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Allosteric activation of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) receptor by selective, nonpeptide agonists.

The pituitary glycoprotein hormones, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), act through their cognate receptors to initiate a series of coordinated physiological events that results in germ cell maturation. Given the importance of FSH in regulating folliculogenesis and fertility, the development of FSH mimetics has been sought to treat infertility. Currently, purified and recombinant human FSH are the only FSH receptor (FSH-R) agonists available for infertility treatment. By screening unbiased combinatorial chemistry libraries, using a cAMP-responsive luciferase reporter assay, we discovered thiazolidinone agonists (EC50's = 20 microm) of the human FSH-R. Subsequent analog library screening and parallel synthesis optimization resulted in the identification of a potent agonist (EC50 = 2 nm) with full efficacy compared with FSH that was FSH-R-selective and -dependent. The compound mediated progesterone production in Y1 cells transfected with the human FSH-R (EC50 = 980 nm) and estradiol production from primary rat ovarian granulosa cells (EC50 = 10.5 nm). This and related compounds did not compete with FSH for binding to the FSH-R. Use of human FSH/thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor chimeras suggested a novel mechanism for receptor activation through a binding site independent of the natural hormone binding site. This study is the first report of a high affinity small molecule agonist that activates a glycoprotein hormone receptor through an allosteric mechanism. The small molecule FSH receptor agonists described here could lead to an oral alternative to the current parenteral FSH treatments used clinically to induce ovarian stimulation for both in vivo and in vitro fertilization therapy.

Allosteric Regulation↗

Structure-based discovery of inhibitors of Mac1 domain of nonstructural protein-3 of SARS-CoV-2 by machine learning-augmented screening of chemical space.

Significant efforts have been recently dedicated to the discovery of small molecule inhibitors against the Macrodomain 1 (Mac1) of nonstructural protein 3 (NSP3) as potential antivirals for SARS-CoV-2. Thus, Mac1 has also been selected as the target for the Critical Assessment of Hit-finding Experiments (CACHE) challenge #3. As contestants in that challenge, we developed a computational strategy that ranked on the top among all 23 participants in the competition and resulted in the discovery of a novel chemical series of non-charged Mac1 inhibitors. Those have been identified through the combination of machine learning-accelerated virtual screening of Enamine REAL Diversity Subset of approximately 25 million compounds and consequent hit expansion into the entire Enamine REAL Space library. In particular, the initially identified hit compound CACHE3-HI_1706_56 (KD = 20 μM) was explored by probing 17 close analogues from a library of 44 billion molecules from the Enamine REAL. All those analogues effectively displaced the Mac1-binding ADP-ribose peptide, and 12 were confirmed to engage with Mac1 by the Surface Plasmon Resonance experiments, revealing a new chemical series of compounds for hit-to-lead optimization. The structure of the CACHE3-HI_1706_56-Mac1 complex was further determined at high resolution with crystallography, confirming initial computational predictions. Our results illustrate the effectiveness of ML-accelerated docking to rapidly identify novel chemical series and provide a strong foundation for the development of SARS-CoV-2 NSP3 Mac1 inhibitors.

CACHE challenge↗

A human T-cell receptor recognizes 'O'-linked sugars from the hinge region of human IgA1 and IgD.

A receptor which binds secretory IgA (sIgA) is expressed on human T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Behcet's syndrome and IgA nephropathy and on normal T cells following phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation. The specificity of this receptor was initially probed with a panel of normal serum immunoglobulins in competitive inhibition assays with sIgA using two-colour immunofluorescence. While the receptor showed the strongest affinity for IgA1 (IC(50)10(-6) M), IgD which has a similarly glycosylated hinge region to IgA1, also bound to the receptor (IC50 10(-5) M). IgA2, which lacks the 'O'-glycosylated hinge region, did not significantly inhibit the binding at these concentrations suggesting that the IgA determinants for this receptor might be the oligosaccharides present in the hinge region of IgA1. IgA1 has up to 10 'O'-linked oligosaccharides and four N-linked oligosaccharides per molecule. In order to probe the role of the 'O'-linked hinge sugars in the binding event, a sugar library was prepared from IgA1 by a procedure designed to release 'O'-linked oligosaccharides preferentially, and to retain them in the natural closed ring formation. The sugars were released by hydrazinolysis at 65 degrees and the resulting oligosaccharide library analysed by high voltage paper electrophoresis (HVE) and P4 gel permeation chromatography. Competitive inhibition studies demonstrated that both the library and the individual 'O'-linked sugars associated with IgA1 were implicated in the binding of IgA1 to this receptor (IC50 between 1 x 10(-5) M and 6 x 10(-5) M). Within this range the individual sugars showed small differences in their affinity for the receptor in the following order: Gal beta 3GalNAc = NeuNAc2 alpha 3(6)Gal beta 3GalNAc > NeuNAc2 alpha 3(6)Gal beta 3[NeuNAc2 alpha 6]GalNAc > or = GalNAc.

Binding, Competitive↗

Physical and functional interaction between myeloid cell leukemia 1 protein (MCL1) and Fortilin. The potential role of MCL1 as a fortilin chaperone.

Myeloid cell leukemia 1 protein (MCL1) is an anti-apoptotic protein that is structurally related to Bcl-2. Unlike other Bcl-2 family proteins that are constitutively expressed, MCL1 is inducibly expressed in cells that are recently exposed to growth and differentiation stimuli. Here, we report the identification of fortilin as a novel MCL1-interacting protein by screening of a yeast two-hybrid library with MCL1 as bait. Fortilin specifically interacted with MCL1 both in vitro and in vivo. The intracellular localization of fortilin was predominantly nuclear and identical to that of MCL1, as shown by immunostaining and confocal microscopy analysis. Fortilin, like MCL1, was rapidly inducible in serum-stimulated human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells. Although the depletion of intracellular fortilin by small interfering RNA (siRNA) against fortilin (siRNA-fortilin) did not affect intracellular MCL1 level, the depletion of intracellular MCL1 by siRNA-MCL1 was associated with the significant reduction of the fortilin protein level, without affecting the fortilin transcript numbers. In addition, a pulse-chase experiment showed that the depletion of MCL1 by siRNA-MCL1 was associated with the rapid degradation of fortilin protein, which was found quite stable in the presence of MCL1. Furthermore, the half-life of fortilin(R21A), a point mutant of fortilin lacking the binding to MCL1, was significantly shorter than that of wild-type fortilin as shown by a pulse-chase experiment. These data suggest that MCL1, in addition to being an anti-apoptotic molecule, serves as a chaperone of fortilin, binding and stabilizing fortilin in vivo. Taken together with our previous observation that fortilin overexpression prevents cells from undergoing apoptosis (Li, F., Zhang, D., and Fujise, K. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 47542-47549), it is likely that MCL1, an anti-apoptotic protein inducible by growth and differentiation stimuli, stabilizes another anti-apoptotic protein fortilin maximizing the prosurvival environment in cells.

Animals↗

Isolation, tissue expression, and chromosomal assignment of human RGS5, a novel G-protein signaling regulator gene.

The regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins have recently been identified as signal transduction molecules which have structural homology to SST2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and EGL-10 of Caenorhabditis elegans. Multiple genes homologous to SST2 are present in higher eukaryotes, and the group of these genes is termed the RGS family. RGS proteins are involved in the regulation of heterotrimeric G-proteins by acting as GTPase-activators. A putative new member of the RGS family was isolated from a neuroblastoma cDNA library. The amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA possessed all consensus motifs of the RGS domain and showed closest homology to mouse RGS5 (90% identical), indicating that it was human RGS5 (hRGS5). The messenger RNA of hRGS5 was abundantly expressed in heart, lung, skeletal muscle, and small intestine, and at low levels in brain, placenta, liver, colon, and leukocytes. The chromosome localization of the gene in the 1q23 region was determined by a monochromosomal hybrid panel and a radiation hybrid panel.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Screening and identification of differentially expressed transcripts in circulating cells of prostate cancer patients using suppression subtractive hybridization.

BACKGROUND: Tumor metastasis and changes in host immunosurveillance are important components in cancer development. Tumor cell invasion into the bloodstream is an essential step for systemic metastasis. Currently, the detection of tumor cells in the circulation is mainly dependent upon the utilization of known epithelial cell markers. However, expression of these molecules is not limited to cancer patients; healthy people also have a small number of epithelial cells in their circulation. Utilizing these markers to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) cannot adequately explain the mechanisms of tumor cell survival or their development of metastatic potential in peripheral blood. The immune system can also evolve along with the cancer, actually promoting or selecting the outgrowth of tumor variants. Unfortunately, both metastasis and immunosurveillance remain mysterious and are debatable because we have yet to define the molecules that participate in these processes. We are interested in identifying the existence of expressed genes, or mRNA species, that are specifically associated with circulating cells of cancer-bearing patients using prostate cancer (PCa) as a model. RESULTS: We established two comprehensive subtracted cDNA libraries using a molecular technique called suppression subtractive hybridization. This technique selectively amplifies transcripts that are specifically expressed in circulating cells of either PCa patients or healthy men. Following sequencing reaction, we showed that 17 out of 23 (73.9%) sequenced clones did not match any mRNAs in the GenBank database. This result suggests that genes associated with alterations in circulating cells of cancer-bearing patients are largely unknown. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR confirmed that two genes are up-regulated in circulating cells of PCa patients, whereas another two genes are down-regulated in the same patients. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive gene expression analysis is capable of identifying differentially expressed genes in circulating cells of healthy men and PCa patients. We did not attempt to enrich specific cell types in this study because phenotypes of CTCs and subsets of leukocytes participating in immunosurveillance remain largely unknown. Continuous studies of these differentially expressed genes will eventually lead us to understand the mechanisms involved in tumor metastasis and immune modulation during cancer development.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

Chemokine receptors as new molecular targets for antiviral therapy.

Extraordinary advancements have been made over the past decade in our understanding of the molecular mechanism of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) entry into cells. The external HIV envelope glycoprotein, gp120, sequentially interacts with two cellular receptor molecules, the CD4 glycoprotein and a chemokine receptor, such as CCR5 or CXCR4, leading to the activation of the fusogenic domain of the transmembrane viral glycoprotein, gp41, which changes its conformation to create a hairpin structure that eventually triggers fusion between the viral and cellular membranes. Each of these discrete steps in the viral entry process represents a potential target for new antiviral agents. Current efforts to develop safe and effective HlV entry inhibitors are focused on naturally occurring proteins (e.g., chemokines, antibodies), engineered or modified derivatives of natural proteins (e.g., multimerized soluble CD4, gp41--or chemokine--derived synthetic peptides), as well as small synthetic compounds obtained either by high-throughput screening of large compound libraries or by structure-guided rational design. The recent introduction in therapy of the first fusion inhibitor, the gp41-derived synthetic peptide T20, heralds a new era in the treatment of AIDS, which will hopefully lead to more effective multi-drug regimens with reduced adverse effects for the patients.

Enfuvirtide↗

The TC21 oncoprotein interacts with the Ral guanosine nucleotide dissociation factor.

TC21 is a highly oncogenic member of the Ras superfamily of small GTP binding proteins. We have used the yeast two hybrid system to identify proteins that interact with an oncogenic form of the TC21 protein. cDNA clones encoding the carboxy-terminal region of the RalGDS protein were isolated from human B-cell and HeLa cDNA libraries. RalGDS is an exchange factor that stimulates GDP dissociation from Ral, another member of the Ras superfamily of proteins. The interaction between RalGDS to TC21 is direct and appears to be mediated by the effector domain of TC21 and the carboxy-terminal region of RalGDS. Moreover, RalGDS only binds to TC21 in its active, GTP-loaded configuration. These results suggest that RalGDS might be an effector molecule for TC21 and may participate in cross-talking between Ral and TC21 signalling pathways.

3T3 Cells↗

Generation of monoclonal antibodies to involved ileum of Crohn's disease: characterization of a panel of antibodies with goblet cell membrane and brush border-specific reactivity.

There are no known intestinal cell phenotypic markers characteristic of the transmural idiopathic inflammatory disease of the small bowel. To address this issue, we developed monoclonal antibodies specific for Crohn's disease tissue by generating a library of hybridomas specific for intestine following murine immunization with intestinal epithelial cells from a patient with Crohn's disease. The epithelial cells were initially harvested from a fresh operative specimen by gentle scraping and digestion with 1% collagenase on ice. Cells were then washed, evaluated for viability, and polytron homogenized. After immunization and subsequent fusion, hybridoma cell lines producing distinct antibody-binding patterns were identified by indirect immunoepifluorescence (IIEF). Wells representing distinct patterns were subcloned and carried to limiting dilution. Of the multiple hybridomas studied, the predominant target antibodies were goblet cell and glycoprotein-like molecules. Patterns of antibody binding identified by IIEF included: brush border, goblet cell, surface glycoprotein, enterocyte membranes, basilar crypt inclusions, circumferential goblet cell, and a heterogeneous goblet cell glycoprotein pattern. Molecular weight determination and cross-reactivity with various human tissues were studied by immunoblotting following sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Several hybridomas were specific for the intestine but were not specific for Crohn's disease.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

The unusually long small-subunit ribosomal RNA of the crustacean, Daphnia pulex: sequence and predicted secondary structure.

The small-subunit (SSU) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene of the Branchiopod crustacean, Daphnia pulex, was isolated from a phage library and subcloned into the plasmid pBluescript. Determination of the complete nucleotide sequence of this gene revealed it to be 2293 nt in length with a G + C content of 53.7%. This is the longest SSU rRNA gene yet reported from a crustacean. The predicted secondary structure of the rRNA is quite typical for eukaryotes except for length expansion in four regions that are known to be highly variable: V2, V4, V7, and V9. Increases in V4 and V7 were most notable. RT-PCR analysis of these two variable regions showed that they are present in the mature rRNA molecule. Potential secondary structures for these regions are proposed based on energetic criteria. Sequence simplicity analysis of V4 and V7 did not reveal the occurrence of clustered simple sequence motifs. This suggests that replication slippage may not be an important mechanism generating the length expansion in these regions as has been proposed for unusually long regions in insect SSU rRNA genes. On the other hand, there was a pronounced bias in nucleotide composition in the variable regions (G + C = 56.6% in V4 and 60% in V7) which is typical of long SSU rRNA genes in insects. Comparison of the lengths of regions V2, V4, V7, and V9 among diverse arthropods revealed that substantial increases in V4 and V7 tend to co-occur. This suggests the possibility of a functional relationship between these variable regions.

Animals↗

Use of parallel synthesis to probe structure-activity relationships among 12-helical beta-peptides: evidence of a limit on antimicrobial activity.

We report structure-activity trends among helix-forming beta-amino acid oligomers that are intended to mimic alpha-helical host-defense peptides. Parallel synthesis of two small, focused beta-peptide libraries allowed us to identify relatively short (11-residue) beta-peptides that display antimicrobial activity. These beta-peptides exhibit selectivity for bacteria relative to human red blood cells. A large hydrophobic helical surface is necessary for antimicrobial activity. Longer analogues (16 residues) of the most active library members were prepared and evaluated. Some of these longer beta-peptides showed very good antimicrobial activity, but none was more active than a previously reported beta-peptide [Porter, E. A.; Wang, X.; Lee, H.-S.; Weisblum, B.; Gellman, S. H. Nature 2000, 404, 565]. The extensive literature on alpha-helical host-defense peptides and related alpha-peptides indicates that such molecules are seldom active at concentrations below 1 microg/mL, and our results suggest that amphiphilic helical beta-peptides are subject to a comparable limit.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

SB subregion of the human major histocompatibility complex: gene organization, allelic polymorphism and expression in transformed cells.

The SB region of the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been cloned from cosmid and lambda phage libraries made from the human B-lymphoblastoid cell line Priess (DR4/4, DC4/4, SB3/4). Two alpha genes and two beta genes are encoded in the 100 kb long SB region in the order SB alpha-SB beta-SX alpha-SX beta. The SB alpha and SB beta genes encode the alpha and beta subunits of the SB subset of class II MHC molecules. Both the SX alpha and the SX beta genes are pseudogenes in the haplotype examined. From the isolated clones, the two haplotypes of the Priess cell line, SB3 and SB4, are distinguished by nucleotide sequencing and blot hybridization analyses. Restriction site polymorphisms between the SB3 and SB4 clones were observed only in relatively small regions of the SB beta and SX beta genes. A mouse macrophage cell line was transfected with one of the cosmid clones containing both SB alpha and SB beta genes. Expression of the alpha and beta genes was detected by fluorescene-activated cell sorting (FACS) and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis using SB-specific monoclonal antibodies.

Alleles↗

Small peptides as potent mimetics of the protein hormone erythropoietin.

Random phage display peptide libraries and affinity selective methods were used to isolate small peptides that bind to and activate the receptor for the cytokine erythropoietin (EPO). In a panel of in vitro biological assays, the peptides act as full agonists and they can also stimulate erythropoiesis in mice. These agonists are represented by a 14- amino acid disulfide-bonded, cyclic peptide with the minimum consensus sequence YXCXXGPXTWXCXP, where X represents positions allowing occupation by several amino acids. The amino acid sequences of these peptides are not found in the primary sequence of EPO. The signaling pathways activated by these peptides appear to be identical to those induced by the natural ligand. This discovery may form the basis for the design of small molecule mimetics of EPO.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Development of a miniaturized assay for the high-throughput screening program for poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) plays a pivotal role in the repair of DNA strand breaks. However, excessive activation of PARP causes a rapid depletion of intracellular energy, leading to cell death. PARP inhibitors may have potential therapeutic benefit in the treatment of myocardial ischemia, stroke, and neurodegenerative disease. With these emerging medicinal interests, various screening programs have identified small molecules that inhibit PARP with reasonable potencies. However, the increasing numbers of diverse small molecules generated through combinatorial chemistry necessitate the use of robust assays with good sensitivity and specificity for use as a high-throughput screening (HTS) program. Here, we report the development and the validation of a nonisotopic PARP-1 assay suitable for HTS by converting a biotinylated NAD-based colorimetric assay to a miniaturized 384-well plate format. Comparing with the conventional methods, this miniaturized PARP-1 inhibition assay was equally sensitive with excellent reproducibility and cost-effectiveness. Because nonisotopic PARP-1 inhibition assays are widely used, the methodology described in this article can expand the feasibility of this assay as a high-throughput assay for screening of PARP-1 inhibitors from a random chemical library.

Biotinylation↗

Fluorescent, sequence-selective peptide detection by synthetic small molecules.

Small organic sensor molecules were prepared that bind and signal the presence of unlabeled tripeptides in a sequence-selective manner. Sequence-selective peptide binding is a difficult problem because small peptides are highly flexible and there are no clear rules for designing peptide-binding molecules as there are for the nucleic acids. The signaling system involved the application of fluorescence energy transfer and provided large, real-time fluorescence increases (300 to 500 percent) upon peptide binding. With it, these sensors were sensitive enough to detect unlabeled cognate peptides both in organic solution and in the solid state at low micromolar concentrations.

Binding Sites↗

Isolation of cDNAs encoding T-BAM, a surface glycoprotein on CD4+ T cells mediating contact-dependent helper function for B cells: identity with the CD40-ligand.

"T-cell B-cell Activating Molecule" (T-BAM) is an activation-induced surface protein on CD4+ T cells that mediates a contact-dependent signal for B cell differentiation and immunoglobulin (Ig) secretion. The T-BAM protein on a helper clone of Jurkat (D1.1) was affinity purified using the anti-T-BAM mAb, 5c8. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of purified T-BAM was determined and found to be highly homologous to the predicted NH2-terminal sequence of a T cell ligand to the B cell CD40 molecule (CD40-L). From a D1.1 cDNA library, a clone was isolated that encodes CD40-L by sequence and drives expression of T-BAM protein on transfected cells, demonstrating that the T-BAM and CD40-L genes and proteins are identical. Moreover, transfection of T-BAM was shown to confer to non-lymphoid cells, the ability to induce B cells to upregulate the expression of surface CD23 molecules. In previous studies we showed that T-BAM was expressed predominantly on activated CD4+ and on few if any CD8+ cells. Although the current work confirms that T-BAM is largely restricted to activated CD4+ T cells, we now provide definitive evidence that T-BAM can be expressed by a small population of CD8+ T cells after activation. Importantly, a subset of CD8+ T cells do not express T-BAM after activation and this T-BAM- phenotype is maintained on certain CD8+ T cell clones. Taken together, these data unify the biology and structure of T-BAM and CD40-L and this synthesis has implications for understanding the T cell regulation of the humoral immune response.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Synthesis and selection of de novo proteins that bind and impede cellular functions of an essential mycobacterial protein.

Recent advances in nonrational and part-rational approaches to de novo peptide/protein design have shown increasing potential for development of novel peptides and proteins of therapeutic use. We demonstrated earlier the usefulness of one such approach recently developed by us, called "codon shuffling," in creating stand-alone de novo protein libraries from which bioactive proteins could be isolated. Here, we report the synthesis and selection of codon-shuffled de novo proteins that bind to a selected Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein target, the histone-like protein HupB, believed to be essential for mycobacterial growth. Using a versatile bacterial two-hybrid system that entailed utilization of HupB and various codon-shuffled protein libraries as bait and prey, respectively, we were able to identify proteins that bound strongly to HupB. The observed interaction was also confirmed using an in vitro assay. One of the protein binders was expressed in Mycobacterium smegmatis and was shown to appreciably affect growth in the exponential phase, a period wherein HupB is selectively expressed. Furthermore, the transcription profile of hupB gene showed a significant reduction in the transcript quantity in mycobacterial strains expressing the protein binder. Electron microscopy of the affected mycobacteria elaborated on the extent of cell damage and hinted towards a cell division malfunction. It is our belief that a closer inspection of the obtained de novo proteins may bring about the generation of small-molecule analogs, peptidomimetics, or indeed the proteins themselves as realistic leads for drug candidates. Furthermore, our strategy is adaptable for large-scale targeting of the essential protein pool of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other pathogens.

Bacterial Physiological Phenomena↗

Most highly repeated dispersed DNA families in the mouse genome.

The construction of a small library of mouse repetitive DNA has been previously reported (Pietras et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 11:6965-6983, 1983). Here we report that the 35 plasmids in this library corresponding to highly repeated (greater than 30,000 copies per genome) dispersed DNA sequences can be grouped into no more than 5 distinct families. These families together comprise 8 to 10% of the mouse genome. They include the previously described small elements B1, B2, and R and the large MIF-1 element. Twelve of the 35 clones contain evolutionarily conserved (EC) sequences. One EC clone in our library mostly consists of alternating dCdT residues; another consists of tandem repeats of the sequence CCTCT. The majority of B1s and B2s in the genome appear to be homogeneous, whereas R sequences, ECs, and MIF-1s are heterogeneous. Two earlier reports showed highly repeated mammalian DNA sequences in the herpesvirus genome (Peden et al., Cell 31:71-80, 1982; Puga et al., Cell 31:81-87, 1982). We show that sequences homologous to our EC clones are present in the herpesvirus genome, although these polypyrimidine stretches are not detected in poxvirus, adenovirus, and simian virus 40 genomes. We detect transcripts containing homology to all of these sequences in a nuclear transcription assay. Also, we show that small, polyadenylated RNA molecules homologous to B2 sequences are expressed in undifferentiated embryonal carcinoma cells but not in their differentiated derivatives. The significance of these findings is discussed.

Animals↗