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Katsavou E, Sarafoglou C, Balabanidou V, Skoufa E, Nauen R, Linka M, Geibel S, Denecke S, Vontas J. Characterisation of lepidopteran geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase as a putative pesticide target. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 33:147-156. [PMID: 37962063 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (diphosphate) synthase (GGPPS) plays an important role in various physiological processes in insects, such as isoprenoid biosynthesis and protein prenylation. Here, we functionally characterised the GGPPS from the major agricultural lepidopteran pests Spodoptera frugiperda and Helicoverpa armigera. Partial disruption of GGPPS by CRISPR in S. frugiperda decreased embryo hatching rate and larval survival, suggesting that this gene is essential. Functional expression in vitro of Helicoverpa armigera GGPPS in Escherichia coli revealed a catalytically active enzyme. Next, we developed and optimised an enzyme assay to screen for potential inhibitors, such as the zoledronate and the minodronate, which showed a dose-dependent inhibition. Phylogenetic analysis of GGPPS across insects showed that GGPPS is highly conserved but also revealed several residues likely to be involved in substrate binding, which were substantially different in bee pollinator and human GGPPS. Considering the essentiality of GGPPS and its putative binding residue variability qualifies a GGPPS as a novel pesticide target. The developed assay may contribute to the identification of novel insecticide leads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evangelia Katsavou
- Pesticide Science Laboratory, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Chara Sarafoglou
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Crete, Greece
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Vasileia Balabanidou
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Evangelia Skoufa
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Ralf Nauen
- R&D Pest Control, Crop Science Division, Bayer AG, Monheim am Rhein, Germany
| | - Marc Linka
- R&D Pest Control, Crop Science Division, Bayer AG, Monheim am Rhein, Germany
| | - Sven Geibel
- R&D Pest Control, Crop Science Division, Bayer AG, Monheim am Rhein, Germany
| | - Shane Denecke
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Crete, Greece
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - John Vontas
- Pesticide Science Laboratory, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Crete, Greece
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Siqueira-Neto JL, Wicht KJ, Chibale K, Burrows JN, Fidock DA, Winzeler EA. Antimalarial drug discovery: progress and approaches. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2023; 22:807-826. [PMID: 37652975 PMCID: PMC10543600 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-023-00772-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Recent antimalarial drug discovery has been a race to produce new medicines that overcome emerging drug resistance, whilst considering safety and improving dosing convenience. Discovery efforts have yielded a variety of new molecules, many with novel modes of action, and the most advanced are in late-stage clinical development. These discoveries have led to a deeper understanding of how antimalarial drugs act, the identification of a new generation of drug targets, and multiple structure-based chemistry initiatives. The limited pool of funding means it is vital to prioritize new drug candidates. They should exhibit high potency, a low propensity for resistance, a pharmacokinetic profile that favours infrequent dosing, low cost, preclinical results that demonstrate safety and tolerability in women and infants, and preferably the ability to block Plasmodium transmission to Anopheles mosquito vectors. In this Review, we describe the approaches that have been successful, progress in preclinical and clinical development, and existing challenges. We illustrate how antimalarial drug discovery can serve as a model for drug discovery in diseases of poverty.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kathryn J Wicht
- Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Centre, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of Chemistry and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Kelly Chibale
- Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Centre, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit, Department of Chemistry and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | | | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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Carlucci R, Di Gresia G, Mediavilla MG, Cricco JA, Tekwani BL, Khan SI, Labadie GR. Expanding the scope of novel 1,2,3-triazole derivatives as new antiparasitic drug candidates. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:122-134. [PMID: 36760749 PMCID: PMC9890560 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00324d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We have previously shown that prenyl and aliphatic triazoles are interesting motifs to prepare new chemical entities for antiparasitic and antituberculosis drug development. In this opportunity a new series of prenyl-1,2,3-triazoles were prepared from isoprenyl azides and different alkynes looking for new antimalarial drug candidates. The compounds were prepared by copper(i) catalyzed dipolar cycloaddition of the isoprenyl azide equilibrium mixture providing exclusively 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles in a regiospecific fashion. The complete collection of 64 compounds was tested on chloroquine-sensitive (CQ sensitive), Sierra Leone (D6), and the chloroquine-resistant, Indochina (W2), strains of Plasmodium falciparum and those compounds which were not previously reported were also tested against Leishmania donovani, the causative agent for visceral leishmaniasis. Thirteen analogs displayed antimalarial activity with IC50 below 10 μM, while the antileishmanial activity of the newly reported analogs could not improve upon those previously reported. Compounds 1o and 1r were identified as the most promising antimalarial drug leads with IC50 below 3.0 μM for both CQ-sensitive and resistant P. falciparum strains with high selectivity index. Finally, a chemoinformatic in silico analysis was performed to evaluate physicochemical parameters, cytotoxicity risk and drug score. The validation of a bifunctional farnesyl/geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase PfFPPS/GGPPS as the potential target of the antimalarial activity of selected analogs should be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renzo Carlucci
- Instituto de Química Rosario (IQUIR) UNR, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario Suipacha 531 S2002LRK Rosario Argentina +54 341 4370477 +54 341 4370477
| | - Gabriel Di Gresia
- Instituto de Química Rosario (IQUIR) UNR, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario Suipacha 531 S2002LRK Rosario Argentina +54 341 4370477 +54 341 4370477
| | - María Gabriela Mediavilla
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) - Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR) Suipacha 531 S2002LRK Rosario Argentina
| | - Julia A Cricco
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) - Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR) Suipacha 531 S2002LRK Rosario Argentina
| | - Babu L Tekwani
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Scientific Platforms, Southern Research Birmingham AL 35205 USA
| | - Shabana I Khan
- National Center for Natural Products Research & Department of Biomolecular Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi University MS 38677 USA
| | - Guillermo R Labadie
- Instituto de Química Rosario (IQUIR) UNR, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario Suipacha 531 S2002LRK Rosario Argentina +54 341 4370477 +54 341 4370477
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario Suipacha 531 S2002LRK Rosario Argentina
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Bernard MM, Mohanty A, Rajendran V. Title: A Comprehensive Review on Classifying Fast-acting and Slow-acting Antimalarial Agents Based on Time of Action and Target Organelle of Plasmodium sp. Pathog Dis 2022; 80:6589403. [PMID: 35588061 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftac015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The clinical resistance towards malarial parasites has rendered many antimalarials ineffective, likely due to a lack of understanding of time of action and stage specificity of all life stages. Therefore, to tackle this problem a more incisive comprehensive analysis of the fast and slow-acting profile of antimalarial agents relating to parasite time-kill kinetics and the target organelle on the progression of blood-stage parasites was carried out. It is evident from numerous findings that drugs targeting food vacuole, nuclear components, and endoplasmic reticulum mainly exhibit a fast-killing phenotype within 24h affecting first-cycle activity. Whereas drugs targeting mitochondria, apicoplast, microtubules, parasite invasion and egress exhibit a largely slow-killing phenotype within 96-120h, affecting second-cycle activity with few exemptions as moderately fast-killing. It is essential to understand the susceptibility of drugs on rings, trophozoites, schizonts, merozoites, and the appearance of organelle at each stage of 48h intraerythrocytic parasite cycle. Therefore, these parameters may facilitate the paradigm for understanding the timing of antimalarials action in deciphering its precise mechanism linked with time. Thus, classifying drugs based on the time of killing may promote designing new combination regimens against varied strains of P. falciparum and evaluating potential clinical resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Marie Bernard
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
| | - Abhinab Mohanty
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
| | - Vinoth Rajendran
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
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