RESUMEN
A rapid drug discovery response to influenza outbreaks with the potential to reach pandemic status could help minimize the virus's impact by reducing the time to identify anti-influenza drugs. Although several anti-influenza strategies have been considered in the search for new drugs, only a few therapeutic agents are approved for clinical use. The cytopathic effect induced by the influenza virus in Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells has been widely used for high-throughput anti-influenza drug screening, but the fact that the MDCK cells are not human cells constitutes a disadvantage when searching for new therapeutic agents for human use. We have developed a highly sensitive cell-based imaging assay for the identification of inhibitors of influenza A and B virus that is high-throughput compatible using the A549 human cell line. The assay has also been optimized for the assessment of the neutralizing effect of anti-influenza antibodies in the absence of trypsin, which allows testing of purified antibodies and serum samples. This assay platform can be applied to full high-throughput screening campaigns or later stages requiring quantitative potency determinations for structure-activity relationships.
Asunto(s)
Gripe Humana , Animales , Perros , Humanos , Gripe Humana/tratamiento farmacológico , Ensayos Analíticos de Alto Rendimiento , Línea Celular , Células de Riñón Canino Madin Darby , Técnica del Anticuerpo FluorescenteRESUMEN
HIV-1 Vpu targets the host cell proteins CD4 and BST-2/Tetherin for degradation, ultimately resulting in enhanced virus spread and host immune evasion. The discovery and characterization of small molecules that antagonize Vpu would further elucidate the contribution of Vpu to pathogenesis and lay the foundation for the study of a new class of novel HIV-1 therapeutics. To identify novel compounds that block Vpu activity, we have developed a cell-based 'gain of function' assay that produces a positive signal in response to Vpu inhibition. To develop this assay, we took advantage of the viral glycoprotein, GaLV Env. In the presence of Vpu, GaLV Env is not incorporated into viral particles, resulting in non-infectious virions. Vpu inhibition restores infectious particle production. Using this assay, a high throughput screen of >650,000 compounds was performed to identify inhibitors that block the biological activity of Vpu. From this screen, we identified several positive hits but focused on two compounds from one structural family, SRI-41897 and SRI-42371. We developed independent counter-screens for off target interactions of the compounds and found no off target interactions. Additionally, these compounds block Vpu-mediated modulation of CD4, BST-2/Tetherin and antibody dependent cell-mediated toxicity (ADCC). Unfortunately, both SRI-41897 and SRI-42371 were shown to be specific to the N-terminal region of NL4-3 Vpu and did not function against other, more clinically relevant, strains of Vpu; however, this assay may be slightly modified to include more significant Vpu strains in the future.
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Fármacos Anti-VIH , VIH-1 , Proteínas del Virus de la Inmunodeficiencia Humana , Proteínas Reguladoras y Accesorias Virales , Proteínas Viroporinas , Fármacos Anti-VIH/química , Antígeno 2 del Estroma de la Médula Ósea/metabolismo , Proteínas Ligadas a GPI/metabolismo , VIH-1/metabolismo , Proteínas del Virus de la Inmunodeficiencia Humana/antagonistas & inhibidores , Proteínas del Virus de la Inmunodeficiencia Humana/metabolismo , Virus de la Leucemia del Gibón/metabolismo , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequeñas , Proteínas Reguladoras y Accesorias Virales/antagonistas & inhibidores , Proteínas Reguladoras y Accesorias Virales/metabolismo , Proteínas Viroporinas/antagonistas & inhibidoresRESUMEN
Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to screen for novel compounds with antiviral activity against SARS-COV-2. Here we compared chemical composition and the in vitro anti- SARS-COV-2 activity of two different Ulva sp. crude ulvan extracts: one obtained by an HCl-based and another one by ammonium oxalate-based (AOx) extraction protocols. The composition of the crude extracts was analyzed and their antiviral activity was assessed in a cytopathic effect reduction assay using Vero E6 cells. We show that the extraction protocols have a significant impact on the chemical composition, anti- SARS-COV-2 activity, and cytotoxicity of these ulvan extracts. The ulvan extract based on the AOx protocol had a higher average molecular weight, higher charge, and 11.3-fold higher antiviral activity than HCl-based extract. Our results strongly suggest that further bioassay-guided investigation into bioactivity of compounds found in Ulva sp. ulvan extracts could lead to the discovery of novel anti-SARS-CoV-2 antivirals.
RESUMEN
Premature termination codons (PTCs) prevent translation of a full-length protein and trigger nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). Nonsense suppression (also termed readthrough) therapy restores protein function by selectively suppressing translation termination at PTCs. Poor efficacy of current readthrough agents prompted us to search for better compounds. An NMD-sensitive NanoLuc readthrough reporter was used to screen 771,345 compounds. Among the 180 compounds identified with readthrough activity, SRI-37240 and its more potent derivative SRI-41315, induce a prolonged pause at stop codons and suppress PTCs associated with cystic fibrosis in immortalized and primary human bronchial epithelial cells, restoring CFTR expression and function. SRI-41315 suppresses PTCs by reducing the abundance of the termination factor eRF1. SRI-41315 also potentiates aminoglycoside-mediated readthrough, leading to synergistic increases in CFTR activity. Combining readthrough agents that target distinct components of the translation machinery is a promising treatment strategy for diseases caused by PTCs.
Asunto(s)
Codón sin Sentido/antagonistas & inhibidores , Regulador de Conductancia de Transmembrana de Fibrosis Quística/genética , Células Epiteliales/efectos de los fármacos , Degradación de ARNm Mediada por Codón sin Sentido , Terminación de la Cadena Péptídica Traduccional/efectos de los fármacos , Factores de Terminación de Péptidos/metabolismo , Aminoglicósidos/metabolismo , Codón sin Sentido/metabolismo , Regulador de Conductancia de Transmembrana de Fibrosis Quística/metabolismo , Células Epiteliales/metabolismo , Genes Reporteros , Gentamicinas/farmacología , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Microsomas Hepáticos/efectos de los fármacos , Factores de Terminación de Péptidos/genética , Complejo de la Endopetidasa Proteasomal/efectos de los fármacos , Complejo de la Endopetidasa Proteasomal/metabolismo , Interferencia de ARN , Ribosomas/metabolismo , Relación Estructura-ActividadRESUMEN
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is a reemerging alphavirus that can cause encephalitis resulting in severe human morbidity and mortality. Using a high-throughput cell-based screen, we identified a quinolinone compound that protected against VEEV-induced cytopathic effects. Analysis of viral replication in cells identified several quinolinone compounds with potent inhibitory activity against vaccine and virulent strains of VEEV. These quinolinones also displayed inhibitory activity against additional alphaviruses, such as Mayaro virus and Ross River virus, although the potency was greatly reduced. Time-of-addition studies indicated that these compounds inhibit the early-to-mid stage of viral replication. Deep sequencing and reverse genetics studies identified two unique resistance mutations in the nsP2 gene (Y102S/C; stalk domain) that conferred VEEV resistance on this chemical series. Moreover, introduction of a K102Y mutation into the nsP2 gene enhanced the sensitivity of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) to this chemical series. Computational modeling of CHIKV and VEEV nsP2 identified a highly probable docking alignment for the quinolinone compounds that require a tyrosine residue at position 102 within the helicase stalk domain. These studies identified a class of compounds with antiviral activity against VEEV and other alphaviruses and provide further evidence that therapeutics targeting nsP2 may be useful against alphavirus infection.
Asunto(s)
Virus Chikungunya , Virus de la Encefalitis Equina Venezolana , Quinolonas , Animales , Antivirales/farmacología , Virus de la Encefalitis Equina Venezolana/genética , Caballos , Humanos , Quinolonas/farmacología , Replicación ViralRESUMEN
A benzo[6]annulene, 4-(tert-butyl)-N-(3-methoxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl) benzamide (1a), was identified as an inhibitor against Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) with antiviral activity EC90 = 1.45 µM and viral titer reduction (VTR) of 2.5 log at 10 µM with no observed cytotoxicity (CC50 = 169 µM) in normal human dermal fibroblast cells. Chemistry efforts to improve potency, efficacy, and drug-like properties of 1a resulted in a novel lead compound 8q, which possessed excellent cellular antiviral activity (EC90 = 270 nM and VTR of 4.5 log at 10 µM) and improved liver microsomal stability. CHIKV resistance to an analog of 1a, compound 1c, tracked to a mutation in the nsP3 macrodomain. Further mechanism of action studies showed compounds working through inhibition of human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase in addition to CHIKV nsP3 macrodomain. Moderate efficacy was observed in an in vivo CHIKV challenge mouse model for compound 8q as viral replication was rescued from the pyrimidine salvage pathway.
Asunto(s)
Antivirales/farmacología , Derivados del Benceno/química , Virus Chikungunya/fisiología , Replicación Viral/efectos de los fármacos , Animales , Antivirales/química , Antivirales/farmacocinética , Antivirales/uso terapéutico , Derivados del Benceno/metabolismo , Derivados del Benceno/farmacología , Derivados del Benceno/uso terapéutico , Sitios de Unión , Línea Celular , Supervivencia Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Fiebre Chikungunya/tratamiento farmacológico , Dihidroorotato Deshidrogenasa , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Femenino , Semivida , Humanos , Masculino , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Microsomas Hepáticos/metabolismo , Simulación del Acoplamiento Molecular , Oxidorreductasas actuantes sobre Donantes de Grupo CH-CH/antagonistas & inhibidores , Oxidorreductasas actuantes sobre Donantes de Grupo CH-CH/metabolismo , Relación Estructura-ActividadRESUMEN
The macrodomain of nsP3 (nsP3MD) is highly conserved among the alphaviruses and ADP-ribosylhydrolase activity of Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) nsP3MD is critical for CHIKV viral replication and virulence. No small molecule drugs targeting CHIKV nsP3 have been identified to date. Here we report small fragments that bind to nsP3MD which were discovered by virtually screening a fragment library and X-ray crystallography. These identified fragments share a similar scaffold, 2-pyrimidone-4-carboxylic acid, and are specifically bound to the ADP-ribose binding site of nsP3MD. Among the fragments, 2-oxo-5,6-benzopyrimidine-4-carboxylic acid showed anti-CHIKV activity with an IC50 of 23 µM. Our fragment-based drug discovery approach provides valuable information to further develop a specific and potent nsP3 inhibitor of CHIKV viral replication based on the 2-pyrimidone-4-carboxylic acid scaffold. In silico studies suggest this pyrimidone scaffold could also bind to the macrodomains of other alphaviruses and coronaviruses and thus, have potential pan-antiviral activity.
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Virus Chikungunya/efectos de los fármacos , Pirimidinonas/antagonistas & inhibidores , Replicación Viral/efectos de los fármacos , Sitios de Unión , Virus Chikungunya/metabolismo , Diseño de Fármacos , Fibroblastos/efectos de los fármacos , Fibroblastos/metabolismo , Humanos , Proteínas no Estructurales Virales/metabolismoRESUMEN
Understanding the SARS-CoV-2 virus' pathways of infection, virus-host-protein interactions, and mechanisms of virus-induced cytopathic effects will greatly aid in the discovery and design of new therapeutics to treat COVID-19. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, extensively explored as clinical agents for COVID-19, have multiple cellular effects including alkalizing lysosomes and blocking autophagy as well as exhibiting dose-limiting toxicities in patients. Therefore, we evaluated additional lysosomotropic compounds to identify an alternative lysosome-based drug repurposing opportunity. We found that six of these compounds blocked the cytopathic effect of SARS-CoV-2 in Vero E6 cells with half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) values ranging from 2.0 to 13 µM and selectivity indices (SIs; SI = CC50/EC50) ranging from 1.5- to >10-fold. The compounds (1) blocked lysosome functioning and autophagy, (2) prevented pseudotyped particle entry, (3) increased lysosomal pH, and (4) reduced (ROC-325) viral titers in the EpiAirway 3D tissue model. Consistent with these findings, the siRNA knockdown of ATP6V0D1 blocked the HCoV-NL63 cytopathic effect in LLC-MK2 cells. Moreover, an analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infected Vero E6 cell lysate revealed significant dysregulation of autophagy and lysosomal function, suggesting a contribution of the lysosome to the life cycle of SARS-CoV-2. Our findings suggest the lysosome as a potential host cell target to combat SARS-CoV-2 infections and inhibitors of lysosomal function could become an important component of drug combination therapies aimed at improving treatment and outcomes for COVID-19.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Antivirales/farmacología , Antivirales/uso terapéutico , Reposicionamiento de Medicamentos , Humanos , LisosomasRESUMEN
Whereas recent clinical studies report metastatic melanoma survival rates high as 30-50%, many tumors remain nonresponsive or become resistant to current therapeutic strategies. Analyses of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) data set suggests that a significant fraction of melanomas potentially harbor gain-of-function mutations in the gene that encodes for the ErbB4 receptor tyrosine kinase. In this work, a drug discovery strategy was developed that is based on the observation that the Q43L mutant of the naturally occurring ErbB4 agonist Neuregulin-2beta (NRG2ß) functions as a partial agonist at ErbB4. NRG2ß/Q43L stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation, fails to stimulate ErbB4-dependent cell proliferation, and inhibits agonist-induced ErbB4-dependent cell proliferation. Compounds that exhibit these characteristics likely function as ErbB4 partial agonists, and as such hold promise as therapies for ErbB4-dependent melanomas. Consequently, three highly sensitive and reproducible (Z' > 0.5) screening assays were developed and deployed for the identification of small-molecule ErbB4 partial agonists. Six compounds were identified that stimulate ErbB4 phosphorylation, fail to stimulate ErbB4-dependent cell proliferation, and appear to selectively inhibit ErbB4-dependent cell proliferation. Whereas further characterization is needed to evaluate the full therapeutic potential of these molecules, this drug discovery platform establishes reliable and scalable approaches for the discovery of ErbB4 inhibitors.
Asunto(s)
Proliferación Celular/genética , Melanoma/genética , Factores de Crecimiento Nervioso/genética , Receptor ErbB-4/genética , Línea Celular Tumoral , Proliferación Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Descubrimiento de Drogas , Mutación con Ganancia de Función/genética , Humanos , Melanoma/tratamiento farmacológico , Melanoma/patología , Fosforilación/genética , Receptor ErbB-4/agonistas , Receptor ErbB-4/antagonistas & inhibidores , Transducción de Señal/genética , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequeñas/química , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequeñas/farmacologíaRESUMEN
Drug repurposing is a rapid approach to identifying therapeutics for the treatment of emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19. To address the urgent need for treatment options, we carried out a quantitative high-throughput screen using a SARS-CoV-2 cytopathic assay with a compound collection of 8,810 approved and investigational drugs, mechanism-based bioactive compounds, and natural products. Three hundred and nineteen compounds with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities were identified and confirmed, including 91 approved drug and 49 investigational drugs. Among these confirmed compounds, the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities of 230 compounds, including 38 approved drugs, have not been previously reported. Chlorprothixene, methotrimeprazine, and piperacetazine were the three most potent FDA approved drugs with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities. These three compounds have not been previously reported to have anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities, although their antiviral activities against SARS-CoV and Ebola virus have been reported. These results demonstrate that this comprehensive data set of drug repurposing screen for SARS-CoV-2 is useful for drug repurposing efforts including design of new drug combinations for clinical trials.
RESUMEN
SARS-CoV-02 is a new type of coronavirus capable of rapid transmission and causing severe clinical symptoms; much of which has unknown biological etiology. It has prompted researchers to rapidly mobilize their efforts towards identifying and developing anti-viral therapeutics and vaccines. Discovering and understanding the virus' pathways of infection, host-protein interactions, and cytopathic effects will greatly aid in the design of new therapeutics to treat COVID-19. While it is known that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, extensively explored as clinical agents for COVID-19, have multiple cellular effects including inhibiting autophagy, there are also dose-limiting toxicities in patients that make clearly establishing their potential mechanisms-of-action problematic. Therefore, we evaluated a range of other autophagy modulators to identify an alternative autophagy-based drug repurposing opportunity. In this work, we found that 6 of these compounds blocked the cytopathic effect of SARS-CoV-2 in Vero-E6 cells with EC50 values ranging from 2.0 to 13 µM and selectivity indices ranging from 1.5 to >10-fold. Immunofluorescence staining for LC3B and LysoTracker dye staining assays in several cell lines indicated their potency and efficacy for inhibiting autophagy correlated with the measurements in the SARS-CoV-2 cytopathic effect assay. Our data suggest that autophagy pathways could be targeted to combat SARS-CoV-2 infections and become an important component of drug combination therapies to improve the treatment outcomes for COVID-19.
RESUMEN
Drug repurposing is a rapid approach to identify therapeutics for the treatment of emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19. To address the urgent need for treatment options, we carried out a quantitative high-throughput screen using a SARS-CoV-2 cytopathic assay with a compound collection of 8,810 approved and investigational drugs, mechanism-based bioactive compounds, and natural products. Three hundred and nineteen compounds with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities were identified and confirmed, including 91 approved drugs and 49 investigational drugs. The anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities of 230 of these confirmed compounds, of which 38 are approved drugs, have not been previously reported. Chlorprothixene, methotrimeprazine, and piperacetazine were the three most potent FDA-approved drugs with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities. These three compounds have not been previously reported to have anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities, although their antiviral activities against SARS-CoV and Ebola virus have been reported. These results demonstrate that this comprehensive data set is a useful resource for drug repurposing efforts, including design of new drug combinations for clinical trials for SARS-CoV-2.
RESUMEN
Over the past two decades, ribosome biogenesis has emerged as an attractive target for cancer treatment. In this study, two high-throughput screens were used to identify ribosome biogenesis inhibitors. Our primary screen made use of the HaloTag selective labeling strategy to identify compounds that decreased the abundance of newly synthesized ribosomes in A375 malignant melanoma cells. This screen identified 5786 hit compounds. A subset of those initial hit compounds were tested using a secondary screen that directly measured pre-ribosomal RNA (pre-rRNA) abundance as a reporter of rRNA synthesis rate, using quantitative RT-PCR. From the secondary screen, we identified two structurally related compounds that are potent inhibitors of rRNA synthesis. These two compounds, Ribosome Biogenesis Inhibitors 1 and 2 (RBI1 and RBI2), induce a substantial decrease in the viability of A375 cells, comparable to the previously published ribosome biogenesis inhibitor CX-5461. Anchorage-independent cell growth assays further confirmed that RBI2 inhibits cell growth and proliferation. Thus, the RBI compounds have promising properties for further development as potential cancer chemotherapeutics.
Asunto(s)
Antineoplásicos , Benzotiazoles , Naftiridinas , Neoplasias , ARN Neoplásico/biosíntesis , ARN Ribosómico/biosíntesis , Ribosomas/metabolismo , Antineoplásicos/química , Antineoplásicos/farmacología , Benzotiazoles/química , Benzotiazoles/farmacología , Línea Celular , Ensayos de Selección de Medicamentos Antitumorales , Humanos , Naftiridinas/química , Naftiridinas/farmacología , Neoplasias/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias/metabolismo , Neoplasias/patologíaRESUMEN
Alphaviruses are arthropod-transmitted members of the Togaviridae family that can cause severe disease in humans, including debilitating arthralgia and severe neurological complications. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or antiviral therapies directed against the alphaviruses, and care is limited to treating disease symptoms. A phenotypic cell-based high-throughput screen was performed to identify small molecules that inhibit the replication of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus (VEEV). The compound, 1-(2,3-dihydrobenzo[b][1,4]dioxin-6-yl)-N-(3-fluoro-4-methoxybenzyl)ethan-1-amine (1), was identified as a highly active, potent inhibitor of VEEV with an effective concentration for 90% inhibition of virus (EC90) of 0.89 µM and 7.49 log reduction in virus titers at 10 µM concentration. These data suggest that further investigation of compound 1 as an antiviral therapeutic against VEEV, and perhaps other alphaviruses, is warranted. Experiments suggested that the antiviral activity of compound 1 is directed at an early step in the VEEV replication cycle by blocking viral RNA and protein synthesis.
Asunto(s)
Antivirales/farmacología , Bencilaminas/farmacología , Virus de la Encefalitis Equina Venezolana/efectos de los fármacos , Encefalomielitis Equina Venezolana/virología , Animales , Antivirales/química , Bencilaminas/química , Línea Celular , Chlorocebus aethiops , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Encefalomielitis Equina Venezolana/tratamiento farmacológico , Ensayos Analíticos de Alto Rendimiento , Humanos , Estructura Molecular , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequeñas/química , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequeñas/farmacología , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequeñas/uso terapéutico , Células Vero , Carga Viral/efectos de los fármacos , Replicación Viral/efectos de los fármacosRESUMEN
One potential source of new antibacterials is through probing existing chemical libraries for copper-dependent inhibitors (CDIs), i.e., molecules with antibiotic activity only in the presence of copper. Recently, our group demonstrated that previously unknown staphylococcal CDIs were frequently present in a small pilot screen. Here, we report the outcome of a larger industrial anti-staphylococcal screen consisting of 40 771 compounds assayed in parallel, both in standard and in copper-supplemented media. Ultimately, 483 had confirmed copper-dependent IC50 values under 50 µM. Sphere-exclusion clustering revealed that these hits were largely dominated by sulfur-containing motifs, including benzimidazole-2-thiones, thiadiazines, thiazoline formamides, triazino-benzimidazoles, and pyridinyl thieno-pyrimidines. Structure-activity relationship analysis of the pyridinyl thieno-pyrimidines generated multiple improved CDIs, with activity likely dependent on ligand/ion coordination. Molecular fingerprint-based Bayesian classification models were built using Discovery Studio and Assay Central, a new platform for sharing and distributing cheminformatic models in a portable format, based on open-source tools. Finally, we used the latter model to evaluate a library of FDA-approved drugs for copper-dependent activity in silico. Two anti-helminths, albendazole and thiabendazole, scored highly and are known to coordinate copper ions, further validating the model's applicability.
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Antibacterianos , Cobre , Ensayos Analíticos de Alto Rendimiento/métodos , Aprendizaje Automático , Staphylococcus aureus/efectos de los fármacos , Antibacterianos/química , Antibacterianos/farmacología , Teorema de Bayes , Cobre/química , Cobre/farmacología , Pruebas de Sensibilidad Microbiana/métodos , Bibliotecas de Moléculas PequeñasRESUMEN
Antibiotics with novel mechanisms of action are desperately needed to combat the increasing rates of multidrug-resistant infections. Bacterial pantothenate kinase (PanK) has emerged as a target of interest to cut off the biosynthesis of coenzymeâ A. Herein we report the results of an in vitro high-throughput screen of over 10 000 small molecules against Bacillus anthracis PanK, as well as a follow-up screen of hits against PanK isolated from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cenocepacia. Nine hits are structurally categorized and analyzed to set the stage for future drug development.
Asunto(s)
Antibacterianos/farmacología , Bacillus anthracis/efectos de los fármacos , Fosfotransferasas (Aceptor de Grupo Alcohol)/antagonistas & inhibidores , Inhibidores de Proteínas Quinasas/farmacología , Antibacterianos/síntesis química , Antibacterianos/química , Bacillus anthracis/enzimología , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Pruebas de Sensibilidad Microbiana , Estructura Molecular , Fosfotransferasas (Aceptor de Grupo Alcohol)/metabolismo , Inhibidores de Proteínas Quinasas/síntesis química , Inhibidores de Proteínas Quinasas/química , Relación Estructura-ActividadRESUMEN
Despite the rapid spread of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection and associated neurological complications in the America's, prophylactic or therapeutic countermeasures are not currently available. This is mostly due to the fact that until recently there was no presumed need for medical intervention since there was no association between ZIKV infection and significant human morbidity. Consequently, there are currently no tools due mostly to the lack of sensitive cell based assays amenable for identification of ZIKV inhibitors. To address this unmet need we have developed a cell based virus yield assay suitable for testing antivirals against Zika virus. Using bioinformatics, several isolates of ZIKV from the Americas, Africa, and Asia were analyzed for sequence similarity. The alignment data were then used to design primers targeting a ZIKV genomic region that was highly conserved among all the ZIKV isolates. Subsequently, primers were used in a sensitive, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay to detect ZIKV RNA. The qRT-PCR assay was found to be highly sensitive (lower limit of detection between-10-100 copies) and reproducible. Evaluation of the primers and probes used for ZIKV against another flavivirus (Dengue virus) demonstrated specificity of detection. To evaluate potential of qRT-PCR assay as an antiviral screening tool against ZIKV, Vero cells pretreated with Type I Interferons (IFN α) were infected with virus, followed by measurement of ZIKV RNA found in the cell culture supernatants using qRT-PCR assay. Dose-dependent antiviral activity of Type I Interferons and mycophenolic acid (MPA) against Zika virus in this cell culture system was confirmed using qRT-PCR. Due to reproducible assay performance, qPCR associated higher sensitivity and short duration of the assay time, this novel cell based assay will be very useful for confirming the activity of antivirals against ZIKV.
Asunto(s)
Antivirales/farmacología , Pruebas de Sensibilidad Microbiana/métodos , Virus Zika/efectos de los fármacos , Virus Zika/genética , Animales , Chlorocebus aethiops , Cartilla de ADN , Virus del Dengue/genética , Descubrimiento de Drogas/métodos , Genoma Viral , Humanos , Interferón-alfa/farmacología , Límite de Detección , ARN Viral/genética , Reacción en Cadena en Tiempo Real de la Polimerasa , Sensibilidad y Especificidad , Células Vero , Virus Zika/aislamiento & purificaciónRESUMEN
Historically, drugs used in the treatment of cancers also tend to cause damage to healthy cells while affecting cancer cells. Therefore, the identification of novel agents that act specifically against cancer cells remains a high priority in the search for new therapies. In contrast with normal cells, most cancer cells contain multiple centrosomes which are associated with genome instability and tumorigenesis. Cancer cells can avoid multipolar mitosis, which can cause cell death, by clustering the extra centrosomes into two spindle poles, thereby enabling bipolar division. Kinesin-like protein KIFC1 plays a critical role in centrosome clustering in cancer cells, but is not essential for normal cells. Therefore, targeting KIFC1 may provide novel insight into selective killing of cancer cells. In the present study, we identified a small-molecule KIFC1 inhibitor, SR31527, which inhibited microtubule (MT)-stimulated KIFC1 ATPase activity with an IC50 value of 6.6 µM. By using bio layer interferometry technology, we further demonstrated that SR31527 bound directly to KIFC1 with high affinity (Kd=25.4 nM). Our results from computational modelling and saturation-transfer difference (STD)-NMR experiments suggest that SR31527 bound to a novel allosteric site of KIFC1 that appears suitable for developing selective inhibitors of KIFC1. Importantly, SR31527 prevented bipolar clustering of extra centrosomes in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells and significantly reduced TNBC cell colony formation and viability, but was less toxic to normal fibroblasts. Therefore, SR31527 provides a valuable tool for studying the biological function of KIFC1 and serves as a potential lead for the development of novel therapeutic agents for breast cancer treatment.
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Descubrimiento de Drogas , Cinesinas/antagonistas & inhibidores , Cinesinas/metabolismo , Tiadiazoles/química , Tiadiazoles/metabolismo , Antineoplásicos/química , Antineoplásicos/metabolismo , Antineoplásicos/farmacología , Línea Celular Tumoral , Supervivencia Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Supervivencia Celular/fisiología , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Descubrimiento de Drogas/métodos , Humanos , Cinesinas/química , Unión Proteica/fisiología , Estructura Secundaria de Proteína , Tiadiazoles/farmacologíaRESUMEN
High-throughput screening (HTS) has been integrated into the drug discovery process, and multiple assay formats have been widely used in many different disease areas but with limited focus on infectious agents. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of HTS campaigns using infectious wild-type pathogens rather than surrogates or biochemical pathogen-derived targets. Concurrently, enhanced emerging pathogen surveillance and increased human mobility have resulted in an increase in the emergence and dissemination of infectious human pathogens with serious public health, economic, and social implications at global levels. Adapting the HTS drug discovery process to biocontainment laboratories to develop new drugs for these previously uncharacterized and highly pathogenic agents is now feasible, but HTS at higher biosafety levels (BSL) presents a number of unique challenges. HTS has been conducted with multiple bacterial and viral pathogens at both BSL-2 and BSL-3, and pilot screens have recently been extended to BSL-4 environments for both Nipah and Ebola viruses. These recent successful efforts demonstrate that HTS can be safely conducted at the highest levels of biological containment. This review outlines the specific issues that must be considered in the execution of an HTS drug discovery program for high-containment pathogens. We present an overview of the requirements for HTS in high-level biocontainment laboratories.
Asunto(s)
Bioensayo/instrumentación , Contención de Riesgos Biológicos/instrumentación , Evaluación Preclínica de Medicamentos/instrumentación , Ensayos Analíticos de Alto Rendimiento/instrumentación , Laboratorios , Tecnología Farmacéutica/instrumentación , Diseño de Fármacos , Diseño de Equipo , Análisis de Falla de Equipo , Robótica/instrumentación , Manejo de Especímenes/instrumentaciónRESUMEN
Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, and with Americans' increasing longevity, it is becoming an epidemic. There are currently no effective treatments for this disorder. Abnormalities of Tau track more closely with cognitive decline than the most studied therapeutic target in AD, amyloid-ß, but the optimal strategy for targeting Tau has not yet been identified. On the basis of considerable preclinical data from AD models, we hypothesize that interactions between Tau and the Src-family tyrosine kinase, Fyn, are pathogenic in AD. Genetically reducing either Tau or Fyn is protective in AD mouse models, and a dominant negative fragment of Tau that alters Fyn localization is also protective. Here, we describe a new AlphaScreen assay and a live-cell bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) assay using a novel BRET pair for quantifying the Tau-Fyn interaction. We used these assays to map the binding site on Tau for Fyn to the fifth and sixth PXXP motifs to show that AD-associated phosphorylation at microtubule affinity regulating kinase sites increases the affinity of the Tau-Fyn interaction and to identify Tau-Fyn interaction inhibitors by high-throughput screening. This screen has identified a variety of chemically tractable hits, suggesting that the Tau-Fyn interaction may represent a good drug target for AD.