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Arabiotorre A, Bankaitis VA, Grabon A. Regulation of phosphoinositide metabolism in Apicomplexan parasites. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1163574. [PMID: 37791074 PMCID: PMC10543664 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1163574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Phosphoinositides are a biologically essential class of phospholipids that contribute to organelle membrane identity, modulate membrane trafficking pathways, and are central components of major signal transduction pathways that operate on the cytosolic face of intracellular membranes in eukaryotes. Apicomplexans (such as Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium spp.) are obligate intracellular parasites that are important causative agents of disease in animals and humans. Recent advances in molecular and cell biology of Apicomplexan parasites reveal important roles for phosphoinositide signaling in key aspects of parasitosis. These include invasion of host cells, intracellular survival and replication, egress from host cells, and extracellular motility. As Apicomplexans have adapted to the organization of essential signaling pathways to accommodate their complex parasitic lifestyle, these organisms offer experimentally tractable systems for studying the evolution, conservation, and repurposing of phosphoinositide signaling. In this review, we describe the regulatory mechanisms that control the spatial and temporal regulation of phosphoinositides in the Apicomplexan parasites Plasmodium and T. gondii. We further discuss the similarities and differences presented by Apicomplexan phosphoinositide signaling relative to how these pathways are regulated in other eukaryotic organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Arabiotorre
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Medicine Texas A&M Health Sciences Center College Station, Bryan, TX, United States
| | - Vytas A. Bankaitis
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Medicine Texas A&M Health Sciences Center College Station, Bryan, TX, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics Texas A&M University College Station, College Station, TX, United States
- Department of Chemistry Texas A&M University College Station, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Aby Grabon
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Medicine Texas A&M Health Sciences Center College Station, Bryan, TX, United States
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Liu N, Tu J, Huang Y, Yang W, Wang Q, Li Z, Sheng C. Target- and prodrug-based design for fungal diseases and cancer-associated fungal infections. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2023; 197:114819. [PMID: 37024014 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2023.114819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are emerging as a serious threat to public health and are associated with high incidence and mortality. IFIs also represent a frequent complication in patients with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy. However, effective and safe antifungal agents remain limited, and the development of severe drug resistance further undermines the efficacy of antifungal therapy. Therefore, there is an urgent need for novel antifungal agents to treat life-threatening fungal diseases, especially those with new mode of action, favorable pharmacokinetic profiles, and anti-resistance activity. In this review, we summarize new antifungal targets and target-based inhibitor design, with a focus on their antifungal activity, selectivity, and mechanism. We also illustrate the prodrug design strategy used to improve the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic profiles of antifungal agents. Dual-targeting antifungal agents offer a new strategy for the treatment of resistant infections and cancer-associated fungal infections.
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Chen XR, Poudel L, Hong Z, Johnen P, Katti S, Tripathi A, Nile AH, Green SM, Khan D, Schaaf G, Bono F, Bankaitis VA, Igumenova TI. Mechanisms by which small molecules of diverse chemotypes arrest Sec14 lipid transfer activity. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:102861. [PMID: 36603766 PMCID: PMC9898755 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102861] [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: 11/05/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) transfer proteins (PITPs) enhance the activities of PtdIns 4-OH kinases that generate signaling pools of PtdIns-4-phosphate. In that capacity, PITPs serve as key regulators of lipid signaling in eukaryotic cells. Although the PITP phospholipid exchange cycle is the engine that stimulates PtdIns 4-OH kinase activities, the underlying mechanism is not understood. Herein, we apply an integrative structural biology approach to investigate interactions of the yeast PITP Sec14 with small-molecule inhibitors (SMIs) of its phospholipid exchange cycle. Using a combination of X-ray crystallography, solution NMR spectroscopy, and atomistic MD simulations, we dissect how SMIs compete with native Sec14 phospholipid ligands and arrest phospholipid exchange. Moreover, as Sec14 PITPs represent new targets for the development of next-generation antifungal drugs, the structures of Sec14 bound to SMIs of diverse chemotypes reported in this study will provide critical information required for future structure-based design of next-generation lead compounds directed against Sec14 PITPs of virulent fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Ru Chen
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas USA
| | - Lokendra Poudel
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas USA
| | - Zebin Hong
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Philipp Johnen
- Institute for Crop Science and Resource Conservation, Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sachin Katti
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas USA
| | - Ashutosh Tripathi
- Department of Cell Biology & Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Aaron H Nile
- Department of Cell Biology & Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Savana M Green
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas USA; Department of Cell Biology & Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Danish Khan
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas USA
| | - Gabriel Schaaf
- Institute for Crop Science and Resource Conservation, Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Fulvia Bono
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Vytas A Bankaitis
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas USA; Department of Cell Biology & Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
| | - Tatyana I Igumenova
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas USA.
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Chen L, Tan L, Im YJ. Structural basis of ligand recognition and transport by Sfh2, a yeast phosphatidylinositol transfer protein of the Sec14 superfamily. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2022; 78:853-864. [DOI: 10.1107/s2059798322005666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Sec14-like phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) are involved in lipid metabolism and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate signaling by transporting phosphatidylinositol (PI) and a secondary ligand between the organellar membranes in eukaryotes. Yeast Sfh2 is a PITP that transfers PI and squalene without phosphatidylcholine transfer activity. To investigate the structural determinants for ligand specificity and transport in Sfh2, crystal structures of Sfh2 in complex with PI and squalene were determined at 1.5 and 2.4 Å resolution, respectively. The inositol head group of PI is recognized by highly conserved residues around the pocket entrance. The acyl chains of PI bind into a large hydrophobic cavity. Squalene is accommodated in the bottom of the cavity entirely by hydrophobic interactions. The binding of PI and squalene are mutually exclusive due to their overlapping binding sites, correlating with the role in lipid exchange. The binding mode of PI is well conserved in Sfh family proteins. However, squalene binding is unique to the Sfh2 homolog due to the specific hydrophobic residues forming a shape-complementary binding pocket. Recombinant apo Sfh2 forms a homodimer in vitro by the hydrophobic interaction of the gating α10–α11 helices in an open conformation. Ligand binding closes the lid and dissociates the dimer into monomers. This study reveals the structural determinants for the recognition of the conserved PI and a secondary ligand, squalene, and provides implications for the lipid-transfer function of Sfh2.
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Bankaitis VA, Tripathi A, Chen XR, Igumenova TI. New strategies for combating fungal infections: Inhibiting inositol lipid signaling by targeting Sec14 phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins. Adv Biol Regul 2022; 84:100891. [PMID: 35240534 PMCID: PMC9149032 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2022.100891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Virulent fungi represent a particularly difficult problem in the infectious disease arena as these organisms are eukaryotes that share many orthologous activities with their human hosts. The fact that these activities are often catalyzed by conserved proteins places additional demands on development of pharmacological strategies for specifically inhibiting target fungal activities without imposing undesirable secondary effects on the host. While deployment of a limited set of anti-mycotics has to date satisfied the clinical needs for treatment of fungal infections, the recent emergence of multi-drug resistant fungal 'superbugs' now poses a serious global health threat with rapidly diminishing options for treatment. This escalating infectious disease problem emphasizes the urgent need for development of new classes of anti-mycotics. In that regard, Sec14 phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins offer interesting possibilities for interfering with fungal phosphoinositide signaling with exquisite specificity and without targeting the highly conserved lipid kinases responsible for phosphoinositide production. Herein, we review the establishment of proof-of-principle that demonstrates the feasibility of such an approach. We also describe the lead compounds of four chemotypes that directly target fungal Sec14 proteins. The rules that pertain to the mechanism(s) of Sec14 inhibition by validated small molecule inhibitors, and the open questions that remain, are discussed - as are the challenges that face development of next generation Sec14-directed inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vytas A Bankaitis
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-0014, USA; Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-0014, USA.
| | - Ashutosh Tripathi
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-0014, USA
| | - Xiao-Ru Chen
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-0014, USA
| | - Tatyana I Igumenova
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-0014, USA
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