scholarly journals Vitamin B6-Dependent Enzymes in the Human Malaria ParasitePlasmodium falciparum: A Druggable Target?

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thales Kronenberger ◽  
Jasmin Lindner ◽  
Kamila A. Meissner ◽  
Flávia M. Zimbres ◽  
Monika A. Coronado ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin B6 ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Malaria Parasite ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Protein Biosynthesis ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Key Enzyme

Malaria is a deadly infectious disease which affects millions of people each year in tropical regions. There is no effective vaccine available and the treatment is based on drugs which are currently facing an emergence of drug resistance and in this sense the search for new drug targets is indispensable. It is well established that vitamin biosynthetic pathways, such as the vitamin B6de novosynthesis present inPlasmodium, are excellent drug targets. The active form of vitamin B6, pyridoxal 5-phosphate, is, besides its antioxidative properties, a cofactor for a variety of essential enzymes present in the malaria parasite which includes the ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, synthesis of polyamines), the aspartate aminotransferase (AspAT, involved in the protein biosynthesis), and the serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT, a key enzyme within the folate metabolism).

Structural insights into the catalytic mechanism of the yeast pyridoxal 5-phosphate synthase Snz1

2010 ◽  
Vol 432 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Zhang ◽  
Yan-Bin Teng ◽  
Jian-Ping Liu ◽  
Yong-Xing He ◽  
Kang Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Binding Site ◽  
Vitamin B6 ◽  
Active Sites ◽  
Biochemical Analysis ◽  
Catalytic Mechanism ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Dihydroxyacetone Phosphate ◽  
Final Destination ◽  
Structural Insights

In most eubacteria, fungi, apicomplexa, plants and some metazoans, the active form of vitamin B6, PLP (pyridoxal 5-phosphate), is de novo synthesized from three substrates, R5P (ribose 5-phosphate), DHAP (dihydroxyacetone phosphate) and ammonia hydrolysed from glutamine by a complexed glutaminase. Of the three active sites of DXP (deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate)independent PLP synthase (Pdx1), the R5P isomerization site has been assigned, but the sites for DHAP isomerization and PLP formation remain unknown. In the present study, we present the crystal structures of yeast Pdx1/Snz1, in apo-, G3P (glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate)- and PLP-bound forms, at 2.3, 1.8 and 2.2 Å (1 Å=0.1 nm) respectively. Structural and biochemical analysis enabled us to assign the PLP-formation site, a G3P-binding site and a G3P-transfer site. We propose a putative catalytic mechanism for Pdx1/Snz1 in which R5P and DHAP are isomerized at two distinct sites and transferred along well-defined routes to a final destination for PLP synthesis.

scholarly journals Trafficked Proteins—Druggable inPlasmodium falciparum?

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmin Lindner ◽  
Kamila Anna Meissner ◽  
Isolmar Schettert ◽  
Carsten Wrenger
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Protein Trafficking ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Malaria Parasite ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Parasitic Disease ◽  
Potential Drug ◽  
Digestive Vacuole ◽  
Potential Drug Targets ◽  
Shed Light

Malaria is an infectious disease that results in serious health problems in the countries in which it is endemic. Annually this parasitic disease leads to more than half a million deaths; most of these are children in Africa. An effective vaccine is not available, and the treatment of the disease is solely dependent on chemotherapy. However, drug resistance is spreading, and the identification of new drug targets as well as the development of new antimalarials is urgently required. Attention has been drawn to a variety of essential plasmodial proteins, which are targeted to intra- or extracellular destinations, such as the digestive vacuole, the apicoplast, or into the host cell. Interfering with the action or the transport of these proteins will impede proliferation of the parasite. In this mini review, we will shed light on the present discovery of chemotherapeutics and potential drug targets involved in protein trafficking processes in the malaria parasite.

scholarly journals Inhibiting Pyridoxal Kinase of Entamoeba histolytica Is Lethal for This Pathogen

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suneeta Devi ◽  
Priya Tomar ◽  
Khaja Faisal Tarique ◽  
Samudrala Gourinath
Keyword(s):  
Entamoeba Histolytica ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Pyridoxal Kinase ◽  
Small Molecule Libraries

Pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP) functions as a cofactor for hundreds of different enzymes that are crucial to the survival of microorganisms. PLP-dependent enzymes have been extensively characterized and proposed as drug targets in Entamoeba histolytica. This pathogen is unable to synthesize vitamin B6via de-novo pathway and relies on the uptake of vitamin B6 vitamers from the host which are then phosphorylated by the enzyme pyridoxal kinase to produce PLP, the active form of vitamin B6. Previous studies from our lab shows that EhPLK is essential for the survival and growth of this protozoan parasite and its active site differs significantly with respect to its human homologue making it a potential drug target. In-silico screening of EhPLK against small molecule libraries were performed and top five ranked molecules were shortlisted on the basis of docking scores. These compounds dock into the PLP binding site of the enzyme such that binding of these compounds hinders the binding of substrate. Of these five compounds, two compounds showed inhibitory activity with IC50 values between 100-250 μM when tested in-vitro. The effect of these compounds proved to be extremely lethal for Entamoeba trophozoites in cultured cells as the growth was hampered by 91.5% and 89.5% when grown in the presence of these compounds over the period of 72 hours.

The human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum expresses an atypical N-terminally extended pyrophosphokinase with specificity for thiamine

2006 ◽  
Vol 387 (12) ◽  
pp. 1583-1591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Luise Eschbach ◽  
Ingrid B. Müller ◽  
Tim-Wolf Gilberger ◽  
Rolf D. Walter ◽  
Carsten Wrenger
Keyword(s):  
Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Malaria Parasite ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
Specific Activity ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Human Malaria Parasite ◽  
Human Malaria ◽  
Bacteria And Fungi

Abstract Vitamin B1 is an essential cofactor for key enzymes such as 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and pyruvate dehydrogenase. Plants, bacteria and fungi, as well as Plasmodium falciparum, are capable of synthesising vitamin B1 de novo, whereas mammals have to take up this cofactor from their diet. Thiamine, a B1 vitamer, has to be pyrophosphorylated by thiamine pyrophosphokinase (TPK) to the active form. The human malaria parasite P. falciparum expresses an N-terminally extended pyrophosphokinase throughout the entire erythrocytic life cycle, which was analysed by Northern and Western blotting. The recombinant enzyme shows a specific activity of 27 nmol min-1 mg-1 protein and specificity for thiamine with a K m value of 73 μM, while thiamine monophosphate is not accepted. Mutational analysis of the N-terminal extension of the plasmodial TPK showed that it influences thiamine binding as well as metal dependence, which suggests N-terminal participation in the conformation of the active site. Protein sequences of various plasmodial TPKs were analysed for their phylogeny, which classified the Plasmodium TPKs to a group distinct from the mammalian TPKs. To verify the location of the parasite TPK within the cell, immunofluorescence analyses were performed. Co-staining of PfTPK with a GFP marker visualised its cytosolic localisation.

The antioxidative effect of de novo generated vitamin B6 in Plasmodium falciparum validated by protein interference

2012 ◽  
Vol 443 (2) ◽  
pp. 397-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Knöckel ◽  
Ingrid B. Müller ◽  
Sabine Butzloff ◽  
Bärbel Bergmann ◽  
Rolf D. Walter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Vitamin B6 ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Dominant Negative Effect ◽  
Transcription Analysis

The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is able to synthesize de novo PLP (pyridoxal 5′-phosphate), the active form of vitamin B6. In the present study, we have shown that the de novo synthesized PLP is used by the parasite to detoxify 1O2 (singlet molecular oxygen), a highly destructive reactive oxygen species arising from haemoglobin digestion. The formation of 1O2 and the response of the parasite were monitored by live-cell fluorescence microscopy, by transcription analysis and by determination of PLP levels in the parasite. Pull-down experiments of transgenic parasites overexpressing the vitamin B6-biosynthetic enzymes PfPdx1 and PfPdx2 clearly demonstrated an interaction of the two proteins in vivo which results in an elevated PLP level from 12.5 μM in wild-type parasites to 36.6 μM in the PfPdx1/PfPdx2-overexpressing cells and thus to a higher tolerance towards 1O2. In contrast, by applying the dominant-negative effect on the cellular level using inactive mutants of PfPdx1 and PfPdx2, P. falciparum becomes susceptible to 1O2. Our results demonstrate clearly the crucial role of vitamin B6 biosynthesis in the detoxification of 1O2 in P. falciparum. Besides the known role of PLP as a cofactor of many essential enzymes, this second important task of the vitamin B6de novo synthesis as antioxidant emphasizes the high potential of this pathway as a target of new anti-malarial drugs.

scholarly journals Yellow Fever: Integrating Current Knowledge with Technological Innovations to Identify Strategies for Controlling a Re-Emerging Virus

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin D.V. Kleinert ◽  
Eduardo Montoya-Diaz ◽  
Tanvi Khera ◽  
Kathrin Welsch ◽  
Birthe Tegtmeyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Fever ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Yellow Fever Virus ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Hemorrhagic Fever ◽  
Structural Data ◽  
Host Responses ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Technological Advances

Yellow fever virus (YFV) represents a re-emerging zoonotic pathogen, transmitted by mosquito vectors to humans from primate reservoirs. Sporadic outbreaks of YFV occur in endemic tropical regions, causing a viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) associated with high mortality rates. Despite a highly effective vaccine, no antiviral treatments currently exist. Therefore, YFV represents a neglected tropical disease and is chronically understudied, with many aspects of YFV biology incompletely defined including host range, host–virus interactions and correlates of host immunity and pathogenicity. In this article, we review the current state of YFV research, focusing on the viral lifecycle, host responses to infection, species tropism and the success and associated limitations of the YFV-17D vaccine. In addition, we highlight the current lack of available treatments and use publicly available sequence and structural data to assess global patterns of YFV sequence diversity and identify potential drug targets. Finally, we discuss how technological advances, including real-time epidemiological monitoring of outbreaks using next-generation sequencing and CRISPR/Cas9 modification of vector species, could be utilized in future battles against this re-emerging pathogen which continues to cause devastating disease.

scholarly journals Two independent routes of de novo vitamin B6 biosynthesis: not that different after all

2007 ◽  
Vol 407 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa B. Fitzpatrick ◽  
Nikolaus Amrhein ◽  
Barbara Kappes ◽  
Peter Macheroux ◽  
Ivo Tews ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin B6 ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Alternative Pathway ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Pentose Phosphate ◽  
Concerted Action ◽  
Human Diet ◽  
Essential Nutrient ◽  
Made In ◽  
Do So

Vitamin B6 is well known in its biochemically active form as pyridoxal 5′-phosphate, an essential cofactor of numerous metabolic enzymes. The vitamin is also implicated in numerous human body functions ranging from modulation of hormone function to its recent discovery as a potent antioxidant. Its de novo biosynthesis occurs only in bacteria, fungi and plants, making it an essential nutrient in the human diet. Despite its paramount importance, its biosynthesis was predominantly investigated in Escherichia coli, where it is synthesized from the condensation of deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate and 4-phosphohydroxy-L-threonine catalysed by the concerted action of PdxA and PdxJ. However, it has now become clear that the majority of organisms capable of producing this vitamin do so via a different route, involving precursors from glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway. This alternative pathway is characterized by the presence of two genes, Pdx1 and Pdx2. Their discovery has sparked renewed interest in vitamin B6, and numerous studies have been conducted over the last few years to characterize the new biosynthesis pathway. Indeed, enormous progress has been made in defining the nature of the enzymes involved in both pathways, and important insights have been provided into their mechanisms of action. In the present review, we summarize the recent advances in our knowledge of the biosynthesis of this versatile molecule and compare the two independent routes to the biosynthesis of vitamin B6. Surprisingly, this comparison reveals that the key biosynthetic enzymes of both pathways are, in fact, very similar both structurally and mechanistically.

Small Molecules Effective Against Liver and Blood Stage Malarial Infection

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 2008-2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Snigdha Singh ◽  
Neha Sharma ◽  
Charu Upadhyay ◽  
Sumit Kumar ◽  
Brijesh Rathi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Targets ◽  
Malaria Parasite ◽  
Blood Stage ◽  
Culture Methods ◽  
Liver Stage ◽  
Malarial Infection ◽  
Dual Stage ◽  
New Treatment ◽  
Global Threat

Malaria is a lethal disease causing devastating global impact by killing more than 8,00,000 individuals yearly. A noticeable decline in malaria related deaths can be attributed to the most reliable treatment, ACTs against P. falciparum. However, the cumulative resistance of the malaria parasite against ACTs is a global threat to control the disease and, therefore the new effective therapeutics are urgently needed, including new treatment approaches. Majority of the antimalarial drugs target BS malarial infection. Currently, scientists are eager to explore the drugs with potency against not only BS but other life stages such as sexual and asexual stages of the malaria parasite. Liver Stage is considered as one of the important drug targets as it always leads to BS and the infection can be cured at this stage before it enters into the Blood Stage. However, a limited number of compounds are reported effective against LS malaria infection probably due to scarcity of in vitro LS culture methods and clinical possibilities. This mini review covers a range of chemical compounds showing efficacy against BS and LS of the malaria parasite’s life cycle collectively (i.e. dual stage activity). These scaffolds targeting dual stages are essential for the eradication of malaria and to evade resistance.

scholarly journals AAV-Mediated CRISPRi and RNAi Based Gene Silencing in Mouse Hippocampal Neurons

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 324
Author(s):  
Matthias Deutsch ◽  
Anne Günther ◽  
Rodrigo Lerchundi ◽  
Christine R. Rose ◽  
Sabine Balfanz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Transcription Initiation ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Protein Biosynthesis ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Hcn Channels ◽  
Proliferating Cells ◽  
Neuronal Tissues

Uncovering the physiological role of individual proteins that are part of the intricate process of cellular signaling is often a complex and challenging task. A straightforward strategy of studying a protein’s function is by manipulating the expression rate of its gene. In recent years, the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9-based technology was established as a powerful gene-editing tool for generating sequence specific changes in proliferating cells. However, obtaining homogeneous populations of transgenic post-mitotic neurons by CRISPR/Cas9 turned out to be challenging. These constraints can be partially overcome by CRISPR interference (CRISPRi), which mediates the inhibition of gene expression by competing with the transcription machinery for promoter binding and, thus, transcription initiation. Notably, CRISPR/Cas is only one of several described approaches for the manipulation of gene expression. Here, we targeted neurons with recombinant Adeno-associated viruses to induce either CRISPRi or RNA interference (RNAi), a well-established method for impairing de novo protein biosynthesis by using cellular regulatory mechanisms that induce the degradation of pre-existing mRNA. We specifically targeted hyperpolarization-activated and cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels, which are widely expressed in neuronal tissues and play essential physiological roles in maintaining biophysical characteristics in neurons. Both of the strategies reduced the expression levels of three HCN isoforms (HCN1, 2, and 4) with high specificity. Furthermore, detailed analysis revealed that the knock-down of just a single HCN isoform (HCN4) in hippocampal neurons did not affect basic electrical parameters of transduced neurons, whereas substantial changes emerged in HCN-current specific properties.

scholarly journals 4E Interacting Protein as a Potential Novel Drug Target for Nucleoside Analogues in Trypanosoma Brucei

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 826
Author(s):  
Dorien Mabille ◽  
Camila Cardoso Santos ◽  
Rik Hendrickx ◽  
Mathieu Claes ◽  
Peter Takac ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mode Of Action ◽  
Drug Target ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Adenosine Kinase ◽  
Nucleoside Analogues ◽  
Purine Salvage ◽  
Interacting Protein ◽  
Novel Drug

Human African trypanosomiasis is a neglected parasitic disease for which the current treatment options are quite limited. Trypanosomes are not able to synthesize purines de novo and thus solely depend on purine salvage from the host environment. This characteristic makes players of the purine salvage pathway putative drug targets. The activity of known nucleoside analogues such as tubercidin and cordycepin led to the development of a series of C7-substituted nucleoside analogues. Here, we use RNA interference (RNAi) libraries to gain insight into the mode-of-action of these novel nucleoside analogues. Whole-genome RNAi screening revealed the involvement of adenosine kinase and 4E interacting protein into the mode-of-action of certain antitrypanosomal nucleoside analogues. Using RNAi lines and gene-deficient parasites, 4E interacting protein was found to be essential for parasite growth and infectivity in the vertebrate host. The essential nature of this gene product and involvement in the activity of certain nucleoside analogues indicates that it represents a potential novel drug target.

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