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Vieira TF, Leitão MM, Cerqueira NMFSA, Sousa SF, Borges A, Simões M. Montelukast and cefoperazone act as anti-quorum sensing and anti-biofilm agents against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Appl Microbiol 2024:lxae088. [PMID: 38587815 DOI: 10.1093/jambio/lxae088] [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] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
AIMS Drug repurposing is an attractive strategy to control biofilm-related infectious diseases. In this study, two drugs (montelukast and cefoperazone) with well-established therapeutic applications were tested on Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing (QS) inhibition and biofilm control. METHODS AND RESULTS The activity of montelukast and cefoperazone was evaluated for Pqs signal inhibition, pyocyanin synthesis, and prevention and eradication of P. aeruginosa biofilms. Cefoperazone inhibited the Pqs system by hindering the production of the autoinducer molecules 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline (HHQ) and 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-quinolone (the Pseudomonas quinolone signal or PQS), corroborating in silico results. P. aeruginosa pyocyanin production was reduced by 50%. The combination of the antibiotics cefoperazone and ciprofloxacin was synergistic for P. aeruginosa biofilm control. On the other hand, montelukast had no relevant effects on the inhibition of the Pqs system and against P. aeruginosa biofilm. CONCLUSION This study provides for the first time strong evidence that cefoperazone interacts with the Pqs system, hindering the formation of the autoinducer molecules HHQ and PQS, reducing P. aeruginosa pathogenicity and virulence. Cefoperazone demonstrated a potential to be used in combination with less effective antibiotics (e.g. ciprofloxacin) to potentiate the biofilm control action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana F Vieira
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Medicina, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Miguel M Leitão
- LEPABE Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
- ALiCE - Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
- CIQUP-IMS - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Campo Alegre 687, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno M F S A Cerqueira
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Medicina, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Medicina, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Anabela Borges
- LEPABE Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
- ALiCE - Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
| | - Manuel Simões
- LEPABE Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
- ALiCE - Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
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Peixoto VP, Prudêncio C, Vieira M, Sousa SF. Evaluation of the impact of two C5 genetic variants on C5-eculizumab complex stability at the molecular level. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-10. [PMID: 38529903 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2331091] [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: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Complement C5 is the target of the monoclonal antibody eculizumab, used in complement dysregulating disorders, like the rare disease Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH). PNH is an acquired hematopoietic stem cell condition characterized by aberrant destruction of erythrocytes, chronic hemolytic anemia, and thromboembolism propensity. C5 is a protein component of the complement system which is part of the immune system of the body and plays a prominent role in the destruction of red blood cells, misidentifying them as a threat. This work describes the application of molecular dynamics simulations to the study of the underlying interactions between complement C5 and eculizumab. This study also reveals the importance of single nucleotide polymorphisms on C5 protein concerning the effective inhibition of the mAB, involving the mechanistic events taking place at the interface spots of the complex. The predicted conformational change in the C5 Arg885/His/Cys mutation has implications on the protein's interaction with eculizumab, compromising their compatibility. The acquired insights into the conformational changes, dynamics, flexibility, and interactions shed light on the knowledge of the function of this biomolecule providing answers about the poor response to the treatment in PNH patient carriers of the mutations. By investigating the intricate dynamics, significant connections between C5 and eculizumab can be uncovered. Such insights may aid in the creation of novel compounds or lead to the enhancement of eculizumab's efficacy.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanda P Peixoto
- Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences, School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research (TBIO), Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, BioSIM - Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Cristina Prudêncio
- Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences, School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research (TBIO), Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Mónica Vieira
- Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences, School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research (TBIO), Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, BioSIM - Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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3
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Teixeira CSS, Biltes R, Villa C, Sousa SF, Costa J, Ferreira IMPLVO, Mafra I. Correction: Exploiting Locusta migratoria as a source of bioactive peptides with anti-fibrosis properties using an in silico approach. Food Funct 2024; 15:2773. [PMID: 38385976 DOI: 10.1039/d4fo90017k] [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: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Correction for 'Exploiting Locusta migratoria as a source of bioactive peptides with anti-fibrosis properties using an in silico approach' by Carla S. S. Teixeira et al., Food Funct., 2024, 15, 493-502, https://doi.org/10.1039/D3FO04246D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla S S Teixeira
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Rita Biltes
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Caterina Villa
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Costa
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Isabel M P L V O Ferreira
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Isabel Mafra
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
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4
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Teixeira CSS, Biltes R, Villa C, Sousa SF, Costa J, Ferreira IMPLVO, Mafra I. Exploiting Locusta migratoria as a source of bioactive peptides with anti-fibrosis properties using an in silico approach. Food Funct 2024; 15:493-502. [PMID: 38099620 DOI: 10.1039/d3fo04246d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Edible insects have been proposed as an environmentally and economically sustainable source of protein, and are considered as an alternative food, especially to meat. The migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, is an edible species authorised by the European Union as a novel food. In addition to their nutritional value, edible insects are also sources of bioactive compounds. This study used an in silico approach to simulate the gastrointestinal digestion of selected L. migratoria proteins and posteriorly identify peptides capable of selectively inhibiting the N-subunit of the somatic angiotensin-I converting enzyme (sACE). The application of the molecular docking protocol enabled the identification of three peptides, namely TCDSL, IDCSR and EAEEGQF, which were predicted to act as potential selective inhibitors of the sACE N-domain and, therefore, possess bioactivity against cardiac and pulmonary fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla S S Teixeira
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Rita Biltes
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Caterina Villa
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Costa
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Isabel M P L V O Ferreira
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Isabel Mafra
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
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5
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Leite JP, Lourenço F, Oliveira R, Sousa SF, Mendes MV, Gales L. Crystal structures of Streptomyces tsukubaensis sigma factor SigG1 and anti-sigma RsfG. J Struct Biol 2023; 215:108038. [PMID: 37858875 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2023.108038] [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: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Transcription of specific genes in bacteria under environmental stress is frequently initiated by extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σ factors. ECFs σ factors harbour two conserved domains, σ2 and σ4, for transcription initiation by recognition of the promoter region and recruitment of RNA polymerase (RNAP). The crystal structure of Streptomyces tsukubaensis SigG1, an ECF56-family σ factor, was determined revealing σ2, σ4 and the additional carboxi-terminal domain SnoaL_2 tightly packed in a compact conformation. The structure of anti-sigma RsfG was also determined by X-ray crystallography and shows a rare β-barrel fold. Analysis of the metal binding motifs inside the protein barrel are consistent with Fe(III) binding, which is in agreement with previous findings that the Streptomyces tsukubaensis ECF56 SigG1-RsfG system is involved in metal-ion homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- José P Leite
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, Porto, Porto 4200-135, Portugal; IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, Porto, Porto 4200-135, Portugal; ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, Porto, Porto 4050-313, Portugal
| | - Frederico Lourenço
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, Porto, Porto 4200-135, Portugal; IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, Porto, Porto 4200-135, Portugal
| | - Rute Oliveira
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, Porto, Porto 4200-135, Portugal; IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, Porto, Porto 4200-135, Portugal; ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, Porto, Porto 4050-313, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto 4200-319, Portugal
| | - Marta V Mendes
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, Porto, Porto 4200-135, Portugal; IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, Porto, Porto 4200-135, Portugal
| | - Luís Gales
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, Porto, Porto 4200-135, Portugal; IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, Porto, Porto 4200-135, Portugal; ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, Porto, Porto 4050-313, Portugal.
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6
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Teixeira CSS, Villa C, Sousa SF, Costa J, Ferreira IMPLVO, Mafra I. An in silico approach to unveil peptides from Acheta domesticus with potential bioactivity against hypertension, diabetes, cardiac and pulmonary fibrosis. Food Res Int 2023; 169:112847. [PMID: 37254421 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [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: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Entomophagy is a sustainable alternative source of proteins for human nutrition. Acheta domesticus is one of the three insect species that complies with the European Union Regulation on novel foods, but to date, there are no reports on their potential bioactive peptides. In this study, an in silico approach was applied to simulate the gastrointestinal (GI) digestion of six A. domesticus proteins and identify new peptides with potential anti-hypertensive and/or anti-diabetic properties, resulting from their capability to inhibit the somatic Angiotensin-I converting enzyme (sACE) and/or dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4), respectively. A molecular docking protocol was applied to evaluate the binding interactions between the 43 peptides ranked with high probability of being bioactive and three drug targets: DPP-4 and two catalytic domains (N- and C-) of sACE. Five peptides (AVQPCF, CAIAW, IIIGW, DATW and QIVW) showed high docking scores for both enzymes, suggesting their potential to inhibit the DPP-4 and both catalytic domains of sACE, thus possessing multifunctional bioactive properties. Two peptides (PIVCF and DVW) showed higher docking scores for the N-domain of sACE, indicating a potential action as selective inhibitors and consequently with anti-cardiac and pulmonary fibrosis bioactivities. This is the first study identifying peptides originated from the simulated GI digestion of A. domesticus with potential activities against hypertension, diabetes, cardiac and pulmonary fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla S S Teixeira
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Caterina Villa
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Costa
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Isabel M P L V O Ferreira
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Isabel Mafra
- REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
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7
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Carneiro J, Magalhães RP, de la Oliva Roque VM, Simões M, Pratas D, Sousa SF. TargIDe: a machine-learning workflow for target identification of molecules with antibiofilm activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Comput Aided Mol Des 2023; 37:265-278. [PMID: 37085636 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-023-00505-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial biofilms are a source of infectious human diseases and are heavily linked to antibiotic resistance. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a multidrug-resistant bacterium widely present and implicated in several hospital-acquired infections. Over the last years, the development of new drugs able to inhibit Pseudomonas aeruginosa by interfering with its ability to form biofilms has become a promising strategy in drug discovery. Identifying molecules able to interfere with biofilm formation is difficult, but further developing these molecules by rationally improving their activity is particularly challenging, as it requires knowledge of the specific protein target that is inhibited. This work describes the development of a machine learning multitechnique consensus workflow to predict the protein targets of molecules with confirmed inhibitory activity against biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It uses a specialized database containing all the known targets implicated in biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The experimentally confirmed inhibitors available on ChEMBL, together with chemical descriptors, were used as the input features for a combination of nine different classification models, yielding a consensus method to predict the most likely target of a ligand. The implemented algorithm is freely available at https://github.com/BioSIM-Research-Group/TargIDe under licence GNU General Public Licence (GPL) version 3 and can easily be improved as more data become available.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Carneiro
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, CIIMAR, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, s/n, Porto, 4450-208, Portugal.
| | - Rita P Magalhães
- Faculty of Medicine, Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, University of Porto, BioSIM, Porto, 4200-319, Portugal
| | - Victor M de la Oliva Roque
- Faculty of Medicine, Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, University of Porto, BioSIM, Porto, 4200-319, Portugal
| | - Manuel Simões
- Faculty of Engineering, LEPABE Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n, Porto, 4200-465, Portugal
- Faculty of Engineering, ALiCE-Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
| | - Diogo Pratas
- Institute of Electronics and Informatics Engineering of Aveiro, IEETA, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
- Department of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, DETI, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
- Department of Virology, DoV, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- Faculty of Medicine, Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, University of Porto, BioSIM, Porto, 4200-319, Portugal
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Araújo MF, Castanheira EMS, Sousa SF. The Buzz on Insecticides: A Review of Uses, Molecular Structures, Targets, Adverse Effects, and Alternatives. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28083641. [PMID: 37110875 PMCID: PMC10144373 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28083641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [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: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Insecticides play a critical role in controlling the spread of insect-borne diseases and preserving crop health. These chemical substances are specifically formulated to kill or manage insect populations. Over the years, various types of insecticides have been developed, including organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, and neonicotinoids, each with unique modes of action, physiological targets, and efficacy. Despite the advantages that insecticides offer, it is imperative to recognize the potential consequences on non-target species, the environment, and human health. It is therefore crucial to follow recommended label instructions and employ integrated pest management practices for the judicious use of insecticides. This review article provides an in-depth examination of the various types of insecticides, including their modes of action, physiological targets, environmental and human health impacts, and alternatives. The aim is to furnish a comprehensive overview of insecticides and to emphasize the significance of responsible and sustainable utilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria F Araújo
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM-Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Elisabete M S Castanheira
- Physics Centre of Minho and Porto Universities (CF-UM-UP), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory LaPMET, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM-Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
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Fernandes S, Borges A, Gomes IB, Sousa SF, Simões M. Curcumin and 10-undecenoic acid as natural quorum sensing inhibitors of LuxS/AI-2 of Bacillus subtilis and LasI/LasR of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Food Res Int 2023; 165:112519. [PMID: 36869520 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [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: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The quorum sensing (QS) system is related to cell-to-cell communication as a function of population density, which regulates several physiological functions including biofilm formation and virulence gene expression. QS inhibitors have emerged as a promising strategy to tackle virulence and biofilm development. Among a wide variety of phytochemicals, many of them have been described as QS inhibitors. Driven by their promising clues, this study aimed to identify active phytochemicals against LuxS/autoinducer-2 (AI-2) (as the universal QS system) from Bacillus subtilis and LasI/LasR (as a specific QS system) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, through in silico analysis followed by in vitro validation. The optimized virtual screening protocols were applied to screen a phytochemical database containing 3479 drug-like compounds. The most promising phytochemicals were curcumin, pioglitazone hydrochloride, and 10-undecenoic acid. In vitro analysis corroborated the QS inhibitory activity of curcumin and 10-undecenoic acid, however, pioglitazone hydrochloride showed no relevant effect. Inhibitory effects on LuxS/AI-2 QS system triggered reduction of 33-77% by curcumin (at 1.25-5 µg/mL) and 36-64% by 10-undecenoic acid (at 12.5-50 µg/mL). Inhibition of LasI/LasR QS system was 21% by curcumin (at 200 µg/mL) and 10-54% by 10-undecenoic acid (at 15.625-250 µg/mL). In conclusion, in silico analysis allowed the identification of curcumin and, for the first time, 10-undecenoic acid (showing low cost, high availability, and low toxicity) as alternatives to counteract bacterial pathogenicity and virulence, avoiding the imposition of selective pressure usually related to classic industrial disinfection and antibiotics therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Fernandes
- LEPABE - Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal; ALiCE - Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
| | - Anabela Borges
- LEPABE - Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal; ALiCE - Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
| | - Inês B Gomes
- LEPABE - Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal; ALiCE - Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Manuel Simões
- LEPABE - Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal; ALiCE - Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.
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10
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Vieira TF, Sousa SF. Receptor-Based Virtual Screening of Large Libraries in a Multi-Level In Silico Approach. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2652:261-267. [PMID: 37093481 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3147-8_15] [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] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Structure-based drug design (SBDD) has become an alternative to high throughput screening (HTS) as it reduces experimental costs and time. It works like a funnel, filtering out compounds that do not show good affinity (or score) toward a particular target, with known 3D structure.Here, we describe a protocol for structure-based drug design using a multi-level in silico approach, combining Molecular Docking, Virtual Screening, Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Free energy calculations to find new lead molecules for experimental testing, predict binding affinities and characterize binding modes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana F Vieira
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM - Departamento de Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM - Departamento de Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, Portugal.
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
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11
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Fernandes MJG, Pereira RB, Rodrigues ARO, Vieira TF, Fortes AG, Pereira DM, Sousa SF, Gonçalves MST, Castanheira EMS. Liposomal Formulations Loaded with a Eugenol Derivative for Application as Insecticides: Encapsulation Studies and In Silico Identification of Protein Targets. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2022; 12:3583. [PMID: 36296773 PMCID: PMC9611868 DOI: 10.3390/nano12203583] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A recently synthesized new eugenol derivative, ethyl 4-(2-methoxy-4-(oxiran-2-ylmethyl)phenoxy)butanoate, with a high insecticidal activity against Sf9 (Spodoptera frugiperda) insect cells, was encapsulated in the liposomal formulations of egg-phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol (Egg-PC:Ch) 70:30 and 100% dioleoylphosphatidylglycerol (DOPG), aiming at the future application as insecticides. Compound-loaded DOPG liposomes have sizes of 274 ± 12 nm, while Egg-PC:Ch liposomes exhibit smaller hydrodynamic diameters (69.5 ± 7 nm), high encapsulation efficiency (88.8 ± 2.7%), higher stability, and a more efficient compound release, thus, they were chosen for assays in Sf9 insect cells. The compound elicited a loss of cell viability up to 80% after 72 h of incubation. Relevantly, nanoencapsulation maintained the toxicity of the compound toward insect cells while lowering the toxicity toward human cells, thus showing the selectivity of the system. Structure-based inverted virtual screening was used to predict the most likely targets and molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations were used to demonstrate that this molecule can form a stable complex with insect odorant binding proteins and/or acetylcholinesterase. The results are promising for the future application of compound-loaded nanoliposome formulations as crop insecticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria José G. Fernandes
- Centre of Chemistry (CQUM), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
| | - Renato B. Pereira
- REQUIMTE/LAQV, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, R. Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Rita O. Rodrigues
- Physics Centre of Minho and Porto Universities (CF-UM-UP), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory LaPMET, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
| | - Tatiana F. Vieira
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM—Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - A. Gil Fortes
- Centre of Chemistry (CQUM), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
| | - David M. Pereira
- REQUIMTE/LAQV, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, R. Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM—Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - M. Sameiro T. Gonçalves
- Centre of Chemistry (CQUM), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
| | - Elisabete M. S. Castanheira
- Physics Centre of Minho and Porto Universities (CF-UM-UP), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory LaPMET, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
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12
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Fernandes HS, Cerqueira NMFSA, Sousa SF, Melo A. A Molecular Mechanics Energy Partitioning Software for Biomolecular Systems. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27175524. [PMID: 36080291 PMCID: PMC9458121 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27175524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The partitioning of the molecular mechanics (MM) energy in calculations involving biomolecular systems is important to identify the source of major stabilizing interactions, e.g., in ligand–protein interactions, or to identify residues with considerable contributions in hybrid multiscale calculations, i.e., quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM). Here, we describe Energy Split, a software program to calculate MM energy partitioning considering the AMBER Hamiltonian and parameters. Energy Split includes a graphical interface plugin for VMD to facilitate the selection of atoms and molecules belonging to each part of the system. Energy Split is freely available at or can be easily installed through the VMD Store.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrique S. Fernandes
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- UCIBIO–Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM—Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno M. F. S. A. Cerqueira
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- UCIBIO–Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM—Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- UCIBIO–Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM—Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - André Melo
- Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 1021 1055, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence:
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13
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Rocha JF, Sousa SF, Cerqueira NMFSA. Computational Studies Devoted to the Catalytic Mechanism of Threonine Aldolase, a Critical Enzyme in the Pharmaceutical Industry to Synthesize β-Hydroxy-α-amino Acids. ACS Catal 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.1c05567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Juliana F. Rocha
- Associate Laboratory i4HB − Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- UCIBIO─Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM─Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB − Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- UCIBIO─Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM─Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno M. F. Sousa A. Cerqueira
- Associate Laboratory i4HB − Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- UCIBIO─Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM─Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
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14
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Pina AF, Sousa SF, Cerqueira NMFSA. The Catalytic Mechanism of Pdx2 Glutaminase Driven by a Cys‐His‐Glu Triad: A Computational Study. Chembiochem 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200024] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- André F. Pina
- Associate Laboratory i4HB – Institute for Health and Bioeconomy Faculty of Medicine University of Porto 4200-319 Porto Portugal
- UCIBIO – Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit BioSIM – Department of Biomedicine Faculty of Medicine University of Porto 4200-319 Porto Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB – Institute for Health and Bioeconomy Faculty of Medicine University of Porto 4200-319 Porto Portugal
- UCIBIO – Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit BioSIM – Department of Biomedicine Faculty of Medicine University of Porto 4200-319 Porto Portugal
| | - Nuno M. F. S. A. Cerqueira
- Associate Laboratory i4HB – Institute for Health and Bioeconomy Faculty of Medicine University of Porto 4200-319 Porto Portugal
- UCIBIO – Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit BioSIM – Department of Biomedicine Faculty of Medicine University of Porto 4200-319 Porto Portugal
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15
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Fernandes S, Gomes IB, Sousa SF, Simões M. Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Persister Biofilm Cells of Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas fluorescens. Microorganisms 2022; 10:160. [PMID: 35056610 PMCID: PMC8779418 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10010160] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study evaluates the antimicrobial susceptibility of persister cells of Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas fluorescens after their regrowth in suspension and as biofilms. Two conventional (benzalkonium chloride-BAC and peracetic acid-PAA) and two emerging biocides (glycolic acid-GA and glyoxal-GO) were selected for this study. Persister cells resulted from biofilms subjected to a critical treatment using the selected biocides. All biocide treatments developed B. cereus persister cells, except PAA that effectively reduced the levels of vegetative cells and endospores. P. fluorescens persister cells comprise viable and viable but non-culturable cells. Afterwards, persister cells were regrown in suspension and in biofilms and were subjected to a second biocide treatment. In general, planktonic cultures of regrown persister cells in suspension lost their antimicrobial tolerance, for both bacteria. Regrown biofilms of persister cells had antimicrobial susceptibility close to those regrown biofilms of biocide-untreated cells, except for regrown biofilms of persister P. fluorescens after BAC treatment, which demonstrated increased antimicrobial tolerance. The most active biocide against persister cells was PAA, which did not promote changes in susceptibility after their regrowth. In conclusion, persister cells are ubiquitous within biofilms and survive after critical biocide treatment. The descendant planktonic and biofilms populations showed similar properties as the original ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Fernandes
- LEPABE—Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal; (S.F.); (I.B.G.)
| | - Inês B. Gomes
- LEPABE—Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal; (S.F.); (I.B.G.)
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal;
| | - Manuel Simões
- LEPABE—Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal; (S.F.); (I.B.G.)
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16
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Araškov JB, Višnjevac A, Popović J, Blagojević V, Fernandes HS, Sousa SF, Novaković I, Padrón JM, Holló BB, Monge M, Rodríguez-Castillo M, López-de-Luzuriaga JM, Filipović NR, Todorović TR. Zn( ii) complexes with thiazolyl–hydrazones: structure, intermolecular interactions, photophysical properties, computational study and anticancer activity. CrystEngComm 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d2ce00443g] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Title ligands and their symmetrical octahedral complexes are not photoluminescent, contrary to other synthesized asymmetrical complexes. In comparison to the ligands, the complexes showed improved antiproliferative activity and lower toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jovana B. Araškov
- University of Belgrade – Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Aleksandar Višnjevac
- Division of Physical Chemistry, Institute Ruđer Bošković, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jasminka Popović
- Division of Physical Chemistry, Institute Ruđer Bošković, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Vladimir Blagojević
- Institute of Technical Sciences of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Knez Mihailova 35/IV, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Henrique S. Fernandes
- UCIBIO – Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM – Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB – Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO – Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM – Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB – Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Irena Novaković
- Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Njegoševa 12, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - José M. Padrón
- BioLab, Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica “Antonio González”, Universidad de La Laguna, 38071 La Laguna, Spain
| | - Berta Barta Holló
- University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 4, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Miguel Monge
- Departamento de Química, Universidad de La Rioja, Centro de Investigación en Síntesis Química (CISQ), Complejo Científico-Tecnológico, 26004 Logroño, Spain
| | - María Rodríguez-Castillo
- Departamento de Química, Universidad de La Rioja, Centro de Investigación en Síntesis Química (CISQ), Complejo Científico-Tecnológico, 26004 Logroño, Spain
| | - José M. López-de-Luzuriaga
- Departamento de Química, Universidad de La Rioja, Centro de Investigación en Síntesis Química (CISQ), Complejo Científico-Tecnológico, 26004 Logroño, Spain
| | - Nenad R. Filipović
- University of Belgrade – Faculty of Agriculture, Nemanjina 6, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Tamara R. Todorović
- University of Belgrade – Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
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17
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Magalhães RP, Fernandes HS, Sousa SF. The critical role of Asp206 stabilizing residues on the catalytic mechanism of the Ideonella sakaiensis PETase. Catal Sci Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d1cy02271g] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
We described the catalytic mechanism of IsPETase, a polyethylene-terephthalate degrading enzyme. The reaction was found to progress in four steps, divided in two events: formation of the first transition intermediate and hydrolysis of the adduct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita P. Magalhães
- UCIBIO – Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM – Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB – Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Henrique S. Fernandes
- UCIBIO – Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM – Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB – Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO – Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM – Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB – Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
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18
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Teixeira CSS, Sousa SF. Current Status of the Use of Multifunctional Enzymes as Anti-Cancer Drug Targets. Pharmaceutics 2021; 14:pharmaceutics14010010. [PMID: 35056904 PMCID: PMC8780674 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14010010] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Fighting cancer is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. Among recently proposed treatments, molecular-targeted therapies are attracting particular attention. The potential targets of such therapies include a group of enzymes that possess the capability to catalyze at least two different reactions, so-called multifunctional enzymes. The features of such enzymes can be used to good advantage in the development of potent selective inhibitors. This review discusses the potential of multifunctional enzymes as anti-cancer drug targets along with the current status of research into four enzymes which by their inhibition have already demonstrated promising anti-cancer effects in vivo, in vitro, or both. These are PFK-2/FBPase-2 (involved in glucose homeostasis), ATIC (involved in purine biosynthesis), LTA4H (involved in the inflammation process) and Jmjd6 (involved in histone and non-histone posttranslational modifications). Currently, only LTA4H and PFK-2/FBPase-2 have inhibitors in active clinical development. However, there are several studies proposing potential inhibitors targeting these four enzymes that, when used alone or in association with other drugs, may provide new alternatives for preventing cancer cell growth and proliferation and increasing the life expectancy of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla S. S. Teixeira
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal;
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM—Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4051-401 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal;
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM—Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4051-401 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence:
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19
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Kiriwan D, Seetaha S, Jiwacharoenchai N, Tabtimmai L, Sousa SF, Songtawee N, Choowongkomon K. Identification of tripeptides against tyrosine kinase domain of EGFR for lung cancer cell inhibition by in silico and in vitro studies. Chem Biol Drug Des 2021; 99:456-469. [PMID: 34923743 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.14010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase domain (EGFR-TK) has been one of the prominent targets for therapeutics of several human cancers, in particular non-small cell lung cancer. Although several small chemical compounds targeting EGFR-TK have been approved by FDA for treatment of such a cancer, the discovery of a new class of EGFR-TK inhibitors, for example, small peptides, is still desired. In this study, using molecular docking-based virtual screening, we selected five small peptides with high docking scores from eight thousand peptides as candidate compounds against EGFR-TK. Among five, the tripeptide WFF had the most potency to suppress the survival of non-small cell lung cancer cells but had the least toxicity to human liver cancer cells. Our in vitro kinase assays showed that WFF exhibited much lower inhibitory activity against purified EGFR-TK than the drug erlotinib (i.e., IC50 values of ≈ 0.62 μM vs ≈ 7.57 nM, respectively). The relative free binding energies estimated from molecular dynamic simulations were consistent with the in vitro experiments in which the WFF bound had a lower affinity than erlotinib bound to EGFR-TK (i.e., ΔGbind values of -20.3 kJ/mol vs ≈ -126.8 kJ/mol, respectively). In addition, the simulation analyses demonstrated the difference in EGFR binding preference between the drug and tripeptide in which erlotinib was stably bound in the ATP-binding pocket for 4-anilinoquinazoline class of inhibitors, while WFF moved out of that pocket to interact with polar amino acid residues on the αC-helix, activation loop, and substrate-binding region. Our findings suggest preferable interactions of the potential tripeptide on enzyme inhibition that are useful for further development of a new class of inhibitors targeting EGFR-TK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duangnapa Kiriwan
- Genetic Engineering and Bioinformatics Program, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Supaphorn Seetaha
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Lueacha Tabtimmai
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Science, King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM-Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Napat Songtawee
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Kiattawee Choowongkomon
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Center for Advanced Studies in Nanotechnology for Chemical, Food and Agricultural Industries, KU Institute for Advanced Studies, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
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20
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Quelhas D, Carneiro J, Lopes-Marques M, Jaeken J, Martins E, Rocha JF, Teixeira Carla SS, Ferreira CR, Sousa SF, Azevedo L. Assessing the effects of PMM2 variants on protein stability. Mol Genet Metab 2021; 134:344-352. [PMID: 34863624 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2021.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Phosphomannomutase 2 deficiency, PMM2-CDG, is the most frequent disorder of protein N-glycosylation. It is an autosomal recessive disease with a broad clinical and biochemical phenotype. Trying to predict the impact of novel variants is often a challenge due to the high number of variants and the difficulty to establish solid genotype-phenotype correlations. A potential useful strategy is to use computational chemistry calculations as a tool from which relevant information on the structural impact of novel variants may be deduced. Here we present our analyses based on four well-known PMM2 deleterious variants (p.(Leu32Arg), p.(Asp65Tyr), p.(Phe119Leu), p.(Arg141His)) and the polymorphic p.(Glu197Ala) for which we have predicted the effect on protein stability. Our work predicts the effect of different amino acid residues on the conformation and stability of PMM2. These computational simulations are, therefore, an extremely useful methodology which, in combination with routinely used in silico methods of pathogenicity prediction, may help to reveal the structural impact of novel variants at the protein level, potentially leading to a better understanding of target biological molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Quelhas
- Unidade de Bioquímica Genética, Centro de Genética Médica, Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, ICBAS, UP, Porto, Portugal; Centro Referência Doenças Hereditárias do Metabolismo, Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - J Carneiro
- CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - M Lopes-Marques
- i3S- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; IPATIMUP-Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; FCUP-Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - J Jaeken
- Center for Metabolic Diseases, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - E Martins
- Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, ICBAS, UP, Porto, Portugal; Centro Referência Doenças Hereditárias do Metabolismo, Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - J F Rocha
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - S S Teixeira Carla
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - C R Ferreira
- Skeletal Genomics Unit, Medical Genomics and Metabolic Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - S F Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - L Azevedo
- i3S- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; IPATIMUP-Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; FCUP-Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
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21
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Pina AF, Sousa SF, Cerqueira NMFSA. The Catalytic Mechanism of Pdx2 Glutaminase Driven by a Cys-His-Glu Triad: A Computational Study. Chembiochem 2021; 23:e202100555. [PMID: 34762772 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The catalytic mechanism of Pdx2 was studied with atomic detail employing the computational ONIOM hybrid QM/MM methodology. Pdx2 employs a Cys-His-Glu catalytic triad to deaminate glutamine to glutamate and ammonia - the source of the nitrogen of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP). This enzyme is, therefore, a rate-limiting step in the PLP biosynthetic pathway of Malaria and Tuberculosis pathogens that rely on this mechanism to obtain PLP. For this reason, Pdx2 is considered a novel and promising drug target to treat these diseases. The results obtained show that the catalytic mechanism of Pdx2 occurs in six steps that can be divided into four stages: (i) activation of Cys87 , (ii) deamination of glutamine with the formation of the glutamyl-thioester intermediate, (iii) hydrolysis of the formed intermediate, and (iv) enzymatic turnover. The kinetic data available in the literature (19.1-19.5 kcal mol-1 ) agree very well with the calculated free energy barrier of the hydrolytic step (18.2 kcal.mol-11 ), which is the rate-limiting step of the catalytic process when substrate is readily available in the active site. This catalytic mechanism differs from other known amidases in three main points: i) it requires the activation of the nucleophile Cys87 to a thiolate; ii) the hydrolysis occurs in a single step and therefore does not require the formation of a second tetrahedral reaction intermediate, as it is proposed, and iii) Glu198 does not have a direct role in the catalytic process. Together, these results can be used for the synthesis of new transition state analogue inhibitors capable of inhibiting Pdx2 and impair diseases like Malaria and Tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- André F Pina
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.,UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.,UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno M F S A Cerqueira
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.,UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal
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22
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Pereira RB, Pinto NFS, Fernandes MJG, Vieira TF, Rodrigues ARO, Pereira DM, Sousa SF, Castanheira EMS, Fortes AG, Gonçalves MST. Amino Alcohols from Eugenol as Potential Semisynthetic Insecticides: Chemical, Biological, and Computational Insights. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26216616. [PMID: 34771025 PMCID: PMC8587747 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26216616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
A series of β-amino alcohols were prepared by the reaction of eugenol epoxide with aliphatic and aromatic amine nucleophiles. The synthesized compounds were fully characterized and evaluated as potential insecticides through the assessment of their biological activity against Sf9 insect cells, compared with a commercial synthetic pesticide (chlorpyrifos, CHPY). Three derivatives bearing a terminal benzene ring, either substituted or unsubstituted, were identified as the most potent molecules, two of them displaying higher toxicity to insect cells than CHPY. In addition, the most promising molecules were able to increase the activity of serine proteases (caspases) pivotal to apoptosis and were more toxic to insect cells than human cells. Structure-based inverted virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate that these molecules likely target acetylcholinesterase and/or the insect odorant-binding proteins and are able to form stable complexes with these proteins. Encapsulation assays in liposomes of DMPG and DPPC/DMPG (1:1) were performed for the most active compound, and high encapsulation efficiencies were obtained. A thermosensitive formulation was achieved with the compound release being more efficient at higher temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renato B. Pereira
- REQUIMTE/LAQV, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, R. Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; (R.B.P.); (D.M.P.)
| | - Nuno F. S. Pinto
- Centre of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; (N.F.S.P.); (M.J.G.F.); (A.G.F.)
| | - Maria José G. Fernandes
- Centre of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; (N.F.S.P.); (M.J.G.F.); (A.G.F.)
| | - Tatiana F. Vieira
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (T.F.V.); (S.F.S.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM—Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Rita O. Rodrigues
- Centre of Physics of Minho and Porto Universities (CF-UM-UP), University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; (A.R.O.R.); (E.M.S.C.)
| | - David M. Pereira
- REQUIMTE/LAQV, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, R. Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; (R.B.P.); (D.M.P.)
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (T.F.V.); (S.F.S.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM—Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Elisabete M. S. Castanheira
- Centre of Physics of Minho and Porto Universities (CF-UM-UP), University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; (A.R.O.R.); (E.M.S.C.)
| | - A. Gil Fortes
- Centre of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; (N.F.S.P.); (M.J.G.F.); (A.G.F.)
| | - M. Sameiro T. Gonçalves
- Centre of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; (N.F.S.P.); (M.J.G.F.); (A.G.F.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +351-253-604-372
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23
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Magalhães RP, Cunha JM, Sousa SF. Perspectives on the Role of Enzymatic Biocatalysis for the Degradation of Plastic PET. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:11257. [PMID: 34681915 PMCID: PMC8540959 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011257] [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] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Plastics are highly durable and widely used materials. Current methodologies of plastic degradation, elimination, and recycling are flawed. In recent years, biodegradation (the usage of microorganisms for material recycling) has grown as a valid alternative to previously used methods. The evolution of bioengineering techniques and the discovery of novel microorganisms and enzymes with degradation ability have been key. One of the most produced plastics is PET, a long chain polymer of terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG) repeating monomers. Many enzymes with PET degradation activity have been discovered, characterized, and engineered in the last few years. However, classification and integrated knowledge of these enzymes are not trivial. Therefore, in this work we present a summary of currently known PET degrading enzymes, focusing on their structural and activity characteristics, and summarizing engineering efforts to improve activity. Although several high potential enzymes have been discovered, further efforts to improve activity and thermal stability are necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita P. Magalhães
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM—Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (R.P.M.); (J.M.C.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Jorge M. Cunha
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM—Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (R.P.M.); (J.M.C.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM—Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (R.P.M.); (J.M.C.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
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24
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Natal CM, Fernandes MJG, Pinto NFS, Pereira RB, Vieira TF, Rodrigues ARO, Pereira DM, Sousa SF, Fortes AG, Castanheira EMS, T Gonçalves MS. New carvacrol and thymol derivatives as potential insecticides: synthesis, biological activity, computational studies and nanoencapsulation. RSC Adv 2021; 11:34024-34035. [PMID: 35497284 PMCID: PMC9042360 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra05616f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [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: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
New compounds with potential insecticide activity were synthesized by structural modifications performed in the monoterpenoid phenolic moieties of carvacrol and thymol, resulting in a set of derivatives with the ether function containing the propyl, chloropropyl or hydroxypropyl chains, as well as a bicyclic ether with an unsaturated chain containing a carboxylic acid terminal. In addition, an analogue of carvacrol and thymol isomers bearing methoxyl, 1-hydroxyethyl and (3-chlorobenzoyl)oxy, instead of the three original methyl groups, was also synthesized. Several structural changes that resulted in diminished insecticide activity have been identified, but two significantly active molecules have been synthesized, one of them being less toxic to human cells than the naturally-derived starting materials. Structure-based inverted virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate that these active molecules likely target the insect odorant binding proteins and/or acetylcholinesterase and are able to form stable complexes. For the most promising compounds, nanoencapsulation assays were carried out in liposomes of egg phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol (7 : 3) prepared by both thin film hydration and ethanolic injection methods. The compound-loaded liposomes were generally monodisperse and with sizes smaller than or around 200 nm. The thin film hydration method allowed high encapsulation efficiencies (above 85%) for both compounds and a delayed release, while for the systems prepared by ethanolic injection the encapsulation efficiency is lower than 50%, but the release is almost complete in two days.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina M Natal
- Centre of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Minho Campus of Gualtar 4710-057 Braga Portugal
| | - Maria José G Fernandes
- Centre of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Minho Campus of Gualtar 4710-057 Braga Portugal
| | - Nuno F S Pinto
- Centre of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Minho Campus of Gualtar 4710-057 Braga Portugal
| | - Renato B Pereira
- REQUIMTE/LAQV, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto R. Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228 4050-313 Porto Portugal
| | - Tatiana F Vieira
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto 4200-319 Porto Portugal.,UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto 4200-319 Porto Portugal
| | - Ana Rita O Rodrigues
- Centre of Physics of Minho and Porto Universities (CF-UM-UP), University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar 4710-057 Braga Portugal
| | - David M Pereira
- REQUIMTE/LAQV, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto R. Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228 4050-313 Porto Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto 4200-319 Porto Portugal.,UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto 4200-319 Porto Portugal
| | - A Gil Fortes
- Centre of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Minho Campus of Gualtar 4710-057 Braga Portugal
| | - Elisabete M S Castanheira
- Centre of Physics of Minho and Porto Universities (CF-UM-UP), University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar 4710-057 Braga Portugal
| | - M Sameiro T Gonçalves
- Centre of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Minho Campus of Gualtar 4710-057 Braga Portugal
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25
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Vieira TF, Martins FG, Moreira JP, Barbosa T, Sousa SF. In Silico Identification of Possible Inhibitors for Protein Kinase B (PknB) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26206162. [PMID: 34684743 PMCID: PMC8541300 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26206162] [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] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
With tuberculosis still being one of leading causes of death in the world and the emergence of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), researchers have been seeking to find further therapeutic strategies or more specific molecular targets. PknB is one of the 11 Ser/Thr protein kinases of Mtb and is responsible for phosphorylation-mediated signaling, mainly involved in cell wall synthesis, cell division and metabolism. With the amount of structural information available and the great interest in protein kinases, PknB has become an attractive target for drug development. This work describes the optimization and application of an in silico computational protocol to find new PknB inhibitors. This multi-level computational approach combines protein–ligand docking, structure-based virtual screening, molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations. The optimized protocol was applied to screen a large dataset containing 129,650 molecules, obtained from the ZINC/FDA-Approved database, Mu.Ta.Lig Virtual Chemotheca and Chimiothèque Nationale. It was observed that the most promising compounds selected occupy the adenine-binding pocket in PknB, and the main interacting residues are Leu17, Val26, Tyr94 and Met155. Only one of the compounds was able to move the active site residues into an open conformation. It was also observed that the P-loop and magnesium position loops change according to the characteristics of the ligand. This protocol led to the identification of six compounds for further experimental testing while also providing additional structural information for the design of more specific and more effective derivatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana F. Vieira
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (T.F.V.); (F.G.M.); (J.P.M.); (T.B.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM-Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Fábio G. Martins
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (T.F.V.); (F.G.M.); (J.P.M.); (T.B.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM-Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Joel P. Moreira
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (T.F.V.); (F.G.M.); (J.P.M.); (T.B.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM-Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Tiago Barbosa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (T.F.V.); (F.G.M.); (J.P.M.); (T.B.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM-Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (T.F.V.); (F.G.M.); (J.P.M.); (T.B.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM-Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence:
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26
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Leite JP, Lete MG, Fowler SB, Gimeno A, Rocha JF, Sousa SF, Webster CI, Jiménez-Bar̀bero JJ, Gales L. Aβ 31-35 Decreases Neprilysin-Mediated Alzheimer's Amyloid-β Peptide Degradation. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:3708-3718. [PMID: 34505762 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is associated with the deposition of extracellular senile plaques, made primarily of amyloid-β (Aβ), particularly peptides Aβ1-42 and Aβ1-40. Neprilysin, or neutral endopeptidase (NEP), catalyzes proteolysis of the amyloid peptides (Aβ) and is recognized as one of the major regulators of the levels of these peptides in the brain, preventing Aβ accumulation and plaque formation. Here, we used a combination of techniques to elucidate the mechanism of Aβ binding and cleavage by NEP. Our findings indicate that the Aβ31-X cleavage products remain bound to the neprilysin active site, reducing proteolytic activity. Interestingly, it was already shown that this Aβ31-35 sequence is also critical for recognition of Aβ peptides by other targets, such as the serpin-enzyme complex receptor in neuronal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- José P. Leite
- i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, Porto 4200-135, Portugal
- IBMC—Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, Porto 4200-135, Portugal
- Programa Doutoral em Biologia Molecular e Celular (MCbiology), ICBAS—Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, Porto 4050-313, Portugal
- ICBAS—Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Marta G. Lete
- CIC bioGUNE, Bizkaia Technology Park, Building 801A, Derio 48170, Spain
| | - Susan B. Fowler
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge CB21 6GH, U.K
| | - Ana Gimeno
- CIC bioGUNE, Bizkaia Technology Park, Building 801A, Derio 48170, Spain
| | - Juliana F. Rocha
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM-Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto 4200-319, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM-Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto 4200-319, Portugal
| | - Carl I. Webster
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge CB21 6GH, U.K
| | - Jesús J. Jiménez-Bar̀bero
- CIC bioGUNE, Bizkaia Technology Park, Building 801A, Derio 48170, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao 48013, Spain
- Department of Organic Chemistry II, Faculty of Science and Technology, UPV-EHU, 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Luís Gales
- i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, Porto 4200-135, Portugal
- IBMC—Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, Porto 4200-135, Portugal
- ICBAS—Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
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27
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Serrano C, Teixeira CSS, Cooper DN, Carneiro J, Lopes-Marques M, Stenson PD, Amorim A, Prata MJ, Sousa SF, Azevedo L. Compensatory epistasis explored by molecular dynamics simulations. Hum Genet 2021; 140:1329-1342. [PMID: 34173867 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-021-02307-x] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
A non-negligible proportion of human pathogenic variants are known to be present as wild type in at least some non-human mammalian species. The standard explanation for this finding is that molecular mechanisms of compensatory epistasis can alleviate the mutations' otherwise pathogenic effects. Examples of compensated variants have been described in the literature but the interacting residue(s) postulated to play a compensatory role have rarely been ascertained. In this study, the examination of five human X-chromosomally encoded proteins (FIX, GLA, HPRT1, NDP and OTC) allowed us to identify several candidate compensated variants. Strong evidence for a compensated/compensatory pair of amino acids in the coagulation FIXa protein (involving residues 270 and 271) was found in a variety of mammalian species. Both amino acid residues are located within the 60-loop, spatially close to the 39-loop that performs a key role in coagulation serine proteases. To understand the nature of the underlying interactions, molecular dynamics simulations were performed. The predicted conformational change in the 39-loop consequent to the Glu270Lys substitution (associated with hemophilia B) appears to impair the protein's interaction with its substrate but, importantly, such steric hindrance is largely mitigated in those proteins that carry the compensatory residue (Pro271) at the neighboring amino acid position.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Serrano
- i3S, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Population Genetics and Evolution Group, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- IPATIMUP-Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, Rua Júlio Amaral de Carvalho 45, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carla S S Teixeira
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - David N Cooper
- Institute of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - João Carneiro
- CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Mónica Lopes-Marques
- i3S, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Population Genetics and Evolution Group, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- IPATIMUP-Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, Rua Júlio Amaral de Carvalho 45, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Peter D Stenson
- Institute of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - António Amorim
- i3S, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Population Genetics and Evolution Group, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- IPATIMUP-Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, Rua Júlio Amaral de Carvalho 45, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J Prata
- i3S, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Population Genetics and Evolution Group, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- IPATIMUP-Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, Rua Júlio Amaral de Carvalho 45, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Luísa Azevedo
- i3S, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Population Genetics and Evolution Group, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal.
- IPATIMUP-Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, Rua Júlio Amaral de Carvalho 45, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal.
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
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28
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Fernandes HS, Sousa SF, Cerqueira NMFSA. New insights into the catalytic mechanism of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease: an ONIOM QM/MM approach. Mol Divers 2021; 26:1373-1381. [PMID: 34169450 PMCID: PMC8224256 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-021-10259-7] [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] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, also known as the main protease or 3C-like protease, is a key enzyme involved in the replication process of the virus that is causing the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also the most promising antiviral drug target targeting SARS-CoV-2 virus. In this work, the catalytic mechanism of Mpro was studied using the full model of the enzyme and a computational QM/MM methodology with a 69/72-atoms QM region treated at DLPNO-CCSD(T)/CBS//B3LYP/6-31G(d,p):AMBER level and including the catalytic important oxyanion-hole residues. The transition state of each step was fully characterized and described together with the related reactants and products. The rate-limiting step of the catalytic process is the hydrolysis of the thioester-enzyme adduct, and the calculated barrier closely agrees with the available kinetic data. The calculated Gibbs free energy profile, together with the full atomistic detail of the structures involved in catalysis, can now serve as valuable models for the rational drug design of transition state analogs as new inhibitors targeting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrique S Fernandes
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno M F S A Cerqueira
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.
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29
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Silva Teixeira CS, Sousa SF, Cerqueira NMFSA. An Unsual Cys-Glu-Lys Catalytic Triad is Responsible for the Catalytic Mechanism of the Nitrilase Superfamily: A QM/MM Study on Nit2. Chemphyschem 2021; 22:796-804. [PMID: 33463886 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202000751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Nitrilase 2 (Nit2) is a representative member of the nitrilase superfamily that catalyzes the hydrolysis of α-ketosuccinamate into oxaloacetate. It has been associated with the metabolism of rapidly dividing cells like cancer cells. The catalytic mechanism of Nit2 employs a catalytic triad formed by Cys191, Glu81 and Lys150. The Cys191 and Glu81 play an active role during the catalytic process while the Lys150 is shown to play only a secondary role. The results demonstrate that the catalytic mechanism of Nit2 involves four steps. The nucleophilic attack of Cys191 to the α-ketosuccinamate, the formation of two tetrahedral enzyme adducts and the hydrolysis of a thioacyl-enzyme intermediate, from which results the formation of oxaloacetate and enzymatic turnover. The rate limiting step of the catalytic process is the formation of the first tetrahedral intermediate with a calculated activation free energy of 18.4 kcal/mol, which agrees very well with the experimental kcat (17.67 kcal/mol).
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla S Silva Teixeira
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, 4200-319, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, 4200-319, Portugal
| | - Nuno M F S A Cerqueira
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, 4200-319, Portugal
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30
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Gonçalves IG, Fernandes HS, Melo A, Sousa SF, Simões LC, Simões M. LegionellaDB - A Database on Legionella Outbreaks. Trends Microbiol 2021; 29:863-866. [PMID: 33612398 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2021.01.015] [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] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
LegionellaDB is the first database on Legionella outbreaks; it is based on a metadata analysis of peer-reviewed manuscripts from PubMed and SCOPUS. LegionellaDB is dynamic and extensible, allowing users to search for specific outbreaks, suggest additional information to be included after curation, visualize statistical representations on specific outbreaks, and download selected data. The database is maintained online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês G Gonçalves
- Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; M2BE, Aragon Institute of Engineering Research, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Henrique S Fernandes
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Melo
- Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Lúcia C Simões
- CEB, Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
| | - Manuel Simões
- LEPABE, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
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31
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Ribeiro PMG, Fernandes HS, Maia LB, Sousa SF, Moura JJG, Cerqueira NMFSA. The complete catalytic mechanism of xanthine oxidase: a computational study. Inorg Chem Front 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d0qi01029d] [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: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
In this article, quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods were used to study the full catalytic mechanism of xanthine oxidase (XO).
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M. G. Ribeiro
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE
- BioSIM
- Departamento de Biomedicina
- Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto
- Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro
| | - Henrique S. Fernandes
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE
- BioSIM
- Departamento de Biomedicina
- Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto
- Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro
| | - Luísa B. Maia
- LAQV
- REQUIMTE
- NOVA School of Science and Technology
- Campus de Caparica
- 2829-516 Caparica
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE
- BioSIM
- Departamento de Biomedicina
- Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto
- Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro
| | - José J. G. Moura
- LAQV
- REQUIMTE
- NOVA School of Science and Technology
- Campus de Caparica
- 2829-516 Caparica
| | - Nuno M. F. S. A. Cerqueira
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE
- BioSIM
- Departamento de Biomedicina
- Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto
- Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro
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32
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Abstract
Biofilms play an important role in health, being associated with >80% of all microbial infections in the body and in the development of antibiotic resistance. Research in this field has continuously produced large volumes of data. Being able to handle all this information will be paramount for progress in this field. However, this places a heavy burden on the development of strategies to gather, organize and make this information available in a way that can be readily and effectively used by those requiring it. Lately, efforts towards this goal have been reported, particularly with the development of Quorumpeps, BiofOmics, BaAMPs, QSPpred, dPABBs, aBiofilm and the Biofilms Structural Database. This work reviews these databases and highlights their applicability and potential, while stressing some of the challenges for the coming years in database development and usage brought about by the use of big data and machine learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fábio G Martins
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM - Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - André Melo
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM - Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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33
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Brás NF, Neves RPP, Lopes FAA, Correia MAS, Palma AS, Sousa SF, Ramos MJ. Combined in silico and in vitro studies to identify novel antidiabetic flavonoids targeting glycogen phosphorylase. Bioorg Chem 2020; 108:104552. [PMID: 33357981 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.104552] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Novel pharmacological strategies for the treatment of diabetic patients are now focusing on inhibiting glycogenolysis steps. In this regard, glycogen phosphorylase (GP) is a validated target for the discovery of innovative antihyperglycemic molecules. Natural products, and in particular flavonoids, have been reported as potent inhibitors of GP at the cellular level. Herein, free-energy calculations and microscale thermophoresis approaches were performed to get an in-depth assessment of the binding affinities and elucidate intermolecular interactions of several flavonoids at the inhibitor site of GP. To our knowledge, this is the first study indicating genistein, 8-prenylgenistein, apigenin, 8-prenylapigenin, 8-prenylnaringenin, galangin and valoneic acid dilactone as natural molecules with high inhibitory potency toward GP. We identified: i) the residues Phe285, Tyr613, Glu382 and/or Arg770 as the most relevant for the binding of the best flavonoids to the inhibitor site of GP, and ii) the 5-OH, 7-OH, 8-prenyl substitutions in ring A and the 4'-OH insertion in ring B to favor flavonoid binding at this site. Our results are invaluable to plan further structural modifications through organic synthesis approaches and develop more effective pharmaceuticals for Type 2 Diabetes treatment, and serve as the starting point for the exploration of food products for therapeutic usage, as well as for the development of novel bio-functional food and dietary supplements/herbal medicines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natércia F Brás
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Rui P P Neves
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Filipa A A Lopes
- UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia-Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Márcia A S Correia
- UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia-Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Angelina S Palma
- UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia-Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J Ramos
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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34
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Pereira AC, Ferreira D, Santos-Pereira C, Vieira TF, Sousa SF, Sales G, Rodrigues LR. Selection of a new peptide homing SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells. Chem Biol Drug Des 2020; 97:893-903. [PMID: 33314617 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13816] [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: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer diagnosis remains a challenge, mostly due to its heterogeneity. This reality translates in delayed treatments, increasing treatment aggressiveness and lower chances of overall survival. The conventional detection techniques, although becoming increasingly sophisticated each year, still lack the ability to provide reliable conclusions without being time consuming, expensive, and uncomfortable for the patients. The identification of novel biomarkers for breast cancer research is therefore of utmost relevance for an early diagnosis. Moreover, breast cancer-specific peptide moieties can be used to develop novel targeted drug delivery systems. In this work, we used phage display to identify a novel peptide with specificity to the SK-BR-3 breast cancer cell line. Cytometry assays confirmed its specificity, while bioinformatics and docking studies predicted the potential biomarkers at the SK-BR-3 cells' surface. These findings can be potentially useful in the clinical context, contributing to more specific and targeted therapeutic solutions against HER2-positive breast cancer subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Cláudia Pereira
- CEB - Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,MIT-Portugal Program, Lisbon, Portugal.,Biomark - Sensor Research, Superior Institute of Engineering of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Débora Ferreira
- CEB - Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,MIT-Portugal Program, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Cátia Santos-Pereira
- CEB - Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,UCIBIO@REQUIMTE - BioSIM, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, Portugal.,CBMA - Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Tatiana F Vieira
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE - BioSIM, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE - BioSIM, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, Portugal
| | - Goreti Sales
- Biomark - Sensor Research, Superior Institute of Engineering of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Lígia R Rodrigues
- CEB - Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,MIT-Portugal Program, Lisbon, Portugal
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35
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Teixeira CSS, Cerqueira NMFSA, Gomes P, Sousa SF. A Molecular Perspective on Sirtuin Activity. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21228609. [PMID: 33203121 PMCID: PMC7696986 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [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: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 11/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The protein acetylation of either the α-amino groups of amino-terminal residues or of internal lysine or cysteine residues is one of the major posttranslational protein modifications that occur in the cell with repercussions at the protein as well as at the metabolome level. The lysine acetylation status is determined by the opposing activities of lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) and lysine deacetylases (KDACs), which add and remove acetyl groups from proteins, respectively. A special group of KDACs, named sirtuins, that require NAD+ as a substrate have received particular attention in recent years. They play critical roles in metabolism, and their abnormal activity has been implicated in several diseases. Conversely, the modulation of their activity has been associated with protection from age-related cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and with increased longevity. The benefits of either activating or inhibiting these enzymes have turned sirtuins into attractive therapeutic targets, and considerable effort has been directed toward developing specific sirtuin modulators. This review summarizes the protein acylation/deacylation processes with a special focus on the current developments in the sirtuin research field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla S. S. Teixeira
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (C.S.S.T.); (N.M.F.S.A.C.)
| | - Nuno M. F. S. A. Cerqueira
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (C.S.S.T.); (N.M.F.S.A.C.)
| | - Pedro Gomes
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal;
- Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), University of Porto, R. Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga Santa Comba, Celas, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, Azinhaga Santa Comba, Celas, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (C.S.S.T.); (N.M.F.S.A.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +351-22-551-3600
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36
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Gesto DS, Pereira CMS, Cerqueira NMFS, Sousa SF. An Atomic-Level Perspective of HMG-CoA-Reductase: The Target Enzyme to Treat Hypercholesterolemia. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25173891. [PMID: 32859023 PMCID: PMC7503714 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25173891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [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: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 08/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This review provides an updated atomic-level perspective regarding the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoAR), linking the more recent data on this enzyme with a structure/function interpretation. This enzyme catalyzes one of the most important steps in cholesterol biosynthesis and is regarded as one of the most important drug targets in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Taking this into consideration, we review in the present article several aspects of this enzyme, including its structure and biochemistry, its catalytic mechanism and different reported and proposed approaches for inhibiting this enzyme, including the commercially available statins or the possibility of using dimerization inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana S. Gesto
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal;
| | - Carlos M. S. Pereira
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (C.M.S.P.); (N.M.F.S.C.)
| | - Nuno M. F. S. Cerqueira
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (C.M.S.P.); (N.M.F.S.C.)
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (C.M.S.P.); (N.M.F.S.C.)
- Correspondence:
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37
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Sousa SF, Simões M, Filipović N. Editorial: The Chemistry of Biofilms and Their Inhibitors. Front Chem 2020; 8:746. [PMID: 32974287 PMCID: PMC7469649 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.00746] [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] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Sérgio F. Sousa
| | - Manuel Simões
- LEPABE, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Manuel Simões
| | - Nenad Filipović
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
- Nenad Filipović
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38
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Sousa JPM, Neves RPP, Sousa SF, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. Reaction Mechanism and Determinants for Efficient Catalysis by DszB, a Key Enzyme for Crude Oil Bio-desulfurization. ACS Catal 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.0c03122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- João P. M. Sousa
- LAQV@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Rui P. P. Neves
- LAQV@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J. Ramos
- LAQV@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Fernandes
- LAQV@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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39
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Sousa SF, Calixto AR, Ferreira P, Ramos MJ, Lim C, Fernandes PA. Activation Free Energy, Substrate Binding Free Energy, and Enzyme Efficiency Fall in a Very Narrow Range of Values for Most Enzymes. ACS Catal 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.0c01947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Quı́mica e Bioquı́mica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana R. Calixto
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Quı́mica e Bioquı́mica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Ferreira
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Quı́mica e Bioquı́mica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J. Ramos
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Quı́mica e Bioquı́mica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Carmay Lim
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Pedro A. Fernandes
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Quı́mica e Bioquı́mica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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40
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Magalhães RP, Vieira TF, Fernandes HS, Melo A, Simões M, Sousa SF. The Biofilms Structural Database. Trends Biotechnol 2020. [PMID: 32386874 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.04.002+[doi+link]] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The Biofilms Structural Database (BSD) is a collection of structural, mutagenesis, kinetics, and inhibition data to understand the processes involved in biofilm formation. Presently, it includes curated information on 425 structures of proteins and enzymes involved in biofilm formation and development for 42 different bacteria. It is available at www.biofilms.biosim.pt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita P Magalhães
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Tatiana F Vieira
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Henrique S Fernandes
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - André Melo
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Manuel Simões
- LEPABE, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita P. Magalhães
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIMDepartamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro 4200-319 Porto Portugal
| | - Henriques S. Fernandes
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIMDepartamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro 4200-319 Porto Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIMDepartamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro 4200-319 Porto Portugal
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Abstract
Herein we present the VMD Store, an open-source VMD plugin that simplifies the way that users browse, discover, install, update, and uninstall extensions for the Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD) software. The VMD Store obtains data about all the indexed VMD extensions hosted on GitHub and presents a one-click mechanism to install and configure VMD extensions. This plugin arises in an attempt to aggregate all VMD extensions into a single platform. The VMD Store is available, free of charge, for Windows, macOS, and Linux at https://biosim.pt/software/ and requires VMD 1.9.3 (or later).
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrique S Fernandes
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina , Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto , Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro , 4200-319 Porto , Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina , Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto , Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro , 4200-319 Porto , Portugal
| | - Nuno M F S A Cerqueira
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIM, Departamento de Biomedicina , Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto , Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro , 4200-319 Porto , Portugal
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Teixeira CSS, Ramos MJ, Sousa SF, Cerqueira NMFSA. Solving the Catalytic Mechanism of Tryptophan Synthase: an Emergent Drug Target in the Treatment of Tuberculosis. ChemCatChem 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201901505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carla S. Silva Teixeira
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTEBioSIMDepartamento de BiomedicinaFaculdade de MedicinaUniversidade do Porto Porto 4200-319 Portugal
| | - Maria J. Ramos
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTEDepartamento de Química e BioquímicaFaculdade de CiênciasUniversidade do Porto Porto 4169-007 Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTEBioSIMDepartamento de BiomedicinaFaculdade de MedicinaUniversidade do Porto Porto 4200-319 Portugal
| | - Nuno M. F. S. A. Cerqueira
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTEBioSIMDepartamento de BiomedicinaFaculdade de MedicinaUniversidade do Porto Porto 4200-319 Portugal
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44
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Paiva P, Sousa SF, Fernandes PA, João Ramos M. Human Fatty Acid Synthase: A Computational Study of the Transfer of the Acyl Moieties from MAT to the ACP Domain. ChemCatChem 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201900548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Paiva
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade do Porto Rua do Campo Alegre s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade do Porto Rua do Campo Alegre s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, BioSIM – Departamento de Biomedicina Faculdade de MedicinaUniversidade do Porto Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro 4200-319 Porto Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Fernandes
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade do Porto Rua do Campo Alegre s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
| | - Maria João Ramos
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade do Porto Rua do Campo Alegre s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
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Rocha JF, Pina AF, Sousa SF, Cerqueira NMFSA. PLP-dependent enzymes as important biocatalysts for the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries: a structural and mechanistic perspective. Catal Sci Technol 2019. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cy01210a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
PLP-dependent enzymes described on this review are attractive targets for enzyme engineering towards their application in an industrial biotechnology framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana F. Rocha
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE
- BioSIM
- Departamento de Biomedicina
- Faculdade de Medicina
- Universidade do Porto
| | - André F. Pina
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE
- BioSIM
- Departamento de Biomedicina
- Faculdade de Medicina
- Universidade do Porto
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE
- BioSIM
- Departamento de Biomedicina
- Faculdade de Medicina
- Universidade do Porto
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46
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Sousa SF, Neves RP, Waheed SO, Fernandes PA, Ramos MJ. Structural and mechanistic aspects of S-S bonds in the thioredoxin-like family of proteins. Biol Chem 2018; 400:575-587. [DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2018-0319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Disulfide bonds play a critical role in a variety of structural and mechanistic processes associated with proteins inside the cells and in the extracellular environment. The thioredoxin family of proteins like thioredoxin (Trx), glutaredoxin (Grx) and protein disulfide isomerase, are involved in the formation, transfer or isomerization of disulfide bonds through a characteristic thiol-disulfide exchange reaction. Here, we review the structural and mechanistic determinants behind the thiol-disulfide exchange reactions for the different enzyme types within this family, rationalizing the known experimental data in light of the results from computational studies. The analysis sheds new atomic-level insight into the structural and mechanistic variations that characterize the different enzymes in the family, helping to explain the associated functional diversity. Furthermore, we review here a pattern of stabilization/destabilization of the conserved active-site cysteine residues presented beforehand, which is fully consistent with the observed roles played by the thioredoxin family of enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências , Universidade do Porto , Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n , 4169-007 Porto , Portugal
| | - Rui P.P. Neves
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências , Universidade do Porto , Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n , 4169-007 Porto , Portugal
| | - Sodiq O. Waheed
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências , Universidade do Porto , Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n , 4169-007 Porto , Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Fernandes
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências , Universidade do Porto , Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n , 4169-007 Porto , Portugal
| | - Maria João Ramos
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências , Universidade do Porto , Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n , 4169-007 Porto , Portugal
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Barbosa ACC, Neves RPP, Sousa SF, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. Mechanistic Studies of a Flavin Monooxygenase: Sulfur Oxidation of Dibenzothiophenes by DszC. ACS Catal 2018. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.8b01877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ana C. C. Barbosa
- UCIBIO,REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Rui P. P. Neves
- UCIBIO,REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO,REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J. Ramos
- UCIBIO,REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Fernandes
- UCIBIO,REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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48
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Affiliation(s)
- Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE; BioSIM; Departamento de Biomedicina; Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro; 4200-319, Porto Portugal
| | - Joana Peres
- LEPABE; Faculdade de Engenharia; Universidade do Porto, Porto; Portugal
| | - Manuel Coelho
- LEPABE; Faculdade de Engenharia; Universidade do Porto, Porto; Portugal
| | - Tatiana F. Vieira
- LEPABE; Faculdade de Engenharia; Universidade do Porto, Porto; Portugal
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49
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Paiva P, Sousa SF, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. Understanding the Catalytic Machinery and the Reaction Pathway of the Malonyl-Acetyl Transferase Domain of Human Fatty Acid Synthase. ACS Catal 2018. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.8b00577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Paiva
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J. Ramos
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Fernandes
- UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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Ferreira P, Sousa SF, Fernandes PA, Ramos MJ. Frontispiece: Improving the Catalytic Power of the DszD Enzyme for the Biodesulfurization of Crude Oil and Derivatives. Chemistry 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201786864] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Ferreira
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências; Universidade do Porto; Rua do Campo Alegre s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências; Universidade do Porto; Rua do Campo Alegre s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Fernandes
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências; Universidade do Porto; Rua do Campo Alegre s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
| | - Maria João Ramos
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências; Universidade do Porto; Rua do Campo Alegre s/n 4169-007 Porto Portugal
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