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Grossi G, Scarano N, Musumeci F, Tonelli M, Kanov E, Carbone A, Fossa P, Gainetdinov RR, Cichero E, Schenone S. Discovery of a Novel Chemo-Type for TAAR1 Agonism via Molecular Modeling. Molecules 2024; 29:1739. [PMID: 38675561 PMCID: PMC11052455 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29081739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The search for novel effective TAAR1 ligands continues to draw great attention due to the wide range of pharmacological applications related to TAAR1 targeting. Herein, molecular docking studies of known TAAR1 ligands, characterized by an oxazoline core, have been performed in order to identify novel promising chemo-types for the discovery of more active TAAR1 agonists. In particular, the oxazoline-based compound S18616 has been taken as a reference compound for the computational study, leading to the development of quite flat and conformationally locked ligands. The choice of a "Y-shape" conformation was suggested for the design of TAAR1 ligands, interacting with the protein cavity delimited by ASP103 and aromatic residues such as PHE186, PHE195, PHE268, and PHE267. The obtained results allowed us to preliminary in silico screen an in-house series of pyrimidinone-benzimidazoles (1a-10a) as a novel scaffold to target TAAR1. Combined ligand-based (LBCM) and structure based (SBCM) computational methods suggested the biological evaluation of compounds 1a-10a, leading to the identification of derivatives 1a-3a (hTAAR1 EC50 = 526.3-657.4 nM) as promising novel TAAR1 agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giancarlo Grossi
- Department of Pharmacy, Section of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 3, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.G.); (N.S.); (F.M.); (M.T.); (A.C.); (P.F.); (S.S.)
| | - Naomi Scarano
- Department of Pharmacy, Section of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 3, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.G.); (N.S.); (F.M.); (M.T.); (A.C.); (P.F.); (S.S.)
| | - Francesca Musumeci
- Department of Pharmacy, Section of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 3, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.G.); (N.S.); (F.M.); (M.T.); (A.C.); (P.F.); (S.S.)
| | - Michele Tonelli
- Department of Pharmacy, Section of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 3, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.G.); (N.S.); (F.M.); (M.T.); (A.C.); (P.F.); (S.S.)
| | - Evgeny Kanov
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia (R.R.G.)
- St. Petersburg University Hospital, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Anna Carbone
- Department of Pharmacy, Section of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 3, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.G.); (N.S.); (F.M.); (M.T.); (A.C.); (P.F.); (S.S.)
| | - Paola Fossa
- Department of Pharmacy, Section of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 3, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.G.); (N.S.); (F.M.); (M.T.); (A.C.); (P.F.); (S.S.)
| | - Raul R. Gainetdinov
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia (R.R.G.)
- St. Petersburg University Hospital, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Elena Cichero
- Department of Pharmacy, Section of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 3, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.G.); (N.S.); (F.M.); (M.T.); (A.C.); (P.F.); (S.S.)
| | - Silvia Schenone
- Department of Pharmacy, Section of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 3, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.G.); (N.S.); (F.M.); (M.T.); (A.C.); (P.F.); (S.S.)
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Di Stefano M, Galati S, Piazza L, Granchi C, Mancini S, Fratini F, Macchia M, Poli G, Tuccinardi T. VenomPred 2.0: A Novel In Silico Platform for an Extended and Human Interpretable Toxicological Profiling of Small Molecules. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:2275-2289. [PMID: 37676238 PMCID: PMC11005041 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
The application of artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) methods is becoming increasingly popular in computational toxicology and drug design; it is considered as a promising solution for assessing the safety profile of compounds, particularly in lead optimization and ADMET studies, and to meet the principles of the 3Rs, which calls for the replacement, reduction, and refinement of animal testing. In this context, we herein present the development of VenomPred 2.0 (http://www.mmvsl.it/wp/venompred2/), the new and improved version of our free of charge web tool for toxicological predictions, which now represents a powerful web-based platform for multifaceted and human-interpretable in silico toxicity profiling of chemicals. VenomPred 2.0 presents an extended set of toxicity endpoints (androgenicity, skin irritation, eye irritation, and acute oral toxicity, in addition to the already available carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, hepatotoxicity, and estrogenicity) that can be evaluated through an exhaustive consensus prediction strategy based on multiple ML models. Moreover, we also implemented a new utility based on the Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method that allows human interpretable toxicological profiling of small molecules, highlighting the features that strongly contribute to the toxicological predictions in order to derive structural toxicophores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriana Di Stefano
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy
- Department
of Life Sciences, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Salvatore Galati
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Lisa Piazza
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Carlotta Granchi
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Simone Mancini
- Department
of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale Delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Filippo Fratini
- Department
of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale Delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Macchia
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Giulio Poli
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Tiziano Tuccinardi
- Department
of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy
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3
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Alzain AA, Elbadwi FA, Shoaib TH, Sherif AE, Osman W, Ashour A, Mohamed GA, Ibrahim SRM, Roh EJ, Hassan AHE. Integrating computational methods guided the discovery of phytochemicals as potential Pin1 inhibitors for cancer: pharmacophore modeling, molecular docking, MM-GBSA calculations and molecular dynamics studies. Front Chem 2024; 12:1339891. [PMID: 38318109 PMCID: PMC10839060 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1339891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Pin1 is a pivotal player in interactions with a diverse array of phosphorylated proteins closely linked to critical processes such as carcinogenesis and tumor suppression. Its axial role in cancer initiation and progression, coupled with its overexpression and activation in various cancers render it a potential candidate for the development of targeted therapeutics. While several known Pin1 inhibitors possess favorable enzymatic profiles, their cellular efficacy often falls short. Consequently, the pursuit of novel Pin1 inhibitors has gained considerable attention in the field of medicinal chemistry. In this study, we employed the Phase tool from Schrödinger to construct a structure-based pharmacophore model. Subsequently, 449,008 natural products (NPs) from the SN3 database underwent screening to identify compounds sharing pharmacophoric features with the native ligand. This resulted in 650 compounds, which then underwent molecular docking and binding free energy calculations. Among them, SN0021307, SN0449787 and SN0079231 showed better docking scores with values of -9.891, -7.579 and -7.097 kcal/mol, respectively than the reference compound (-6.064 kcal/mol). Also, SN0021307, SN0449787 and SN0079231 exhibited lower free binding energies (-57.12, -49.81 and -46.05 kcal/mol, respectively) than the reference ligand (-37.75 kcal/mol). Based on these studies, SN0021307, SN0449787, and SN0079231 showed better binding affinity that the reference compound. Further the validation of these findings, molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the stability of the ligand-receptor complex for 100 ns with RMSD ranging from 0.6 to 1.8 Å. Based on these promising results, these three phytochemicals emerge as promising lead compounds warranting comprehensive biological screening in future investigations. These compounds hold great potential for further exploration regarding their efficacy and safety as Pin1 inhibitors, which could usher in new avenues for combating cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulrahim A. Alzain
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Gezira, Gezira, Sudan
| | - Fatima A. Elbadwi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Gezira, Gezira, Sudan
| | - Tagyedeen H. Shoaib
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Gezira, Gezira, Sudan
| | - Asmaa E. Sherif
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Wadah Osman
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Ahmed Ashour
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Gamal A. Mohamed
- Department of Natural Products and Alternative Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sabrin R. M. Ibrahim
- Preparatory Year Program, Department of Chemistry, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Eun Joo Roh
- Chemical and Biological Integrative Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Ahmed H. E. Hassan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
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Galati S, Di Stefano M, Bertini S, Granchi C, Giordano A, Gado F, Macchia M, Tuccinardi T, Poli G. Identification of New GSK3β Inhibitors through a Consensus Machine Learning-Based Virtual Screening. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17233. [PMID: 38139062 PMCID: PMC10743990 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3β) is a serine/threonine kinase that plays key roles in glycogen metabolism, Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascade, synaptic modulation, and multiple autophagy-related signaling pathways. GSK3β is an attractive target for drug discovery since its aberrant activity is involved in the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. In the present study, multiple machine learning models aimed at identifying novel GSK3β inhibitors were developed and evaluated for their predictive reliability. The most powerful models were combined in a consensus approach, which was used to screen about 2 million commercial compounds. Our consensus machine learning-based virtual screening led to the identification of compounds G1 and G4, which showed inhibitory activity against GSK3β in the low-micromolar and sub-micromolar range, respectively. These results demonstrated the reliability of our virtual screening approach. Moreover, docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies were employed for predicting reliable binding modes for G1 and G4, which represent two valuable starting points for future hit-to-lead and lead optimization studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Galati
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (S.G.); (M.D.S.); (S.B.); (C.G.); (M.M.); (G.P.)
| | - Miriana Di Stefano
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (S.G.); (M.D.S.); (S.B.); (C.G.); (M.M.); (G.P.)
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Simone Bertini
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (S.G.); (M.D.S.); (S.B.); (C.G.); (M.M.); (G.P.)
| | - Carlotta Granchi
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (S.G.); (M.D.S.); (S.B.); (C.G.); (M.M.); (G.P.)
| | - Antonio Giordano
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine Center for Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA;
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Francesca Gado
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy;
| | - Marco Macchia
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (S.G.); (M.D.S.); (S.B.); (C.G.); (M.M.); (G.P.)
| | - Tiziano Tuccinardi
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (S.G.); (M.D.S.); (S.B.); (C.G.); (M.M.); (G.P.)
| | - Giulio Poli
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (S.G.); (M.D.S.); (S.B.); (C.G.); (M.M.); (G.P.)
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Gurung D, Danielson JA, Tasnim A, Zhang JT, Zou Y, Liu JY. Proline Isomerization: From the Chemistry and Biology to Therapeutic Opportunities. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1008. [PMID: 37508437 PMCID: PMC10376262 DOI: 10.3390/biology12071008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Proline isomerization, the process of interconversion between the cis- and trans-forms of proline, is an important and unique post-translational modification that can affect protein folding and conformations, and ultimately regulate protein functions and biological pathways. Although impactful, the importance and prevalence of proline isomerization as a regulation mechanism in biological systems have not been fully understood or recognized. Aiming to fill gaps and bring new awareness, we attempt to provide a wholistic review on proline isomerization that firstly covers what proline isomerization is and the basic chemistry behind it. In this section, we vividly show that the cause of the unique ability of proline to adopt both cis- and trans-conformations in significant abundance is rooted from the steric hindrance of these two forms being similar, which is different from that in linear residues. We then discuss how proline isomerization was discovered historically followed by an introduction to all three types of proline isomerases and how proline isomerization plays a role in various cellular responses, such as cell cycle regulation, DNA damage repair, T-cell activation, and ion channel gating. We then explore various human diseases that have been linked to the dysregulation of proline isomerization. Finally, we wrap up with the current stage of various inhibitors developed to target proline isomerases as a strategy for therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepti Gurung
- Department of Medicine, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Jacob A Danielson
- Department of Medicine, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Afsara Tasnim
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Toledo College of Engineering, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
| | - Jian-Ting Zhang
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Yue Zou
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Jing-Yuan Liu
- Department of Medicine, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Toledo College of Engineering, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
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Chen XR, Igumenova TI. Regulation of eukaryotic protein kinases by Pin1, a peptidyl-prolyl isomerase. Adv Biol Regul 2023; 87:100938. [PMID: 36496344 PMCID: PMC9992314 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2022.100938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
The peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1 cooperates with proline-directed kinases and phosphatases to regulate multiple oncogenic pathways. Pin1 specifically recognizes phosphorylated Ser/Thr-Pro motifs in proteins and catalyzes their cis-trans isomerization. The Pin1-catalyzed conformational changes determine the stability, activity, and subcellular localization of numerous protein substrates. We conducted a survey of eukaryotic protein kinases that are regulated by Pin1 and whose Pin1 binding sites have been identified. Our analyses reveal that Pin1 target sites in kinases do not fall exclusively within the intrinsically disordered regions of these enzymes. Rather, they fall into three groups based on their location: (i) within the catalytic kinase domain, (ii) in the C-terminal kinase region, and (iii) in regulatory domains. Some of the kinases downregulated by Pin1 activity are tumor-suppressing, and all kinases upregulated by Pin1 activity are functionally pro-oncogenic. These findings further reinforce the rationale for developing Pin1-specific inhibitors as attractive pharmaceuticals for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Ru Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Tatyana I Igumenova
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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