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Larrimore KE, Barcus M, Kannan L, Gao Y, Zhan CG, Brimijoin S, Mor T. Plants as a source of butyrylcholinesterase variants designed for enhanced cocaine hydrolase activity. Chem Biol Interact 2013; 203:217-20. [PMID: 23000451 PMCID: PMC3552022 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2012.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2012] [Revised: 08/13/2012] [Accepted: 09/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Cocaine addiction affects millions of people with disastrous personal and social consequences. Cocaine is one of the most reinforcing of all drugs of abuse, and even those who undergo rehabilitation and experience long periods of abstinence have more than 80% chance of relapse. Yet there is no FDA-approved treatment to decrease the likelihood of relapse in rehabilitated addicts. Recent studies, however, have demonstrated a promising potential treatment option with the help of the serum enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), which is capable of breaking down naturally occurring (-)-cocaine before the drug can influence the reward centers of the brain or affect other areas of the body. This activity of wild-type (WT) BChE, however, is relatively low. This prompted the design of variants of BChE which exhibit significantly improved catalytic activity against (-)-cocaine. Plants are a promising means to produce large amounts of these cocaine hydrolase variants of BChE, cheaply, safely with no concerns regarding human pathogens and functionally equivalent to enzymes derived from other sources. Here, in expressing cocaine-hydrolyzing mutants of BChE in Nicotiana benthamiana using the MagnICON virus-assisted transient expression system, and in reporting their initial biochemical analysis, we provide proof-of-principle that plants can express engineered BChE proteins with desired properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E Larrimore
- School of Life Sciences and The Biodesign Institute, PO Box 874501, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA
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Brimijoin S. Interception of cocaine by enzyme or antibody delivered with viral gene transfer: a novel strategy for preventing relapse in recovering drug users. CNS & NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS-DRUG TARGETS 2012; 10:880-91. [PMID: 22229308 DOI: 10.2174/187152711799219398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2011] [Revised: 11/03/2011] [Accepted: 11/07/2011] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Recent progress in enzyme engineering has led to versions of human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) that hydrolyze cocaine efficiently in plasma, reduce concentrations reaching reward neurocircuity in the brain, and weaken behavioral responses to this drug. Along with enzyme advances, increasingly avid anti-cocaine antibodies and potent anti-cocaine vaccines have also been developed. Here we review these developments and consider the potential advantages along with the risks of delivering drug-intercepting proteins via gene transfer approaches to treat cocaine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Brimijoin
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota, USA.
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Carroll ME, Zlebnik NE, Anker JJ, Kosten TR, Orson FM, Shen X, Kinsey B, Parks RJ, Gao Y, Brimijoin S. Combined cocaine hydrolase gene transfer and anti-cocaine vaccine synergistically block cocaine-induced locomotion. PLoS One 2012; 7:e43536. [PMID: 22912888 PMCID: PMC3422258 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2012] [Accepted: 07/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Mice and rats were tested for reduced sensitivity to cocaine-induced hyper-locomotion after pretreatment with anti-cocaine antibody or cocaine hydrolase (CocH) derived from human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). In Balb/c mice, direct i.p. injection of CocH protein (1 mg/kg) had no effect on spontaneous locomotion, but it suppressed responses to i.p. cocaine up to 80 mg/kg. When CocH was injected i.p. along with a murine cocaine antiserum that also did not affect spontaneous locomotion, there was no response to any cocaine dose. This suppression of locomotor activity required active enzyme, as it was lost after pretreatment with iso-OMPA, a selective BChE inhibitor. Comparable results were obtained in rats that developed high levels of CocH by gene transfer with helper-dependent adenoviral vector, and/or high levels of anti-cocaine antibody by vaccination with norcocaine hapten conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). After these treatments, rats were subjected to a locomotor sensitization paradigm involving a “training phase" with an initial i.p. saline injection on day 1 followed by 8 days of repeated cocaine injections (10 mg/kg, i.p.). A 15-day rest period then ensued, followed by a final “challenge" cocaine injection. As in mice, the individual treatment interventions reduced cocaine-stimulated hyperactivity to a modest extent, while combined treatment produced a greater reduction during all phases of testing compared to control rats (with only saline pretreatment). Overall, the present results strongly support the view that anti-cocaine vaccine and cocaine hydrolase vector treatments together provide enhanced protection against the stimulatory actions of cocaine in rodents. A similar combination therapy in human cocaine users might provide a robust therapy to help maintain abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilyn E. Carroll
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Natalie E. Zlebnik
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Justin J. Anker
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Thomas R. Kosten
- Departments of Medicine, Psychiatry & Neuroscience, and Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine and Veterans Administration Medical Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Frank M. Orson
- Departments of Medicine, Psychiatry & Neuroscience, and Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine and Veterans Administration Medical Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Xiaoyun Shen
- Departments of Medicine, Psychiatry & Neuroscience, and Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine and Veterans Administration Medical Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Berma Kinsey
- Departments of Medicine, Psychiatry & Neuroscience, and Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine and Veterans Administration Medical Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Robin J. Parks
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario Canada
| | - Yang Gao
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Stephen Brimijoin
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Accelerating cocaine metabolism as an approach to the treatment of cocaine abuse and toxicity. Future Med Chem 2012; 4:163-75. [PMID: 22300096 DOI: 10.4155/fmc.11.181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
One pharmacokinetic approach to the treatment of cocaine abuse and toxicity involves the development of compounds that can be safely administered to humans and that accelerate the metabolism of cocaine to inactive components. Catalytic antibodies have been developed and shown to accelerate cocaine metabolism, but their catalytic efficiency for cocaine is relatively low. Mutations of human butyrylcholinesterase and a bacterial cocaine esterase found in the soil of coca plants have also been developed. These compounds accelerate cocaine metabolism and antagonize the behavioral and toxic effects of cocaine in animal models. Of these two approaches, the human butyrylcholinesterase mutants show the most immediate promise as they would not be expected to evoke an immune response in humans.
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Genome-wide copy number variation analysis in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: association with neuropeptide Y gene dosage in an extended pedigree. Mol Psychiatry 2011; 16:491-503. [PMID: 20308990 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2010.29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common, highly heritable neurodevelopmental syndrome characterized by hyperactivity, inattention and increased impulsivity. To detect micro-deletions and micro-duplications that may have a role in the pathogenesis of ADHD, we carried out a genome-wide screen for copy number variations (CNVs) in a cohort of 99 children and adolescents with severe ADHD. Using high-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), a total of 17 potentially syndrome-associated CNVs were identified. The aberrations comprise 4 deletions and 13 duplications with approximate sizes ranging from 110 kb to 3 Mb. Two CNVs occurred de novo and nine were inherited from a parent with ADHD, whereas five are transmitted by an unaffected parent. Candidates include genes expressing acetylcholine-metabolizing butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE), contained in a de novo chromosome 3q26.1 deletion, and a brain-specific pleckstrin homology domain-containing protein (PLEKHB1), with an established function in primary sensory neurons, in two siblings carrying a 11q13.4 duplication inherited from their affected mother. Other genes potentially influencing ADHD-related psychopathology and involved in aberrations inherited from affected parents are the genes for the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase 1 α subcomplex assembly factor 2 (NDUFAF2), the brain-specific phosphodiesterase 4D isoform 6 (PDE4D6) and the neuronal glucose transporter 3 (SLC2A3). The gene encoding neuropeptide Y (NPY) was included in a ∼3 Mb duplication on chromosome 7p15.2-15.3, and investigation of additional family members showed a nominally significant association of this 7p15 duplication with increased NPY plasma concentrations (empirical family-based association test, P=0.023). Lower activation of the left ventral striatum and left posterior insula during anticipation of large rewards or losses elicited by functional magnetic resonance imaging links gene dose-dependent increases in NPY to reward and emotion processing in duplication carriers. These findings implicate CNVs of behaviour-related genes in the pathogenesis of ADHD and are consistent with the notion that both frequent and rare variants influence the development of this common multifactorial syndrome.
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Asojo OA, Asojo OA, Ngamelue MN, Homma K, Lockridge O. Cocrystallization studies of full-length recombinant butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) with cocaine. Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun 2011; 67:434-7. [PMID: 21505234 DOI: 10.1107/s1744309111004805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2010] [Accepted: 02/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE; EC 3.1.1.8) is a 340 kDa tetrameric glycoprotein that is present in human serum at about 5 mg l(-1) and has well documented therapeutic effects on cocaine toxicity. BChE holds promise as a therapeutic that reduces and finally eliminates the rewarding effects of cocaine, thus weaning an addict from the drug. There have been extensive computational studies of cocaine hydrolysis by BChE. Since there are no reported structures of BChE with cocaine or any of the hydrolysis products, full-length monomeric recombinant wild-type BChE was cocrystallized with cocaine. The refined 3 Å resolution structure appears to retain the hydrolysis product benzoic acid in sufficient proximity to form a hydrogen bond to the active-site Ser198.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwatoyin Ajibola Asojo
- Pathology and Microbiology Department, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495, USA.
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Geyer BC, Kannan L, Garnaud PE, Broomfield CA, Cadieux CL, Cherni I, Hodgins SM, Kasten SA, Kelley K, Kilbourne J, Oliver ZP, Otto TC, Puffenberger I, Reeves TE, Robbins N, Woods RR, Soreq H, Lenz DE, Cerasoli DM, Mor TS. Plant-derived human butyrylcholinesterase, but not an organophosphorous-compound hydrolyzing variant thereof, protects rodents against nerve agents. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:20251-6. [PMID: 21059932 PMCID: PMC2996644 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1009021107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The concept of using cholinesterase bioscavengers for prophylaxis against organophosphorous nerve agents and pesticides has progressed from the bench to clinical trial. However, the supply of the native human proteins is either limited (e.g., plasma-derived butyrylcholinesterase and erythrocytic acetylcholinesterase) or nonexisting (synaptic acetylcholinesterase). Here we identify a unique form of recombinant human butyrylcholinesterase that mimics the native enzyme assembly into tetramers; this form provides extended effective pharmacokinetics that is significantly enhanced by polyethylene glycol conjugation. We further demonstrate that this enzyme (but not a G117H/E197Q organophosphorus acid anhydride hydrolase catalytic variant) can prevent morbidity and mortality associated with organophosphorous nerve agent and pesticide exposure of animal subjects of two model species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian C. Geyer
- School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute, P.O. Box 874501, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501
| | - Latha Kannan
- School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute, P.O. Box 874501, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501
| | - Pierre-Emmanuel Garnaud
- School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute, P.O. Box 874501, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501
| | - Clarence A. Broomfield
- Research Division, Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, 3100 Ricketts Point Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5400; and
| | - C. Linn Cadieux
- Research Division, Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, 3100 Ricketts Point Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5400; and
| | - Irene Cherni
- School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute, P.O. Box 874501, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501
| | - Sean M. Hodgins
- Research Division, Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, 3100 Ricketts Point Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5400; and
| | - Shane A. Kasten
- Research Division, Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, 3100 Ricketts Point Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5400; and
| | - Karli Kelley
- School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute, P.O. Box 874501, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501
| | - Jacquelyn Kilbourne
- School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute, P.O. Box 874501, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501
| | - Zeke P. Oliver
- Research Division, Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, 3100 Ricketts Point Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5400; and
| | - Tamara C. Otto
- Research Division, Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, 3100 Ricketts Point Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5400; and
| | - Ian Puffenberger
- School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute, P.O. Box 874501, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501
| | - Tony E. Reeves
- Research Division, Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, 3100 Ricketts Point Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5400; and
| | - Neil Robbins
- School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute, P.O. Box 874501, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501
| | - Ryan R. Woods
- School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute, P.O. Box 874501, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501
| | - Hermona Soreq
- Silberman Life Sciences Institute, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel 91904
| | - David E. Lenz
- Research Division, Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, 3100 Ricketts Point Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5400; and
| | - Douglas M. Cerasoli
- Research Division, Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, 3100 Ricketts Point Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5400; and
| | - Tsafrir S. Mor
- School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute, P.O. Box 874501, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501
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Cooper ZD, Narasimhan D, Sunahara RK, Mierzejewski P, Jutkiewicz EM, Larsen NA, Wilson IA, Landry DW, Woods JH. Rapid and robust protection against cocaine-induced lethality in rats by the bacterial cocaine esterase. Mol Pharmacol 2006; 70:1885-91. [PMID: 16968810 DOI: 10.1124/mol.106.025999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
There is no approved means to prevent the toxic actions of cocaine. Cocaine esterase (CocE) is found in a rhodococcal strain of bacteria that grows in the rhizosphere soil around the coca plant and has been found to hydrolyze cocaine in vitro. The esteratic activity of CocE (0.1-1.0 mg, i.v.) was characterized and confirmed in vivo by assessing its ability to prevent cocaine-induced convulsions and lethality in the rat. The therapeutic efficiency of the enzyme was demonstrated by the increasing dose of cocaine (100-1000 mg/kg, i.p.) required to produce toxic effects after a single intravenous injection of CocE. The enzyme demonstrated rapid kinetics for cocaine degradation in rat and human serum. Two catalytically inactive mutants of CocE (S117A or Y44F) failed to protect rats from the toxic effects of cocaine, confirming the protective effects are due to hydrolytic activity. However, butyrylcholinesterase, an endogenous cocaine-hydrolyzing enzyme, was inactive (1.3-13 mg, i.v.) in this rat toxicity procedure. Furthermore, CocE did not block the lethality of WIN-35065-2 (560 mg/kg, i.p.), a cocaine analog that lacks the benzoyl ester moiety targeted by CocE. This characterization of CocE provides preliminary evidence that the enzyme could serve as a suitable antidote to cocaine toxicity in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziva D Cooper
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan, 1301 MSRB III, 1150 West Med Cntr Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0632, USA
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Carmona GN, Schindler CW, Greig NH, Holloway HW, Jufer RA, Cone EJ, Gorelick DA. Intravenous butyrylcholinesterase administration and plasma and brain levels of cocaine and metabolites in rats. Eur J Pharmacol 2005; 517:186-90. [PMID: 15967428 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2005.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2004] [Revised: 05/10/2005] [Accepted: 05/19/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Butyrylcholinesterase is a major cocaine-metabolizing enzyme in humans and other primates, catalyzing hydrolysis to ecgonine methylester. Increasing butyrylcholinesterase activity may be a treatment for cocaine addiction. We evaluated the effect of 30-min pretreatment with horse-derived butyrylcholinesterase (5-15,000 U i.v.) or with the selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibitor cymserine (10 mg/kg i.v.) on the metabolism of cocaine (17 mg/kg i.p.) in anesthetized rats. Venous blood samples were collected for two hours after cocaine administration and later assayed for cocaine and metabolites by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Whole brains were collected after the last blood sample and similarly assayed. Butyrylcholinesterase significantly increased plasma and brain ecgonine methylester levels and decreased cocaine plasma half-life from 26.2 min (saline) to 16.4 min (15,000 U). Butyrylcholinesterase had no significant effect on plasma or brain cocaine or benzoylecgonine levels. Cymserine had no effect on any variable. These findings suggest that butyrylcholinesterase treatment may have benefits in enhancing cocaine metabolism and in increasing levels of ecgonine methylester, which may have a protective action against cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilberto N Carmona
- Intramural Research Programs, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
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