Targeting the Plasmodium falciparum’s Thymidylate Monophosphate Kinase for the Identification of Novel Antimalarial Natural Compounds

Recent reports of resistance to artemisinin-based combination drugs necessitate the need to discover novel antimalarial compounds. The present study was aimed at identifying novel antimalarial compounds from natural product libraries using computational methods. Plasmodium falciparum is highly dependent on the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway, a de novo pathway responsible for the production of pyrimidines, and the parasite lacks the pyrimidine salvage enzymes. The P. falciparum thymidylate monophosphate kinase (PfTMPK) is an important protein necessary for rapid DNA replication; however, due to its broad substrate specificity, the protein is distinguished from its homologs, making it a suitable drug target. Compounds from AfroDB, a database of natural products originating from Africa, were screened virtually against PfTMPK after filtering the compounds for absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET)-acceptable compounds with FAF-Drugs4. Thirteen hits with lower binding energies than thymidine monophosphate were selected after docking. Among the thirteen compounds, ZINC13374323 and ZINC13365918 with binding energies of −9.4 and −8.9 kcal/mol, respectively, were selected as plausible lead compounds because they exhibited structural properties that ensure proper binding at the active site and inhibitory effect against PfTMPK. ZINC13374323 (also called aurantiamide acetate) is known to exhibit anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities, and ZINC13365918 exhibits antileishmanial activity. Furthermore, aurantiamide acetate, which is commercially available, is a constituent of Artemisia annua, the herb from which artemisinin was derived. The compound also shares interactions with several residues with a potent thymidine analog inhibitor of PfTMPK. The anti-plasmodial activity of aurantiamide acetate was evaluated in vitro, and the mean half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 69.33 μM when synchronized P. falciparum 3D7 culture was used as compared to IC50 > 100 μM with asynchronized culture. The significance of our findings within the context of malaria treatment strategies and challenges is discussed.

The scaffolding protein CASK mediates the interaction between rabphilin3a and beta-neurexins

CASK, a member of the membrane-associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) superfamily, binds to the carboxyl-terminus of beta-neurexins on the intracellular side of the presynaptic membrane. The guanylate kinase-like (GUK) domains of MAGUKs lack kinase activities, but might be important for mediating specific protein-protein interaction. By a yeast two-hybrid approach, we identified an interaction between the GUK domain of CASK and the C2B domain of rabphilin3a, a presynaptic protein involved in synaptic vesicle exocytosis. The interaction was confirmed by in vitro GST pull-down and co-immunoprecipitation assays. It was proposed that presynaptic vesicles might be guided to the vicinity of points of exocytosis defined by beta-neurexins via the interaction between rabphilin3a-CASK-beta-neurexins.

Compartmentalization of cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase in formyl-peptide stimulated neutrophils

The presence and physiologic role of cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase (G-kinase) in human neutrophils was investigated by Western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry. Small quantities of G-kinase were found in the cytoskeletal-enriched fraction of neutrophil lysates as detected by Western blots using a polyclonal antibody raised against bovine aorta G-kinase. Immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrated in adherent neutrophils that G-kinase was localized diffusely within the cytoplasm, at the microtubule organizing center, and in the euchromatin of the nucleus. Because cyclic GMP is implicated as a modulator of neutrophil chemotaxis, G-kinase localization was investigated in neutrophils activated with N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP). fMLP stimulated transient focal changes in G-kinase localization that coincided with transient changes in cell shape. G-kinase translocated over a period of 5 minutes from diffuse staining of the cytosol to filaments within the uropod of polarized cells (1 minute), to bundles of filaments associated with loss of cell polarity (2.5 minutes), and finally to more intense staining of the nuclear euchromatin (5 minutes). Optical sectioning of neutrophils by confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed that G-kinase was restricted to specific sub-cellular compartments during cell activation. This transient localization of G-kinase was disrupted by cytoskeletal inhibitors and was augmented by 8-Br-cyclic GMP. These data provide evidence for the first time that G-kinase plays a physiologic role in human neutrophils, and support the concept of compartmentalization of cyclic nucleotides during neutrophil activation.