A Diterpenoid of the Medicinal Plant Andrographis paniculata Targets Cutaneous TRPV3 Channel and Relieves Itch.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 3 (TRPV3) is an ion channel implicated in skin physiology and itch. TRPV3 inhibitors can present a novel strategy for combating debilitating itch conditions, and medicinal plants are a natural pool of such compounds. Here, we report the isolation of a TRPV3-inhibiting compound from Andrographis paniculata, a medicinal plant with anti-inflammatory properties whose bioactive components are poorly characterized in terms of molecular targets. Using 1H and 13C NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry, the compound was identified as a labdane-type diterpenoid, 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide (ddA). The activity of the compound was evaluated by fluorescent calcium assay and manual whole-cell patch-clamp technique. ddA inhibited human TRPV3 in stably expressing CHO and HaCaT keratinocytes, acting selectively among other TRP channels implicated in itch and inflammation and not showing toxicity to HaCaT cells. Antipruritic effects of the compound were evaluated in scratching behavior models on ICR mice. ddA suppressed itch induced by the TRPV3 activator carvacrol. Additionally, ddA potently suppressed histamine-induced itch with efficacy comparable to loratadine, a clinically used antihistamine drug. These results suggest the potential of ddA as a possible safe and efficacious alternative for antipruritic therapy.

TIR domains of TLR family-from the cell culture to the protein sample for structural studies.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key players in the innate immune system. Despite the great efforts in TLR structural biology, today we know the spatial structures of only four human TLR intracellular TIR domains. All of them belong to one of five subfamilies of receptors. One of the main bottlenecks is the high-level production of correctly folded proteins in soluble form. Here we used a rational approach to find the optimal parameters to produce TIR domains of all ten human TLR family members in soluble form in E. coli cells. We showed that dozens of milligrams of soluble His-tagged TLR2/3/6/7TIR and MBP-tagged TLR3/5/7/8TIR can be produced. We also developed the purification protocols and demonstrated by CD and NMR spectroscopy that purified TLR2/3/7TIR demonstrate a structural organization inherent to TIR domains. This illustrates the correct folding of produced proteins and their suitability for further structural and functional investigations.

Fluorescence lifetime multiplexing with fluorogen activating protein FAST variants.

In this paper, we propose a fluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) multiplexing system based on the fluorogen-activating protein FAST. This genetically encoded fluorescent labeling platform employs FAST mutants that activate the same fluorogen but provide different fluorescence lifetimes for each specific protein-dye pair. All the proposed probes with varying lifetimes possess nearly identical and the smallest-in-class size, along with quite similar steady-state optical properties. In live mammalian cells, we target these chemogenetic tags to two intracellular structures simultaneously, where their fluorescence signals are clearly distinguished by FLIM. Due to the unique structure of certain fluorogens under study, their complexes with FAST mutants display a monophasic fluorescence decay, which may facilitate enhanced multiplexing efficiency by reducing signal cross-talks and providing optimal prerequisites for signal separation upon co-localized and/or spatially overlapped labeling.

Fluoxetine and ketamine trigger the p75NTR proteolytic pathway and enhance extinction memory and brain plasticity through p75NTR.

BACKGROUND: Diverse antidepressants were recently described to bind to TrkB and drive a positive allosteric modulation of endogenous BDNF. Although neurotrophins such as BDNF can bind to the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR), their precursors are the high affinity p75NTR ligands. While part of an unrelated receptor family capable of inducing completely opposite physiological changes, TrkB and p75NTR feature a cross-like conformation dimer and carry a cholesterol-recognition and alignment consensus in the transmembrane domain. Since such qualities were found crucial for antidepressants to bind to TrkB and drive behavioral and neuroplasticity effects, we hypothesized that their effects might also depend on p75NTR. METHODS: ELISA-based binding assay and NMR spectroscopy were accomplished to assess whether antidepressants would bind to p75NTR. HEK293T cells and a variety of in vitro assays were used to address whether fluoxetine (FLX) or ketamine (KET) would trigger any α- and γ-secretase-dependent p75NTR proteolysis, and lead to p75NTR nuclear localization. Ocular dominance shift was performed with male and female p75KO mice to study the effects of KET and FLX on brain plasticity, in addition to pharmacological interventions to verifying how p75NTR signaling is important for the effects of KET and FLX in enhancing extinction memory in male WT mice and rats. RESULTS: Antidepressants were found binding to p75NTR, FLX and KET triggered the p75NTR proteolytic pathway and induced p75NTR-dependent behavioral/neuroplasticity changes. CONCLUSION: We thus hypothesize that antidepressants co-opt both BDNF/TrkB and proBDNF/p75NTR systems to induce a more efficient activity-dependent synaptic competition, thereby boosting the brain ability for remodeling.

A Combination of Library Screening and Rational Mutagenesis Expands the Available Color Palette of the Smallest Fluorogen-Activating Protein Tag nanoFAST.

NanoFAST is the smallest fluorogen-activating protein, consisting of only 98 amino acids, used as a genetically encoded fluorescent tag. Previously, only a single fluorogen with an orange color was revealed for this protein. In the present paper, using rational mutagenesis and in vitro screening of fluorogens libraries, we expanded the color palette of this tag. We discovered that E46Q is one of the key substitutions enabling the range of possible fluorogens to be expanded. The introduction of this and several other substitutions has made it possible to use not only orange but also red and green fluorogens with the modified protein.

Facade-Based Bicelles as a New Tool for Production of Active Membrane Proteins in a Cell-Free System.

Integral membrane proteins are important components of a cell. Their structural and functional studies require production of milligram amounts of proteins, which nowadays is not a routine process. Cell-free protein synthesis is a prospective approach to resolve this task. However, there are few known membrane mimetics that can be used to synthesize active membrane proteins in high amounts. Here, we present the application of commercially available "Facade" detergents for the production of active rhodopsin. We show that the yield of active protein in lipid bicelles containing Facade-EM, Facade-TEM, and Facade-EPC is several times higher than in the case of conventional bicelles with CHAPS and DHPC and is comparable to the yield in the presence of lipid-protein nanodiscs. Moreover, the effects of the lipid-to-detergent ratio, concentration of detergent in the feeding mixture, and lipid composition of the bicelles on the total, soluble, and active protein yields are discussed. We show that Facade-based bicelles represent a prospective membrane mimetic, available for the production of membrane proteins in a cell-free system.

Targeting EPHA2 with Kinase Inhibitors in Colorectal Cancer.

The ephrin type-A 2 receptor tyrosine kinase (EPHA2) is involved in the development and progression of various cancer types, including colorectal cancer (CRC). There is also evidence that EPHA2 plays a key role in the development of resistance to the endothelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody Cetuximab used clinically in CRC. Despite the promising pharmacological potential of EPHA2, only a handful of specific inhibitors are currently available. In this concept paper, general strategies for EPHA2 inhibition with molecules of low molecular weight (small molecules) are described. Furthermore, available examples of inhibiting EPHA2 in CRC using small molecules are summarized, highlighting the potential of this approach.

A scorpion toxin affecting sodium channels shows double cis-trans isomerism.

Scorpion α-toxins (α-NaTx) inhibiting the inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav ) are a well-studied family of small proteins. We previously showed that the structure of α-NaTx specificity module responsible for selective Nav binding is governed by an interplay between the nest and niche protein motifs. Here, we report the solution structure of the toxin Lqq4 from the venom of the scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus. Unexpectedly, we find that this toxin presents an ensemble of long-lived structurally distinct states. We unequivocally assign these states to the alternative configurations (cis-trans isomers) of two peptide bonds: V56-P57 and C17-G18; neither of the cis isomers has been described in α-NaTx so far. We argue that the native conformational space of α-NaTx is wider than assumed previously.

Psychedelics promote plasticity by directly binding to BDNF receptor TrkB.

Psychedelics produce fast and persistent antidepressant effects and induce neuroplasticity resembling the effects of clinically approved antidepressants. We recently reported that pharmacologically diverse antidepressants, including fluoxetine and ketamine, act by binding to TrkB, the receptor for BDNF. Here we show that lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocin directly bind to TrkB with affinities 1,000-fold higher than those for other antidepressants, and that psychedelics and antidepressants bind to distinct but partially overlapping sites within the transmembrane domain of TrkB dimers. The effects of psychedelics on neurotrophic signaling, plasticity and antidepressant-like behavior in mice depend on TrkB binding and promotion of endogenous BDNF signaling but are independent of serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2A) activation, whereas LSD-induced head twitching is dependent on 5-HT2A and independent of TrkB binding. Our data confirm TrkB as a common primary target for antidepressants and suggest that high-affinity TrkB positive allosteric modulators lacking 5-HT2A activity may retain the antidepressant potential of psychedelics without hallucinogenic effects.

Conjugated Dienoic Acid Peroxides as Substrates in Chaetopterus Bioluminescence System.

Biochemistry of bioluminescence of the marine parchment tubeworm Chaetopterus has been in research focus for over a century; however, the results obtained by various groups contradict each other. Here, we report the isolation and structural elucidation of three compounds from Chaetomorpha linum algae, which demonstrate bioluminescence activity with Chaetopterus luciferase in the presence of Fe2+ ions. These compounds are derivatives of polyunsaturated fatty acid peroxides. We have also obtained their structural analogues and demonstrated their activity in the bioluminescence reaction, thus confirming the broad substrate specificity of the luciferase.

NanoLuc Luciferase as a Fluorogen-Activating Protein for GFP Chromophore Based Fluorogens.

In this work, we showed that the well-known NanoLuc luciferase can act as a fluorogen activating protein for various arylidene-imidazolones structurally similar to the Kaede protein chromophore. We showed that such compounds can be used as fluorescent sensors for this protein and can also be used in pairs with it in fluorescent microscopy as a genetically encoded tag.

Structural basis for the ligand promiscuity of the neofunctionalized, carotenoid-binding fasciclin domain protein AstaP.

Fasciclins (FAS1) are ancient adhesion protein domains with no common small ligand binding reported. A unique microalgal FAS1-containing astaxanthin (AXT)-binding protein (AstaP) binds a broad repertoire of carotenoids by a largely unknown mechanism. Here, we explain the ligand promiscuity of AstaP-orange1 (AstaPo1) by determining its NMR structure in complex with AXT and validating this structure by SAXS, calorimetry, optical spectroscopy and mutagenesis. α1-α2 helices of the AstaPo1 FAS1 domain embrace the carotenoid polyene like a jaw, forming a hydrophobic tunnel, too short to cap the AXT ß-ionone rings and dictate specificity. AXT-contacting AstaPo1 residues exhibit different conservation in AstaPs with the tentative carotenoid-binding function and in FAS1 proteins generally, which supports the idea of AstaP neofunctionalization within green algae. Intriguingly, a cyanobacterial homolog with a similar domain structure cannot bind carotenoids under identical conditions. These structure-activity relationships provide the first step towards the sequence-based prediction of the carotenoid-binding FAS1 members.

NMR resonance assignment of a fibroblast growth factor 8 splicing isoform b.

The splicing isoform b of human fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8b) is an important regulator of brain embryonic development. Here, we report the almost complete NMR chemical shift assignment of the backbone and aliphatic side chains of FGF8b. Obtained chemical shifts are in good agreement with the previously reported X-ray data, excluding the N-terminal gN helix, which apparently forms only in complex with the receptor. The reported data provide an NMR starting point for the investigation of FGF8b interaction with its receptors and with potential drugs or inhibitors.

Investigation of lipid/protein interactions in trifluoroethanol-water mixtures proposes the strategy for the refolding of helical transmembrane domains.

Membrane proteins are one of the keystone objects in molecular biology, but their structural studies often require an extensive search for an appropriate membrane-like environment and an efficient refolding protocol for a recombinant protein. Isotropic bicelles are a convenient membrane mimetic used in structural studies of membrane proteins. Helical membrane domains are often transferred into bicelles from trifluoroethanol-water mixtures. However, the protocols for such a refolding are empirical and the process itself is still not understood in detail. In search of the optimal refolding approaches for helical membrane proteins, we studied here how membrane proteins, lipids, and detergents interact with each other at various trifluoroethanol-water ratios. Using high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering, we determined the key states of the listed compounds in the trifluoroethanol/water mixture, found the factors that could be critical for the efficiency of refolding, and proposed several most optimal protocols. These protocols were developed on the transmembrane domain of neurotrophin receptor TrkA and tested on two model helical membrane domains-transmembrane of Toll-like receptor TLR9 and voltage-sensing domain of a potassium channel KvAP.

Pyridine Carboxamides Based on Sulfobetaines: Design, Reactivity, and Biological Activity.

The synthesis of the products of the 1,3-propanesultone ring opening during its interaction with amides of pyridinecarboxylic acids has been carried out. The dependence of the yield of the reaction products on the position (ortho-, meta-, para-) of the substituent in the heteroaromatic fragment and temperature condition was revealed. In contrast to the meta- and para-substituted substrates, the reaction involving ortho-derivatives at the boiling point of methanol unexpectedly led to the formation of a salt. On the basis of spectroscopic, X-Ray, and quantum-chemical calculation data, a model of the transition-state, as well as a mechanism for this alkylation reaction of pyridine carboxamides with sultone were proposed in order to explain the higher yields obtained with the nicotinamide and its N-methyl analog compared to ortho or meta parents. Based on the analysis of ESP maps, the positions of the binding sites of reagents with a potential complexing agent in space were determined. The in silico evaluation of possible biological activity showed that the synthetized compounds revealed some promising pharmacological effects and low acute toxicity.

Spatial Structure of NanoFAST in the Apo State and in Complex with its Fluorogen HBR-DOM2.

NanoFAST is a fluorogen-activating protein and can be considered one of the smallest encodable fluorescent tags. Being a shortened variant of another fluorescent tag, FAST, nanoFAST works nicely only with one out of all known FAST ligands. This substantially limits the applicability of this protein. To find the reason for such a behavior, we investigated the spatial structure and dynamics of nanoFAST, both in the apo state and in the complex with its fluorogen molecule, using the solution NMR spectroscopy. We showed that the truncation of FAST did not affect the structure of the remaining part of the protein. Our data suggest that the deleted N-terminus of FAST destabilizes the C-terminal domain in the apo state. While it does not contact the fluorogen directly, it serves as a free energy reservoir that enhances the ligand binding propensity of the protein. The structure of nanoFAST/HBR-DOM2 complex reveals the atomistic details of nanoFAST interactions with the rhodanine-based ligands and explains the ligand specificity. NanoFAST selects ligands with the lowest dissociation constants, 2,5-disubstituted 4-hydroxybenzyldienerhodainines, which allow the non-canonical intermolecular CH-N hydrogen bonding and provide the optimal packing of the ligand within the hydrophobic cavity of the protein.

Indane Based Molecular Motors: UV-Switching Increases Number of Isomers.

We describe azophenylindane based molecular motors (aphin-switches) which have two different rotamers of trans-configuration and four different rotamers of cis-configuration. The behaviors of these motors were investigated both experimentally and computationally. The conversion of aphin-switch does not yield single isomer but a mixture of these. Although the trans to cis conversion leads to the increase of the system entropy some of the cis-rotamers can directly convert to each other while others should convert via trans-configuration. The motion of aphin-switches resembles the work of a mixing machine with indane group serving as a base and phenol group serving as a beater. The aphin-switches presented herein may provide a basis for promising applications in advanced biological systems or particularly in cases where on demand disordering of molecular packing has value, such as lipid bilayers.

Apamin structure and pharmacology revisited.

Apamin is often cited as one of the few substances selectively acting on small-conductance Ca2+-activated potassium channels (KCa2). However, published pharmacological and structural data remain controversial. Here, we investigated the molecular pharmacology of apamin by two-electrode voltage-clamp in Xenopus laevis oocytes and patch-clamp in HEK293, COS7, and CHO cells expressing the studied ion channels, as well as in isolated rat brain neurons. The microtitre broth dilution method was used for antimicrobial activity screening. The spatial structure of apamin in aqueous solution was determined by NMR spectroscopy. We tested apamin against 42 ion channels (KCa, KV, NaV, nAChR, ASIC, and others) and confirmed its unique selectivity to KCa2 channels. No antimicrobial activity was detected for apamin against Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria. The NMR solution structure of apamin was deposited in the Protein Data Bank. The results presented here demonstrate that apamin is a selective nanomolar or even subnanomolar-affinity KCa2 inhibitor with no significant effects on other molecular targets. The spatial structure as well as ample functional data provided here support the use of apamin as a KCa2-selective pharmacological tool and as a template for drug design.

Artificial pore blocker acts specifically on voltage-gated potassium channel isoform KV1.6.

Among voltage-gated potassium channel (KV) isoforms, KV1.6 is one of the most widespread in the nervous system. However, there are little data concerning its physiological significance, in part due to the scarcity of specific ligands. The known high-affinity ligands of KV1.6 lack selectivity, and conversely, its selective ligands show low affinity. Here, we present a designer peptide with both high affinity and selectivity to KV1.6. Previously, we have demonstrated that KV isoform-selective peptides can be constructed based on the simplistic α-hairpinin scaffold, and we obtained a number of artificial Tk-hefu peptides showing selective blockage of KV1.3 in the submicromolar range. We have now proposed amino acid substitutions to enhance their activity. As a result, we have been able to produce Tk-hefu-11 that shows an EC50 of ≈70 nM against KV1.3. Quite surprisingly, Tk-hefu-11 turns out to block KV1.6 with even higher potency, presenting an EC50 of ≈10 nM. Furthermore, we have solved the peptide structure and used molecular dynamics to investigate the determinants of selective interactions between artificial α-hairpinins and KV channels to explain the dramatic increase in KV1.6 affinity. Since KV1.3 is not highly expressed in the nervous system, we hope that Tk-hefu-11 will be useful in studies of KV1.6 and its functions.

Structure-based rational design of an enhanced fluorogen-activating protein for fluorogens based on GFP chromophore.

"Fluorescence-Activating and absorption-Shifting Tag" (FAST) is a well-studied fluorogen-activating protein with high brightness and low size, able to activate a wide range of fluorogens. This makes FAST a promising target for both protein and fluorogen optimization. Here, we describe the structure-based rational design of the enhanced FAST mutants, optimized for the N871b fluorogen. Using the spatial structure of the FAST/N871b complex, NMR relaxation analysis, and computer simulations, we identify the mobile regions in the complex and suggest mutations that could stabilize both the protein and the ligand. Two of our mutants appear brighter than the wild-type FAST, and these mutants provide up to 35% enhancement for several other fluorogens of similar structure, both in vitro and in vivo. Analysis of the mutants by NMR reveals that brighter mutants demonstrate the highest stability and lowest length of intermolecular H-bonds. Computer simulations provide the structural basis for such stabilization.