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Zaragoza-Huesca D, Martínez-Cortés C, Banegas-Luna AJ, Pérez-Garrido A, Vegara-Meseguer JM, Peñas-Martínez J, Rodenas MC, Espín S, Pérez-Sánchez H, Martínez-Martínez I. Identification of Kukoamine A, Zeaxanthin, and Clexane as New Furin Inhibitors. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:2796. [PMID: 35269938 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23052796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The endogenous protease furin is a key protein in many different diseases, such as cancer and infections. For this reason, a wide range of studies has focused on targeting furin from a therapeutic point of view. Our main objective consisted of identifying new compounds that could enlarge the furin inhibitor arsenal; secondarily, we assayed their adjuvant effect in combination with a known furin inhibitor, CMK, which avoids the SARS-CoV-2 S protein cleavage by means of that inhibition. Virtual screening was carried out to identify potential furin inhibitors. The inhibition of physiological and purified recombinant furin by screening selected compounds, Clexane, and these drugs in combination with CMK was assayed in fluorogenic tests by using a specific furin substrate. The effects of the selected inhibitors from virtual screening on cell viability (293T HEK cell line) were assayed by means of flow cytometry. Through virtual screening, Zeaxanthin and Kukoamine A were selected as the main potential furin inhibitors. In fluorogenic assays, these two compounds and Clexane inhibited both physiological and recombinant furin in a dose-dependent way. In addition, these compounds increased physiological furin inhibition by CMK, showing an adjuvant effect. In conclusion, we identified Kukoamine A, Zeaxanthin, and Clexane as new furin inhibitors. In addition, these drugs were able to increase furin inhibition by CMK, so they could also increase its efficiency when avoiding S protein proteolysis, which is essential for SARS-CoV-2 cell infection.
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Fan YF, Zhang M, Xiang LE, Zhang FY, Lan XZ, Liao ZH, Yang CX. [Molecular cloning and characterization of CMK from Artemisia annua]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi 2018; 43:2264-2260. [PMID: 29945376 DOI: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20180329.007] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Artemisinin is a preferred medicine in the treatment of malaria. In this study, AaCMK, a key gene involved in the upstream pathway of artemisinin biosynthesis, was cloned and characterized from Artemisia annua for the first time. The full-length cDNA of AaCMK was 1 462 bp and contained an ORF of 1 197 bp that encoded a 399-anomo-acid polypeptide. Tissue expression pattern analysis showed that AaCMK was expressed in leaves, flowers, roots and stems, but with higher expression level in glandular secretory trichomes. In addition, the expression of AaCMK was markedly increased after MeJA treatment. Subcellular localization showed that the protein encoded by AaCMK was localized in chloroplast. Overexpression of AaCMK in Arabidopsis increased the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids. These results suggest that AaCMK plays an important role in the biosynthesis of terpenoids in A. annua and this research provids a candidate gene that could be used for engineering the artemisinin biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Fang Fan
- Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), School of Life Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.,SWU-TAAHC Medicinal Plant Joint R & D Centre, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Man Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), School of Life Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.,SWU-TAAHC Medicinal Plant Joint R & D Centre, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Li-En Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), School of Life Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.,SWU-TAAHC Medicinal Plant Joint R & D Centre, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Fang-Yuan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), School of Life Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.,SWU-TAAHC Medicinal Plant Joint R & D Centre, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xiao-Zhong Lan
- TAAHC-SWU Medicinal Plant Joint R & D Centre, Xizang Agricultural and Husbandry College, Nyingchi 860000, China
| | - Zhi-Hua Liao
- Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), School of Life Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.,SWU-TAAHC Medicinal Plant Joint R & D Centre, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Chun-Xian Yang
- Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), School of Life Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.,SWU-TAAHC Medicinal Plant Joint R & D Centre, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
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Kumar H, Kumar S. A functional (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate reductase exhibits diurnal regulation of expression in Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni). Gene X 2013; 527:332-8. [PMID: 23800667 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2013.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2013] [Revised: 06/06/2013] [Accepted: 06/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The leaves of stevia [Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni)] are a rich source of steviol glycosides that are used as non-calorific sweetener in many countries around the world. Steviol moiety of steviol glycosides is synthesized via plastidial 2C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway, where (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate reductase (HDR) is the key enzyme. HDR catalyzes the simultaneous conversion of (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate into five carbon isoprenoid units, isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate. Stevia HDR (SrHDR) successfully rescued HDR lethal mutant strain MG1655 ara<>ispH upon genetic complementation, suggesting SrHDR to encode a functional protein. The gene exhibited diurnal variation in expression. To identify the possible regulatory elements, upstream region of the gene was cloned and putative cis-acting elements were detected by in silico analysis. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay, using a putative light responsive element GATA showed the binding of nuclear proteins (NP) isolated from leaves during light period of the day, but not with the NP from leaves during the dark period. Data suggested the involvement of GATA box in light mediated gene regulation of SrHDR in stevia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hitesh Kumar
- Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India.
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