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Decembrino D, Cannella D. The thin line between monooxygenases and peroxygenases. P450s, UPOs, MMOs, and LPMOs: A brick to bridge fields of expertise. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 72:108321. [PMID: 38336187 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108321] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Many scientific fields, although driven by similar purposes and dealing with similar technologies, often appear so isolated and far from each other that even the vocabularies to describe the very same phenomenon might differ. Concerning the vast field of biocatalysis, a special role is played by those redox enzymes that employ oxygen-based chemistry to unlock transformations otherwise possible only with metal-based catalysts. As such, greener chemical synthesis methods and environmentally-driven biotechnological approaches were enabled over the last decades by the use of several enzymes and ultimately resulted in the first industrial applications. Among what can be called today the environmental biorefinery sector, biomass transformation, greenhouse gas reduction, bio-gas/fuels production, bioremediation, as well as bulk or fine chemicals and even pharmaceuticals manufacturing are all examples of fields in which successful prototypes have been demonstrated employing redox enzymes. In this review we decided to focus on the most prominent enzymes (MMOs, LPMO, P450 and UPO) capable of overcoming the ∼100 kcal mol-1 barrier of inactivated CH bonds for the oxyfunctionalization of organic compounds. Harnessing the enormous potential that lies within these enzymes is of extreme value to develop sustainable industrial schemes and it is still deeply coveted by many within the aforementioned fields of application. Hence, the ambitious scope of this account is to bridge the current cutting-edge knowledge gathered upon each enzyme. By creating a broad comparison, scientists belonging to the different fields may find inspiration and might overcome obstacles already solved by the others. This work is organised in three major parts: a first section will be serving as an introduction to each one of the enzymes regarding their structural and activity diversity, whereas a second one will be encompassing the mechanistic aspects of their catalysis. In this regard, the machineries that lead to analogous catalytic outcomes are depicted, highlighting the major differences and similarities. Finally, a third section will be focusing on the elements that allow the oxyfunctionalization chemistry to occur by delivering redox equivalents to the enzyme by the action of diverse redox partners. Redox partners are often overlooked in comparison to the catalytic counterparts, yet they represent fundamental elements to better understand and further develop practical applications based on mono- and peroxygenases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Decembrino
- Photobiocatalysis Unit - Crop Production and Biostimulation Lab (CPBL), and Biomass Transformation Lab (BTL), École Interfacultaire de Bioingénieurs, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.
| | - David Cannella
- Photobiocatalysis Unit - Crop Production and Biostimulation Lab (CPBL), and Biomass Transformation Lab (BTL), École Interfacultaire de Bioingénieurs, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.
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2
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Šestić TL, Ajduković JJ, Bekić SS, Ćelić AS, Stojanović ST, Najman SJ, Marinović MA, Petri ET, Škorić DĐ, Savić MP. Novel D-modified heterocyclic androstane derivatives as potential anticancer agents: Synthesis, characterization, in vitro and in silico studies. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2023; 233:106362. [PMID: 37451557 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2023.106362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Cancer remains a major health concern worldwide. The most frequently diagnosed types of cancer are caused by abnormal production or action of steroid hormones. In the present study, the synthesis and structural characterization of new heterocyclic androstane derivatives with D-homo lactone, 17α-(pyridine-2''-ylmethyl) or 17(E)-(pyridine-2''-ylmethylidene) moiety are presented. All compounds were evaluated for their anti-proliferative activity against HeLa cervical cancer cell line and non-cancerous kidney MDCK cells, where A-homo lactam compound 9A showed the greatest selectivity. Based on in vitro binding assays, N-formyl lactam compound 18 appeared to be the strong and isoform-selective ligand for ERα, while compound 9A displayed binding affinity for the GR-LBD, but also inhibited aldo-keto reductase 1C4 enzyme. Out of four selected compounds, methylpyrazolo derivative 13 showed potential for aromatase binding, while in silico studies provided insight into experimentally confirmed protein-ligand interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tijana Lj Šestić
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Jovana J Ajduković
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.
| | - Sofija S Bekić
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Andjelka S Ćelić
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Sanja T Stojanović
- Department of Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, 18108 Niš, Serbia; Department for Cell and Tissue Engineering, Scientific Research Center for Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, 18108 Niš, Serbia
| | - Stevo J Najman
- Department of Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, 18108 Niš, Serbia; Department for Cell and Tissue Engineering, Scientific Research Center for Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, 18108 Niš, Serbia
| | - Maja A Marinović
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Edward T Petri
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Dušan Đ Škorić
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Marina P Savić
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
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3
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Roleira FMF, Costa SC, Gomes AR, Varela CL, Amaral C, Augusto TV, Correia-da-Silva G, Romeo I, Costa G, Alcaro S, Teixeira N, Tavares-da-Silva EJ. Design, synthesis, biological activity evaluation and structure-activity relationships of new steroidal aromatase inhibitors. The case of C-ring and 7β substituted steroids. Bioorg Chem 2023; 131:106286. [PMID: 36459778 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2022.106286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In this work, new steroidal aromatase inhibitors (AIs) were designed, synthesized, and tested. In one approach, C-ring substituted steroids namely those functionalized at C-11 position with an α or β hydroxyl group or with a carbonyl group as well as C-9/C-11 steroidal olefins and epoxides were studied. It was found that the carbonyl group at C-11 is more beneficial for aromatase inhibition than the hydroxyl group, and that the C-ring epoxides were more potent than the C-ring olefins, leading to the discovery of a very strong AI, compound 7, with an IC50 of 0.011 μM, better than Exemestane, the steroidal AI in clinical use, which presents an IC50 of 0.050 μM. In another approach, we explored the biological activity of A-ring C-1/C-2 steroidal olefins and epoxides in relation to aromatase inhibition and compared it with the biological activity of C-ring C-9/C-11 steroidal olefins and epoxides. On the contrary to what was observed for the C-ring olefins and epoxides, the A-ring epoxides were less potent than A-ring olefins. Finally, the effect of 7β-methyl substitution on aromatase inhibition was compared with 7α-methyl substitution, showing that 7β-methyl is better than 7α-methyl substitution. Molecular modelling studies showed that the 7β-methyl on C-7 seems to protrude into the opening to the access channel of aromatase in comparison to the 7α-methyl. This comparison led to find the best steroidal AI (12a) of this work with IC50 of 0.0058 μM. Compound 12a showed higher aromatase inhibition capacity than two of the three AIs currently in clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda M F Roleira
- Univ Coimbra, CIEPQPF, FFUC, Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Pólo III - Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Saul C Costa
- Univ Coimbra, FFUC, Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Pólo III - Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ana R Gomes
- Univ Coimbra, CIEPQPF, FFUC, Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Pólo III - Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Carla L Varela
- Univ Coimbra, CIEPQPF, FFUC, Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Pólo III - Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Cristina Amaral
- UCIBIO.REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Tiago V Augusto
- UCIBIO.REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Georgina Correia-da-Silva
- UCIBIO.REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Isabella Romeo
- Net4Science Academic Spin-Off, Università degli Studi "Magna Græcia" di Catanzaro, Campus "S. Venuta", Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi "Magna Græcia" di Catanzaro, Campus "S. Venuta", Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Giosuè Costa
- Net4Science Academic Spin-Off, Università degli Studi "Magna Græcia" di Catanzaro, Campus "S. Venuta", Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi "Magna Græcia" di Catanzaro, Campus "S. Venuta", Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Stefano Alcaro
- Net4Science Academic Spin-Off, Università degli Studi "Magna Græcia" di Catanzaro, Campus "S. Venuta", Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi "Magna Græcia" di Catanzaro, Campus "S. Venuta", Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Natércia Teixeira
- UCIBIO.REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Elisiário J Tavares-da-Silva
- Univ Coimbra, CIEPQPF, FFUC, Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Pólo III - Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.
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Ishfaq M, Aamir M, Ahmad F, M Mebed A, Elshahat S. Machine Learning-Assisted Prediction of the Biological Activity of Aromatase Inhibitors and Data Mining to Explore Similar Compounds. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:48139-48149. [PMID: 36591131 PMCID: PMC9798507 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Designing molecules for drugs has been a hot topic for many decades. However, it is hard and expensive to find a new molecule. Thus, the cost of the final drug is also increased. Machine learning can provide the fastest way to predict the biological activity of druglike molecules. In the present work, machine learning models are trained for the prediction of the biological activity of aromatase inhibitors. Data was collected from the literature. Molecular descriptors are calculated to be used as independent features for model training. The results showed that the R 2 values for linear regression, random forest regression, gradient boosting regression, and bagging regression are 0.58, 0.84, 0.77, and 0.80, respectively. Using these models, it is possible to predict the activity of new molecules in a short period of time and at a reasonable cost. Furthermore, Tanimoto similarity is used for similarity analysis, as well as a chemical database is mined to search for similar molecules. Nonetheless, this study provides a framework for repurposing other effective drug molecules to prevent cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Ishfaq
- College
of Computer Science, Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang 438000, China
| | - Muhammad Aamir
- College
of Computer Science, Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang 438000, China
| | - Farooq Ahmad
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences,
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biomedicine
Innovation Center (ChemBIC), Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Abdelazim M Mebed
- Physics
Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut 71516, Egypt
- Department
of Physics, College of Science, Jouf University, P.O. Box 2014, Al-Jouf, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sayed Elshahat
- Physics
Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut 71516, Egypt
- Beijing
Key Lab of Nanophotonics and Ultrafine Optoelectronic Systems, Center
for Micro-Nanotechnology; Key Lab of Advanced Optoelectronic Quantum
Design and Measurement, Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P. R. China
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5
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Zhang C, Gilardi G, Di Nardo G. Depicting the proton relay network in human aromatase: New insights into the role of the alcohol‐acid pair. Protein Sci 2022; 31:e4389. [PMID: 36040260 PMCID: PMC9366932 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Human aromatase is the cytochrome P450 catalyzing the conversion of androgens into estrogens in a three steps reaction essential to maintain steroid hormones balance. Here we report the capture and spectroscopic characterization of its compound I (Cpd I), the main reactive species in cytochromes P450. The typical spectroscopic transitions indicating the formation of Cpd I are detected within 0.8 s when mixing aromatase with meta‐chloroperoxybenzoic acid. The estrogen product is obtained from the same reaction mixture, demonstrating the involvement of Cpd I in aromatization reaction. Site‐directed mutagenesis is applied to the acid‐alcohol pair D309 and T310 and to R192, predicted to be part of the proton relay network. Mutants D309N and R192Q do not lead to Cpd I with an associated loss of activity, confirming that these residues are involved in proton delivery for Cpd I generation. Cpd I is captured for T310A mutant and shows 2.9‐ and 4.4‐fold faster rates of formation and decay, respectively, compared to wild‐type (WT). However, its activity is lower than the WT and a larger amount of H2O2 is produced during catalysis, indicating that T310 has an essential role in proton gating for generation of Cpd 0 and Cpd I and for their stabilization. The data provide new evidences on the role of threonine belonging to the conserved “acid‐alcohol” pair and known to be crucial for oxygen activation in cytochromes P450.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Zhang
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology University of Turin Turin 10123 Italy
| | - Gianfranco Gilardi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology University of Turin Turin 10123 Italy
| | - Giovanna Di Nardo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology University of Turin Turin 10123 Italy
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6
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Catucci G, Ciaramella A, Di Nardo G, Zhang C, Castrignanò S, Gilardi G. Molecular Lego of Human Cytochrome P450: The Key Role of Heme Domain Flexibility for the Activity of the Chimeric Proteins. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073618. [PMID: 35408976 PMCID: PMC8998974 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The cytochrome P450 superfamily are heme-thiolate enzymes able to carry out monooxygenase reactions. Several studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using a soluble bacterial reductase from Bacillus megaterium, BMR, as an artificial electron transfer partner fused to the human P450 domain in a single polypeptide chain in an approach known as ‘molecular Lego’. The 3A4-BMR chimera has been deeply characterized biochemically for its activity, coupling efficiency, and flexibility by many different biophysical techniques leading to the conclusion that an extension of five glycines in the loop that connects the two domains improves all the catalytic parameters due to improved flexibility of the system. In this work, we extend the characterization of 3A4-BMR chimeras using differential scanning calorimetry to evaluate stabilizing role of BMR. We apply the ‘molecular Lego’ approach also to CYP19A1 (aromatase) and the data show that the activity of the chimeras is very low (<0.003 min−1) for all the constructs tested with a different linker loop length: ARO-BMR, ARO-BMR-3GLY, and ARO-BMR-5GLY. Nevertheless, the fusion to BMR shows a remarkable effect on thermal stability studied by differential scanning calorimetry as indicated by the increase in Tonset by 10 °C and the presence of a cooperative unfolding process driven by the BMR protein domain. Previously characterized 3A4-BMR constructs show the same behavior of ARO-BMR constructs in terms of thermal stabilization but a higher activity as a function of the loop length. A comparison of the ARO-BMR system to 3A4-BMR indicates that the design of each P450-BMR chimera should be carefully evaluated not only in terms of electron transfer, but also for the biophysical constraints that cannot always be overcome by chimerization.
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Assessment of Five Pesticides as Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Effects on Estrogen Receptors and Aromatase. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19041959. [PMID: 35206146 PMCID: PMC8871760 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19041959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Pesticides are widely applied all over the world, and pesticide exposure can induce different biological effects posing a possible threat to human health. Due to their effects on the endocrine system, some pesticides are classified as endocrine disruptors. The aim of the study is to assess the interference of five pesticides on estrogen biosynthesis and estrogen signaling. Three neonicotinoid insecticides (Acetamiprid, Clothianidin, and Thiamethoxam), a carbamate insecticide (Methiocarb) and a herbicide (Oxadiazon) were tested. The effect of pesticides on estrogen biosynthesis was studied through an ELISA assay using a recombinant form of human aromatase, the enzyme that catalyzes the transformation of androgens to estrogens. Moreover, the effect of pesticides on estrogen signaling was assessed using a gene reporter assay on MELN cells, which measures estrogen receptor-mediated estrogenic activity. The results of the ELISA assay showed that the pesticides did not alter aromatase activity (no interference with estrogen biosynthesis), while the results of the gene reporter assay showed that only Methiocarb was able to alter estrogen signaling at high doses. The estrogenic activity of Methiocarb, expressed as 17β-estradiol equivalency factor (EEF), was equal to 8.0 × 10−8. In conclusion, this study suggested that Methiocarb should be considered a potential endocrine disruptor.
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Souza SA, Held A, Lu WJ, Drouhard B, Avila B, Leyva-Montes R, Hu M, Miller BR, Ng HL. Mechanisms of allosteric and mixed mode aromatase inhibitors. RSC Chem Biol 2021; 2:892-905. [PMID: 34458816 PMCID: PMC8341375 DOI: 10.1039/d1cb00046b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aromatase (CYP19) catalyzes the last biosynthetic step of estrogens in mammals and is a primary drug target for hormone-related breast cancer. However, treatment with aromatase inhibitors is often associated with adverse effects and drug resistance. In this study, we used virtual screening targeting a predicted cytochrome P450 reductase binding site on aromatase to discover four novel non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors. The inhibitors have potencies comparable to the noncompetitive tamoxifen metabolite, endoxifen. Our two most potent inhibitors, AR11 and AR13, exhibit both mixed-type and competitive-type inhibition. The cytochrome P450 reductase-CYP19 coupling interface likely acts as a transient binding site. Our modeling shows that our inhibitors bind better at different sites near the catalytic site. Our results predict the location of multiple ligand binding sites on aromatase. The combination of modeling and experimental results supports the important role of the reductase binding interface as a low affinity, promiscuous ligand binding site. Our new inhibitors may be useful as alternative chemical scaffolds that may show different adverse effects profiles than current clinically used aromatase inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samson A Souza
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University Manhattan KS USA
| | - Abby Held
- Department of Chemistry, Truman State University Kirksville MO USA
| | - Wenjie J Lu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Honolulu HI USA
| | - Brendan Drouhard
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University Manhattan KS USA
| | - Bryant Avila
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University Manhattan KS USA
| | - Raul Leyva-Montes
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University Manhattan KS USA
| | - Michelle Hu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Honolulu HI USA
| | - Bill R Miller
- Department of Chemistry, Truman State University Kirksville MO USA
| | - Ho Leung Ng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University Manhattan KS USA
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Di Nardo G, Di Venere A, Zhang C, Nicolai E, Castrignanò S, Di Paola L, Gilardi G, Mei G. Polymorphism on human aromatase affects protein dynamics and substrate binding: spectroscopic evidence. Biol Direct 2021; 16:8. [PMID: 33902660 PMCID: PMC8073906 DOI: 10.1186/s13062-021-00292-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Human aromatase is a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily, involved in steroid hormones biosynthesis. In particular, it converts androgen into estrogens being therefore responsible for the correct sex steroids balance. Due to its capacity in producing estrogens it has also been considered as a promising target for breast cancer therapy. Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (R264C and R264H) have been shown to alter aromatase activity and they have been associated to an increased or decreased risk for estrogen-dependent pathologies. Here, the effect of these mutations on the protein dynamics is investigated by UV/FTIR and time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. H/D exchange rates were measured by FTIR for the three proteins in the ligand-free, substrate- and inhibitor-bound forms and the data indicate that the wild-type enzyme undergoes a conformational change leading to a more compact tertiary structure upon substrate or inhibitor binding. Indeed, the H/D exchange rates are decreased when a ligand is present. In the variants, the exchange rates in the ligand-free and -bound forms are similar, indicating that a structural change is lacking, despite the single amino acid substitution is located in the peripheral shell of the protein molecule. Moreover, the fluorescence lifetimes data show that the quenching effect on tryptophan-224 observed upon ligand binding in the wild-type, is absent in both variants. Since this residue is located in the catalytic pocket, these findings suggest that substrate entrance and/or retention in the active site is partially compromised in both mutants. A contact network analysis demonstrates that the protein structure is organized in two main clusters, whose connectivity is altered by ligand binding, especially in correspondence of helix-G, where the amino acid substitutions occur. Our findings demonstrate that SNPs resulting in mutations on aromatase surface modify the protein flexibility that is required for substrate binding and catalysis. The cluster analysis provides a rationale for such effect, suggesting helix G as a possible target for aromatase inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Di Nardo
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università di Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Almerinda Di Venere
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Chao Zhang
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università di Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Eleonora Nicolai
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Castrignanò
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università di Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Luisa Di Paola
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Unità di Fondamenti Chimico-Fisici dell'Ingegneria Chimica, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, via Álvaro del Portillo 21, 00128, Rome, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Gilardi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università di Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy.
| | - Giampiero Mei
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.
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10
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Di Nardo G, Zhang C, Marcelli AG, Gilardi G. Molecular and Structural Evolution of Cytochrome P450 Aromatase. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:E631. [PMID: 33435208 PMCID: PMC7827799 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Aromatase is the cytochrome P450 enzyme converting androgens into estrogen in the last phase of steroidogenesis. As estrogens are crucial in reproductive biology, aromatase is found in vertebrates and the invertebrates of the genus Branchiostoma, where it carries out the aromatization reaction of the A-ring of androgens that produces estrogens. Here, we investigate the molecular evolution of this unique and highly substrate-selective enzyme by means of structural, sequence alignment, and homology modeling, shedding light on its key role in species conservation. The alignments led to the identification of a core structure that, together with key and unique amino acids located in the active site and the substrate recognition sites, has been well conserved during evolution. Structural analysis shows what their roles are and the reason why they have been preserved. Moreover, the residues involved in the interaction with the redox partner and some phosphorylation sites appeared late during evolution. These data reveal how highly substrate-selective cytochrome P450 has evolved, indicating that the driving forces for evolution have been the optimization of the interaction with the redox partner and the introduction of phosphorylation sites that give the possibility of modulating its activity in a rapid way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Di Nardo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 1023 Torino, Italy; (C.Z.); (A.G.M.)
| | | | | | - Gianfranco Gilardi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 1023 Torino, Italy; (C.Z.); (A.G.M.)
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11
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Molecular Basis for Endocrine Disruption by Pesticides Targeting Aromatase and Estrogen Receptor. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17165664. [PMID: 32764486 PMCID: PMC7459580 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17165664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The intensive use of pesticides has led to their increasing presence in water, soil, and agricultural products. Mounting evidence indicates that some pesticides may be endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), being therefore harmful for the human health and the environment. In this study, three pesticides, glyphosate, thiacloprid, and imidacloprid, were tested for their ability to interfere with estrogen biosynthesis and/or signaling, to evaluate their potential action as EDCs. Among the tested compounds, only glyphosate inhibited aromatase activity (up to 30%) via a non-competitive inhibition or a mixed inhibition mechanism depending on the concentration applied. Then, the ability of the three pesticides to induce an estrogenic activity was tested in MELN cells. When compared to 17β-estradiol, thiacloprid and imidacloprid induced an estrogenic activity at the highest concentrations tested with a relative potency of 5.4 × 10−10 and 3.7 × 10−9, respectively. Molecular dynamics and docking simulations predicted the potential binding sites and the binding mode of the three pesticides on the structure of the two key targets, providing a rational for their mechanism as EDCs. The results demonstrate that the three pesticides are potential EDCs as glyphosate acts as an aromatase inhibitor, whereas imidacloprid and thiacloprid can interfere with estrogen induced signaling.
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12
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Paço L, Zarate-Perez F, Clouser AF, Atkins WM, Hackett JC. Dynamics and Mechanism of Binding of Androstenedione to Membrane-Associated Aromatase. Biochemistry 2020; 59:2999-3009. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lorela Paço
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-7610, United States
| | - Francisco Zarate-Perez
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics and Massey Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298-0035, United States
| | - Amanda F. Clouser
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-7610, United States
| | - William M. Atkins
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-7610, United States
| | - John C. Hackett
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics and Massey Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298-0035, United States
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13
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Zhang C, Catucci G, Di Nardo G, Gilardi G. Effector role of cytochrome P450 reductase for androstenedione binding to human aromatase. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 164:510-517. [PMID: 32698066 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.07.163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Cytochromes P450 constitute a large superfamily of monooxygenases involved in many metabolic pathways. Most of them are not self-sufficient and need a reductase protein to provide the electrons necessary for catalysis. It was shown that the redox partner plays a role in the modulation of the structure and function of some bacterial P450 enzymes. Here, the effect of NADPH-cytochrome reductase (CPR) on human aromatase (Aro) is studied for what concerns its role in substrate binding. Pre-steady-state kinetic experiments indicate that both the substrate binding rates and the percentage of spin shift detected for aromatase are increased when CPR is present. Moreover, aromatase binds the substrate through a conformational selection mechanism, suggesting a possible effector role of CPR. The thermodynamic parameters for the formation of the CPR-Aro complex were studied by isothermal titration calorimetry. The dissociation constant of the complex formation is 4.5 folds lower for substrate-free compared to the substrate-bound enzyme. The enthalpy change observed when the CPR-Aro complex forms in the absence of the substrate are higher than in its presence, indicating that more interactions are formed/broken in the former case. Taken together, our data confirm that CPR has a role in promoting aromatase conformation optimal for substrate binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Zhang
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino 10123, Italy
| | - Gianluca Catucci
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino 10123, Italy
| | - Giovanna Di Nardo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino 10123, Italy.
| | - Gianfranco Gilardi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino 10123, Italy.
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14
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Toledo MV, Llerena Suster CR, Ruscitti C, Collins SE, Briand LE. Influence of Water on Enzymatic Esterification of Racemic Ketoprofen with Ethanol in a Solvent-Free System. Top Catal 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s11244-019-01184-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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15
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Castrignanò S, Di Nardo G, Sadeghi SJ, Gilardi G. Influence of inter-domain dynamics and surrounding environment flexibility on the direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis of self-sufficient cytochrome P450 3A4-BMR chimeras. J Inorg Biochem 2018; 188:9-17. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Revised: 07/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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16
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Determination of deuterium oxide content in water based on luminescence quenching. Talanta 2018; 184:364-368. [DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2018.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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17
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Di Nardo G, Cimicata G, Baravalle R, Dell'Angelo V, Ciaramella A, Catucci G, Ugliengo P, Gilardi G. Working at the membrane interface: Ligand-induced changes in dynamic conformation and oligomeric structure in human aromatase. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2017; 65:46-53. [DOI: 10.1002/bab.1613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Di Nardo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology; University of Torino; Torino Italy
- CrisDi; Interdepartmental Center for Crystallography; Torino Italy
| | - Giuseppe Cimicata
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Roberta Baravalle
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | | | - Alberto Ciaramella
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Gianluca Catucci
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Piero Ugliengo
- Department of Chemistry; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Gianfranco Gilardi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology; University of Torino; Torino Italy
- CrisDi; Interdepartmental Center for Crystallography; Torino Italy
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18
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Baravalle R, Ciaramella A, Baj F, Di Nardo G, Gilardi G. Identification of endocrine disrupting chemicals acting on human aromatase. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2017; 1866:88-96. [PMID: 28578073 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2017.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2017] [Revised: 05/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Human aromatase is the cytochrome P450 catalysing the conversion of androgens into estrogens playing a key role in the endocrine system. Due to this role, it is likely to be a target of the so-called endocrine disrupting chemicals, a series of compounds able to interfere with the hormone system with toxic effects. If on one side the toxicity of some compounds such as bisphenol A is well known, on the other side the toxic concentrations of such compounds as well as the effect of the many other molecules that are in contact with us in everyday life still need a deep investigation. The availability of biological assays able to detect the interaction of chemicals with key molecular targets of the endocrine system represents a possible solution to identify potential endocrine disrupting chemicals. Here the so-called alkali assay previously developed in our laboratory is applied to test the effect of different compounds on the activity of human aromatase. The assay is based on the detection of the alkali product that forms upon strong alkali treatment of the NADP+ released upon enzyme turnover. Here it is applied on human aromatase and validated using anastrozole and sildenafil as known aromatase inhibitors. Out of the small library of compounds tested, resveratrol and ketoconazole resulted to inhibit aromatase activity, while bisphenol A and nicotine were found to exert an inhibitory effect at relatively high concentrations (100μM), and other molecules such as lindane and four plasticizers did not show any significant effect. These data are confirmed by quantification of the product estrone in the same reaction mixtures through ELISA. Overall, the results show that the alkali assay is suitable to screen for molecules that interfere with aromatase activity. As a consequence it can also be applied to other molecular targets of EDCs that use NAD(P)H for catalysis in a high throughput format for the fast screening of many different compounds as endocrine disrupting chemicals. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cytochrome P450 biodiversity and biotechnology, edited by Erika Plettner, Gianfranco Gilardi, Luet Wong, Vlada Urlacher, Jared Goldstone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Baravalle
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino, Italy
| | - Alberto Ciaramella
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino, Italy
| | - Francesca Baj
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino, Italy
| | - Giovanna Di Nardo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Gilardi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino, Italy.
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Abstract
Membrane proteins play a most important part in metabolism, signaling, cell motility, transport, development, and many other biochemical and biophysical processes which constitute fundamentals of life on the molecular level. Detailed understanding of these processes is necessary for the progress of life sciences and biomedical applications. Nanodiscs provide a new and powerful tool for a broad spectrum of biochemical and biophysical studies of membrane proteins and are commonly acknowledged as an optimal membrane mimetic system that provides control over size, composition, and specific functional modifications on the nanometer scale. In this review we attempted to combine a comprehensive list of various applications of nanodisc technology with systematic analysis of the most attractive features of this system and advantages provided by nanodiscs for structural and mechanistic studies of membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilia G Denisov
- Department of Biochemistry and Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois , Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Stephen G Sligar
- Department of Biochemistry and Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois , Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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20
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Baravalle R, Di Nardo G, Bandino A, Barone I, Catalano S, Andò S, Gilardi G. Impact of R264C and R264H polymorphisms in human aromatase function. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2017; 167:23-32. [PMID: 27702664 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2016.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2016] [Revised: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 09/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The cytochrome P450 aromatase is involved in the last step of sex hormones biosynthesis by converting androgens into estrogens. The human enzyme is highly polymorphic and literature data correlate aromatase single nucleotide polymorphisms to the onset of pathologies such as breast cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. The aims of this study were i) to study the influence of the mutations R264C and R264H on the structure-function of the enzyme also upon phosphorylation by selected kinases and ii) to compare the activity of the variants to that of aromatase wild type in two different cell lines. Far-UV circular dichroism spectroscopy, thermal denaturation experiments and CO-binding assay showed that the two polymorphic variants are correctly folded. Steady-state kinetics experiments showed that rArom R264C and R264H exhibit a 1.5 and 3.4 folds lower catalytic efficiency, respectively, when compared to the wild type protein. Since R264 is part of the consensus motif of PKA and PKG1, phosphorylation experiments were performed to study the effect on aromatase function. Phosphorylation by PKA caused a decrease in activity by 36.2%, 49.3% and 27.9% in the wild type, R264C and R264H proteins respectively. Phosphorylation by PKG1 was also found to decrease the activity by 30.3%, 30.5% and 15.4% in the wild type, R264C and R264H proteins respectively. Experiments performed on the three full-length proteins expressed in human MCF-7 breast cancer cells and rat ST14A neuronal cells showed that, depending on the cell line used, the activity of the proteins is different, implicating different cellular mechanisms modulating aromatase activity. This work demonstrate that R264 polymorphism causes an intrinsic alteration of aromatase activity together with a different consensus for phosphorylation by different kinases, indicating that estrogen production can be different when such mutations are present. These findings are significant in understanding the onset and treatment of pathologies in which aromatase has been shown to be involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Baravalle
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Giovanna Di Nardo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy; CrisDi, Interdepartmental Center for Crystallography, via Pietro Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Andrea Bandino
- Department of Medicine and Experimental Oncology, University of Torino, Via Michelangelo 27, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Ines Barone
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Stefania Catalano
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Andò
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Gilardi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy; CrisDi, Interdepartmental Center for Crystallography, via Pietro Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy.
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21
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Baravalle R, Valetti F, Catucci G, Gambarotta G, Chiesa M, Maurelli S, Giamello E, Barone I, Catalano S, Andò S, Di Nardo G, Gilardi G. Effect of sildenafil on human aromatase activity: From in vitro structural analysis to catalysis and inhibition in cells. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2017; 165:438-447. [PMID: 27616271 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2016.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Revised: 09/05/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Aromatase catalyses the conversion of androgens into estrogens and is a well-known target for breast cancer therapy. As it has been suggested that its activity is affected by inhibitors of phosphodiesterase-5, this work investigates the potential interaction of sildenafil with aromatase. This is carried out both at molecular level through structural and kinetics assays applied to the purified enzyme, and at cellular level using neuronal and breast cancer cell lines. Sildenafil is found to bind to aromatase with a KD of 0.58±0.05μM acting as a partial and mixed inhibitor with a maximal inhibition of 35±2%. Hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy and docking studies show that sildenafil binds to the heme iron via its 6th axial water ligand. These results also provide information on the starting molecular scaffold for the development of new generations of drugs designed to inhibit aromatase as well as phosphodiesterase-5, a new emerging target for breast cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Baravalle
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Francesca Valetti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Gianluca Catucci
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Giovanna Gambarotta
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Regione Gonzole, 10-10043 Orbassano, Italy
| | - Mario Chiesa
- Department of Chemistry, University of Torino, via Pietro Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Sara Maurelli
- Department of Chemistry, University of Torino, via Pietro Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Elio Giamello
- Department of Chemistry, University of Torino, via Pietro Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Ines Barone
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Stefania Catalano
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Andò
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Giovanna Di Nardo
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy; CrisDi, Interdepartmental Center for Crystallography, via Pietro Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy.
| | - Gianfranco Gilardi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy; CrisDi, Interdepartmental Center for Crystallography, via Pietro Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy.
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22
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Heme iron centers in cytochrome P450: structure and catalytic activity. RENDICONTI LINCEI-SCIENZE FISICHE E NATURALI 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s12210-016-0565-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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23
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FTIR spectral signature of anticancer drugs. Can drug mode of action be identified? BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2015; 1864:85-101. [PMID: 26327318 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2015.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2015] [Revised: 08/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Infrared spectroscopy has brought invaluable information about proteins and about the mechanism of action of enzymes. These achievements are difficult to transpose to living organisms as all biological molecules absorb in the mid infrared, with usually a high degree of overlap. Deciphering the contribution of each enzyme is therefore almost impossible. On the other hand, small changes in the infrared spectra of cells induced by environmental conditions or drugs may provide an accurate signature of the metabolic shift experienced by the cell as a response to a change in the growth medium. The present paper aims at reviewing the contribution of infrared spectroscopy to the description of small chemical changes that occur in cells when they are exposed to a drug. In particular, this review will focus on cancer cells and anti-cancer drugs. Results accumulated so far tend to demonstrate that infrared spectroscopy could be a very accurate descriptor of the mode of action of anticancer drugs. If confirmed, such a segmentation of potential drugs according to their "mode of action" will be invaluable for the discovery of new therapeutic molecules. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Physiological Enzymology and Protein Functions.
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24
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Bioelectrochemistry as a tool for the study of aromatization of steroids by human aromatase. Electrochem commun 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.elecom.2015.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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25
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Di Nardo G, Breitner M, Bandino A, Ghosh D, Jennings GK, Hackett JC, Gilardi G. Evidence for an elevated aspartate pK(a) in the active site of human aromatase. J Biol Chem 2014; 290:1186-96. [PMID: 25425647 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.595108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Aromatase (CYP19A1), the enzyme that converts androgens to estrogens, is of significant mechanistic and therapeutic interest. Crystal structures and computational studies of this enzyme shed light on the critical role of Asp(309) in substrate binding and catalysis. These studies predicted an elevated pK(a) for Asp(309) and proposed that protonation of this residue was required for function. In this study, UV-visible absorption, circular dichroism, resonance Raman spectroscopy, and enzyme kinetics were used to study the impact of pH on aromatase structure and androstenedione binding. Spectroscopic studies demonstrate that androstenedione binding is pH-dependent, whereas, in contrast, the D309N mutant retains its ability to bind to androstenedione across the entire pH range studied. Neither pH nor mutation perturbed the secondary structure or heme environment. The origin of the observed pH dependence was further narrowed to the protonation equilibria of Asp(309) with a parallel set of spectroscopic studies using exemestane and anastrozole. Because exemestane interacts with Asp(309) based on its co-crystal structure with the enzyme, its binding is pH-dependent. Aromatase binding to anastrozole is pH-independent, consistent with the hypothesis that this ligand exploits a distinct set of interactions in the active site. In summary, we assign the apparent pK(a) of 8.2 observed for androstenedione binding to the side chain of Asp(309). To our knowledge, this work represents the first experimental assignment of a pK(a) value to a residue in a cytochrome P450. This value is in agreement with theoretical calculations (7.7-8.1) despite the reliance of the computational methods on the conformational snapshots provided by crystal structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Di Nardo
- From the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Maximilian Breitner
- From the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Andrea Bandino
- From the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Debashis Ghosh
- the Department of Pharmacology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York 13210, and
| | - Gareth K Jennings
- the Department of Physiology and Biophysics and the Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia 23219
| | - John C Hackett
- the Department of Physiology and Biophysics and the Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia 23219
| | - Gianfranco Gilardi
- From the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy,
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26
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Sgrignani J, Bon M, Colombo G, Magistrato A. Computational approaches elucidate the allosteric mechanism of human aromatase inhibition: a novel possible route to Small-molecule regulation of CYP450s activities? J Chem Inf Model 2014; 54:2856-68. [PMID: 25178092 DOI: 10.1021/ci500425y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Human aromatase (HA) is a P450 cytochrome (CYP) with an essential role in estrogen biosynthesis. Since more than 70% of breast cancers are positive for estrogenic receptor (ER), the reduction of estrogen physiological concentrations through HA inhibition is one of most important therapeutic strategies against this cancer type. Recently, experimental evidence showed that selected taxmoxifen metabolites, which are typically used as estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), inhibit HA through an allosteric mechanism. In this work, we present a computational protocol to (i) characterize the structural framework and (ii) define the atomistic details of the determinants for the noncompetitive inhibition mechanism. Our calculations identify two putative binding sites able to efficiently bind all tamoxifen metabolites. Analysis of long-scale molecular dynamics simulations reveal that endoxifen, the most effective noncompetitive inhibitor, induces significant enzyme rigidity by binding in one of the possible peripheral sites. The consequence of this binding event is the suppression of one of the functional enzymatic collective motions associated with breathing of the substrate access channel. Moreover, an internal dynamics-based alignment of HA with six other human cytochromes shows that this collective motion is common to other members of the CYP450 protein family. On this basis, our findings may thus be of help for the development of new (pan)inhibitors for the therapeutic treatment of cancer, targeting and modulating the activity of HA and of estrogen receptor, and may also stimulate the development of new drug design strategies for chemoprevention and chemoprotection via allosteric inhibition of CYP450 proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Sgrignani
- Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare, CNR, Via Mario Bianco 9, 20131 Milano, Milano, Italy
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