Quantitative high-throughput screening identifies cytoprotective molecules that enhance SUMO conjugation via the inhibition of SUMO-specific protease (SENP)2.

The development of novel neuroprotective treatments for acute stroke has been fraught with failures, which supports the view of ischemic brain damage as a highly complex multifactorial process. Post-translational modifications such as small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)ylation have emerged as critical molecular regulatory mechanisms in states of both homeostasis and ischemic stress, as evidenced by our previous work. Accordingly, the clinical significance of the selective control of the global SUMOylation process has become apparent in studies of ischemic pathobiology and pathophysiology. Herein, we describe a process capable of identifying and characterizing small molecules with the potential of targeting the SUMO system through inhibition of SUMO deconjugation in an effort to develop novel stroke therapies.-Bernstock, J. D., Ye, D., Smith, J. A., Lee, Y.-J., Gessler, F. A., Yasgar, A., Kouznetsova, J., Jadhav, A., Wang, Z., Pluchino, S., Zheng, W., Simeonov, A., Hallenbeck, J. M., Yang, W. Quantitative high-throughput screening identifies cytoprotective molecules that enhance SUMO-conjugation via the inhibition of SUMO-specific protease (SENP)2.

Large-Scale Screening and Identification of Novel Ebola Virus and Marburg Virus Entry Inhibitors.

Filoviruses are highly infectious, and no FDA-approved drug therapy for filovirus infection is available. Most work to find a treatment has involved only a few strains of Ebola virus and testing of relatively small drug libraries or compounds that have shown efficacy against other virus types. Here we report the findings of a high-throughput screening of 319,855 small molecules from the Molecular Libraries Small Molecule Repository library for their activities against Marburg virus and Ebola virus. Nine of the most potent, novel compounds that blocked infection by both viruses were analyzed in detail for their mechanisms of action. The compounds inhibited known key steps in the Ebola virus infection mechanism by blocking either cell surface attachment, macropinocytosis-mediated uptake, or endosomal trafficking. To date, very few specific inhibitors of macropinocytosis have been reported. The 2 novel macropinocytosis inhibitors are more potent inhibitors of Ebola virus infection and less toxic than ethylisopropylamiloride, one commonly accepted macropinocytosis inhibitor. Each compound blocked infection of primary human macrophages, indicating their potential to be developed as new antifiloviral therapies.

Structure-activity relationship studies and biological characterization of human NAD(+)-dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase inhibitors.

The structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of two chemotypes identified as inhibitors of the human NAD(+)-dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (HPGD, 15-PGDH) was conducted. Top compounds from both series displayed potent inhibition (IC50 <50 nM), demonstrate excellent selectivity towards HPGD and potently induce PGE2 production in A549 lung cancer and LNCaP prostate cancer cells.

High-throughput screening for genes that prevent excess DNA replication in human cells and for molecules that inhibit them.

High-throughput screening (HTS) provides a rapid and comprehensive approach to identifying compounds that target specific biological processes as well as genes that are essential to those processes. Here we describe a HTS assay for small molecules that induce either DNA re-replication or endoreduplication (i.e. excess DNA replication) selectively in cells derived from human cancers. Such molecules will be useful not only to investigate cell division and differentiation, but they may provide a novel approach to cancer chemotherapy. Since induction of DNA re-replication results in apoptosis, compounds that selectively induce DNA re-replication in cancer cells without doing so in normal cells could kill cancers in vivo without preventing normal cell proliferation. Furthermore, the same HTS assay can be adapted to screen siRNA molecules to identify genes whose products restrict genome duplication to once per cell division. Some of these genes might regulate the formation of terminally differentiated polyploid cells during normal human development, whereas others will prevent DNA re-replication during each cell division. Based on previous studies, we anticipate that one or more of the latter genes will prove to be essential for proliferation of cancer cells but not for normal cells, since many cancer cells are deficient in mechanisms that maintain genome stability.

Quantitative Bioactivity Signatures of Dietary Supplements and Natural Products.

Dietary supplements and natural products are often marketed as safe and effective alternatives to conventional drugs, but their safety and efficacy are not well regulated. To address the lack of scientific data in these areas, we assembled a collection of Dietary Supplements and Natural Products (DSNP), as well as Traditional Chinese Medicinal (TCM) plant extracts. These collections were then profiled in a series of in vitro high-throughput screening assays, including a liver cytochrome p450 enzyme panel, CAR/PXR signaling pathways, and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) transporter assay activities. This pipeline facilitated the interrogation of natural product-drug interaction (NaPDI) through prominent metabolizing pathways. In addition, we compared the activity profiles of the DSNP/TCM substances with those of an approved drug collection (the NCATS Pharmaceutical Collection or NPC). Many of the approved drugs have well-annotated mechanisms of action (MOAs), while the MOAs for most of the DSNP and TCM samples remain unknown. Based on the premise that compounds with similar activity profiles tend to share similar targets or MOA, we clustered the library activity profiles to identify overlap with the NPC to predict the MOAs of the DSNP/TCM substances. Our results suggest that many of these substances may have significant bioactivity and potential toxicity, and they provide a starting point for further research on their clinical relevance.

An Integrated Systems Biology Approach Identifies the Proteasome as A Critical Host Machinery for ZIKV and DENV Replication.

The Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) flaviviruses exhibit similar replicative processes but have distinct clinical outcomes. A systematic understanding of virus-host protein-protein interaction networks can reveal cellular pathways critical to viral replication and disease pathogenesis. Here we employed three independent systems biology approaches toward this goal. First, protein array analysis of direct interactions between individual ZIKV/DENV viral proteins and 20,240 human proteins revealed multiple conserved cellular pathways and protein complexes, including proteasome complexes. Second, an RNAi screen of 10,415 druggable genes identified the host proteins required for ZIKV infection and uncovered that proteasome proteins were crucial in this process. Third, high-throughput screening of 6016 bioactive compounds for ZIKV inhibition yielded 134 effective compounds, including six proteasome inhibitors that suppress both ZIKV and DENV replication. Integrative analyses of these orthogonal datasets pinpoint proteasomes as critical host machinery for ZIKV/DENV replication. Our study provides multi-omics datasets for further studies of flavivirus-host interactions, disease pathogenesis, and new drug targets.

An induced pluripotent stem cell line (TRNDi006-A) from a MPS IIIB patient carrying homozygous mutation of p.Glu153Lys in the NAGLU gene.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type III B (MPS IIIB) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the NAGLU gene encoding N-acetylglucosaminidase. Here, we report the generation of a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line from dermal fibroblasts of a MPS IIIB patient. The iPSC line has homozygous mutations of G>A transversion at nucleotide 457 of the NAGLU gene (457G>A), resulting in the substitution of lysine for glutamic acid at codon 153 (Glu153Lys). This iPSC line allows for the study of disease phenotypes and pathophysiology as well as disease modeling in human cells.

Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell line (TRNDi008-A) from a Hunter syndrome patient carrying a hemizygous 208insC mutation in the IDS gene.

Mucopolysaccharidosis Type II (MPS II), also known as Hunter syndrome, is a rare X-linked genetic disease caused by mutations in the IDS gene encoding iduronate 2-sulfatase (I2S). This is a multisystem disorder with significant variation in symptoms. Here, we document a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line generated from dermal fibroblasts of a patient with Hunter syndrome containing a hemizygous mutation of a 1 bp insertion at nucleotide 208 in exon 2 of the IDS gene. The generation of this line will allow development of cell-based models for drug development, as well as the study of disease pathophysiology.

Synergistic drug combination effectively blocks Ebola virus infection.

Although a group of FDA-approved drugs were previously identified with activity against Ebola virus (EBOV), most of them are not clinically useful because their human blood concentrations are not high enough to inhibit EBOV infection. We screened 795 unique three-drug combinations in an EBOV entry assay. Two sets of three-drug combinations, toremifene-mefloquine-posaconazole and toremifene-clarithromycin-posaconazole, were identified that effectively blocked EBOV entry and were further validated for inhibition of live EBOV infection. The individual drug concentrations in the combinations were reduced to clinically relevant levels. We identified mechanisms of action of these drugs: functional inhibitions of Niemann-Pick C1, acid sphingomyelinase, and lysosomal calcium release. Our findings identify the drug combinations with potential to treat EBOV infection.

Discovery and Optimization of Potent, Cell-Active Pyrazole-Based Inhibitors of Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH).

We report the discovery and medicinal chemistry optimization of a novel series of pyrazole-based inhibitors of human lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Utilization of a quantitative high-throughput screening paradigm facilitated hit identification, while structure-based design and multiparameter optimization enabled the development of compounds with potent enzymatic and cell-based inhibition of LDH enzymatic activity. Lead compounds such as 63 exhibit low nM inhibition of both LDHA and LDHB, submicromolar inhibition of lactate production, and inhibition of glycolysis in MiaPaCa2 pancreatic cancer and A673 sarcoma cells. Moreover, robust target engagement of LDHA by lead compounds was demonstrated using the cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), and drug-target residence time was determined via SPR. Analysis of these data suggests that drug-target residence time (off-rate) may be an important attribute to consider for obtaining potent cell-based inhibition of this cancer metabolism target.

A novel quantitative high-throughput screen identifies drugs that both activate SUMO conjugation via the inhibition of microRNAs 182 and 183 and facilitate neuroprotection in a model of oxygen and glucose deprivation.

The conjugation/de-conjugation of Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO) has been shown to be associated with a diverse set of physiologic/pathologic conditions. The clinical significance and ostensible therapeutic utility offered via the selective control of the global SUMOylation process has become readily apparent in ischemic pathophysiology. Herein, we describe the development of a novel quantitative high-throughput screening (qHTS) system designed to identify small molecules capable of increasing SUMOylation via the regulation/inhibition of members of the microRNA (miRNA)-182 family. This assay employs a SHSY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line stably transfected with a dual firefly-Renilla luciferase reporter system for identification of specific inhibitors of either miR-182 or miR-183. In this study, we have identified small molecules capable of inducing increased global conjugation of SUMO in both SHSY5Y cells and rat E18-derived primary cortical neurons. The protective effects of a number of the identified compounds were confirmed via an in vitro ischemic model (oxygen/glucose deprivation). Of note, this assay can be easily repurposed to allow high-throughput analyses of the potential drugability of other relevant miRNA(s) in ischemic pathobiology.

Identification of small-molecule inhibitors of Zika virus infection and induced neural cell death via a drug repurposing screen.

In response to the current global health emergency posed by the Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak and its link to microcephaly and other neurological conditions, we performed a drug repurposing screen of ∼6,000 compounds that included approved drugs, clinical trial drug candidates and pharmacologically active compounds; we identified compounds that either inhibit ZIKV infection or suppress infection-induced caspase-3 activity in different neural cells. A pan-caspase inhibitor, emricasan, inhibited ZIKV-induced increases in caspase-3 activity and protected human cortical neural progenitors in both monolayer and three-dimensional organoid cultures. Ten structurally unrelated inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases inhibited ZIKV replication. Niclosamide, a category B anthelmintic drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, also inhibited ZIKV replication. Finally, combination treatments using one compound from each category (neuroprotective and antiviral) further increased protection of human neural progenitors and astrocytes from ZIKV-induced cell death. Our results demonstrate the efficacy of this screening strategy and identify lead compounds for anti-ZIKV drug development.

Small Molecule, NSC95397, Inhibits the CtBP1-Protein Partner Interaction and CtBP1-Mediated Transcriptional Repression.

Carboxyl-terminal binding protein (CtBP) is a transcriptional corepressor that suppresses multiple proapoptotic and epithelial genes. CtBP is overexpressed in many human cancers, and its overexpression increases stem cell-like features, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and cancer cell survival. Knockdown of CtBP also increases apoptosis independent of p53 in cell culture. Therefore, targeting CtBP with small molecules that disrupt its interaction with transcription factor partners may be an effective cancer therapy. To elicit its corepressing effect, CtBP binds to a conserved peptide motif in each transcription factor partner. We developed an AlphaScreen high-throughput screening assay to monitor the interaction between CtBP and E1A (which mimics the interaction between CtBP and its transcriptional partners). We screened the LOPAC library of 1280 bioactive compounds and identified NSC95397, which inhibits the CtBP-E1A interaction (IC50 = 2.9 µM). The inhibitory activity of NSC95397 was confirmed using two secondary assays and a counterscreen. NSC95397 also behaved as a weak substrate of CtBP dehydrogenase activity and did not inhibit another dehydrogenase, lactase dehydrogenase. Finally, NSC95397 was able to disrupt CtBP-mediated transcriptional repression of a target gene. These studies present a new possibility for the development of a therapeutic agent targeting tumors through disrupting the CtBP transcriptional complex.

Elabela-apelin receptor signaling pathway is functional in mammalian systems.

Elabela (ELA) or Toddler is a recently discovered hormone which is required for normal development of heart and vasculature through activation of apelin receptor (APJ), a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), in zebrafish. The present study explores whether the ELA-APJ signaling pathway is functional in the mammalian system. Using reverse-transcription PCR, we found that ELA is restrictedly expressed in human pluripotent stem cells and adult kidney whereas APJ is more widely expressed. We next studied ELA-APJ signaling pathway in reconstituted mammalian cell systems. Addition of ELA to HEK293 cells over-expressing GFP-AJP fusion protein resulted in rapid internalization of the fusion receptor. In Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells over-expressing human APJ, ELA suppresses cAMP production with EC50 of 11.1 nM, stimulates ERK1/2 phosphorylation with EC50 of 14.3 nM and weakly induces intracellular calcium mobilization. Finally, we tested ELA biological function in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells and showed that ELA induces angiogenesis and relaxes mouse aortic blood vessel in a dose-dependent manner through a mechanism different from apelin. Collectively, we demonstrate that the ELA-AJP signaling pathways are functional in mammalian systems, indicating that ELA likely serves as a hormone regulating the circulation system in adulthood as well as in embryonic development.

Identification of 53 compounds that block Ebola virus-like particle entry via a repurposing screen of approved drugs.

In light of the current outbreak of Ebola virus disease, there is an urgent need to develop effective therapeutics to treat Ebola infection, and drug repurposing screening is a potentially rapid approach for identifying such therapeutics. We developed a biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) 1536-well plate assay to screen for entry inhibitors of Ebola virus-like particles (VLPs) containing the glycoprotein (GP) and the matrix VP40 protein fused to a beta-lactamase reporter protein and applied this assay for a rapid drug repurposing screen of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs. We report here the identification of 53 drugs with activity of blocking Ebola VLP entry into cells. These 53 active compounds can be divided into categories including microtubule inhibitors, estrogen receptor modulators, antihistamines, antipsychotics, pump/channel antagonists, and anticancer/antibiotics. Several of these compounds, including microtubule inhibitors and estrogen receptor modulators, had previously been reported to be active in BSL-4 infectious Ebola virus replication assays and in animal model studies. Our assay represents a robust, effective and rapid high-throughput screen for the identification of lead compounds in drug development for the treatment of Ebola virus infection.

Identification of small molecule modulators of gene transcription with anticancer activity.

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is essential in many biological processes, and its deregulation contributes to pathology including tumor formation. We used an image-based cell assay that measures the induction of a silenced GFP-estrogen receptor reporter to identify novel classes of small molecules involved in the regulation of gene expression. Using this Locus Derepression assay, we queried 283,122 compounds by quantitative high-throughput screening evaluating compounds at multiple concentrations. After confirmation and independent validation, the Locus Derepression assay identified 19 small molecules as new actives that induce the GFP message over 2-fold. Viability assays demonstrated that 17 of these actives have anti-proliferative activity, and two of them show selectivity for cancer versus patient-matched normal cells and cause unique changes in gene expression patterns in cancer cells by altering histone marks. Hence, these compounds represent chemical tools for understanding the molecular mechanisms of epigenetic control of transcription and for modulating cell growth pathways.