1
|
Sakyi PO, Amewu RK, Devine RNOA, Bienibuor AK, Miller WA, Kwofie SK. Unravelling the myth surrounding sterol biosynthesis as plausible target for drug design against leishmaniasis. J Parasit Dis 2021; 45:1152-1171. [PMID: 34790000 PMCID: PMC8556451 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-021-01390-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The mortality rate of leishmaniasis is increasing at an alarming rate and is currently second to malaria amongst the other neglected tropical diseases. Unfortunately, many governments and key stakeholders are not investing enough in the development of new therapeutic interventions. The available treatment options targeting different pathways of the parasite have seen inefficiencies, drug resistance, and toxic side effects coupled with longer treatment durations. Numerous studies to understand the biochemistry of leishmaniasis and its pathogenesis have identified druggable targets including ornithine decarboxylase, trypanothione reductase, and pteridine reductase, which are relevant for the survival and growth of the parasites. Another plausible target is the sterol biosynthetic pathway; however, this has not been fully investigated. Sterol biosynthesis is essential for the survival of the Leishmania species because its inhibition could lead to the death of the parasites. This review seeks to evaluate how critical the enzymes involved in sterol biosynthetic pathway are to the survival of the leishmania parasite. The review also highlights both synthetic and natural product compounds with their IC50 values against selected enzymes. Finally, recent advancements in drug design strategies targeting the sterol biosynthesis pathway of Leishmania are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick O. Sakyi
- Department of Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, PMB LG 56, Legon, Accra, Ghana
- Department of Chemical Sciences, School of Sciences, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Box 214, Sunyani, Ghana
| | - Richard K. Amewu
- Department of Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, PMB LG 56, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Robert N. O. A. Devine
- Department of Chemical Sciences, School of Sciences, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Box 214, Sunyani, Ghana
| | - Alfred K. Bienibuor
- Department of Chemical Sciences, School of Sciences, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Box 214, Sunyani, Ghana
| | - Whelton A. Miller
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL 60153 USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL 60153 USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, IL 19104 USA
| | - Samuel K. Kwofie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic & Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, PMB LG 77, Legon, Accra, Ghana
- West African Center for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Raj S, Sasidharan S, Balaji SN, Saudagar P. An overview of biochemically characterized drug targets in metabolic pathways of Leishmania parasite. Parasitol Res 2020; 119:2025-2037. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06736-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
|
3
|
Pandreka A, Dandekar DS, Haldar S, Uttara V, Vijayshree SG, Mulani FA, Aarthy T, Thulasiram HV. Triterpenoid profiling and functional characterization of the initial genes involved in isoprenoid biosynthesis in neem (Azadirachta indica). BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2015; 15:214. [PMID: 26335498 PMCID: PMC4559364 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-015-0593-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neem tree (Azadirachta indica) is one of the richest sources of skeletally diverse triterpenoids and they are well-known for their broad-spectrum pharmacological and insecticidal properties. However, the abundance of Neem triterpenoids varies among the tissues. Here, we delineate quantitative profiling of fifteen major triterpenoids across various tissues including developmental stages of kernel and pericarp, flower, leaf, stem and bark using UPLC-ESI(+)-HRMS based profiling. Transcriptome analysis was used to identify the initial genes involved in isoprenoid biosynthesis. Based on transcriptome analysis, two short-chain prenyltransferases and squalene synthase (AiSQS) were cloned and functionally characterized. RESULTS Quantitative profiling revealed differential abundance of both total and individual triterpenoid content across various tissues. RNA from tissues with high triterpenoid content (fruit, flower and leaf) were pooled to generate 79.08 million paired-end reads using Illumina GA ΙΙ platform. 41,140 transcripts were generated by d e novo assembly. Transcriptome annotation led to the identification of the putative genes involved in isoprenoid biosynthesis. Two short-chain prenyltransferases, geranyl diphosphate synthase (AiGDS) and farnesyl diphosphate synthase (AiFDS) and squalene synthase (AiSQS) were cloned and functionally characterized using transcriptome data. RT-PCR studies indicated five-fold and ten-fold higher relative expression level of AiSQS in fruits as compared to leaves and flowers, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Triterpenoid profiling indicated that there is tissue specific variation in their abundance. The mature seed kernel and initial stages of pericarp were found to contain the highest amount of limonoids. Furthermore, a wide diversity of triterpenoids, especially C-seco triterpenoids were observed in kernel as compared to the other tissues. Pericarp, flower and leaf contained mainly ring-intact triterpenoids. The initial genes such as AiGDS, AiFDS and AiSQS involved in the isoprenoids biosynthesis have been functionally characterized. The expression levels of AiFDS and AiSQS were found to be in correlation with the total triterpenoid content in individual tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Avinash Pandreka
- Chemical Biology Unit, Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411008, India.
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Mall Road, New Delhi, 110007, India.
| | - Devdutta S Dandekar
- Chemical Biology Unit, Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411008, India.
| | - Saikat Haldar
- Chemical Biology Unit, Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411008, India.
| | - Vairagkar Uttara
- Chemical Biology Unit, Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411008, India.
| | - Shinde G Vijayshree
- Chemical Biology Unit, Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411008, India.
| | - Fayaj A Mulani
- Chemical Biology Unit, Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411008, India.
| | - Thiagarayaselvam Aarthy
- Chemical Biology Unit, Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411008, India.
| | - Hirekodathakallu V Thulasiram
- Chemical Biology Unit, Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411008, India.
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Mall Road, New Delhi, 110007, India.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Arg-265: A critical residue of L.donovani cytosolic SHMT in maintaining the binding of THF and catalysis. Exp Parasitol 2015; 149:16-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2014.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2014] [Revised: 11/21/2014] [Accepted: 12/04/2014] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
|
5
|
Ohtake K, Saito N, Shibuya S, Kobayashi W, Amano R, Hirai T, Sasaki S, Nakano C, Hoshino T. Biochemical characterization of the water-soluble squalene synthase fromMethylococcus capsulatusand the functional analyses of its two DXXD(E)D motifs and the highly conserved aromatic amino acid residues. FEBS J 2014; 281:5479-97. [DOI: 10.1111/febs.13090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2014] [Revised: 09/12/2014] [Accepted: 09/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kana Ohtake
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry; Faculty of Agriculture and Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Japan
| | - Naoki Saito
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry; Faculty of Agriculture and Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Japan
| | - Satoshi Shibuya
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry; Faculty of Agriculture and Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Japan
| | - Wakako Kobayashi
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry; Faculty of Agriculture and Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Japan
| | - Ryosuke Amano
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry; Faculty of Agriculture and Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Japan
| | - Takumi Hirai
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry; Faculty of Agriculture and Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Japan
| | - Shinji Sasaki
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry; Faculty of Agriculture and Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Japan
| | - Chiaki Nakano
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry; Faculty of Agriculture and Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Japan
| | - Tsutomu Hoshino
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry; Faculty of Agriculture and Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Japan
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Developments in diagnosis and antileishmanial drugs. Interdiscip Perspect Infect Dis 2012; 2012:626838. [PMID: 23118748 PMCID: PMC3483814 DOI: 10.1155/2012/626838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2012] [Revised: 09/07/2012] [Accepted: 09/11/2012] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis ranks the third in disease burden in disability-adjusted life years caused by neglected tropical diseases and is the second cause of parasite-related deaths after malaria; but for a variety of reasons, it is not receiving the attention that would be justified seeing its importance. Leishmaniasis is a diverse group of clinical syndromes caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. It is estimated that 350 million people are at risk in 88 countries, with a global incidence of 1–1.5 million cases of cutaneous and 500,000 cases of visceral leishmaniasis. Improvements in diagnostic methods for early case detection and latest combitorial chemotherapeutic methods have given a new hope for combating this deadly disease. The cell biology of Leishmania and mammalian cells differs considerably and this distinctness extends to the biochemical level. This provides the promise that many of the parasite's proteins should be sufficiently different from hosts and can be successfully exploited as drug targets. This paper gives a brief overview of recent developments in the diagnosis and approaches in antileishmanial drug discovery and development.
Collapse
|
7
|
Kumar K, Bhargava P, Roy U. Cloning, overexpression and characterization of Leishmania donovani triosephosphate isomerase. Exp Parasitol 2012; 130:430-6. [PMID: 22342510 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2012.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2010] [Revised: 01/18/2012] [Accepted: 01/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) is a major enzyme in the glycolytic pathway, which catalyzes the interconversion of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Here, we report cloning, expression and purification of a catalytically active recombinant TIM of Leishmania donovani (LdTIM). The recombinant LdTIM had a pH optimum in the range of 7.2-9.0, found stable at 25°C for 30 min and K(m) and V(max) for the substrate glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate was 0.328±0.02mM and 10.05mM/min/mg, respectively. The cysteine-reactive agent methylmethane thiosulphonate (MMTS) was used as probe, in order to test its effect on enzyme activity. The MMTS induced 75% enzyme inactivation within 15 min at 250 μM concentration. The biochemical characterization of LdTIM described in this work is the essential step towards deeper understanding of its role in parasite survival. The purification of LdTIM in bioactive form provides important tools for further functional and structural studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kishore Kumar
- Division of Biochemistry, CSIR - Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226001, UP, India
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
Leishmania parasites cause a variety of devastating diseases in tropical areas around the world. Due to the lack of vaccines and limited availability of drugs, new therapeutic targets are urgently needed. A variety of genetic tools have been developed to investigate the complex biology of this parasite and its interactions with the host. One of the main techniques is the generation of knock-out parasites via targeted gene replacement, a process that takes advantage of the parasites ability to undergo homologous recombination. Studying the effect of gene deletions in vitro and in infectivity models in vivo allows understanding the function of a target gene and its potential as a therapeutic target. Other genetic manipulations available include episomal and chromosomal complementation and the generation of overproducer strains. However, there are also limitations, such as the lack of RNA interference machinery in most Leishmania species and limited options for inducible expression systems. The genomes of several Leishmania species have now been sequenced and will provide powerful resources in combination with the genetic tools that are available. The increasing knowledge of parasite biology and host parasite interactions derived from these studies will raise the number of potential therapeutic targets, which are sorely needed to combat leishmaniasis.
Collapse
|
9
|
Kumar K, Bhargava P, Roy U. In vitro refolding of triosephosphate isomerase from L. donovani. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2011; 164:1207-14. [PMID: 21365180 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-011-9206-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2010] [Accepted: 02/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The triosephosphate isomerase of Leishmania donovani (LdTIM) was expressed at high level in Escherichia coli. The TIM gene was cloned in expression vector pET-23(a) with C-terminal 6× His tag fused in frame, and expressed as a 27.6-kDa protein in E. coli as inclusion bodies. The recombinant LdTIM from E. coli lysate was solubilized in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride and purified by Ni-NTA chromatography. In the present study, the effect of bovine serum albumin on the reactivation of TIM was investigated. Furthermore, 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid was used to detect the structural changes induced by bovine serum albumin (BSA). Here, we conclude that BSA assists in the refolding and regain of LdTIM enzyme activity by providing framework for structure formation. This study indicates that numerous protein-protein contacts are constantly occurring inside the cell that leads to the formation of native protein.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kishore Kumar
- Division of Biochemistry, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226001, UP, India
| | | | | |
Collapse
|