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Carey SM, O’Neill DM, Conner GB, Sherman J, Rodriguez A, D’Antonio EL. Discovery of Strong 3-Nitro-2-Phenyl- 2H-Chromene Analogues as Antitrypanosomal Agents and Inhibitors of Trypanosoma cruzi Glucokinase. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4319. [PMID: 38673904 PMCID: PMC11050443 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease is one of the world's neglected tropical diseases, caused by the human pathogenic protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. There is currently a lack of effective and tolerable clinically available therapeutics to treat this life-threatening illness and the discovery of modern alternative options is an urgent matter. T. cruzi glucokinase (TcGlcK) is a potential drug target because its product, d-glucose-6-phosphate, serves as a key metabolite in the pentose phosphate pathway, glycolysis, and gluconeogenesis. In 2019, we identified a novel cluster of TcGlcK inhibitors that also exhibited anti-T. cruzi efficacy called the 3-nitro-2-phenyl-2H-chromene analogues. This was achieved by performing a target-based high-throughput screening (HTS) campaign of 13,040 compounds. The selection criteria were based on first determining which compounds strongly inhibited TcGlcK in a primary screen, followed by establishing on-target confirmed hits from a confirmatory assay. Compounds that exhibited notable in vitro trypanocidal activity over the T. cruzi infective form (trypomastigotes and intracellular amastigotes) co-cultured in NIH-3T3 mammalian host cells, as well as having revealed low NIH-3T3 cytotoxicity, were further considered. Compounds GLK2-003 and GLK2-004 were determined to inhibit TcGlcK quite well with IC50 values of 6.1 µM and 4.8 µM, respectively. Illuminated by these findings, we herein screened a small compound library consisting of thirteen commercially available 3-nitro-2-phenyl-2H-chromene analogues, two of which were GLK2-003 and GLK2-004 (compounds 1 and 9, respectively). Twelve of these compounds had a one-point change from the chemical structure of GLK2-003. The analogues were run through a similar primary screening and confirmatory assay protocol to our previous HTS campaign. Subsequently, three in vitro biological assays were performed where compounds were screened against (a) T. cruzi (Tulahuen strain) infective form co-cultured within NIH-3T3 cells, (b) T. brucei brucei (427 strain) bloodstream form, and (c) NIH-3T3 host cells alone. We report on the TcGlcK inhibitor constant determinations, mode of enzyme inhibition, in vitro antitrypanosomal IC50 determinations, and an assessment of structure-activity relationships. Our results reveal that the 3-nitro-2-phenyl-2H-chromene scaffold holds promise and can be further optimized for both Chagas disease and human African trypanosomiasis early-stage drug discovery research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane M. Carey
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of South Carolina Beaufort, 1 University Boulevard, Bluffton, SC 29909, USA
| | - Destiny M. O’Neill
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of South Carolina Beaufort, 1 University Boulevard, Bluffton, SC 29909, USA
| | - Garrett B. Conner
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of South Carolina Beaufort, 1 University Boulevard, Bluffton, SC 29909, USA
| | - Julian Sherman
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, 430 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA (A.R.)
| | - Ana Rodriguez
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, 430 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA (A.R.)
| | - Edward L. D’Antonio
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of South Carolina Beaufort, 1 University Boulevard, Bluffton, SC 29909, USA
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Chen T, Xu ZG, Luo J, Manne RK, Wang Z, Hsu CC, Pan BS, Cai Z, Tsai PJ, Tsai YS, Chen ZZ, Li HY, Lin HK. NSUN2 is a glucose sensor suppressing cGAS/STING to maintain tumorigenesis and immunotherapy resistance. Cell Metab 2023; 35:1782-1798.e8. [PMID: 37586363 PMCID: PMC10726430 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Glucose metabolism is known to orchestrate oncogenesis. Whether glucose serves as a signaling molecule directly regulating oncoprotein activity for tumorigenesis remains elusive. Here, we report that glucose is a cofactor binding to methyltransferase NSUN2 at amino acid 1-28 to promote NSUN2 oligomerization and activation. NSUN2 activation maintains global m5C RNA methylation, including TREX2, and stabilizes TREX2 to restrict cytosolic dsDNA accumulation and cGAS/STING activation for promoting tumorigenesis and anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy resistance. An NSUN2 mutant defective in glucose binding or disrupting glucose/NSUN2 interaction abolishes NSUN2 activity and TREX2 induction leading to cGAS/STING activation for oncogenic suppression. Strikingly, genetic deletion of the glucose/NSUN2/TREX2 axis suppresses tumorigenesis and overcomes anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy resistance in those cold tumors through cGAS/STING activation to facilitate apoptosis and CD8+ T cell infiltration. Our study identifies NSUN2 as a direct glucose sensor whose activation by glucose drives tumorigenesis and immunotherapy resistance by maintaining TREX2 expression for cGAS/STING inactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingjin Chen
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Zhi-Gang Xu
- Chongqing Engineering Laboratory of Targeted and Innovative Therapeutics, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Kinase Modulators as Innovative Medicine, IATTI, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Yongchuan, Chongqing 402160, China
| | - Jie Luo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Rajesh Kumar Manne
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Zhengyu Wang
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmaceutical Science, 200 South Cedar, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA
| | - Che-Chia Hsu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Bo-Syong Pan
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Zhen Cai
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Pei-Jane Tsai
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Yau-Sheng Tsai
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Zhong-Zhu Chen
- Chongqing Engineering Laboratory of Targeted and Innovative Therapeutics, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Kinase Modulators as Innovative Medicine, IATTI, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Yongchuan, Chongqing 402160, China
| | - Hong-Yu Li
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmaceutical Science, 200 South Cedar, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA
| | - Hui-Kuan Lin
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
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Dillenberger M, Werner AD, Velten AS, Rahlfs S, Becker K, Fritz-Wolf K. Structural Analysis of Plasmodium falciparum Hexokinase Provides Novel Information about Catalysis Due to a Plasmodium-Specific Insertion. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12739. [PMID: 37628920 PMCID: PMC10454665 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum is the causative pathogen of the most severe form of malaria, for which novel strategies for treatment are urgently required. The primary energy supply for intraerythrocytic stages of Plasmodium is the production of ATP via glycolysis. Due to the parasite's strong dependence on this pathway and the significant structural differences of its glycolytic enzymes compared to its human counterpart, glycolysis is considered a potential drug target. In this study, we provide the first three-dimensional protein structure of P. falciparum hexokinase (PfHK) containing novel information about the mechanisms of PfHK. We identified for the first time a Plasmodium-specific insertion that lines the active site. Moreover, we propose that this insertion plays a role in ATP binding. Residues of the insertion further seem to affect the tetrameric interface and therefore suggest a special way of communication among the different monomers. In addition, we confirmed that PfHK is targeted and affected by oxidative posttranslational modifications (oxPTMs). Both S-glutathionylation and S-nitrosation revealed an inhibitory effect on the enzymatic activity of PfHK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Dillenberger
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, D-35392 Giessen, Germany; (M.D.)
| | - Anke-Dorothee Werner
- Institute of Virology, University of Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 2, D-35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Ann-Sophie Velten
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, D-35392 Giessen, Germany; (M.D.)
| | - Stefan Rahlfs
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, D-35392 Giessen, Germany; (M.D.)
| | - Katja Becker
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, D-35392 Giessen, Germany; (M.D.)
| | - Karin Fritz-Wolf
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, D-35392 Giessen, Germany; (M.D.)
- Max-Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstr. 29, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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4
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Cooper C, Thompson RCA, Clode PL. Investigating parasites in three dimensions: trends in volume microscopy. Trends Parasitol 2023; 39:668-681. [PMID: 37302958 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
To best understand parasite, host, and vector morphologies, host-parasite interactions, and to develop new drug and vaccine targets, structural data should, ideally, be obtained and visualised in three dimensions (3D). Recently, there has been a significant uptake of available 3D volume microscopy techniques that allow collection of data across centimetre (cm) to Angstrom (Å) scales by utilising light, X-ray, electron, and ion sources. Here, we present and discuss microscopy tools available for the collection of 3D structural data, focussing on electron microscopy-based techniques. We highlight their strengths and limitations, such that parasitologists can identify techniques best suited to answer their research questions. Additionally, we review the importance of volume microscopy to the advancement of the field of parasitology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Crystal Cooper
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation, and Analysis, University of Western Australia, Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
| | - R C Andrew Thompson
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
| | - Peta L Clode
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation, and Analysis, University of Western Australia, Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
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dos Santos DA, Souza HFS, Silber AM, de Souza TDACB, Ávila AR. Protein kinases on carbon metabolism: potential targets for alternative chemotherapies against toxoplasmosis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1175409. [PMID: 37287468 PMCID: PMC10242022 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1175409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, a global disease that significantly impacts human health. The clinical manifestations are mainly observed in immunocompromised patients, including ocular damage and neuronal alterations leading to psychiatric disorders. The congenital infection leads to miscarriage or severe alterations in the development of newborns. The conventional treatment is limited to the acute phase of illness, without effects in latent parasites; consequently, a cure is not available yet. Furthermore, considerable toxic effects and long-term therapy contribute to high treatment abandonment rates. The investigation of exclusive parasite pathways would provide new drug targets for more effective therapies, eliminating or reducing the side effects of conventional pharmacological approaches. Protein kinases (PKs) have emerged as promising targets for developing specific inhibitors with high selectivity and efficiency against diseases. Studies in T. gondii have indicated the presence of exclusive PKs without homologs in human cells, which could become important targets for developing new drugs. Knockout of specific kinases linked to energy metabolism have shown to impair the parasite development, reinforcing the essentiality of these enzymes in parasite metabolism. In addition, the specificities found in the PKs that regulate the energy metabolism in this parasite could bring new perspectives for safer and more efficient therapies for treating toxoplasmosis. Therefore, this review provides an overview of the limitations for reaching an efficient treatment and explores the role of PKs in regulating carbon metabolism in Toxoplasma, discussing their potential as targets for more applied and efficient pharmacological approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Higo Fernando Santos Souza
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Trypanosomes (LabTryp), Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ariel M. Silber
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Trypanosomes (LabTryp), Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Andréa Rodrigues Ávila
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Apicomplexa, Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fiocruz, Curitiba, Brazil
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Dillenberger M, Rahlfs S, Becker K, Fritz-Wolf K. Prominent role of cysteine residues C49 and C343 in regulating Plasmodiumfalciparum pyruvate kinase activity. Structure 2022; 30:1452-1461.e3. [PMID: 35998635 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2022.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum causes the most severe form of malaria and is highly dependent on glycolysis. Glycolytic enzymes were shown to be massively redox regulated, inter alia via oxidative post-translational modifications (oxPTMs) of their cysteine residues. In this study, we identified P. falciparum pyruvate kinase (PfPK) C49 and C343 as amino acid residues essentially involved in maintaining structural and functional integrity of the enzyme. The mutation of these cysteines resulted in an altered substrate affinity, lower enzymatic activities, and, as studied by X-ray crystallography, conformational changes within the A-domain where the substrate binding site is located. Although the loss of a cysteine evoked an impaired catalysis in both mutants, the effects observed for mutant C49A were more severe: multiple conformational changes, caused by the loss of two hydrogen bonds, impeded proper substrate binding and thus the transfer of phosphate upon catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Dillenberger
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Stefan Rahlfs
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Katja Becker
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Karin Fritz-Wolf
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, 35392 Giessen, Germany; Max-Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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7
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Arendse LB, Wyllie S, Chibale K, Gilbert IH. Plasmodium Kinases as Potential Drug Targets for Malaria: Challenges and Opportunities. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:518-534. [PMID: 33590753 PMCID: PMC7961706 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Protein and phosphoinositide kinases have been successfully exploited as drug targets in various disease areas, principally in oncology. In malaria, several protein kinases are under investigation as potential drug targets, and an inhibitor of Plasmodium phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase type III beta (PI4KIIIβ) is currently in phase 2 clinical studies. In this Perspective, we review the potential of kinases as drug targets for the treatment of malaria. Kinases are known to be readily druggable, and many are essential for parasite survival. A key challenge in the design of Plasmodium kinase inhibitors is obtaining selectivity over the corresponding human orthologue(s) and other human kinases due to the highly conserved nature of the shared ATP binding site. Notwithstanding this, there are some notable differences between the Plasmodium and human kinome that may be exploitable. There is also the potential for designed polypharmacology, where several Plasmodium kinases are inhibited by the same drug. Prior to starting the drug discovery process, it is important to carefully assess potential kinase targets to ensure that the inhibition of the desired kinase will kill the parasites in the required life-cycle stages with a sufficiently fast rate of kill. Here, we highlight key target attributes and experimental approaches to consider and summarize the progress that has been made targeting Plasmodium PI4KIIIβ, cGMP-dependent protein kinase, and cyclin-dependent-like kinase 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren B. Arendse
- Drug
Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), South African Medical Research
Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of
Chemistry, and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape 7701, South Africa
| | - Susan Wyllie
- Wellcome
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry
and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Kelly Chibale
- Drug
Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), South African Medical Research
Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of
Chemistry, and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape 7701, South Africa
| | - Ian H. Gilbert
- Wellcome
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry
and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
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