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Jado JC, Dow M, Carolino K, Klie A, Fonseca GJ, Ideker T, Carter H, Winzeler EA. In vitro evolution and whole genome analysis to study chemotherapy drug resistance in haploid human cells. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13989. [PMID: 38886371 PMCID: PMC11183241 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63943-7] [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: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
In vitro evolution and whole genome analysis has proven to be a powerful method for studying the mechanism of action of small molecules in many haploid microbes but has generally not been applied to human cell lines in part because their diploid state complicates the identification of variants that confer drug resistance. To determine if haploid human cells could be used in MOA studies, we evolved resistance to five different anticancer drugs (doxorubicin, gemcitabine, etoposide, topotecan, and paclitaxel) using a near-haploid cell line (HAP1) and then analyzed the genomes of the drug resistant clones, developing a bioinformatic pipeline that involved filtering for high frequency alleles predicted to change protein sequence, or alleles which appeared in the same gene for multiple independent selections with the same compound. Applying the filter to sequences from 28 drug resistant clones identified a set of 21 genes which was strongly enriched for known resistance genes or known drug targets (TOP1, TOP2A, DCK, WDR33, SLCO3A1). In addition, some lines carried structural variants that encompassed additional known resistance genes (ABCB1, WWOX and RRM1). Gene expression knockdown and knockout experiments of 10 validation targets showed a high degree of specificity and accuracy in our calls and demonstrates that the same drug resistance mechanisms found in diverse clinical samples can be evolved, discovered and studied in an isogenic background.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Carlos Jado
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems & Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Michelle Dow
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Health Science, Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Krypton Carolino
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Adam Klie
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Gregory J Fonseca
- Department of Medicine, Meakins-Christie Laboratories, McGill University Health Centre, 1001 Decaire Blvd, Montreal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Trey Ideker
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
| | - Hannah Carter
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems & Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
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Achan J, Barry A, Leroy D, Kamara G, Duparc S, Kaszubska W, Gandhi P, Buffet B, Tshilab P, Ogutu B, Taylor T, Krishna S, Richardson N, Ramachandruni H, Rietveld H. Defining the next generation of severe malaria treatment: a target product profile. Malar J 2024; 23:174. [PMID: 38835069 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-024-04986-z] [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: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe malaria is a life-threatening infection, particularly affecting children under the age of 5 years in Africa. Current treatment with parenteral artemisinin derivatives is highly efficacious. However, artemisinin partial resistance is widespread in Southeast Asia, resulting in delayed parasite clearance after therapy, and has emerged independently in South America, Oceania, and Africa. Hence, new treatments for severe malaria are needed, and it is prudent to define their characteristics now. This manuscript focuses on the target product profile (TPP) for new treatments for severe malaria. It also highlights preparedness when considering ways of protecting the utility of artemisinin-based therapies. TARGET PRODUCT PROFILE Severe malaria treatments must be highly potent, with rapid onset of antiparasitic activity to clear the infection as quickly as possible to prevent complications. They should also have a low potential for drug resistance selection, given the high parasite burden in patients with severe malaria. Combination therapies are needed to deter resistance selection and dissemination. Partner drugs which are approved for uncomplicated malaria treatment would provide the most rapid development pathway for combinations, though new candidate molecules should be considered. Artemisinin combination approaches to severe malaria would extend the lifespan of current therapy, but ideally, completely novel, non-artemisinin-based combination therapies for severe malaria should be developed. These should be advanced to at least phase 2 clinical trials, enabling rapid progression to patient use should current treatment fail clinically. New drug combinations for severe malaria should be available as injectable formulations for rapid and effective treatment, or as rectal formulations for pre-referral intervention in resource-limited settings. CONCLUSION Defining the TPP is a key step to align responses across the community to proactively address the potential for clinical failure of artesunate in severe malaria. In the shorter term, artemisinin-based combination therapies should be developed using approved or novel drugs. In the longer term, novel combination treatments should be pursued. Thus, this TPP aims to direct efforts to preserve the efficacy of existing treatments while improving care and outcomes for individuals affected by this life-threatening disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aïssata Barry
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Didier Leroy
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, Post Box 1826, CH-1215, Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - George Kamara
- Médecins Sans Frontières, Magburaka District Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Stephan Duparc
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, Post Box 1826, CH-1215, Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - Wiweka Kaszubska
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, Post Box 1826, CH-1215, Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | | | - Bénédicte Buffet
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, Post Box 1826, CH-1215, Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | | | - Bernhards Ogutu
- Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Terrie Taylor
- Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital and Blantyre Malaria Project, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Sanjeev Krishna
- Institut Für Tropenmedizin, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, and German Center for Infection Research (Dzif), Tübingen, Germany
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), Lambaréné, Gabon
- Clinical Academic Group, Institute for Infection and Immunity, St. George's University of London, London, UK
- St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | | | - Hanu Ramachandruni
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, Post Box 1826, CH-1215, Geneva 15, Switzerland.
| | - Hans Rietveld
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, Post Box 1826, CH-1215, Geneva 15, Switzerland.
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Duffey M, Shafer RW, Timm J, Burrows JN, Fotouhi N, Cockett M, Leroy D. Combating antimicrobial resistance in malaria, HIV and tuberculosis. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2024; 23:461-479. [PMID: 38750260 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-024-00933-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance poses a significant threat to the sustainability of effective treatments against the three most prevalent infectious diseases: malaria, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and tuberculosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel drugs and treatment protocols capable of reducing the emergence of resistance and combating it when it does occur. In this Review, we present an overview of the status and underlying molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in these three diseases. We also discuss current strategies to address resistance during the research and development of next-generation therapies. These strategies vary depending on the infectious agent and the array of resistance mechanisms involved. Furthermore, we explore the potential for cross-fertilization of knowledge and technology among these diseases to create innovative approaches for minimizing drug resistance and advancing the discovery and development of new anti-infective treatments. In conclusion, we advocate for the implementation of well-defined strategies to effectively mitigate and manage resistance in all interventions against infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maëlle Duffey
- Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), R&D Department/Drug Discovery, ICC, Geneva, Switzerland
- The Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Robert W Shafer
- Department of Medicine/Infectious Diseases, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | | | - Jeremy N Burrows
- Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), R&D Department/Drug Discovery, ICC, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Didier Leroy
- Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), R&D Department/Drug Discovery, ICC, Geneva, Switzerland.
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Mogire RM, Miruka SA, Juma DW, McNamara CW, Andagalu B, Burrows JN, Chenu E, Duffy J, Ogutu BR, Akala HM. Protein target similarity is positive predictor of in vitro antipathogenic activity: a drug repurposing strategy for Plasmodium falciparum. J Cheminform 2024; 16:63. [PMID: 38831351 PMCID: PMC11145868 DOI: 10.1186/s13321-024-00856-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Drug discovery is an intricate and costly process. Repurposing existing drugs and active compounds offers a viable pathway to develop new therapies for various diseases. By leveraging publicly available biomedical information, it is possible to predict compounds' activity and identify their potential targets across diverse organisms. In this study, we aimed to assess the antiplasmodial activity of compounds from the Repurposing, Focused Rescue, and Accelerated Medchem (ReFRAME) library using in vitro and bioinformatics approaches. We assessed the in vitro antiplasmodial activity of the compounds using blood-stage and liver-stage drug susceptibility assays. We used protein sequences of known targets of the ReFRAME compounds with high antiplasmodial activity (EC50 < 10 uM) to conduct a protein-pairwise search to identify similar Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 proteins (from PlasmoDB) using NCBI protein BLAST. We further assessed the association between the compounds' in vitro antiplasmodial activity and level of similarity between their known and predicted P. falciparum target proteins using simple linear regression analyses. BLAST analyses revealed 735 P. falciparum proteins that were similar to the 226 known protein targets associated with the ReFRAME compounds. Antiplasmodial activity of the compounds was positively associated with the degree of similarity between the compounds' known targets and predicted P. falciparum protein targets (percentage identity, E value, and bit score), the number of the predicted P. falciparum targets, and their respective mutagenesis index and fitness scores (R2 between 0.066 and 0.92, P < 0.05). Compounds predicted to target essential P. falciparum proteins or those with a druggability index of 1 showed the highest antiplasmodial activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reagan M Mogire
- Center for Research On Genomics and Global Health, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
- Center for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya.
- Center for Research in Therapeutic Sciences, Strathmore University, P.O. Box 59857-00200, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Silviane A Miruka
- Center for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya
- Center for Research in Therapeutic Sciences, Strathmore University, P.O. Box 59857-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Dennis W Juma
- Center for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya
- Department of Emerging Infections Diseases (DEID), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research - Africa, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Case W McNamara
- Calibr-Skaggs Institute for Innovative Medicine, a division of The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ben Andagalu
- Center for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya
| | | | - Elodie Chenu
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - James Duffy
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bernhards R Ogutu
- Center for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya
- Center for Research in Therapeutic Sciences, Strathmore University, P.O. Box 59857-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Hoseah M Akala
- Center for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54, Kisumu, 40100, Kenya.
- Center for Research in Therapeutic Sciences, Strathmore University, P.O. Box 59857-00200, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Department of Emerging Infections Diseases (DEID), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research - Africa, Kisumu, Kenya.
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5
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Liu M, Wu X, Dyson PJ. Tandem catalysis enables chlorine-containing waste as chlorination reagents. Nat Chem 2024; 16:700-708. [PMID: 38396160 PMCID: PMC11087255 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-024-01462-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Chlorinated compounds are ubiquitous. However, accumulation of chlorine-containing waste has a negative impact on human health and the environment due to the inapplicability of common disposal methods, such as landfill and incineration. Here we report a sustainable approach to valorize chlorine-containing hydrocarbon waste, including solids (chlorinated polymers) and liquids (chlorinated solvents), based on copper and palladium catalysts with a NaNO3 promoter. In the process, waste is oxidized to release the chlorine in the presence of N-directing arenes to afford valuable aryl chlorides, such as the FDA-approved drug vismodegib. The remaining hydrocarbon component is mineralized to afford CO, CO2 and H2O. Moreover, the CO and CO2 generated could be further utilized directly. Thus, chlorine-containing hydrocarbon waste, including mixed waste, can serve as chlorination reagents that neither generate hazardous by-products nor involve specialty chlorination reagents. This tandem catalytic approach represents a promising method for the viable management of a wide and diverse range of chlorine-containing hydrocarbon wastes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyang Liu
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Xinbang Wu
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Paul J Dyson
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Creek D, Giannangelo C, Challis M, Siddiqui G, Edgar R, Malcolm T, Webb C, Drinkwater N, Vinh N, MacRaild C, Counihan N, Duffy S, Wittlin S, Devine S, Avery V, de Koning-Ward T, Scammells P, McGowan S. Chemoproteomics validates selective targeting of Plasmodium M1 alanyl aminopeptidase as an antimalarial strategy. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3251230. [PMID: 38746424 PMCID: PMC11092810 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3251230/v3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
New antimalarial drug candidates that act via novel mechanisms are urgently needed to combat malaria drug resistance. Here, we describe the multi-omic chemical validation of Plasmodium M1 alanyl metalloaminopeptidase as an attractive drug target using the selective inhibitor, MIPS2673. MIPS2673 demonstrated potent inhibition of recombinant Plasmodium falciparum ( Pf A-M1) and Plasmodium vivax ( Pv A-M1) M1 metalloaminopeptidases, with selectivity over other Plasmodium and human aminopeptidases, and displayed excellent in vitro antimalarial activity with no significant host cytotoxicity. Orthogonal label-free chemoproteomic methods based on thermal stability and limited proteolysis of whole parasite lysates revealed that MIPS2673 solely targets Pf A-M1 in parasites, with limited proteolysis also enabling estimation of the binding site on Pf A-M1 to within ~5 Å of that determined by X-ray crystallography. Finally, functional investigation by untargeted metabolomics demonstrated that MIPS2673 inhibits the key role of Pf A-M1 in haemoglobin digestion. Combined, our unbiased multi-omic target deconvolution methods confirmed the on-target activity of MIPS2673, and validated selective inhibition of M1 alanyl metalloaminopeptidase as a promising antimalarial strategy.
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Rawat M, Padalino G, Yeo T, Brancale A, Fidock DA, Hoffmann KF, Lee MCS. Quinoxaline-Based Anti-Schistosomal Compounds Have Potent Anti-Malarial Activity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.23.590861. [PMID: 38712185 PMCID: PMC11071471 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.23.590861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
The human pathogens Plasmodium and Schistosoma are each responsible for over 200 million infections annually, being particularly problematic in low- and middle-income countries. There is a pressing need for new drug targets for these diseases, driven by emergence of drug-resistance in Plasmodium and the overall dearth of new drug targets for Schistosoma. Here, we explored the opportunity for pathogen-hopping by evaluating a series of quinoxaline-based anti-schistosomal compounds for activity against P. falciparum. We identified compounds with low nanomolar potency against 3D7 and multidrug-resistant strains. Evolution of resistance using a mutator P. falciparum line revealed a low propensity for resistance. Only one of the series, compound 22, yielded resistance mutations, including point mutations in a non-essential putative hydrolase pfqrp1, as well as copy-number amplification of a phospholipid-translocating ATPase, pfatp2, a potential target. Notably, independently generated CRISPR-edited mutants in pfqrp1 also showed resistance to compound 22 and a related analogue. Moreover, previous lines with pfatp2 copy-number variations were similarly less susceptible to challenge with the new compounds. Finally, we examined whether the predicted hydrolase activity of PfQRP1 underlies its mechanism of resistance, showing that both mutation of the putative catalytic triad and a more severe loss of function mutation elicited resistance. Collectively, we describe a compound series with potent activity against two important pathogens and their potential target in P. falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukul Rawat
- Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Gilda Padalino
- Department of Life Sciences (DLS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
- Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, United Kingdom
| | - Tomas Yeo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, United States
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, United States
| | - Andrea Brancale
- Department of Organic Chemistry, UCT Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, United States
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, United States
| | - Karl F Hoffmann
- Department of Life Sciences (DLS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
| | - Marcus C S Lee
- Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
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Wirjanata G, Lin J, Dziekan JM, El Sahili A, Chung Z, Tjia S, Binte Zulkifli NE, Boentoro J, Tham R, Jia LS, Go KD, Yu H, Partridge A, Olsen D, Prabhu N, Sobota RM, Nordlund P, Lescar J, Bozdech Z. Identification of an inhibitory pocket in falcilysin provides a new avenue for malaria drug development. Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:743-759.e8. [PMID: 38593807 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2024.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Identification of new druggable protein targets remains the key challenge in the current antimalarial development efforts. Here we used mass-spectrometry-based cellular thermal shift assay (MS-CETSA) to identify potential targets of several antimalarials and drug candidates. We found that falcilysin (FLN) is a common binding partner for several drug candidates such as MK-4815, MMV000848, and MMV665806 but also interacts with quinoline drugs such as chloroquine and mefloquine. Enzymatic assays showed that these compounds can inhibit FLN proteolytic activity. Their interaction with FLN was explored systematically by isothermal titration calorimetry and X-ray crystallography, revealing a shared hydrophobic pocket in the catalytic chamber of the enzyme. Characterization of transgenic cell lines with lowered FLN expression demonstrated statistically significant increases in susceptibility toward MK-4815, MMV000848, and several quinolines. Importantly, the hydrophobic pocket of FLN appears amenable to inhibition and the structures reported here can guide the development of novel drugs against malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grennady Wirjanata
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Jianqing Lin
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; NTU Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; Infectious Diseases Labs & Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138648 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jerzy Michal Dziekan
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Abbas El Sahili
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; NTU Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Zara Chung
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Seth Tjia
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | | | - Josephine Boentoro
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Roy Tham
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Lai Si Jia
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Ka Diam Go
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Han Yu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | | | - David Olsen
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA
| | - Nayana Prabhu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Radoslaw M Sobota
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore 138673, Singapore; Functional Proteomics Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Pär Nordlund
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore 138673, Singapore; Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Julien Lescar
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; NTU Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore; Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
| | - Zbynek Bozdech
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
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9
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Fola AA, He Q, Xie S, Thimmapuram J, Bhide KP, Dorman J, Ciubotariu II, Mwenda MC, Mambwe B, Mulube C, Hawela M, Norris DE, Moss WJ, Bridges DJ, Carpi G. Genomics reveals heterogeneous Plasmodium falciparum transmission and selection signals in Zambia. COMMUNICATIONS MEDICINE 2024; 4:67. [PMID: 38582941 PMCID: PMC10998850 DOI: 10.1038/s43856-024-00498-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genomic surveillance is crucial for monitoring malaria transmission and understanding parasite adaptation to interventions. Zambia lacks prior nationwide efforts in malaria genomic surveillance among African countries. METHODS We conducted genomic surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum parasites from the 2018 Malaria Indicator Survey in Zambia, a nationally representative household survey of children under five years of age. We whole-genome sequenced and analyzed 241 P. falciparum genomes from regions with varying levels of malaria transmission across Zambia and estimated genetic metrics that are informative about transmission intensity, genetic relatedness between parasites, and selection. RESULTS We provide genomic evidence of widespread within-host polygenomic infections, regardless of epidemiological characteristics, underscoring the extensive and ongoing endemic malaria transmission in Zambia. Our analysis reveals country-level clustering of parasites from Zambia and neighboring regions, with distinct separation in West Africa. Within Zambia, identity by descent (IBD) relatedness analysis uncovers local spatial clustering and rare cases of long-distance sharing of closely related parasite pairs. Genomic regions with large shared IBD segments and strong positive selection signatures implicate genes involved in sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and artemisinin combination therapies drug resistance, but no signature related to chloroquine resistance. Furthermore, differences in selection signatures, including drug resistance loci, are observed between eastern and western Zambian parasite populations, suggesting variable transmission intensity and ongoing drug pressure. CONCLUSIONS Our findings enhance our understanding of nationwide P. falciparum transmission in Zambia, establishing a baseline for analyzing parasite genetic metrics as they vary over time and space. These insights highlight the urgency of strengthening malaria control programs and surveillance of antimalarial drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abebe A Fola
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Qixin He
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Shaojun Xie
- Bioinformatics Core, Purdue University, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Jyothi Thimmapuram
- Bioinformatics Core, Purdue University, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Ketaki P Bhide
- Bioinformatics Core, Purdue University, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Jack Dorman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Ilinca I Ciubotariu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Mulenga C Mwenda
- PATH-MACEPA, National Malaria Elimination Centre, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Brenda Mambwe
- PATH-MACEPA, National Malaria Elimination Centre, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Conceptor Mulube
- PATH-MACEPA, National Malaria Elimination Centre, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Moonga Hawela
- PATH-MACEPA, National Malaria Elimination Centre, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Douglas E Norris
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - William J Moss
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Giovanna Carpi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Purdue Institute for Inflammation, Immunology, & Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
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10
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Ahmad T, Alhammadi BA, Almaazmi SY, Arafa S, Blatch GL, Dutta T, Gestwicki JE, Keyzers RA, Shonhai A, Singh H. Plasmodium falciparum heat shock proteins as antimalarial drug targets: An update. Cell Stress Chaperones 2024; 29:326-337. [PMID: 38518861 PMCID: PMC10990865 DOI: 10.1016/j.cstres.2024.03.007] [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: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Global efforts to eradicate malaria are threatened by multiple factors, particularly the emergence of antimalarial drug resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Heat shock proteins (HSPs), particularly P. falciparum HSPs (PfHSPs), represent promising drug targets due to their essential roles in parasite survival and virulence across the various life cycle stages. Despite structural similarities between human and malarial HSPs posing challenges, there is substantial evidence for subtle differences that could be exploited for selective drug targeting. This review provides an update on the potential of targeting various PfHSP families (particularly PfHSP40, PfHSP70, and PfHSP90) and their interactions within PfHSP complexes as a strategy to develop new antimalarial drugs. In addition, the need for a deeper understanding of the role of HSP complexes at the host-parasite interface is highlighted, especially heterologous partnerships between human and malarial HSPs, as this opens novel opportunities for targeting protein-protein interactions crucial for malaria parasite survival and pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanveer Ahmad
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Bushra A Alhammadi
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Shaikha Y Almaazmi
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Sahar Arafa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Gregory L Blatch
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Biomedical Biotechnology Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
| | - Tanima Dutta
- Department of Diagnostic Genomics, Pathwest, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jason E Gestwicki
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Robert A Keyzers
- Centre for Biodiscovery & School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Addmore Shonhai
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
| | - Harpreet Singh
- Department of Bioinformatics, Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, Jalandhar, Punjab, India
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11
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Keroack CD, Elsworth B, Tennessen JA, Paul AS, Hua R, Ramirez-Ramirez L, Ye S, Moreira CK, Meyers MJ, Zarringhalam K, Duraisingh MT. Comparative chemical genomics in Babesia species identifies the alkaline phosphatase PhoD as a determinant of antiparasitic resistance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2312987121. [PMID: 38377214 PMCID: PMC10907312 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2312987121] [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: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Babesiosis is an emerging zoonosis and widely distributed veterinary infection caused by 100+ species of Babesia parasites. The diversity of Babesia parasites and the lack of specific drugs necessitate the discovery of broadly effective antibabesials. Here, we describe a comparative chemogenomics (CCG) pipeline for the identification of conserved targets. CCG relies on parallel in vitro evolution of resistance in independent populations of Babesia spp. (B. bovis and B. divergens). We identified a potent antibabesial, MMV019266, from the Malaria Box, and selected for resistance in two species of Babesia. After sequencing of multiple independently derived lines in the two species, we identified mutations in a membrane-bound metallodependent phosphatase (phoD). In both species, the mutations were found in the phoD-like phosphatase domain. Using reverse genetics, we validated that mutations in bdphoD confer resistance to MMV019266 in B. divergens. We have also demonstrated that BdPhoD localizes to the endomembrane system and partially with the apicoplast. Finally, conditional knockdown and constitutive overexpression of BdPhoD alter the sensitivity to MMV019266 in the parasite. Overexpression of BdPhoD results in increased sensitivity to the compound, while knockdown increases resistance, suggesting BdPhoD is a pro-susceptibility factor. Together, we have generated a robust pipeline for identification of resistance loci and identified BdPhoD as a resistance mechanism in Babesia species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline D. Keroack
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA02115
| | - Brendan Elsworth
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA02115
| | - Jacob A. Tennessen
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA02115
| | - Aditya S. Paul
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA02115
| | - Renee Hua
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA02115
| | - Luz Ramirez-Ramirez
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA02115
| | - Sida Ye
- Department of Mathematics, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA02125
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA02125
| | - Cristina K. Moreira
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA02115
| | - Marvin J. Meyers
- Department of Chemistry, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO63103
| | - Kourosh Zarringhalam
- Department of Mathematics, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA02125
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA02125
| | - Manoj T. Duraisingh
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA02115
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12
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Collins JE, Lee JW, Rocamora F, Saggu GS, Wendt KL, Pasaje CFA, Smick S, Santos NM, Paes R, Jiang T, Mittal N, Luth MR, Chin T, Chang H, McLellan JL, Morales-Hernandez B, Hanson KK, Niles JC, Desai SA, Winzeler EA, Cichewicz RH, Chakrabarti D. Antiplasmodial peptaibols act through membrane directed mechanisms. Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:312-325.e9. [PMID: 37995692 PMCID: PMC10923054 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.10.025] [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: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Our previous study identified 52 antiplasmodial peptaibols isolated from fungi. To understand their antiplasmodial mechanism of action, we conducted phenotypic assays, assessed the in vitro evolution of resistance, and performed a transcriptome analysis of the most potent peptaibol, HZ NPDG-I. HZ NPDG-I and 2 additional peptaibols were compared for their killing action and stage dependency, each showing a loss of digestive vacuole (DV) content via ultrastructural analysis. HZ NPDG-I demonstrated a stepwise increase in DV pH, impaired DV membrane permeability, and the ability to form ion channels upon reconstitution in planar membranes. This compound showed no signs of cross resistance to targets of current clinical candidates, and 3 independent lines evolved to resist HZ NPDG-I acquired nonsynonymous changes in the P. falciparum multidrug resistance transporter, pfmdr1. Conditional knockdown of PfMDR1 showed varying effects to other peptaibol analogs, suggesting differing sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Collins
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32826, USA
| | - Jin Woo Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute for Natural Products Applications & Research Technologies, University of Oklahoma, Norman OK 73019, USA
| | - Frances Rocamora
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems & Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Gagandeep S Saggu
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Karen L Wendt
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute for Natural Products Applications & Research Technologies, University of Oklahoma, Norman OK 73019, USA
| | - Charisse Flerida A Pasaje
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Sebastian Smick
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Natalia Mojica Santos
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32826, USA
| | - Raphaella Paes
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32826, USA
| | - Tiantian Jiang
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems & Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Nimisha Mittal
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems & Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Madeline R Luth
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems & Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Taylor Chin
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems & Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Howard Chang
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems & Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - James L McLellan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Beatriz Morales-Hernandez
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Kirsten K Hanson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Jacquin C Niles
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Sanjay A Desai
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems & Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
| | - Robert H Cichewicz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute for Natural Products Applications & Research Technologies, University of Oklahoma, Norman OK 73019, USA.
| | - Debopam Chakrabarti
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32826, USA.
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13
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Fola AA, He Q, Xie S, Thimmapuram J, Bhide KP, Dorman J, Ciubotariu II, Mwenda MC, Mambwe B, Mulube C, Hawela M, Norris DE, Moss WJ, Bridges DJ, Carpi G. Genomics reveals heterogeneous Plasmodium falciparum transmission and population differentiation in Zambia and bordering countries. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.02.09.24302570. [PMID: 38370674 PMCID: PMC10871455 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.09.24302570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Genomic surveillance plays a critical role in monitoring malaria transmission and understanding how the parasite adapts in response to interventions. We conducted genomic surveillance of malaria by sequencing 241 Plasmodium falciparum genomes from regions with varying levels of malaria transmission across Zambia. We found genomic evidence of high levels of within-host polygenomic infections, regardless of epidemiological characteristics, underscoring the extensive and ongoing endemic malaria transmission in the country. We identified country-level clustering of parasites from Zambia and neighboring countries, and distinct clustering of parasites from West Africa. Within Zambia, our identity by descent (IBD) relatedness analysis uncovered spatial clustering of closely related parasite pairs at the local level and rare cases of long-distance sharing. Genomic regions with large shared IBD segments and strong positive selection signatures identified genes involved in sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and artemisinin combination therapies drug resistance, but no signature related to chloroquine resistance. Together, our findings enhance our understanding of P. falciparum transmission nationwide in Zambia and highlight the urgency of strengthening malaria control programs and surveillance of antimalarial drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abebe A. Fola
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Qixin He
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Shaojun Xie
- Bioinformatics Core, Purdue University, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Jyothi Thimmapuram
- Bioinformatics Core, Purdue University, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Ketaki P. Bhide
- Bioinformatics Core, Purdue University, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Jack Dorman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | | | | | - Brenda Mambwe
- PATH-MACEPA, National Malaria Elimination Centre, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Conceptor Mulube
- PATH-MACEPA, National Malaria Elimination Centre, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Moonga Hawela
- PATH-MACEPA, National Malaria Elimination Centre, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Douglas E. Norris
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - William J. Moss
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Giovanna Carpi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Purdue Institute for Inflammation, Immunology, & Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
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14
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Acosta-Zaldívar M, Qi W, Mishra A, Roy U, King WR, Patton-Vogt J, Anderson MZ, Köhler JR. Candida albicans' inorganic phosphate transport and evolutionary adaptation to phosphate scarcity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.29.577887. [PMID: 38352318 PMCID: PMC10862840 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.29.577887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Phosphorus is essential in all cells' structural, metabolic and regulatory functions. For fungal cells that import inorganic phosphate (Pi) up a steep concentration gradient, surface Pi transporters are critical capacitators of growth. Fungi must deploy Pi transporters that enable optimal Pi uptake in pH and Pi concentration ranges prevalent in their environments. Single, triple and quadruple mutants were used to characterize the four Pi transporters we identified for the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans, which must adapt to alkaline conditions during invasion of the host bloodstream and deep organs. A high-affinity Pi transporter, Pho84, was most efficient across the widest pH range while another, Pho89, showed high-affinity characteristics only within one pH unit of neutral. Two low-affinity Pi transporters, Pho87 and Fgr2, were active only in acidic conditions. Only Pho84 among the Pi transporters was clearly required in previously identified Pi-related functions including Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 signaling and hyphal growth. We used in vitro evolution and whole genome sequencing as an unbiased forward genetic approach to probe adaptation to prolonged Pi scarcity of two quadruple mutant lineages lacking all 4 Pi transporters. Lineage-specific genomic changes corresponded to divergent success of the two lineages in fitness recovery during Pi limitation. In this process, initial, large-scale genomic alterations like aneuploidies and loss of heterozygosity were eventually lost as populations presumably gained small-scale mutations. Severity of some phenotypes linked to Pi starvation, like cell wall stress hypersensitivity, decreased in parallel to evolving populations' fitness recovery in Pi scarcity, while that of others like membrane stress responses diverged from these fitness phenotypes. C. albicans therefore has diverse options to reconfigure Pi management during prolonged scarcity. Since Pi homeostasis differs substantially between fungi and humans, adaptive processes to Pi deprivation may harbor small-molecule targets that impact fungal growth and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maikel Acosta-Zaldívar
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Current affiliation: Planasa, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Wanjun Qi
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Abhishek Mishra
- Center for Genomic Science Innovation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | - Udita Roy
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - William R. King
- Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jana Patton-Vogt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Matthew Z. Anderson
- Center for Genomic Science Innovation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
- Department of Medical Genetics, Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | - Julia R. Köhler
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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15
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Schäfer TM, Pessanha de Carvalho L, Inoue J, Kreidenweiss A, Held J. The problem of antimalarial resistance and its implications for drug discovery. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2024; 19:209-224. [PMID: 38108082 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2023.2284820] [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: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Malaria remains a devastating infectious disease with hundreds of thousands of casualties each year. Antimalarial drug resistance has been a threat to malaria control and elimination for many decades and is still of concern today. Despite the continued effectiveness of current first-line treatments, namely artemisinin-based combination therapies, the emergence of drug-resistant parasites in Southeast Asia and even more alarmingly the occurrence of resistance mutations in Africa is of great concern and requires immediate attention. AREAS COVERED A comprehensive overview of the mechanisms underlying the acquisition of drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum is given. Understanding these processes provides valuable insights that can be harnessed for the development and selection of novel antimalarials with reduced resistance potential. Additionally, strategies to mitigate resistance to antimalarial compounds on the short term by using approved drugs are discussed. EXPERT OPINION While employing strategies that utilize already approved drugs may offer a prompt and cost-effective approach to counter antimalarial drug resistance, it is crucial to recognize that only continuous efforts into the development of novel antimalarial drugs can ensure the successful treatment of malaria in the future. Incorporating resistance propensity assessment during this developmental process will increase the likelihood of effective and enduring malaria treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Juliana Inoue
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andrea Kreidenweiss
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jana Held
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Tübingen, Germany
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16
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Xie SC, Wang Y, Morton CJ, Metcalfe RD, Dogovski C, Pasaje CFA, Dunn E, Luth MR, Kumpornsin K, Istvan ES, Park JS, Fairhurst KJ, Ketprasit N, Yeo T, Yildirim O, Bhebhe MN, Klug DM, Rutledge PJ, Godoy LC, Dey S, De Souza ML, Siqueira-Neto JL, Du Y, Puhalovich T, Amini M, Shami G, Loesbanluechai D, Nie S, Williamson N, Jana GP, Maity BC, Thomson P, Foley T, Tan DS, Niles JC, Han BW, Goldberg DE, Burrows J, Fidock DA, Lee MCS, Winzeler EA, Griffin MDW, Todd MH, Tilley L. Reaction hijacking inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum asparagine tRNA synthetase. Nat Commun 2024; 15:937. [PMID: 38297033 PMCID: PMC10831071 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45224-z] [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: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Malaria poses an enormous threat to human health. With ever increasing resistance to currently deployed drugs, breakthrough compounds with novel mechanisms of action are urgently needed. Here, we explore pyrimidine-based sulfonamides as a new low molecular weight inhibitor class with drug-like physical parameters and a synthetically accessible scaffold. We show that the exemplar, OSM-S-106, has potent activity against parasite cultures, low mammalian cell toxicity and low propensity for resistance development. In vitro evolution of resistance using a slow ramp-up approach pointed to the Plasmodium falciparum cytoplasmic asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase (PfAsnRS) as the target, consistent with our finding that OSM-S-106 inhibits protein translation and activates the amino acid starvation response. Targeted mass spectrometry confirms that OSM-S-106 is a pro-inhibitor and that inhibition of PfAsnRS occurs via enzyme-mediated production of an Asn-OSM-S-106 adduct. Human AsnRS is much less susceptible to this reaction hijacking mechanism. X-ray crystallographic studies of human AsnRS in complex with inhibitor adducts and docking of pro-inhibitors into a model of Asn-tRNA-bound PfAsnRS provide insights into the structure-activity relationship and the selectivity mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley C Xie
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Yinuo Wang
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK
| | - Craig J Morton
- Biomedical Manufacturing Program, CSIRO, Clayton South, VIC, Australia
| | - Riley D Metcalfe
- Center for Structural Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Con Dogovski
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Charisse Flerida A Pasaje
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Elyse Dunn
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Madeline R Luth
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Krittikorn Kumpornsin
- Parasites and Microbes Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK
- Calibr, Division of the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Eva S Istvan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Joon Sung Park
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Kate J Fairhurst
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Nutpakal Ketprasit
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Tomas Yeo
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Okan Yildirim
- Chemical Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | | | - Dana M Klug
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK
| | - Peter J Rutledge
- School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Luiz C Godoy
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Sumanta Dey
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Mariana Laureano De Souza
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Jair L Siqueira-Neto
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Yawei Du
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Tanya Puhalovich
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Mona Amini
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Gerry Shami
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | | | - Shuai Nie
- Melbourne Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Nicholas Williamson
- Melbourne Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Gouranga P Jana
- TCG Lifesciences Private Limited, Salt-Lake Electronics Complex, Kolkata, India
| | - Bikash C Maity
- TCG Lifesciences Private Limited, Salt-Lake Electronics Complex, Kolkata, India
| | - Patrick Thomson
- School of Chemistry, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JJ, UK
| | - Thomas Foley
- School of Chemistry, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JJ, UK
| | - Derek S Tan
- Chemical Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Jacquin C Niles
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Byung Woo Han
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Daniel E Goldberg
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jeremy Burrows
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, 20, Route de Pré-Bois, 1215, Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - David A Fidock
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Marcus C S Lee
- Parasites and Microbes Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, UK
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
| | - Michael D W Griffin
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia.
| | - Matthew H Todd
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK.
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK.
| | - Leann Tilley
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia.
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17
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Piro F, Masci S, Kannan G, Focaia R, Schultz TL, Thaprawat P, Carruthers VB, Di Cristina M. A Toxoplasma gondii putative amino acid transporter localizes to the plant-like vacuolar compartment and controls parasite extracellular survival and stage differentiation. mSphere 2024; 9:e0059723. [PMID: 38051073 PMCID: PMC10871165 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00597-23] [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: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that infects a broad spectrum of hosts and can colonize many organs and cell types. The ability to reside within a wide range of different niches requires substantial adaptability to diverse microenvironments. Very little is known about how this parasite senses various milieus and adapts its metabolism to survive, replicate during the acute stage, and then differentiate to the chronic stage. T. gondii possesses a lysosome-like organelle known as the plant-like vacuolar compartment (PLVAC), which serves various functions, including digestion, ion storage and homeostasis, endocytosis, and autophagy. Lysosomes are critical for maintaining cellular health and function by degrading waste materials and recycling components. To supply the cell with the essential building blocks and energy sources required for the maintenance of its functions and structures, the digested solutes generated within the lysosome are transported into the cytosol by proteins embedded in the lysosomal membrane. Currently, a limited number of PLVAC transporters have been characterized, with TgCRT being the sole potential transporter of amino acids and small peptides identified thus far. To bridge this knowledge gap, we used lysosomal amino acid transporters from other organisms as queries to search the T. gondii proteome. This led to the identification of four potential amino acid transporters, which we have designated as TgAAT1-4. Assessing their expression and sub-cellular localization, we found that one of them, TgAAT1, localized to the PLVAC and is necessary for normal parasite extracellular survival and bradyzoite differentiation. Moreover, we present preliminary data showing the possible involvement of TgAAT1 in the PLVAC transport of arginine.IMPORTANCEToxoplasma gondii is a highly successful parasite infecting a broad range of warm-blooded organisms, including about one-third of all humans. Although Toxoplasma infections rarely result in symptomatic disease in individuals with a healthy immune system, the incredibly high number of persons infected, along with the risk of severe infection in immunocompromised patients and the potential link of chronic infection to mental disorders, makes this infection a significant public health concern. As a result, there is a pressing need for new treatment approaches that are both effective and well tolerated. The limitations in understanding how Toxoplasma gondii manages its metabolism to adapt to changing environments and triggers its transformation into bradyzoites have hindered the discovery of vulnerabilities in its metabolic pathways or nutrient acquisition mechanisms to identify new therapeutic targets. In this work, we have shown that the lysosome-like organelle plant-like vacuolar compartment (PLVAC), acting through the putative arginine transporter TgAAT1, plays a pivotal role in regulating the parasite's extracellular survival and differentiation into bradyzoites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Piro
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Silvia Masci
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Geetha Kannan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Riccardo Focaia
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Tracey L. Schultz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Pariyamon Thaprawat
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Vern B. Carruthers
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Manlio Di Cristina
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
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18
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Wang L, Bohmer MJ, Wang J, Nardella F, Calla J, Laureano De Souza M, Schindler KA, Montejo L, Mittal N, Rocamora F, Treat M, Charlton JT, Tumwebaze PK, Rosenthal PJ, Cooper RA, Chakrabarti R, Winzeler EA, Chakrabarti D, Gray NS. Discovery of Potent Antimalarial Type II Kinase Inhibitors with Selectivity over Human Kinases. J Med Chem 2024; 67:1460-1480. [PMID: 38214254 PMCID: PMC10950204 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
While progress has been made in the effort to eradicate malaria, the disease remains a significant threat to global health. Acquired resistance to frontline treatments is emerging in Africa, urging a need for the development of novel antimalarial agents. Repurposing human kinase inhibitors provides a potential expedited route given the availability of a diverse array of kinase-targeting drugs that are approved or in clinical trials. Phenotypic screening of a library of type II human kinase inhibitors identified compound 1 as a lead antimalarial, which was initially developed to target human ephrin type A receptor 2 (EphA2). Here, we report a structure-activity relationship study and lead optimization of compound 1, which led to compound 33, with improved antimalarial activity and selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lushun Wang
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, ChEM-H, Stanford Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Monica J Bohmer
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Jinhua Wang
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Flore Nardella
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Jaeson Calla
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Mariana Laureano De Souza
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Kyra A Schindler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Lukas Montejo
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Nimisha Mittal
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Frances Rocamora
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Mayland Treat
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley California 94704, United States
| | - Jordan T Charlton
- Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Dominican University of California, San Rafael, California 94901, United States
| | | | - Philip J Rosenthal
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94110, United States
| | - Roland A Cooper
- Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Dominican University of California, San Rafael, California 94901, United States
| | - Ratna Chakrabarti
- Division of Cancer Research, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Debopam Chakrabarti
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, ChEM-H, Stanford Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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19
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Casanova D, Baptista V, Costa M, Freitas B, Pereira MDNI, Calçada C, Mota P, Kythrich O, Pereira MHJS, Osório NS, Veiga MI. Artemisinin resistance-associated gene mutations in Plasmodium falciparum: A case study of severe malaria from Mozambique. Travel Med Infect Dis 2024; 57:102684. [PMID: 38159875 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2023.102684] [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: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The effectiveness of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT) in treating Plasmodium falciparum, is vital for global malaria control efforts, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The examination of imported cases from endemic areas holds implications for malaria chemotherapy on a global scale. METHOD A 45-year-old male presented with high fever, dry cough, diarrhoea and generalized muscle pain, following a two-week trip to Mozambique. P. falciparum infection with hiperparasitemia was confirmed and the patient was treated initially with quinine and doxycycline, then intravenous artesunate. To assess drug susceptibility, ex vivo half-maximal inhibitory concentration assays were conducted, and the isolated P. falciparum genome was deep sequenced. RESULTS The clinical isolate exhibited elevated ex vivo half-maximal inhibitory concentration values to dihydroartemisinin, lumefantrine, mefloquine and piperaquine. Genomic analysis identified a I416V mutation in the P. falciparum Kelch13 (PF3D7_1343700) gene, and several mutations at the Kelch13 interaction candidate genes, pfkics (PF3D7_0813000, PF3D7_1138700, PF3D7_1246300), including the ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 1, pfubp1 (PF3D7_0104300). Mutations at the drug transporters and genes linked to next-generation antimalarial drug resistance were also present. CONCLUSIONS This case highlights the emergence of P. falciparum strains carrying mutations in artemisinin resistance-associated genes in Mozambique, couple with a reduction in ex vivo susceptibility to ACT drugs. Continuous surveillance of mutations linked to drug resistance and regular monitoring of drug susceptibility are imperative to anticipate the spread of potential resistant strains emerging in Mozambique and to maintain effective malaria control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Casanova
- Internal Medicine Department, Hospital Senhora da Oliveira, 4835-044, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Vitória Baptista
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's─PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909, Guimarães/ Braga, Portugal; Microelectromechanical Systems Research Unit (CMEMS-UMinho), School of Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Magda Costa
- Internal Medicine Department, Hospital Senhora da Oliveira, 4835-044, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bruno Freitas
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's─PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909, Guimarães/ Braga, Portugal
| | - Maria das Neves Imaculada Pereira
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's─PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909, Guimarães/ Braga, Portugal
| | - Carla Calçada
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's─PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909, Guimarães/ Braga, Portugal
| | - Paula Mota
- Clinical Pathology Department, Hospital Senhora da Oliveira, 4835-044, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Olena Kythrich
- Clinical Pathology Department, Hospital Senhora da Oliveira, 4835-044, Guimarães, Portugal
| | | | - Nuno S Osório
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's─PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909, Guimarães/ Braga, Portugal
| | - Maria Isabel Veiga
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's─PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909, Guimarães/ Braga, Portugal; Clinical Academic Center-Braga (2CA-Braga), 4710-243, Braga, Portugal.
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20
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Liu S, Ebel ER, Luniewski A, Zulawinska J, Simpson ML, Kim J, Ene N, Braukmann TWA, Congdon M, Santos W, Yeh E, Guler JL. Direct long read visualization reveals metabolic interplay between two antimalarial drug targets. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.13.528367. [PMID: 36824743 PMCID: PMC9948948 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.13.528367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Increases in the copy number of large genomic regions, termed genome amplification, are an important adaptive strategy for malaria parasites. Numerous amplifications across the Plasmodium falciparum genome contribute directly to drug resistance or impact the fitness of this protozoan parasite. During the characterization of parasite lines with amplifications of the dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) gene, we detected increased copies of an additional genomic region that encompassed 3 genes (~5 kb) including GTP cyclohydrolase I (GCH1 amplicon). While this gene is reported to increase the fitness of antifolate resistant parasites, GCH1 amplicons had not previously been implicated in any other antimalarial resistance context. Here, we further explored the association between GCH1 and DHODH copy number. Using long read sequencing and single read visualization, we directly observed a higher number of tandem GCH1 amplicons in parasites with increased DHODH copies (up to 9 amplicons) compared to parental parasites (3 amplicons). While all GCH1 amplicons shared a consistent structure, expansions arose in 2-unit steps (from 3 to 5 to 7, etc copies). Adaptive evolution of DHODH and GCH1 loci was further bolstered when we evaluated prior selection experiments; DHODH amplification was only successful in parasite lines with pre-existing GCH1 amplicons. These observations, combined with the direct connection between metabolic pathways that contain these enzymes, lead us to propose that the GCH1 locus is beneficial for the fitness of parasites exposed to DHODH inhibitors. This finding highlights the importance of studying variation within individual parasite genomes as well as biochemical connections of drug targets as novel antimalarials move towards clinical approval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiwei Liu
- University of Virginia, Department of Biology, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Current affiliation: Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Emily R. Ebel
- Stanford, Departments of Pediatrics and Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Julia Zulawinska
- University of Virginia, Department of Biology, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | | | - Jane Kim
- University of Virginia, Department of Biology, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Nnenna Ene
- University of Virginia, Department of Biology, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | | | - Molly Congdon
- Virginia Tech, Department of Chemistry, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Webster Santos
- Virginia Tech, Department of Chemistry, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Ellen Yeh
- Stanford University, Departments of Pathology and Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer L. Guler
- University of Virginia, Department of Biology, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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21
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Simwela NV, Guiguemde WA, Straimer J, Regnault C, Stokes BH, Tavernelli LE, Yokokawa F, Taft B, Diagana TT, Barrett MP, Waters AP. A conserved metabolic signature associated with response to fast-acting anti-malarial agents. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0397622. [PMID: 37800971 PMCID: PMC10714989 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03976-22] [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: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE In malaria drug discovery, understanding the mode of action of lead compounds is important as it helps in predicting the potential emergence of drug resistance in the field when these drugs are eventually deployed. In this study, we have employed metabolomics technologies to characterize the potential targets of anti-malarial drug candidates in the developmental pipeline at NITD. We show that NITD fast-acting leads belonging to spiroindolone and imidazothiadiazole class induce a common biochemical theme in drug-exposed malaria parasites which is similar to another fast-acting, clinically available drug, DHA. These biochemical features which are absent in a slower acting NITD lead (GNF17) point to hemoglobin digestion and inhibition of the pyrimidine pathway as potential action points for these drugs. These biochemical themes can be used to identify and inform on the mode of action of fast drug candidates of similar profiles in future drug discovery programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelson V. Simwela
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | - Judith Straimer
- Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases, Emeryville, California, USA
| | - Clement Regnault
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara H. Stokes
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Luis E. Tavernelli
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Fumiaki Yokokawa
- Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases, Emeryville, California, USA
| | - Benjamin Taft
- Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases, Emeryville, California, USA
| | | | - Michael P. Barrett
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew P. Waters
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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22
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Craven HM, Nettesheim G, Cicuta P, Blagborough AM, Merrick CJ. Effects of the G-quadruplex-binding drugs quarfloxin and CX-5461 on the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2023; 23:106-119. [PMID: 38041930 PMCID: PMC10711401 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2023.11.007] [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: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest causative agent of human malaria. This parasite has historically developed resistance to most drugs, including the current frontline treatments, so new therapeutic targets are needed. Our previous work on guanine quadruplexes (G4s) in the parasite's DNA and RNA has highlighted their influence on parasite biology, and revealed G4 stabilising compounds as promising candidates for repositioning. In particular, quarfloxin, a former anticancer agent, kills blood-stage parasites at all developmental stages, with fast rates of kill and nanomolar potency. Here we explored the molecular mechanism of quarfloxin and its related derivative CX-5461. In vitro, both compounds bound to P. falciparum-encoded G4 sequences. In cellulo, quarfloxin was more potent than CX-5461, and could prevent establishment of blood-stage malaria in vivo in a murine model. CX-5461 showed clear DNA damaging activity, as reported in human cells, while quarfloxin caused weaker signatures of DNA damage. Both compounds caused transcriptional dysregulation in the parasite, but the affected genes were largely different, again suggesting different modes of action. Therefore, CX-5461 may act primarily as a DNA damaging agent in both Plasmodium parasites and mammalian cells, whereas the complete antimalarial mode of action of quarfloxin may be parasite-specific and remains somewhat elusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly M Craven
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QP, UK
| | - Guilherme Nettesheim
- Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory University of Cambridge, J.J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Pietro Cicuta
- Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory University of Cambridge, J.J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Andrew M Blagborough
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QP, UK
| | - Catherine J Merrick
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QP, UK.
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23
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Mok S, Yeo T, Hong D, Shears MJ, Ross LS, Ward KE, Dhingra SK, Kanai M, Bridgford JL, Tripathi AK, Mlambo G, Burkhard AY, Ansbro MR, Fairhurst KJ, Gil-Iturbe E, Park H, Rozenberg FD, Kim J, Mancia F, Fairhurst RM, Quick M, Uhlemann AC, Sinnis P, Fidock DA. Mapping the genomic landscape of multidrug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum and its impact on parasite fitness. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi2364. [PMID: 37939186 PMCID: PMC10631731 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi2364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites have swept across Southeast Asia and now threaten Africa. By implementing a P. falciparum genetic cross using humanized mice, we report the identification of key determinants of resistance to artemisinin (ART) and piperaquine (PPQ) in the dominant Asian KEL1/PLA1 lineage. We mapped k13 as the central mediator of ART resistance in vitro and identified secondary markers. Applying bulk segregant analysis, quantitative trait loci mapping using 34 recombinant haplotypes, and gene editing, our data reveal an epistatic interaction between mutant PfCRT and multicopy plasmepsins 2/3 in mediating high-grade PPQ resistance. Susceptibility and parasite fitness assays implicate PPQ as a driver of selection for KEL1/PLA1 parasites. Mutant PfCRT enhanced susceptibility to lumefantrine, the first-line partner drug in Africa, highlighting a potential benefit of opposing selective pressures with this drug and PPQ. We also identified that the ABCI3 transporter can operate in concert with PfCRT and plasmepsins 2/3 in mediating multigenic resistance to antimalarial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachel Mok
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tomas Yeo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Davin Hong
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Melanie J. Shears
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Leila S. Ross
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kurt E. Ward
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Satish K. Dhingra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mariko Kanai
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jessica L. Bridgford
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Abhai K. Tripathi
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Godfree Mlambo
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Anna Y. Burkhard
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Megan R. Ansbro
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Kate J. Fairhurst
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Eva Gil-Iturbe
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Heekuk Park
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Felix D. Rozenberg
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jonathan Kim
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Filippo Mancia
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rick M. Fairhurst
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Matthias Quick
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anne-Catrin Uhlemann
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Photini Sinnis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - David A. Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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24
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Henshall IG, Spielmann T. Critical interdependencies between Plasmodium nutrient flux and drugs. Trends Parasitol 2023; 39:936-944. [PMID: 37716852 PMCID: PMC10580322 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.08.008] [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: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
Nutrient import and waste efflux are critical dependencies for intracellular Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Nutrient transport proteins are often lineage specific and can provide unique targets for antimalarial drug development. P. falciparum nutrient transport pathways can be a double-edged sword for the parasite, not only mediating the import of nutrients and excretion of waste products but also providing an access route for drugs. Here we briefly summarise the nutrient acquisition pathways of intracellular P. falciparum blood-stage parasites and then highlight how these pathways influence many aspects relevant to antimalarial drugs, resulting in complex and often underappreciated interdependencies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
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25
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Coonahan E, Gage H, Chen D, Noormahomed EV, Buene TP, Mendes de Sousa I, Akrami K, Chambal L, Schooley RT, Winzeler EA, Cowell AN. Whole-genome surveillance identifies markers of Plasmodium falciparum drug resistance and novel genomic regions under selection in Mozambique. mBio 2023; 14:e0176823. [PMID: 37750720 PMCID: PMC10653802 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01768-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Malaria is a devastating disease caused by Plasmodium parasites. The evolution of parasite drug resistance continues to hamper progress toward malaria elimination, and despite extensive efforts to control malaria, it remains a leading cause of death in Mozambique and other countries in the region. The development of successful vaccines and identification of molecular markers to track drug efficacy are essential for managing the disease burden. We present an analysis of the parasite genome in Mozambique, a country with one of the highest malaria burdens globally and limited available genomic data, revealing current selection pressure. We contribute additional evidence to limited prior studies supporting the effectiveness of SWGA in producing reliable genomic data from complex clinical samples. Our results provide the identity of genomic loci that may be associated with current antimalarial drug use, including artemisinin and lumefantrine, and reveal selection pressure predicted to compromise the efficacy of current vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Coonahan
- School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Hunter Gage
- School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Daisy Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Emilia Virginia Noormahomed
- School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Parasitology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique
- Mozambique Institute of Health Education and Research (MIHER), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Titos Paulo Buene
- Department of Microbiology, Parasitology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique
- Mozambique Institute of Health Education and Research (MIHER), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Irina Mendes de Sousa
- Mozambique Institute of Health Education and Research (MIHER), Maputo, Mozambique
- Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Kevan Akrami
- School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Faculdade de Medicina da Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Lucia Chambal
- Mozambique Institute of Health Education and Research (MIHER), Maputo, Mozambique
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique
- Maputo Central Hospital, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Robert T. Schooley
- School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Annie N. Cowell
- School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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Mafethe O, Ntseane T, Dongola TH, Shonhai A, Gumede NJ, Mokoena F. Pharmacophore Model-Based Virtual Screening Workflow for Discovery of Inhibitors Targeting Plasmodium falciparum Hsp90. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:38220-38232. [PMID: 37867657 PMCID: PMC10586269 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c04494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum causes the most lethal and widespread form of malaria. Eradication of malaria remains a priority due to the increasing number of cases of drug resistance. The heat shock protein 90 of P. falciparum (PfHsp90) is a validated drug target essential for parasite survival. Most PfHsp90 inhibitors bind at the ATP binding pocket found in its N-terminal domain, abolishing the chaperone's activities, which leads to parasite death. The challenge is that the NTD of PfHsp90 is highly conserved, and its disruption requires selective inhibitors that can act without causing off-target human Hsp90 activities. We endeavored to discover selective inhibitors of PfHsp90 using pharmacophore modeling, virtual screening protocols, induced fit docking (IFD), and cell-based and biochemical assays. The pharmacophore model (DHHRR), composed of one hydrogen bond donor, two hydrophobic groups, and two aromatic rings, was used to mine commercial databases for initial hits, which were rescored to 20 potential hits using IFD. Eight of these compounds displayed moderate to high activity toward P. falciparum NF54 (i.e., IC50s ranging from 6.0 to 0.14 μM) and averaged >10 in terms of selectivity indices toward CHO and HepG2 cells. Additionally, four compounds inhibited PfHsp90 with greater selectivity than a known inhibitor, harmine, and bound to PfHsp90 with weak to moderate affinity. Our findings support the use of a pharmacophore model to discover diverse chemical scaffolds such as FM2, FM6, F10, and F11 exhibiting anti-Plasmodium activities and serving as valuable new PfHsp90 inhibitors. Optimization of these hits may enable their development into potent leads for future antimalarial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ofentse Mafethe
- Department
of Biochemistry, North-West University, Mmabatho 2735, South Africa
| | - Tlhalefo Ntseane
- Department
of Biochemistry, North-West University, Mmabatho 2735, South Africa
| | | | - Addmore Shonhai
- Department
of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University
of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
| | - Njabulo Joyfull Gumede
- Department
of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Walter Sisulu University (WSU), Private Bag X01, Umthatha, Eastern Cape 4099, South Africa
| | - Fortunate Mokoena
- Department
of Biochemistry, North-West University, Mmabatho 2735, South Africa
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Tsebriy O, Khomiak A, Miguel-Blanco C, Sparkes PC, Gioli M, Santelli M, Whitley E, Gamo FJ, Delves MJ. Machine learning-based phenotypic imaging to characterise the targetable biology of Plasmodium falciparum male gametocytes for the development of transmission-blocking antimalarials. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011711. [PMID: 37801466 PMCID: PMC10584170 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Preventing parasite transmission from humans to mosquitoes is recognised to be critical for achieving elimination and eradication of malaria. Consequently developing new antimalarial drugs with transmission-blocking properties is a priority. Large screening campaigns have identified many new transmission-blocking molecules, however little is known about how they target the mosquito-transmissible Plasmodium falciparum stage V gametocytes, or how they affect their underlying cell biology. To respond to this knowledge gap, we have developed a machine learning image analysis pipeline to characterise and compare the cellular phenotypes generated by transmission-blocking molecules during male gametogenesis. Using this approach, we studied 40 molecules, categorising their activity based upon timing of action and visual effects on the organisation of tubulin and DNA within the cell. Our data both proposes new modes of action and corroborates existing modes of action of identified transmission-blocking molecules. Furthermore, the characterised molecules provide a new armoury of tool compounds to probe gametocyte cell biology and the generated imaging dataset provides a new reference for researchers to correlate molecular target or gene deletion to specific cellular phenotype. Our analysis pipeline is not optimised for a specific organism and could be applied to any fluorescence microscopy dataset containing cells delineated by bounding boxes, and so is potentially extendible to any disease model.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Penny C. Sparkes
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Edgar Whitley
- Department of Management, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Michael J. Delves
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, United Kingdom
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Mandt REK, Luth MR, Tye MA, Mazitschek R, Ottilie S, Winzeler EA, Lafuente-Monasterio MJ, Gamo FJ, Wirth DF, Lukens AK. Diverse evolutionary pathways challenge the use of collateral sensitivity as a strategy to suppress resistance. eLife 2023; 12:e85023. [PMID: 37737220 PMCID: PMC10695565 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85023] [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: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug resistance remains a major obstacle to malaria control and eradication efforts, necessitating the development of novel therapeutic strategies to treat this disease. Drug combinations based on collateral sensitivity, wherein resistance to one drug causes increased sensitivity to the partner drug, have been proposed as an evolutionary strategy to suppress the emergence of resistance in pathogen populations. In this study, we explore collateral sensitivity between compounds targeting the Plasmodium dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH). We profiled the cross-resistance and collateral sensitivity phenotypes of several DHODH mutant lines to a diverse panel of DHODH inhibitors. We focus on one compound, TCMDC-125334, which was active against all mutant lines tested, including the DHODH C276Y line, which arose in selections with the clinical candidate DSM265. In six selections with TCMDC-125334, the most common mechanism of resistance to this compound was copy number variation of the dhodh locus, although we did identify one mutation, DHODH I263S, which conferred resistance to TCMDC-125334 but not DSM265. We found that selection of the DHODH C276Y mutant with TCMDC-125334 yielded additional genetic changes in the dhodh locus. These double mutant parasites exhibited decreased sensitivity to TCMDC-125334 and were highly resistant to DSM265. Finally, we tested whether collateral sensitivity could be exploited to suppress the emergence of resistance in the context of combination treatment by exposing wildtype parasites to both DSM265 and TCMDC-125334 simultaneously. This selected for parasites with a DHODH V532A mutation which were cross-resistant to both compounds and were as fit as the wildtype parent in vitro. The emergence of these cross-resistant, evolutionarily fit parasites highlights the mutational flexibility of the DHODH enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca EK Mandt
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonUnited States
| | - Madeline R Luth
- Division of Host Pathogen Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
| | - Mark A Tye
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUnited States
- Harvard Graduate School of Arts and SciencesCambridgeUnited States
| | - Ralph Mazitschek
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonUnited States
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUnited States
| | - Sabine Ottilie
- Division of Host Pathogen Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Division of Host Pathogen Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
- Skaggs School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
| | | | - Francisco Javier Gamo
- Tres Cantos Medicines Development Campus, Diseases of the Developing World, GlaxoSmithKlineMadridSpain
| | - Dyann F Wirth
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonUnited States
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, The Broad InstituteCambridgeUnited States
| | - Amanda K Lukens
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonUnited States
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, The Broad InstituteCambridgeUnited States
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Xie SC, Griffin MDW, Winzeler EA, Ribas de Pouplana L, Tilley L. Targeting Aminoacyl tRNA Synthetases for Antimalarial Drug Development. Annu Rev Microbiol 2023; 77:111-129. [PMID: 37018842 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-032421-121210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Infections caused by malaria parasites place an enormous burden on the world's poorest communities. Breakthrough drugs with novel mechanisms of action are urgently needed. As an organism that undergoes rapid growth and division, the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is highly reliant on protein synthesis, which in turn requires aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) to charge tRNAs with their corresponding amino acid. Protein translation is required at all stages of the parasite life cycle; thus, aaRS inhibitors have the potential for whole-of-life-cycle antimalarial activity. This review focuses on efforts to identify potent plasmodium-specific aaRS inhibitors using phenotypic screening, target validation, and structure-guided drug design. Recent work reveals that aaRSs are susceptible targets for a class of AMP-mimicking nucleoside sulfamates that target the enzymes via a novel reaction hijacking mechanism. This finding opens up the possibility of generating bespoke inhibitors of different aaRSs, providing new drug leads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley C Xie
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology and Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; , ,
| | - Michael D W Griffin
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology and Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; , ,
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA;
| | - Lluis Ribas de Pouplana
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain;
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Leann Tilley
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology and Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; , ,
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Piro F, Masci S, Kannan G, Focaia R, Schultz TL, Carruthers VB, Di Cristina M. A Toxoplasma gondii putative arginine transporter localizes to the plant-like vacuolar compartment and controls parasite extracellular survival and stage differentiation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.31.555807. [PMID: 37693549 PMCID: PMC10491228 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.31.555807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that infects a broad spectrum of hosts and can colonize many organs and cell types. The ability to reside within a wide range of different niches requires substantial adaptability to diverse microenvironments. Very little is known about how this parasite senses various milieus and adapts its metabolism to survive, replicate during the acute stage, and then differentiate to the chronic stage. Most eukaryotes, from yeast to mammals, rely on a nutrient sensing machinery involving the TORC complex as master regulator of cell growth and cell cycle progression. The lysosome functions as a signaling hub where TORC complex assembles and is activated by transceptors, which both sense and transport amino acids, including the arginine transceptor SLC38A9. While most of the TORC components are lost in T. gondii , indicating the evolution of a distinct nutrient sensing mechanism, the parasite's lysosomal plant-like vacuolar compartment (PLVAC) may still serve as a sensory platform for controlling parasite growth and differentiation. Using SLC38A9 to query the T. gondii proteome, we identified four putative amino acid transporters, termed TgAAT1-4, that structurally resemble the SLC38A9 arginine transceptor. Assessing their expression and sub-cellular localization, we found that one of them, TgAAT1, localized to the PLVAC and is necessary for normal parasite extracellular survival and bradyzoite differentiation. Moreover, we show that TgAAT1 is involved in the PLVAC efflux of arginine, an amino acid playing a key role in T. gondii differentiation, further supporting the hypothesis that TgAAT1 might play a role in nutrient sensing. IMPORTANCE T. gondii is a highly successful parasite infecting a broad range of warm-blood organisms including about one third of all humans. Although Toxoplasma infections rarely result in symptomatic disease in individuals with a healthy immune system, the incredibly high number of persons infected along with the risk of severe infection in immunocompromised patients and the potential link of chronic infection to mental disorders make this infection a significant public health concern. As a result, there is a pressing need for new treatment approaches that are both effective and well-tolerated. The limitations in understanding how Toxoplasma gondii manages its metabolism to adapt to changing environments and triggers its transformation into bradyzoites have hindered the discovery of vulnerabilities in its metabolic pathways or nutrient acquisition mechanisms to identify new therapeutic targets. In this work, we have shown that the lysosome-like organelle PLVAC, acting through the putative arginine transporter TgAAT1, plays a pivotal role in regulating the parasite's extracellular survival and differentiation into bradyzoites.
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Hanna JC, Corpas-Lopez V, Seizova S, Colon BL, Bacchetti R, Hall GMJ, Sands EM, Robinson L, Baragaña B, Wyllie S, Pawlowic MC. Mode of action studies confirm on-target engagement of lysyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitor and lead to new selection marker for Cryptosporidium. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1236814. [PMID: 37600947 PMCID: PMC10436570 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1236814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Cryptosporidiosis is a leading cause of diarrheal-associated morbidity and mortality, predominantly affecting children under 5 years old in low-and-middle-income countries. There is no effective treatment and no vaccine. New therapeutics are emerging from drug discovery efforts. It is critical that mode of action studies are performed alongside drug discovery to ensure the best clinical outcomes. Unfortunately, technology to identify and validate drug targets for Cryptosporidium is severely lacking. Methods We used C. parvum lysyl-tRNA synthetase (CpKRS) and DDD01510706 as a target-compound pair to develop both chemical and genetic tools for mode of action studies for Cryptosporidium. We adapted thermal proteome profiling (TPP) for Cryptosporidium, an unbiased approach for target identification. Results Using TPP we identified the molecular target of DDD01510706 and confirm that it is CpKRS. Genetic tools confirm that CpKRS is expressed throughout the life cycle and that this target is essential for parasite survival. Parasites genetically modified to over-express CpKRS or parasites with a mutation at the compound-binding site are resistant to treatment with DDD01510706. We leveraged these mutations to generate a second drug selection marker for genetic modification of Cryptosporidium, KRSR. This second selection marker is interchangeable with the original selection marker, NeoR, and expands the range of reverse genetic approaches available to study parasite biology. Due to the sexual nature of the Cryptosporidium life cycle, parental strains containing different drug selection markers can be crossed in vivo. Discussion Selection with both drug markers produces highly efficient genetic crosses (>99% hybrid progeny), paving the way for forward genetics approaches in Cryptosporidium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack C. Hanna
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Victor Corpas-Lopez
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Simona Seizova
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Beatrice L. Colon
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Ross Bacchetti
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Grant M. J. Hall
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Emma M. Sands
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Lee Robinson
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Beatriz Baragaña
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
- Drug Discovery Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Wyllie
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Mattie C. Pawlowic
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
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Xie SC, Wang Y, Morton CJ, Metcalfe RD, Dogovski C, Pasaje CFA, Dunn E, Luth MR, Kumpornsin K, Istvan ES, Park JS, Fairhurst KJ, Ketprasit N, Yeo T, Yildirim O, Bhebhe MN, Klug DM, Rutledge PJ, Godoy LC, Dey S, De Souza ML, Siqueira-Neto JL, Du Y, Puhalovich T, Amini M, Shami G, Loesbanluechai D, Nie S, Williamson N, Jana GP, Maity BC, Thomson P, Foley T, Tan DS, Niles JC, Han BW, Goldberg DE, Burrows J, Fidock DA, Lee MC, Winzeler EA, Griffin MDW, Todd MH, Tilley L. Reaction hijacking inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum asparagine tRNA synthetase. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3198291. [PMID: 37546892 PMCID: PMC10402266 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3198291/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Malaria poses an enormous threat to human health. With ever increasing resistance to currently deployed drugs, breakthrough compounds with novel mechanisms of action are urgently needed. Here, we explore pyrimidine-based sulfonamides as a new low molecular weight inhibitor class with drug-like physical parameters and a synthetically accessible scaffold. We show that the exemplar, OSM-S-106, has potent activity against parasite cultures, low mammalian cell toxicity and low propensity for resistance development. In vitro evolution of resistance using a slow ramp-up approach pointed to the Plasmodium falciparum cytoplasmic asparaginyl tRNA synthetase (PfAsnRS) as the target, consistent with our finding that OSM-S-106 inhibits protein translation and activates the amino acid starvation response. Targeted mass spectrometry confirms that OSM-S-106 is a pro-inhibitor and that inhibition of PfAsnRS occurs via enzyme-mediated production of an Asn-OSM-S-106 adduct. Human AsnRS is much less susceptible to this reaction hijacking mechanism. X-ray crystallographic studies of human AsnRS in complex with inhibitor adducts and docking of pro-inhibitors into a model of Asn-tRNA-bound PfAsnRS provide insights into the structure activity relationship and the selectivity mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley C. Xie
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Yinuo Wang
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom
| | - Craig J. Morton
- Biomedical Manufacturing Program, CSIRO, Clayton South, Australia
| | - Riley D. Metcalfe
- Center for Structural Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Con Dogovski
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | | | - Elyse Dunn
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Madeline R Luth
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Krittikorn Kumpornsin
- Parasites and Microbes Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
- Calibr, Division of the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Eva S Istvan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, USA
| | - Joon Sung Park
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Kate J. Fairhurst
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Nutpakal Ketprasit
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Tomas Yeo
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Okan Yildirim
- Chemical Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | | | - Dana M. Klug
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom
| | - Peter J. Rutledge
- School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Luiz C. Godoy
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Sumanta Dey
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Mariana Laureano De Souza
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Jair L. Siqueira-Neto
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Yawei Du
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Tanya Puhalovich
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Mona Amini
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Gerry Shami
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | | | - Shuai Nie
- Melbourne Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Nicholas Williamson
- Melbourne Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Gouranga P. Jana
- TCG Lifesciences Private Limited, Salt-lake Electronics Complex, Kolkata, India
| | - Bikash C. Maity
- TCG Lifesciences Private Limited, Salt-lake Electronics Complex, Kolkata, India
| | - Patrick Thomson
- School of Chemistry, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JJ, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Foley
- School of Chemistry, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JJ, United Kingdom
| | - Derek S. Tan
- Chemical Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Jacquin C Niles
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Byung Woo Han
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Daniel E Goldberg
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, USA
| | - Jeremy Burrows
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, 20, Route de Pré-Bois 1215, Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - David A. Fidock
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Marcus C.S. Lee
- Parasites and Microbes Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth A. Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Michael D. W. Griffin
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Matthew H. Todd
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University College London, London WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom
| | - Leann Tilley
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
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Vyas VK, Shukla T, Sharma M. Medicinal chemistry approaches for the discovery of Plasmodium falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors as antimalarial agents. Future Med Chem 2023; 15:1295-1321. [PMID: 37551689 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2023-0113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a severe human disease and a global health problem because of drug-resistant strains. Drugs reported to prevent the growth of Plasmodium parasites target various phases of the parasites' life cycle. Antimalarial drugs can inhibit key enzymes that are responsible for the cellular growth and development of parasites. Plasmodium falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase is one such enzyme that is necessary for de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. This review focuses on various medicinal chemistry approaches used for the discovery and identification of selective P. falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors as antimalarial agents. This comprehensive review discusses recent advances in the selective therapeutic activity of distinct chemical classes of compounds as P. falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors and antimalarial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek K Vyas
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 382481, India
| | - Tanvi Shukla
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 382481, India
| | - Manmohan Sharma
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 382481, India
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Gehlot P, Vyas VK. Recent advances on patents of Plasmodium falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase ( PfDHODH) inhibitors as antimalarial agents. Expert Opin Ther Pat 2023; 33:579-596. [PMID: 37942637 DOI: 10.1080/13543776.2023.2280596] [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: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pyrimidine nucleotides are essential for the parasite's growth and replication. Parasites have only a de novo pathway for the biosynthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) enzyme is involved in the rate-limiting step of the pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. DHODH is a biochemical target for the discovery of new antimalarial agents. AREA COVERED This review discussed the development of patented PfDHODH inhibitors published between 2007 and 2023 along with their chemical structures and activities. EXPERT OPINION PfDHODH enzyme is involved in the rate-limiting fourth step of the pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. Thus, inhibition of PfDHODH using species-selective inhibitors has drawn much attention for treating malaria because they inhibit parasite growth without affecting normal human functions. Looking at the current scenario of antimalarial drug resistance with most of the available antimalarial drugs, there is a huge need for targeted newer agents. Newer agents with unique mechanisms of action may be devoid of drug toxicity, adverse effects, and the ability of parasites to quickly gain resistance, and PfDHODH inhibitors can be those newer agents. Many PfDHODH inhibitors were patented in the past, and the dependency of Plasmodium on de novo pyrimidine provided a new approach for the development of novel antimalarial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinky Gehlot
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India
| | - Vivek K Vyas
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India
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Amambua-Ngwa A, Button-Simons KA, Li X, Kumar S, Brenneman KV, Ferrari M, Checkley LA, Haile MT, Shoue DA, McDew-White M, Tindall SM, Reyes A, Delgado E, Dalhoff H, Larbalestier JK, Amato R, Pearson RD, Taylor AB, Nosten FH, D'Alessandro U, Kwiatkowski D, Cheeseman IH, Kappe SHI, Avery SV, Conway DJ, Vaughan AM, Ferdig MT, Anderson TJC. Chloroquine resistance evolution in Plasmodium falciparum is mediated by the putative amino acid transporter AAT1. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:1213-1226. [PMID: 37169919 PMCID: PMC10322710 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01377-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Malaria parasites break down host haemoglobin into peptides and amino acids in the digestive vacuole for export to the parasite cytoplasm for growth: interrupting this process is central to the mode of action of several antimalarial drugs. Mutations in the chloroquine (CQ) resistance transporter, pfcrt, located in the digestive vacuole membrane, confer CQ resistance in Plasmodium falciparum, and typically also affect parasite fitness. However, the role of other parasite loci in the evolution of CQ resistance is unclear. Here we use a combination of population genomics, genetic crosses and gene editing to demonstrate that a second vacuolar transporter plays a key role in both resistance and compensatory evolution. Longitudinal genomic analyses of the Gambian parasites revealed temporal signatures of selection on a putative amino acid transporter (pfaat1) variant S258L, which increased from 0% to 97% in frequency between 1984 and 2014 in parallel with the pfcrt1 K76T variant. Parasite genetic crosses then identified a chromosome 6 quantitative trait locus containing pfaat1 that is selected by CQ treatment. Gene editing demonstrated that pfaat1 S258L potentiates CQ resistance but at a cost of reduced fitness, while pfaat1 F313S, a common southeast Asian polymorphism, reduces CQ resistance while restoring fitness. Our analyses reveal hidden complexity in CQ resistance evolution, suggesting that pfaat1 may underlie regional differences in the dynamics of resistance evolution, and modulate parasite resistance or fitness by manipulating the balance between both amino acid and drug transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfred Amambua-Ngwa
- MRC Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | - Katrina A Button-Simons
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Xue Li
- Disease Intervention and Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Sudhir Kumar
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Katelyn Vendrely Brenneman
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Marco Ferrari
- Disease Intervention and Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Lisa A Checkley
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Meseret T Haile
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Douglas A Shoue
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Marina McDew-White
- Disease Intervention and Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Sarah M Tindall
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Ann Reyes
- Disease Intervention and Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Elizabeth Delgado
- Disease Intervention and Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Haley Dalhoff
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - James K Larbalestier
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | | | | | - Alexander B Taylor
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Antonio, TX, USA
| | - François H Nosten
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Umberto D'Alessandro
- MRC Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | | | - Ian H Cheeseman
- Host Pathogen Interactions Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Stefan H I Kappe
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Simon V Avery
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - David J Conway
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Ashley M Vaughan
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Michael T Ferdig
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
| | - Timothy J C Anderson
- Disease Intervention and Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA.
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Keroack CD, Elsworth B, Tennessen JA, Paul AS, Hua R, Ramirez-Ramirez L, Ye S, Moreira CM, Meyers MJ, Zarringhalam K, Duraisingh MT. Comparative chemical genomics in Babesia species identifies the alkaline phosphatase phoD as a novel determinant of resistance. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.13.544849. [PMID: 37398106 PMCID: PMC10312741 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.13.544849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Babesiosis is an emerging zoonosis and widely distributed veterinary infection caused by 100+ species of Babesia parasites. The diversity of Babesia parasites, coupled with the lack of potent inhibitors necessitates the discovery of novel conserved druggable targets for the generation of broadly effective antibabesials. Here, we describe a comparative chemogenomics (CCG) pipeline for the identification of novel and conserved targets. CCG relies on parallel in vitro evolution of resistance in independent populations of evolutionarily-related Babesia spp. ( B. bovis and B. divergens ). We identified a potent antibabesial inhibitor from the Malaria Box, MMV019266. We were able to select for resistance to this compound in two species of Babesia, achieving 10-fold or greater resistance after ten weeks of intermittent selection. After sequencing of multiple independently derived lines in the two species, we identified mutations in a single conserved gene in both species: a membrane-bound metallodependent phosphatase (putatively named PhoD). In both species, the mutations were found in the phoD-like phosphatase domain, proximal to the predicted ligand binding site. Using reverse genetics, we validated that mutations in PhoD confer resistance to MMV019266. We have also demonstrated that PhoD localizes to the endomembrane system and partially with the apicoplast. Finally, conditional knockdown and constitutive overexpression of PhoD alter the sensitivity to MMV019266 in the parasite: overexpression of PhoD results in increased sensitivity to the compound, while knockdown increases resistance, suggesting PhoD is a resistance mechanism. Together, we have generated a robust pipeline for identification of resistance loci, and identified PhoD as a novel determinant of resistance in Babesia species. Highlights Use of two species for in vitro evolution identifies a high confidence locus associated with resistance Resistance mutation in phoD was validated using reverse genetics in B. divergens Perturbation of phoD using function genetics results in changes in the level of resistance to MMV019266Epitope tagging reveals localization to the ER/apicoplast, a conserved localization with a similar protein in diatoms Together, phoD is a novel resistance determinant in multiple Babesia spp .
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Umumararungu T, Nkuranga JB, Habarurema G, Nyandwi JB, Mukazayire MJ, Mukiza J, Muganga R, Hahirwa I, Mpenda M, Katembezi AN, Olawode EO, Kayitare E, Kayumba PC. Recent developments in antimalarial drug discovery. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 88-89:117339. [PMID: 37236020 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117339] [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: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Although malaria remains a big burden to many countries that it threatens their socio-economic stability, particularly in the countries where malaria is endemic, there have been great efforts to eradicate this disease with both successes and failures. For example, there has been a great improvement in malaria prevention and treatment methods with a net reduction in infection and mortality rates. However, the disease remains a global threat in terms of the number of people affected because it is one of the infectious diseases that has the highest prevalence rate, especially in Africa where the deadly Plasmodium falciparum is still widely spread. Methods to fight malaria are being diversified, including the use of mosquito nets, the target candidate profiles (TCPs) and target product profiles (TPPs) of medicine for malarial venture (MMV) strategy, the search for newer and potent drugs that could reverse chloroquine resistance, and the use of adjuvants such as rosiglitazone and sevuparin. Although these adjuvants have no antiplasmodial activity, they can help to alleviate the effects which result from plasmodium invasion such as cytoadherence. The list of new antimalarial drugs under development is long, including the out of ordinary new drugs MMV048, CDRI-97/78 and INE963 from South Africa, India and Novartis, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Théoneste Umumararungu
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Rwanda.
| | - Jean Bosco Nkuranga
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Rwanda
| | - Gratien Habarurema
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Rwanda
| | - Jean Baptiste Nyandwi
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Rwanda
| | - Marie Jeanne Mukazayire
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Rwanda
| | - Janvier Mukiza
- Department of Mathematical Science and Physical Education, School of Education, College of Education, University of Rwanda, Rwanda; Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority, Nyarutarama Plaza, KG 9 Avenue, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Raymond Muganga
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Rwanda; Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority, Nyarutarama Plaza, KG 9 Avenue, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Innocent Hahirwa
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Rwanda
| | - Matabishi Mpenda
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Rwanda
| | - Alain Nyirimigabo Katembezi
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Rwanda; Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority, Nyarutarama Plaza, KG 9 Avenue, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Emmanuel Oladayo Olawode
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Larkin University, 18301 N Miami Ave #1, Miami, FL 33169, USA
| | - Egide Kayitare
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Rwanda
| | - Pierre Claver Kayumba
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Rwanda
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38
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Mok S, Yeo T, Hong D, Shears MJ, Ross LS, Ward KE, Dhingra SK, Kanai M, Bridgford JL, Tripathi AK, Mlambo G, Burkhard AY, Fairhurst KJ, Gil-Iturbe E, Park H, Rozenberg FD, Kim J, Mancia F, Quick M, Uhlemann AC, Sinnis P, Fidock DA. Mapping the genomic landscape of multidrug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum and its impact on parasite fitness. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.02.543338. [PMID: 37398288 PMCID: PMC10312498 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.02.543338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites have swept across Southeast Asia and now threaten Africa. By implementing a P. falciparum genetic cross using humanized mice, we report the identification of key determinants of resistance to artemisinin (ART) and piperaquine (PPQ) in the dominant Asian KEL1/PLA1 lineage. We mapped k13 as the central mediator of ART resistance and identified secondary markers. Applying bulk segregant analysis, quantitative trait loci mapping and gene editing, our data reveal an epistatic interaction between mutant PfCRT and multicopy plasmepsins 2/3 in mediating high-grade PPQ resistance. Susceptibility and parasite fitness assays implicate PPQ as a driver of selection for KEL1/PLA1 parasites. Mutant PfCRT enhanced susceptibility to lumefantrine, the first-line partner drug in Africa, highlighting a potential benefit of opposing selective pressures with this drug and PPQ. We also identified that the ABCI3 transporter can operate in concert with PfCRT and plasmepsins 2/3 in mediating multigenic resistance to antimalarial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachel Mok
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Tomas Yeo
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Davin Hong
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Melanie J. Shears
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Leila S. Ross
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Kurt E. Ward
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Satish K. Dhingra
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Mariko Kanai
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Jessica L. Bridgford
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Abhai K. Tripathi
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Godfree Mlambo
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Anna Y. Burkhard
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Kate J. Fairhurst
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Eva Gil-Iturbe
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Heekuk Park
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Felix D. Rozenberg
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Jonathan Kim
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Filippo Mancia
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Matthias Quick
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anne-Catrin Uhlemann
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Photini Sinnis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - David A. Fidock
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
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Kümpornsin K, Kochakarn T, Yeo T, Okombo J, Luth MR, Hoshizaki J, Rawat M, Pearson RD, Schindler KA, Mok S, Park H, Uhlemann AC, Jana GP, Maity BC, Laleu B, Chenu E, Duffy J, Moliner Cubel S, Franco V, Gomez-Lorenzo MG, Gamo FJ, Winzeler EA, Fidock DA, Chookajorn T, Lee MCS. Generation of a mutator parasite to drive resistome discovery in Plasmodium falciparum. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3059. [PMID: 37244916 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38774-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In vitro evolution of drug resistance is a powerful approach for identifying antimalarial targets, however, key obstacles to eliciting resistance are the parasite inoculum size and mutation rate. Here we sought to increase parasite genetic diversity to potentiate resistance selections by editing catalytic residues of Plasmodium falciparum DNA polymerase δ. Mutation accumulation assays reveal a ~5-8 fold elevation in the mutation rate, with an increase of 13-28 fold in drug-pressured lines. Upon challenge with the spiroindolone PfATP4-inhibitor KAE609, high-level resistance is obtained more rapidly and at lower inocula than wild-type parasites. Selections also yield mutants with resistance to an "irresistible" compound, MMV665794 that failed to yield resistance with other strains. We validate mutations in a previously uncharacterised gene, PF3D7_1359900, which we term quinoxaline resistance protein (QRP1), as causal for resistance to MMV665794 and a panel of quinoxaline analogues. The increased genetic repertoire available to this "mutator" parasite can be leveraged to drive P. falciparum resistome discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krittikorn Kümpornsin
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- Calibr, Division of the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Theerarat Kochakarn
- The Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden and Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Tomas Yeo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - John Okombo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Madeline R Luth
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Mukul Rawat
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | | | - Kyra A Schindler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sachel Mok
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Heekuk Park
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anne-Catrin Uhlemann
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gouranga P Jana
- TCG Lifesciences Private Limited, Salt-lake Electronics Complex, Kolkata, India
| | - Bikash C Maity
- TCG Lifesciences Private Limited, Salt-lake Electronics Complex, Kolkata, India
| | - Benoît Laleu
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, International Centre Cointrin, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elodie Chenu
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, International Centre Cointrin, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - James Duffy
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, International Centre Cointrin, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Virginia Franco
- Global Health Medicines R&D, GlaxoSmithKline, Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Thanat Chookajorn
- The Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden and Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine Unit, Centre of Excellence in Malaria Research, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Marcus C S Lee
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK.
- Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.
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40
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Bohmer MJ, Wang J, Istvan ES, Luth MR, Collins JE, Huttlin EL, Wang L, Mittal N, Hao M, Kwiatkowski NP, Gygi SP, Chakrabarti R, Deng X, Goldberg DE, Winzeler EA, Gray NS, Chakrabarti D. Human Polo-like Kinase Inhibitors as Antiplasmodials. ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:1004-1021. [PMID: 36919909 PMCID: PMC10106425 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Protein kinases have proven to be a very productive class of therapeutic targets, and over 90 inhibitors are currently in clinical use primarily for the treatment of cancer. Repurposing these inhibitors as antimalarials could provide an accelerated path to drug development. In this study, we identified BI-2536, a known potent human polo-like kinase 1 inhibitor, with low nanomolar antiplasmodial activity. Screening of additional PLK1 inhibitors revealed further antiplasmodial candidates despite the lack of an obvious orthologue of PLKs in Plasmodium. A subset of these inhibitors was profiled for their in vitro killing profile, and commonalities between the killing rate and inhibition of nuclear replication were noted. A kinase panel screen identified PfNEK3 as a shared target of these PLK1 inhibitors; however, phosphoproteome analysis confirmed distinct signaling pathways were disrupted by two structurally distinct inhibitors, suggesting PfNEK3 may not be the sole target. Genomic analysis of BI-2536-resistant parasites revealed mutations in genes associated with the starvation-induced stress response, suggesting BI-2536 may also inhibit an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica J Bohmer
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Jinhua Wang
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Cancer Biolo gy, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Eva S Istvan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine and Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Madeline R Luth
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Jennifer E Collins
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Edward L Huttlin
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Lushun Wang
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, ChEM-H, Stanford Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Nimisha Mittal
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Mingfeng Hao
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Cancer Biolo gy, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Nicholas P Kwiatkowski
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Cancer Biolo gy, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Steven P Gygi
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Ratna Chakrabarti
- Division of Cancer Research, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Xianming Deng
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Daniel E Goldberg
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine and Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, ChEM-H, Stanford Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Debopam Chakrabarti
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
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41
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Anand A, Chandana M, Ghosh S, Das R, Singh N, Vaishalli PM, Gantasala NP, Padmanaban G, Nagaraj VA. Significance of Plasmodium berghei Amino Acid Transporter 1 in Food Vacuole Functionality and Its Association with Cerebral Pathogenesis. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0494322. [PMID: 36976018 PMCID: PMC10101031 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04943-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The food vacuole plays a central role in the blood stage of parasite development by digesting host hemoglobin acquired from red blood cells and detoxifying the host heme released during hemoglobin digestion into hemozoin. Blood-stage parasites undergo periodic schizont bursts, releasing food vacuoles containing hemozoin. Clinical studies in malaria-infected patients and in vivo animal studies have shown the association of hemozoin with disease pathogenesis and abnormal host immune responses in malaria. Here, we perform a detailed in vivo characterization of putative Plasmodium berghei amino acid transporter 1 localized in the food vacuole to understand its significance in the malaria parasite. We show that the targeted deletion of amino acid transporter 1 in Plasmodium berghei leads to a swollen food vacuole phenotype with the accumulation of host hemoglobin-derived peptides. Plasmodium berghei amino acid transporter 1-knockout parasites produce less hemozoin, and the hemozoin crystals display a thin morphology compared with wild-type parasites. The knockout parasites show reduced sensitivity to chloroquine and amodiaquine by showing recrudescence. More importantly, mice infected with the knockout parasites are protected from cerebral malaria and display reduced neuronal inflammation and cerebral complications. Genetic complementation of the knockout parasites restores the food vacuole morphology with hemozoin levels similar to that of wild-type parasites, causing cerebral malaria in the infected mice. The knockout parasites also show a significant delay in male gametocyte exflagellation. Our findings highlight the significance of amino acid transporter 1 in food vacuole functionality and its association with malaria pathogenesis and gametocyte development. IMPORTANCE Food vacuoles of the malaria parasite are involved in the degradation of red blood cell hemoglobin. The amino acids derived from hemoglobin degradation support parasite growth, and the heme released is detoxified into hemozoin. Antimalarials such as quinolines target hemozoin formation in the food vacuole. Food vacuole transporters transport hemoglobin-derived amino acids and peptides from the food vacuole to the parasite cytosol. Such transporters are also associated with drug resistance. Here, we show that the deletion of amino acid transporter 1 in Plasmodium berghei leads to swollen food vacuoles with the accumulation of hemoglobin-derived peptides. The transporter-deleted parasites generate less hemozoin with thin crystal morphology and show reduced sensitivity to quinolines. Mice infected with transporter-deleted parasites are protected from cerebral malaria. There is also a delay in male gametocyte exflagellation, affecting transmission. Our findings uncover the functional significance of amino acid transporter 1 in the life cycle of the malaria parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Anand
- Infectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Manjunatha Chandana
- Infectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
- School of Biotechnology, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Sourav Ghosh
- Infectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Rahul Das
- Infectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Nalini Singh
- Infectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Pradeep Mini Vaishalli
- Infectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, Haryana, India
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Bopp S, Pasaje CFA, Summers RL, Magistrado-Coxen P, Schindler KA, Corpas-Lopez V, Yeo T, Mok S, Dey S, Smick S, Nasamu AS, Demas AR, Milne R, Wiedemar N, Corey V, Gomez-Lorenzo MDG, Franco V, Early AM, Lukens AK, Milner D, Furtado J, Gamo FJ, Winzeler EA, Volkman SK, Duffey M, Laleu B, Fidock DA, Wyllie S, Niles JC, Wirth DF. Potent acyl-CoA synthetase 10 inhibitors kill Plasmodium falciparum by disrupting triglyceride formation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1455. [PMID: 36927839 PMCID: PMC10020447 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36921-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Identifying how small molecules act to kill malaria parasites can lead to new "chemically validated" targets. By pressuring Plasmodium falciparum asexual blood stage parasites with three novel structurally-unrelated antimalarial compounds (MMV665924, MMV019719 and MMV897615), and performing whole-genome sequence analysis on resistant parasite lines, we identify multiple mutations in the P. falciparum acyl-CoA synthetase (ACS) genes PfACS10 (PF3D7_0525100, M300I, A268D/V, F427L) and PfACS11 (PF3D7_1238800, F387V, D648Y, and E668K). Allelic replacement and thermal proteome profiling validates PfACS10 as a target of these compounds. We demonstrate that this protein is essential for parasite growth by conditional knockdown and observe increased compound susceptibility upon reduced expression. Inhibition of PfACS10 leads to a reduction in triacylglycerols and a buildup of its lipid precursors, providing key insights into its function. Analysis of the PfACS11 gene and its mutations point to a role in mediating resistance via decreased protein stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selina Bopp
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Robert L Summers
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Pamela Magistrado-Coxen
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kyra A Schindler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Victoriano Corpas-Lopez
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Tomas Yeo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sachel Mok
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sumanta Dey
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sebastian Smick
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Armiyaw S Nasamu
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Allison R Demas
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rachel Milne
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Natalie Wiedemar
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Victoria Corey
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Maria De Gracia Gomez-Lorenzo
- Tres Cantos Medicines Research and Development Campus, Diseases of the Developing World, GlaxoSmithKline, Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Virginia Franco
- Tres Cantos Medicines Research and Development Campus, Diseases of the Developing World, GlaxoSmithKline, Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Angela M Early
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Amanda K Lukens
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Danny Milner
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jeremy Furtado
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Francisco-Javier Gamo
- Tres Cantos Medicines Research and Development Campus, Diseases of the Developing World, GlaxoSmithKline, Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sarah K Volkman
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
- College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, Simmons University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Benoît Laleu
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Susan Wyllie
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Jacquin C Niles
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Dyann F Wirth
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Imlay LS, Lawong AK, Gahalawat S, Kumar A, Xing C, Mittal N, Wittlin S, Churchyard A, Niederstrasser H, Crespo-Fernandez B, Posner BA, Gamo FJ, Baum J, Winzeler EA, LALEU B, Ready JM, Phillips MA. Fast-Killing Tyrosine Amide (( S)-SW228703) with Blood- and Liver-Stage Antimalarial Activity Associated with the Cyclic Amine Resistance Locus ( PfCARL). ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:527-539. [PMID: 36763526 PMCID: PMC10053980 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Current malaria treatments are threatened by drug resistance, and new drugs are urgently needed. In a phenotypic screen for new antimalarials, we identified (S)-SW228703 ((S)-SW703), a tyrosine amide with asexual blood and liver stage activity and a fast-killing profile. Resistance to (S)-SW703 is associated with mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum cyclic amine resistance locus (PfCARL) and P. falciparum acetyl CoA transporter (PfACT), similarly to several other compounds that share features such as fast activity and liver-stage activity. Compounds with these resistance mechanisms are thought to act in the ER, though their targets are unknown. The tyramine of (S)-SW703 is shared with some reported PfCARL-associated compounds; however, we observed that strict S-stereochemistry was required for the activity of (S)-SW703, suggesting differences in the mechanism of action or binding mode. (S)-SW703 provides a new chemical series with broad activity for multiple life-cycle stages and a fast-killing mechanism of action, available for lead optimization to generate new treatments for malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah S. Imlay
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Aloysus K. Lawong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Suraksha Gahalawat
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Ashwani Kumar
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Chao Xing
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
- Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Nimisha Mittal
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Sergio Wittlin
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4002, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, 4002, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Alisje Churchyard
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Hanspeter Niederstrasser
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | | | - Bruce A. Posner
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | | | - Jake Baum
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Elizabeth A. Winzeler
- Division of Host-Microbe Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Benoît LALEU
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, 1215 Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - Joseph M. Ready
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Margaret A. Phillips
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
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44
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Istvan ES, Guerra F, Abraham M, Huang KS, Rocamora F, Zhao H, Xu L, Pasaje C, Kumpornsin K, Luth MR, Cui H, Yang T, Diaz SP, Gomez-Lorenzo MG, Qahash T, Mittal N, Ottilie S, Niles J, Lee MCS, Llinas M, Kato N, Okombo J, Fidock DA, Schimmel P, Gamo FJ, Goldberg DE, Winzeler EA. Cytoplasmic isoleucyl tRNA synthetase as an attractive multistage antimalarial drug target. Sci Transl Med 2023; 15:eadc9249. [PMID: 36888694 PMCID: PMC10286833 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adc9249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
Development of antimalarial compounds into clinical candidates remains costly and arduous without detailed knowledge of the target. As resistance increases and treatment options at various stages of disease are limited, it is critical to identify multistage drug targets that are readily interrogated in biochemical assays. Whole-genome sequencing of 18 parasite clones evolved using thienopyrimidine compounds with submicromolar, rapid-killing, pan-life cycle antiparasitic activity showed that all had acquired mutations in the P. falciparum cytoplasmic isoleucyl tRNA synthetase (cIRS). Engineering two of the mutations into drug-naïve parasites recapitulated the resistance phenotype, and parasites with conditional knockdowns of cIRS became hypersensitive to two thienopyrimidines. Purified recombinant P. vivax cIRS inhibition, cross-resistance, and biochemical assays indicated a noncompetitive, allosteric binding site that is distinct from that of known cIRS inhibitors mupirocin and reveromycin A. Our data show that Plasmodium cIRS is an important chemically and genetically validated target for next-generation medicines for malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva S. Istvan
- Departments of Medicine and Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Francisco Guerra
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Matthew Abraham
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | | | - Frances Rocamora
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | | | - Lan Xu
- The Global Health Drug Discovery Institute, Tsinghua University 30 Shuangqing Rd, Haidian District, Beijing, China
| | - Charisse Pasaje
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | - Madeline R. Luth
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Haissi Cui
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Tuo Yang
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Sara Palomo Diaz
- Global Health Medicines, GlaxoSmithKline, Severo Ochoa 2, 28760 Tres Cantos, Spain
| | | | - Tarrick Qahash
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Huck Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Nimisha Mittal
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Sabine Ottilie
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Jacquin Niles
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Marcus C. S. Lee
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Manuel Llinas
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Huck Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Nobutaka Kato
- The Global Health Drug Discovery Institute, Tsinghua University 30 Shuangqing Rd, Haidian District, Beijing, China
| | - John Okombo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
| | - David A. Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
| | - Paul Schimmel
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | | | - Daniel E. Goldberg
- Departments of Medicine and Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
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Ahorhorlu SY, Quashie NB, Jensen RW, Kudzi W, Nartey ET, Duah-Quashie NO, Zoiku F, Dzudzor B, Wang CW, Hansson H, Alifrangis M, Adjei GO. Assessment of artemisinin tolerance in Plasmodium falciparum clinical isolates in children with uncomplicated malaria in Ghana. Malar J 2023; 22:58. [PMID: 36803541 PMCID: PMC9938975 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04482-w] [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: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is the first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria in Ghana. Artemisinin (ART) tolerance in Plasmodium falciparum has arisen in Southeast Asia and recently, in parts of East Africa. This is ascribed to the survival of ring-stage parasites post treatment. The present study sought to assess and characterize correlates of potential ART tolerance based on post-treatment parasite clearance, ex vivo and in vitro drug sensitivity, and molecular markers of drug resistance in P. falciparum isolates from children with uncomplicated malaria in Ghana. METHODS Six months to fourteen years old children presenting with acute uncomplicated malaria (n = 115) were enrolled in two hospitals and a Health Centre in Ghana's Greater Accra region and treated with artemether-lumefantrine (AL) according to body weight. Pre- and post-treatment parasitaemia (day 0 and day 3) was confirmed by microscopy. The ex vivo ring-stage survival assay (RSA) was used to detect percent ring survival while the 72 h SYBR Green I assay was used to measure the 50% inhibition concentration (IC50s) of ART and its derivatives and partner drugs. Genetic markers of drug tolerance /resistance were evaluated using selective whole genome sequencing. RESULTS Of the total of 115 participants, 85 were successfully followed up on day 3 post-treatment and 2/85 (2.4%) had parasitaemia. The IC50 values of ART, artesunate (AS), artemether (AM), dihydroartemisinin (DHA), amodiaquine (AQ), and lumefantrine (LUM) were not indicative of drug tolerance. However, 7/90 (7.8%) pre-treatment isolates had > 10% ring survival rates against DHA. Of the four isolates (2 RSA positive and 2 RSA negative) with high genomic coverage, P. falciparum (Pf) kelch 13 K188* and Pfcoronin V424I mutations were only present in the two RSA positive isolates with > 10% ring survival rates. CONCLUSIONS The observed low proportion of participants with day-3 post-treatment parasitaemia is consistent with rapid ART clearance. However, the increased rates of survival observed in the ex vivo RSA against DHA, maybe a pointer of an early start of ART tolerance. Furthermore, the role of two novel mutations in PfK13 and Pfcoronin genes, harboured by the two RSA positive isolates that had high ring survival in the present study, remains to be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Yao Ahorhorlu
- grid.8652.90000 0004 1937 1485Centre for Tropical Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, P.O. Box 4236, Accra, Ghana ,grid.8652.90000 0004 1937 1485West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Neils Ben Quashie
- grid.8652.90000 0004 1937 1485Centre for Tropical Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, P.O. Box 4236, Accra, Ghana ,grid.8652.90000 0004 1937 1485West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Rasmus Weisel Jensen
- grid.5254.60000 0001 0674 042XCentre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark ,grid.475435.4Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet), Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - William Kudzi
- grid.8652.90000 0004 1937 1485Centre for Tropical Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, P.O. Box 4236, Accra, Ghana
| | - Edmund Tetteh Nartey
- grid.8652.90000 0004 1937 1485Centre for Tropical Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, P.O. Box 4236, Accra, Ghana
| | - Nancy Odurowah Duah-Quashie
- grid.462644.60000 0004 0452 2500Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana ,grid.8652.90000 0004 1937 1485West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Felix Zoiku
- grid.462644.60000 0004 0452 2500Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Bartholomew Dzudzor
- grid.8652.90000 0004 1937 1485Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Christian William Wang
- grid.5254.60000 0001 0674 042XCentre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark ,grid.475435.4Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet), Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Helle Hansson
- grid.5254.60000 0001 0674 042XCentre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark ,grid.475435.4Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet), Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michael Alifrangis
- grid.5254.60000 0001 0674 042XCentre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark ,grid.475435.4Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet), Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - George Obeng Adjei
- Centre for Tropical Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, P.O. Box 4236, Accra, Ghana.
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Functional Analysis of the P-Type ATPases Apt2-4 from Cryptococcus neoformans by Heterologous Expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:jof9020202. [PMID: 36836316 PMCID: PMC9966271 DOI: 10.3390/jof9020202] [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: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipid flippases of the P4-ATPase family actively transport phospholipids across cell membranes, an activity essential for key cellular processes such as vesicle budding and membrane trafficking. Members of this transporter family have also been implicated in the development of drug resistance in fungi. The encapsulated fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans contains four P4-ATPases, among which Apt2-4p are poorly characterized. Using heterologous expression in the flippase-deficient S. cerevisiae strain dnf1Δdnf2Δdrs2Δ, we tested their lipid flippase activity in comparison to Apt1p using complementation tests and fluorescent lipid uptake assays. Apt2p and Apt3p required the co-expression of the C. neoformans Cdc50 protein for activity. Apt2p/Cdc50p displayed a narrow substrate specificity, limited to phosphatidylethanolamine and -choline. Despite its inability to transport fluorescent lipids, the Apt3p/Cdc50p complex still rescued the cold-sensitive phenotype of dnf1Δdnf2Δdrs2Δ, suggesting a functional role for the flippase in the secretory pathway. Apt4p, the closest homolog to Saccharomyces Neo1p, which does not require a Cdc50 protein, was unable to complement several flippase-deficient mutant phenotypes, neither in the presence nor absence of a β-subunit. These results identify C. neoformans Cdc50 as an essential subunit for Apt1-3p and provide a first insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying their physiological functions.
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47
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Leveraging a Fluorescent Fatty Acid Probe to Discover Cell-Permeable Inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum Glycerolipid Biosynthesis. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0245622. [PMID: 36314974 PMCID: PMC9769509 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02456-22] [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] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
A sensitive and quantitative fluorescence-based approach is presented for characterizing fatty acid acquisition and lipid biosynthesis by asexually replicating, intraerythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum. We show that a BODIPY-containing, green-fluorescent fatty acid analog is efficiently and rapidly incorporated into parasite neutral lipids and phospholipids. Prelabeling with a red-fluorescent ceramide analog permits normalization and enables reliable quantitation of glycerolipid labeling. Inhibition of lipid labeling by competition with natural fatty acids and by acyl-coenzyme A synthetase and diacylglycerol acyltransferase inhibitors demonstrates that the fluorescent fatty acid probe is acquired, activated, and transferred to lipids through physiologically-relevant pathways. To assess its utility in discovering small molecules that block parasite lipid biosynthesis, the lipid labeling assay was used to screen a panel of mammalian lipase inhibitors and a selection of compounds from the "Malaria Box" anti-malarial collection. Several compounds were identified that inhibited the incorporation of the fluorescent fatty acid probe into lipids in cultured parasites at low micromolar concentrations. Two contrasting profiles of suppression of neutral lipid and phospholipid synthesis were observed, which implies the inhibition of distinct pathways. IMPORTANCE The human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum relies on fatty acid scavenging to supply this essential precursor of lipid synthesis during its asexual replication cycle in human erythrocytes. This dependence on host fatty acids represents a potential vulnerability that can be exploited to develop new anti-malarial therapies. The quantitative experimental approach described here provides a platform for simultaneously interrogating multiple facets of lipid metabolism- fatty acid uptake, fatty acyl-CoA synthesis, and neutral lipid and phospholipid biosynthesis- and of identifying cell-permeable inhibitors that are active in situ.
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Carrasquilla M, Early AM, Taylor AR, Knudson Ospina A, Echeverry DF, Anderson TJC, Mancilla E, Aponte S, Cárdenas P, Buckee CO, Rayner JC, Sáenz FE, Neafsey DE, Corredor V. Resolving drug selection and migration in an inbred South American Plasmodium falciparum population with identity-by-descent analysis. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010993. [PMID: 36542676 PMCID: PMC9815574 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is globally widespread, but its prevalence varies significantly between and even within countries. Most population genetic studies in P. falciparum focus on regions of high transmission where parasite populations are large and genetically diverse, such as sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding population dynamics in low transmission settings, however, is of particular importance as these are often where drug resistance first evolves. Here, we use the Pacific Coast of Colombia and Ecuador as a model for understanding the population structure and evolution of Plasmodium parasites in small populations harboring less genetic diversity. The combination of low transmission and a high proportion of monoclonal infections means there are few outcrossing events and clonal lineages persist for long periods of time. Yet despite this, the population is evolutionarily labile and has successfully adapted to changes in drug regime. Using newly sequenced whole genomes, we measure relatedness between 166 parasites, calculated as identity by descent (IBD), and find 17 distinct but highly related clonal lineages, six of which have persisted in the region for at least a decade. This inbred population structure is captured in more detail with IBD than with other common population structure analyses like PCA, ADMIXTURE, and distance-based trees. We additionally use patterns of intra-chromosomal IBD and an analysis of haplotypic variation to explore past selection events in the region. Two genes associated with chloroquine resistance, crt and aat1, show evidence of hard selective sweeps, while selection appears soft and/or incomplete at three other key resistance loci (dhps, mdr1, and dhfr). Overall, this work highlights the strength of IBD analyses for studying parasite population structure and resistance evolution in regions of low transmission, and emphasizes that drug resistance can evolve and spread in small populations, as will occur in any region nearing malaria elimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Carrasquilla
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Angela M. Early
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Aimee R. Taylor
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Angélica Knudson Ospina
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Diego F. Echeverry
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas (CIDEIM), Cali, Colombia
| | - Timothy J. C. Anderson
- Program in Disease Intervention and Prevention, Texas Biomedical Research Institution, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Elvira Mancilla
- Secretaría Departamental de Salud del Cauca, Popayán, Colombia
| | - Samanda Aponte
- Departamento de Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Pablo Cárdenas
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Caroline O. Buckee
- Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Julian C. Rayner
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Fabián E. Sáenz
- Centro de Investigación para la Salud en América Latina, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Daniel E. Neafsey
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Vladimir Corredor
- Departamento de Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
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Guerra F, Winzeler EA. New targets for antimalarial drug discovery. Curr Opin Microbiol 2022; 70:102220. [PMID: 36228458 PMCID: PMC9934905 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2022.102220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic screening methods have placed numerous preclinical candidates into the antimalarial drug-discovery pipeline. As more chemically validated targets become available, efforts are shifting to target-based drug discovery. Here, we briefly review some of the most attractive targets that have been identified in recent years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Guerra
- Department of Pediatrics MC 0760, School of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics MC 0760, School of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA.
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Challis MP, Devine SM, Creek DJ. Current and emerging target identification methods for novel antimalarials. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2022; 20:135-144. [PMID: 36410177 PMCID: PMC9771836 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2022.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
New antimalarial compounds with novel mechanisms of action are urgently needed to combat the recent rise in antimalarial drug resistance. Phenotypic high-throughput screens have proven to be a successful method for identifying new compounds, however, do not provide mechanistic information about the molecular target(s) responsible for antimalarial action. Current and emerging target identification methods such as in vitro resistance generation, metabolomics screening, chemoproteomic approaches and biophysical assays measuring protein stability across the whole proteome have successfully identified novel drug targets. This review provides an overview of these techniques, comparing their strengths and weaknesses and how they can be utilised for antimalarial target identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P. Challis
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Shane M. Devine
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Darren J. Creek
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia,Corresponding author. Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia.
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