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Kahveci K, Düzgün MB, Atis AE, Yılmaz A, Shahraki A, Coskun B, Durdagi S, Birgul Iyison N. Discovering allatostatin type-C receptor specific agonists. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3965. [PMID: 38730017 PMCID: PMC11087482 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48156-w] [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: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Currently, there is no pesticide available for the selective control of the pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa-specific), and conventional methods typically rely on mechanical techniques such as pheromone traps or broad-spectrum larvicidal chemicals. As climate change increases the range and dispersion capacity of crop and forest pests, outbreaks of the pine processionary occur with greater frequency and significantly impact forestry and public health. Our study is carried out to provide a T. pityocampa-specific pesticide targeting the Allatostatin Type-C Receptor (AlstR-C). We use a combination of computational biology methods, a cell-based screening assay, and in vivo toxicity and side effect assays to identify, for the first time, a series of AlstR-C ligands suitable for use as T. pityocampa-specific insecticides. We further demonstrate that the novel AlstR-C targeted agonists are specific to lepidopteran larvae, with no harmful effects on coleopteran larvae or adults. Overall, our study represents an important initial advance toward an insect GPCR-targeted next-generation pesticide design. Our approach may apply to other invertebrate GPCRs involved in vital metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kübra Kahveci
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Boğaziçi University, İstanbul, Türkiye
| | | | - Abdullah Emre Atis
- Plant Protection Product and Toxicology Department, Plant Protection Central Research Institute, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Abdullah Yılmaz
- Plant Protection Product and Toxicology Department, Plant Protection Central Research Institute, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Aida Shahraki
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Boğaziçi University, İstanbul, Türkiye
- Kolb Lab, Department of Pharmacy, The Philipp University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Basak Coskun
- Plant Protection Product and Toxicology Department, Plant Protection Central Research Institute, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Serdar Durdagi
- Molecular Therapy Lab, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul, Türkiye.
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul, Türkiye.
- Lab for Innovative Drugs (Lab4IND), Computational Drug Design Center (HITMER), Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul, Türkiye.
| | - Necla Birgul Iyison
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Boğaziçi University, İstanbul, Türkiye.
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Afghah F, Iyison NB, Nadernezhad A, Midi A, Sen O, Saner Okan B, Culha M, Koc B. 3D Fiber Reinforced Hydrogel Scaffolds by Melt Electrowriting and Gel Casting as a Hybrid Design for Wound Healing. Adv Healthc Mater 2022; 11:e2102068. [PMID: 35120280 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202102068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Emerging biomanufacturing technologies have revolutionized the field of tissue engineering by offering unprecedented possibilities. Over the past few years, new opportunities arose by combining traditional and novel fabrication techniques, shaping the hybrid designs in biofabrication. One of the potential application fields is skin tissue engineering, in which a combination of traditional principles of wound dressing with advanced biofabrication methods could yield more efficient therapies. In this study, a hybrid design of fiber-reinforced scaffolds combined with gel casting is developed and the efficiency for in vivo wound healing applications is assessed. For this purpose, 3D fiber meshes produced by melt electrowriting are selectively filled with photocrosslinkable gelatin hydrogel matrices loaded with different growth factor carrier microspheres. Additionally, the influence of the inclusion of inorganic bioactive glass particles within the composite fibrous mesh is evaluated. Qualitative evaluation of secondary wound healing criteria and histological analysis shows that hybrid scaffolds containing growth factors and bioactive glass enhances the healing process significantly, compared to the designs merely providing a fiber-reinforced bioactive hydrogel matrix as the wound dressing. This study aims to explore a new application area for melt electrowriting as a powerful tool in fabricating hybrid therapeutic designs for skin tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdows Afghah
- Sabanci University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Istanbul 34956 Turkey
- Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center Istanbul 34956 Turkey
| | - Necla Birgul Iyison
- Molecular Biology and Genetics Bogazici University Kuzey Park Istanbul 34342 Turkey
| | - Ali Nadernezhad
- Sabanci University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Istanbul 34956 Turkey
- Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center Istanbul 34956 Turkey
| | - Ahmet Midi
- Department of Pathology Faculty of Medicine, Bahcesehir University Istanbul Turkey
| | - Ozlem Sen
- Department of Genetics and Bioengineering Faculty of Engineering Yeditepe University Istanbul 34755 Turkey
| | - Burcu Saner Okan
- Sabanci University Integrated Manufacturing Technologies Research and Application Center Istanbul 34906 Turkey
| | - Mustafa Culha
- Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center Istanbul 34956 Turkey
- Department of Genetics and Bioengineering Faculty of Engineering Yeditepe University Istanbul 34755 Turkey
| | - Bahattin Koc
- Sabanci University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Istanbul 34956 Turkey
- Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center Istanbul 34956 Turkey
- Sabanci University Integrated Manufacturing Technologies Research and Application Center Istanbul 34906 Turkey
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Aslan T, Yenenler-Kutlu A, Gerlevik U, Aktuğlu Zeybek AÇ, Kıykım E, Sezerman OU, Birgul Iyison N. Identifying and elucidating the roles of Y198N and Y204F mutations in the PAH enzyme through molecular dynamic simulations. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2021; 40:9018-9029. [PMID: 33970801 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1921619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Phenylketonuria is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene. In phenylketonuria causes various symptoms including severe mental retardation. PAH gene of a classical Phenylketonuria patient was sequenced, and two novel heterozygous mutations, p.Y198N and p.Y204F, were found. This study aimed to reveal the impacts of these variants on the structural stability of the PAH enzyme. In-silico analyses using prediction tools and molecular dynamics simulations were performed. Mutations were introduced to the wild type catalytic monomer and full length tetramer crystal structures. Variant pathogenicity analyses predicted p.Y198N to be damaging, and p.Y204F to be benign by some prediction tools and damaging by others. Simulations suggested p.Y198N mutation cause significant fluctuations in the spatial organization of two catalytic residues in the temperature accelerated MD simulations with the monomer and increased root-mean-square deviations in the tetramer structure. p.Y204F causes noticeable changes in the spatial positioning of T278 suggesting a possible segregation from the catalytic site in temperature accelerated MD simulations with the monomer. This mutation also leads to increased root-mean-square fluctuations in the regulatory domain which may lead to conformational change resulting in inhibition of dimerization and enzyme activation. Our study reports two novel mutations in the PAH gene and gives insight to their effects on the PAH activity. MD simulations did not yield conclusive results that explains the phenotype but gave plausible insight to possible effects which should be investigated further with in-silico and in-vitro studies to assess the roles of these mutations in etiology of PKU. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tolga Aslan
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Aslı Yenenler-Kutlu
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey.,Faculty of Science and Literature, Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Umut Gerlevik
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ayşe Çiğdem Aktuğlu Zeybek
- Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Divisions of Nutrition and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, Istanbul University, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Ertuğrul Kıykım
- Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Divisions of Nutrition and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, Istanbul University, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Osman Uğur Sezerman
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Necla Birgul Iyison
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey
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Birgul Iyison N, Devlet Kiliçkap B, Duan Sahbaz B, Vardar B, Guclu B. Distribution and mRNA expression of nAChRs in the rat S1 and M1 cortices after electrical stimulation of the basal forebrain. Turk Neurosurg 2021; 31:896-906. [PMID: 34169989 DOI: 10.5137/1019-5149.jtn.31865-20.3] [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: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
AIM We aimed to study the changes in the distribution of and the transcriptional levels associated with α4- and α7-subtype nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the primary somatosensory (S1) and motor (M1) cortices of rats after electrical stimulation of the basal forebrain (BF). MATERIAL AND METHODS Immunofluorescence (IF) analyses were performed on brain sections from 20 rats (experimental groups: controls, contralateral, and ipsilateral to BF stimulation). The nAChR receptor complexes were labeled with antibodies and counted (N) in the cortical layers of the hindlimb representation (S1HL), barrel field (S1BF), and M1. To determine the relative transcriptional mRNA levels, qRT-PCR was performed with tissue from the associated brain regions of 14 different animals in two groups, controls and BF stimulation. RESULTS For all three tested brain regions, N and D (density) of the α7-subtype nAChR increased in both ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres after BF stimulation. There was no change in N and D of the α4 subtype. Regardless of BF stimulation, N of both subtypes was lower in M1 compared to S1HL and S1BF, and D was highest in layers II-IV. BF stimulation had no significant effect on the relative mRNA levels of both receptor subtypes. CONCLUSION The results show an upregulation of the α7-subtype nAChR as a result of BF stimulation, based on receptor-complex counts on IF images. However, this change was not reflected in mRNA levels, which suggest post-translational modifications. Overall, this study suggests structural changes from the effects of cholinergic projections to the somatosensory and motor cortices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Necla Birgul Iyison
- Bogazici University, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul, Turkey
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Shahraki A, Yu Y, Gul ZM, Liang C, Birgul Iyison N. Whole genome sequencing of Thaumetopoea pityocampa revealed putative pesticide targets. Genomics 2020; 112:4203-4207. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Birgul Iyison N, Sinmaz MG, Duan Sahbaz B, Shahraki A, Aksoydan B, Durdagi S. In silico characterization of adipokinetic hormone receptor and screening for pesticide candidates against stick insect, Carausius morosus. J Mol Graph Model 2020; 101:107720. [PMID: 32937277 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2020.107720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) is an insect neuropeptide that plays crucial roles in a variety of physiological functions such as regulation of heartbeat frequency, blood hemolymph trehalose levels, and protein synthesis. It exerts its functions through binding to its cognate G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), named adipokinetic hormone receptor (AKHR). The aim of this study is to characterize AKHR of stick insect, Carausius morosus, which becomes an agricultural and forest pest during its outbreaks, and to screen pesticide candidates that would act through inhibition of AKHR. To this aim, the sequence of the receptor and its ligand were obtained from previously published transcriptome data and homology modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were combined to find the ligand-binding pocket of AKHR. As a result, crucial residues in ligand binding were identified. These residues were located at the 6th and 7th transmembrane (TM) domains and the 2nd extracellular loop (ECL) of AKHR model. In order to propose pesticide candidates, virtual screening was performed, and candidate ligands were obtained. Considering the binding energies and the stability of the interaction between the ligand and the receptor, four hit compounds were selected. In conclusion, this study revealed a possible ligand-binding pocket of AKHR and proposed some high-affinity small-molecules to block its function, which would further facilitate pesticide design studies against the same receptor of various pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Necla Birgul Iyison
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Graduate Studies in Science and Engineering, Bogazici University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Merve Gizem Sinmaz
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Graduate Studies in Science and Engineering, Bogazici University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Burcin Duan Sahbaz
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Graduate Studies in Science and Engineering, Bogazici University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Aida Shahraki
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Graduate Studies in Science and Engineering, Bogazici University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Busecan Aksoydan
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahcesehir University, 34734, Istanbul, Turkey; Neuroscience Program, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Bahcesehir University, 34734, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Serdar Durdagi
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahcesehir University, 34734, Istanbul, Turkey; Neuroscience Program, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Bahcesehir University, 34734, Istanbul, Turkey.
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