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Ni B, Wang H, Khalaf HKS, Blay V, Houston DR. AutoDock-SS: AutoDock for Multiconformational Ligand-Based Virtual Screening. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:3779-3789. [PMID: 38624083 PMCID: PMC11094722 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Ligand-based virtual screening (LBVS) can be pivotal for identifying potential drug leads, especially when the target protein's structure is unknown. However, current LBVS methods are limited in their ability to consider the ligand conformational flexibility. This study presents AutoDock-SS (Similarity Searching), which adapts protein-ligand docking for use in LBVS. AutoDock-SS integrates novel ligand-based grid maps and AutoDock-GPU into a novel three-dimensional LBVS workflow. Unlike other approaches based on pregenerated conformer libraries, AutoDock-SS's built-in conformational search optimizes conformations dynamically based on the reference ligand, thus providing a more accurate representation of relevant ligand conformations. AutoDock-SS supports two modes: single and multiple ligand queries, allowing for the seamless consideration of multiple reference ligands. When tested on the Directory of Useful Decoys─Enhanced (DUD-E) data set, AutoDock-SS surpassed alternative 3D LBVS methods, achieving a mean AUROC of 0.775 and an EF1% of 25.72 in single-reference mode. The multireference mode, evaluated on the augmented DUD-E+ data set, demonstrated superior accuracy with a mean AUROC of 0.843 and an EF1% of 34.59. This enhanced performance underscores AutoDock-SS's ability to treat compounds as conformationally flexible while considering the ligand's shape, pharmacophore, and electrostatic potential, expanding the potential of LBVS methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boyang Ni
- Institute
for Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, U.K.
| | - Haoying Wang
- Institute
for Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, U.K.
| | - Huda Kadhim Salem Khalaf
- Institute
for Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, U.K.
| | - Vincent Blay
- Department
of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, United States
| | - Douglas R. Houston
- Institute
for Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, U.K.
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2
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McGibbon M, Shave S, Dong J, Gao Y, Houston DR, Xie J, Yang Y, Schwaller P, Blay V. From intuition to AI: evolution of small molecule representations in drug discovery. Brief Bioinform 2023; 25:bbad422. [PMID: 38033290 PMCID: PMC10689004 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbad422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Within drug discovery, the goal of AI scientists and cheminformaticians is to help identify molecular starting points that will develop into safe and efficacious drugs while reducing costs, time and failure rates. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to represent molecules in a digital format that makes them machine-readable and facilitates the accurate prediction of properties that drive decision-making. Over the years, molecular representations have evolved from intuitive and human-readable formats to bespoke numerical descriptors and fingerprints, and now to learned representations that capture patterns and salient features across vast chemical spaces. Among these, sequence-based and graph-based representations of small molecules have become highly popular. However, each approach has strengths and weaknesses across dimensions such as generality, computational cost, inversibility for generative applications and interpretability, which can be critical in informing practitioners' decisions. As the drug discovery landscape evolves, opportunities for innovation continue to emerge. These include the creation of molecular representations for high-value, low-data regimes, the distillation of broader biological and chemical knowledge into novel learned representations and the modeling of up-and-coming therapeutic modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miles McGibbon
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3BF, United Kingdom
| | - Steven Shave
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3BF, United Kingdom
| | - Jie Dong
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China
| | - Yumiao Gao
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3BF, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3BF, United Kingdom
| | - Jiancong Xie
- Key Laboratory of Machine Intelligence and Advanced Computing, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, China
| | - Yuedong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Machine Intelligence and Advanced Computing, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, China
| | - Philippe Schwaller
- Laboratory of Artificial Chemical Intelligence (LIAC), Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Blay
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3BF, United Kingdom
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3
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Cancela F, Rendon-Marin S, Quintero-Gil C, Houston DR, Gumbis G, Panzera Y, Pérez R, Arbiza J, Mirazo S. Modelling of Hepatitis E virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase genotype 3 from a chronic patient and in silico interaction analysis by molecular docking with Ribavirin. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:705-721. [PMID: 34861797 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.2011416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) infection is an emergent zoonotic disease, where chronic hepatitis E associated to solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, related to genotype 3, is the clinical manifestation of major concern. In this setting, ribavirin (RBV) treatment is the only available therapy, though drug-resistant variants could emerge leading to a therapeutic failure. Crystallographic structures have not been reported for most of the HEV proteins, including the RNA-polymerase (RdRp). Therefore, the mechanism of action of RBV against HEV and the molecular interactions between this drug and RdRp are largely unknown. In this work, we aimed to model in silico the 3 D structure of a novel HEV3 RdRp (HEV_C1_Uy) from a chronically HEV infected-SOT recipient treated with RBV and to perform a molecular docking simulation between RBV triphosphate (RBVT), 7-methyl-guanosine-5'-triphosphate and the modelled protein. The models were generated using I-TASSER server and validated with multiple bioinformatics tools. The docking analysis were carried out with AutoDock Vina and LeDock software. We obtained a suitable model for HEV_C1_Uy (C-Score=-1.33, RMSD = 10.4 ± 4.6 Å). RBVT displayed a binding affinity of -7.6 ± 0.2 Kcal/mol by molecular docking, mediated by 6 hydrogen-bonds (Q195-O14, S198-O11, E257-O13, S260-O2, O3, S311-O11) between the finger's-palm-domains and a free binding energy of 31.26 ± 16.81 kcal/mol by molecular dynamics simulations. We identified the possible HEV RdRp interacting region for incoming nucleotides or analogs and provide novel insights that will contribute to better understand the molecular interactions of RBV and the enzyme and the mechanism of action of this antiviral drug.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florencia Cancela
- Sección Virología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Santiago Rendon-Marin
- Grupo de Investigación en Ciencias Animales - GRICA, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, sede Bucaramanga, Bucaramanga, Colombia
| | - Carolina Quintero-Gil
- Grupo de Investigación en Ciencias Animales - GRICA, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, sede Bucaramanga, Bucaramanga, Colombia
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Gediminas Gumbis
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Yanina Panzera
- Sección Genética Evolutiva, Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Ruben Pérez
- Sección Genética Evolutiva, Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Juan Arbiza
- Sección Virología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Santiago Mirazo
- Sección Virología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay.,Departamento de Bacteriología y Virología, Instituto de Higiene, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
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McGibbon M, Money-Kyrle S, Blay V, Houston DR. SCORCH: Improving structure-based virtual screening with machine learning classifiers, data augmentation, and uncertainty estimation. J Adv Res 2022; 46:135-147. [PMID: 35901959 PMCID: PMC10105235 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2022.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The discovery of a new drug is a costly and lengthy endeavour. The computational prediction of which small molecules can bind to a protein target can accelerate this process if the predictions are fast and accurate enough. Recent machine-learning scoring functions re-evaluate the output of molecular docking to achieve more accurate predictions. However, previous scoring functions were trained on crystalised protein-ligand complexes and datasets of decoys. The limited availability of crystal structures and biases in the decoy datasets can lower the performance of scoring functions. OBJECTIVES To address key limitations of previous scoring functions and thus improve the predictive performance of structure-based virtual screening. METHODS A novel machine-learning scoring function was created, named SCORCH (Scoring COnsensus for RMSD-based Classification of Hits). To develop SCORCH, training data is augmented by considering multiple ligand poses and labelling poses based on their RMSD from the native pose. Decoy bias is addressed by generating property-matched decoys for each ligand and using the same methodology for preparing and docking decoys and ligands. A consensus of 3 different machine learning approaches is also used to improve performance. RESULTS We find that multi-pose augmentation in SCORCH improves its docking power and screening power on independent benchmark datasets. SCORCH outperforms an equivalent scoring function trained on single poses, with a 1% enrichment factor (EF) of 13.78 vs. 10.86 on 18 DEKOIS 2.0 targets and a mean native pose rank of 5.9 vs 30.4 on CSAR 2014. Additionally, SCORCH outperforms widely used scoring functions in virtual screening and pose prediction on independent benchmark datasets. CONCLUSION By rationally addressing key limitations of previous scoring functions, SCORCH improves the performance of virtual screening. SCORCH also provides an estimate of its uncertainty, which can help reduce the cost and time required for drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miles McGibbon
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Sam Money-Kyrle
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Vincent Blay
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA; Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I(2)SysBio), Universitat de València and Spanish Research Council (CSIC), 46980 Valencia, Spain.
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3BF, UK.
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5
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Blay V, Gailiunaite S, Lee CY, Chang HY, Hupp T, Houston DR, Chi P. Comparison of ATP-binding pockets and discovery of homologous recombination inhibitors. Bioorg Med Chem 2022; 70:116923. [PMID: 35841829 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2022.116923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The ATP binding sites of many enzymes are structurally related, which complicates their development as therapeutic targets. In this work, we explore a diverse set of ATPases and compare their ATP binding pockets using different strategies, including direct and indirect structural methods, in search of pockets attractive for drug discovery. We pursue different direct and indirect structural strategies, as well as ligandability assessments to help guide target selection. The analyses indicate human RAD51, an enzyme crucial in homologous recombination, as a promising, tractable target. Inhibition of RAD51 has shown promise in the treatment of certain cancers but more potent inhibitors are needed. Thus, we design compounds computationally against the ATP binding pocket of RAD51 with consideration of multiple criteria, including predicted specificity, drug-likeness, and toxicity. The molecules designed are evaluated experimentally using molecular and cell-based assays. Our results provide two novel hit compounds against RAD51 and illustrate a computational pipeline to design new inhibitors against ATPases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Blay
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3BF, UK; Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA; Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2Sysbio), Universitat de València and Spanish Research Council (CSIC), 46980 Valencia, Spain.
| | - Saule Gailiunaite
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Chih-Ying Lee
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Hao-Yen Chang
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Ted Hupp
- MRC Institute of Genetics & Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3BF, UK.
| | - Peter Chi
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan; Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
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6
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Houston DR, Hanna JG, Lathe JC, Hillier SG, Lathe R. Evidence that nuclear receptors are related to terpene synthases. J Mol Endocrinol 2022; 68:153-166. [PMID: 35112668 PMCID: PMC8942334 DOI: 10.1530/jme-21-0156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Ligand-activated nuclear receptors (NRs) orchestrate development, growth, and reproduction across all animal lifeforms - the Metazoa - but how NRs evolved remains mysterious. Given the NR ligands including steroids and retinoids are predominantly terpenoids, we asked whether NRs might have evolved from enzymes that catalyze terpene synthesis and metabolism. We provide evidence suggesting that NRs may be related to the terpene synthase (TS) enzyme superfamily. Based on over 10,000 3D structural comparisons, we report that the NR ligand-binding domain and TS enzymes share a conserved core of seven α-helical segments. In addition, the 3D locations of the major ligand-contacting residues are also conserved between the two protein classes. Primary sequence comparisons reveal suggestive similarities specifically between NRs and the subfamily of cis-isoprene transferases, notably with dehydrodolichyl pyrophosphate synthase and its obligate partner, NUS1/NOGOB receptor. Pharmacological overlaps between NRs and TS enzymes add weight to the contention that they share a distant evolutionary origin, and the combined data raise the possibility that a ligand-gated receptor may have arisen from an enzyme antecedent. However, our findings do not formally exclude other interpretations such as convergent evolution, and further analysis will be necessary to confirm the inferred relationship between the two protein classes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry, and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jane G Hanna
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry, and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Stephen G Hillier
- Medical Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Correspondence should be addressed to S G Hillier or R Lathe: or
| | - Richard Lathe
- Division of Infection Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Correspondence should be addressed to S G Hillier or R Lathe: or
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7
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Adam C, Bray TL, Pérez-López AM, Tan EH, Rubio-Ruiz B, Baillache DJ, Houston DR, Salji MJ, Leung HY, Unciti-Broceta A. A 5-FU Precursor Designed to Evade Anabolic and Catabolic Drug Pathways and Activated by Pd Chemistry In Vitro and In Vivo. J Med Chem 2022; 65:552-561. [PMID: 34979089 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is an antineoplastic antimetabolite that is widely administered to cancer patients by bolus injection, especially to those suffering from colorectal and pancreatic cancer. Because of its suboptimal route of administration and dose-limiting toxicities, diverse 5-FU prodrugs have been developed to confer oral bioavailability and increase the safety profile of 5-FU chemotherapy regimens. Our contribution to this goal is presented herein with the development of a novel palladium-activated prodrug designed to evade the metabolic machinery responsible for 5-FU anabolic activation and catabolic processing. The new prodrug is completely innocuous to cells and highly resistant to metabolization by primary hepatocytes and liver S9 fractions (the main metabolic route for 5-FU degradation), whereas it is rapidly converted into 5-FU in the presence of a palladium (Pd) source. In vivo pharmokinetic analysis shows the prodrug is rapidly and completely absorbed after oral administration and exhibits a longer half-life than 5-FU. In vivo efficacy studies in a xenograft colon cancer model served to prove, for the first time, that orally administered prodrugs can be locally converted to active drugs by intratumorally inserted Pd implants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Adam
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, EH4 2XU Edinburgh, U.K
| | - Thomas L Bray
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, EH4 2XU Edinburgh, U.K
| | - Ana M Pérez-López
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, EH4 2XU Edinburgh, U.K
| | - Ee Hong Tan
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1QH, U.K.,Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1BD, U.K
| | - Belén Rubio-Ruiz
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, EH4 2XU Edinburgh, U.K
| | - Daniel J Baillache
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, EH4 2XU Edinburgh, U.K
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, U.K
| | - Mark J Salji
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1QH, U.K.,Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1BD, U.K
| | - Hing Y Leung
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1QH, U.K.,Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1BD, U.K
| | - Asier Unciti-Broceta
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, EH4 2XU Edinburgh, U.K
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8
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Harding CJ, Sutherland E, Hanna JG, Houston DR, Czekster CM. Correction: Bypassing the requirement for aminoacyl-tRNA by a cyclodipeptide synthase enzyme. RSC Chem Biol 2021; 2:942-943. [PMID: 34458818 PMCID: PMC8341098 DOI: 10.1039/d1cb90009a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D0CB00142B.].
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Harding
- School of Biology, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 9ST UK
| | - Emmajay Sutherland
- School of Biology, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 9ST UK
| | - Jane G Hanna
- Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) Cairo Campus Egypt
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings Waddington 1 Building Edinburgh EH9 3BF UK
| | - Clarissa M Czekster
- School of Biology, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 9ST UK
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9
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Harding CJ, Sutherland E, Hanna JG, Houston DR, Czekster CM. Bypassing the requirement for aminoacyl-tRNA by a cyclodipeptide synthase enzyme. RSC Chem Biol 2021; 2:230-240. [PMID: 33937777 PMCID: PMC8084100 DOI: 10.1039/d0cb00142b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclodipeptide synthases (CDPSs) produce a variety of cyclic dipeptide products by utilising two aminoacylated tRNA substrates. We sought to investigate the minimal requirements for substrate usage in this class of enzymes as the relationship between CDPSs and their substrates remains elusive. Here, we investigated the Bacillus thermoamylovorans enzyme, BtCDPS, which synthesises cyclo(l-Leu–l-Leu). We systematically tested where specificity arises and, in the process, uncovered small molecules (activated amino esters) that will suffice as substrates, although catalytically poor. We solved the structure of BtCDPS to 1.7 Å and combining crystallography, enzymatic assays and substrate docking experiments propose a model for how the minimal substrates interact with the enzyme. This work is the first report of a CDPS enzyme utilizing a molecule other than aa-tRNA as a substrate; providing insights into substrate requirements and setting the stage for the design of improved simpler substrates. Cyclodipeptide synthases recognize a minimalistic substrate to produce cyclic dipeptides in a tRNA-independent manner.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Harding
- School of Biology, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews Fife KY16 9ST UK
| | - Emmajay Sutherland
- School of Biology, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews Fife KY16 9ST UK
| | - Jane G Hanna
- Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) Cairo Campus Egypt
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh Waddington 1 Building, King's Buildings Edinburgh EH9 3BF UK
| | - Clarissa M Czekster
- School of Biology, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews Fife KY16 9ST UK
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10
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Johansson JA, Marie KL, Lu Y, Brombin A, Santoriello C, Zeng Z, Zich J, Gautier P, von Kriegsheim A, Brunsdon H, Wheeler AP, Dreger M, Houston DR, Dooley CM, Sims AH, Busch-Nentwich EM, Zon LI, Illingworth RS, Patton EE. PRL3-DDX21 Transcriptional Control of Endolysosomal Genes Restricts Melanocyte Stem Cell Differentiation. Dev Cell 2020; 54:317-332.e9. [PMID: 32652076 PMCID: PMC7435699 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Melanocytes, replenished throughout life by melanocyte stem cells (MSCs), play a critical role in pigmentation and melanoma. Here, we reveal a function for the metastasis-associated phosphatase of regenerating liver 3 (PRL3) in MSC regeneration. We show that PRL3 binds to the RNA helicase DDX21, thereby restricting productive transcription by RNAPII at master transcription factor (MITF)-regulated endolysosomal vesicle genes. In zebrafish, this mechanism controls premature melanoblast expansion and differentiation from MSCs. In melanoma patients, restricted transcription of this endolysosomal vesicle pathway is a hallmark of PRL3-high melanomas. Our work presents the conceptual advance that PRL3-mediated control of transcriptional elongation is a differentiation checkpoint mechanism for activated MSCs and has clinical relevance for the activity of PRL3 in regenerating tissue and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanette A Johansson
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK; Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Kerrie L Marie
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK; Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK; Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yuting Lu
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK; Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Alessandro Brombin
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK; Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Cristina Santoriello
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology, Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department, Harvard University, Boston, USA
| | - Zhiqiang Zeng
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK; Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Judith Zich
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK; Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Philippe Gautier
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Alex von Kriegsheim
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Hannah Brunsdon
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK; Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Ann P Wheeler
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Marcel Dreger
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK; Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Waddington Building, King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Christopher M Dooley
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK; Max-Planck-Institute for Developmental Biology, Department ECNV, Max-Planck-Ring 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andrew H Sims
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Elisabeth M Busch-Nentwich
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK; Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Leonard I Zon
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology, Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department, Harvard University, Boston, USA
| | - Robert S Illingworth
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh BioQuarter, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK.
| | - E Elizabeth Patton
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK; Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK.
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11
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Blay V, Li MC, Ho SP, Stoller ML, Hsieh HP, Houston DR. Design of drug-like hepsin inhibitors against prostate cancer and kidney stones. Acta Pharm Sin B 2020; 10:1309-1320. [PMID: 32874830 PMCID: PMC7452031 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2019.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 07/19/2019] [Revised: 08/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepsin, a transmembrane serine protease abundant in renal endothelial cells, is a promising therapeutic target against several cancers, particularly prostate cancer. It is involved in the release and polymerization of uromodulin in the urine, which plays a role in kidney stone formation. In this work, we design new potential hepsin inhibitors for high activity, improved specificity towards hepsin, and promising ADMET properties. The ligands were developed in silico through a novel hierarchical pipeline. This pipeline explicitly accounts for off-target binding to the related serine proteases matriptase and HGFA (human hepatocyte growth factor activator). We completed the pipeline incorporating ADMET properties of the candidate inhibitors into custom multi-objective optimization functions. The ligands designed show excellent prospects for targeting hepsin via the blood stream and the urine and thus enable key experimental studies. The computational pipeline proposed is remarkably cost-efficient and can be easily adapted for designing inhibitors against new drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Blay
- Division of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, School of Dentistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 415 5142818.
| | - Mu-Chun Li
- Institute of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Research, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Taiwan 350, China
| | - Sunita P. Ho
- Division of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, School of Dentistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Mashall L. Stoller
- Division of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, School of Dentistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Hsing-Pang Hsieh
- Institute of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Research, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Taiwan 350, China
| | - Douglas R. Houston
- University of Edinburgh, Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH9 3BF, UK
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12
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Padariya M, Kalathiya U, Houston DR, Alfaro JA. Recognition Dynamics of Cancer Mutations on the ERp57-Tapasin Interface. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12030737. [PMID: 32244998 PMCID: PMC7140079 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12030737] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Down regulation of the major histocompatibility class (MHC) I pathway plays an important role in tumour development, and can be achieved by suppression of HLA expression or mutations in the MHC peptide-binding pocket. The peptide-loading complex (PLC) loads peptides on the MHC-I molecule in a dynamic multi-step assembly process. The effects of cancer variants on ERp57 and tapasin components from the MHC-I pathway is less known, and they could have an impact on antigen presentation. Applying computational approaches, we analysed whether the ERp57-tapasin binding might be altered by missense mutations. The variants H408R(ERp57) and P96L, D100A, G183R(tapasin) at the protein–protein interface improved protein stability (ΔΔG) during the initial screen of 14 different variants. The H408R(ERp57) and P96L(tapasin) variants, located close to disulphide bonds, were further studied by molecular dynamics (MD). Identifying intramolecular a-a’ domain interactions, MD revealed open and closed conformations of ERp57 in the presence and absence of tapasin. In wild-type and mutant ERp57-tapasin complexes, residues Val97, Ser98, Tyr100, Trp405, Gly407(ERp57) and Asn94, Cys95, Arg97, Asp100(tapasin) formed common H-bond interactions. Moreover, comparing the H-bond networks for P96L and H408R with each other, suggests that P96L(tapasin) improved ERp57-tapasin binding more than the H408R(ERp57) mutant. During MD, the C-terminus domain (that binds MHC-I) in tapasin from the ERp57(H408R)-tapasin complex moved away from the PLC, whereas in the ERp57-tapasin(P96L) system was oppositely displaced. These findings can have implications for the function of PLC and, ultimately, for the presentation of MHC-I peptide complex on the tumour cell surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monikaben Padariya
- International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland;
- Correspondence: (M.P.); (J.A.A.)
| | - Umesh Kalathiya
- International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Douglas R. Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3BF, UK;
| | - Javier Antonio Alfaro
- International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland;
- Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH4 2XR, UK
- Correspondence: (M.P.); (J.A.A.)
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13
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Makarov AA, Zou J, Houston DR, Spanos C, Solovyova AS, Cardenal-Peralta C, Rappsilber J, Schirmer EC. Lamin A molecular compression and sliding as mechanisms behind nucleoskeleton elasticity. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3056. [PMID: 31296869 PMCID: PMC6624373 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11063-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Lamin A is a nuclear intermediate filament protein critical for nuclear architecture and mechanics and mutated in a wide range of human diseases. Yet little is known about the molecular architecture of lamins and mechanisms of their assembly. Here we use SILAC cross-linking mass spectrometry to determine interactions within lamin dimers and between dimers in higher-order polymers. We find evidence for a compression mechanism where coiled coils in the lamin A rod can slide onto each other to contract rod length, likely driven by a wide range of electrostatic interactions with the flexible linkers between coiled coils. Similar interactions occur with unstructured regions flanking the rod domain during oligomeric assembly. Mutations linked to human disease block these interactions, suggesting that this spring-like contraction can explain in part the dynamic mechanical stretch and flexibility properties of the lamin polymer and other intermediate filament networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex A Makarov
- Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Max Born Crescent, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Juan Zou
- Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Max Born Crescent, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Max Born Crescent, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Christos Spanos
- Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Max Born Crescent, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Alexandra S Solovyova
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences/NUPPA, The Medical School, University of Newcastle, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Cristina Cardenal-Peralta
- Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Max Born Crescent, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Juri Rappsilber
- Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Max Born Crescent, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK.
- Chair of Bioanalytics, Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, 13355, Germany.
| | - Eric C Schirmer
- Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Max Born Crescent, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK.
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14
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Coufalova D, Remnant L, Hernychova L, Muller P, Healy A, Kannan S, Westwood N, Verma CS, Vojtesek B, Hupp TR, Houston DR. An inter-subunit protein-peptide interface that stabilizes the specific activity and oligomerization of the AAA+ chaperone Reptin. J Proteomics 2019; 199:89-101. [PMID: 30862565 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2019.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Reptin is a member of the AAA+ superfamily whose members can exist in equilibrium between monomeric apo forms and ligand bound hexamers. Inter-subunit protein-protein interfaces that stabilize Reptin in its oligomeric state are not well-defined. A self-peptide binding assay identified a protein-peptide interface mapping to an inter-subunit "rim" of the hexamer bridged by Tyrosine-340. A Y340A mutation reduced ADP-dependent oligomer formation using a gel filtration assay, suggesting that Y340 forms a dominant oligomer stabilizing side chain. The monomeric ReptinY340A mutant protein exhibited increased activity to its partner protein AGR2 in an ELISA assay, further suggesting that hexamer formation can preclude certain protein interactions. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) demonstrated that the Y340A mutation attenuated deuterium suppression of Reptin in this motif in the presence of ligand. By contrast, the tyrosine motif of Reptin interacts with a shallower pocket in the hetero-oligomeric structure containing Pontin and HDX-MS revealed no obvious role of the Y340 side chain in stabilizing the Reptin-Pontin oligomer. Molecular dynamic simulations (MDS) rationalized how the Y340A mutation impacts upon a normally stabilizing inter-subunit amino acid contact. MDS also revealed how the D299N mutation can, by contrast, remove oligomer de-stabilizing contacts. These data suggest that the Reptin interactome can be regulated by a ligand dependent equilibrium between monomeric and hexameric forms through a hydrophobic inter-subunit protein-protein interaction motif bridged by Tyrosine-340. SIGNIFICANCE: Discovering dynamic protein-protein interactions is a fundamental aim of research in the life sciences. An emerging view of protein-protein interactions in higher eukaryotes is that they are driven by small linear polypeptide sequences; the linear motif. We report on the use of linear-peptide motif screens to discover a relatively high affinity peptide-protein interaction for the AAA+ and pro-oncogenic protein Reptin. This peptide interaction site was shown to form a 'hot-spot' protein-protein interaction site, and validated to be important for ligand-induced oligomerization of the Reptin protein. These biochemical data provide a foundation to understand how single point mutations in Reptin can impact on its oligomerization and protein-protein interaction landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominika Coufalova
- Regional Centre for Applied Molecular Oncology, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, 656 53 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Lucy Remnant
- University of Edinburgh, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Edinburgh, Scotland EH4 2XR, United Kingdom
| | - Lenka Hernychova
- Regional Centre for Applied Molecular Oncology, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, 656 53 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Muller
- Regional Centre for Applied Molecular Oncology, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, 656 53 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Alan Healy
- St Andrews University, St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Srinivasaraghavan Kannan
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, Matrix 07-01 138671, Singapore
| | | | - Chandra S Verma
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, Matrix 07-01 138671, Singapore; School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, 637551, Singapore; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14, Science Drive 4, 117543, Singapore
| | - Borek Vojtesek
- Regional Centre for Applied Molecular Oncology, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, 656 53 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ted R Hupp
- Regional Centre for Applied Molecular Oncology, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, 656 53 Brno, Czech Republic; University of Edinburgh, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Edinburgh, Scotland EH4 2XR, United Kingdom; University of Gdansk, International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
| | - Douglas R Houston
- University of Edinburgh, Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3BF, United Kingdom
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15
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Dudley LJ, Cabodevilla AG, Makar AN, Sztacho M, Michelberger T, Marsh JA, Houston DR, Martens S, Jiang X, Gammoh N. Intrinsic lipid binding activity of ATG16L1 supports efficient membrane anchoring and autophagy. EMBO J 2019; 38:e100554. [PMID: 30936093 PMCID: PMC6484409 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2018100554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Membrane targeting of autophagy-related complexes is an important step that regulates their activities and prevents their aberrant engagement on non-autophagic membranes. ATG16L1 is a core autophagy protein implicated at distinct phases of autophagosome biogenesis. In this study, we dissected the recruitment of ATG16L1 to the pre-autophagosomal structure (PAS) and showed that it requires sequences within its coiled-coil domain (CCD) dispensable for homodimerisation. Structural and mutational analyses identified conserved residues within the CCD of ATG16L1 that mediate direct binding to phosphoinositides, including phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P). Mutating putative lipid binding residues abrogated the localisation of ATG16L1 to the PAS and inhibited LC3 lipidation. On the other hand, enhancing lipid binding of ATG16L1 by mutating negatively charged residues adjacent to the lipid binding motif also resulted in autophagy inhibition, suggesting that regulated recruitment of ATG16L1 to the PAS is required for its autophagic activity. Overall, our findings indicate that ATG16L1 harbours an intrinsic ability to bind lipids that plays an essential role during LC3 lipidation and autophagosome maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo J Dudley
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ainara G Cabodevilla
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Agata N Makar
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Martin Sztacho
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Vienna Biocenter, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tim Michelberger
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Joseph A Marsh
- Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sascha Martens
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Vienna Biocenter, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Xuejun Jiang
- Cell Biology Department, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York, NY, USA
| | - Noor Gammoh
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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16
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Rojas F, Silvester E, Young J, Milne R, Tettey M, Houston DR, Walkinshaw MD, Pérez-Pi I, Auer M, Denton H, Smith TK, Thompson J, Matthews KR. Oligopeptide Signaling through TbGPR89 Drives Trypanosome Quorum Sensing. Cell 2018; 176:306-317.e16. [PMID: 30503212 PMCID: PMC6333907 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.10.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [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: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosome parasites control their virulence and spread by using quorum sensing (QS) to generate transmissible “stumpy forms” in their host bloodstream. However, the QS signal “stumpy induction factor” (SIF) and its reception mechanism are unknown. Although trypanosomes lack G protein-coupled receptor signaling, we have identified a surface GPR89-family protein that regulates stumpy formation. TbGPR89 is expressed on bloodstream “slender form” trypanosomes, which receive the SIF signal, and when ectopically expressed, TbGPR89 drives stumpy formation in a SIF-pathway-dependent process. Structural modeling of TbGPR89 predicts unexpected similarity to oligopeptide transporters (POT), and when expressed in bacteria, TbGPR89 transports oligopeptides. Conversely, expression of an E. coli POT in trypanosomes drives parasite differentiation, and oligopeptides promote stumpy formation in vitro. Furthermore, the expression of secreted trypanosome oligopeptidases generates a paracrine signal that accelerates stumpy formation in vivo. Peptidase-generated oligopeptide QS signals being received through TbGPR89 provides a mechanism for both trypanosome SIF production and reception. Trypanosomes use quorum sensing to differentiate to transmissible stumpy forms A GPR89 protein with oligopeptide transport activity drives parasite differentiation Oligopeptide mixtures and synthetic di- and tripeptides promote stumpy formation Released parasite oligopeptidases generate the paracrine quorum sensing signal in vivo
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Rojas
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Eleanor Silvester
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Julie Young
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Rachel Milne
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Mabel Tettey
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Malcolm D Walkinshaw
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Irene Pérez-Pi
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Manfred Auer
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Helen Denton
- School of Biology, BSRC, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Terry K Smith
- School of Biology, BSRC, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Joanne Thompson
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK.
| | - Keith R Matthews
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK.
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17
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Lathe R, Houston DR. Fatty-acylation target sequence in the ligand-binding domain of vertebrate steroid receptors demarcates evolution from estrogen-related receptors. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2018; 184:20-28. [PMID: 30026064 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2018.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Revised: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Present-day nuclear receptors (NRs) responding to adrenal and sex steroids are key regulators of reproduction and growth in mammals, and are thought to have evolved from an ancestral NR most closely related to extant estrogen-related receptors (ERRs). The molecular events (and ligands) that distinguish steroid-activated NRs (SRs) from their inferred ancestor, that gave rise to both the ERRs and SRs, remain unknown. We report that target sequences for fatty-acylation (palmitoylation) at a key cysteine residue (corresponding to Cys447 in human estrogen receptor ERα) in helix 8 of the ligand-binding domain accurately demarcate SRs from ERRs. Docking studies are consistent with the hypothesis that palmitate embeds into a key groove in the receptor surface. The implications of lipidation, and of potential alternative ligands for the key cysteine residue, for receptor function and the evolution of SRs are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Lathe
- Division of Infection and Pathway Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Little France, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK.
| | - Douglas R Houston
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK.
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18
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Myers SH, Temps C, Houston DR, Brunton VG, Unciti-Broceta A. Development of Potent Inhibitors of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases by Ligand-Based Drug Design and Target-Biased Phenotypic Screening. J Med Chem 2018; 61:2104-2110. [PMID: 29466002 PMCID: PMC5851644 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b01605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
![]()
Pyrazolopyrimidines with potent antiproliferative
properties were
developed by an adaptive strategy that applies ligand-based design
and phenotypic screening iteratively and is informed by biochemical
assays. To drive development toward specific oncopathways, compounds
were tested against cancer cells that overexpress, or not, AXL kinase.
Identified phenotypic hits were found to inhibit oncotargets AXL,
RET, and FLT3. Subsequent optimization generated antiproliferative
lead compounds with unique selectivity profiles, including selective
AXL inhibitors and a highly potent inhibitor of FLT3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel H Myers
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine , University of Edinburgh , Crewe Road South , Edinburgh EH4 2XR , U.K
| | - Carolin Temps
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine , University of Edinburgh , Crewe Road South , Edinburgh EH4 2XR , U.K
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology , University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh EH9 3BF , U.K
| | - Valerie G Brunton
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine , University of Edinburgh , Crewe Road South , Edinburgh EH4 2XR , U.K
| | - Asier Unciti-Broceta
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine , University of Edinburgh , Crewe Road South , Edinburgh EH4 2XR , U.K
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19
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McWhinnie FS, Sepp K, Wilson C, Kunath T, Hupp TR, Baker TS, Houston DR, Hulme AN. Mono-Substituted Hydrocarbon Diastereomer Combinations Reveal Stapled Peptides with High Structural Fidelity. Chemistry 2018; 24:2094-2097. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201705983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fergus S. McWhinnie
- EaStChem School of Chemistry; University of Edinburgh; David Brewster Road Edinburgh EH9 3FJ UK
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, ISCR; University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh EH16 4UU UK
| | - Kristel Sepp
- EaStChem School of Chemistry; University of Edinburgh; David Brewster Road Edinburgh EH9 3FJ UK
| | - Charlotte Wilson
- EaStChem School of Chemistry; University of Edinburgh; David Brewster Road Edinburgh EH9 3FJ UK
| | - Tilo Kunath
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, ISCR; University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh EH16 4UU UK
| | - Ted R. Hupp
- Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine; University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh EH4 2XR UK
| | | | - Douglas R. Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology; University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh EH9 3BF UK
| | - Alison N. Hulme
- EaStChem School of Chemistry; University of Edinburgh; David Brewster Road Edinburgh EH9 3FJ UK
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20
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Crispin R, Spockeli NM, Brunton V, Carragher N, Gourley C, Houston DR, Unciti-Broceta A, Patton. EE. Abstract 3796: Targeting cancer stem cells using ALDH-dependent 5-nitrofuran prodrugs. Cancer Res 2016. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-3796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
We hypothesise that cancer stem cells with high aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDHhigh) activity present a new therapeutic target and will be selectively sensitive to 5-nitrofuran pro-drugs.
Cancers are heterogeneous and contain subpopulations of ALDHhigh cells with tumour initiating potential. ALDH enzymes metabolize toxic aldehydes, and are highly expressed in somatic and cancer stem cells (CSCs), although their function in stem cells is not fully understood. In a small molecule screen coupled with target ID, we recently discovered that clinically active 5-nitrofurans (5-NFNs) are substrates of ALDH2 (Zhou et al., 2012). 5-NFNs are a class of pro-drug widely used to treat bacterial and parasitic infections where their relative specificity is driven by nitroreductases, but little is known about the enzymes that bio-activate 5-NFNs in humans. Recent clinical cancer research has found that the 5-NFN nifurtimox has anti-cancer properties and it is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials for neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00601003), however the mechanism underlying this anti-cancer activity is unknown.
In melanoma and other cancers, ALDH1A1 and ALDH1A3 are highly expressed in CSCs. We find that cancer cell lines are highly sensitive to 5-NFNs in cell viability assays, where we use a logarithmic drug dose range and assess cell viability by PrestoBlue™ (e.g. A375 melanoma cells EC50 = 86nM). To test if ALDH1 isoforms are substrates of 5-NFNs, we preformed in vitro activity assays by monitoring NADH production (λ = 340nm). We find that the clinically active 5-NFNs nifuroxazide and nifurtimox, in addition to our own newly synthesised 5-NFNs, are competitive substrates for human ALDH1A3 activity in vitro (p<0.05). Notably, nifuroxazide was not a substrate for ALDH2, suggesting that nifuroxazide may show selectivity toward ALDH1. Consistent with our enzymatic activity assays, we find that 5-NFNs are competitive substrates for ALDH activity in melanoma cells by Aldefluor™ in vivo, with 5-NFNs displaying a prolonged competitive inhibition compared with the known inhibitor, DEAB. Importantly, no-nitro control compounds show no activity toward ALDH enzymes in vitro or in vivo. Computational docking studies reveal that 5-NFNs have the potential to fit within the interior of the ALDH enzymatic cavity and interact with the catalytic cysteine, thereby offering a potential mechanism for 5-NFN bio-activation. Kinetic living-cell imaging (IncuCyte ZOOM®) reveals that ALDH1A3 siRNA transfected A375 cells are protected from 5-NFN toxicity (p>0.05) and apoptosis (DRAQ7™: p<0.0001), demonstrating a functional role for ALDH1A3 in mediating 5-NFN activity in cancer cells.
Our work demonstrates a novel and biologically relevant 5-NFN-ALDH1 interaction in cancer cells. We propose 5-NFNs have the potential to target ALDHhigh CSCs within a tumour and advance the repurposing of clinical 5-NFN pro-drug antibiotics as anti-cancer therapeutics.
Citation Format: Richard Crispin, Nathalie M. Spockeli, Val Brunton, Neil Carragher, Charlie Gourley, Douglas R. Houston, Asier Unciti-Broceta, E. Elizabeth Patton. Targeting cancer stem cells using ALDH-dependent 5-nitrofuran prodrugs. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3796.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Val Brunton
- University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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21
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Fraser C, Dawson JC, Dowling R, Houston DR, Weiss JT, Munro AF, Muir M, Harrington L, Webster SP, Frame MC, Brunton VG, Patton EE, Carragher NO, Unciti-Broceta A. Rapid Discovery and Structure-Activity Relationships of Pyrazolopyrimidines That Potently Suppress Breast Cancer Cell Growth via SRC Kinase Inhibition with Exceptional Selectivity over ABL Kinase. J Med Chem 2016; 59:4697-710. [PMID: 27115835 PMCID: PMC4885109 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
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Novel
pyrazolopyrimidines displaying high potency and selectivity
toward SRC family kinases have been developed by combining ligand-based
design and phenotypic screening in an iterative manner. Compounds
were derived from the promiscuous kinase inhibitor PP1 to search for
analogs that could potentially target a broad spectrum of kinases
involved in cancer. Phenotypic screening against MCF7 mammary adenocarcinoma
cells generated target-agnostic structure–activity relationships
that biased subsequent designs toward breast cancer treatment rather
than to a particular target. This strategy led to the discovery of
two potent antiproliferative leads with phenotypically distinct anticancer
mode of actions. Kinase profiling and further optimization resulted
in eCF506, the first small molecule with subnanomolar IC50 for SRC that requires 3 orders of magnitude greater concentration
to inhibit ABL. eCF506 exhibits excellent water solubility, an optimal
DMPK profile and oral bioavailability, halts SRC-associated neuromast
migration in zebrafish embryos without inducing life-threatening heart
defects, and inhibits SRC phosphorylation in tumor xenografts in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh EH9 3BF, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Lea Harrington
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Chemin de Polytechnique , Montreal, Quebec H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Scott P Webster
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, United Kingdom
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Aytaç PS, Durmaz I, Houston DR, Çetin-Atalay R, Tozkoparan B. Novel triazolothiadiazines act as potent anticancer agents in liver cancer cells through Akt and ASK-1 proteins. Bioorg Med Chem 2016; 24:858-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2016.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Revised: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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France DJ, Stepek G, Houston DR, Williams L, McCormack G, Walkinshaw MD, Page AP. Identification and activity of inhibitors of the essential nematode-specific metalloprotease DPY-31. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2015; 25:5752-5. [PMID: 26546217 PMCID: PMC4658336 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2015.10.077] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Revised: 10/23/2015] [Accepted: 10/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Infection by parasitic nematodes is widespread in the developing world causing extensive morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, infection of animals is a global problem, with a substantial impact on food production. Here we identify small molecule inhibitors of a nematode-specific metalloprotease, DPY-31, using both known metalloprotease inhibitors and virtual screening. This strategy successfully identified several μM inhibitors of DPY-31 from both the human filarial nematode Brugia malayi, and the parasitic gastrointestinal nematode of sheep Teladorsagia circumcincta. Further studies using both free living and parasitic nematodes show that these inhibitors elicit the severe body morphology defect 'Dumpy' (Dpy; shorter and fatter), a predominantly non-viable phenotype consistent with mutants lacking the DPY-31 gene. Taken together, these results represent a start point in developing DPY-31 inhibition as a totally novel mechanism for treating infection by parasitic nematodes in humans and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J France
- WestChem School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Gillian Stepek
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Structural & Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, UK
| | - Lewis Williams
- WestChem School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Gillian McCormack
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Malcolm D Walkinshaw
- Institute of Structural & Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, UK
| | - Antony P Page
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
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Simmons TJ, Mohler KE, Holland C, Goubet F, Franková L, Houston DR, Hudson AD, Meulewaeter F, Fry SC. Hetero-trans-β-glucanase, an enzyme unique to Equisetum plants, functionalizes cellulose. Plant J 2015; 83:753-69. [PMID: 26185964 PMCID: PMC4950035 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Revised: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 06/24/2015] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Cell walls are metabolically active components of plant cells. They contain diverse enzymes, including transglycanases (endotransglycosylases), enzymes that 'cut and paste' certain structural polysaccharide molecules and thus potentially remodel the wall during growth and development. Known transglycanase activities modify several cell-wall polysaccharides (xyloglucan, mannans, mixed-linkage β-glucan and xylans); however, no transglycanases were known to act on cellulose, the principal polysaccharide of biomass. We now report the discovery and characterization of hetero-trans-β-glucanase (HTG), a transglycanase that targets cellulose, in horsetails (Equisetum spp., an early-diverging genus of monilophytes). HTG is also remarkable in predominantly catalysing hetero-transglycosylation: its preferred donor substrates (cellulose or mixed-linkage β-glucan) differ qualitatively from its acceptor substrate (xyloglucan). HTG thus generates stable cellulose-xyloglucan and mixed-linkage β-glucan-xyloglucan covalent bonds, and may therefore strengthen ageing Equisetum tissues by inter-linking different structural polysaccharides of the cell wall. 3D modelling suggests that only three key amino acid substitutions (Trp → Pro, Gly → Ser and Arg → Leu) are responsible for the evolution of HTG's unique specificity from the better-known xyloglucan-acting homo-transglycanases (xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolases; XTH). Among land plants, HTG appears to be confined to Equisetum, but its target polysaccharides are widespread, potentially offering opportunities for enhancing crop mechanical properties, such as wind resistance. In addition, by linking cellulose to xyloglucan fragments previously tagged with compounds such as dyes or indicators, HTG may be useful biotechnologically for manufacturing stably functionalized celluloses, thereby potentially offering a commercially valuable 'green' technology for industrially manipulating biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Simmons
- The Edinburgh Cell Wall Group, Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Kyle E Mohler
- The Edinburgh Cell Wall Group, Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Claire Holland
- The Edinburgh Cell Wall Group, Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Florence Goubet
- Bayer CropScience NV, Innovation Center, Technologiepark 38, 9052, Gent, Belgium
| | - Lenka Franková
- The Edinburgh Cell Wall Group, Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, The University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JR, UK
| | - Andrew D Hudson
- Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Frank Meulewaeter
- Bayer CropScience NV, Innovation Center, Technologiepark 38, 9052, Gent, Belgium
| | - Stephen C Fry
- The Edinburgh Cell Wall Group, Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
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Healy AR, Houston DR, Remnant L, Huart AS, Brychtova V, Maslon MM, Meers O, Muller P, Krejci A, Blackburn EA, Vojtesek B, Hernychova L, Walkinshaw MD, Westwood NJ, Hupp TR. Discovery of a novel ligand that modulates the protein-protein interactions of the AAA+ superfamily oncoprotein reptin. Chem Sci 2015; 6:3109-3116. [PMID: 28706685 PMCID: PMC5490336 DOI: 10.1039/c4sc03885a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2014] [Accepted: 03/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing approaches to discover protein-protein interactions (PPIs) remains a fundamental challenge. A chemical biology platform is applied here to identify novel PPIs for the AAA+ superfamily oncoprotein reptin. An in silico screen coupled with chemical optimization provided Liddean, a nucleotide-mimetic which modulates reptin's oligomerization status, protein-binding activity and global conformation. Combinatorial peptide phage library screening of Liddean-bound reptin with next generation sequencing identified interaction motifs including a novel reptin docking site on the p53 tumor suppressor protein. Proximity ligation assays demonstrated that endogenous reptin forms a predominantly cytoplasmic complex with its paralog pontin in cancer cells and Liddean promotes a shift of this complex to the nucleus. An emerging view of PPIs in higher eukaryotes is that they occur through a striking diversity of linear peptide motifs. The discovery of a compound that alters reptin's protein interaction landscape potentially leads to novel avenues for therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan R Healy
- School of Chemistry & Biomedical Sciences Research Complex , University of St Andrews & EaStCHEM , North Haugh, St Andrews , KY16 9ST , UK .
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Centre for Chemical Biology , University of Edinburgh , EH9 3JG , UK .
| | - Lucy Remnant
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre , Cell Signalling Unit , University of Edinburgh , EH4 2XR , UK .
| | - Anne-Sophie Huart
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre , Cell Signalling Unit , University of Edinburgh , EH4 2XR , UK .
| | - Veronika Brychtova
- RECAMO , Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute , 656 53 Brno , Czech Republic
| | - Magda M Maslon
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre , Cell Signalling Unit , University of Edinburgh , EH4 2XR , UK .
| | - Olivia Meers
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre , Cell Signalling Unit , University of Edinburgh , EH4 2XR , UK .
| | - Petr Muller
- RECAMO , Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute , 656 53 Brno , Czech Republic
| | - Adam Krejci
- RECAMO , Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute , 656 53 Brno , Czech Republic
| | | | - Borek Vojtesek
- RECAMO , Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute , 656 53 Brno , Czech Republic
| | - Lenka Hernychova
- RECAMO , Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute , 656 53 Brno , Czech Republic
| | | | - Nicholas J Westwood
- School of Chemistry & Biomedical Sciences Research Complex , University of St Andrews & EaStCHEM , North Haugh, St Andrews , KY16 9ST , UK .
| | - Ted R Hupp
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre , Cell Signalling Unit , University of Edinburgh , EH4 2XR , UK .
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McNeil EM, Astell KR, Ritchie AM, Shave S, Houston DR, Bakrania P, Jones HM, Khurana P, Wallace C, Chapman T, Wear MA, Walkinshaw MD, Saxty B, Melton DW. Inhibition of the ERCC1-XPF structure-specific endonuclease to overcome cancer chemoresistance. DNA Repair (Amst) 2015; 31:19-28. [PMID: 25956741 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2015.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2015] [Revised: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 04/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
ERCC1-XPF is a structure-specific endonuclease that is required for the repair of DNA lesions, generated by the widely used platinum-containing cancer chemotherapeutics such as cisplatin, through the Nucleotide Excision Repair and Interstrand Crosslink Repair pathways. Based on mouse xenograft experiments, where ERCC1-deficient melanomas were cured by cisplatin therapy, we proposed that inhibition of ERCC1-XPF could enhance the effectiveness of platinum-based chemotherapy. Here we report the identification and properties of inhibitors against two key targets on ERCC1-XPF. By targeting the ERCC1-XPF interaction domain we proposed that inhibition would disrupt the ERCC1-XPF heterodimer resulting in destabilisation of both proteins. Using in silico screening, we identified an inhibitor that bound to ERCC1-XPF in a biophysical assay, reduced the level of ERCC1-XPF complexes in ovarian cancer cells, inhibited Nucleotide Excision Repair and sensitised melanoma cells to cisplatin. We also utilised high throughput and in silico screening to identify the first reported inhibitors of the other key target, the XPF endonuclease domain. We demonstrate that two of these compounds display specificity in vitro for ERCC1-XPF over two other endonucleases, bind to ERCC1-XPF, inhibit Nucleotide Excision Repair in two independent assays and specifically sensitise Nucleotide Excision Repair-proficient, but not Nucleotide Excision Repair-deficient human and mouse cells to cisplatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewan M McNeil
- MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, MRC Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Katy R Astell
- MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, MRC Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Ann-Marie Ritchie
- MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, MRC Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Steven Shave
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Michael Swann Building, The King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, UK
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Michael Swann Building, The King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, UK
| | - Preeti Bakrania
- Centre for Therapeutics Discovery, MRC Technology, 1-3 Burtonhole Lane, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AD, UK
| | - Hayley M Jones
- Centre for Therapeutics Discovery, MRC Technology, 1-3 Burtonhole Lane, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AD, UK
| | - Puneet Khurana
- Centre for Therapeutics Discovery, MRC Technology, 1-3 Burtonhole Lane, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AD, UK
| | - Claire Wallace
- Centre for Therapeutics Discovery, MRC Technology, 1-3 Burtonhole Lane, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AD, UK
| | - Tim Chapman
- Centre for Therapeutics Discovery, MRC Technology, 1-3 Burtonhole Lane, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AD, UK
| | - Martin A Wear
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Michael Swann Building, The King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, UK
| | - Malcolm D Walkinshaw
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Michael Swann Building, The King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, UK
| | - Barbara Saxty
- Centre for Therapeutics Discovery, MRC Technology, 1-3 Burtonhole Lane, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AD, UK
| | - David W Melton
- MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, MRC Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK.
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Trubitsyna M, Grey H, Houston DR, Finnegan DJ, Richardson JM. Structural Basis for the Inverted Repeat Preferences of mariner Transposases. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:13531-40. [PMID: 25869132 PMCID: PMC4505599 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.636704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 01/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The inverted repeat (IR) sequences delimiting the left and right ends of many naturally active mariner DNA transposons are non-identical and have different affinities for their transposase. We have compared the preferences of two active mariner transposases, Mos1 and Mboumar-9, for their imperfect transposon IRs in each step of transposition: DNA binding, DNA cleavage, and DNA strand transfer. A 3.1 Å resolution crystal structure of the Mos1 paired-end complex containing the pre-cleaved left IR sequences reveals the molecular basis for the reduced affinity of the Mos1 transposase DNA-binding domain for the left IR as compared with the right IR. For both Mos1 and Mboumar-9, in vitro DNA transposition is most efficient when the preferred IR sequence is present at both transposon ends. We find that this is due to the higher efficiency of cleavage and strand transfer of the preferred transposon end. We show that the efficiency of Mboumar-9 transposition is improved almost 4-fold by changing the 3′ base of the preferred Mboumar-9 IR from guanine to adenine. This preference for adenine at the reactive 3′ end for both Mos1 and Mboumar-9 may be a general feature of mariner transposition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heather Grey
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Max Born Crescent, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Max Born Crescent, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | | | - Julia M Richardson
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Max Born Crescent, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, Scotland, United Kingdom
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Shave S, Blackburn EA, Adie J, Houston DR, Auer M, Webster SP, Taylor P, Walkinshaw MD. UFSRAT: Ultra-fast Shape Recognition with Atom Types--the discovery of novel bioactive small molecular scaffolds for FKBP12 and 11βHSD1. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0116570. [PMID: 25659145 PMCID: PMC4319890 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 11/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Using molecular similarity to discover bioactive small molecules with novel chemical scaffolds can be computationally demanding. We describe Ultra-fast Shape Recognition with Atom Types (UFSRAT), an efficient algorithm that considers both the 3D distribution (shape) and electrostatics of atoms to score and retrieve molecules capable of making similar interactions to those of the supplied query. RESULTS Computational optimization and pre-calculation of molecular descriptors enables a query molecule to be run against a database containing 3.8 million molecules and results returned in under 10 seconds on modest hardware. UFSRAT has been used in pipelines to identify bioactive molecules for two clinically relevant drug targets; FK506-Binding Protein 12 and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1. In the case of FK506-Binding Protein 12, UFSRAT was used as the first step in a structure-based virtual screening pipeline, yielding many actives, of which the most active shows a KD, app of 281 µM and contains a substructure present in the query compound. Success was also achieved running solely the UFSRAT technique to identify new actives for 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1, for which the most active displays an IC50 of 67 nM in a cell based assay and contains a substructure radically different to the query. This demonstrates the valuable ability of the UFSRAT algorithm to perform scaffold hops. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION A web-based implementation of the algorithm is freely available at http://opus.bch.ed.ac.uk/ufsrat/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Shave
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth A. Blackburn
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Jillian Adie
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas R. Houston
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Manfred Auer
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Scott P. Webster
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Taylor
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Malcolm D. Walkinshaw
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Henriques G, Martinelli A, Rodrigues L, Modrzynska K, Fawcett R, Houston DR, Borges ST, d'Alessandro U, Tinto H, Karema C, Hunt P, Cravo P. Artemisinin resistance in rodent malaria--mutation in the AP2 adaptor μ-chain suggests involvement of endocytosis and membrane protein trafficking. Malar J 2013; 12:118. [PMID: 23561245 PMCID: PMC3655824 DOI: 10.1186/1475-2875-12-118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2012] [Accepted: 02/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The control of malaria, caused by Plasmodium falciparum, is hampered by the relentless evolution of drug resistance. Because artemisinin derivatives are now used in the most effective anti-malarial therapy, resistance to artemisinin would be catastrophic. Indeed, studies suggest that artemisinin resistance has already appeared in natural infections. Understanding the mechanisms of resistance would help to prolong the effective lifetime of these drugs. Genetic markers of resistance are therefore required urgently. Previously, a mutation in a de-ubiquitinating enzyme was shown to confer artemisinin resistance in the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium chabaudi. METHODS Here, for a mutant P. chabaudi malaria parasite and its immediate progenitor, the in vivo artemisinin resistance phenotypes and the mutations arising using Illumina whole-genome re-sequencing were compared. RESULTS An increased artemisinin resistance phenotype is accompanied by one non-synonymous substitution. The mutated gene encodes the μ-chain of the AP2 adaptor complex, a component of the endocytic machinery. Homology models indicate that the mutated residue interacts with a cargo recognition sequence. In natural infections of the human malaria parasite P. falciparum, 12 polymorphisms (nine SNPs and three indels) were identified in the orthologous gene. CONCLUSION An increased artemisinin-resistant phenotype occurs along with a mutation in a functional element of the AP2 adaptor protein complex. This suggests that endocytosis and trafficking of membrane proteins may be involved, generating new insights into possible mechanisms of resistance. The genotypes of this adaptor protein can be evaluated for its role in artemisinin responses in human infections of P. falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisela Henriques
- Centro de Malaria & Doenças Tropicais,LA/IHMT/Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
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Abstract
Structure-based virtual screening relies on scoring the predicted binding modes of compounds docked into the target. Because the accuracy of this scoring relies on the accuracy of the docking, methods that increase docking accuracy are valuable. Here, we present a relatively straightforward method for improving the probability of identifying accurately docked poses. The method is similar in concept to consensus scoring schemes, which have been shown to increase ranking power and thus hit rates, but combines information about predicted binding modes rather than predicted binding affinities. The pose prediction success rate of each docking program alone was found in this trial to be 55% for Autodock, 58% for DOCK, and 64% for Vina. By using more than one docking program to predict the binding pose, correct poses were identified in 82% or more of cases, a significant improvement. In a virtual screen, these more reliably posed compounds can be preferentially advanced to subsequent scoring stages to improve hit rates. Consensus docking can be easily introduced into established structure-based virtual screening methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas R Houston
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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Buscaino A, White SA, Houston DR, Lejeune E, Simmer F, de Lima Alves F, Diyora PT, Urano T, Bayne EH, Rappsilber J, Allshire RC. Raf1 Is a DCAF for the Rik1 DDB1-like protein and has separable roles in siRNA generation and chromatin modification. PLoS Genet 2012; 8:e1002499. [PMID: 22319459 PMCID: PMC3271066 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2011] [Accepted: 12/09/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-coding transcription can trigger histone post-translational modifications forming specialized chromatin. In fission yeast, heterochromatin formation requires RNAi and the histone H3K9 methyltransferase complex CLRC, composed of Clr4, Raf1, Raf2, Cul4, and Rik1. CLRC mediates H3K9 methylation and siRNA production; it also displays E3-ubiquitin ligase activity in vitro. DCAFs act as substrate receptors for E3 ligases and may couple ubiquitination with histone methylation. Here, structural alignment and mutation of signature WDxR motifs in Raf1 indicate that it is a DCAF for CLRC. We demonstrate that Raf1 promotes H3K9 methylation and siRNA amplification via two distinct, separable functions. The association of the DCAF Raf1 with Cul4-Rik1 is critical for H3K9 methylation, but dispensable for processing of centromeric transcripts into siRNAs. Thus the association of a DCAF, Raf1, with its adaptor, Rik1, is required for histone methylation and to allow RNAi to signal to chromatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Buscaino
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Sharon A. White
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas R. Houston
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Erwan Lejeune
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Femke Simmer
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Flavia de Lima Alves
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Piyush T. Diyora
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Takeshi Urano
- Department of Biochemistry, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Izumo, Japan
| | - Elizabeth H. Bayne
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Juri Rappsilber
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Robin C. Allshire
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Shi K, Houston DR, Berghuis AM. Crystal structures of antibiotic-bound complexes of aminoglycoside 2''-phosphotransferase IVa highlight the diversity in substrate binding modes among aminoglycoside kinases. Biochemistry 2011; 50:6237-44. [PMID: 21678960 DOI: 10.1021/bi200747f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Aminoglycoside 2''-phosphotransferase IVa [APH(2'')-IVa] is a member of a family of bacterial enzymes responsible for medically relevant resistance to antibiotics. APH(2'')-IVa confers high-level resistance against several clinically used aminoglycoside antibiotics in various pathogenic Enterococcus species by phosphorylating the drug, thereby preventing it from binding to its ribosomal target and producing a bactericidal effect. We describe here three crystal structures of APH(2'')-IVa, one in its apo form and two in complex with a bound antibiotic, tobramycin and kanamycin A. The apo structure was refined to a resolution of 2.05 Å, and the APH(2'')-IVa structures with tobramycin and kanamycin A bound were refined to resolutions of 1.80 and 2.15 Å, respectively. Comparison among the structures provides insight concerning the substrate selectivity of this enzyme. In particular, conformational changes upon substrate binding, involving rotational shifts of two distinct segments of the enzyme, are observed. These substrate-induced shifts may also rationalize the altered substrate preference of APH(2'')-IVa in comparison to those of other members of the APH(2'') subfamily, which are structurally closely related. Finally, analysis of the interactions between the enzyme and aminoglycoside reveals a distinct binding mode as compared to the intended ribosomal target. The differences in the pattern of interactions can be utilized as a structural basis for the development of improved aminoglycosides that are not susceptible to these resistance factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Shi
- Department of Biochemistry, Groupe de Recherche Axé sur la Structure des Protéines, McGill University, 3649 Promenade Sir William Osler, Montreal, Quebec H3G 0B1, Canada.
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Nascimento M, Zhang WW, Ghosh A, Houston DR, Berghuis AM, Olivier M, Matlashewski G. Identification and Characterization of a Protein-tyrosine Phosphatase in Leishmania. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:36257-68. [PMID: 17005559 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m606256200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmania parasites are eukaryotic protozoans responsible for a variety of human diseases known as leishmaniasis, which ranges from skin lesions to fatal visceral infections. Leishmania is transmitted by the bite of an infected sandfly where it exists as promastigotes and, upon entry into a mammalian host, differentiates into amastigotes, which replicate exclusively in macro-phages. The biochemical pathways enabling Leishmania to differentiate and survive in the mammalian host are poorly defined. We have therefore examined the role of protein-tyrosine phosphorylation, which is essential in regulating cell function in higher eukaryotes. Using the recently completed Leishmania genome, we have identified and cloned a Leishmania protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) gene (LPTP1) by virtue of its homology with the human protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B gene (hPTP1B). The enzyme activity of recombinant LPTP1 was confirmed using a combination of PTP-specific substrates and inhibitors. We further demonstrate, by creating LPTP1 null mutants through gene targeting, that LPTP1 is necessary for survival as amastigotes in mice, but it is dispensable for survival as promastigotes in culture. Human PTPs, including the PTP1B enzyme, are actively pursued drug targets for a variety of diseases. The observations with the LPTP1 mutants in mice suggest that it may also represent a drug target against the mammalian amastigote stage. However, in silico structure analysis of LPTP1 revealed a striking similarity with hPTP1B in the active site suggesting that, although this is an attractive drug target, it may be difficult to develop an inhibitor specific for the Leishmania LPTP1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirna Nascimento
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Mcgill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Rao FV, Houston DR, Boot RG, Aerts JMFG, Hodkinson M, Adams DJ, Shiomi K, Omura S, van Aalten DMF. Specificity and affinity of natural product cyclopentapeptide inhibitors against A. fumigatus, human, and bacterial chitinases. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005; 12:65-76. [PMID: 15664516 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2004.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2004] [Revised: 10/07/2004] [Accepted: 10/14/2004] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Family 18 chitinases play key roles in organisms ranging from bacteria to man. There is a need for specific, potent inhibitors to probe the function of these chitinases in different organisms. Such molecules could also provide leads for the development of chemotherapeuticals with fungicidal, insecticidal, or anti-inflammatory potential. Recently, two natural product peptides, argifin and argadin, have been characterized, which structurally mimic chitinase-chitooligosaccharide interactions and inhibit a bacterial chitinase in the nM-mM range. Here, we show that these inhibitors also act on human and Aspergillus fumigatus chitinases. The structures of these enzymes in complex with argifin and argadin, together with mutagenesis, fluorescence, and enzymology, reveal that subtle changes in the binding site dramatically affect affinity and selectivity. The data show that it may be possible to develop specific chitinase inhibitors based on the argifin/argadin scaffolds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco V Rao
- Division of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland
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Vaaje-Kolstad G, Houston DR, Riemen AHK, Eijsink VGH, van Aalten DMF. Crystal Structure and Binding Properties of the Serratia marcescens Chitin-binding Protein CBP21. J Biol Chem 2005; 280:11313-9. [PMID: 15590674 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m407175200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 216] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Chitin proteins are commonly found in bacteria that utilize chitin as a source of energy. CBP21 is a chitin-binding protein from Serratia marcescens, a Gram-negative soil bacterium capable of efficient chitin degradation. When grown on chitin, S. marcescens secretes large amounts of CBP21, along with chitin-degrading enzymes. In an attempt to understand the molecular mechanism of CBP21 action, we have determined its crystal structure at 1.55 angstroms resolution. This is the first structure to be solved of a family 33 carbohydrate-binding module. The structure reveals a "budded" fibronectin type III fold consisting of two beta-sheets, arranged as a beta-sheet sandwich, with a 65-residue "bud" consisting of three short helices, located between beta-strands 1 and 2. Remarkably, conserved aromatic residues that have been suggested previously to play a role in chitin binding were mainly found in the interior of the protein, seemingly incapable of interacting with chitin, whereas the structure revealed a surface patch of highly conserved, mainly hydrophilic residues. The roles of six of these conserved surface-exposed residues (Tyr-54, Glu-55, Glu-60, His-114, Asp-182, and Asn-185) were probed by site-directed mutagenesis and subsequent binding studies. All single point mutations lowered the affinity of CBP21 for beta-chitin, as shown by 3-8-fold increases in the apparent binding constant. Thus, binding of CBP21 to chitin seems to be mediated primarily by conserved, solvent-exposed, polar side chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustav Vaaje-Kolstad
- Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Food Science, Postbox 5003, Agricultural University of Norway, N-1432 As, Norway
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Houston DR, Synstad B, Eijsink VGH, Stark MJR, Eggleston IM, van Aalten DMF. Structure-based exploration of cyclic dipeptide chitinase inhibitors. J Med Chem 2004; 47:5713-20. [PMID: 15509170 DOI: 10.1021/jm049940a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Family 18 chitinases play an essential role in a range of pathogens and pests. Several inhibitors are known, including the potent inhibitors argadin and allosamidin, and the structures of these in complex with chitinases have been elucidated. Recent structural analysis has revealed that CI-4 [cyclo-(L-Arg-D-Pro)] inhibits family 18 chitinases by mimicking the structure of the proposed reaction intermediate. Here we report the high-resolution structures of four new CI-4 derivatives, cyclo-(L-Arg-L-Pro), cyclo-(Gly-L-Pro), cyclo-(L-His-L-Pro), and cyclo-(L-Tyr-L-Pro), in complex with a family 18 chitinase. In addition, details of enzyme inhibition and in vivo activity against Saccharomyces cerevisiae are presented. The structures reveal that the common cyclo-(Gly-Pro) substructure is sufficient for binding, allowing modification of the side chain of the nonproline residue. This suggests that design of cyclic dipeptides with a view to increasing inhibition of family 18 chitinases should be possible through relatively accessible chemistry. The derivatives presented here in complex with chitinase B from Serratia marcescens provide further insight into the mechanism of inhibition of chitinases by cyclic dipeptides as well as providing a new scaffold for chitinase inhibitor design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas R Houston
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland, UK
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Vaaje-Kolstad G, Houston DR, Rao FV, Peter MG, Synstad B, van Aalten DMF, Eijsink VGH. Structure of the D142N mutant of the family 18 chitinase ChiB from Serratia marcescens and its complex with allosamidin. Biochim Biophys Acta 2004; 1696:103-11. [PMID: 14726210 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2003.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Catalysis by ChiB, a family 18 chitinase from Serratia marcescens, involves a conformational change of Asp142 which is part of a characteristic D(140)XD(142)XE(144) sequence motif. In the free enzyme Asp142 points towards Asp140, whereas it rotates towards the catalytic acid, Glu144, upon ligand binding. Mutation of Asp142 to Asn reduced k(cat) and affinity for allosamidin, a competitive inhibitor. The X-ray structure of the D142N mutant showed that Asn142 points towards Glu144 in the absence of a ligand. The active site also showed other structural adjustments (Tyr10, Ser93) that had previously been observed in the wild-type enzyme upon substrate binding. The X-ray structure of a complex of D142N with allosamidin, a pseudotrisaccharide competitive inhibitor, was essentially identical to that of the wild-type enzyme in complex with the same compound. Thus, the reduced allosamidin affinity in the mutant is not caused by structural changes but solely by the loss of electrostatic interactions with Asp142. The importance of electrostatics was further confirmed by the pH dependence of catalysis and allosamidin inhibition. The pH-dependent apparent affinities for allosamidin were not correlated with k(cat), indicating that it is probably better to view the inhibitor as a mimic of the oxazolinium ion reaction intermediate than as a transition state analogue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustav Vaaje-Kolstad
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Norway, PO Box 5040, N-1432 Aas, Norway
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Vaaje-Kolstad G, Vasella A, Peter MG, Netter C, Houston DR, Westereng B, Synstad B, Eijsink VGH, van Aalten DMF. Interactions of a family 18 chitinase with the designed inhibitor HM508 and its degradation product, chitobiono-delta-lactone. J Biol Chem 2003; 279:3612-9. [PMID: 14597613 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m310057200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe enzymological and structural analyses of the interaction between the family 18 chitinase ChiB from Serratia marcescens and the designed inhibitor N,N'-diacetylchitobionoxime-N-phenylcarbamate (HM508). HM508 acts as a competitive inhibitor of this enzyme with a K(i) in the 50 microM range. Active site mutants of ChiB show K(i) values ranging from 1 to 200 microM, providing insight into some of the interactions that determine inhibitor affinity. Interestingly, the wild type enzyme slowly degrades HM508, but the inhibitor is essentially stable in the presence of the moderately active D142N mutant of ChiB. The crystal structure of the D142N-HM508 complex revealed that the two sugar moieties bind to the -2 and -1 subsites, whereas the phenyl group interacts with aromatic side chains that line the +1 and +2 subsites. Enzymatic degradation of HM508, as well as a Trp --> Ala mutation in the +2 subsite of ChiB, led to reduced affinity for the inhibitor, showing that interactions between the phenyl group and the enzyme contribute to binding. Interestingly, a complex of enzymatically degraded HM508 with the wild type enzyme showed a chitobiono-delta-lactone bound in the -2 and -1 subsites, despite the fact that the equilibrium between the lactone and the hydroxy acid forms in solution lies far toward the latter. This shows that the active site preferentially binds the (4)E conformation of the -1 sugar, which resembles the proposed transition state of the reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustav Vaaje-Kolstad
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Norway, N-1432 As, Norway
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Houston DR, Recklies AD, Krupa JC, van Aalten DMF. Structure and ligand-induced conformational change of the 39-kDa glycoprotein from human articular chondrocytes. J Biol Chem 2003; 278:30206-12. [PMID: 12775711 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m303371200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The 39-kDa human cartilage glycoprotein (HCGP39), a member of a novel family of chitinase-like lectins (Chilectins), is overexpressed in articular chondrocytes and certain cancers. Proposed functions of this protein include a role in connective tissue remodeling and defense against pathogens. Similar to other Chi-lectins, HCGP39 promotes the growth of connective tissue cells. The ability of HCGP39 to activate cytoplasmic signaling pathways suggests the presence of a ligand for this protein at the cell surface. There is currently no information regarding the identity of any physiological or pathological ligands of the Chi-lectins or the nature of the protein-ligand interaction. Here, we show that HCGP39 is able to bind chitooligosaccharides with micromolar affinity. Crystal structures of the native protein and a complex with GlcNAc8 show that the ligand is bound in identical fashion to family 18 chitinases. However, unlike the chitinases, binding of the oligosaccharide ligand to HCGP39 induces a large conformational change. Thus, HCGP39 could be a lectin that binds chitin-like oligosaccharide ligands and possibly plays a role in innate responses to chitinous pathogens, such as fungi and nematodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas R Houston
- Division of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland
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Rao FV, Houston DR, Boot RG, Aerts JMFG, Sakuda S, van Aalten DMF. Crystal structures of allosamidin derivatives in complex with human macrophage chitinase. J Biol Chem 2003; 278:20110-6. [PMID: 12639956 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m300362200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The pseudotrisaccharide allosamidin is a potent family 18 chitinase inhibitor with demonstrated biological activity against insects, fungi, and the Plasmodium falciparum life cycle. The synthesis and biological properties of several derivatives have been reported. The structural interactions of allosamidin with several family 18 chitinases have been determined by x-ray crystallography previously. Here, a high resolution structure of chitotriosidase, the human macrophage chitinase, in complex with allosamidin is presented. In addition, complexes of the allosamidin derivatives demethylallosamidin, methylallosamidin, and glucoallosamidin B are described, together with their inhibitory properties. Similar to other chitinases, inhibition of the human chitinase by allosamidin derivatives lacking a methyl group is 10-fold stronger, and smaller effects are observed for the methyl and C3 epimer derivatives. The structures explain the effects on inhibition in terms of altered hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, together with displaced water molecules. The data reported here represent a first step toward structure-based design of specific allosamidin derivatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco V Rao
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Scotland
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Houston DR, Eggleston I, Synstad B, Eijsink VGH, van Aalten DMF. The cyclic dipeptide CI-4 [cyclo-(l-Arg-d-Pro)] inhibits family 18 chitinases by structural mimicry of a reaction intermediate. Biochem J 2002; 368:23-7. [PMID: 12323074 PMCID: PMC1222990 DOI: 10.1042/bj20021034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2002] [Revised: 09/02/2002] [Accepted: 09/26/2002] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Family 18 chitinases are attractive targets for the development of new inhibitors with chemotherapeutic potential against fungi, insects and protozoan/nematodal parasites. Although several inhibitors have been identified, these are based on complex chemistry, which hampers iterative structure-based optimization. Here we report the details of chitinase inhibition by the natural product peptide CI-4 [ cyclo -(L-Arg-D-Pro)], which possesses activity against the human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans, and describe a 1.7 A (0.17 nm) crystal structure of CI-4 in complex with the enzyme. The structure reveals that the cyclic dipeptide inhibits chitinases by structurally mimicking a reaction intermediate, and could, on the basis of its accessible chemistry, be a candidate for further optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas R Houston
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland, U.K
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Houston DR, Shiomi K, Arai N, Omura S, Peter MG, Turberg A, Synstad B, Eijsink VGH, van Aalten DMF. High-resolution structures of a chitinase complexed with natural product cyclopentapeptide inhibitors: mimicry of carbohydrate substrate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2002; 99:9127-32. [PMID: 12093900 PMCID: PMC123105 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.132060599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2002] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past years, family 18 chitinases have been validated as potential targets for the design of drugs against human pathogens that contain or interact with chitin during their normal life cycles. Thus far, only one potent chitinase inhibitor has been described in detail, the pseudotrisaccharide allosamidin. Recently, however, two potent natural-product cyclopentapeptide chitinase inhibitors, argifin and argadin, were reported. Here, we describe high-resolution crystal structures that reveal the details of the interactions of these cyclopeptides with a family 18 chitinase. The structures are examples of complexes of a carbohydrate-processing enzyme with high-affinity peptide-based inhibitors and show in detail how the peptide backbone and side chains mimic the interactions of the enzyme with chitooligosaccharides. Together with enzymological characterization, the structures explain why argadin shows an order of magnitude stronger inhibition than allosamidin, whereas argifin shows weaker inhibition. The peptides bind to the chitinase in remarkably different ways, which may explain the differences in inhibition constants. The two complexes provide a basis for structure-based design of potent chitinase inhibitors, accessible by standard peptide chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas R Houston
- Wellcome Trust Biocentre, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland
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Hart AJ, Houston DR, McAllister TA. A comparison of cephazolin sodium and co-trimoxazole as prophylactic antibiotics in out-patient urinary tract endoscopy. Br J Urol 1982; 54:417-20. [PMID: 7052189 DOI: 10.1111/j.1464-410x.1982.tb08957.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Five-hundred patients were entered into a study to compare intramuscular cephazolin sodium with intramuscular co-trimoxazole in reducing the incidence of post-endoscopy rigor in out-patients. Urine cultures were carried out immediately before, immediately after, and 24 h after endoscopy and the incidence of post-procedure symptoms was elicited by pre-paid reply post cards. Similar rigor rates (9%) were obtained in the 2 groups. The incidence of sensitivity of the significant cultured organisms to the 2 antibiotics was high, but no correlation was found between the presence of infected urine and rigor, and possible reasons for this are discussed. Patients found intramuscular administration of co-trimoxazole to be painful and the 10% incidence of rigor is no improvement on the 8% rigor rate obtained in those who received cephazolin.
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Cohen RJ, Houston DR. Fear of failure and rigidity in problem solving. Percept Mot Skills 1975; 40:930. [PMID: 1178382 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1975.40.3.930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Houston DR. Florida's institutional pharmacy law. Am J Hosp Pharm 1973; 30:198-9. [PMID: 4690475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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