scholarly journals Biophysical Approaches Facilitate Computational Drug Discovery for ATP-Binding Cassette Proteins

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven V. Molinski ◽  
Zoltán Bozóky ◽  
Surtaj H. Iram ◽  
Saumel Ahmadi

Although membrane proteins represent most therapeutically relevant drug targets, the availability of atomic resolution structures for this class of proteins has been limited. Structural characterization has been hampered by the biophysical nature of these polytopic transporters, receptors, and channels, and recent innovations to in vitro techniques aim to mitigate these challenges. One such class of membrane proteins, the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily, are broadly expressed throughout the human body, required for normal physiology and disease-causing when mutated, yet lacks sufficient structural representation in the Protein Data Bank. However, recent improvements to biophysical techniques (e.g., cryo-electron microscopy) have allowed for previously “hard-to-study” ABC proteins to be characterized at high resolution, providing insight into molecular mechanisms-of-action as well as revealing novel druggable sites for therapy design. These new advances provide ample opportunity for computational methods (e.g., virtual screening, molecular dynamics simulations, and structure-based drug design) to catalyze the discovery of novel small molecule therapeutics that can be easily translated from computer to bench and subsequently to the patient’s bedside. In this review, we explore the utility of recent advances in biophysical methods coupled with well-established in silico techniques towards drug development for diseases caused by dysfunctional ABC proteins.

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Mangia ◽  
Alice Vismarra ◽  
Laura Kramer ◽  
Lesley Bell-Sakyi ◽  
Daniele Porretta ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Jacob Strouse ◽  
Irena Ivnitski-Steele ◽  
Hadya M. Khawaja ◽  
Dominique Perez ◽  
Jerec Ricci ◽  
...  

Chemotherapeutics tumor resistance is a principal reason for treatment failure, and clinical and experimental data indicate that multidrug transporters such as ATP-binding cassette (ABC) B1 and ABCG2 play a leading role by preventing cytotoxic intracellular drug concentrations. Functional efflux inhibition of existing chemotherapeutics by these pumps continues to present a promising approach for treatment. A contributing factor to the failure of existing inhibitors in clinical applications is limited understanding of specific substrate/inhibitor/pump interactions. We have identified selective efflux inhibitors by profiling multiple ABC transporters against a library of small molecules to find molecular probes to further explore such interactions. In our primary screening protocol using JC-1 as a dual-pump fluorescent reporter substrate, we identified a piperazine-substituted pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine substructure with promise for selective efflux inhibition. As a result of a focused structure-activity relationship (SAR)–driven chemistry effort, we describe compound 1 (CID44640177), an efflux inhibitor with selectivity toward ABCG2 over ABCB1. Compound 1 is also shown to potentiate the activity of mitoxantrone in vitro as well as preliminarily in vivo in an ABCG2-overexpressing tumor model. At least two analogues significantly reduce tumor size in combination with the chemotherapeutic topotecan. To our knowledge, low nanomolar chemoreversal activity coupled with direct evidence of efflux inhibition for ABCG2 is unprecedented.


2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
pp. 382-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita C. A. Dankers ◽  
Maarke J. E. Roelofs ◽  
Aldert H. Piersma ◽  
Fred C. G. J. Sweep ◽  
Frans G. M. Russel ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongmei Wu ◽  
Yang Hu ◽  
Min Song ◽  
Gongbo Li

Abnormal amyloid beta (Aβ) clearance is a distinctive pathological mechanism for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), which mediates the lipidation of apolipoprotein E, plays a critical role in Aβ clearance. As an environmental factor for AD, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) can decrease ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) expression and disrupt Aβ clearance. Liver X receptor α (LXRα) is an autoregulatory transcription factor for ABCA1 and a target of some environmental pollutants, such as organophosphate pesticides. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether DDT could affect Aβ clearance by targeting LXRα. The DDT-pretreated H4 human neuroglioma cells and immortalized astrocytes were incubated with exogenous Aβ to evaluate Aβ consumption. Meanwhile, cytotoxicity and LXRα expression were determined in the DDT-treated cells. Subsequently, the antagonism of DDT on LXRα agonist T0901317 was determined in vitro. The interaction between DDT and LXRα was predicted by molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation technology. We observed that DDT could inhibit Aβ clearance and decrease the levels of LXRα mRNA and LXRα protein. Moreover, DDT is supposed to strongly bind to LXRα and exert antagonistic effects on LXRα. In conclusion, this study firstly presented that DDT could inhibit LXRα expression, which would contribute to Aβ clearance decline in vitro. It provides an experimental basis to search for potential therapeutic targets of AD.


2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (12) ◽  
pp. 3795-3799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele Fiedler ◽  
Alicia M. Muro-Pastor ◽  
Enrique Flores ◽  
Iris Maldener

ABSTRACT The devBCA operon, encoding subunits of an ATP-binding cassette exporter, is essential for differentiation of N2-fixing heterocysts in Anabaena spp. Nitrogen deficiency-dependent transcription of the operon and the use of its transcriptional start point, located 762 (Anabaena variabilis strain ATCC 29413-FD) or 704 (Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120) bp upstream of the translation start site, were found to require the global nitrogen transcriptional regulator NtcA. Furthermore, NtcA was shown to bind in vitro to the promoter ofdevBCA.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Samantha Elizabeth Brady

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Understanding viral RNA structure and how it functions is crucial in elucidating new drug targets. There are many kinds of viruses that utilize RNA as a critical component of their life cycle, such as retroviruses, single-stranded plus or minus sense RNA viruses, and double-stranded RNA viruses. Two viruses that are studied in this thesis are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is a retrovirus, and hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is a single-stranded plus sense RNA virus. It has been previously reported that a human host factor, RNA helicase A (RHA), is packaged into HIV virions by binding to the primer binding site (PBS) segment of the 5'untranslated region in the HIV genomic RNA. We determined RHA is required for efficient reverse transcription prior to capsid uncoating by utilizing cell based and in vitro techniques. It has also been suggested that RHA plays other roles during HIV infection besides reverse transcription. Utilizing NMR, we demonstrated that RHA binds to the monomeric 5'UTR at the bottom of the TAR hairpin, which is different from how it binds during viral packaging. Next, we employed NMR techniques to probe the 3'end of the HCV genome called 3'X. We determined that the 3'X is in structural equilibrium between two states: an open conformation and a closed conformation. These two conformations have been suggested to play a role in minus sense synthesis and viral protein translation, respectively. Taken together, my thesis work has elucidated how many viruses manipulate and utilize their RNA structure to modulate their outcome.


2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 1174-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Sanglard ◽  
Francoise Ischer ◽  
Jacques Bille

ABSTRACT Candida glabrata has been often isolated from AIDS patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis treated with azole antifungal agents, especially fluconazole. We recently showed that the ATP-binding-cassette (ABC) transporter gene CgCDR1 was upregulated in C. glabrata clinical isolates resistant to azole antifungal agents (D. Sanglard, F. Ischer, D. Calabrese, P. A. Majcherczyk, and J. Bille, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 43:2753–2765, 1999). Deletion of CgCDR1 in C. glabrata rendered the null mutant hypersusceptible to azole derivatives and showed the importance of this gene in mediating azole resistance. We observed that wild-type C. glabrata exposed to fluconazole in a medium containing the drug at 50 μg/ml developed resistance to this agent and other azoles at a surprisingly high frequency (2 × 10−4 to 4 × 10−4). We show here that this high-frequency azole resistance (HFAR) acquired in vitro was due, at least in part, to the upregulation ofCgCDR1. The CgCDR1 deletion mutant DSY1041 could still develop HFAR but in a medium containing fluconazole at 5 μg/ml. In the HFAR strain derived from DSY1041, a distinct ABC transporter gene similar to CgCDR1, calledCgCDR2, was upregulated. This gene was slightly expressed in clinical isolates but was upregulated in strains with the HFAR phenotype. Deletion of both CgCDR1 and CgCDR2suppressed the development of HFAR in a medium containing fluconazole at 5 μg/ml, showing that both genes are important mediators of resistance to azole derivatives in C. glabrata. We also show here that the HFAR phenomenon was linked to the loss of mitochondria in C. glabrata. Mitochondrial loss could be obtained by treatment with ethidium bromide and resulted in acquisition of resistance to azole derivatives without previous exposure to these agents. Azole resistance obtained in vitro by HFAR or by agents stimulating mitochondrial loss was at least linked to the upregulation of both CgCDR1 and CgCDR2.


Endocrinology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 144 (3) ◽  
pp. 1062-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee P. Chapman ◽  
Matthew J. Epton ◽  
Julia C. Buckingham ◽  
John F. Morris ◽  
Helen C. Christian

Annexin 1 (ANXA1) has a well-demonstrated role in early delayed inhibitory feedback of glucocorticoids in the pituitary. ANXA1 is located in folliculo-stellate (FS) cells, and glucocorticoids act on these cells to externalize and stimulate the synthesis of ANXA1. However, ANXA1 lacks a signal sequence so the mechanism by which ANXA1 is externalized from FS cells was unknown and has been investigated. The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are a large group of transporters with varied roles that include the externalization of proteins. Glucocorticoid-induced externalization of ANXA1 from an FS cell line (TtT/GF) and rat anterior pituitary was blocked by glyburide, which inhibits ABC transporters. Glyburide also blocked the glucocorticoid inhibition of forskolin-stimulated ACTH release from pituitary tissue in vitro. RT-PCR revealed mRNA and Western blotting demonstrated protein for the ATP binding cassette A1 (ABCA1) transporter in mouse FS, TtT/GF, and A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells from which glucocorticoids also induce externalization of ANXA1. In TtT/GF cells, immunofluorescence labeling revealed a near total colocalization of cell surface ANXA1 and ABCA1. We conclude that ANXA1, which mediates the early delayed feedback of glucocorticoids in the anterior pituitary, is externalized from FS cells by an ABC transporter and that the ABCA1 transporter is a likely candidate.


1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 5879-5887 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Egner ◽  
Y Mahé ◽  
R Pandjaitan ◽  
K Kuchler

Multidrug resistance (MDR) to different cytotoxic compounds in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae can arise from overexpression of the Pdr5 (Sts1, Ydr1, or Lem1) ATP-binding cassette (ABC) multidrug transporter. We have raised polyclonal antibodies recognizing the yeast Pdr5 ABC transporter to study its biogenesis and to analyze the molecular mechanisms underlying MDR development. Subcellular fractionation and indirect immunofluorescence experiments showed that Pdr5 is localized in the plasma membrane. In addition, pulse-chase radiolabeling of cells and immunoprecipitation indicated that Pdr5 is a short-lived membrane protein with a half-life of about 60 to 90 min. A dramatic metabolic stabilization of Pdr5 was observed in delta pep4 mutant cells defective in vacuolar proteinases, and indirect immunofluorescence showed that Pdr5 accumulates in vacuoles of stationary-phase delta pep4 mutant cells, demonstrating that Pdr5 turnover requires vacuolar proteolysis. However, Pdr5 turnover does not require a functional proteasome, since the half-life of Pdr5 was unaffected in either pre1-1 or pre1-1 pre2-1 mutants defective in the multicatalytic cytoplasmic proteasome that is essential for cytoplasmic protein degradation. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that vacuolar delivery of Pdr5 is blocked in conditional end4 endocytosis mutants at the restrictive temperature, showing that endocytosis delivers Pdr5 from the plasma membrane to the vacuole.


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