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Johannsen S, Gierse RM, Krüger A, Edwards RL, Nanna V, Fontana A, Zhu D, Masini T, de Carvalho LP, Poizat M, Kieftenbelt B, Hodge DM, Alvarez S, Bunt D, Lacour A, Shams A, Meissner KA, de Souza EE, Dröge M, van Vliet B, den Hartog J, Hutter MC, Held J, Odom John AR, Wrenger C, Hirsch AKH. High Target Homology Does Not Guarantee Inhibition: Aminothiazoles Emerge as Inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:1000-1022. [PMID: 38367280 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
In this study, we identified three novel compound classes with potent activity against Plasmodium falciparum, the most dangerous human malarial parasite. Resistance of this pathogen to known drugs is increasing, and compounds with different modes of action are urgently needed. One promising drug target is the enzyme 1-deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXPS) of the methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway for which we have previously identified three active compound classes against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The close structural similarities of the active sites of the DXPS enzymes of P. falciparum and M. tuberculosis prompted investigation of their antiparasitic action, all classes display good cell-based activity. Through structure-activity relationship studies, we increased their antimalarial potency and two classes also show good metabolic stability and low toxicity against human liver cells. The most active compound 1 inhibits the growth of blood-stage P. falciparum with an IC50 of 600 nM. The results from three different methods for target validation of compound 1 suggest no engagement of DXPS. All inhibitor classes are active against chloroquine-resistant strains, confirming a new mode of action that has to be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Johannsen
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) - Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus Building E8.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
- Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, Campus Building E8.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
| | - Robin M Gierse
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) - Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus Building E8.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
- Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, Campus Building E8.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Arne Krüger
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 1374, São Paulo-SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Rachel L Edwards
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Vittoria Nanna
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) - Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus Building E8.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
| | - Anna Fontana
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) - Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus Building E8.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
| | - Di Zhu
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) - Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus Building E8.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Tiziana Masini
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | | | - Mael Poizat
- Symeres, Kadijk 3, Groningen 9747 AT, The Netherlands
| | | | - Dana M Hodge
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Sophie Alvarez
- Proteomics & Metabolomics Facility, Center for Biotechnology, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, United States
| | - Daan Bunt
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Antoine Lacour
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) - Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus Building E8.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
- Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, Campus Building E8.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
| | - Atanaz Shams
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) - Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus Building E8.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
- Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, Campus Building E8.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
| | - Kamila Anna Meissner
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 1374, São Paulo-SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Edmarcia Elisa de Souza
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 1374, São Paulo-SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Michael C Hutter
- Center for Bioinformatics, Saarland University, Campus Building E2.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
| | - Jana Held
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Wilhelmstraße 27, Tübingen 72074, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Tübingen, Tübingen 72074, Germany
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), B.P. 242 Lambaréné, Gabon
| | - Audrey R Odom John
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Carsten Wrenger
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 1374, São Paulo-SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Anna K H Hirsch
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) - Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus Building E8.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
- Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, Campus Building E8.1, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
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Scarpelli PH, Tessarin‐Almeida G, Viçoso KL, Lima WR, Borges‐Pereira L, Meissner KA, Wrenger C, Rafaello A, Rizzuto R, Pozzan T, Garcia CRS. Melatonin activates FIS1, DYN1, and DYN2 Plasmodium falciparum related-genes for mitochondria fission: Mitoemerald-GFP as a tool to visualize mitochondria structure. J Pineal Res 2019; 66:e12484. [PMID: 29480948 PMCID: PMC6585791 DOI: 10.1111/jpi.12484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Malaria causes millions of deaths worldwide and is considered a huge burden to underdeveloped countries. The number of cases with resistance to all antimalarials is continuously increasing, making the identification of novel drugs a very urgent necessity. A potentially very interesting target for novel therapeutic intervention is the parasite mitochondrion. In this work, we studied in Plasmodium falciparum 3 genes coding for proteins homologues of the mammalian FIS1 (Mitochondrial Fission Protein 1) and DRP1 (Dynamin Related Protein 1) involved in mitochondrial fission. We studied the expression of P. falciparum genes that show ample sequence and structural homologies with the mammalian counterparts, namely FIS1, DYN1, and DYN2. The encoded proteins are characterized by a distinct pattern of expression throughout the erythrocytic cycle of P. falciparum, and their mRNAs are modulated by treating the parasite with the host hormone melatonin. We have previously reported that the knockout of the Plasmodium gene that codes for protein kinase 7 is essential for melatonin sensing. We here show that PfPk7 knockout results in major alterations of mitochondrial fission genes expression when compared to wild-type parasites, and no change in fission proteins expression upon treatment with the host hormone. Finally, we have compared the morphological characteristics (using MitoTracker Red CMX Ros) and oxygen consumption properties of P. falciparum mitochondria in wild-type parasites and PfPk7 Knockout strains. A novel GFP construct targeted to the mitochondrial matrix to wild-type parasites was also developed to visualize P. falciparum mitochondria. We here show that, the functional characteristics of P. falciparum are profoundly altered in cells lacking protein kinase 7, suggesting that this enzyme plays a major role in the control of mitochondrial morphogenesis and maturation during the intra-erythrocyte cell cycle progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro H. Scarpelli
- Departamento de ParasitologiaInstituto de Ciências BiomédicasUniversidade de São PauloSão PauloBrazil
- Departamento de FisiologiaInstituto de BiociênciasUniversidade de São PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | | | - Kênia Lopes Viçoso
- Departamento de FisiologiaInstituto de BiociênciasUniversidade de São PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Wania Rezende Lima
- Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais‐MedicinaUniversidade Federal de Mato Grosso‐Campus RondonópolisMato GrossoBrazil
| | - Lucas Borges‐Pereira
- Departamento de FisiologiaInstituto de BiociênciasUniversidade de São PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Kamila Anna Meissner
- Departamento de ParasitologiaInstituto de Ciências BiomédicasUniversidade de São PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Carsten Wrenger
- Departamento de ParasitologiaInstituto de Ciências BiomédicasUniversidade de São PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Anna Rafaello
- CNR Neurosciences InstituteUniversity of PadovaPadovaItaly
| | | | - Tullio Pozzan
- CNR Neurosciences InstituteUniversity of PadovaPadovaItaly
| | - Celia R. S. Garcia
- Departamento de FisiologiaInstituto de BiociênciasUniversidade de São PauloSão PauloBrazil
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de BiociênciasUniversidade de São PauloSão PauloBrazil
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Meissner KA, Kronenberger T, Maltarollo VG, Trossini GHG, Wrenger C. Targeting the Plasmodium falciparum plasmepsin V by ligand-based virtual screening. Chem Biol Drug Des 2018; 93:300-312. [PMID: 30320974 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Malaria is a devastating disease depending only on chemotherapy as treatment. However, medication is losing efficacy, and therefore, there is an urgent need for the discovery of novel pharmaceutics. Recently, plasmepsin V, an aspartic protease anchored in the endoplasmaic reticulum, was demonstrated as responsible for the trafficking of parasite-derived proteins to the erythrocytic surface and further validated as a drug target. In this sense, ligand-based virtual screening has been applied to design inhibitors that target plasmepsin V of P. falciparum (PMV). After screening 5.5 million compounds, four novel plasmepsin inhibitors have been identified which were subsequently analyzed for the potency at the cellular level. Since PMV is membrane-anchored, the verification in vivo by using transgenic PMV overexpressing P. falciparum cells has been performed in order to evaluate drug efficacy. Two lead compounds, revealing IC50 values were 44.2 and 19.1 μm, have been identified targeting plasmepsin V in vivo and do not significantly affect the cell viability of human cells up to 300 μm. We herein report the use of the consensus of individual virtual screening as a new technique to design new ligands, and we propose two new lead compounds as novel protease inhibitors to target malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamila Anna Meissner
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Thales Kronenberger
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Internal Medicine VIII, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Vinícius Gonçalves Maltarollo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Products, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Carsten Wrenger
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Borges-Pereira L, Meissner KA, Wrenger C, Garcia CRS. Plasmodium falciparum GFP-E-NTPDase expression at the intraerythrocytic stages and its inhibition blocks the development of the human malaria parasite. Purinergic Signal 2017; 13:267-277. [PMID: 28285440 PMCID: PMC5563288 DOI: 10.1007/s11302-017-9557-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum is the causative agent of the most dangerous form of malaria in humans. It has been reported that the P. falciparum genome encodes for a single ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase (E-NTPDase), an enzyme that hydrolyzes extracellular tri- and di-phosphate nucleotides. The E-NTPDases are known for participating in invasion and as a virulence factor in many pathogenic protozoa. Despite its presence in the parasite genome, currently, no information exists about the activity of this predicted protein. Here, we show for the first time that P. falciparum E-NTPDase is relevant for parasite lifecycle as inhibition of this enzyme impairs the development of P. falciparum within red blood cells (RBCs). ATPase activity could be detected in rings, trophozoites, and schizonts, as well as qRT-PCR, confirming that E-NTPDase is expressed throughout the intraerythrocytic cycle. In addition, transfection of a construct which expresses approximately the first 500 bp of an E-NTPDase-GFP chimera shows that E-NTPDase co-localizes with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in the early stages and with the digestive vacuole (DV) in the late stages of P. falciparum intraerythrocytic cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Borges-Pereira
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão 101, travessa 14, São Paulo, SP, 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Kamila Anna Meissner
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carsten Wrenger
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Célia R S Garcia
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão 101, travessa 14, São Paulo, SP, 05508-090, Brazil.
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