Antimalarial proteasome inhibitor reveals collateral sensitivity from intersubunit interactions and fitness cost of resistance.

We describe noncovalent, reversible asparagine ethylenediamine (AsnEDA) inhibitors of the Plasmodium falciparum proteasome (Pf20S) ß5 subunit that spare all active subunits of human constitutive and immuno-proteasomes. The compounds are active against erythrocytic, sexual, and liver-stage parasites, against parasites resistant to current antimalarials, and against P. falciparum strains from patients in Africa. The ß5 inhibitors synergize with a ß2 inhibitor in vitro and in mice and with artemisinin. P. falciparum selected for resistance to an AsnEDA ß5 inhibitor surprisingly harbored a point mutation in the noncatalytic ß6 subunit. The ß6 mutant was resistant to the species-selective Pf20S ß5 inhibitor but remained sensitive to the species-nonselective ß5 inhibitors bortezomib and carfilzomib. Moreover, resistance to the Pf20S ß5 inhibitor was accompanied by increased sensitivity to a Pf20S ß2 inhibitor. Finally, the ß5 inhibitor-resistant mutant had a fitness cost that was exacerbated by irradiation. Thus, used in combination, multistage-active inhibitors of the Pf20S ß5 and ß2 subunits afford synergistic antimalarial activity with a potential to delay the emergence of resistance to artemisinins and each other.

Transforming binding affinities from three dimensions to two with application to cadherin clustering.

Membrane-bound receptors often form large assemblies resulting from binding to soluble ligands, cell-surface molecules on other cells and extracellular matrix proteins. For example, the association of membrane proteins with proteins on different cells (trans-interactions) can drive the oligomerization of proteins on the same cell (cis-interactions). A central problem in understanding the molecular basis of such phenomena is that equilibrium constants are generally measured in three-dimensional solution and are thus difficult to relate to the two-dimensional environment of a membrane surface. Here we present a theoretical treatment that converts three-dimensional affinities to two dimensions, accounting directly for the structure and dynamics of the membrane-bound molecules. Using a multiscale simulation approach, we apply the theory to explain the formation of ordered, junction-like clusters by classical cadherin adhesion proteins. The approach features atomic-scale molecular dynamics simulations to determine interdomain flexibility, Monte Carlo simulations of multidomain motion and lattice simulations of junction formation. A finding of general relevance is that changes in interdomain motion on trans-binding have a crucial role in driving the lateral, cis-, clustering of adhesion receptors.