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Moraes BC, Ribeiro-Filho HV, Roldão AP, Toniolo EF, Carretero GPB, Sgro GG, Batista FAH, Berardi DE, Oliveira VRS, Tomasin R, Vieceli FM, Pramio DT, Cardoso AB, Figueira ACM, Farah SC, Devi LA, Dale CS, de Oliveira PSL, Schechtman D. Structural analysis of TrkA mutations in patients with congenital insensitivity to pain reveals PLCγ as an analgesic drug target. Sci Signal 2022; 15:eabm6046. [PMID: 35471943 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abm6046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Chronic pain is a major health issue, and the search for new analgesics has become increasingly important because of the addictive properties and unwanted side effects of opioids. To explore potentially new drug targets, we investigated mutations in the NTRK1 gene found in individuals with congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA). NTRK1 encodes tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA), the receptor for nerve growth factor (NGF) and that contributes to nociception. Molecular modeling and biochemical analysis identified mutations that decreased the interaction between TrkA and one of its substrates and signaling effectors, phospholipase Cγ (PLCγ). We developed a cell-permeable phosphopeptide derived from TrkA (TAT-pQYP) that bound the Src homology domain 2 (SH2) of PLCγ. In HEK-293T cells, TAT-pQYP inhibited the binding of heterologously expressed TrkA to PLCγ and decreased NGF-induced, TrkA-mediated PLCγ activation and signaling. In mice, intraplantar administration of TAT-pQYP decreased mechanical sensitivity in an inflammatory pain model, suggesting that targeting this interaction may be analgesic. The findings demonstrate a strategy to identify new targets for pain relief by analyzing the signaling pathways that are perturbed in CIPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz C Moraes
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Helder V Ribeiro-Filho
- Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) Campinas, SP 13083-100, Brazil
| | - Allan P Roldão
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Elaine F Toniolo
- Laboratory of Neuromodulation of Experimental Pain (LaNed), Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Gustavo P B Carretero
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Germán G Sgro
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil.,Department of Biomolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14040903, Brazil
| | - Fernanda A H Batista
- Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) Campinas, SP 13083-100, Brazil
| | - Damian E Berardi
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Victoria R S Oliveira
- Laboratory of Neuromodulation of Experimental Pain (LaNed), Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Rebeka Tomasin
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Felipe M Vieceli
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Dimitrius T Pramio
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Alexandre B Cardoso
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Ana C M Figueira
- Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) Campinas, SP 13083-100, Brazil
| | - Shaker C Farah
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Lakshmi A Devi
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Camila S Dale
- Laboratory of Neuromodulation of Experimental Pain (LaNed), Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Paulo S L de Oliveira
- Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) Campinas, SP 13083-100, Brazil
| | - Deborah Schechtman
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
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Lindorff-Larsen K, Kragelund BB. On the potential of machine learning to examine the relationship between sequence, structure, dynamics and function of intrinsically disordered proteins. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167196. [PMID: 34390736 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) constitute a broad set of proteins with few uniting and many diverging properties. IDPs-and intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) interspersed between folded domains-are generally characterized as having no persistent tertiary structure; instead they interconvert between a large number of different and often expanded structures. IDPs and IDRs are involved in an enormously wide range of biological functions and reveal novel mechanisms of interactions, and while they defy the common structure-function paradigm of folded proteins, their structural preferences and dynamics are important for their function. We here discuss open questions in the field of IDPs and IDRs, focusing on areas where machine learning and other computational methods play a role. We discuss computational methods aimed to predict transiently formed local and long-range structure, including methods for integrative structural biology. We discuss the many different ways in which IDPs and IDRs can bind to other molecules, both via short linear motifs, as well as in the formation of larger dynamic complexes such as biomolecular condensates. We discuss how experiments are providing insight into such complexes and may enable more accurate predictions. Finally, we discuss the role of IDPs in disease and how new methods are needed to interpret the mechanistic effects of genomic variants in IDPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kresten Lindorff-Larsen
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory & Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen. Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark.
| | - Birthe B Kragelund
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory & Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen. Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark.
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