Discovery and biological characterization of a novel scaffold for potent inhibitors of peripheral serotonin synthesis

Aim: Tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) catalyzes serotonin synthesis in peripheral tissues. Selective TPH1 inhibitors may be useful for treating disorders related to serotonin dysregulation. Results & methodology: Screening using a thermal shift assay for TPH1 binders yielded Compound 1 (2-(4-methylphenyl)-1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2 H)-one), which showed high potency (50% inhibition at 98 ± 30 nM) and selectivity for inhibiting TPH over related aromatic amino acid hydroxylases in enzyme activity assays. Structure–activity relationships studies revealed several analogs of 1 showing comparable potency. Kinetic studies suggested a noncompetitive mode of action of 1, with regards to tryptophan and tetrahydrobiopterin. Computational docking studies and live cell assays were also performed. Conclusion: This TPH1 inhibitor scaffold may be useful for developing new therapeutics for treating elevated peripheral serotonin.

Reassessment of the Role of Aromatic Amino Acid Hydroxylases and the Effect of Infection by Toxoplasma gondii on Host Dopamine

Toxoplasma gondiiinfection has been described previously to cause infected mice to lose their fear of cat urine. This behavioral manipulation has been proposed to involve alterations of host dopamine pathways due to parasite-encoded aromatic amino acid hydroxylases. Here, we report successful knockout and complementation of the aromatic amino acid hydroxylaseAAH2gene, with no observable phenotype in parasite growth or differentiationin vitroandin vivo. Additionally, expression levels of the two aromatic amino acid hydroxylases were negligible both in tachyzoites and in bradyzoites. Finally, we were unable to confirm previously described effects of parasite infection on host dopamine eitherin vitroorin vivo, even whenAAH2was overexpressed using theBAG1promoter. Together, these data indicate that AAH enzymes in the parasite do not cause global or regional alterations of dopamine in the host brain, although they may affect this pathway locally. Additionally, our findings suggest alternative roles for theAHHenzymes inT. gondii, sinceAAH1is essential for growth in nondopaminergic cells.

First insights into structure-function relationships of alkylglycerol monooxygenase

Alkylglycerol monooxygenase is a tetrahydrobiopterin-dependent enzyme that cleaves the O-alkyl-bond of alkylglycerols. It is an exceptionally unstable, hydrophobic membrane protein which has never been purified in active form. Recently, we were able to identify the sequence of alkylglycerol monooxygenase. TMEM195, the gene coding for alkylglycerol monooxygenase, belongs to the fatty acid hydroxylases, a family of integral membrane enzymes which have an 8-histidine motif crucial for catalysis. Mutation of each of these residues resulted in a complete loss of activity. We now extended the mutational analysis to another 25 residues and identified three further residues conserved throughout all members of the fatty acid hydroxylases which are essential for alkylglycerol monooxygenase activity. Furthermore, mutation of a specific glutamate resulted in an 18-fold decreased affinity of the protein to tetrahydrobiopterin, strongly indicating a potential important role in cofactor interaction. A glutamate residue in a comparable amino acid surrounding had already been shown to be responsible for tetrahydrobiopterin binding in the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases. Ab initio modelling of the enzyme yielded a structural model for the central part of alkylglycerol monooxygenase where all essential residues identified by mutational analysis are in close spatial vicinity, thereby defining the potential catalytic site of this enzyme.

Three classes of tetrahydrobiopterin-dependent enzymes

Current knowledge distinguishes three classes of tetrahydrobiopterin-dependent enzymes as based on protein sequence similarity. These three protein sequence clusters hydroxylate three types of substrate atoms and use three different forms of iron for catalysis. The first class to be discovered was the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, which, in mammals, include phenylalanine hydroxylase, tyrosine hydroxylase, and two isoforms of tryptophan hydroxylases. The protein sequences of these tetrahydrobiopterin-dependent aromatic amino acid hydroxylases are significantly similar, and all mammalian aromatic amino acid hydroxylases require a non-heme-bound iron atom in the active site of the enzyme for catalysis. The second classes of tetrahydrobiopterin-dependent enzymes to be characterized were the nitric oxide synthases, which in mammals occur as three isoforms. Nitric oxide synthase protein sequences form a separate cluster of homologous sequences with no similarity to aromatic amino acid hydroxylase protein sequences. In contrast to aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, nitric oxide synthases require a heme-bound iron for catalysis. The alkylglycerol monooxygenase protein sequence was the most recent to be characterized. This sequence shares no similarity with aromatic amino acid hydroxylases and nitric oxide synthases. Motifs contained in the alkylglycerol monooxygenase protein sequence suggest that this enzyme may use a di-iron center for catalysis.