1
|
Liu A, Chokshi M, Nguyen N, Powell RT, Stephan CC, Bao G. Cystic fibrosis cell models for high-throughput analysis and drug screening. J Cyst Fibros 2024; 23:716-724. [PMID: 39060183 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcf.2024.07.001] [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: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a single-gene disorder that affects the lung, digestive system, and other organs. Mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene are classified into several classes based on their pathogenic mechanism and clinical severity. The distinct and heterogeneous clinical behavior of each CF class and the respective CFTR mutations have made the development of a durable therapy for all CF patients extremely challenging. While the FDA-approved drug elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (Trikafta) benefits CF patients carrying at least one F508del mutation in CFTR, it's not effective for many CF patients carrying a variety of other CFTR mutations. To establish a better understanding of CF pathophysiology and aid the development of novel therapeutics for different classes of CF patients, we have created four CF-mutation-specific cell models that recapitulate respectively four distinct CF classes and disease phenotypes, as confirmed by sequencing, CFTR mRNA and protein quantification. The channel function of each cell model was first validated using a well-established FLIPR (Fluorescent Imaging Plate Reader) membrane potential assay and then assessed by the YFP-based functional assay. Integrated with a halide-sensitive fluorescent reporter, these CF cell models can be used for high-throughput drug screening, as demonstrated by a proof-of-concept study using Trikafta. These cell models have the potential to advance CFTR mutation-specific therapies thus addressing the unmet needs of CF patients with rare mutations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aidi Liu
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Mithil Chokshi
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Nghi Nguyen
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA
| | - Reid T Powell
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA
| | - Clifford C Stephan
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA
| | - Gang Bao
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Britto CJ, Taylor-Cousar JL. Cystic Fibrosis in the Era of Highly Effective CFTR Modulators. Clin Chest Med 2022; 43:xiii-xvi. [PMID: 36344084 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccm.2022.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clemente J Britto
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 Cedar Street, TAC-S419, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
| | - Jennifer L Taylor-Cousar
- Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, Divisions of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine and Pediatric Pulmonology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 1400 Jackson Street, J318, Denver, CO 80206, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Xu R, Xiao Y, Liu Y, Wang B, Li X, Huo C, Jia X, Hou L, Wang X. Fluorescence-Based High Throughput Screening Technologies for Natural Chloride Ion Channel Blockers. Chem Res Toxicol 2018; 31:1332-1338. [PMID: 30456946 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.8b00205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Chloride channels represent a group of potential drug targets; their blockers showed significant protecting effect on impaired cells by modulating apoptosis, autophagy, and other cell signals. However, clinical drugs with chloride channel inhibitory properties have not yet been developed. Natural product extract becomes an underlying candidate satisfied the clinical requirements for its low toxicity, low cost, and abundant sources. Here, a fluorescence-based EYFP-H148Q/I153L-HeLa cell line model was constructed by molecular cloning and verified by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting assay. By using this chloride channel blocker screening model, seven hit compounds chosen from 6988 natural compounds showed the channel blocking activity. Then the hit compounds were further validated by electrophysiological patch-clamp analysis. Our study preliminarily identified PC-4 as a new chloride channel inhibitor and demonstrated the reliability and sensitivity of fluorescence-based high throughput screening technologies for discovery of biologically active compounds from natural herbal compounds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Yuan Xiao
- Hong-Hui Hospital, College of Medicine , Xi'an Jiaotong University , Xi'an , China
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kym PR, Wang X, Pizzonero M, Van der Plas SE. Recent Progress in the Discovery and Development of Small-Molecule Modulators of CFTR. PROGRESS IN MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY 2018; 57:235-276. [PMID: 29680149 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmch.2018.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder driven by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. While different mutations lead to varying levels of disease severity, the most common CFTR F508del mutation leads to defects in protein stability, trafficking to the cell membrane and gating of chloride ions. Recently, advances in medicinal chemistry have led to the identification small-molecule drugs that result in significant clinical efficacy in improving lung function in CF patients. Multiple CFTR modulators are required to fix the various defects in the CFTR protein. Small-molecule potentiators increase the open-channel probability and improve the gating of ions through CFTR. Small-molecule correctors stabilize the protein fold of the mutant channel, facilitating protein maturation and translocation to the cellular membrane. Recent data suggest that triple-combination therapy consisting of a potentiator and two correctors that operate through distinct mechanisms will be required to deliver highly significant clinical efficacy for most CF patients. The progress in medicinal chemistry that has led to the identification of novel CFTR potentiators and correctors is presented in this chapter.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Phil R Kym
- AbbVie Discovery Chemistry and Technology, North Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Xueqing Wang
- AbbVie Discovery Chemistry and Technology, North Chicago, IL, United States
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Giuliano KA, Wachi S, Drew L, Dukovski D, Green O, Bastos C, Cullen MD, Hauck S, Tait BD, Munoz B, Lee PS, Miller JP. Use of a High-Throughput Phenotypic Screening Strategy to Identify Amplifiers, a Novel Pharmacological Class of Small Molecules That Exhibit Functional Synergy with Potentiators and Correctors. SLAS DISCOVERY : ADVANCING LIFE SCIENCES R & D 2018; 23:111-121. [PMID: 28898585 PMCID: PMC5784457 DOI: 10.1177/2472555217729790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a lethal genetic disorder caused by mutation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. Despite recent groundbreaking approval of genotype-specific small-molecule drugs, a significant portion of CF patients still lack effective therapeutic options that address the underlying cause of the disease. Through a phenotypic high-throughput screen of approximately 54,000 small molecules, we identified a novel class of CFTR modulators called amplifiers. The identified compound, the characteristics of which are represented here by PTI-CH, selectively increases the expression of immature CFTR protein across different CFTR mutations, including F508del-CFTR, by targeting the inefficiencies of early CFTR biosynthesis. PTI-CH also augments the activity of other CFTR modulators and was found to possess novel characteristics that distinguish it from CFTR potentiator and corrector moieties. The PTI-CH-mediated increase in F508del-CFTR did not elicit cytosolic or endoplasmic reticulum-associated cellular stress responses. Based on these data, amplifiers represent a promising new class of CFTR modulators for the treatment of CF that can be used synergistically with other CFTR modulators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Olivia Green
- Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Sheila Hauck
- Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Benito Munoz
- Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Po-Shun Lee
- Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Smith E, Giuliano KA, Shumate J, Baillargeon P, McEwan B, Cullen MD, Miller JP, Drew L, Scampavia L, Spicer TP. A Homogeneous Cell-Based Halide-Sensitive Yellow Fluorescence Protein Assay to Identify Modulators of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Ion Channel. Assay Drug Dev Technol 2017; 15:395-406. [DOI: 10.1089/adt.2017.810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Emery Smith
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute Molecular Screening Center, Scripps Florida, Jupiter, Florida
| | | | - Justin Shumate
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute Molecular Screening Center, Scripps Florida, Jupiter, Florida
| | - Pierre Baillargeon
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute Molecular Screening Center, Scripps Florida, Jupiter, Florida
| | - Brigid McEwan
- Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | | | - John P. Miller
- Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Lawrence Drew
- Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Louis Scampavia
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute Molecular Screening Center, Scripps Florida, Jupiter, Florida
| | - Timothy P. Spicer
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute Molecular Screening Center, Scripps Florida, Jupiter, Florida
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Zhang H, Cohen AE. Optogenetic Approaches to Drug Discovery in Neuroscience and Beyond. Trends Biotechnol 2017; 35:625-639. [PMID: 28552428 PMCID: PMC5495001 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Revised: 04/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in optogenetics have opened new routes to drug discovery, particularly in neuroscience. Physiological cellular assays probe functional phenotypes that connect genomic data to patient health. Optogenetic tools, in particular tools for all-optical electrophysiology, now provide a means to probe cellular disease models with unprecedented throughput and information content. These techniques promise to identify functional phenotypes associated with disease states and to identify compounds that improve cellular function regardless of whether the compound acts directly on a target or through a bypass mechanism. This review discusses opportunities and unresolved challenges in applying optogenetic techniques throughout the discovery pipeline - from target identification and validation, to target-based and phenotypic screens, to clinical trials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hongkang Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Adam E Cohen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
High throughput screening technologies for ion channels. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2016; 37:34-43. [PMID: 26657056 DOI: 10.1038/aps.2015.108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 10/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Ion channels are involved in a variety of fundamental physiological processes, and their malfunction causes numerous human diseases. Therefore, ion channels represent a class of attractive drug targets and a class of important off-targets for in vitro pharmacological profiling. In the past decades, the rapid progress in developing functional assays and instrumentation has enabled high throughput screening (HTS) campaigns on an expanding list of channel types. Chronologically, HTS methods for ion channels include the ligand binding assay, flux-based assay, fluorescence-based assay, and automated electrophysiological assay. In this review we summarize the current HTS technologies for different ion channel classes and their applications.
Collapse
|
9
|
De Matteis MA, Vicinanza M, Venditti R, Wilson C. Cellular Assays for Drug Discovery in Genetic Disorders of Intracellular Trafficking. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet 2013; 14:159-90. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genom-091212-153415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Cathal Wilson
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, 80131 Naples, Italy;
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Yellow fluorescent protein-based assay to measure GABA(A) channel activation and allosteric modulation in CHO-K1 cells. PLoS One 2013; 8:e59429. [PMID: 23516634 PMCID: PMC3597608 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2012] [Accepted: 02/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The γ-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) ion channels are important drug targets for treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Finding GABAA channel subtype selective allosteric modulators could lead to new improved treatments. However, the progress in this area has been obstructed by the challenging task of developing functional assays to support screening efforts and the generation of cells expressing functional GABAA ion channels with the desired subtype composition. To address these challenges, we developed a yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)-based assay to be able to study allosteric modulation of the GABAA ion channel using cryopreserved, transiently transfected, assay-ready cells. We show for the first time how the MaxCyte STX electroporation instrument can be used to generate CHO-K1 cells expressing functional GABAA α2β3γ2 along with a halide sensing YFP-H148Q/I152L (YFP-GABAA2 cells). As a basis for a cell-based assay capable of detecting allosteric modulators, experiments with antagonist, ion channel blocker and modulators were used to verify GABAA subunit composition and functionality. We found that the I− concentration used in the YFP assay affected both basal quench of YFP and potency of GABA. For the first time the assay was used to study modulation of GABA with 7 known modulators where statistical analysis showed that the assay can distinguish modulatory pEC50 differences of 0.15. In conclusion, the YFP assay proved to be a robust, reproducible and inexpensive assay. These data provide evidence that the assay is suitable for high throughput screening (HTS) and could be used to discover novel modulators acting on GABAA ion channels.
Collapse
|
11
|
Lin S, Sui J, Cotard S, Fung B, Andersen J, Zhu P, El Messadi N, Lehar J, Lee M, Staunton J. Identification of synergistic combinations of F508del cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators. Assay Drug Dev Technol 2010; 8:669-84. [PMID: 21050065 DOI: 10.1089/adt.2010.0313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited, life-threatening disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), an ABC transporter-class protein and ion channel that transports ions across epithelial cell membranes. The most common mutation leads to the deletion of a single phenylalanine, and the resulting protein, F508del-CFTR, shows reduced trafficking to the membrane and defective channel gating. The ideal therapeutic approach would address both of these defects and restore channel function at the same time. We describe here the application of a combination high-throughput screening to search for synergistic modulators of F508del-CFTR. With the adapted Fischer rat thyroid-yellow fluorescent protein halide flux assay to the combination high-throughput screening platform, we identified many interesting single agents as CFTR modulators from a library of approved drugs and mechanistic probe compounds, and combinations that synergistically modulate F508del-CFTR channel function in Fischer rat thyroid cells, demonstrating the potential for combination therapeutics to address the defects that cause CF.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Lin
- Zalicus, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|