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Borges RJ, Cardoso FF, de Carvalho C, de Marino I, Pereira PS, Soares AM, Dal-Pai-Silva M, Usón I, Fontes MRM. Structural and functional studies of a snake venom phospholipase A(2)-like protein complexed to an inhibitor from Tabernaemontana catharinensis. Biochimie 2023; 206:105-15. [PMID: 36273763 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2022.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Snake envenomation is an ongoing global health problem and tropical neglected disease that afflicts millions of people each year. The only specific treatment, antivenom, has several limitations that affects its proper distribution to the victims and its efficacy against local effects, such as myonecrosis. The main responsible for this consequence are the phospholipases A2 (PLA2) and PLA2-like proteins, such as BthTX-I from Bothrops jararacussu. Folk medicine resorts to plants such as Tabernaemontana catharinensis to palliate these and other snakebite effects. Here, we evaluated the effect of its root bark extract and one of its isolated compounds, 12-methoxy-4-methyl-voachalotine (MMV), against the in vitro paralysis and muscle damage induced by BthTX-I. Secondary and quaternary structures of BthTX-I were not modified by the interaction with MMV. Instead, this compound interacted in an unprecedented way with the region inside the toxin hydrophobic channel and promoted a structural change in Val31, loop 58-71 and Membrane Disruption Site. Thus, we hypothesize that MMV inhibits PLA2-like proteins by preventing entrance of fatty acid into the hydrophobic channel. These data may explain the traditional use of T. catharinensis extract and confirm MMV as a promising candidate to complement antivenom or a structural guide to develop more effective inhibitors.
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Hermann T, Wallner R, Dolensky J, Seebacher W, Pferschy-Wenzig EM, Kaiser M, Mäser P, Weis R. New Derivatives of the Multi-Stage Active Malaria Box Compound MMV030666 and Their Antiplasmodial Potencies. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15. [PMID: 36558954 DOI: 10.3390/ph15121503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
MMV's Malaria Box compound MMV030666 shows multi-stage activity against various strains of Plasmodium falciparum and lacks resistance development. To evaluate the importance of its diarylether partial structure, diarylthioethers and diphenylamines with varying substitution patterns were prepared. A number of evident structure-activity relationships were revealed. Physicochemical and pharmacokinetic parameters were determined experimentally (passive permeability) or calculated. Compared to the lead compound a diarylthioether was more active and less cytotoxic resulting in an excellent selectivity index of 850. In addition, pharmacokinetic and physicochemical parameters were improved.
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Agnello L, Iacona A, Maestri S, Lo Sasso B, Giglio RV, Mancuso S, Ciaccio AM, Vidali M, Ciaccio M. Independent Validation of Sepsis Index for Sepsis Screening in the Emergency Department. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:1292. [PMID: 34359375 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11071292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: The early detection of sepsis is still challenging, and there is an urgent need for biomarkers that could identify patients at a high risk of developing it. We recently developed an index, namely the Sepsis Index (SI), based on the combination of two CBC parameters: monocyte distribution width (MDW) and mean monocyte volume (MMV). In this study, we sought to independently validate the performance of SI as a tool for the early detection of patients at a high risk of sepsis in the Emergency Department (ED). (2) Methods: We enrolled all consecutive patients attending the ED with a request of the CBC. MDW and MMV were measured on samples collected in K3-EDTA tubes on the UniCel DxH 900 haematology analyser. SI was calculated based on the MDW and MMV. (3) Results: We enrolled a total of 703 patients stratified into four subgroups according to the Sepsis-2 criteria: control (498), infection (105), SIRS (52) and sepsis (48). The sepsis subgroup displayed the highest MDW (median 27.5, IQR 24.6–32.9) and SI (median 1.15, IQR 1.05–1.29) values. The ROC curve analysis for the prediction of sepsis showed a good and comparable diagnostic accuracy of the MDW and SI. However, the SI displayed an increased specificity, positive predictive value and positive likelihood ratio in comparison to MDW alone. (4) Conclusions: SI improves the diagnostic accuracy of MDW for sepsis screening.
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Souza Silva JA, Tunes LG, Coimbra RS, Ascher DB, Pires DEV, Monte-Neto RL. Unveiling six potent and highly selective antileishmanial agents via the open source compound collection 'Pathogen Box' against antimony-sensitive and -resistant Leishmania braziliensis. Biomed Pharmacother 2020; 133:111049. [PMID: 33378956 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.111049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite all efforts to provide new chemical entities to tackle leishmaniases, we are still dependent on a the limited drug arsenal, together with drawbacks like toxicity and drug-resistant parasites. Collaborative drug discovery emerged as an option to speed up the way to find alternative antileishmanial agents. This is the case of Medicines for Malaria Ventures - MMV, that promotes an open source drug discovery initiative to fight diseases worldwide. Here, we screened 400 compounds from 'Pathogen Box' (PBox) collection against Leishmania braziliensis, the main etiological agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil. Twenty-three compounds were able to inhibit ≥ 80 % L. braziliensis growth at 5 μM. Six out of the PBox selected 23 compounds were found to be highly selective against L. braziliensis intracellular amastigotes with selectivity index varying from > 104 to > 746 and IC50s ranging from 47 to 480 nM. The compounds were also active against antimony-resistant L. braziliensis isolated from the field or laboratory selected mutants, revealing the potential on treating patients infected with drug resistant parasites. Most of the selected compounds were known to be active against kinetoplastids, however, two compounds (MMV688703 and MMV676477) were part of toxoplasmosis and tuberculosis 'PBox' disease set, reinforcing the potential of phenotyping screening to unveil drug repurposing. Here we applied a computational prediction of pharmacokinetic properties using the ADMET predictor pkCSM (http://biosig.unimelb.edu.au/pkcsm/). The tool offered clues on potential drug development needs and can support further in vivo studies. Molecular docking analysis identified CRK3 (LbrM.35.0660), CYP450 (LbrM.30.3580) and PKA (LbrM.18.1180) as L. braziliensis targets for MMV676604, MMV688372 and MMV688703, respectively. Compounds from 'Pathogen Box' thus represents a new hope for novel (or repurposed) small molecules source to tackle leishmaniases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliano A Souza Silva
- Instituto René Rachou - Fiocruz Minas, Av. Augusto de Lima, 1715, Belo Horizonte, 30190-009, MG, Brazil.
| | - Luiza G Tunes
- Instituto René Rachou - Fiocruz Minas, Av. Augusto de Lima, 1715, Belo Horizonte, 30190-009, MG, Brazil.
| | - Roney S Coimbra
- Instituto René Rachou - Fiocruz Minas, Av. Augusto de Lima, 1715, Belo Horizonte, 30190-009, MG, Brazil.
| | - David B Ascher
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Institute, 30 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC 3052, Melbourne, Australia; Computational Biology and Clinical Informatics, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, VIC 3004, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Douglas E V Pires
- Instituto René Rachou - Fiocruz Minas, Av. Augusto de Lima, 1715, Belo Horizonte, 30190-009, MG, Brazil; School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, Doug McDonell Building, VIC 3010, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Rubens L Monte-Neto
- Instituto René Rachou - Fiocruz Minas, Av. Augusto de Lima, 1715, Belo Horizonte, 30190-009, MG, Brazil.
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Ullah I, Gahalawat S, Booshehri LM, Niederstrasser H, Majumdar S, Leija C, Bradford JM, Hu B, Ready JM, Wetzel DM. An Antiparasitic Compound from the Medicines for Malaria Venture Pathogen Box Promotes Leishmania Tubulin Polymerization. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:2057-2072. [PMID: 32686409 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The few frontline antileishmanial drugs are poorly effective and toxic. To search for new drugs for this neglected tropical disease, we tested the activity of compounds in the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) "Pathogen Box" against Leishmania amazonensis axenic amastigotes. Screening yielded six discovery antileishmanial compounds with EC50 values from 50 to 480 nM. Concentration-response assays demonstrated that the best hit, MMV676477, had mid-nanomolar cytocidal potency against intracellular Leishmania amastigotes, Trypanosoma brucei, and Plasmodium falciparum, suggesting broad antiparasitic activity. We explored structure-activity relationships (SAR) within a small group of MMV676477 analogs and observed a wide potency range (20-5000 nM) against axenic Leishmania amastigotes. Compared to MMV676477, our most potent analog, SW41, had ∼5-fold improved antileishmanial potency. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that MMV676477 selectively disrupts Leishmania tubulin dynamics. Morphological studies indicated that MMV676477 and analogs affected L. amazonensis during cell division. Differential centrifugation showed that MMV676477 promoted partitioning of cellular tubulin toward the polymeric form in parasites. Turbidity assays with purified Leishmania and porcine tubulin demonstrated that MMV676477 promoted leishmanial tubulin polymerization in a concentration-dependent manner. Analogs' antiparasitic activity correlated with their ability to facilitate purified Leishmania tubulin polymerization. Chemical cross-linking demonstrated binding of the MMV676477 scaffold to purified Leishmania tubulin, and competition studies established a correlation between binding and antileishmanial activity. Our studies demonstrate that MMV676477 is a potent antiparasitic compound that preferentially promotes Leishmania microtubule polymerization. Due to its selectivity for and broad-spectrum activity against multiple parasites, this scaffold shows promise for antiparasitic drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imran Ullah
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Suraksha Gahalawat
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Laela M. Booshehri
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Hanspeter Niederstrasser
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Shreoshi Majumdar
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Christopher Leija
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - James M. Bradford
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Bin Hu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Joseph M. Ready
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Dawn M. Wetzel
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
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Rice CA, Troth EV, Russell AC, Kyle DE. Discovery of Anti-Amoebic Inhibitors from Screening the MMV Pandemic Response Box on Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, and Acanthamoeba castellanii. Pathogens 2020; 9:E476. [PMID: 32560115 PMCID: PMC7344389 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9060476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic free-living amoebae, Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, and several Acanthamoeba species are the etiological agents of severe brain diseases, with case mortality rates > 90%. A number of constraints including misdiagnosis and partially effective treatments lead to these high fatality rates. The unmet medical need is for rapidly acting, highly potent new drugs to reduce these alarming mortality rates. Herein, we report the discovery of new drugs as potential anti-amoebic agents. We used the CellTiter-Glo 2.0 high-throughput screening methods to screen the Medicines for Malaria Ventures (MMV) Pandemic Response Box in a search for new active chemical scaffolds. Initially, we screened the library as a single-point assay at 10 and 1 µM. From these data, we reconfirmed hits by conducting quantitative dose-response assays and identified 12 hits against B. mandrillaris, 29 against N. fowleri, and 14 against A. castellanii ranging from nanomolar to low micromolar potency. We further describe 11 novel molecules with activity against B. mandrillaris, 22 against N. fowleri, and 9 against A. castellanii. These structures serve as a starting point for medicinal chemistry studies and demonstrate the utility of phenotypic screening for drug discovery to treat diseases caused by free-living amoebae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A. Rice
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (E.V.T.); (A.C.R.)
| | - Emma V. Troth
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (E.V.T.); (A.C.R.)
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - A. Cassiopeia Russell
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (E.V.T.); (A.C.R.)
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Dennis E. Kyle
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (E.V.T.); (A.C.R.)
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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Patra AT, Hingamire T, Belekar MA, Xiong A, Subramanian G, Bozdech Z, Preiser P, Shanmugam D, Chandramohanadas R. Whole-Cell Phenotypic Screening of Medicines for Malaria Venture Pathogen Box Identifies Specific Inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum Late-Stage Development and Egress. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2020; 64:e01802-19. [PMID: 32071059 DOI: 10.1128/AAC.01802-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We report a systematic, cellular phenotype-based antimalarial screening of the Medicines for Malaria Venture Pathogen Box collection, which facilitated the identification of specific blockers of late-stage intraerythrocytic development of Plasmodium falciparum First, from standard growth inhibition assays, we identified 173 molecules with antimalarial activity (50% effective concentration [EC50] ≤ 10 μM), which included 62 additional molecules over previously known antimalarial candidates from the Pathogen Box. We identified 90 molecules with EC50 of ≤1 μM, which had significant effect on the ring-trophozoite transition, while 9 molecules inhibited the trophozoite-schizont transition and 21 molecules inhibited the schizont-ring transition (with ≥50% parasites failing to proceed to the next stage) at 1 μM. We therefore rescreened all 173 molecules and validated hits in microscopy to prioritize 12 hits as selective blockers of the schizont-ring transition. Seven of these molecules inhibited the calcium ionophore-induced egress of Toxoplasma gondii, a related apicomplexan parasite, suggesting that the inhibitors may be acting via a conserved mechanism which could be further exploited for target identification studies. We demonstrate that two molecules, MMV020670 and MMV026356, identified as schizont inhibitors in our screens, induce the fragmentation of DNA in merozoites, thereby impairing their ability to egress and invade. Further mechanistic studies would facilitate the therapeutic exploitation of these molecules as broadly active inhibitors targeting late-stage development and egress of apicomplexan parasites relevant to human health.
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Rydzak P, Ochoa Corona FM, Whitfield AE, Wayadande AC. Combining multiplex PCR and high-resolution melting for the detection and discrimination of arthropod transmitted viruses of cereals. J Virol Methods 2020; 278:113823. [PMID: 31981568 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2020.113823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The Great Plains of the United States is a region comprised of approximately 45 million hectares of grasslands where several economically important cereal crops are grown. Arthropod-transmitted, cereal-infecting viruses vary in incidence from year-to-year and are often difficult to detect in large acreages. To facilitate the detection of economically important viruses of cereals that often exist in co-infections, a multiplex reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) platform assay was developed. This method can be used in combination with high resolution melting (HRM) to detect and allow for discrimination between three arthropod-transmitted plant viruses; Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), Maize mosaic virus (MMV) and Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV). Multiplex PCR in combination with HRM allowed for successful detection of WSMV, MMV, and BYDV, as well as discrimination between three BYDV species, BYDV-PAS, BYDV-PAV and BYDV-MAV. All primer pairs amplified products of the predicted size. The BYDV-RT-PCR primers amplified products of identical length for all three species of BYDV. HRM was then used to discriminate between these products by determining significant differences between the melting rates for each (p < 0.05). This study demonstrates the flexibility of combining multiplex PCR with HRM to increase the specificity of plant virus diagnostics based on the needs of the diagnostician performing the assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Rydzak
- National Institute for Microbial Forensics & Food and Agricultural Biosecurity (NIMFFAB), Oklahoma State University, 127 NCR Stillwater, OK 74074-3033, United State of America.
| | - Francisco M Ochoa Corona
- National Institute for Microbial Forensics & Food and Agricultural Biosecurity (NIMFFAB), Oklahoma State University, 127 NCR Stillwater, OK 74074-3033, United State of America.
| | - Anna E Whitfield
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States of America.
| | - Astri C Wayadande
- National Institute for Microbial Forensics & Food and Agricultural Biosecurity (NIMFFAB), Oklahoma State University, 127 NCR Stillwater, OK 74074-3033, United State of America.
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Maccesi M, Aguiar PHN, Pasche V, Padilla M, Suzuki BM, Montefusco S, Abagyan R, Keiser J, Mourão MM, Caffrey CR. Multi-center screening of the Pathogen Box collection for schistosomiasis drug discovery. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:493. [PMID: 31640761 PMCID: PMC6805474 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3747-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past five years, as a public service to encourage and accelerate drug discovery for diseases of poverty, the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) has released box sets of 400 compounds named the Malaria, Pathogen and Stasis Boxes. Here, we screened the Pathogen Box against the post-infective larvae (schistosomula) of Schistosoma mansoni using assays particular to the three contributing institutions, namely, the University of California San Diego (UCSD) in the USA, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) in Switzerland, and the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ) in Brazil. With the same set of compounds, the goal was to determine the degree of inter-assay variability and identify a core set of active compounds common to all three assays. New drugs for schistosomiasis would be welcome given that current treatment and control strategies rely on chemotherapy with just one drug, praziquantel. METHODS Both the UCSD and Swiss TPH assays utilize daily observational scoring methodologies over 72 h, whereas the FIOCRUZ assay employs XTT (2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-5-[(phenylamino)carbonyl]-2H-tetrazolium hydroxide) at 72 h to measure viability as a function of NAD+/NADH redox state. Raw and transformed data arising from each assay were assembled for comparative analysis. RESULTS For the UCSD and Swiss TPH assays, there was strong concordance of at least 87% in identifying active and inactive compounds on one or more of the three days. When all three assays were compared at 72 h, concordance remained a robust 74%. Further, robust Pearson's correlations (0.48-0.68) were measured between the assays. Of those actives at 72 h, the UCSD, Swiss TPH and FIOCRUZ assays identified 86, 103 and 66 compounds, respectively, of which 35 were common. Assay idiosyncrasies included the identification of unique compounds, the differential ability to identify known antischistosomal compounds and the concept that compounds of interest might include those that increase metabolic activity above baseline. CONCLUSIONS The inter-assay data generated were in good agreement, including with previously reported data. A common set of antischistosomal molecules for further exploration has been identified .
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Maccesi
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Pedro H N Aguiar
- Laboratório de Helmintologia e Malacologia Médica, René Rachou Institute, FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Valérian Pasche
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, 4002, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, P.O. Box, 4003, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Melody Padilla
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Brian M Suzuki
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sandro Montefusco
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
| | - Ruben Abagyan
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer Keiser
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, 4002, Basel, Switzerland. .,University of Basel, P.O. Box, 4003, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Marina M Mourão
- Laboratório de Helmintologia e Malacologia Médica, René Rachou Institute, FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Conor R Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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Blomme B, Deroanne C, Hulin A, Lambert C, Defraigne JO, Nusgens B, Radermecker M, Colige A. Mechanical strain induces a pro-fibrotic phenotype in human mitral valvular interstitial cells through RhoC/ROCK/MRTF-A and Erk1/2 signaling pathways. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2019; 135:149-159. [PMID: 31442470 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2019.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The mitral valve is a complex multilayered structure populated by fibroblast-like cells, valvular interstitial cells (VIC) which are embedded in an extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold and are submitted to the mechanical deformations affecting valve at each heartbeat, for an average of 40 million times per year. Myxomatous mitral valve (MMV) is the most frequent heart valve disease characterized by disruption of several valvular structures due to alterations of their ECM preventing the complete closure of the valve resulting in symptoms of prolapse and regurgitation. VIC and their ECM exhibit reciprocal dynamic processes between the mechanical signals issued from the ECM and the modulation of VIC phenotype responsible for ECM homeostasis of the valve. Abnormal perception and responsiveness of VIC to mechanical stress may induce an inappropriate adaptative remodeling of the valve progressively leading to MMV. To investigate the response of human VIC to mechanical strain and identify the molecular mechanisms of mechano-transduction in these cells, a cyclic equibiaxial elongation of 14% at the cardiac frequency of 1.16 Hz was applied to VIC by using a Flexercell-4000 T™ apparatus for increasing time (from 1 h to 8 h). We showed that cyclic stretch induces an early (1 h) and transient over-expression of TGFβ2 and αSMA. CTGF, a profibrotic growth factor promoting the synthesis of ECM components, was strongly induced after 1 and 2 h of stretching and still upregulated at 8 h. The mechanical stress-induced CTGF up-regulation was dependent on RhoC, but not RhoA, as demonstrated by siRNA-mediated silencing approaches, and further supported by evidencing RhoC activation upon cell stretching and suppression of cell response by pharmacological inhibition of the effector ROCK1/2. It was also dependent on the MEK/Erk1/2 pathway which was activated by mechanical stress independently of RhoC and ROCK. Finally, mechanical stretching induced the nuclear translocation of myocardin related transcription factor-A (MRTF-A) which forms a transcriptional complex with SRF to promote the expression of target genes, notably CTGF. Treatment of stretched cultures with inhibitors of the identified pathways (ROCK1/2, MEK/Erk1/2, MRTF-A translocation) blocked CTGF overexpression and abrogated the increased MRTF-A nuclear translocation. CTGF is up-regulated in many pathological processes involving mechanically challenged organs, promotes ECM accumulation and is considered as a hallmark of fibrotic diseases. Pharmacological targeting of MRTF-A by newly developed inhibitors may represent a relevant therapy for MMV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoit Blomme
- Laboratory of Connective Tissues Biology, GIGA-Research, University of Liège, Tour de Pathologie, B23, 4000 Sart-Tilman, Belgium; Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, B35, University of Liège, CHU Sart-Tilman, 4000 Sart Tilman, Belgium
| | - Christophe Deroanne
- Laboratory of Connective Tissues Biology, GIGA-Research, University of Liège, Tour de Pathologie, B23, 4000 Sart-Tilman, Belgium
| | - Alexia Hulin
- Laboratory of Cardiology, GIGA-Cardiovascular Sciences, B34, University of Liège, 4000 Sart- Tilman, Belgium
| | - Charles Lambert
- Laboratory of Connective Tissues Biology, GIGA-Research, University of Liège, Tour de Pathologie, B23, 4000 Sart-Tilman, Belgium
| | - Jean-Olivier Defraigne
- Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, B35, University of Liège, CHU Sart-Tilman, 4000 Sart Tilman, Belgium
| | - Betty Nusgens
- Laboratory of Connective Tissues Biology, GIGA-Research, University of Liège, Tour de Pathologie, B23, 4000 Sart-Tilman, Belgium
| | - Marc Radermecker
- Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, B35, University of Liège, CHU Sart-Tilman, 4000 Sart Tilman, Belgium; Department of Human Anatomy, B23, University of Liège, CHU Sart-Tilman, 4000 Sart Tilman, Belgium
| | - Alain Colige
- Laboratory of Connective Tissues Biology, GIGA-Research, University of Liège, Tour de Pathologie, B23, 4000 Sart-Tilman, Belgium.
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11
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Katano Y, Hisayoshi T, Kuze I, Okano H, Ito M, Nishigaki K, Takita T, Yasukawa K. Expression of moloney murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase in a cell-free protein expression system. Biotechnol Lett 2016; 38:1203-11. [PMID: 27053084 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-016-2097-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/31/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To characterize Moloney murine leukemia virus (MMLV) reverse transcriptases (RTs) expressed in a cell-free system and in Escherichia coli. RESULTS We previously expressed MMLV RT using an E. coli expression system and generated a highly thermostable quadruple variant MM4 (E286R/E302K/L435R/D524A) by site-directed mutagenesis. In this study, we expressed the wild-type MMLV RT (WT) and MM4 using a cell-free protein expression system from insect cells. WT exhibited DNA polymerase and RNase H activities, while MM4, in which the catalytic residue for RNase H activity, Asp524 is changed into Ala, exhibited only DNA polymerase activity. MM4, when held at 60 °C for 10 min, retained DNA polymerase activity, while WT, held at 54 °C for 10 min, lost this activity. In the cDNA synthesis reaction (0.5 μl) in which WT or MM4 were exposed to various temperatures and amounts of target RNA in a microarray chip, MM4 exhibited higher thermostability than WT. CONCLUSION MMLV RT expressed in the cell-free system is indistinguishable from that expressed in E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Katano
- Division of Food Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tetsuro Hisayoshi
- Division of Food Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ikumi Kuze
- Division of Food Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Okano
- Division of Food Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Masaaki Ito
- Okinawa National College of Technology, Nago, Japan
| | - Koichi Nishigaki
- Saitama-Bio-Monodukuri-Network Research Organization, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan.,National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Teisuke Takita
- Division of Food Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Yasukawa
- Division of Food Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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Ahyong V, Sheridan CM, Leon KE, Witchley JN, Diep J, DeRisi JL. Identification of Plasmodium falciparum specific translation inhibitors from the MMV Malaria Box using a high throughput in vitro translation screen. Malar J 2016; 15:173. [PMID: 26987601 PMCID: PMC4794828 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-016-1231-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A major goal in the search for new anti-malarial compounds is to identify new mechanisms of action or new molecular targets. While cell-based, growth inhibition-based screening have enjoyed tremendous success, an alternative approach is to specifically assay a given pathway or essential cellular process. METHODS Here, this work describes the development of a plate-based, in vitro luciferase assay to probe for inhibitors specific to protein synthesis in Plasmodium falciparum through the use of an in vitro translation system derived from the parasite. RESULTS Using the Medicines for Malaria Venture's Malaria Box as a pilot, 400 bioactive compounds with minimal human cytotoxicity profiles were screened, identifying eight compounds that displayed greater potency against the P. falciparum translation machinery relative to a mammalian translation system. Dose-response curves were determined in both translation systems to further characterize the top hit compound (MMV008270). CONCLUSIONS This assay will be useful not only in future anti-malarial screening efforts but also in the investigation of P. falciparum protein synthesis and essential processes in P. falciparum biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vida Ahyong
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Christine M Sheridan
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kristoffer E Leon
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jessica N Witchley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan Diep
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Joseph L DeRisi
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
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Roush D. Viral clearance using traditional, well-understood unit operations: session 1.2. Anion exchange chromatography; and session 1.3. Protein a chromatography. PDA J Pharm Sci Technol 2015; 69:154-162. [PMID: 25691723 DOI: 10.5731/pdajpst.2015.01039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- David Roush
- Merck, Sharp, and Dohme, BioProcess Development, 2015 Galloping Hill Road, Mailstop K15-2-H206, Kenilworth, NJ 07033
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14
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Acharya S, Sengupta S, Patro S, Purohit S, Samal SK, Maiti IB, Dey N. Development of an intra-molecularly shuffled efficient chimeric plant promoter from plant infecting Mirabilis mosaic virus promoter sequence. J Biotechnol 2014; 169:103-11. [PMID: 24060830 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2013.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2013] [Revised: 08/16/2013] [Accepted: 08/19/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
We developed an efficient chimeric promoter, MUASMSCP, with enhanced activity and salicylic acid (SA)/abscisic acid (ABA) inducibility, incorporating the upstream activation sequence (UAS) of Mirabilis mosaic virus full-length transcript (MUAS, -297 to -38) to the 5' end of Mirabilis mosaic virus sub-genomic transcript (MSCP, -306 to -125) promoter-fragment containing the TATA element. We compared the transient activity of the MUASMSCP promoter in tobacco/Arabidopsis protoplasts and in whole plant (Petunia hybrida) with the same that obtained from CaMV35S and MUAS35SCP promoters individually. The MUASMSCP promoter showed 1.1 and 1.5 times stronger GUS-activities over that obtained from MUAS35SCP and CaMV35S promoters respectively, in tobacco (Xanthi Brad) protoplasts. In transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum, var. Samsun NN), the MUASMSCP promoter showed 1.1 and 2.2 times stronger activities than MUAS35SCP and CaMV35S(2) promoters respectively. We observed a fair correlation between MUASMSCP-, MUAS35SCP- and CaMV35S(2)-driven GUS activities with the corresponding uidA-mRNA level in transgenic plants. X-gluc staining of transgenic germinating seed-sections and whole seedlings also support above findings. Protein-extracts made from tobacco protoplasts expressing GFP and human-IL-24 genes driven individually by the MUASMSCP promoter showed enhanced expression of the reporters compared to that obtained from the CaMV35S promoter. Furthermore, MUASMSCP-driven protoplast-derived human IL-24 showed enhanced cell inhibitory activity in DU-145 prostate cancer cells compared to that obtained from the CaMV35S promoter. We propose chimeric MUASMSCP promoter developed in the study could be useful for strong constitutive expression of transgenes in both plant/animal cells and it may become an efficient substitute for CaMV35S/CaMV35S(2) promoter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sefali Acharya
- Division of Gene Function and Regulation, Institute of Life Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, Nalco Square, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 751 023, Odisha, India.
| | - Soumika Sengupta
- Division of Gene Function and Regulation, Institute of Life Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, Nalco Square, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 751 023, Odisha, India.
| | - Sunita Patro
- Division of Gene Function and Regulation, Institute of Life Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, Nalco Square, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 751 023, Odisha, India.
| | - Sukumar Purohit
- Division of Gene Function and Regulation, Institute of Life Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, Nalco Square, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 751 023, Odisha, India.
| | - Sabindra K Samal
- Division of Gene Function and Regulation, Institute of Life Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, Nalco Square, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 751 023, Odisha, India.
| | - Indu B Maiti
- Plant Genetic Engineering & Service, KTRDC, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0236, USA
| | - Nrisingha Dey
- Division of Gene Function and Regulation, Institute of Life Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, Nalco Square, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 751 023, Odisha, India.
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15
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Zhang M, Miesegaes GR, Lee M, Coleman D, Yang B, Trexler-Schmidt M, Norling L, Lester P, Brorson KA, Chen Q. Quality by design approach for viral clearance by protein a chromatography. Biotechnol Bioeng 2014; 111:95-103. [PMID: 23860745 PMCID: PMC4033531 DOI: 10.1002/bit.24999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2013] [Revised: 07/11/2013] [Accepted: 07/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Protein A chromatography is widely used as a capture step in monoclonal antibody (mAb) purification processes. Antibodies and Fc fusion proteins can be efficiently purified from the majority of other complex components in harvested cell culture fluid (HCCF). Protein A chromatography is also capable of removing modest levels of viruses and is often validated for viral clearance. Historical data mining of Genentech and FDA/CDER databases systematically evaluated the removal of model viruses by Protein A chromatography. First, we found that for each model virus, removal by Protein A chromatography varies significantly across mAbs, while remains consistent within a specific mAb product, even across the acceptable ranges of the process parameters. In addition, our analysis revealed a correlation between retrovirus and parvovirus removal, with retrovirus data generally possessing a greater clearance factor. Finally, we describe a multivariate approach used to evaluate process parameter impacts on viral clearance, based on the levels of retrovirus-like particles (RVLP) present among process characterization study samples. It was shown that RVLP removal by Protein A is robust, that is, parameter effects were not observed across the ranges tested. Robustness of RVLP removal by Protein A also correlates with that for other model viruses such as X-MuLV, MMV, and SV40. The data supports that evaluating RVLP removal using process characterization study samples can establish multivariate acceptable ranges for virus removal by the protein A step for QbD. By measuring RVLP instead of a model retrovirus, it may alleviate some of the technical and economic challenges associated with performing large, design-of-experiment (DoE)-type virus spiking studies. This approach could also serve to provide useful insight when designing strategies to ensure viral safety in the manufacturing of a biopharmaceutical product.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Zhang
- Process Virology, Purification Development, MS 10, Genentech, Inc.1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 04080
| | | | - Michael Lee
- Process Virology, Purification Development, MS 10, Genentech, Inc.1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 04080
| | - Daniel Coleman
- Nonclinical Biostatistics, Genentech, IncSouth San Francisco, California
| | - Bin Yang
- Process Virology, Purification Development, MS 10, Genentech, Inc.1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 04080
| | - Melody Trexler-Schmidt
- Process Virology, Purification Development, MS 10, Genentech, Inc.1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 04080
| | - Lenore Norling
- Process Virology, Purification Development, MS 10, Genentech, Inc.1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 04080
| | - Philip Lester
- Process Virology, Purification Development, MS 10, Genentech, Inc.1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 04080
| | - Kurt A Brorson
- Office of Biotechnology Products, CDER/FDASilver Spring, Maryland
| | - Qi Chen
- Process Virology, Purification Development, MS 10, Genentech, Inc.1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 04080
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Aditya N, Vathsala P, Vieira V, Murthy R, Souto E. Advances in nanomedicines for malaria treatment. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2013; 201-202:1-17. [PMID: 24192063 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2013.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2012] [Revised: 10/10/2013] [Accepted: 10/13/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is an infectious disease that mainly affects children and pregnant women from tropical countries. The mortality rate of people infected with malaria per year is enormous and became a public health concern. The main factor that has contributed to the success of malaria proliferation is the increased number of drug resistant parasites. To counteract this trend, research has been done in nanotechnology and nanomedicine, for the development of new biocompatible systems capable of incorporating drugs, lowering the resistance progress, contributing for diagnosis, control and treatment of malaria by target delivery. In this review, we discussed the main problems associated with the spread of malaria and the most recent developments in nanomedicine for anti-malarial drug delivery.
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