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Rahman MT, Chaminda Lakmal HH, Hussain J, Jin C. Targeting the relaxin-3/RXFP3 system: a patent review for the last two decades. Expert Opin Ther Pat 2024; 34:71-81. [PMID: 38573177 PMCID: PMC11027024 DOI: 10.1080/13543776.2024.2338099] [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: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The neuropeptide relaxin-3/RXFP3 system belongs to the relaxin/insulin superfamily and is involved in many important physiological processes, such as stress responses, appetite control, and motivation for reward. Although relaxin-3 is the endogenous agonist for RXFP3, it can also bind to and activate RXFP1 and RXFP4. Consequently, research has been focused on the development of RXFP3-specific peptides and small-molecule ligands to validate the relaxin-3/RXFP3 system as a novel drug target. AREAS COVERED This review provides an overview of patents on the relaxin-3/RXFP3 system covering ligand development and pharmacological studies since 2003. Related patents and literature reports were obtained from established sources including SciFinder, Google Patents, and Espacenet for patents and SciFinder, PubMed, and Google Scholar for literature reports. EXPERT OPINION There has been an increasing amount of patent activities around relaxin-3/RXFP3, highlighting the importance of this novel neuropeptide system for drug discovery. The development of relaxin-3 derived peptides and small-molecule modulators, as well as behavioral studies in rodents, have shown that the relaxin-3/RXFP3 system is a promising drug target for treating various metabolic and neuropsychiatric diseases including obesity, anxiety, and alcohol addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Toufiqur Rahman
- Center for Drug Discovery, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | - Javeena Hussain
- Center for Drug Discovery, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Chunyang Jin
- Center for Drug Discovery, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
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Chen D, Rehfeld JF, Watts AG, Rorsman P, Gundlach AL. History of key regulatory peptide systems and perspectives for future research. J Neuroendocrinol 2023; 35:e13251. [PMID: 37053148 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13251] [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: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Throughout the 20th Century, regulatory peptide discovery advanced from the identification of gut hormones to the extraction and characterization of hypothalamic hypophysiotropic factors, and to the isolation and cloning of multiple brain neuropeptides. These discoveries were followed by the discovery of G-protein-coupled and other membrane receptors for these peptides. Subsequently, the systems physiology associated with some of these multiple regulatory peptides and receptors has been comprehensively elucidated and has led to improved therapeutics and diagnostics and their approval by the US Food and Drug Administration. In light of this wealth of information and further potential, it is truly a time of renaissance for regulatory peptides. In this perspective, we review what we have learned from the pioneers in exemplified fields of gut peptides, such as cholecystokinin, enterochromaffin-like-cell peptides, and glucagon, from the trailblazing studies on the key stress hormone, corticotropin-releasing factor, as well as from more recently characterized relaxin-family peptides and receptors. The historical viewpoints are based on our understanding of these topics in light of the earliest phases of research and on subsequent studies and the evolution of knowledge, aiming to sharpen our vision of the current state-of-the-art and those studies that should be prioritized in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duan Chen
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jens F Rehfeld
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alan G Watts
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Patrik Rorsman
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrew L Gundlach
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health and Department of Anatomy and Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Chen Y, Zhou Q, Wang J, Xu Y, Wang Y, Yan J, Wang Y, Zhu Q, Zhao F, Li C, Chen CW, Cai X, Bathgate RAD, Shen C, Eric Xu H, Yang D, Liu H, Wang MW. Ligand recognition mechanism of the human relaxin family peptide receptor 4 (RXFP4). Nat Commun 2023; 14:492. [PMID: 36717591 PMCID: PMC9886975 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36182-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Members of the insulin superfamily regulate pleiotropic biological processes through two types of target-specific but structurally conserved peptides, insulin/insulin-like growth factors and relaxin/insulin-like peptides. The latter bind to the human relaxin family peptide receptors (RXFPs). Here, we report three cryo-electron microscopy structures of RXFP4-Gi protein complexes in the presence of the endogenous ligand insulin-like peptide 5 (INSL5) or one of the two small molecule agonists, compound 4 and DC591053. The B chain of INSL5 adopts a single α-helix that penetrates into the orthosteric pocket, while the A chain sits above the orthosteric pocket, revealing a peptide-binding mode previously unknown. Together with mutagenesis and functional analyses, the key determinants responsible for the peptidomimetic agonism and subtype selectivity were identified. Our findings not only provide insights into ligand recognition and subtype selectivity among class A G protein-coupled receptors, but also expand the knowledge of signaling mechanisms in the insulin superfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Qingtong Zhou
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.,Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai, 200031, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou, 310024, China
| | - Youwei Xu
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Yun Wang
- Genova Biotech (Changzhou) Co., Ltd, Changzhou, 213125, China
| | - Jiahui Yan
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.,The National Center for Drug Screening, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yibing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Qi Zhu
- Genova Biotech (Changzhou) Co., Ltd, Changzhou, 213125, China
| | - Fenghui Zhao
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.,The National Center for Drug Screening, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Chenghao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou, 310024, China
| | - Chuan-Wei Chen
- Research Center for Deepsea Bioresources, Sanya, Hainan, 572025, China
| | - Xiaoqing Cai
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.,The National Center for Drug Screening, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Ross A D Bathgate
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Chun Shen
- Genova Biotech (Changzhou) Co., Ltd, Changzhou, 213125, China
| | - H Eric Xu
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Dehua Yang
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China. .,The National Center for Drug Screening, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China. .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. .,Research Center for Deepsea Bioresources, Sanya, Hainan, 572025, China.
| | - Hong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China. .,School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou, 310024, China. .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. .,School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.
| | - Ming-Wei Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China. .,The CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China. .,The National Center for Drug Screening, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China. .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. .,Research Center for Deepsea Bioresources, Sanya, Hainan, 572025, China. .,Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
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Gay EA, Guan D, Van Voorhies K, Vasukuttan V, Mathews KM, Besheer J, Jin C. Discovery and Characterization of the First Nonpeptide Antagonists for the Relaxin-3/RXFP3 System. J Med Chem 2022; 65:7959-7974. [PMID: 35594150 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The neuropeptide relaxin-3/RXFP3 system is involved in many important physiological processes such as stress responses, appetite control, and motivation for reward. To date, pharmacological studies of RXFP3 have been limited to peptide ligands. In this study, we report the discovery of the first small-molecule antagonists of RXFP3 through a high-throughput screening campaign. Focused structure-activity relationship studies of the hit compound resulted in RLX-33 (33) that was able to inhibit relaxin-3 activity in a battery of functional assays. RLX-33 is selective for RXFP3 over RXFP1 and RXFP4, two related members in the relaxin/insulin superfamily, and has favorable pharmacokinetic properties for behavioral assessment. When administered to rats intraperitoneally, RLX-33 blocked food intake induced by the RXFP3-selective agonist R3/I5. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that RLX-33 represents a promising antagonist scaffold for the development of drugs targeting the relaxin-3/RXFP3 system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine A Gay
- Center for Drug Discovery, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Dongliang Guan
- Center for Drug Discovery, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Kalynn Van Voorhies
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Vineetha Vasukuttan
- Center for Drug Discovery, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Kelly M Mathews
- Center for Drug Discovery, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Joyce Besheer
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Chunyang Jin
- Center for Drug Discovery, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
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