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Stadler KA, Ortiz-Joya LJ, Singh Sahrawat A, Buhlheller C, Gruber K, Pavkov-Keller T, O'Hagan TB, Guarné A, Pulido S, Marín-Villa M, Zangger K, Gubensäk N. Structural investigation of Trypanosoma cruzi Akt-like kinase as drug target against Chagas disease. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10039. [PMID: 38693166 PMCID: PMC11063076 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59654-8] [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: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
According to the World Health Organization, Chagas disease (CD) is the most prevalent poverty-promoting neglected tropical disease. Alarmingly, climate change is accelerating the geographical spreading of CD causative parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, which additionally increases infection rates. Still, CD treatment remains challenging due to a lack of safe and efficient drugs. In this work, we analyze the viability of T. cruzi Akt-like kinase (TcAkt) as drug target against CD including primary structural and functional information about a parasitic Akt protein. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance derived information in combination with Molecular Dynamics simulations offer detailed insights into structural properties of the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of TcAkt and its binding to phosphatidylinositol phosphate ligands (PIP). Experimental data combined with Alpha Fold proposes a model for the mechanism of action of TcAkt involving a PIP-induced disruption of the intramolecular interface between the kinase and the PH domain resulting in an open conformation enabling TcAkt kinase activity. Further docking experiments reveal that TcAkt is recognized by human inhibitors PIT-1 and capivasertib, and TcAkt inhibition by UBMC-4 and UBMC-6 is achieved via binding to TcAkt kinase domain. Our in-depth structural analysis of TcAkt reveals potential sites for drug development against CD, located at activity essential regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina A Stadler
- Institute of Chemistry/Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Lesly J Ortiz-Joya
- Institute of Chemistry/Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales (PECET), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Amit Singh Sahrawat
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- Innophore GmbH, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Karl Gruber
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- Innophore GmbH, Graz, Austria
- Field of Excellence BioHealth, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- BioTechMed-Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Tea Pavkov-Keller
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- Field of Excellence BioHealth, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- BioTechMed-Graz, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Alba Guarné
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Sergio Pulido
- Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales (PECET), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
- LifeFactors ZF SAS, Rionegro, Colombia
| | - Marcel Marín-Villa
- Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales (PECET), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Klaus Zangger
- Institute of Chemistry/Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
- Field of Excellence BioHealth, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
- BioTechMed-Graz, Graz, Austria.
| | - Nina Gubensäk
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
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Diaz AP, Canal CAM, Valdés AJ, Delgado JEG, Varela-M RE. GSK-3 kinase a putative therapeutic target in trypanosomatid parasites. Braz J Infect Dis 2024; 28:103736. [PMID: 38467387 PMCID: PMC10955101 DOI: 10.1016/j.bjid.2024.103736] [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: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Trypanosomatids are an important group of parasites that predominate in tropical and subtropical areas of the planet, which cause diseases that are classified as forgotten and neglected by the world health organization. In this group of parasites, we find Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and Leishmania spp, for which there is no vaccine available, and its control has focused mainly on pharmacological treatment. Due to the poverty situation where these diseases are found and the biological complexity of these parasites, there are multiple variables to control, including the diversity of species, the complexity of their life cycles, drug resistance, cytotoxicity, the limited use in pregnant women, the high costs of treatment and the little-known pharmacological mechanisms of action, among others. It is therefore necessary to find new strategies and approaches for the treatment of these parasitic diseases. Among these new approaches is the rational search for new targets based on the allosteric inhibition of protein kinases, which have been little studied in trypanosomatids. Among these kinases, we find Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (GSK-3), a kinase of great pharmacological interest, which is under intense basic and clinical research by pharmaceutical companies for the treatment of cancer. This kinase, highly studied in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway signaling in humans, has an orthologous gene in these parasites (GSK-3 s), which has proven to be essential for them in response to different challenges; Therefore, it is notable to increase research in this kinase in order to achieve a broad structural and functional characterization in the different species of trypanosomatids.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - R E Varela-M
- Laboratory of Parasitology and Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Universidad Santiago de Cali, Cali, Colombia.
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Hassan AHE, Alam MM, Phan TN, Baek KH, Lee H, Cho SB, Lee CH, Kim YJ, No JH, Lee YS. Repurposing of conformationally-restricted cyclopentane-based AKT-inhibitors leads to discovery of potential and more selective antileishmanial agents than miltefosine. Bioorg Chem 2023; 141:106890. [PMID: 37783099 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106890] [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: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Conformational restriction was addressed towards the development of more selective and effective antileishmanial agents than currently used drugs for treatment of Leishmania donovani; the causative parasite of the fatal visceral leishmaniasis. Five types of cyclopentane-based conformationally restricted miltefosine analogs that were previously explored in literature as anticancer AKT-inhibitors were reprepared and repurposed as antileishmanial agents. Amongst, positions-1 and 2 cis-conformationally-restricted compound 1a and positions-2 and 3 trans-conformationally-restricted compound 3b were highly potent eliciting sub-micromolar IC50 values for inhibition of infection and inhibition of parasite number compared with the currently used miltefosine drug that showed low micromolar IC50 values for inhibition of infection and inhibition of parasite number. Compounds 1a and 3b eradicated the parasite without triggering host cells cytotoxicity over more than one log concentration interval which is a superior performance compared to miltefosine. In silico studies suggested that conformational restriction conserved the conformer capable of binding LdAKT-like kinase while it might be possible that it excludes other conformers mediating undesirable effects and/or toxicity of miltefosine. Together, this study presents compounds 1a and 3b as antileishmanial agents with superior performance over the currently used miltefosine drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed H E Hassan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt; Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea.
| | - Mohammad Maqusood Alam
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Trong-Nhat Phan
- Host-Parasite Research Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13488, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung-Hwa Baek
- Host-Parasite Research Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13488, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyeryon Lee
- Host-Parasite Research Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13488, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo Bin Cho
- Department of Fundamental Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Chae Hyeon Lee
- Department of Fundamental Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeon Ju Kim
- Department of Fundamental Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Joo Hwan No
- Host-Parasite Research Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13488, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Sup Lee
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; Department of Fundamental Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea.
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4
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Bustamante C, Díez-Mejía AF, Arbeláez N, Soares MJ, Robledo SM, Ochoa R, Varela-M. RE, Marín-Villa M. In Silico, In Vitro, and Pharmacokinetic Studies of UBMC-4, a Potential Novel Compound for Treating against Trypanosoma cruzi. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11060616. [PMID: 35745470 PMCID: PMC9229894 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11060616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The lack of therapeutic alternatives for the treatment of Chagas disease, a neglected disease, drives the discovery of new drugs with trypanocidal activity. Consequently, we conducted in vitro studies using UBMC-4, a potential Trypanosoma cruzi AKT-like pleckstrin homology (PH) domain inhibitory compound found using bioinformatics tools. The half effective concentration (EC50) on intracellular amastigotes was determined at 1.85 ± 1 μM showing low cytotoxicity (LC50) > 40 μM on human cell lines tested. In order to study the lethal effect caused by the compound on epimastigotes, morphological changes were assessed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Progressive alterations such as flagellum inactivation, cell size reduction, nuclear structure alteration, condensation of chromatin towards the nuclear periphery, vacuole formation, and mitochondrial swelling with kinetoplast integrity loss were evidenced. In addition, apoptosis-like markers in T. cruzi were assessed by flow cytometry, demonstrating that the effect of UBMC-4 on T. cruzi AKT-like kinase reduced the tolerance to nutritional stress-triggered, apoptosis-like events, including DNA fragmentation, mitochondrial damage, and loss of plasma membrane integrity. After this, UBMC-4 was formulated for oral administration and pharmacokinetics were analyzed in a mouse model. Finally, upon oral administration of 200 mg/kg in mice, we found that a UBMC-4 plasma concentration remaining in circulation beyond 24 h after administration is well described by the two-compartment model. We conclude that UBMC-4 has an effective trypanocidal activity in vitro at low concentrations and this effect is evident in T. cruzi cell structures. In mice, UBMC-4 was well absorbed and reached plasma concentrations higher than the EC50, showing features that would aid in developing a new drug to treat Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Bustamante
- PECET-Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales, School of Medicine, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia; (A.F.D.-M.); (N.A.); (S.M.R.)
- Correspondence: (C.B.); (M.M.-V.)
| | - Andrés Felipe Díez-Mejía
- PECET-Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales, School of Medicine, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia; (A.F.D.-M.); (N.A.); (S.M.R.)
| | - Natalia Arbeláez
- PECET-Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales, School of Medicine, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia; (A.F.D.-M.); (N.A.); (S.M.R.)
| | - Maurilio José Soares
- Cell Biology Laboratory, Carlos Chagas Institute/Fiocruz, Curitiba 81350-010, Paraná, Brazil;
| | - Sara M. Robledo
- PECET-Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales, School of Medicine, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia; (A.F.D.-M.); (N.A.); (S.M.R.)
| | - Rodrigo Ochoa
- Biophysics of Tropical Diseases, Max Planck Tandem Group, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia;
| | - Rubén E. Varela-M.
- Grupo (QUIBIO), School of Basic Sciences, Universidad Santiago de Cali, Cali 760032, Colombia;
| | - Marcel Marín-Villa
- PECET-Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales, School of Medicine, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia; (A.F.D.-M.); (N.A.); (S.M.R.)
- Correspondence: (C.B.); (M.M.-V.)
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5
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Bustamante C, Muskus C, Ochoa R. Rational computational approaches to predict novel drug candidates against leishmaniasis. ANNUAL REPORTS IN MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.armc.2022.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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6
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Das M, Hasan M, Akter S, Roy S, Sharma B, Chowdhury MSR, Ahsan MI, Akhand RN, Uddin MB, Ahmed SSU. In Silico Investigation of Conserved miRNAs and Their Targets From the Expressed Sequence Tags in Neospora Caninum Genome. Bioinform Biol Insights 2021; 15:11779322211046729. [PMID: 34898982 PMCID: PMC8655437 DOI: 10.1177/11779322211046729] [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: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite, the etiologic agent of Neosporosis—a common cause of abortion in cattle worldwide. Herd level prevalence of Neosporosis could be as high as 90%. However, there is no approved treatment and vaccines available for Neosporosis. MicroRNA (miRNA) based prophylaxis and therapeutics could be options for Neosporosis in cattle and other animals. The current study aimed to investigate the genome of Neospora caninum to identify and characterize the conserved miRNAs through Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) dependent homology search. A total of 1,041 mature miRNAs of reference organisms were employed against 336 non-redundant ESTs available in the genome of Neospora caninum. The study predicted one putative miRNA “nca-miR-9388-5p” of 19 nucleotides with MFEI value -1.51 kcal/mol and (A + U) content% 72.94% corresponding with its pre-miRNA. A comprehensive search for specific gene targets was performed and discovered 16 potential genes associated with different protozoal physiological functions. Significantly, the gene “Protein phosphatase” was found responsible for the virulence of Neospora caninum. The other genes were accounted for gene expression, vesicular transport, cell signaling, cell proliferation, DNA repair mechanism, and different developmental stages of the protozoon. Therefore, this study finding will provide pivotal information to future aspirants upon Bovine Neosporosis. It will also serve as the baseline information for further studies of the bioinformatics approach to identify other protozoal miRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moumita Das
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Mahmudul Hasan
- Department of Pharmaceuticals and Industrial Biotechnology, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Sharmin Akter
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Sawrab Roy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Binayok Sharma
- Department of Medicine, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | | | - Md Irtija Ahsan
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Rubaiat Nazneen Akhand
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Md Bashir Uddin
- Department of Medicine, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Syed Sayeem Uddin Ahmed
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
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Ochoa R, Ortega-Pajares A, Castello FA, Serral F, Fernández Do Porto D, Villa-Pulgarin JA, Varela-M RE, Muskus C. Identification of Potential Kinase Inhibitors within the PI3K/AKT Pathway of Leishmania Species. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11071037. [PMID: 34356660 PMCID: PMC8301987 DOI: 10.3390/biom11071037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a public health disease that requires the development of more effective treatments and the identification of novel molecular targets. Since blocking the PI3K/AKT pathway has been successfully studied as an effective anticancer strategy for decades, we examined whether the same approach would also be feasible in Leishmania due to their high amount and diverse set of annotated proteins. Here, we used a best reciprocal hits protocol to identify potential protein kinase homologues in an annotated human PI3K/AKT pathway. We calculated their ligandibility based on available bioactivity data of the reported homologues and modelled their 3D structures to estimate the druggability of their binding pockets. The models were used to run a virtual screening method with molecular docking. We found and studied five protein kinases in five different Leishmania species, which are AKT, CDK, AMPK, mTOR and GSK3 homologues from the studied pathways. The compounds found for different enzymes and species were analysed and suggested as starting point scaffolds for the design of inhibitors. We studied the kinases’ participation in protein–protein interaction networks, and the potential deleterious effects, if inhibited, were supported with the literature. In the case of Leishmania GSK3, an inhibitor of its human counterpart, prioritized by our method, was validated in vitro to test its anti-Leishmania activity and indirectly infer the presence of the enzyme in the parasite. The analysis contributes to improving the knowledge about the presence of similar signalling pathways in Leishmania, as well as the discovery of compounds acting against any of these kinases as potential molecular targets in the parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Ochoa
- Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales PECET, Faculty of Medicine, University of Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia;
- Biophysics of Tropical Diseases Max Planck Tandem Group, University of Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia
- Correspondence: (R.O.); (R.E.V.-M.)
| | - Amaya Ortega-Pajares
- Department of Medicine, The Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia;
| | - Florencia A. Castello
- Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN), IC-CONICET Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellon 2, Ciudad de Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina; (F.A.C.); (F.S.); (D.F.D.P.)
| | - Federico Serral
- Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN), IC-CONICET Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellon 2, Ciudad de Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina; (F.A.C.); (F.S.); (D.F.D.P.)
| | - Darío Fernández Do Porto
- Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN), IC-CONICET Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellon 2, Ciudad de Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina; (F.A.C.); (F.S.); (D.F.D.P.)
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellon 2, Ciudad de Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
| | - Janny A. Villa-Pulgarin
- Grupo de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Corporación Universitaria Remington, Medellín 050034, Colombia;
| | - Rubén E. Varela-M
- Grupo de Investigación en Química y Biotecnología (QUIBIO), Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Santiago de Cali, Cali 760035, Colombia
- Correspondence: (R.O.); (R.E.V.-M.)
| | - Carlos Muskus
- Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales PECET, Faculty of Medicine, University of Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia;
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Efstathiou A, Smirlis D. Leishmania Protein Kinases: Important Regulators of the Parasite Life Cycle and Molecular Targets for Treating Leishmaniasis. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9040691. [PMID: 33801655 PMCID: PMC8066228 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9040691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmania is a protozoan parasite of the trypanosomatid family, causing a wide range of diseases with different clinical manifestations including cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. According to WHO, one billion people are at risk of Leishmania infection as they live in endemic areas while there are 12 million infected people worldwide. Annually, 0.9-1.6 million new infections are reported and 20-50 thousand deaths occur due to Leishmania infection. As current chemotherapy for treating leishmaniasis exhibits numerous drawbacks and due to the lack of effective human vaccine, there is an urgent need to develop new antileishmanial therapy treatment. To this end, eukaryotic protein kinases can be ideal target candidates for rational drug design against leishmaniasis. Eukaryotic protein kinases mediate signal transduction through protein phosphorylation and their inhibition is anticipated to be disease modifying as they regulate all essential processes for Leishmania viability and completion of the parasitic life cycle including cell-cycle progression, differentiation and virulence. This review highlights existing knowledge concerning the exploitation of Leishmania protein kinases as molecular targets to treat leishmaniasis and the current knowledge of their role in the biology of Leishmania spp. and in the regulation of signalling events that promote parasite survival in the insect vector or the mammalian host.
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The ultimate fate determinants of drug induced cell-death mechanisms in Trypanosomatids. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2021; 15:81-91. [PMID: 33601284 PMCID: PMC7900639 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2021.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Chemotherapy constitutes a major part of modern-day therapy for infectious and chronic diseases. A drug is said to be effective if it can inhibit its target, induce stress, and thereby trigger an array of cell death pathways in the form of programmed cell death, autophagy, necrosis, etc. Chemotherapy is the only treatment choice against trypanosomatid diseases like Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and sleeping sickness. Anti-trypanosomatid drugs can induce various cell death phenotypes depending upon the drug dose and growth stage of the parasites. The mechanisms and pathways triggering cell death in Trypanosomatids serve to help identify potential targets for the development of effective anti-trypanosomatids. Studies show that the key proteins involved in cell death of trypanosomatids are metacaspases, Endonuclease G, Apoptosis-Inducing Factor, cysteine proteases, serine proteases, antioxidant systems, etc. Unlike higher eukaryotes, these organisms either lack the complete set of effectors involved in cell death pathways, or are yet to be deciphered. A detailed summary of the existing knowledge of different drug-induced cell death pathways would help identify the lacuna in each of these pathways and therefore open new avenues for research and thereby new therapeutic targets to explore. The cell death pathway associated complexities in metazoans are absent in trypanosomatids; hence this summary can also help understand the trigger points as well as cross-talk between these pathways. Here we provide an in-depth overview of the existing knowledge of these drug-induced trypanosomatid cell death pathways, describe their associated physiological changes, and suggest potential interconnections amongst them.
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Vacas A, Fernández-Rubio C, Larrea E, Peña-Guerrero J, Nguewa PA. LmjF.22.0810 from Leishmania major Modulates the Th2-Type Immune Response and Is Involved in Leishmaniasis Outcome. Biomedicines 2020; 8:biomedicines8110452. [PMID: 33114674 PMCID: PMC7692454 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8110452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel serine/threonine protein kinase, LmjF.22.0810, was recently described in Leishmania major. After generating an L. major cell line overexpressing LmjF.22.0810 (named LmJ3OE), the ability of this novel protein to modulate the Th2-type immune response was analyzed. Our results suggest that the protein kinase LmjF.22.0810 might be involved in leishmaniasis outcomes. Indeed, our study outlined the LmJ3OE parasites infectivity in vitro and in vivo. Transgenic parasites displayed lower phagocytosis rates in vitro, and their promastigote forms exhibited lower expression levels of virulence factors compared to their counterparts in control parasites. In addition, LmJ3OE parasites developed significantly smaller footpad swelling in susceptible BALB/c mice. Hematoxylin-eosin staining allowed the observation of a lower inflammatory infiltrate in the footpad from LmJ3OE-infected mice compared to animals inoculated with control parasites. Gene expression of Th2-associated cytokines and effectors revealed a dramatically lower induction in interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, and arginase 1 (ARG1) mRNA levels at the beginning of the swelling; no expression change was found in Th1-associated cytokines except for IL-12. Accordingly, such results were validated by immunohistochemistry studies, illustrating a weaker expression of ARG1 and a similar induction for inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in footpads from LmJ3OE-infected mice compared to control L. major infected animals. Furthermore, the parasite burden was lower in footpads from LmJ3OE-infected mice. Our analysis indicated that such significant smaller footpad swellings might be due to an impairment of the Th2 immune response that subsequently benefits Th1 prevalence. Altogether, these studies depict LmjF.22.0810 as a potential modulator of host immune responses to Leishmania. Finally, this promising target might be involved in the modulation of infection outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Vacas
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), University of Navarra, E-31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain; (A.V.); (C.F.-R.); (J.P.-G.)
| | - Celia Fernández-Rubio
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), University of Navarra, E-31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain; (A.V.); (C.F.-R.); (J.P.-G.)
| | - Esther Larrea
- ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, Navarra Institute for Health Research (IdiSNA), University of Navarra, E-31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain;
| | - José Peña-Guerrero
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), University of Navarra, E-31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain; (A.V.); (C.F.-R.); (J.P.-G.)
| | - Paul A. Nguewa
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), University of Navarra, E-31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain; (A.V.); (C.F.-R.); (J.P.-G.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-948-425-600 (ext. 6434)
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Search of Allosteric Inhibitors and Associated Proteins of an AKT- like Kinase from Trypanosoma cruzi. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19123951. [PMID: 30544836 PMCID: PMC6321509 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19123951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Revised: 11/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteins associated to the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway are widely used targets for cancer treatment, and in recent years they have also been evaluated as putative targets in trypanosomatids parasites, such as Trypanosoma cruzi. Here, we performed a virtual screening approach to find candidates that can bind regions on or near the Pleckstrin homology domain of an AKT-like protein in T. cruzi. The compounds were also evaluated in vitro. The in silico and experimental results allowed us to identify a set of compounds that can potentially alter the intracellular signaling pathway through the AKT-like kinase of the parasite; among them, a derivative of the pyrazolopyridine nucleus with an IC50 of 14.25 ± 1.00 μM against amastigotes of T. cruzi. In addition, we built a protein–protein interaction network of T. cruzi to understand the role of the AKT-like protein in the parasite, and look for additional proteins that can be postulated as possible novel molecular targets for the rational design of compounds against T. cruzi.
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Nandan D, Zhang N, Yu Y, Schwartz B, Chen S, Kima PE, Reiner NE. Miransertib (ARQ 092), an orally-available, selective Akt inhibitor is effective against Leishmania. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0206920. [PMID: 30399177 PMCID: PMC6219794 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is amongst the most important neglected diseases, afflicting more than 12 million people in 88 countries. There is an urgent need for safe orally bioavailable and cost-effective drugs for the treatment of leishmaniasis. It has recently been shown that Leishmania activates host macrophage serine/threonine kinase Akt, to promote survival of both parasites and infected cells. Here, we sought to evaluate a compound, Miransertib (ARQ 092), an orally bioavailable and selective allosteric Akt inhibitor currently in clinical trials for patients with PI3K/Akt-driven tumors or Proteus syndrome. Miransertib was tested against Leishmania donovani and Leishmania amazonensis, causative agents of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis, respectively. Cultured promastigotes were susceptible to Miransertib. In addition, Miransertib was markedly effective against intracellular amastigotes of L. donovani or L. amazonensis-infected macrophages. Miransertib also enhanced mTOR dependent autophagy in Leishmania-infected macrophages, which may represent one mechanism of Miransertib-mediated killing of intracellular Leishmania. Whereas parasite clearance in the spleen of mice infected with L. donovani and treated with Miransertib was comparable to that when treated with miltefosine, Miransertib caused a greater reduction in the parasite load in the liver. In the cutaneous leishmaniasis infection model, lesions were reduced by 40% as compared to mock treated mice. Together, these results provide direct evidence to support the conclusion that Miransertib is an excellent lead compound for the development of a new oral drug therapy for visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devki Nandan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Naixin Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Yi Yu
- ArQule, Inc, Burlington, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Brian Schwartz
- ArQule, Inc, Burlington, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Stella Chen
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Peter E. Kima
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Neil E. Reiner
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- * E-mail:
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