scholarly journals Structural and Biochemical Features of Eimeria tenella Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase, a Potential Drug Target

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1468
Author(s):  
Dan Sato ◽  
Endah Dwi Hartuti ◽  
Daniel Ken Inaoka ◽  
Takaya Sakura ◽  
Eri Amalia ◽  
...  

Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is a mitochondrial monotopic membrane protein that plays an essential role in the pyrimidine de novo biosynthesis and electron transport chain pathways. In Eimeria tenella, an intracellular apicomplexan parasite that causes the most severe form of chicken coccidiosis, the activity of pyrimidine salvage pathway at the intracellular stage is negligible and it relies on the pyrimidine de novo biosynthesis pathway. Therefore, the enzymes of the de novo pathway are considered potential drug target candidates for the design of compounds with activity against this parasite. Although, DHODHs from E. tenella (EtDHODH), Plasmodium falciparum (PfDHODH), and human (HsDHODH) show distinct sensitivities to classical DHODH inhibitors, in this paper, we identify ferulenol as a potent inhibitor of both EtDHODH and HsDHODH. Additionally, we report the crystal structures of EtDHODH and HsDHODH in the absence and presence of ferulenol. Comparison of these enzymes showed that despite similar overall structures, the EtDHODH has a long insertion in the N-terminal helix region that assumes a disordered configuration. In addition, the crystal structures revealed that the ferulenol binding pocket of EtDHODH is larger than that of HsDHODH. These differences can be explored to accelerate structure-based design of inhibitors specifically targeting EtDHODH.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 7236
Author(s):  
Endah Dwi Hartuti ◽  
Takaya Sakura ◽  
Mohammed S. O. Tagod ◽  
Eri Yoshida ◽  
Xinying Wang ◽  
...  

Plasmodium falciparum’s resistance to available antimalarial drugs highlights the need for the development of novel drugs. Pyrimidine de novo biosynthesis is a validated drug target for the prevention and treatment of malaria infection. P. falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (PfDHODH) catalyzes the oxidation of dihydroorotate to orotate and utilize ubiquinone as an electron acceptor in the fourth step of pyrimidine de novo biosynthesis. PfDHODH is targeted by the inhibitor DSM265, which binds to a hydrophobic pocket located at the N-terminus where ubiquinone binds, which is known to be structurally divergent from the mammalian orthologue. In this study, we screened 40,400 compounds from the Kyoto University chemical library against recombinant PfDHODH. These studies led to the identification of 3,4-dihydro-2H,6H-pyrimido[1,2-c][1,3]benzothiazin-6-imine and its derivatives as a new class of PfDHODH inhibitor. Moreover, the hit compounds identified in this study are selective for PfDHODH without inhibition of the human enzymes. Finally, this new scaffold of PfDHODH inhibitors showed growth inhibition activity against P. falciparum 3D7 with low toxicity to three human cell lines, providing a new starting point for antimalarial drug development.


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (15) ◽  
pp. 2808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myeong Hwi Lee ◽  
Dae-Yon Lee ◽  
Anand Balupuri ◽  
Jong-Woo Jeong ◽  
Nam Sook Kang

Autotaxin (ATX) is a potential drug target that is associated with inflammatory diseases and various cancers. In our previous studies, we have designed several inhibitors targeting ATX using computational and experimental approaches. Here, we have analyzed topological water networks (TWNs) in the binding pocket of ATX. TWN analysis revealed a pharmacophoric site inside the pocket. We designed and synthesized compounds considering the identified pharmacophoric site. Furthermore, we performed biological experiments to determine their ATX inhibitory activities. High potency of the designed compounds supports the predictions of the TWN analysis.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamal El Bakali ◽  
Michal Blaszczyk ◽  
Joanna C. Evans ◽  
Jennifer A. Boland ◽  
William J. McCarthy ◽  
...  

AbstractThe coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis pathway has attracted attention as a potential target for much-needed novel antimicrobial drugs, including for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB), the lethal disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Seeking to identify the first inhibitors of Mtb phosphopantetheine adenylyltransferase (MtbPPAT), the enzyme that catalyses the penultimate step in CoA biosynthesis, we performed a fragment screen. In doing so, we discovered three series of fragments that occupy distinct regions of the MtbPPAT active site, presenting a unique opportunity for fragment linking. Here we show how, guided by X-ray crystal structures, we could link weakly-binding fragments to produce an active site binder with a KD < 20 μM and on-target anti-Mtb activity, as demonstrated using CRISPR interference. This study represents a big step toward validating MtbPPAT as a potential drug target and designing a MtbPPAT-targeting anti-TB drug.Abstract Figure


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Heidenreich ◽  
Moses Moustakim ◽  
Jurema Schmidt ◽  
Daniel Merk ◽  
Paul E. Brennan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTLysine acetylation is an epigenetic mark that is principally recognized by bromodomains and recently structurally diverse YEATS domains also emerged as readers of lysine acetyl/acylations. Here we present a crystallography-based strategy and the discovery of fragments binding to the ENL YEATS domain, a potential drug target. Crystal structures combined with synthetic efforts led to the identification of a sub-micromolar binder, providing first starting points for the development of chemical probes for this reader domain family.


2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (14) ◽  
pp. 2637-2648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Serrano ◽  
Patricia Ferreira ◽  
Marta Martinez-Julvez ◽  
Milagros Medina

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lalit Kumar Gautam ◽  
Prince Sharma ◽  
Neena Capalash

Bacterial infections have always been an unrestrained challenge to the medical community due to the rise of multi-drug tolerant and resistant strains. Pioneering work on Escherichia coli polyphosphate kinase (PPK) by Arthur Kornberg has generated great interest in this polyphosphate (PolyP) synthesizing enzyme. PPK has wide distribution among pathogens and is involved in promoting pathogenesis, stress management and susceptibility to antibiotics. Further, the absence of a PPK orthologue in humans makes it a potential drug target. This review covers the functional and structural aspects of polyphosphate kinases in bacterial pathogens. A description of molecules being designed against PPKs has been provided, challenges associated with PPK inhibitor design are highlighted and the strategies to enable development of efficient drug against this enzyme have also been discussed.


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