A subset of histamine receptor ligands improve thermotolerance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Anti-prion Drugs Targeting the Protein Folding Activity of the Ribosome Reduce PABPN1 Aggregation

Prion diseases are caused by the propagation of PrPSc, the pathological conformation of the PrPC prion protein. The molecular mechanisms underlying PrPSc propagation are still unsolved and no therapeutic solution is currently available. We thus sought to identify new anti-prion molecules and found that flunarizine inhibited PrPSc propagation in cell culture and significantly prolonged survival of prion-infected mice. Using an in silico therapeutic repositioning approach based on similarities with flunarizine chemical structure, we tested azelastine, duloxetine, ebastine, loperamide and metixene and showed that they all have an anti-prion activity. Like flunarizine, these marketed drugs reduced PrPSc propagation in cell culture and in mouse cerebellum organotypic slice culture, and inhibited the protein folding activity of the ribosome (PFAR). Strikingly, some of these drugs were also able to alleviate phenotypes due to PABPN1 nuclear aggregation in cell and Drosophila models of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD). These data emphasize the therapeutic potential of anti-PFAR drugs for neurodegenerative and neuromuscular proteinopathies.

L-Thyroxine induces thermotolerance in yeast

The cellular stress response (CSR) is a universal inducible reaction modulated, among others, by heat, drugs, and hormones. We aimed to investigate the role of L-thyroxine (T4) on the heat shock (HS) response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The CSR was evaluated by determining growth and viability of post-logarithmic phase grown yeast cultures after HS at 53 °C for 30 min. We found that long-term T4 exposure can induce a dose-dependent and Hsp90 and H+ trafficking-related thermotolerance in yeast.