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Tang J, Li W, Chiu TY, Martínez-Peña F, Luo Z, Chong CT, Wei Q, Gazaniga N, West TJ, See YY, Lairson LL, Parker CG, Baran PS. Synthesis of portimines reveals the basis of their anti-cancer activity. Nature 2023; 622:507-513. [PMID: 37730997 PMCID: PMC10699793 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06535-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Marine-derived cyclic imine toxins, portimine A and portimine B, have attracted attention because of their chemical structure and notable anti-cancer therapeutic potential1-4. However, access to large quantities of these toxins is currently not feasible, and the molecular mechanism underlying their potent activity remains unknown until now. To address this, a scalable and concise synthesis of portimines is presented, which benefits from the logic used in the two-phase terpenoid synthesis5,6 along with other tactics such as exploiting ring-chain tautomerization and skeletal reorganization to minimize protecting group chemistry through self-protection. Notably, this total synthesis enabled a structural reassignment of portimine B and an in-depth functional evaluation of portimine A, revealing that it induces apoptosis selectively in human cancer cell lines with high potency and is efficacious in vivo in tumour-clearance models. Finally, practical access to the portimines and their analogues simplified the development of photoaffinity analogues, which were used in chemical proteomic experiments to identify a primary target of portimine A as the 60S ribosomal export protein NMD3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junchen Tang
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Weichao Li
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Tzu-Yuan Chiu
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Zengwei Luo
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Qijia Wei
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Thomas J West
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yi Yang See
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Luke L Lairson
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | | | - Phil S Baran
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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Liu Y, Dong C, Ren J. In vivo monitoring of the ubiquitination of newly synthesized proteins in living cells by combining a click reaction with fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS). Analyst 2023. [PMID: 37439656 DOI: 10.1039/d3an00890h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Newly synthesized proteins are closely related to a series of biological processes, including cell growth, differentiation, and signaling. The post-translational modifications (PTMs) of newly synthesized proteins help maintain normal cellular functions. Ubiquitination is one of the PTMs and plays a prominent role in regulating cellular functions. Although great progress has been made in studying the ubiquitination of newly synthesized proteins, the in vivo monitoring of the ubiquitination of newly synthesized proteins in living cells still remains challenging. In this study, we propose a new method for measuring the ubiquitination of newly synthesized proteins in living cells by combining a click reaction with fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS). In this study, a puromycin derivative (Puro-TCO) and a fluorescence probe (Bodipy-TR-Tz) were synthesized, and then, the newly synthesized proteins in living cells were labelled with Bodipy-TR via the click reaction between Puro-TCO and Tz. Ubiquitin (Ub) in living cells was labelled with the enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) by fusion using a gene engineering technique. FCCS was used to quantify the newly synthesized proteins with two labels (EGFP and Bodipy-TR) in living cells. After measurements, the cross-correlation (CC) value was used to evaluate the ubiquitination degree of proteins. Herein, we established a method for monitoring the ubiquitination of newly synthesized proteins with EGFP-Ub in living cells and studied the effects of the ubiquitin E1 enzyme inhibitor on newly synthesized proteins. Our preliminary results document that the combination of FCCS with a click reaction is an efficient strategy for studying the ubiquitination of newly synthesized proteins in vivo in living cells. This new method can be applied to basic research in protein ubiquitination and drug screening at the living-cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaoqi Liu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.
| | - Chaoqing Dong
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jicun Ren
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.
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Dai T, Yang Y, Zhang J, Ma X, Chen L, Zhang C, Lv S, Li L, Tang R, Zhen N, Lu W, Li C, Hu R, Xiao Y, Dong Z. GCK exonic mutations induce abnormal biochemical activities and result in GCK-MODY. Front Genet 2023; 14:1120153. [PMID: 37082200 PMCID: PMC10110986 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1120153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: Glucokinase-maturity-onset diabetes of the young (GCK-MODY; MODY2) is a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in the glucokinase (GCK) gene. It is often under- or misdiagnosed in clinical practice, but correct diagnosis can be facilitated by genetic testing. In this study, we examined the genes of three patients diagnosed with GCK-MODY and tested their biochemical properties, such as protein stability and half-life, to explore the function of the mutant proteins and identify the pathogenic mechanism of GCK-MODY.Methods: Three patients with increased blood glucose levels were diagnosed with MODY2 according to the diagnostic guidelines of GCK-MODY proposed by the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) in 2018. Next-generation sequencing (whole exome detection) was performed to detect gene mutations. The GCK gene and its mutations were introduced into the pCDNA3.0 and pGEX-4T-1 vectors. Following protein purification, enzyme activity assay, and protein immunoblotting, the enzyme activity of GCK was determined, along with the ubiquitination level of the mutant GCK protein.Results: Genetic testing revealed three mutations in the GCK gene of the three patients, including c.574C>T (p.R192W), c.758G>A (p.C253Y), and c.794G>A (p.G265D). The biochemical characteristics of the protein encoded by wild-type GCK and mutant GCK were different, compared to wild-type GCK, the enzyme activity encoded by the mutant GCK was reduced, suggesting thermal instability of the mutant GST-GCK. The protein stability and expression levels of the mutant GCK were reduced, and the enzyme activity of GCK was negatively correlated with the levels of fasting blood glucose and HbA1c. In addition, ubiquitination of the mutant GCK protein was higher than that of the wild-type, suggesting a higher degradation rate of mutant GCK than WT-GCK.Conclusion:GCK mutations lead to changes in the biochemical characteristics of its encoded proteins. The enzyme activities, protein expression, and protein stability of GCK may be reduced in patients with GCK gene mutations, which further causes glucose metabolism disorders and induces MODY2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongtong Dai
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yun Yang
- School of Medicine, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Juanjuan Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoyu Ma
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lifen Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Caiping Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Sheng Lv
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lin Li
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Renqiao Tang
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ni Zhen
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenli Lu
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chuanyin Li
- Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ronggui Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuan Xiao
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiya Dong
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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Hu JQ, Zhang A, Wang H, Niu L, Wang QX, Zhu LL, Li YZ, Wu C. Discovery and Biosynthesis of Glycosylated Cycloheximide from a Millipede-Associated Actinomycete. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2023; 86:340-345. [PMID: 36693198 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.2c00951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Chemical redundancy of microbial natural products (NPs) underscores the importance to exploit new resources of microorganisms. Insect-associated microbes are prolific but largely underexplored sources of diverse NPs. Herein, we discovered the new compound α-l-rhamnosyl-actiphenol (1) from a millipede-associated Streptomyces sp. ML6, which is the first glycosylated cycloheximide-class natural product. Interestingly, bioinformatics analysis of the ML6 genome revealed that the biosynthesis of 1 involves a cooperation between two gene clusters (chx and rml) located distantly on the genome of ML6. We also carried out in vitro enzymatic glycosylation of cycloheximide using an exotic promiscuous glycosyltransferase BsGT-1, which resulted in the production of an additional cycloheximide glycoside cycloheximide 7-O-β-d-glucoside (5). Although the antifungal and cytotoxic activities of the new compounds 1 and 5 were attenuated relative to those of cycloheximide, our work not only enriches the chemical repertoire of the cycloheximide family but also provides new insights into the structure-activity relationship optimization and ecological roles of cycloheximide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Qi Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 266237 Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Ai Zhang
- Fetal Medicine Center, Qingdao Women and Children's Hospital, Qingdao University, 266071 Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Han Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 266237 Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Luo Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 266237 Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing-Xia Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 266237 Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Le-Le Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 266237 Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue-Zhong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 266237 Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Changsheng Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 266237 Qingdao, People's Republic of China
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Wang XR, Wang S, Mu HX, Xu KY, Wang XT, Shi JT, Cui QH, Zhang LW, Chen SW. Discovery of novel VEGFR-2-PROTAC degraders based on the localization of lysine residues via recruiting VHL for the treatment of gastric cancer. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 244:114821. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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P62/SQSTM1 mediates the autophagy-lysosome degradation of CDK2 protein undergoing PI3Kα/AKT T308 inhibition. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 627:5-11. [PMID: 36007335 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.08.034] [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: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
CDK2 forms a complex with cyclin A and cyclin E to promote the progress of cell cycle, but when cyclin A and cyclin E are dissociated from the complex and degraded by the ubiquitin proteasome pathway, the fate of the inactive CDK2 is unclear. In this study, we found that the inactive CDK2 protein was degraded by autophagy-lysosome pathway. In the classic model of G0/G1 phase arrest induced by serum starvation, we found that the mRNA level in CDK2 did not change but the protein level decreased. Subsequently, using PI3K and AKT inhibitors and gene knockout methods, it was found that CDK2 degradation was mediated by the inhibition of PI3Kα/AKTT308. In addition, P62/SQSTM1 was found to bind to the inactivated CDK2 protein to help it enter autophagy-lysosome degradation in a CTSB-dependent manner. Taken together, these results confirm that the PI3Kα/AKTT308 inhibition leads to degradation of CDK2 protein in the autophagy-lysosome pathway. These data reveal a new molecular mechanism of CDK2 protein degradation and provide a new strategy and method for regulating CDK2 protein.
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Shirokikh NE. Translation complex stabilization on messenger RNA and footprint profiling to study the RNA responses and dynamics of protein biosynthesis in the cells. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2021; 57:261-304. [PMID: 34852690 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2021.2006599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
During protein biosynthesis, ribosomes bind to messenger (m)RNA, locate its protein-coding information, and translate the nucleotide triplets sequentially as codons into the corresponding sequence of amino acids, forming proteins. Non-coding mRNA features, such as 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs), start sites or stop codons of different efficiency, stretches of slower or faster code and nascent polypeptide interactions can alter the translation rates transcript-wise. Most of the homeostatic and signal response pathways of the cells converge on individual mRNA control, as well as alter the global translation output. Among the multitude of approaches to study translational control, one of the most powerful is to infer the locations of translational complexes on mRNA based on the mRNA fragments protected by these complexes from endonucleolytic hydrolysis, or footprints. Translation complex profiling by high-throughput sequencing of the footprints allows to quantify the transcript-wise, as well as global, alterations of translation, and uncover the underlying control mechanisms by attributing footprint locations and sizes to different configurations of the translational complexes. The accuracy of all footprint profiling approaches critically depends on the fidelity of footprint generation and many methods have emerged to preserve certain or multiple configurations of the translational complexes, often in challenging biological material. In this review, a systematic summary of approaches to stabilize translational complexes on mRNA for footprinting is presented and major findings are discussed. Future directions of translation footprint profiling are outlined, focusing on the fidelity and accuracy of inference of the native in vivo translation complex distribution on mRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay E Shirokikh
- Division of Genome Sciences and Cancer, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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