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The mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO): a key multifunctional molecule in the nervous system. Biochem J 2022; 479:1455-1466. [PMID: 35819398 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20220050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Translocator protein (TSPO, 18 kDa), formerly known as peripheral benzodiazepine receptor, is an evolutionary well-conserved protein located on the outer mitochondrial membrane. TSPO is involved in a variety of fundamental physiological functions and cellular processes. Its expression levels are regulated under many pathological conditions, therefore, TSPO has been proposed as a tool for diagnostic imaging and an attractive therapeutic drug target in the nervous system. Several synthetic TSPO ligands have thus been explored as agonists and antagonists for innovative treatments as neuroprotective and regenerative agents. In this review, we provide state-of-the-art knowledge of TSPO functions in the brain and peripheral nervous system. Particular emphasis is placed on its contribution to important physiological functions such as mitochondrial homeostasis, energy metabolism and steroidogenesis. We also report how it is involved in neuroinflammation, brain injury and diseases of the nervous system.
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Giordani A, Menziani MC, Moresco RM, Matarrese M, Paolino M, Saletti M, Giuliani G, Anzini M, Cappelli A. Exploring Translocator Protein (TSPO) Medicinal Chemistry: An Approach for Targeting Radionuclides and Boron Atoms to Mitochondria. J Med Chem 2021; 64:9649-9676. [PMID: 34254805 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Translocator protein 18 kDa [TSPO or peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor (PBR)] was identified in the search of binding sites for benzodiazepine anxiolytic drugs in peripheral regions. In these areas, binding sites for TSPO ligands were recognized in steroid-producing tissues. TSPO plays an important role in many cellular functions, and its coding sequence is highly conserved across species. TSPO is located predominantly on the membrane of mitochondria and is overexpressed in several solid cancers. TSPO basal expression in the CNS is low, but it becomes high in neurodegenerative conditions. Thus, TSPO constitutes not only as an outstanding drug target but also as a valuable marker for the diagnosis of a number of diseases. The aim of the present article is to show the lesson we have learned from our activity in TSPO medicinal chemistry and in approaching the targeted delivery to mitochondria by means of TSPO ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Giordani
- Rottapharm Biotech S.p.A., Via Valosa di Sopra 9, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Menziani
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 103, 41121 Modena, Italy
| | - Rosa Maria Moresco
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Nuclear Medicine Department, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, IBFM-CNR, Via Olgettina 60, 20132 Milano, Italy
| | - Mario Matarrese
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Nuclear Medicine Department, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, IBFM-CNR, Via Olgettina 60, 20132 Milano, Italy
| | - Marco Paolino
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Chimica e Farmacia (Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2018-2022), Università di Siena, Via A. Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Mario Saletti
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Chimica e Farmacia (Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2018-2022), Università di Siena, Via A. Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Germano Giuliani
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Chimica e Farmacia (Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2018-2022), Università di Siena, Via A. Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Maurizio Anzini
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Chimica e Farmacia (Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2018-2022), Università di Siena, Via A. Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Andrea Cappelli
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Chimica e Farmacia (Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2018-2022), Università di Siena, Via A. Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
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Xiong B, Jin G, Xu Y, You W, Luo Y, Fang M, Chen B, Huang H, Yang J, Lin X, Yu C. Identification of Koumine as a Translocator Protein 18 kDa Positive Allosteric Modulator for the Treatment of Inflammatory and Neuropathic Pain. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:692917. [PMID: 34248642 PMCID: PMC8264504 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.692917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Koumine is an alkaloid that displays notable activity against inflammatory and neuropathic pain, but its therapeutic target and molecular mechanism still need further study. Translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) is a vital therapeutic target for pain treatment, and recent research implies that there may be allostery in TSPO. Our previous competitive binding assay hint that koumine may function as a TSPO positive allosteric modulator (PAM). Here, for the first time, we report the pharmacological characterization of koumine as a TSPO PAM. The results imply that koumine might be a high-affinity ligand of TSPO and that it likely acts as a PAM since it could delay the dissociation of 3H-PK11195 from TSPO. Importantly, the allostery was retained in vivo, as koumine augmented Ro5-4864-mediated analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in several acute and chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain models. Moreover, the positive allosteric modulatory effect of koumine on TSPO was further demonstrated in cell proliferation assays in T98G human glioblastoma cells. In summary, we have identified and characterized koumine as a TSPO PAM for the treatment of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Our data lay a solid foundation for the use of the clinical candidate koumine to treat inflammatory and neuropathic pain, further demonstrate the allostery in TSPO, and provide the first proof of principle that TSPO PAM may be a novel avenue for the discovery of analgesics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bojun Xiong
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer (Fujian Medical University), Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Guilin Jin
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.,Fujian Key Laboratory of Drug Target Discovery and Structural and Functional Research, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Ying Xu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.,Fujian Key Laboratory of Drug Target Discovery and Structural and Functional Research, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Wenbing You
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yufei Luo
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Menghan Fang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Bing Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Huihui Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jian Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.,Fujian Key Laboratory of Drug Target Discovery and Structural and Functional Research, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xu Lin
- Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer (Fujian Medical University), Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Changxi Yu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.,Fujian Key Laboratory of Drug Target Discovery and Structural and Functional Research, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
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Etifoxine, a TSPO Ligand, Worsens Hepatitis C-Related Insulin Resistance but Relieves Lipid Accumulation. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 2019:3102414. [PMID: 30984779 PMCID: PMC6432734 DOI: 10.1155/2019/3102414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Etifoxine, an 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) agonist for the treatment of anxiety disorders in clinic, may be able to cause acute liver injury or cytolytic hepatitis. TSPO has been demonstrated to participate in inflammatory responses in infective diseases as well as to modulate glucose and lipid homeostasis. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection disrupts glucose and lipid homoeostasis, leading to insulin resistance (IR). Whether TSPO affects the HCV-induced IR remains unclear. Here, we found that the administration of etifoxine increased the TSPO protein expression and recovered the HCV-mediated lower mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) without affecting HCV infection. Moreover, etifoxine reversed the HCV-induced lipid accumulation by modulating the expressions of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 and apolipoprotein J. On the other hand, in infected cells pretreated with etifoxine, the insulin-mediated insulin receptor substrate-1/Akt signals, forkhead box protein O1 translocation, and glucose uptake were blocked. Taken together, our results pointed out that etifoxine relieved the HCV-retarded MMP and reduced the lipid accumulation but deteriorated the HCV-induced IR by interfering with insulin signal molecules.
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Adrenal Oncocytic Neoplasm with Paradoxical Loss of Important Mitochondrial Steroidogenic Protein: The 18 kDA Translocator Protein. Case Rep Endocrinol 2017; 2017:6734695. [PMID: 29318061 PMCID: PMC5727653 DOI: 10.1155/2017/6734695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Revised: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The adrenal glands produce a variety of hormones that play a key role in the regulation of blood pressure, electrolyte homeostasis, metabolism, immune system suppression, and the body's physiologic response to stress. Adrenal neoplasms can be asymptomatic or can overproduce certain hormones that lead to different clinical manifestations. Oncocytic adrenal neoplasms are infrequent tumors that arise from cells in the adrenal cortex and display a characteristic increase in the number of cytoplasmic mitochondria. Since the rate-limiting step in steroidogenesis includes the transport of cholesterol across the mitochondrial membranes, in part carried out by the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO), we assessed the expression of TSPO in a case of adrenal oncocytic neoplasm using residual adrenal gland of the patient as internal control. We observed a significant loss of TSPO immunofluorescence expression in the adrenal oncocytic tumor cells when compared to adjacent normal adrenal tissue. We further confirmed this finding by employing Western blot analysis to semiquantify TSPO expression in tumor and normal adrenal cells. Our findings could suggest a potential role of TSPO in the tumorigenesis of this case of adrenocortical oncocytic neoplasm.
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Li F, Liu J, Liu N, Kuhn LA, Garavito RM, Ferguson-Miller S. Translocator Protein 18 kDa (TSPO): An Old Protein with New Functions? Biochemistry 2016; 55:2821-31. [PMID: 27074410 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) was previously known as the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) in eukaryotes, where it is mainly localized to the mitochondrial outer membrane. Considerable evidence indicates that it plays regulatory roles in steroidogenesis and apoptosis and is involved in various human diseases, such as metastatic cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, inflammation, and anxiety disorders. Ligands of TSPO are widely used as diagnostic tools and treatment options, despite there being no clear understanding of the function of TSPO. An ortholog in the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter was independently discovered as the tryptophan-rich sensory protein (TspO) and found to play a role in the response to changes in oxygen and light conditions that regulate photosynthesis and respiration. As part of this highly conserved protein family found in all three kingdoms, the rat TSPO is able to rescue the knockout phenotype in Rhodobacter, indicating functional as well as structural conservation. Recently, a major breakthrough in the field was achieved: the determination of atomic-resolution structures of TSPO from different species by several independent groups. This now allows us to reexamine the function of TSPO with a molecular perspective. In this review, we focus on recently determined structures of TSPO and their implications for potential functions of this ubiquitous multifaceted protein. We suggest that TSPO is an ancient bacterial receptor/stress sensor that has developed additional interactions, partners, and roles in its mitochondrial outer membrane environment in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University , East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Jian Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University , East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Nan Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University , East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States.,Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Michigan State University , East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1319, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University , East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1319, United States
| | - Leslie A Kuhn
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University , East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States.,Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Michigan State University , East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1319, United States
| | - R Michael Garavito
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University , East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Shelagh Ferguson-Miller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University , East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
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