scholarly journals Mycobacterium Cytidylate Kinase Appears to Be an Undruggable Target

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 695-700
Author(s):  
Justin K. Craig ◽  
Jenni K. Risler ◽  
Kimberly A. Loesch ◽  
Wen Dong ◽  
Dwight Baker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Smegmatis ◽  
Drug Target ◽  
Kinase Inhibitors ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Small Molecule Libraries ◽  
Human Orthologue ◽  
Hit Validation ◽  
Important Drug ◽  
Cytidylate Kinase

New and improved drugs against tuberculosis are urgently needed as multi-drug-resistant forms of the disease become more prevalent. Mycobacterium tuberculosis cytidylate kinase is an attractive target for screening due to its essentiality and different substrate specificity to the human orthologue. However, we selected the Mycobacterium smegmatis cytidylate kinase for screening because of the availability of high-resolution X-ray crystallographic data defining its structure and the high likelihood of active site structural similarity to the M. tuberculosis orthologue. We report the development and implementation of a high-throughput luciferase-based activity assay and screening of 19,920 compounds derived from small-molecule libraries and an in silico screen predicting likely inhibitors of the cytidylate kinase enzyme. Hit validation included a counterscreen for luciferase inhibitors that would result in false positives in the initial screen. Results of this counterscreen ruled out all of the putative cytidylate kinase inhibitors identified in the initial screening, leaving no compounds as candidates for drug development. Although a negative result, this study indicates that this important drug target may in fact be undruggable and serve as a warning for future investigations.

The X-ray structure ofSalmonella typhimuriumuridine nucleoside phosphorylase complexed with 2,2′-anhydrouridine, phosphate and potassium ions at 1.86 Å resolution

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander A. Lashkov ◽  
Nadezhda E. Zhukhlistova ◽  
Azat H. Gabdoulkhakov ◽  
Alexander A. Shtil ◽  
Roman G. Efremov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Salmonella Typhimurium ◽  
Drug Target ◽  
Computational Approach ◽  
Potassium Ions ◽  
Uridine Phosphorylase ◽  
Nucleoside Phosphorylase ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Antitumour Agents ◽  
Important Drug

Uridine nucleoside phosphorylase is an important drug target for the development of anti-infective and antitumour agents. The X-ray crystal structure ofSalmonella typhimuriumuridine nucleoside phosphorylase (StUPh) complexed with its inhibitor 2,2′-anhydrouridine, phosphate and potassium ions has been solved and refined at 1.86 Å resolution (Rcryst= 17.6%,Rfree= 20.6%). The complex of human uridine phosphorylase I (HUPhI) with 2,2′-anhydrouridine was modelled using a computational approach. The model allowed the identification of atomic groups in 2,2′-anhydrouridine that might improve the interaction of future inhibitors withStUPh andHUPhI.

scholarly journals Deep learning for visualization and novelty detection in large X-ray diffraction datasets

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Banko ◽  
Phillip M. Maffettone ◽  
Dennis Naujoks ◽  
Daniel Olds ◽  
Alfred Ludwig
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Deep Learning ◽  
Novelty Detection ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Diffraction Patterns ◽  
Post Hoc

AbstractWe apply variational autoencoders (VAE) to X-ray diffraction (XRD) data analysis on both simulated and experimental thin-film data. We show that crystal structure representations learned by a VAE reveal latent information, such as the structural similarity of textured diffraction patterns. While other artificial intelligence (AI) agents are effective at classifying XRD data into known phases, a similarly conditioned VAE is uniquely effective at knowing what it doesn’t know: it can rapidly identify data outside the distribution it was trained on, such as novel phases and mixtures. These capabilities demonstrate that a VAE is a valuable AI agent for aiding materials discovery and understanding XRD measurements both ‘on-the-fly’ and during post hoc analysis.

scholarly journals Novel Benzenesulfonate Scaffolds with a High Anticancer Activity and G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1790
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Malarz ◽  
Jacek Mularski ◽  
Michał Kuczak ◽  
Anna Mrozek-Wilczkiewicz ◽  
Robert Musiol
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Anticancer Activity ◽  
Cell Cycle Arrest ◽  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Kinase Inhibitors ◽  
P53 Protein ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
M Cell ◽  
Cycle Arrest ◽  
Small Series

Sulfonates, unlike their derivatives, sulphonamides, have rarely been investigated for their anticancer activity. Unlike the well-known sulphonamides, esters are mainly used as convenient intermediates in a synthesis. Here, we present the first in-depth investigation of quinazoline sulfonates. A small series of derivatives were synthesized and tested for their anticancer activity. Based on their structural similarity, these compounds resemble tyrosine kinase inhibitors and the p53 reactivator CP-31398. Their biological activity profile, however, was more related to sulphonamides because there was a strong cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. Further investigation revealed a multitargeted mechanism of the action that corresponded to the p53 protein status in the cell. Although the compounds expressed a high submicromolar activity against leukemia and colon cancers, pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma were also susceptible. Apoptosis and autophagy were confirmed as the cell death modes that corresponded with the inhibition of metabolic activity and the activation of the p53-dependent and p53-independent pathways. Namely, there was a strong activation of the p62 protein and GADD44. Other proteins such as cdc2 were also expressed at a higher level. Moreover, the classical caspase-dependent pathway in leukemia was observed at a lower concentration, which again confirmed a multitargeted mechanism. It can therefore be concluded that the sulfonates of quinazolines can be regarded as promising scaffolds for developing anticancer agents.

scholarly journals Combining kinase inhibitors for optimally co‐targeting cancer and drug escape by exploitation of drug target promiscuities

2020 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-142
Author(s):  
Shangying Chen ◽  
Sheng Yong Yang ◽  
Xian Zeng ◽  
Feng Zhu ◽  
Ying Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Target ◽  
Kinase Inhibitors

scholarly journals The Mycobacteriophage Ms6 LysB N-Terminus Displays Peptidoglycan Binding Affinity

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1377
Author(s):  
Adriano M. Gigante ◽  
Francisco Olivença ◽  
Maria João Catalão ◽  
Paula Leandro ◽  
José Moniz-Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Smegmatis ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Lytic Cycle ◽  
Specific Lysis ◽  
Double Stranded Dna ◽  
The Family ◽  
N Terminus ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Double-stranded DNA bacteriophages end their lytic cycle by disrupting the host cell envelope, which allows the release of the virion progeny. Each phage must synthesize lysis proteins that target each cell barrier to phage release. In addition to holins, which permeabilize the cytoplasmic membrane, and endolysins, which disrupt the peptidoglycan (PG), mycobacteriophages synthesize a specific lysis protein, LysB, capable of detaching the outer membrane from the complex cell wall of mycobacteria. The family of LysB proteins is highly diverse, with many members presenting an extended N-terminus. The N-terminal region of mycobacteriophage Ms6 LysB shows structural similarity to the PG-binding domain (PGBD) of the φKZ endolysin. A fusion of this region with enhanced green fluorescent protein (Ms6LysBPGBD-EGFP) was shown to bind to Mycobacterium smegmatis, Mycobacterium vaccae, Mycobacterium bovis BGC and Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra cells pretreated with SDS or Ms6 LysB. In pulldown assays, we demonstrate that Ms6 LysB and Ms6LysBPGBD-EGFP bind to purified peptidoglycan of M. smegmatis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis, demonstrating affinity to PG of the A1γ chemotype. An infection assay with an Ms6 mutant producing a truncated version of LysB lacking the first 90 amino acids resulted in an abrupt lysis. These results clearly demonstrate that the N-terminus of Ms6 LysB binds to the PG.

X-ray Analysis of Mycobacterium smegmatis Dps and a Comparative Study Involving Other Dps and Dps-like Molecules

2004 ◽  
Vol 339 (5) ◽  
pp. 1103-1113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siddhartha Roy ◽  
Surbhi Gupta ◽  
Satyabrata Das ◽  
K. Sekar ◽  
Dipankar Chatterji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Mycobacterium Smegmatis ◽  
X Ray

Monitoring Drug-Target Interactions through Target Engagement-Mediated Amplification on Arrays and in situ

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasel Al-Amin ◽  
Lars Johansson ◽  
Eldar Abdurakhmanov ◽  
Nils Landegren ◽  
Liza Löf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Target ◽  
Kinase Inhibitors ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Target Engagement ◽  
Rolling Circle Replication ◽  
Target Proteins ◽  
Dna Conjugates

Abstract Drugs are designed to bind their target proteins in physiologically relevant tissues and organs to modulate biological functions and elicit desirable clinical outcomes. Information about target engagement at cellular and subcellular resolution is therefore critical for guiding compound optimization in drug discovery, and for probing resistance mechanisms to targeted therapies in clinical samples. We describe a target engagement-mediated amplification (TEMA) technology, where oligonucleotide-conjugated drugs are used to visualize and measure target engagement in situ, amplified via rolling-circle replication of circularized oligonucleotide probes. We illustrate the TEMA technique using dasatinib and gefitinib, two kinase inhibitors with distinct selectivity profiles. In vitro binding by dasatinib probe to arrays of displayed proteins accurately reproduced known selectivity profiles, while their differential binding to a panel of fixed adherent cells agreed with expectations from expression profiles of the cells. These findings were corroborated by competition experiments using kinase inhibitors with overlapping and non-overlapping target specificities, and translated to pathology tissue sections. We also introduce a proximity ligation variant of TEMA in which these drug-DNA conjugates are combined with antibody-DNA conjugates to selectively investigate binding to specific target proteins of interest. This form of the assay serves to improve resolution of binding to on- and off-target proteins. In conclusion, TEMA has the potential to aid in drug development and clinical routine by conferring valuable insights in drug-target interactions at spatial resolution in protein arrays, cells and tissues.

scholarly journals The Core and Holoenzyme Forms of RNA Polymerase from Mycobacterium smegmatis

2018 ◽  
Vol 201 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomáš Kouba ◽  
Jiří Pospíšil ◽  
Jarmila Hnilicová ◽  
Hana Šanderová ◽  
Ivan Barvík ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Mycobacterium Smegmatis ◽  
Drug Target ◽  
Conformational Dynamics ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Bacterial Rna ◽  
High Degree

ABSTRACT Bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) is essential for gene expression and as such is a valid drug target. Hence, it is imperative to know its structure and dynamics. Here, we present two as-yet-unreported forms of Mycobacterium smegmatis RNAP: core and holoenzyme containing σA but no other factors. Each form was detected by cryo-electron microscopy in two major conformations. Comparisons of these structures with known structures of other RNAPs reveal a high degree of conformational flexibility of the mycobacterial enzyme and confirm that region 1.1 of σA is directed into the primary channel of RNAP. Taken together, we describe the conformational changes of unrestrained mycobacterial RNAP. IMPORTANCE We describe here three-dimensional structures of core and holoenzyme forms of mycobacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) solved by cryo-electron microscopy. These structures fill the thus-far-empty spots in the gallery of the pivotal forms of mycobacterial RNAP and illuminate the extent of conformational dynamics of this enzyme. The presented findings may facilitate future designs of antimycobacterial drugs targeting RNAP.

scholarly journals MSMEG_6292, a Mycobacterium smegmatis RNA polymerase secondary channel-binding protein: purification, crystallization and X-ray diffraction analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (9) ◽  
pp. 543-548
Author(s):  
Abyson Joseph ◽  
Valakunja Nagaraja ◽  
Ramanathan Natesh
Keyword(s):  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Mycobacterium Smegmatis ◽  
Transcriptional Activity ◽  
Molecular Replacement ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Secondary Channel ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Cell Parameters ◽  
Crystallization Method ◽  
Better Than

The transcriptional activity of RNA polymerase (RNAP) is controlled by a diverse set of regulatory factors. A subset of these regulators modulate the activity of RNAP through its secondary channel. Gre factors reactivate stalled elongation complexes by enhancing the intrinsic cleavage activity of RNAP. In the present study, the protein MSMEG_6292, a Gre-factor homologue from Mycobacterium smegmatis, was expressed heterologously in Escherichia coli and purified using standard chromatographic techniques. The hanging-drop vapour-diffusion crystallization method yielded diffraction-quality crystals. The crystals belonged to the trigonal space group P3121 (or its enantiomorph P3221), with unit-cell parameters a = b = 83.15, c = 107.07 Å, α = β = 90, γ = 120°. The crystals diffracted to better than 3.0 Å resolution. Molecular-replacement attempts did not yield any phasing models; hence, platinum derivatization was carried out with K2PtCl4 and derivative data were collected to 3.4 Å resolution.

scholarly journals Identification of inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CL-Pro enzymatic activity using a small molecule in-vitro repurposing screen

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Kuzikov ◽  
Elisa Costanzi ◽  
Jeanette Reinshagen ◽  
Francesca Esposito ◽  
Laura Vangeel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Enzymatic Activity ◽  
Small Molecules ◽  
Drug Target ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Cleavage Sites ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Binding Characteristics ◽  
Main Protease ◽  
Ic50 Values

Compound repurposing is an important strategy for the identification of effective treatment options against SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease. In this regard, SARS-CoV-2 main protease (3CL-Pro), also termed M-Pro, is an attractive drug target as it plays a central role in viral replication by processing the viral polyproteins pp1a and pp1ab at multiple distinct cleavage sites. We here report the results of a repurposing program involving 8.7 K compounds containing marketed drugs, clinical and preclinical candidates, and small molecules regarded as safe in humans. We confirmed previously reported inhibitors of 3CL-Pro, and have identified 62 additional compounds with IC50 values below 1 uM and profiled their selectivity towards Chymotrypsin and 3CL-Pro from the MERS virus. A subset of 8 inhibitors showed anti-cytopathic effect in a Vero-E6 cell line and the compounds thioguanosine and MG-132 were analysed for their predicted binding characteristics to SARS-CoV-2 3CL-Pro. The X-ray crystal structure of the complex of myricetin and SARS-Cov-2 3CL-Pro was solved at a resolution of 1.77 Angs., showing that myricetin is covalently bound to the catalytic Cys145 and therefore inhibiting its enzymatic activity.

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