Designer small molecules to target calcium signalling.

Synthetic compounds open up new avenues to interrogate and manipulate intracellular Ca2+ signalling pathways. They may ultimately lead to drug-like analogues to intervene in disease. Recent advances in chemical biology tools available to probe Ca2+ signalling are described, with a particular focus on those synthetic analogues from our group that have enhanced biological understanding or represent a step towards more drug-like molecules. Adenophostin (AdA) is the most potent known agonist at the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) and synthetic analogues provide a binding model for receptor activation and channel opening. 2-O-Modified inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) derivatives that are partial agonists at the IP3R reveal key conformational changes of the receptor upon ligand binding. Biphenyl polyphosphates illustrate that simple non-inositol surrogates can be engineered to give prototype IP3R agonists or antagonists and act as templates for protein co-crystallization. Cyclic adenosine 5'-diphosphoribose (cADPR) can be selectively modified using total synthesis, generating chemically and biologically stable tools to investigate Ca2+ release via the ryanodine receptor (RyR) and to interfere with cADPR synthesis and degradation. The first neutral analogues with a synthetic pyrophosphate bioisostere surprisingly retain the ability to release Ca2+, suggesting a new route to membrane-permeant tools. Adenosine 5'-diphosphoribose (ADPR) activates the Ca2+-, Na+- and K+-permeable transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) cation channel. Synthetic ADPR analogues provide the first structure-activity relationship (SAR) for this emerging messenger and the first functional antagonists. An analogue based on the nicotinic acid motif of nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) antagonizes NAADP-mediated Ca2+ release in vitro and is effective in vivo against induced heart arrhythmia and autoimmune disease, illustrating the therapeutic potential of targeted small molecules.

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP)-mediated calcium signaling and arrhythmias in the heart evoked by ß-adrenergic stimulation.

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) is the most potent Ca(2+)-releasing second messenger known to date. Here, we report a new role for NAADP in arrhythmogenic Ca(2+) release in cardiac myocytes evoked by ß-adrenergic stimulation. Infusion of NAADP into intact cardiac myocytes induced global Ca(2+) signals sensitive to inhibitors of both acidic Ca(2+) stores and ryanodine receptors and to NAADP antagonist BZ194. Furthermore, in electrically paced cardiac myocytes BZ194 blocked spontaneous diastolic Ca(2+) transients caused by high concentrations of the ß-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol. Ca(2+) transients were recorded both as increases of the free cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration and as decreases of the sarcoplasmic luminal Ca(2+) concentration. Importantly, NAADP antagonist BZ194 largely ameliorated isoproterenol-induced arrhythmias in awake mice. We provide strong evidence that NAADP-mediated modulation of couplon activity plays a role for triggering spontaneous diastolic Ca(2+) transients in isolated cardiac myocytes and arrhythmias in the intact animal. Thus, NAADP signaling appears an attractive novel target for antiarrhythmic therapy.

Total synthesis of a cyclic adenosine 5'-diphosphate ribose receptor agonist.

Stable cyclic adenosine 5'-diphosphate ribose (cADPR) analogues are chemical biology tools that can probe the Ca(2+) release mechanism and structure-activity relationships of this emerging potent second messenger. However, analogues with an intact "northern" ribose have been inaccessible due to the difficulty of generating the sensitive N1-ribosyl link. We report the first total synthesis of the membrane permeant, hydrolytically stable, cADPR receptor agonist 8-Br-N1-cIDPR via regio- and stereoselective N1-ribosylation of protected 8-bromoinosine.

Synthesis of 4-C-alkyl inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphates and 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphates.

The preparation of 2,3,6-O-tribenzyl- and 2,6-O-dibenzyl-myo-inositols with beta-primary, secondary, and tertiary 4-C-alkyl or aryl groups is reported. Five of these novel polyols are elaborated to 4-C-alkyl Ins(1,4,5)P(3) and Ins(1,3,4,5)P(4) analogues. Regio- and stereoselective introduction of 4-C-alkyl or aryl substituents proceeded via a 4-exo-methylene oxide. Subsequent regioselective reduction of an orthobenzoate provided a divergent method to access both InsP(3) and InsP(4) precursors. Previously unreported phosphorylation of the tertiary hydroxyl and global deprotection afforded novel analogues that retain their full complement of polar and charged binding features.

Regioselective deprotection of orthobenzoates for the synthesis of inositol phosphates.

Synthetic myo-inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate, Ins(1,4,5)P(3), and myo-inositol 1,3,4,5-tetraphosphate, Ins(1,3,4,5)P(4), continue to be valuable in biological studies. Inositol orthoesters have proved an important class of intermediate to access these compounds. We investigated the ability of steric bulk from a 4-O protecting group to direct DIBAL-H reduction of inositol orthobenzoates to generate the natural Ins(1,4,5)P(3) precursor 2,3,6-O-tribenzyl myo-inositol. Introduction of an equatorial 4-C-methyl group imparts totally selective reduction and we report the synthesis of novel 4-C-methyl-Ins(1,4,5)P(3) and 4-C-methyl-Ins(1,3,4,5)P(4).

Cyclic adenosine 5'-diphosphate ribose analogs without a "southern" ribose inhibit ADP-ribosyl cyclase-hydrolase CD38.

Cyclic adenosine 5'-diphosphate ribose (cADPR) analogs based on the cyclic inosine 5'-diphosphate ribose (cIDPR) template were synthesized by recently developed stereo- and regioselective N1-ribosylation. Replacing the base N9-ribose with a butyl chain generates inhibitors of cADPR hydrolysis by the human ADP-ribosyl cyclase CD38 catalytic domain (shCD38), illustrating the nonessential nature of the "southern" ribose for binding. Butyl substitution generally improves potency relative to the parent cIDPRs, and 8-amino-N9-butyl-cIDPR is comparable to the best noncovalent CD38 inhibitors to date (IC50 = 3.3 µM). Crystallographic analysis of the shCD38:8-amino-N9-butyl-cIDPR complex to a 2.05 Å resolution unexpectedly reveals an N1-hydrolyzed ligand in the active site, suggesting that it is the N6-imino form of cADPR that is hydrolyzed by CD38. While HPLC studies confirm ligand cleavage at very high protein concentrations, they indicate that hydrolysis does not occur under physiological concentrations. Taken together, these analogs confirm that the "northern" ribose is critical for CD38 activity and inhibition, provide new insight into the mechanism of cADPR hydrolysis by CD38, and may aid future inhibitor design.

'Click cyclic ADP-ribose': a neutral second messenger mimic.

Analogues of the potent Ca(2+) releasing second messenger cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) with a 1,2,3-triazole pyrophosphate bioisostere were synthesised by click-mediated macrocyclisation. The ability to activate Ca(2+) release was surprisingly retained, and hydrolysis of cADPR by CD38 could also be inhibited, illustrating the potential of this approach to design drug-like signalling pathway modulators.

Structure-activity relationship of adenosine 5'-diphosphoribose at the transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) channel: rational design of antagonists.

Adenosine 5'-diphosphoribose (ADPR) activates TRPM2, a Ca(2+), Na(+), and K(+) permeable cation channel. Activation is induced by ADPR binding to the cytosolic C-terminal NudT9-homology domain. To generate the first structure-activity relationship, systematically modified ADPR analogues were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as antagonists using patch-clamp experiments in HEK293 cells overexpressing human TRPM2. Compounds with a purine C8 substituent show antagonist activity, and an 8-phenyl substitution (8-Ph-ADPR, 5) is very effective. Modification of the terminal ribose results in a weak antagonist, whereas its removal abolishes activity. An antagonist based upon a hybrid structure, 8-phenyl-2'-deoxy-ADPR (86, IC50 = 3 µM), is more potent than 8-Ph-ADPR (5). Initial bioisosteric replacement of the pyrophosphate linkage abolishes activity, but replacement of the pyrophosphate and the terminal ribose by a sulfamate-based group leads to a weak antagonist, a lead to more drug-like analogues. 8-Ph-ADPR (5) inhibits Ca(2+) signalling and chemotaxis in human neutrophils, illustrating the potential for pharmacological intervention at TRPM2.

CD38 Structure-Based Inhibitor Design Using the N1-Cyclic Inosine 5'-Diphosphate Ribose Template.

Few inhibitors exist for CD38, a multifunctional enzyme catalyzing the formation and metabolism of the Ca(2+)-mobilizing second messenger cyclic adenosine 5'-diphosphoribose (cADPR). Synthetic, non-hydrolyzable ligands can facilitate structure-based inhibitor design. Molecular docking was used to reproduce the crystallographic binding mode of cyclic inosine 5'-diphosphoribose (N1-cIDPR) with CD38, revealing an exploitable pocket and predicting the potential to introduce an extra hydrogen bond interaction with Asp-155. The purine C-8 position of N1-cIDPR (IC50 276 µM) was extended with an amino or diaminobutane group and the 8-modified compounds were evaluated against CD38-catalyzed cADPR hydrolysis. Crystallography of an 8-amino N1-cIDPR:CD38 complex confirmed the predicted interaction with Asp-155, together with a second H-bond from a realigned Glu-146, rationalizing the improved inhibition (IC50 56 µM). Crystallography of a complex of cyclic ADP-carbocyclic ribose (cADPcR, IC50 129 µM) with CD38 illustrated that Glu-146 hydrogen bonds with the ligand N6-amino group. Both 8-amino N1-cIDPR and cADPcR bind deep in the active site reaching the catalytic residue Glu-226, and mimicking the likely location of cADPR during catalysis. Substantial overlap of the N1-cIDPR "northern" ribose monophosphate and the cADPcR carbocyclic ribose monophosphate regions suggests that this area is crucial for inhibitor design, leading to a new compound series of N1-inosine 5'-monophosphates (N1-IMPs). These small fragments inhibit hydrolysis of cADPR more efficiently than the parent cyclic compounds, with the best in the series demonstrating potent inhibition (IC50 = 7.6 µM). The lower molecular weight and relative simplicity of these compounds compared to cADPR make them attractive as a starting point for further inhibitor design.