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Stilley SE, Naraine AS, Yadavalli KP, Maki SL, Jutte EM, Kahn JM, Surtel AA, Lepore SD, Dawson-Scully K. Bridged bicyclic compounds: Comprehending a novel compound class as potential anti-seizure agents. Epilepsia 2023; 64:2958-2967. [PMID: 37660326 PMCID: PMC10840942 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In the present study, we describe a novel class of small-molecule synthetic compounds that ameliorate seizure-like behavior, using an electroshock assay to examine seizure duration in Caenorhabditis elegans. We also examine the hypothesis that these compounds, which we have called resveramorphs (RVMs), act by an irreversible binding mechanism. METHODS Our electroshock assay examines seizure duration in C. elegans and can be used as a drug-screening platform for the identification of novel anti-seizure agents. The use of C. elegans allows for a rapid and efficient method of drug screening that may take years in other higher-order model organisms. A novel wash method, paired with our electroshock assay, allows us to discern differences in biological activity when the C. elegans are incubated in different drug solutions, to establish whether these compounds can be "washed" off. RESULTS One of the RVMs (RVM-3), reported here for the first time, was found to be potent at picomolar concentrations. Insights also provided information on the potential mechanisms of action of this compound. Covalent binding is thought to provide a strong irreversible bond because of a change in structure between two of the novel RVMs described in this work. This was also discerned through the novel wash method paired with our electroshock assay. SIGNIFICANCE RVM-3 was evaluated using our assay and found to possess anti-seizure activity at picomolar concentrations. These insights also provide information on the potential mechanisms of action of these compounds, which may include covalent binding. This was also discerned through a novel wash method paired with our electroshock assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha E. Stilley
- Department of Biology, Charles E. Schmidt College of
Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
| | - Akshay S. Naraine
- Department of Biology, Charles E. Schmidt College of
Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
- IMPRS for Synapses and Circuits, Max Planck Florida
Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL
| | - Krishna P. Yadavalli
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Charles E.
Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
| | - Samantha L. Maki
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Charles E.
Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
| | - Elyse M. Jutte
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Charles E.
Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
| | - Jared M. Kahn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Charles E.
Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
| | - Alexis A. Surtel
- Department of Biology, Charles E. Schmidt College of
Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
| | - Salvatore D. Lepore
- IMPRS for Synapses and Circuits, Max Planck Florida
Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL
| | - Ken Dawson-Scully
- Department of Biology, Charles E. Schmidt College of
Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, College of
Psychology, Nova Southeastern University, Davie, FL
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2
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Mohammed M, Ogunlade B, Elgazzaz M, Berdasco C, Lakkappa N, Ghita I, Guidry JJ, Sriramula S, Xu J, Restivo L, Mendiola Plá MA, Bowles DE, Beyer AM, Yue X, Lazartigues E, Filipeanu CM. Nedd4-2 up-regulation is associated with ACE2 ubiquitination in hypertension. Cardiovasc Res 2023; 119:2130-2141. [PMID: 37161607 PMCID: PMC10478751 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvad070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a critical component of the compensatory renin-angiotensin system that is down-regulated during the development of hypertension, possibly via ubiquitination. However, little is known about the mechanisms involved in ACE2 ubiquitination in neurogenic hypertension. This study aimed at identifying ACE2 ubiquitination partners, establishing causal relationships and clinical relevance, and testing a gene therapy strategy to mitigate ACE2 ubiquitination in neurogenic hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS Bioinformatics and proteomics were combined to identify E3 ubiquitin ligases associated with ACE2 ubiquitination in chronically hypertensive mice. In vitro gain/loss of function experiments assessed ACE2 expression and activity to validate the interaction between ACE2 and the identified E3 ligase. Mutation experiments were further used to generate a ubiquitination-resistant ACE2 mutant (ACE2-5R). Optogenetics, blood pressure telemetry, pharmacological blockade of GABAA receptors in mice expressing ACE2-5R in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), and capillary western analysis were used to assess the role of ACE2 ubiquitination in neurogenic hypertension. Ubiquitination was first validated as leading to ACE2 down-regulation, and Neural precursor cell-expressed developmentally down-regulated protein 4-2 (Nedd4-2) was identified as a E3 ligase up-regulated in hypertension and promoting ACE2 ubiquitination. Mutation of lysine residues in the C-terminal of ACE2 was associated with increased activity and resistance to angiotensin (Ang)-II-mediated degradation. Mice transfected with ACE2-5R in the BNST exhibited enhanced GABAergic input to the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and a reduction in hypertension. ACE2-5R expression was associated with reduced Nedd4-2 levels in the BNST. CONCLUSION Our data identify Nedd4-2 as the first E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in ACE2 ubiquitination in Ang-II-mediated hypertension. We demonstrate the pivotal role of ACE2 on GABAergic neurons in the maintenance of an inhibitory tone to the PVN and the regulation of pre-sympathetic activity. These findings provide a new working model where Nedd4-2 could contribute to ACE2 ubiquitination, leading to the development of neurogenic hypertension and highlighting potential novel therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mazher Mohammed
- Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, 2400 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
- Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1900 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Blessing Ogunlade
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Howard University, 520 W St, NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA
| | - Mona Elgazzaz
- Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, 2400 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
- Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1900 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
- Cardiovascular Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 533 Bolivar Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
- Genetics Unit, Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Clara Berdasco
- Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, 2400 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
- Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1900 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Navya Lakkappa
- Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, 2400 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
- Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1900 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Ioana Ghita
- Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Jessie J Guidry
- Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1900 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Srinivas Sriramula
- Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1900 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
| | - Jiaxi Xu
- Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1900 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Xi’an, 710061, China
| | - Luke Restivo
- Cardiovascular Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 533 Bolivar Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Michelle A Mendiola Plá
- Division of Surgical Sciences, Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Dawn E Bowles
- Division of Surgical Sciences, Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Andreas M Beyer
- Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Xinping Yue
- Cardiovascular Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 533 Bolivar Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
- Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Eric Lazartigues
- Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, 2400 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
- Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1900 Perdido Street New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
- Cardiovascular Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 533 Bolivar Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 2020 Gravier Street, New Orleans LA 70112, USA
| | - Catalin M Filipeanu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Howard University, 520 W St, NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA
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Konzman D, Fukushige T, Dagnachew M, Krause M, Hanover JA. O-GlcNAc transferase plays a non-catalytic role in C. elegans male fertility. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010273. [PMID: 36383567 PMCID: PMC9710795 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal behavior is influenced by the competing drives to maintain energy and to reproduce. The balance between these evolutionary pressures and how nutrient signaling pathways intersect with mating remains unclear. The nutrient sensor O-GlcNAc transferase, which post-translationally modifies intracellular proteins with a single monosaccharide, is responsive to cellular nutrient status and regulates diverse biological processes. Though essential in most metazoans, O-GlcNAc transferase (ogt-1) is dispensable in Caenorhabditis elegans, allowing genetic analysis of its physiological roles. Compared to control, ogt-1 males had a four-fold reduction in mean offspring, with nearly two thirds producing zero progeny. Interestingly, we found that ogt-1 males transferred sperm less often, and virgin males had reduced sperm count. ogt-1 males were also less likely to engage in mate-searching and mate-response behaviors. Surprisingly, we found normal fertility for males with hypodermal expression of ogt-1 and for ogt-1 strains with catalytic-dead mutations. This suggests OGT-1 serves a non-catalytic function in the hypodermis impacting male fertility and mating behavior. This study builds upon research on the nutrient sensor O-GlcNAc transferase and demonstrates a role it plays in the interplay between the evolutionary drives for reproduction and survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Konzman
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tetsunari Fukushige
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Mesgana Dagnachew
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Michael Krause
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - John A. Hanover
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
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Naraine AS, Aker R, Sweeney I, Kalvey M, Surtel A, Shanbhag V, Dawson-Scully K. Roundup and glyphosate's impact on GABA to elicit extended proconvulsant behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13655. [PMID: 35999230 PMCID: PMC9399239 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17537-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
As 3 billion pounds of herbicides are sprayed over farmlands every year, it is essential to advance our understanding how pesticides may influence neurological health and physiology of both humans and other animals. Studies are often one-dimensional as the majority examine glyphosate by itself. Farmers and the public use commercial products, like Roundup, containing a myriad of chemicals in addition to glyphosate. Currently, there are no neurological targets proposed for glyphosate and little comparison to Roundup. To investigate this, we compared how glyphosate and Roundup affect convulsant behavior in C.elegans and found that glyphosate and Roundup increased seizure-like behavior. Key to our initial hypothesis, we found that treatment with an antiepileptic drug rescued the prolonged convulsions. We also discovered over a third of nematodes exposed to Roundup did not recover from their convulsions, but drug treatment resulted in full recovery. Notably, these effects were found at concentrations that are 1,000-fold dilutions of previous findings of neurotoxicity, using over 300-fold less herbicide than the lowest concentration recommended for consumer use. Exploring mechanisms behind our observations, we found significant evidence that glyphosate targets GABA-A receptors. Pharmacological experiments which paired subeffective dosages of glyphosate and a GABA-A antagonist yielded a 24% increase in non-recovery compared to the antagonist alone. GABA mutant strain experiments showed no effect in a GABA-A depleted strain, but a significant, increased effect in a glutamic acid decarboxylase depleted strain. Our findings characterize glyphosate’s exacerbation of convulsions and propose the GABA-A receptor as a neurological target for the observed physiological changes. It also highlights glyphosate’s potential to dysregulate inhibitory neurological circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshay S Naraine
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA. .,IMPRS for Synapses and Circuits, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA.
| | - Rebecca Aker
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Isis Sweeney
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Meghan Kalvey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Alexis Surtel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Venkatesh Shanbhag
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, Davie, FL, USA
| | - Ken Dawson-Scully
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, College of Psychology, Nova Southeastern University, Davie, FL, USA
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5
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Suthakaran N, Brock T, Naraine A, Gonzalez- Lerma P, Hopkins C, Dawson-Scully K. Atropine reduces aldicarb-induced sensitivity to C. elegans electroshock model. MICROPUBLICATION BIOLOGY 2022; 2022:10.17912/micropub.biology.000621. [PMID: 36017190 PMCID: PMC9396355 DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Atropine has been used as an established anticonvulsant treatment for nerve agent intoxication. Atropine reduces electroshock recovery time among aldicarb-exposed wild-type C. elegans .
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Affiliation(s)
- Nirthieca Suthakaran
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
| | | | - Akshay Naraine
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
| | - Paola Gonzalez- Lerma
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
| | | | - Ken Dawson-Scully
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, College of Psychology, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL ;
,
Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
,
Correspondence to: Ken Dawson-Scully (
)
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