Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of spiroindolines as novel inducers of oligodendrocyte progenitor cell differentiation-Use of a conformation-based hypothesis to facilitate compound design.

Inducing oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) differentiation is a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). In the preceding article, we detailed the discovery of compound 1, a potent inducer of OPC differentiation possessing a characteristic spiroindoline structure. Also, we found that N-methylation and des-carbonyl compound 1 (4) led to a loss in potency. Herein, we describe our investigations of a conformation-based hypothesis for OPC differentiation activity based on the preferred conformation of the spiro core, and further structure-activity relationship (SAR) exploration led to the identification of 6-CF3 derivative 8, which was more potent compared to compound 1.

Discovery and structure-activity relationships of spiroindolines as novel inducers of oligodendrocyte progenitor cell differentiation.

A novel series of spiroindoline derivatives was discovered for use as inducers of oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) differentiation, resulting from optimization of screening hit 1. Exploration of structure-activity relationships led to compound 18, which showed improved potency (rOPC EC50 = 0.0032 µM). Furthermore, oral administration of compound 18 significantly decreased clinical severity in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model.

COPI-mediated retrieval of SCAP is crucial for regulating lipogenesis under basal and sterol-deficient conditions.

Retrograde trafficking from the Golgi complex to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through COPI-coated vesicles has been implicated in lipid homeostasis. Here, we find that a block in COPI-dependent retrograde trafficking promotes processing and nuclear translocation of sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs), and upregulates the expression of downstream genes that are involved in lipid biosynthesis. This elevation in SREBP processing and activation is not caused by mislocalization of S1P or S2P (also known as MBTPS1 and MBTPS2, respectively), two Golgi-resident endoproteases that are involved in SREBP processing, but instead by increased Golgi residence of SREBPs, leading to their increased susceptibility to processing by the endoproteases. Analyses using a processing-defective SREBP mutant suggest that a fraction of SREBP molecules undergo basal cycling between the ER and Golgi in complex with SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP). Furthermore, we show that SCAP alone is retrieved from the Golgi and moves to the ER after processing of SREBP under sterol-deficient conditions. Thus, our observations indicate that COPI-mediated retrograde trafficking is crucial for preventing unnecessary SREBP activation, by retrieving the small amounts of SCAP-SREBP complex that escape from the sterol-regulated ER retention machinery, as well as for the reuse of SCAP.

R-Loop Accumulation in Spliceosome Mutant Leukemias Confers Sensitivity to PARP1 Inhibition by Triggering Transcription-Replication Conflicts.

RNA splicing factor (SF) gene mutations are commonly observed in patients with myeloid malignancies. Here we showed that SRSF2- and U2AF1-mutant leukemias are preferentially sensitive to PARP inhibitors (PARPi), despite being proficient in homologous recombination repair. Instead, SF-mutant leukemias exhibited R-loop accumulation that elicited an R-loop-associated PARP1 response, rendering cells dependent on PARP1 activity for survival. Consequently, PARPi induced DNA damage and cell death in SF-mutant leukemias in an R-loop-dependent manner. PARPi further increased aberrant R-loop levels, causing higher transcription-replication collisions and triggering ATR activation in SF-mutant leukemias. Ultimately, PARPi-induced DNA damage and cell death in SF-mutant leukemias could be enhanced by ATR inhibition. Finally, the level of PARP1 activity at R-loops correlated with PARPi sensitivity, suggesting that R-loop-associated PARP1 activity could be predictive of PARPi sensitivity in patients harboring SF gene mutations. This study highlights the potential of targeting different R-loop response pathways caused by spliceosome gene mutations as a therapeutic strategy for treating cancer. SIGNIFICANCE: Spliceosome-mutant leukemias accumulate R-loops and require PARP1 to resolve transcription-replication conflicts and genomic instability, providing rationale to repurpose FDA-approved PARP inhibitors for patients carrying spliceosome gene mutations.

GBF1-Arf-COPI-ArfGAP-mediated Golgi-to-ER transport involved in regulation of lipid homeostasis.

Eukaryotic cells store neutral lipids and cholesteryl esters in cytoplasmic lipid droplets (LDs), which are generated from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Accumulating lines of evidence have indicated that Golgi-to-ER-retrograde transport mediated by COPI-coated vesicles under the control of Arf small GTPases is implicated in LD formation and utilization. However, the detailed mechanism underlying the regulation of lipid homeostasis by COPI-dependent transport has been poorly understood. Here we show that LD deposition and the cellular triacylglycerol content are significantly increased by siRNA-mediated depletion of not only ß-COP (a subunit of the COPI coat complex) but also GBF1 (a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Arfs), Arf4 and Arf5 (class II Arfs), and ArfGAP1-ArfGAP3 (GTPase-activating proteins for Arfs). Although a previous proteomic study suggested the presence of COPI subunits and Arfs on LDs, we have failed to show that components of the GBF1-Arf-COPI-ArfGAP retrograde transport machinery are directly associated with and closely apposed to LDs. Furthermore, although recent studies suggested that COPI-mediated transport and GBF1 participated in delivery of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) onto the LD surface, we have found that depletion of ß-COP or GBF1 does not affect association of ATGL with LDs or ATGL-mediated lipolysis. On the basis of these results, we propose other mechanisms how the GBF1-Arf-COPI-ArfGAP transport machinery is implicated in the regulation of lipid homeostasis.

Establishment of a simple one-step method for oligodendrocyte progenitor cell preparation from rodent brains.

BACKGROUND: Oligodendrocytes, which form myelin, enable rapid and efficient nerve conduction. Destruction of myelin causes demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Primary oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) from postnatal rodents have been utilized to elucidate the developmental mechanism of oligodendrocytes in vitro. However, this process is complicated and takes up to several weeks. NEW METHOD: We established a method to culture OPCs from neonatal rat brain in DMEM/F-12 with Stem-Pro, bFGF (10 ng/mL), and rhPDGF (30 ng/mL). The culture, without shaking or immunopanning, became OPC-enriched rather than a mixed glial culture. RESULTS: Immunofluorescent analysis using cell lineage markers suggested that these cells were initially glial progenitors, which gradually changed to OPCs with a few cells further differentiating into oligodendrocytes. Using compounds that promote OPC differentiation, we confirmed that these cells were compatible for high-throughput screening in a 96-well plate format. In co-culture with dorsal root ganglion neuron, OPCs showed myelin sheath-like morphologies. This method was also applicable to mouse OPCs. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: Although the purity of the OPCs was not comparable to that after immunopanning, most cells were of the oligodendrocyte lineage at 8 DIV, while less than 10% were astrocytes. This method requires mediums with only two growth factors without any specific equipment like antibodies or magnet and takes simple procedures. CONCLUSIONS: The simplicity and high yield of our method make it a good choice when working with oligodendrocytes/OPCs. We believe that this method is an affordable protocol for various biological applications without any special techniques or equipment.