1
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Schulte G, Scharf MM, Bous J, Voss JH, Grätz L, Kozielewicz P. Frizzleds act as dynamic pharmacological entities. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2024; 45:419-429. [PMID: 38594145 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2024.03.003] [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] [Received: 02/24/2024] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The Frizzled family of transmembrane receptors (FZD1-10) belongs to the class F of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). FZDs bind to and are activated by Wingless/Int1 (WNT) proteins. The WNT/FZD signaling system regulates crucial aspects of developmental biology and stem-cell regulation. Dysregulation of WNT/FZD communication can lead to developmental defects and diseases such as cancer and fibrosis. Recent insight into the activation mechanisms of FZDs has underlined that protein dynamics and conserved microswitches are essential for FZD-mediated information flow and build the basis for targeting these receptors pharmacologically. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of FZD activation, and how novel concepts merge and collide with existing dogmas in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunnar Schulte
- Section of Receptor Biology & Signaling, Dept. Physiology & Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Magdalena M Scharf
- Section of Receptor Biology & Signaling, Dept. Physiology & Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Julien Bous
- Section of Receptor Biology & Signaling, Dept. Physiology & Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jan Hendrik Voss
- Section of Receptor Biology & Signaling, Dept. Physiology & Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lukas Grätz
- Section of Receptor Biology & Signaling, Dept. Physiology & Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pawel Kozielewicz
- Section of Receptor Biology & Signaling, Dept. Physiology & Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
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2
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Gleixner J, Kopanchuk S, Grätz L, Tahk MJ, Laasfeld T, Veikšina S, Höring C, Gattor AO, Humphrys LJ, Müller C, Archipowa N, Köckenberger J, Heinrich MR, Kutta RJ, Rinken A, Keller M. Illuminating Neuropeptide Y Y 4 Receptor Binding: Fluorescent Cyclic Peptides with Subnanomolar Binding Affinity as Novel Molecular Tools. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2024; 7:1142-1168. [PMID: 38633582 PMCID: PMC11019746 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.4c00013] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
The neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y4 receptor (Y4R), a member of the family of NPY receptors, is physiologically activated by the linear 36-amino acid peptide pancreatic polypeptide (PP). The Y4R is involved in the regulation of various biological processes, most importantly pancreatic secretion, gastrointestinal motility, and regulation of food intake. So far, Y4R binding affinities have been mostly studied in radiochemical binding assays. Except for a few fluorescently labeled PP derivatives, fluorescence-tagged Y4R ligands with high affinity have not been reported. Here, we introduce differently fluorescence-labeled (Sulfo-Cy5, Cy3B, Py-1, Py-5) Y4R ligands derived from recently reported cyclic hexapeptides showing picomolar Y4R binding affinity. With pKi values of 9.22-9.71 (radioligand competition binding assay), all fluorescent ligands (16-19) showed excellent Y4R affinity. Y4R saturation binding, binding kinetics, and competition binding with reference ligands were studied using different fluorescence-based methods: flow cytometry (Sulfo-Cy5, Cy3B, and Py-1 label), fluorescence anisotropy (Cy3B label), and NanoBRET (Cy3B label) binding assays. These experiments confirmed the high binding affinity to Y4R (equilibrium pKd: 9.02-9.9) and proved the applicability of the probes for fluorescence-based Y4R competition binding studies and imaging techniques such as single-receptor molecule tracking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Gleixner
- Institute
of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Sergei Kopanchuk
- Institute
of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Lukas Grätz
- Institute
of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Maris-Johanna Tahk
- Institute
of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Tõnis Laasfeld
- Institute
of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Santa Veikšina
- Institute
of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Carina Höring
- Institute
of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Albert O. Gattor
- Institute
of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Laura J. Humphrys
- Institute
of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Müller
- Institute
of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Nataliya Archipowa
- Institute
of Biophysics and Physical Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology and Preclinical
Medicine, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Köckenberger
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Molecular and Clinical Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Straße 10, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Markus R. Heinrich
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Molecular and Clinical Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Straße 10, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Roger Jan Kutta
- Institute
of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ago Rinken
- Institute
of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Max Keller
- Institute
of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
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3
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Kinsolving J, Bous J, Kozielewicz P, Košenina S, Shekhani R, Grätz L, Masuyer G, Wang Y, Stenmark P, Dong M, Schulte G. Structural and functional insight into the interaction of Clostridioides difficile toxin B and FZD 7. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113727. [PMID: 38308843 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113727] [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] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The G protein-coupled receptors of the Frizzled (FZD) family, in particular FZD1,2,7, are receptors that are exploited by Clostridioides difficile toxin B (TcdB), the major virulence factor responsible for pathogenesis associated with Clostridioides difficile infection. We employ a live-cell assay examining the affinity between full-length FZDs and TcdB. Moreover, we present cryoelectron microscopy structures of TcdB alone and in complex with full-length FZD7, which reveal that large structural rearrangements of the combined repetitive polypeptide domain are required for interaction with FZDs and other TcdB receptors, constituting a first step for receptor recognition. Furthermore, we show that bezlotoxumab, an FDA-approved monoclonal antibody to treat Clostridioides difficile infection, favors the apo-TcdB structure and thus disrupts binding with FZD7. The dynamic transition between the two conformations of TcdB also governs the stability of the pore-forming region. Thus, our work provides structural and functional insight into how conformational dynamics of TcdB determine receptor binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Kinsolving
- Karolinska Institutet, Department Physiology & Pharmacology, Sec. Receptor Biology & Signaling, Biomedicum, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Julien Bous
- Karolinska Institutet, Department Physiology & Pharmacology, Sec. Receptor Biology & Signaling, Biomedicum, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pawel Kozielewicz
- Karolinska Institutet, Department Physiology & Pharmacology, Sec. Receptor Biology & Signaling, Biomedicum, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sara Košenina
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rawan Shekhani
- Karolinska Institutet, Department Physiology & Pharmacology, Sec. Receptor Biology & Signaling, Biomedicum, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lukas Grätz
- Karolinska Institutet, Department Physiology & Pharmacology, Sec. Receptor Biology & Signaling, Biomedicum, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Geoffrey Masuyer
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yuankai Wang
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Surgery and Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Pål Stenmark
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Min Dong
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Surgery and Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gunnar Schulte
- Karolinska Institutet, Department Physiology & Pharmacology, Sec. Receptor Biology & Signaling, Biomedicum, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden.
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4
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Alexander SPH, Christopoulos A, Davenport AP, Kelly E, Mathie AA, Peters JA, Veale EL, Armstrong JF, Faccenda E, Harding SD, Davies JA, Abbracchio MP, Abraham G, Agoulnik A, Alexander W, Al-Hosaini K, Bäck M, Baker JG, Barnes NM, Bathgate R, Beaulieu JM, Beck-Sickinger AG, Behrens M, Bernstein KE, Bettler B, Birdsall NJM, Blaho V, Boulay F, Bousquet C, Bräuner-Osborne H, Burnstock G, Caló G, Castaño JP, Catt KJ, Ceruti S, Chazot P, Chiang N, Chini B, Chun J, Cianciulli A, Civelli O, Clapp LH, Couture R, Cox HM, Csaba Z, Dahlgren C, Dent G, Douglas SD, Dournaud P, Eguchi S, Escher E, Filardo EJ, Fong T, Fumagalli M, Gainetdinov RR, Garelja ML, de Gasparo M, Gerard C, Gershengorn M, Gobeil F, Goodfriend TL, Goudet C, Grätz L, Gregory KJ, Gundlach AL, Hamann J, Hanson J, Hauger RL, Hay DL, Heinemann A, Herr D, Hollenberg MD, Holliday ND, Horiuchi M, Hoyer D, Hunyady L, Husain A, IJzerman AP, Inagami T, Jacobson KA, Jensen RT, Jockers R, Jonnalagadda D, Karnik S, Kaupmann K, Kemp J, Kennedy C, Kihara Y, Kitazawa T, Kozielewicz P, Kreienkamp HJ, Kukkonen JP, Langenhan T, Larhammar D, Leach K, Lecca D, Lee JD, Leeman SE, Leprince J, Li XX, Lolait SJ, Lupp A, Macrae R, Maguire J, Malfacini D, Mazella J, McArdle CA, Melmed S, Michel MC, Miller LJ, Mitolo V, Mouillac B, Müller CE, Murphy PM, Nahon JL, Ngo T, Norel X, Nyimanu D, O'Carroll AM, Offermanns S, Panaro MA, Parmentier M, Pertwee RG, Pin JP, Prossnitz ER, Quinn M, Ramachandran R, Ray M, Reinscheid RK, Rondard P, Rovati GE, Ruzza C, Sanger GJ, Schöneberg T, Schulte G, Schulz S, Segaloff DL, Serhan CN, Singh KD, Smith CM, Stoddart LA, Sugimoto Y, Summers R, Tan VP, Thal D, Thomas WW, Timmermans PBMWM, Tirupula K, Toll L, Tulipano G, Unal H, Unger T, Valant C, Vanderheyden P, Vaudry D, Vaudry H, Vilardaga JP, Walker CS, Wang JM, Ward DT, Wester HJ, Willars GB, Williams TL, Woodruff TM, Yao C, Ye RD. The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2023/24: G protein-coupled receptors. Br J Pharmacol 2023; 180 Suppl 2:S23-S144. [PMID: 38123151 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2023/24 is the sixth in this series of biennial publications. The Concise Guide provides concise overviews, mostly in tabular format, of the key properties of approximately 1800 drug targets, and about 6000 interactions with about 3900 ligands. There is an emphasis on selective pharmacology (where available), plus links to the open access knowledgebase source of drug targets and their ligands (https://www.guidetopharmacology.org), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. Although the Concise Guide constitutes almost 500 pages, the material presented is substantially reduced compared to information and links presented on the website. It provides a permanent, citable, point-in-time record that will survive database updates. The full contents of this section can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/bph.16177. G protein-coupled receptors are one of the six major pharmacological targets into which the Guide is divided, with the others being: ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors, enzymes and transporters. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside key references and suggestions for further reading. The landscape format of the Concise Guide is designed to facilitate comparison of related targets from material contemporary to mid-2023, and supersedes data presented in the 2021/22, 2019/20, 2017/18, 2015/16 and 2013/14 Concise Guides and previous Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the Nomenclature and Standards Committee of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (NC-IUPHAR), therefore, providing official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where appropriate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen P H Alexander
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham Medical School, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Arthur Christopoulos
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Department of Pharmacology, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | | | - Eamonn Kelly
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Alistair A Mathie
- School of Engineering, Arts, Science and Technology, University of Suffolk, Ipswich, IP4 1QJ, UK
| | - John A Peters
- Neuroscience Division, Medical Education Institute, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK
| | - Emma L Veale
- Medway School of Pharmacy, The Universities of Greenwich and Kent at Medway, Anson Building, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK
| | - Jane F Armstrong
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Elena Faccenda
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Simon D Harding
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Jamie A Davies
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | | | - George Abraham
- Clinical Pharmacology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | | | | | | | - Magnus Bäck
- Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jillian G Baker
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham Medical School, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
| | | | - Ross Bathgate
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | | | - Maik Behrens
- Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Victoria Blaho
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, USA
| | | | - Corinne Bousquet
- French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Toulouse, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Bice Chini
- University of Milan Bicocca, Vedano al Lambro, Italy
| | - Jerold Chun
- University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Zsolt Csaba
- French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Paris, France
| | | | | | | | - Pascal Dournaud
- French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Paris, France
| | | | | | | | - Tung Fong
- Labcorp Drug Development, Somerset, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Cyril Goudet
- French National Centre for Scientific Research, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Karen J Gregory
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Department of Pharmacology, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Andrew L Gundlach
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jörg Hamann
- Amsterdam University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | - Deron Herr
- San Diego State University, San Diego, USA
| | | | - Nicholas D Holliday
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham Medical School, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Ralf Jockers
- French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Paris, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Yasuyuki Kihara
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Katie Leach
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Department of Pharmacology, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | | | - John D Lee
- University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | | | - Xaria X Li
- University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
| | - Stephen J Lolait
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Amelie Lupp
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | | | - Janet Maguire
- Clinical Pharmacology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | | | - Jean Mazella
- French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Valbonne, France
| | - Craig A McArdle
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Bernard Mouillac
- French National Centre for Scientific Research, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Jean-Louis Nahon
- French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Valbonne, France
| | - Tony Ngo
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, USA
| | - Xavier Norel
- French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Paris, France
| | | | - Anne-Marie O'Carroll
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Stefan Offermanns
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Manisha Ray
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Leigh A Stoddart
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham Medical School, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Thomas Unger
- Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Richard D Ye
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
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5
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Grätz L, Kowalski-Jahn M, Scharf MM, Kozielewicz P, Jahn M, Bous J, Lambert NA, Gloriam DE, Schulte G. Pathway selectivity in Frizzleds is achieved by conserved micro-switches defining pathway-determining, active conformations. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4573. [PMID: 37516754 PMCID: PMC10387068 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40213-0] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The class Frizzled of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), consisting of ten Frizzled (FZD1-10) paralogs and Smoothened, remains one of the most enigmatic GPCR families. This class mediates signaling predominantly through Disheveled (DVL) or heterotrimeric G proteins. However, the mechanisms underlying pathway selection are elusive. Here we employ a structure-driven mutagenesis approach in combination with an extensive panel of functional signaling readouts to investigate the importance of conserved state-stabilizing residues in FZD5 for signal specification. Similar data were obtained for FZD4 and FZD10 suggesting that our findings can be extrapolated to other members of the FZD family. Comparative molecular dynamics simulations of wild type and selected FZD5 mutants further support the concept that distinct conformational changes in FZDs specify the signal outcome. In conclusion, we find that FZD5 and FZDs in general prefer coupling to DVL rather than heterotrimeric G proteins and that distinct active state micro-switches in the receptor are essential for pathway selection arguing for conformational changes in the receptor protein defining transducer selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Grätz
- Karolinska Institutet, Dept. Physiology & Pharmacology, Sec. Receptor Biology & Signaling, Biomedicum, S-17165, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maria Kowalski-Jahn
- Karolinska Institutet, Dept. Physiology & Pharmacology, Sec. Receptor Biology & Signaling, Biomedicum, S-17165, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Magdalena M Scharf
- Karolinska Institutet, Dept. Physiology & Pharmacology, Sec. Receptor Biology & Signaling, Biomedicum, S-17165, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pawel Kozielewicz
- Karolinska Institutet, Dept. Physiology & Pharmacology, Sec. Receptor Biology & Signaling, Biomedicum, S-17165, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Michael Jahn
- School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, S-17121, Solna, Sweden
- Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Bioinformatics platform, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julien Bous
- Karolinska Institutet, Dept. Physiology & Pharmacology, Sec. Receptor Biology & Signaling, Biomedicum, S-17165, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nevin A Lambert
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, USA
| | - David E Gloriam
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Gunnar Schulte
- Karolinska Institutet, Dept. Physiology & Pharmacology, Sec. Receptor Biology & Signaling, Biomedicum, S-17165, Stockholm, Sweden.
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6
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Grätz L, Sajkowska-Kozielewicz JJ, Wesslowski J, Kinsolving J, Bridge LJ, Petzold K, Davidson G, Schulte G, Kozielewicz P. NanoBiT- and NanoBiT/BRET-based assays allow the analysis of binding kinetics of WNT-3A to endogenous Frizzled 7 in a colorectal cancer model. Br J Pharmacol 2023. [PMID: 37055379 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16090] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE WNT binding to Frizzleds (FZD) is a crucial step that leads to the initiation of signalling cascades governing multiple processes during embryonic development, stem cell regulation, and adult tissue homeostasis. Recent efforts have enabled us to shed light on WNT-FZD pharmacology in overexpressed HEK293 cells. However, assessing ligand binding at endogenous receptor expression levels is important as there might be differential binding behaviour in a native environment. Here, we study one FZD paralogue: FZD7 , and analyze its interactions with WNT-3A in live CRISPR-Cas9-edited SW480 cells typifying colorectal cancer. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH SW480 cells were CRISPR-Cas9-edited to insert a HiBiT-tag on the N-terminus of FZD7 , preserving the native signal peptide. Subsequently, these cells were used to study eGFP-WNT-3A association with endogenous and overexpressed HiBiT-FZD7 using NanoBiT/BRET and NanoBiT to measure ligand binding and receptor internalization. KEY RESULTS Using the newly developed assay, we detect the binding of eGFP-WNT-3A to endogenous HiBiT-FZD7 and compare it with overexpressed receptors. We show that receptor overexpression results in increased membrane dynamics, leading to an apparent decrease in binding on-rate and consequently in higher, up to 10 times, calculated Kd . Thus, measurements of binding affinities of WNT-3A to FZD7 obtained in overexpressed cells are suboptimal compared to the measurements from endogenously-expressing cells. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Binding affinity measurements in the overexpressing cells fail to recapitulate ligand binding affinities assessed in a (patho-)physiologically relevant context where receptor expression is lower. Therefore, future studies on WNT-FZD7 binding should be performed using receptors expressed under endogenous promotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Grätz
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Joanna J Sajkowska-Kozielewicz
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Organic and Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Janine Wesslowski
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems-Functional Molecular Systems, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Julia Kinsolving
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lloyd J Bridge
- Department of Computer Science and Creative Technologies, University of the West England, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Katja Petzold
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gary Davidson
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems-Functional Molecular Systems, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Gunnar Schulte
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Paweł Kozielewicz
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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7
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Bowin CF, Kozielewicz P, Grätz L, Kowalski-Jahn M, Schihada H, Schulte G. WNT stimulation induces dynamic conformational changes in the Frizzled-Dishevelled interaction. Sci Signal 2023; 16:eabo4974. [PMID: 37014927 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abo4974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/06/2023]
Abstract
Frizzleds (FZDs) are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that bind to WNT family ligands. FZDs signal through multiple effector proteins, including Dishevelled (DVL), which acts as a hub for several downstream signaling pathways. To understand how WNT binding to FZD stimulates intracellular signaling and influences downstream pathway selectivity, we investigated the dynamic changes in the FZD5-DVL2 interaction elicited by WNT-3A and WNT-5A. Ligand-induced changes in bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) between FZD5 and DVL2 or the isolated FZD-binding DEP domain of DVL2 revealed a composite response consisting of both DVL2 recruitment and conformational dynamics in the FZD5-DVL2 complex. The combination of different BRET paradigms enabled us to identify ligand-dependent conformational dynamics in the FZD5-DVL2 complex and distinguish them from ligand-induced recruitment of DVL2 or DEP to FZD5. The observed agonist-induced conformational changes at the receptor-transducer interface suggest that extracellular agonist and intracellular transducers cooperate through transmembrane allosteric interaction with FZDs in a ternary complex reminiscent of that of classical GPCRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl-Fredrik Bowin
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Section of Receptor Biology and Signaling, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pawel Kozielewicz
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Section of Receptor Biology and Signaling, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lukas Grätz
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Section of Receptor Biology and Signaling, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maria Kowalski-Jahn
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Section of Receptor Biology and Signaling, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hannes Schihada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Section of Receptor Biology and Signaling, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gunnar Schulte
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Section of Receptor Biology and Signaling, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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8
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Grätz L, Müller C, Pegoli A, Schindler L, Bernhardt G, Littmann T. Insertion of Nanoluc into the Extracellular Loops as a Complementary Method To Establish BRET-Based Binding Assays for GPCRs. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2022; 5:1142-1155. [PMID: 36407949 PMCID: PMC9667534 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.2c00162] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Luminescence-based techniques play an increasingly important role in all areas of biochemical research, including investigations on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). One quite recent and popular addition has been made by introducing bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET)-based binding assays for GPCRs, which are based on the fusion of nanoluciferase (Nluc) to the N-terminus of the receptor and the occurring energy transfer via BRET to a bound fluorescent ligand. However, being based on BRET, the technique is strongly dependent on the distance/orientation between the luciferase and the fluorescent ligand. Here we describe an alternative strategy to establish BRET-based binding assays for GPCRs, where the N-terminal fusion of Nluc did not result in functioning test systems with our fluorescent ligands (e.g., for the neuropeptide Y Y1 receptor (Y1R) and the neurotensin receptor type 1 (NTS1R)). Instead, we introduced Nluc into their second extracellular loop and we obtained binding data for the fluorescent ligands and reported standard ligands (in saturation and competition binding experiments, respectively) comparable to data from the literature. The strategy was transferred to the angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1R) and the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M1R), which led to affinity estimates comparable to data from radioligand binding experiments. Additionally, an analysis of the binding kinetics of all fluorescent ligands at their respective target was performed using the newly described receptor/Nluc-constructs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christoph Müller
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Lisa Schindler
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Günther Bernhardt
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
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9
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Schindler L, Moosbauer J, Schmidt D, Spruss T, Grätz L, Lüdeke S, Hofheinz F, Meister S, Echtenacher B, Bernhardt G, Pietzsch J, Hellwig D, Keller M. Development of a Neurotensin-Derived 68Ga-Labeled PET Ligand with High In Vivo Stability for Imaging of NTS1 Receptor-Expressing Tumors. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14194922. [PMID: 36230845 PMCID: PMC9564337 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14194922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Overexpression of the neurotensin receptor type 1 (NTS1R), a peptide receptor located at the plasma membrane, has been reported for a variety of malignant tumors. Thus, targeting the NTS1R with 18F- or 68Ga-labeled ligands is considered a straightforward approach towards in vivo imaging of NTS1R-expressing tumors via positron emission tomography (PET). The development of suitable peptidic NTS1R PET ligands derived from neurotensin is challenging due to proteolytic degradation. In this study, we prepared a series of NTS1R PET ligands based on the C-terminal fragment of neurotensin (NT(8–13), Arg8-Arg9-Pro10-Tyr11-Ile12-Leu13) by attachment of the chelator 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) via an Nω-carbamoylated arginine side chain. Insertion of Ga3+ in the DOTA chelator gave potential PET ligands that were evaluated concerning NTS1R affinity (range of Ki values: 1.2–21 nM) and plasma stability. Four candidates were labeled with 68Ga3+ and used for biodistribution studies in HT-29 tumor-bearing mice. [68Ga]UR-LS130 ([68Ga]56), containing an N-terminal methyl group and a β,β-dimethylated tyrosine instead of Tyr11, showed the highest in vivo stability and afforded a tumor-to-muscle ratio of 16 at 45 min p.i. Likewise, dynamic PET scans enabled a clear tumor visualization. The accumulation of [68Ga]56 in the tumor was NTS1R-mediated, as proven by blocking studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Schindler
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jutta Moosbauer
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Schmidt
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Thilo Spruss
- Section for Central Animal Laboratories, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Lukas Grätz
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Steffen Lüdeke
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Staudinger Weg 5, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Frank Hofheinz
- Department of Positron Emission Tomography, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Sebastian Meister
- Department of Radiopharmaceutical and Chemical Biology, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Bernd Echtenacher
- Division of Immunology, LIT—Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Günther Bernhardt
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jens Pietzsch
- Department of Radiopharmaceutical and Chemical Biology, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328 Dresden, Germany
- Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, School of Science, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany
| | - Dirk Hellwig
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
- Correspondence: (D.H.); (M.K.); Tel.: +49-944-7501 (D.H.); +49-943-3329 (M.K.)
| | - Max Keller
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
- Correspondence: (D.H.); (M.K.); Tel.: +49-944-7501 (D.H.); +49-943-3329 (M.K.)
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10
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Tahk MJ, Torp J, Ali MAS, Fishman D, Parts L, Grätz L, Müller C, Keller M, Veiksina S, Laasfeld T, Rinken A. Live-cell microscopy or fluorescence anisotropy with budded baculoviruses-which way to go with measuring ligand binding to M 4 muscarinic receptors? Open Biol 2022; 12:220019. [PMID: 35674179 PMCID: PMC9175271 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.220019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
M4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that has been associated with alcohol and cocaine abuse, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia which makes it an interesting drug target. For many GPCRs, the high-affinity fluorescence ligands have expanded the options for high-throughput screening of drug candidates and serve as useful tools in fundamental receptor research. Here, we explored two TAMRA-labelled fluorescence ligands, UR-MK342 and UR-CG072, for development of assays for studying ligand-binding properties to M4 receptor. Using budded baculovirus particles as M4 receptor preparation and fluorescence anisotropy method, we measured the affinities and binding kinetics of both fluorescence ligands. Using the fluorescence ligands as reporter probes, the binding affinities of unlabelled ligands could be determined. Based on these results, we took a step towards a more natural system and developed a method using live CHO-K1-hM4R cells and automated fluorescence microscopy suitable for the routine determination of unlabelled ligand affinities. For quantitative image analysis, we developed random forest and deep learning-based pipelines for cell segmentation. The pipelines were integrated into the user-friendly open-source Aparecium software. Both image analysis methods were suitable for measuring fluorescence ligand saturation binding and kinetics as well as for screening binding affinities of unlabelled ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maris-Johanna Tahk
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Jane Torp
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mohammed A. S. Ali
- Department of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Narva Street 20, 51009 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Dmytro Fishman
- Department of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Narva Street 20, 51009 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Leopold Parts
- Department of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Narva Street 20, 51009 Tartu, Estonia
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Lukas Grätz
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Müller
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Max Keller
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Santa Veiksina
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Tõnis Laasfeld
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Narva Street 20, 51009 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ago Rinken
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
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11
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Konieczny A, Conrad M, Ertl FJ, Gleixner J, Gattor AO, Grätz L, Schmidt MF, Neu E, Horn AHC, Wifling D, Gmeiner P, Clark T, Sticht H, Keller M. N-Terminus to Arginine Side-Chain Cyclization of Linear Peptidic Neuropeptide Y Y 4 Receptor Ligands Results in Picomolar Binding Constants. J Med Chem 2021; 64:16746-16769. [PMID: 34748345 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The family of neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptors comprises four subtypes (Y1R, Y2R, Y4R, Y5R), which are addressed by at least three endogenous peptides, i.e., NPY, peptide YY, and pancreatic polypeptide (PP), the latter showing a preference for Y4R. A series of cyclic oligopeptidic Y4R ligands were prepared by applying a novel approach, i.e., N-terminus to arginine side-chain cyclization. Most peptides acted as Y4R partial agonists, showing up to 60-fold higher Y4R affinity compared to the linear precursor peptides. Two cyclic hexapeptides (18, 24) showed higher Y4R potency (Ca2+ aequorin assay) and, with pKi values >10, also higher Y4R affinity compared to human pancreatic polypeptide (hPP). Compounds such as 18 and 24, exhibiting considerably lower molecular weight and considerably more pronounced Y4R selectivity than PP and previously described dimeric peptidic ligands with high Y4R affinity, represent promising leads for the preparation of labeled tool compounds and might support the development of drug-like Y4R ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Konieczny
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Marcus Conrad
- Institute of Biochemistry, Emil-Fischer-Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Fahrstraße 17, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Fabian J Ertl
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jakob Gleixner
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Albert O Gattor
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Lukas Grätz
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Maximilian F Schmidt
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Straße 10, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Eduard Neu
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Computer-Chemistry-Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nägelsbachstraße 25, D-91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Anselm H C Horn
- Institute of Biochemistry, Emil-Fischer-Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Fahrstraße 17, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - David Wifling
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Peter Gmeiner
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Straße 10, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Timothy Clark
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Straße 10, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany.,Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Computer-Chemistry-Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nägelsbachstraße 25, D-91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Heinrich Sticht
- Institute of Biochemistry, Emil-Fischer-Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Fahrstraße 17, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Max Keller
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
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12
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Rosier N, Grätz L, Schihada H, Möller J, Işbilir A, Humphrys LJ, Nagl M, Seibel U, Lohse MJ, Pockes S. A Versatile Sub-Nanomolar Fluorescent Ligand Enables NanoBRET Binding Studies and Single-Molecule Microscopy at the Histamine H 3 Receptor. J Med Chem 2021; 64:11695-11708. [PMID: 34309390 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The histamine H3 receptor (H3R) is considered an attractive drug target for various neurological diseases. We here report the synthesis of UR-NR266, a novel fluorescent H3R ligand. Broad pharmacological characterization revealed UR-NR266 as a sub-nanomolar compound at the H3R with an exceptional selectivity profile within the histamine receptor family. The presented neutral antagonist showed fast association to its target and complete dissociation in kinetic binding studies. Detailed characterization of standard H3R ligands in NanoBRET competition binding using UR-NR266 highlights its value as a versatile pharmacological tool to analyze future H3R ligands. The low nonspecific binding observed in all experiments could also be verified in TIRF and confocal microscopy. This fluorescent probe allows the highly specific analysis of native H3R in various assays ranging from optical high throughput technologies to biophysical analyses and single-molecule studies in its natural environment. An off-target screening at 14 receptors revealed UR-NR266 as a selective compound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Rosier
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Lukas Grätz
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Hannes Schihada
- Section of Receptor Biology & Signaling, Dept. of Physiology & Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 1, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | - Jan Möller
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Straße 10, Berlin 13125, Germany.,Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Rudolf Virchow Center, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Straße 2, Würzburg 97070, Germany
| | - Ali Işbilir
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Straße 10, Berlin 13125, Germany.,Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Rudolf Virchow Center, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Straße 2, Würzburg 97070, Germany
| | - Laura J Humphrys
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Martin Nagl
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Ulla Seibel
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Martin J Lohse
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Straße 10, Berlin 13125, Germany.,Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Rudolf Virchow Center, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Straße 2, Würzburg 97070, Germany.,ISAR Bioscience Institute, Semmelweisstraße 5, Planegg 82152, Germany
| | - Steffen Pockes
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany.,Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, 2101 6th Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414, United States
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13
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Andreev S, Pantsar T, Tesch R, Kahlke N, El-Gokha A, Ansideri F, Grätz L, Romasco J, Sita G, Geibel C, Lämmerhofer M, Tarozzi A, Knapp S, Laufer SA, Koch P. Addressing a Trapped High-Energy Water: Design and Synthesis of Highly Potent Pyrimidoindole-Based Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β Inhibitors. J Med Chem 2021; 65:1283-1301. [PMID: 34213342 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c02146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
In small molecule binding, water is not a passive bystander but rather takes an active role in the binding site, which may be decisive for the potency of the inhibitor. Here, by addressing a high-energy water, we improved the IC50 value of our co-crystallized glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) inhibitor by nearly two orders of magnitude. Surprisingly, our results demonstrate that this high-energy water was not displaced by our potent inhibitor (S)-3-(3-((7-ethynyl-9H-pyrimido[4,5-b]indol-4-yl)(methyl)amino)piperidin-1-yl)propanenitrile ((S)-15, IC50 value of 6 nM). Instead, only a subtle shift in the location of this water molecule resulted in a dramatic decrease in the energy of this high-energy hydration site, as shown by the WaterMap analysis combined with microsecond timescale molecular dynamics simulations. (S)-15 demonstrated both a favorable kinome selectivity profile and target engagement in a cellular environment and reduced GSK-3 autophosphorylation in neuronal SH-SY5Y cells. Overall, our findings highlight that even a slight adjustment in the location of a high-energy water can be decisive for ligand binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislav Andreev
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tatu Pantsar
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.,School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Roberta Tesch
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Structural Genomics Consortium, Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Niclas Kahlke
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ahmed El-Gokha
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.,Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Gamal Abdel-Nasser Street, 32511 Shebin El-Kom, Egypt
| | - Francesco Ansideri
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lukas Grätz
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry II, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jenny Romasco
- Department for Life Quality Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Corso D'Augusto 237, 47921 Rimini, Italy
| | - Giulia Sita
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 48, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Christian Geibel
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical (Bio-)Analysis, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Lämmerhofer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical (Bio-)Analysis, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andrea Tarozzi
- Department for Life Quality Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Corso D'Augusto 237, 47921 Rimini, Italy
| | - Stefan Knapp
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Structural Genomics Consortium, Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stefan A Laufer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.,Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery (TüCAD2), Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Pierre Koch
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry II, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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14
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Grätz L, Tropmann K, Bresinsky M, Müller C, Bernhardt G, Pockes S. Author Correction: NanoBRET binding assay for histamine H 2 receptor ligands using live recombinant HEK293T cells. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12444. [PMID: 34103640 PMCID: PMC8187643 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91782-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Grätz
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Tropmann
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Merlin Bresinsky
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Müller
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Günther Bernhardt
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Steffen Pockes
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
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Höring C, Seibel U, Tropmann K, Grätz L, Mönnich D, Pitzl S, Bernhardt G, Pockes S, Strasser A. A Dynamic, Split-Luciferase-Based Mini-G Protein Sensor to Functionally Characterize Ligands at All Four Histamine Receptor Subtypes. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21228440. [PMID: 33182741 PMCID: PMC7698210 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In drug discovery, assays with proximal readout are of great importance to study target-specific effects of potential drug candidates. In the field of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the determination of GPCR-G protein interactions and G protein activation by means of radiolabeled GTP analogs ([35S]GTPγS, [γ-32P]GTP) has widely been used for this purpose. Since we were repeatedly faced with insufficient quality of radiolabeled nucleotides, there was a requirement to implement a novel proximal functional assay for the routine characterization of putative histamine receptor ligands. We applied the split-NanoLuc to the four histamine receptor subtypes (H1R, H2R, H3R, H4R) and recently engineered minimal G (mini-G) proteins. Using this method, the functional response upon receptor activation was monitored in real-time and the four mini-G sensors were evaluated by investigating selected standard (inverse) agonists and antagonists. All potencies and efficacies of the studied ligands were in concordance with literature data. Further, we demonstrated a significant positive correlation of the signal amplitude and the mini-G protein expression level in the case of the H2R, but not for the H1R or the H3R. The pEC50 values of histamine obtained under different mini-G expression levels were consistent. Moreover, we obtained excellent dynamic ranges (Z’ factor) and the signal spans were improved for all receptor subtypes in comparison to the previously performed [35S]GTPγS binding assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Höring
- Correspondence: (C.H.); , (A.S.); Tel.: +49-941-943-4748 (C.H.); +49-941-943-4821 (A.S.)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Andrea Strasser
- Correspondence: (C.H.); , (A.S.); Tel.: +49-941-943-4748 (C.H.); +49-941-943-4821 (A.S.)
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Forster L, Grätz L, Mönnich D, Bernhardt G, Pockes S. A Split Luciferase Complementation Assay for the Quantification of β-Arrestin2 Recruitment to Dopamine D 2-Like Receptors. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21176103. [PMID: 32847148 PMCID: PMC7503597 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21176103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigations on functional selectivity of GPCR ligands have become increasingly important to identify compounds with a potentially more beneficial side effect profile. In order to discriminate between individual signaling pathways, the determination of β-arrestin2 recruitment, in addition to G-protein activation, is of great value. In this study, we established a sensitive split luciferase-based assay with the ability to quantify β-arrestin2 recruitment to D2long and D3 receptors and measure time-resolved β-arrestin2 recruitment to the D2long receptor after agonist stimulation. We were able to characterize several standard (inverse) agonists as well as antagonists at the D2longR and D3R subtypes, whereas for the D4.4R, no β-arrestin2 recruitment was detected, confirming previous reports. Extensive radioligand binding studies and comparisons with the respective wild-type receptors confirm that the attachment of the Emerald luciferase fragment to the receptors does not affect the integrity of the receptor proteins. Studies on the involvement of GRK2/3 and PKC on the β-arrestin recruitment to the D2longR and D3R, as well as at the D1R using different kinase inhibitors, showed that the assay could also contribute to the elucidation of signaling mechanisms. Its broad applicability, which provides concentration-dependent and kinetic information on receptor/β-arrestin2 interactions, renders this homogeneous assay a valuable method for the identification of biased agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Forster
- Correspondence: (L.F.); (S.P.); Tel.: +49-941-943-4796 (L.F.); +49-941-943-4825 (S.P.)
| | | | | | | | - Steffen Pockes
- Correspondence: (L.F.); (S.P.); Tel.: +49-941-943-4796 (L.F.); +49-941-943-4825 (S.P.)
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Grätz L, Tropmann K, Bresinsky M, Müller C, Bernhardt G, Pockes S. NanoBRET binding assay for histamine H 2 receptor ligands using live recombinant HEK293T cells. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13288. [PMID: 32764682 PMCID: PMC7414126 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70332-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Fluorescence/luminescence-based techniques play an increasingly important role in the development of test systems for the characterization of future drug candidates, especially in terms of receptor binding in the field of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). In this article, we present the establishment of a homogeneous live cell-based BRET binding assay for the histamine H2 receptor with different fluorescently labeled squaramide-type compounds synthesized in the course of this study. Py-1-labeled ligand 8 (UR-KAT478) was found to be most suitable in BRET saturation binding experiments with respect to receptor affinity (pKd = 7.35) and signal intensity. Real-time kinetic experiments showed a full association of 8 within approximately 30 min and a slow dissociation of the ligand from the receptor. Investigation of reference compounds in BRET-based competition binding with 8 yielded pKi values in agreement with radioligand binding data. This study shows that the BRET binding assay is a versatile test system for the characterization of putative new ligands at the histamine H2 receptor and represents a valuable fluorescence-based alternative to canonical binding assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Grätz
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Tropmann
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Merlin Bresinsky
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Müller
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Günther Bernhardt
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Steffen Pockes
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
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Gruber CG, Pegoli A, Müller C, Grätz L, She X, Keller M. Differently fluorescence-labelled dibenzodiazepinone-type muscarinic acetylcholine receptor ligands with high M 2R affinity. RSC Med Chem 2020; 11:823-832. [PMID: 33479678 PMCID: PMC7650007 DOI: 10.1039/d0md00137f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A series of fluorescent dibenzodiazepinone-type muscarinic acetylcholine M2 receptor (M2R) ligands was synthesized using various fluorescent dyes (5-TAMRA, λ ex/λ em ≈ 547/576 nm; BODIPY 630/650, λ ex/λ em ≈ 625/640 nm; pyridinium dye Py-1, λ ex/λ em ≈ 611/665 nm and pyridinium dye Py-5, λ ex/λ em ≈ 465/732 nm). All fluorescent probes exhibited high M2R affinity (pK i (radioligand competition binding): 8.75-9.62, pK d (flow cytometry): 8.36-9.19), a very low preference for the M2R over the M1 and M4 receptors and moderate to pronounced M2R selectivity compared to the M3 and M5 receptors. The presented fluorescent ligands are considered useful molecular tools for future studies using methods such as fluorescence anisotropy and BRET based MR binding assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinna G Gruber
- Institute of Pharmacy , Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy , University of Regensburg , Universitätsstrasse 31 , D-93053 Regensburg , Germany .
| | - Andrea Pegoli
- Institute of Pharmacy , Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy , University of Regensburg , Universitätsstrasse 31 , D-93053 Regensburg , Germany .
| | - Christoph Müller
- Institute of Pharmacy , Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy , University of Regensburg , Universitätsstrasse 31 , D-93053 Regensburg , Germany .
| | - Lukas Grätz
- Institute of Pharmacy , Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy , University of Regensburg , Universitätsstrasse 31 , D-93053 Regensburg , Germany .
| | - Xueke She
- Institute of Pharmacy , Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy , University of Regensburg , Universitätsstrasse 31 , D-93053 Regensburg , Germany .
| | - Max Keller
- Institute of Pharmacy , Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy , University of Regensburg , Universitätsstrasse 31 , D-93053 Regensburg , Germany .
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Bartole E, Grätz L, Littmann T, Wifling D, Seibel U, Buschauer A, Bernhardt G. UR-DEBa242: A Py-5-Labeled Fluorescent Multipurpose Probe for Investigations on the Histamine H3 and H4 Receptors. J Med Chem 2020; 63:5297-5311. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Edith Bartole
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Lukas Grätz
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Timo Littmann
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - David Wifling
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ulla Seibel
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Armin Buschauer
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Günther Bernhardt
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
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