RESUMEN
Iron overload disorders are characterized by the body's inability to regulate iron absorption and its storage which can lead to organ failures. Accumulated evidence has revealed that hepcidin, the master regulator of iron homeostasis, is negatively modulated by TMPRSS6 (matriptase-2), a liver-specific type II transmembrane serine protease (TTSP). Here, we report that treatment with a peptidomimetic inhibitor affecting TMPRSS6 activity increases hepcidin production in hepatic cells. Moreover, similar effects were observed when using non-peptidic inhibitors obtained through optimization of hits from high-throughput screening. Using HepG2 cells and human primary hepatocytes, we show that TMPRSS6 inhibitors block TMPRSS6-dependent hemojuvelin cleavage and increase HAMP expression and levels of secreted hepcidin.
Asunto(s)
Evaluación Preclínica de Medicamentos , Hepcidinas/metabolismo , Proteínas de la Membrana/antagonistas & inhibidores , Inhibidores de Serina Proteinasa/química , Benzotiazoles/química , Sitios de Unión , Dominio Catalítico , Supervivencia Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Proteínas Ligadas a GPI/metabolismo , Proteína de la Hemocromatosis/metabolismo , Células Hep G2 , Hepatocitos/citología , Hepatocitos/metabolismo , Ensayos Analíticos de Alto Rendimiento , Humanos , Hierro/metabolismo , Proteínas de la Membrana/metabolismo , Simulación de Dinámica Molecular , Peptidomiméticos , Proteolisis/efectos de los fármacos , Serina Endopeptidasas/química , Serina Endopeptidasas/metabolismo , Inhibidores de Serina Proteinasa/metabolismo , Inhibidores de Serina Proteinasa/farmacología , Regulación hacia Arriba/efectos de los fármacosRESUMEN
Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a genetic disorder of the ß-globin gene. SCA results in chronic ischemia with pain and tissue injury. The extent of SCA symptoms can be ameliorated by treatment with drugs, which result in increasing the levels of γ-globin in patient red blood cells. Hydroxyurea (HU) is a Food and Drug Administration-approved drug for SCA, but it has dose-limiting toxicity, and patients exhibit highly variable treatment responses. To identify compounds that may lead to the development of better and safer medicines, we have established a method using primary human bone marrow day 7 erythroid progenitor cells (EPCs) to screen for compounds that induce γ-globin production. First, human marrow CD34(+) cells were cultured and expanded for 7 days and characterized for the expression of erythroid differentiation markers (CD71, CD36, and CD235a). Second, fresh or cryopreserved EPCs were treated with compounds for 3 days in 384-well plates followed by γ-globin quantification by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which was validated using HU and decitabine. From the 7408 compounds screened, we identified at least one new compound with confirmed γ-globin-inducing activity. Hits are undergoing analysis in secondary assays. In this article, we describe the method of generating fit-for-purpose EPCs; the development, optimization, and validation of the ELISA and secondary assays for γ-globin detection; and screening results.