | - Lakshmi Kavitha Sthanam
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, India
| | - Huogen Xiao
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Yoshiaki Kiso
- Laboratory of Peptide Sciences, Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology, Japan
| | - Shamik Sen
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, India
| | - Swati Patankar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, India
| | - Alla Gustchina
- Protein Structure Section, Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Koushi Hidaka
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kobe Gakuin University, Japan
| | - Alexander Wlodawer
- Protein Structure Section, Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Rickey Y Yada
- Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Prasenjit Bhaumik
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, India
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16
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Rasina D, Stakanovs G, Borysov OV, Pantelejevs T, Bobrovs R, Kanepe-Lapsa I, Tars K, Jaudzems K, Jirgensons A. 2-Aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-one based plasmepsin inhibitors with improved hydrophilicity and selectivity. Bioorg Med Chem 2018; 26:2488-2500. [PMID: 29636223 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2018.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
2-Aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-ones were previously discovered as perspective leads for antimalarial drug development targeting the plasmepsins. Here we report the lead optimization studies with the aim to reduce inhibitor lipophilicity and increase selectivity versus the human aspartic protease Cathepsin D. Exploiting the solvent exposed area of the enzyme provides an option to install polar groups (R1) the 5-position of 2-aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-one to inhibitors such as carboxylic acid without scarifying enzymatic potency. Moreover, introduction of R1 substituents increased selectivity factors of compounds in this series up to 100-fold for Plm II, IV vs CatD inhibition. The introduction of flap pocket substituent (R2) at 7-postion of 2-aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-one allows to remove Ph group from THF ring without notably impairing Plm inhibitory potency. Based on these findings, inhibitors were developed, which show Plm II and IV inhibitory potency in low nanomolar range and remarkable selectivity against Cathepsin D along with decreased lipophilicity and increased solubility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dace Rasina
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Georgijs Stakanovs
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Oleksandr V Borysov
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Teodors Pantelejevs
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Raitis Bobrovs
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Iveta Kanepe-Lapsa
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Kaspars Tars
- Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1, Riga LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Kristaps Jaudzems
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Aigars Jirgensons
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia.
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17
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Identification of Tight-Binding Plasmepsin II and Falcipain 2 Inhibitors in Aqueous Extracts of Marine Invertebrates by the Combination of Enzymatic and Interaction-Based Assays. Mar Drugs 2017; 15:md15040123. [PMID: 28430158 PMCID: PMC5408269 DOI: 10.3390/md15040123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Revised: 04/16/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural products from marine origin constitute a very promising and underexplored source of interesting compounds for modern biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries. However, their evaluation is quite challenging and requires specifically designed assays to reliably identify the compounds of interest in a highly heterogeneous and interfering context. In the present study, we describe a general strategy for the confident identification of tight-binding protease inhibitors in the aqueous extracts of 62 Cuban marine invertebrates, using Plasmodium falciparum hemoglobinases Plasmepsin II and Falcipain 2 as model enzymes. To this end, we first developed a screening strategy that combined enzymatic with interaction-based assays and then validated screening conditions using five reference extracts. Interferences were evaluated and minimized. The results from the massive screening of such extracts, the validation of several hits by a variety of interaction-based assays and the purification and functional characterization of PhPI, a multifunctional and reversible tight-binding inhibitor for Plasmepsin II and Falcipain 2 from the gorgonian Plexaura homomalla, are presented.
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18
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Ogungbe IV, Setzer WN. The Potential of Secondary Metabolites from Plants as Drugs or Leads against Protozoan Neglected Diseases-Part III: In-Silico Molecular Docking Investigations. Molecules 2016; 21:E1389. [PMID: 27775577 PMCID: PMC6274513 DOI: 10.3390/molecules21101389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Revised: 10/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and human African trypanosomiasis continue to cause considerable suffering and death in developing countries. Current treatment options for these parasitic protozoal diseases generally have severe side effects, may be ineffective or unavailable, and resistance is emerging. There is a constant need to discover new chemotherapeutic agents for these parasitic infections, and natural products continue to serve as a potential source. This review presents molecular docking studies of potential phytochemicals that target key protein targets in Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma spp., and Plasmodium spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ifedayo Victor Ogungbe
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217, USA.
| | - William N Setzer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA.
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19
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Recacha R, Jaudzems K, Akopjana I, Jirgensons A, Tars K. Crystal structure of Plasmodium falciparum proplasmepsin IV: the plasticity of proplasmepsins. Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2016; 72:659-66. [PMID: 27599854 PMCID: PMC5012203 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x16011663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmepsin IV from Plasmodium falciparum (PM IV) is a promising target for the development of novel antimalarial drugs. Here, the crystal structure of the truncated zymogen of PM IV (pPM IV), consisting of the mature enzyme plus a prosegment of 47 residues, has been determined at 1.5 Å resolution. pPM IV presents the fold previously described for studied proplasmepsins, displaying closer similarities to proplasmepin IV from P. vivax (pPvPM) than to the other two proplasmepsins from P. falciparum. The study and comparison of the pPM IV structure with the proplasmepsin structures described previously provide information about the similarities and differences in the inactivation-activation mechanisms among the plasmepsin zymogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosario Recacha
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga, LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Kristaps Jaudzems
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga, LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Inara Akopjana
- Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1, Riga, LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Aigars Jirgensons
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga, LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Kaspars Tars
- Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1, Riga, LV-1067, Latvia
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20
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Sappakhaw K, Takasila R, Sittikul P, Wattana-Amorn P, Assavalapsakul W, Boonyalai N. Biochemical characterization of plasmepsin V from Plasmodium vivax Thailand isolates: Substrate specificity and enzyme inhibition. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2016; 204:51-63. [PMID: 26795263 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2016.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2015] [Revised: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 01/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Plasmepsin V (PMV) is a Plasmodium aspartic protease responsible for the cleavage of the Plasmodium export element (PEXEL) motif, which is an essential step for export of PEXEL containing proteins and crucial for parasite viability. Here we describe the genetic polymorphism of Plasmodium vivax PMV (PvPMV) Thailand isolates, followed by cloning, expression, purification and characterization of PvPMV-Thai, presenting the pro- and mature-form of PvPMV-Thai. With our refolding and purification method, approximately 1mg of PvPMV-Thai was obtained from 1g of washed inclusion bodies. Unlike PvPMV-Ind and PvPMV-Sal-1, PvPMV-Thai contains a four-amino acid insertion (SVSE) at residues 246-249. We have confirmed that this insertion did not interfere with the catalytic activity as it is located in the long loop (R241-E272) pointing away from the substrate-binding pocket. PvPMV-Thai exhibited similar activity to PfPMV counterparts in which PfEMP2 could be hydrolyzed more efficiently than HRPII. Substrate specificity studies at P1' showed that replacing Ser by Val or Glu of the PfEMP2 peptide markedly reduced the enzyme activity of PvPMV similar to that of PfPMV whereas replacing His by Val or Ser of the HRPII peptide increased the cleavage activity. However, the substitution of amino acids at the P2 position with Glu dramatically reduced the cleavage efficiency by 80% in PvPMV in contrast to 30% in PfPMV, indicating subtle differences around the S2 binding pocket of both PfPMV and PvPMV. Four inhibitors were also evaluated for PvPMV-Thai activity including PMSF, pepstatin A, nelfinavir, and menisporopsin A-a macrocyclic polylactone. We are the first to show that menisporopsin A partially inhibits the PvPMV-Thai activity at high concentration. Taken together, these findings provide insights into recombinant production, substrate specificity and inhibition of PvPMV-Thai.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khomkrit Sappakhaw
- Department of Biochemistry, Special Research Unit for Protein Engineering and Protein Bioinformatics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngam Wong Wan Road, Lat Yao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Ratchaneekorn Takasila
- Department of Biochemistry, Special Research Unit for Protein Engineering and Protein Bioinformatics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngam Wong Wan Road, Lat Yao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Pichamon Sittikul
- Department of Biochemistry, Special Research Unit for Protein Engineering and Protein Bioinformatics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngam Wong Wan Road, Lat Yao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Pakorn Wattana-Amorn
- Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngam Wong Wan Road, Lat Yao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngam Wong Wan Road, Lat Yao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Wanchai Assavalapsakul
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Nonlawat Boonyalai
- Department of Biochemistry, Special Research Unit for Protein Engineering and Protein Bioinformatics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngam Wong Wan Road, Lat Yao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand; Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngam Wong Wan Road, Lat Yao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand.
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21
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Rasina D, Otikovs M, Leitans J, Recacha R, Borysov OV, Kanepe-Lapsa I, Domraceva I, Pantelejevs T, Tars K, Blackman MJ, Jaudzems K, Jirgensons A. Fragment-Based Discovery of 2-Aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-ones As Novel Class Nonpeptidomimetic Inhibitors of the Plasmepsins I, II, and IV. J Med Chem 2015; 59:374-87. [PMID: 26670264 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b01558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
2-Aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-ones were identified as a novel class of malaria digestive vacuole plasmepsin inhibitors by using NMR-based fragment screening against Plm II. Initial fragment hit optimization led to a submicromolar inhibitor, which was cocrystallized with Plm II to produce an X-ray structure of the complex. The structure showed that 2-aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-ones bind to the open flap conformation of the enzyme and provided clues to target the flap pocket. Further improvement in potency was achieved via introduction of hydrophobic substituents occupying the flap pocket. Most of the 2-aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-one based inhibitors show a similar activity against digestive Plms I, II, and IV and >10-fold selectivity versus CatD, although varying the flap pocket substituent led to one Plm IV selective inhibitor. In cell-based assays, the compounds show growth inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 with IC50 ∼ 1 μM. Together, these results suggest 2-aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-ones as perspective leads for future development of an antimalarial agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dace Rasina
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis , Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Martins Otikovs
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis , Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Janis Leitans
- Biomedical Research and Study Centre , Ratsupites 1, Riga LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Rosario Recacha
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis , Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Oleksandr V Borysov
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis , Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Iveta Kanepe-Lapsa
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis , Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Ilona Domraceva
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis , Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Teodors Pantelejevs
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis , Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Kaspars Tars
- Biomedical Research and Study Centre , Ratsupites 1, Riga LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Michael J Blackman
- The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory , The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, U.K
| | - Kristaps Jaudzems
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis , Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Aigars Jirgensons
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis , Aizkraukles 21, Riga LV-1006, Latvia
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22
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Recacha R, Leitans J, Akopjana I, Aprupe L, Trapencieris P, Jaudzems K, Jirgensons A, Tars K. Structures of plasmepsin II from Plasmodium falciparum in complex with two hydroxyethylamine-based inhibitors. Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2015; 71:1531-9. [PMID: 26625296 PMCID: PMC4666482 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x15022049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2015] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmepsin II (PMII) is one of the ten plasmepsins (PMs) identified in the genome of Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of the most severe and deadliest form of malaria. Owing to the emergence of P. falciparum strains that are resistant to current antimalarial agents such as chloroquine and sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine, there is a constant pressure to find new and lasting chemotherapeutic drug therapies. Previously, the crystal structure of PMII in complex with NU655, a potent antimalarial hydroxyethylamine-based inhibitor, and the design of new compounds based on it have been reported. In the current study, two of these newly designed hydroxyethylamine-based inhibitors, PG418 and PG394, were cocrystallized with PMII and their structures were solved, analyzed and compared with that of the PMII-NU655 complex. Structural analysis of the PMII-PG418 complex revealed that the flap loop can adopt a fully closed conformation, stabilized by interactions with the inhibitor, and a fully open conformation, causing an overall expansion in the active-site cavity, which in turn causes unstable binding of the inhibitor. PG418 also stabilizes the flexible loop Gln275-Met286 of another monomer in the asymmetric unit of PMII, which is disordered in the PMII-NU655 complex structure. The crystal structure of PMII in complex with the inhibitor PG418 demonstrates the conformational flexibility of the active-site cavity of the plasmepsins. The interactions of the different moieties in the P1' position of PG418 and PG394 with Thr217 have to be taken into account in the design of new potent plasmepsin inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosario Recacha
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga, LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Janis Leitans
- Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1, Riga, LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Inara Akopjana
- Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1, Riga, LV-1067, Latvia
| | - Lilija Aprupe
- Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1, Riga, LV-1067, Latvia
| | | | - Kristaps Jaudzems
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga, LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Aigars Jirgensons
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, Riga, LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Kaspars Tars
- Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1, Riga, LV-1067, Latvia
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23
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Miranda WE, Noskov SY, Valiente PA. Improving the LIE Method for Binding Free Energy Calculations of Protein–Ligand Complexes. J Chem Inf Model 2015; 55:1867-77. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.5b00012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Williams E. Miranda
- Computational
Biology and Biomolecular Dynamics Laboratory, Center for Protein Studies,
Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Havana, Cuba
| | - Sergei Yu. Noskov
- Centre
for Molecular Simulations and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Pedro A. Valiente
- Computational
Biology and Biomolecular Dynamics Laboratory, Center for Protein Studies,
Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Havana, Cuba
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24
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McGillewie L, Soliman ME. Flap flexibility amongst plasmepsins I, II, III, IV, and V: Sequence, structural, and molecular dynamics analyses. Proteins 2015; 83:1693-705. [PMID: 26146842 DOI: 10.1002/prot.24855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2015] [Revised: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Herein, for the first time, we comparatively report the opening and closing of apo plasmepsin I - V. Plasmepsins belong the aspartic protease family of enzymes, and are expressed during the various stages of the P. falciparum lifecycle, the species responsible for the most lethal and virulent malaria to infect humans. Plasmepsin I, II, IV and HAP degrade hemoglobin from infected red blood cells, whereas plasmepsin V transport proteins crucial to the survival of the malaria parasite across the endoplasmic reticulum. Flap-structures covering the active site of aspartic proteases (such as HIV protease) are crucial to the conformational flexibility and dynamics of the protein, and ultimately control the binding landscape. The flap-structure in plasmepsins is made up of a flip tip in the N-terminal lying perpendicular to the active site, adjacent to the flexible loop region in the C-terminal. Using molecular dynamics, we propose three parameters to better describe the opening and closing of the flap-structure in apo plasmepsins. Namely, the distance, d1, between the flap tip and the flexible region; the dihedral angle, ϕ, to account for the twisting motion; and the TriCα angle, θ1. Simulations have shown that as the flap-structure twists, the flap and flexible region move apart opening the active site, or move toward each other closing the active site. The data from our study indicate that of all the plasmepsins investigated in the present study, Plm IV and V display the highest conformational flexibility and are more dynamic structures versus Plm I, II, and HAP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara McGillewie
- Molecular Modelling & Drug Design Research Group, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, Durban, 4001, South Africa
| | - Mahmoud E Soliman
- Molecular Modelling & Drug Design Research Group, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, Durban, 4001, South Africa
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25
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New paradigm of an old target: an update on structural biology and current progress in drug design towards plasmepsin II. Eur J Med Chem 2015; 95:324-48. [PMID: 25827401 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2015.03.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2015] [Revised: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Malaria is one of the major parasitic disease whose rapid spreading and mortality rate affects all parts of the world especially several parts of Asia as well as Africa. The emergence of multi-drug resistant strains hamper the progress of current antimalarial therapy and displayed an urgent need for new antimalarials by targeting novel drug targets. Until now, several promising targets were explored in order to develop a promising Achilles hill to counter malaria. Plasmepsin, an aspartic protease, which is involved in the hemoglobin breakdown into smaller peptides emerged as a crucial target to develop new chemical entities to counter malaria. Due to early crystallographic evidence, plasmepsin II (Plm II) emerged as well explored target to develop novel antimalarials as well as a starting point to develop inhibitors targeting some other subtypes of plasmepsins i.e. Plm I, II, IV and V. With the advancements in drug discovery, several computational and synthetic approaches were employed in order to develop novel inhibitors targeting Plm II. Strategies such as fragment based drug design, molecular dynamics simulation, double drug approach etc. were employed in order to develop new chemical entities targeting Plm II. But majority of Plm II inhibitors suffered from poor selectivity over cathepsin D as well as other subtypes of plasmepsins. This review highlights an updated account of drug discovery efforts targeting plasmepsin II from a medicinal chemistry perspective.
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26
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Huizing AP, Mondal M, Hirsch AKH. Fighting malaria: structure-guided discovery of nonpeptidomimetic plasmepsin inhibitors. J Med Chem 2015; 58:5151-63. [PMID: 25719272 DOI: 10.1021/jm5014133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Plasmepsins (Plms) are aspartic proteases involved in the degradation of human hemoglobin by Plasmodium falciparum. Given that the parasite needs the resulting amino acid building blocks for its growth and development, plasmepsins are an important antimalarial drug target. Over the past decade, tremendous progress has been achieved in the development of inhibitors of plasmepsin using two strategies: structure-based drug design (SBDD) and structure-based virtual screening (SBVS). Herein, we review the inhibitors of Plms I-IV developed by SBDD or SBVS with a particular focus on obtaining selectivity versus the human Asp proteases cathepsins and renin and activity in cell-based assays. By use of SBDD, the flap pocket of Plm II has been discovered and constitutes a convenient handle to obtain selectivity. In SBVS, activity against Plms I-IV and selectivity versus cathepsins are not always taken into account. A combination of SBVS, SBDD, and molecular dynamics simulations opens up opportunities for future design cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja P Huizing
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, NL-9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Milon Mondal
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, NL-9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Anna K H Hirsch
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, NL-9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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Persch E, Dumele O, Diederich F. Molekulare Erkennung in chemischen und biologischen Systemen. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201408487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Persch E, Dumele O, Diederich F. Molecular recognition in chemical and biological systems. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2015; 54:3290-327. [PMID: 25630692 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201408487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 424] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Structure-based ligand design in medicinal chemistry and crop protection relies on the identification and quantification of weak noncovalent interactions and understanding the role of water. Small-molecule and protein structural database searches are important tools to retrieve existing knowledge. Thermodynamic profiling, combined with X-ray structural and computational studies, is the key to elucidate the energetics of the replacement of water by ligands. Biological receptor sites vary greatly in shape, conformational dynamics, and polarity, and require different ligand-design strategies, as shown for various case studies. Interactions between dipoles have become a central theme of molecular recognition. Orthogonal interactions, halogen bonding, and amide⋅⋅⋅π stacking provide new tools for innovative lead optimization. The combination of synthetic models and biological complexation studies is required to gather reliable information on weak noncovalent interactions and the role of water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Persch
- Laboratorium für Organische Chemie, Departement Chemie und Angewandte Biowissenschaften, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 3, 8093 Zürich (Switzerland)
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Karubiu W, Bhakat S, McGillewie L, Soliman MES. Flap dynamics of plasmepsin proteases: insight into proposed parameters and molecular dynamics. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2015; 11:1061-6. [DOI: 10.1039/c4mb00631c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Herein, for the first time, we report the flap opening and closing in Plasmepsin proteases – plasmepsin II (PlmII) was used as a prototype model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson Karubiu
- School of Health Sciences
- University of KwaZulu-Natal
- Durban-4000
- South Africa
| | | | - Lara McGillewie
- School of Health Sciences
- University of KwaZulu-Natal
- Durban-4000
- South Africa
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30
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Sleebs BE, Gazdik M, O'Neill MT, Rajasekaran P, Lopaticki S, Lackovic K, Lowes K, Smith BJ, Cowman AF, Boddey JA. Transition state mimetics of the Plasmodium export element are potent inhibitors of Plasmepsin V from P. falciparum and P. vivax. J Med Chem 2014; 57:7644-62. [PMID: 25167370 DOI: 10.1021/jm500797g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Following erythrocyte invasion, malaria parasites export a catalogue of remodeling proteins into the infected cell that enable parasite development in the human host. Export is dependent on the activity of the aspartyl protease, plasmepsin V (PMV), which cleaves proteins within the Plasmodium export element (PEXEL; RxL↓xE/Q/D) in the parasite's endoplasmic reticulum. Here, we generated transition state mimetics of the native PEXEL substrate that potently inhibit PMV isolated from Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Through optimization, we identified that the activity of the mimetics was completely dependent on the presence of P1 Leu and P3 Arg. Treatment of P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes with a set of optimized mimetics impaired PEXEL processing and killed the parasites. The striking effect of the compounds provides a clearer understanding of the accessibility of the PMV active site and reaffirms the enzyme as an attractive target for the design of future antimalarials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brad E Sleebs
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research , 1G Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
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31
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Song Y, Jin H, Liu X, Zhu L, Huang J, Li H. Discovery of non-peptide inhibitors of Plasmepsin II by structure-based virtual screening. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2013; 23:2078-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2013.01.128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2012] [Revised: 01/26/2013] [Accepted: 01/30/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Aureggi V, Ehmke V, Wieland J, Schweizer WB, Bernet B, Bur D, Meyer S, Rottmann M, Freymond C, Brun R, Breit B, Diederich F. Potent inhibitors of malarial aspartic proteases, the plasmepsins, by hydroformylation of substituted 7-azanorbornenes. Chemistry 2012; 19:155-64. [PMID: 23161835 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201202941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant strains of the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum requires the urgent development of new therapeutic agents with novel modes of action. The vacuolar malarial aspartic proteases plasmepsin (PM) I, II, and IV are involved in hemoglobin degradation and play a central role in the growth and maturation of the parasite in the human host. We report the structure-based design, synthesis, and in vitro evaluation of a new generation of PM inhibitors featuring a highly decorated 7-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane core. While this protonated central core addresses the catalytic Asp dyad, three substituents bind to the flap, the S1/S3, and the S1' pockets of the enzymes. A hydroformylation reaction is the key synthetic step for the introduction of the new vector reaching into the S1' pocket. The configuration of the racemic ligands was confirmed by extensive NMR and X-ray crystallographic analysis. In vitro biological assays revealed high potency of the new inhibitors against the three plasmepsins (IC(50) values down to 6 nM) and good selectivity towards the closely related human cathepsins D and E. The occupancy of the S1' pocket makes an essential contribution to the gain in binding affinity and selectivity, which is particularly large in the case of the PM IV enzyme. Designing non-peptidic ligands for PM II is a valid route to generate compounds that inhibit the entire family of vacuolar plasmepsins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Aureggi
- Laboratorium für Organische Chemie, ETH Zurich, Hönggerberg HCI, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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Halavaty AS, Kim Y, Minasov G, Shuvalova L, Dubrovska I, Winsor J, Zhou M, Onopriyenko O, Skarina T, Papazisi L, Kwon K, Peterson SN, Joachimiak A, Savchenko A, Anderson WF. Structural characterization and comparison of three acyl-carrier-protein synthases from pathogenic bacteria. ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA. SECTION D, BIOLOGICAL CRYSTALLOGRAPHY 2012; 68:1359-70. [PMID: 22993090 PMCID: PMC3447402 DOI: 10.1107/s0907444912029101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2012] [Accepted: 06/26/2012] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Some bacterial type II fatty-acid synthesis (FAS II) enzymes have been shown to be important candidates for drug discovery. The scientific and medical quest for new FAS II protein targets continues to stimulate research in this field. One of the possible additional candidates is the acyl-carrier-protein synthase (AcpS) enzyme. Its holo form post-translationally modifies the apo form of an acyl carrier protein (ACP), which assures the constant delivery of thioester intermediates to the discrete enzymes of FAS II. At the Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases (CSGID), AcpSs from Staphylococcus aureus (AcpS(SA)), Vibrio cholerae (AcpS(VC)) and Bacillus anthracis (AcpS(BA)) have been structurally characterized in their apo, holo and product-bound forms, respectively. The structure of AcpS(BA) is emphasized because of the two 3',5'-adenosine diphosphate (3',5'-ADP) product molecules that are found in each of the three coenzyme A (CoA) binding sites of the trimeric protein. One 3',5'-ADP is bound as the 3',5'-ADP part of CoA in the known structures of the CoA-AcpS and 3',5'-ADP-AcpS binary complexes. The position of the second 3',5'-ADP has never been described before. It is in close proximity to the first 3',5'-ADP and the ACP-binding site. The coordination of two ADPs in AcpS(BA) may possibly be exploited for the design of AcpS inhibitors that can block binding of both CoA and ACP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei S. Halavaty
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Youngchang Kim
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- Structural Biology Center, Biosciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
- Computational Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - George Minasov
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Ludmilla Shuvalova
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Ievgeniia Dubrovska
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - James Winsor
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Min Zhou
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- Structural Biology Center, Biosciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
- Computational Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Olena Onopriyenko
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L6, Canada
| | - Tatiana Skarina
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L6, Canada
| | - Leka Papazisi
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Keehwan Kwon
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Scott N. Peterson
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Andrzej Joachimiak
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- Structural Biology Center, Biosciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
- Computational Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Alexei Savchenko
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L6, Canada
| | - Wayne F. Anderson
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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Bhaumik P, Gustchina A, Wlodawer A. Structural studies of vacuolar plasmepsins. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2012; 1824:207-23. [PMID: 21540129 PMCID: PMC3154504 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2011.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2011] [Revised: 04/11/2011] [Accepted: 04/12/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Plasmepsins (PMs) are pepsin-like aspartic proteases present in different species of parasite Plasmodium. Four Plasmodium spp. (P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, and the most lethal P. falciparum) are mainly responsible for causing human malaria that affects millions worldwide. Due to the complexity and rate of parasite mutation coupled with regional variations, and the emergence of P. falciparum strains which are resistant to antimalarial agents such as chloroquine and sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine, there is constant pressure to find new and lasting chemotherapeutic drug therapies. Since many proteases represent therapeutic targets and PMs have been shown to play an important role in the survival of parasite, these enzymes have recently been identified as promising targets for the development of novel antimalarial drugs. The genome of P. falciparum encodes 10 PMs (PMI, PMII, PMIV-X and histo-aspartic protease (HAP)), 4 of which (PMI, PMII, PMIV and HAP) reside within the food vacuole, are directly involved in degradation of human hemoglobin, and share 50-79% amino acid sequence identity. This review focuses on structural studies of only these four enzymes, including their orthologs in other Plasmodium spp.. Almost all original crystallographic studies were performed with PMII, but more recent work on PMIV, PMI, and HAP resulted in a more complete picture of the structure-function relationship of vacuolar PMs. Many structures of inhibitor complexes of vacuolar plasmepsins, as well as their zymogens, have been reported in the last 15 years. Information gained by such studies will be helpful for the development of better inhibitors that could become a new class of potent antimalarial drugs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Proteolysis 50 years after the discovery of lysosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasenjit Bhaumik
- Protein Structure Section, Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Alla Gustchina
- Protein Structure Section, Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Alexander Wlodawer
- Protein Structure Section, Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
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Li M, Gustchina A, Matúz K, Tözsér J, Namwong S, Goldfarb NE, Dunn BM, Wlodawer A. Structural and biochemical characterization of the inhibitor complexes of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus protease. FEBS J 2011; 278:4413-24. [PMID: 21951660 PMCID: PMC3500906 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2011.08364.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between the protease (PR) encoded by the xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus and a number of potential inhibitors have been investigated by biochemical and structural techniques. It was observed that several inhibitors used clinically against HIV PR exhibit nanomolar or even subnanomolar values of K(i) , depending on the exact experimental conditions. Both TL-3, a universal inhibitor of retroviral PRs, and some inhibitors originally shown to inhibit plasmepsins were also quite potent, whereas inhibition by pepstatin A was considerably weaker. Crystal structures of the complexes of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus PR with TL-3, amprenavir and pepstatin A were solved at high resolution and compared with the structures of complexes of these inhibitors with other retropepsins. Whereas TL-3 and amprenavir bound in a predictable manner, spanning the substrate-binding site of the enzyme, two molecules of pepstatin A bound simultaneously in an unprecedented manner, leaving the catalytic water molecule in place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mi Li
- Protein Structure Section, Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
- Basic Research Program, SAIC-Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Alla Gustchina
- Protein Structure Section, Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Krisztina Matúz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Jozsef Tözsér
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Sirilak Namwong
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok 10300, Thailand
| | - Nathan E. Goldfarb
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Ben M. Dunn
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Alexander Wlodawer
- Protein Structure Section, Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
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Riniker S, Christ CD, Hansen HS, Hünenberger PH, Oostenbrink C, Steiner D, van Gunsteren WF. Calculation of Relative Free Energies for Ligand-Protein Binding, Solvation, and Conformational Transitions Using the GROMOS Software. J Phys Chem B 2011; 115:13570-7. [DOI: 10.1021/jp204303a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sereina Riniker
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Clara D. Christ
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Halvor S. Hansen
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Philippe H. Hünenberger
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Chris Oostenbrink
- Institute of Molecular Modeling and Simulation, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Denise Steiner
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Wilfred F. van Gunsteren
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
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Computational perspectives into plasmepsins structure-function relationship: implications to inhibitors design. J Trop Med 2011; 2011:657483. [PMID: 21760810 PMCID: PMC3134243 DOI: 10.1155/2011/657483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2011] [Revised: 05/01/2011] [Accepted: 05/03/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of efficient and selective antimalariais remains a challenge for the pharmaceutical industry. The aspartic proteases plasmepsins, whose inhibition leads to parasite death, are classified as targets for the design of potent drugs. Combinatorial synthesis is currently being used to generate inhibitor libraries for these enzymes, and together with computational methodologies have been demonstrated capable for the selection of lead compounds. The high structural flexibility of plasmepsins, revealed by their X-ray structures and molecular dynamics simulations, made even more complicated the prediction of putative binding modes, and therefore, the use of common computational tools, like docking and free-energy calculations. In this review, we revised the computational strategies utilized so far, for the structure-function relationship studies concerning the plasmepsin family, with special focus on the recent advances in the improvement of the linear interaction estimation (LIE) method, which is one of the most successful methodologies in the evaluation of plasmepsin-inhibitor binding affinity.
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Bhaumik P, Horimoto Y, Xiao H, Miura T, Hidaka K, Kiso Y, Wlodawer A, Yada RY, Gustchina A. Crystal structures of the free and inhibited forms of plasmepsin I (PMI) from Plasmodium falciparum. J Struct Biol 2011; 175:73-84. [PMID: 21521654 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2011.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2011] [Revised: 04/08/2011] [Accepted: 04/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Plasmepsin I (PMI) is one of the four vacuolar pepsin-like proteases responsible for hemoglobin degradation by the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum, and the only one with no crystal structure reported to date. Due to substantial functional redundancy of these enzymes, lack of inhibition of even a single plasmepsin can defeat efforts in creating effective antiparasitic agents. We have now solved crystal structures of the recombinant PMI as apoenzyme and in complex with the potent peptidic inhibitor, KNI-10006, at the resolution of 2.4 and 3.1Å, respectively. The apoenzyme crystallized in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with two molecules in the asymmetric unit and the structure has been refined to the final R-factor of 20.7%. The KNI-10006 bound enzyme crystallized in the tetragonal space group P4(3) with four molecules in the asymmetric unit and the structure has been refined to the final R-factor of 21.1%. In the PMI-KNI-10006 complex, the inhibitors were bound identically to all four enzyme molecules, with the opposite directionality of the main chain of KNI-10006 relative to the direction of the enzyme substrates. Such a mode of binding of inhibitors containing an allophenylnorstatine-dimethylthioproline insert in the P1-P1' positions, previously reported in a complex with PMIV, demonstrates the importance of satisfying the requirements for the proper positioning of the functional groups in the mechanism-based inhibitors towards the catalytic machinery of aspartic proteases, as opposed to binding driven solely by the specificity of the individual enzymes. A comparison of the structure of the PMI-KNI-10006 complex with the structures of other vacuolar plasmepsins identified the important differences between them and may help in the design of specific inhibitors targeting the individual enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasenjit Bhaumik
- Protein Structure Section, Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
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39
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Steiner D, Oostenbrink C, Diederich F, Zürcher M, van Gunsteren WF. Calculation of binding free energies of inhibitors to plasmepsin II. J Comput Chem 2011; 32:1801-12. [DOI: 10.1002/jcc.21761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2010] [Revised: 12/16/2010] [Accepted: 01/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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41
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Valiente PA, Gil A, Batista PR, Caffarena ER, Pons T, Pascutti PG. New parameterization approaches of the LIE method to improve free energy calculations of PlmII-Inhibitors complexes. J Comput Chem 2010; 31:2723-34. [PMID: 20839299 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.21566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro A Valiente
- Laboratorio de Biología Computacional y Diseño de Proteínas, Centro de Estudios de Proteínas, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Habana, Cuba.
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Webb RL, Schiering N, Sedrani R, Maibaum J. Direct Renin Inhibitors as a New Therapy for Hypertension. J Med Chem 2010; 53:7490-520. [DOI: 10.1021/jm901885s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Randy L. Webb
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., Institutes for BioMedical Research, East Hanover, New Jersey
| | - Nikolaus Schiering
- Novartis Pharma AG, Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Richard Sedrani
- Novartis Pharma AG, Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jürgen Maibaum
- Novartis Pharma AG, Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
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Enantiomerically Pure and Highly Substituted Alicyclic α,α-Difluoro Ketones: Potential Inhibitors for Malarial Aspartic Proteases, the Plasmepsins. European J Org Chem 2010. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.201000712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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44
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Luksch T, Blum A, Klee N, Diederich W, Sotriffer C, Klebe G. Pyrrolidine Derivatives as Plasmepsin Inhibitors: Binding Mode Analysis Assisted by Molecular Dynamics Simulations of a Highly Flexible Protein. ChemMedChem 2010; 5:443-54. [DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.200900452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Liu P, Marzahn MR, Robbins AH, Gutiérrez-de-Terán H, Rodríguez D, McClung SH, Stevens SM, Yowell CA, Dame JB, McKenna R, Dunn BM. Recombinant plasmepsin 1 from the human malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum: enzymatic characterization, active site inhibitor design, and structural analysis. Biochemistry 2009; 48:4086-99. [PMID: 19271776 DOI: 10.1021/bi802059r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A mutated form of truncated proplasmepsin 1 (proPfPM1) from the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, proPfPM1 K110pN, was generated and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The automaturation process was carried out at pH 4.0 and 4.5, and the optimal catalytic pH of the resulting mature PfPM1 was determined to be pH 5.5. This mature PfPM1 showed comparable binding affinity to peptide substrates and inhibitors with the naturally occurring form isolated from parasites. The S3-S3' subsite preferences of the recombinant mature PfPM1 were explored using combinatorial chemistry based peptide libraries. On the basis of the results, a peptidomimetic inhibitor (compound 1) was designed and yielded 5-fold selectivity for binding to PfPM1 versus the homologous human cathepsin D (hcatD). The 2.8 A structure of the PfPM2-compound 1 complex is reported. Modeling studies were conducted using a series of peptidomimetic inhibitors (compounds 1-6, Table 3) and three plasmepsins: the crystal structure of PfPM2, and homology derived models of PfPM1 and PfPM4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida 32610-0245, USA
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Abstract
The structure-function relationships of aspartic peptidases (APs) (EC 3.4.23.X) have been extensively investigated, yet much remains to be elucidated regarding the various molecular mechanisms of these enzymes. Over the past years, APs have received considerable interest for food applications (e.g. cheese, fermented foods) and as potential targets for pharmaceutical intervention in human diseases including hypertension, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), and malaria. A deeper understanding of the structure and function of APs, therefore, will have a direct impact on the design of peptidase inhibitors developed to treat such diseases. Most APs are synthesized as zymogens which contain an N-terminal prosegment (PS) domain that is removed at acidic pH by proteolytic cleavage resulting in the active enzyme. While the nature of the AP PS function is not entirely understood, the PS can be important in processes such as the initiation of correct folding, protein stability, blockage of the active site, pH-dependence of activation, and intracellular sorting of the zymogen. This review summarizes the current knowledge of AP PS function (especially within the A1 family), with particular emphasis on protein folding, cellular sorting, and inhibition.
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Zürcher M, Hof F, Barandun L, Schütz A, Schweizer WB, Meyer S, Bur D, Diederich F. Synthesis ofexo-3-Amino-7-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptanes as a Class of Malarial Aspartic Protease Inhibitors: Exploration of Two Binding Pockets. European J Org Chem 2009. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.200801184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Bhaumik P, Xiao H, Parr CL, Kiso Y, Gustchina A, Yada RY, Wlodawer A. Crystal structures of the histo-aspartic protease (HAP) from Plasmodium falciparum. J Mol Biol 2009; 388:520-40. [PMID: 19285084 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2009] [Revised: 02/25/2009] [Accepted: 03/05/2009] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The structures of recombinant histo-aspartic protease (HAP) from malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum as apoenzyme and in complex with two inhibitors, pepstatin A and KNI-10006, were solved at 2.5-, 3.3-, and 3.05-A resolutions, respectively. In the apoenzyme crystals, HAP forms a tight dimer not seen previously in any aspartic protease. The interactions between the monomers affect the conformation of two flexible loops, the functionally important "flap" (residues 70-83) and its structural equivalent in the C-terminal domain (residues 238-245), as well as the orientation of helix 225-235. The flap is found in an open conformation in the apoenzyme. Unexpectedly, the active site of the apoenzyme contains a zinc ion tightly bound to His32 and Asp215 from one monomer and to Glu278A from the other monomer, with the coordination of Zn resembling that seen in metalloproteases. The flap is closed in the structure of the pepstatin A complex, whereas it is open in the complex with KNI-10006. Although the binding mode of pepstatin A is significantly different from that in other pepsin-like aspartic proteases, its location in the active site makes unlikely the previously proposed hypothesis that HAP is a serine protease. The binding mode of KNI-10006 is unusual compared with the binding of other inhibitors from the KNI series to aspartic proteases. The novel features of the HAP active site could facilitate design of specific inhibitors used in the development of antimalarial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasenjit Bhaumik
- Protein Structure Section, Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
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Fäh C, Hardegger LA, Baitsch L, Schweizer WB, Meyer S, Bur D, Diederich F. New organofluorine building blocks: inhibition of the malarial aspartic proteases plasmepsin II and IV by alicyclic α,α-difluoroketone hydrates. Org Biomol Chem 2009; 7:3947-57. [DOI: 10.1039/b908489d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Rumsh LD, Mikhaĭlova AG, Mikhura IV, Prudchenko IA, Chikin LD, Mikhaleva II, Kaliberda EN, Dergousova NI, Mel'nikov EE, Formanovskiĭ AA. [Selective inhibitors of plasmepsin II from Plasmodium falciparum based on pepstatin]. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY 2008; 34:739-46. [PMID: 19088746 DOI: 10.1134/s1068162008060034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
A number of new inhibitors of plasmepsin II (PlmII) from Plasmodium falciparum, one of the key factors of malarial parasite survival, were synthesized. The inhibitors are analogues of pepstatin with various variants of Ala residue substitutions. Effects of the inhibitors on human PlmII and cathepsin D were studied. Inhibition of PlmII by the substrate was found, which required the use of the modified Henderson method for the determination of inhibition constants. Two synthesized inhibitors were shown to exhibit a pronounced selectivity to PlmII (K(i) = 5.5 and 5 nM) in comparison with cathepsin D (K(i) = 230 and 3000 nM, respectively).
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Affiliation(s)
- L D Rumsh
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, Moscow, 117997 Russia.
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