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Nature Chemical Biology Sep 2023Preventing the biogenesis of disease-relevant proteins is an attractive therapeutic strategy, but attempts to target essential protein biogenesis factors have been...
Preventing the biogenesis of disease-relevant proteins is an attractive therapeutic strategy, but attempts to target essential protein biogenesis factors have been hampered by excessive toxicity. Here we describe KZR-8445, a cyclic depsipeptide that targets the Sec61 translocon and selectively disrupts secretory and membrane protein biogenesis in a signal peptide-dependent manner. KZR-8445 potently inhibits the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in primary immune cells and is highly efficacious in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis. A cryogenic electron microscopy structure reveals that KZR-8445 occupies the fully opened Se61 lateral gate and blocks access to the lumenal plug domain. KZR-8445 binding stabilizes the lateral gate helices in a manner that traps select signal peptides in the Sec61 channel and prevents their movement into the lipid bilayer. Our results establish a framework for the structure-guided discovery of novel therapeutics that selectively modulate Sec61-mediated protein biogenesis.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Protein Sorting Signals; Protein Transport; Membrane Proteins; SEC Translocation Channels; Protein Biosynthesis
PubMed: 37169961
DOI: 10.1038/s41589-023-01326-1 -
Pharmaceutical Research Nov 2023The oligopeptide/histidine transporters PHT1 and PHT2, two mammalian solute carrier family 15A proteins, mediate the transmembrane transport of histidine and some... (Review)
Review
The oligopeptide/histidine transporters PHT1 and PHT2, two mammalian solute carrier family 15A proteins, mediate the transmembrane transport of histidine and some di/tripeptides via proton gradient. PHT1 and PHT2 are distributed in a variety of tissues but are preferentially expressed in immune cells and localize to the lysosome-related organelles. Studies have reported the relationships between PHT1/PHT2 and immune diseases. PHT1 and PHT2 participate in the regulation of lysosomal homeostasis and lysosome-associated signaling pathways through their transport and nontransport functions, playing important roles in inflammatory diseases. In this review, we summarize recent research on PHT1 and PHT2, aiming to provide reference for their further biological research and as targets for drug design.
Topics: Animals; Biological Transport; Histidine; Mammals; Membrane Transport Proteins; Oligopeptides; Symporters
PubMed: 37610621
DOI: 10.1007/s11095-023-03589-8 -
Chemical Society Reviews Sep 2023Bio-markers, such as ions, small molecules, nucleic acids, peptides, proteins and cells, participate in the construction of living organisms and play important roles in... (Review)
Review
Bio-markers, such as ions, small molecules, nucleic acids, peptides, proteins and cells, participate in the construction of living organisms and play important roles in biological processes. It is of great significance to accurately detect these bio-markers for studying their basic functions, the development of molecular diagnosis and to better understand life processes. Solid-state nanochannel-based sensing systems have been demonstrated for the detection of bio-markers, due to their rapid, label-free and high-throughput screening, with high sensitivity and specificity. Generally, studies on solid-state nanochannels have focused on probes on the inner-wall (PIW), ignoring probes on the outer-surface (POS). As a result, the direct detection of cells is difficult to realize by these inner-wall focused nanochannels. Moreover, the sensitivity for detecting ions, small molecules, nucleic acids, peptides and proteins requires further improvement. Recent research has focused on artificial solid-state nanochannels with POS, which have demonstrated the ability to independently regulate ion transport. This design not only contributes to the detection of large analytes, such as cells, but also provides promising opportunities for ultra-high sensitivity detection with a clear mechanism. In this tutorial review, we present an overview of the detection principle used for solid-state nanochannels, inner-wall focused nanochannels and outer-surface focused nanochannels. Furthermore, we discuss the remaining challenges faced by current nanochannel technologies and provide insights into their prospects.
Topics: Nanostructures; Ion Transport; Nucleic Acids; Peptides; Ions
PubMed: 37581902
DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00865c -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2023Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most frequent pathophysiological state of pregnancy, which in many cases produces fetuses with macrosomia, requiring increased... (Review)
Review
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most frequent pathophysiological state of pregnancy, which in many cases produces fetuses with macrosomia, requiring increased nutrient transport in the placenta. Recent studies by our group have demonstrated that leptin is a key hormone in placental physiology, and its expression is increased in placentas affected by GDM. However, the effect of leptin on placental nutrient transport, such as transport of glucose, amino acids, and lipids, is not fully understood. Thus, we aimed to review literature on the leptin effect involved in placental nutrient transport as well as activated leptin signaling pathways involved in the expression of placental transporters, which may contribute to an increase in placental nutrient transport in human pregnancies complicated by GDM. Leptin appears to be a relevant key hormone that regulates placental transport, and this regulation is altered in pathophysiological conditions such as gestational diabetes. Adaptations in the placental capacity to transport glucose, amino acids, and lipids may underlie both under- or overgrowth of the fetus when maternal nutrient and hormone levels are altered due to changes in maternal nutrition or metabolic disease. Implementing new strategies to modulate placental transport may improve maternal health and prove effective in normalizing fetal growth in cases of intrauterine growth restriction and fetal overgrowth. However, further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Amino Acids; Diabetes, Gestational; Fetal Macrosomia; Glucose; Leptin; Lipids; Membrane Transport Proteins; Nutrients; Placenta
PubMed: 37497352
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1172831 -
Pharmaceutical Research Nov 2023This mini-review describes the role of the solute carrier (SLC)15 family of proton-coupled oligopeptide transporters (POTs) and particularly Pept2 (Slc15A2) and PhT1... (Review)
Review
This mini-review describes the role of the solute carrier (SLC)15 family of proton-coupled oligopeptide transporters (POTs) and particularly Pept2 (Slc15A2) and PhT1 (Slc15A4) in the brain. That family transports endogenous di- and tripeptides and peptidomimetics but also a number of drugs. The review focuses on the pioneering work of David E. Smith in the field in identifying the impact of PepT2 at the choroid plexus (the blood-CSF barrier) as well as PepT2 and PhT1 in brain parenchymal cells. It also discusses recent findings and future directions in relation to brain POTs including cellular and subcellular localization, regulatory pathways, transporter structure, species differences and disease states.
Topics: Symporters; Protons; Biological Transport; Membrane Transport Proteins; Oligopeptides; Brain
PubMed: 37308743
DOI: 10.1007/s11095-023-03550-9 -
Biomolecules Nov 2023Despite significant strides in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, cardiovascular diseases remain the number one cause of mortality in the United States, with rates... (Review)
Review
Despite significant strides in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, cardiovascular diseases remain the number one cause of mortality in the United States, with rates climbing at an alarming rate in the developing world. Targeted delivery of therapeutics to the heart has been a lofty goal to achieve with strategies ranging from direct intra-cardiac or intra-pericardial delivery, intra-coronary infusion, to adenoviral, lentiviral, and adeno-associated viral vectors which have preference, if not complete cardio-selectivity, for cardiac tissue. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPP) are 5-30-amino-acid-long peptides that are able to breach cell membrane barriers while carrying cargoes up to several times their size, in an intact functional form. Identified nearly three decades ago, the first of these CPPs came from the HIV coat protein transactivator of transcription. Although a highly efficient CPP, its clinical utility is limited by its robust ability to cross any cell membrane barrier, including crossing the blood-brain barrier and transducing neuronal tissue non-specifically. Several strategies have been utilized to identify cell- or tissue-specific CPPs, one of which is phage display. Using this latter technique, we identified a cardiomyocyte-targeting peptide (CTP) more than a decade ago, a finding that has been corroborated by several independent labs across the world that have utilized CTP for a myriad of different purposes in pre-clinical animal models. The goal of this publication is to provide a comprehensive review of the identification, validation, and application of CTP, and outline its potential in diagnostic and therapeutic applications especially in the field of targeted RNA interference.
Topics: Animals; Cell-Penetrating Peptides; Biological Transport; Heart; Cell Membrane
PubMed: 38136562
DOI: 10.3390/biom13121690 -
Journal of Labelled Compounds &... Jul 2023Trans-blood-brain barrier (BBB) delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic agents is a major challenge in the development of central nervous system (CNS) targeted... (Review)
Review
Trans-blood-brain barrier (BBB) delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic agents is a major challenge in the development of central nervous system (CNS) targeted radiopharmaceuticals. This review is an introduction to the use of peptides as delivery agents to transport cargos into the CNS. The most widely used BBB-penetrating peptides are reviewed here, with a particular emphasis on the broad range of cargos delivered into the CNS using these. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been deployed as trans-BBB delivery agents for some time; new developments in the CPP field offer exciting opportunities for the design of next generation trans-BBB complexes. Many of the peptides highlighted here are ready to be combined with diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals to develop highly effective CNS-targeted agents.
Topics: Blood-Brain Barrier; Radiopharmaceuticals; Drug Delivery Systems; Biological Transport; Cell-Penetrating Peptides
PubMed: 37002811
DOI: 10.1002/jlcr.4023 -
Peptides Nov 2023The field of peptides exploded in the 1970's and has continued to be a major area of discovery. Among the early discoveries was that peptides administered peripherally... (Review)
Review
The field of peptides exploded in the 1970's and has continued to be a major area of discovery. Among the early discoveries was that peptides administered peripherally could affect brain functions. This led Kastin to propose that peptides could cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Although initially very controversial, Kastin, I, and others demonstrated not only that peptides can cross the BBB, but elucidated many fundamental characteristics of that passage. That work was in large part the basis of the 2022 Viktor Mutt Lectureship. Here, we review some of the early work with current updates on topics related to the penetration of peptides across the BBB. We briefly review mechanisms by which peripherally administered peptides can affect brain function without crossing the BBB, and then review the major mechanisms by which peptides and their analogs have been show to cross the BBB: transmembrane diffusion, saturable transport, and adsorptive transcytosis. Saturable transport systems are adaptable to physiologic changes and can be altered by disease states. In particular, the transport across the BBB of insulin and of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) illustrate many of the concepts regarding peptide transport across the BBB.
Topics: Blood-Brain Barrier; Biological Transport; Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; Insulin
PubMed: 37598757
DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2023.171079 -
International Journal of Molecular... Oct 2023Transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM) channels, a subfamily of the TRP superfamily, constitute a diverse group of ion channels involved in mediating crucial... (Review)
Review
Transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM) channels, a subfamily of the TRP superfamily, constitute a diverse group of ion channels involved in mediating crucial cellular processes like calcium homeostasis. These channels exhibit complex regulation, and one of the key regulatory mechanisms involves their interaction with calmodulin (CaM), a cytosol ubiquitous calcium-binding protein. The association between TRPM channels and CaM relies on the presence of specific CaM-binding domains in the channel structure. Upon CaM binding, the channel undergoes direct and/or allosteric structural changes and triggers down- or up-stream signaling pathways. According to current knowledge, ion channel members TRPM2, TRPM3, TRPM4, and TRPM6 are directly modulated by CaM, resulting in their activation or inhibition. This review specifically focuses on the interplay between TRPM channels and CaM and summarizes the current known effects of CaM interactions and modulations on TRPM channels in cellular physiology.
Topics: Calmodulin; TRPM Cation Channels; Calcium-Binding Proteins; Calcium Signaling; Protein Binding; Calcium
PubMed: 37894842
DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015162 -
Cell Reports Aug 2023Endolysosomal Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play crucial roles in immune responses to pathogens, while aberrant activation of these pathways is associated with autoimmune...
Endolysosomal Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play crucial roles in immune responses to pathogens, while aberrant activation of these pathways is associated with autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The endolysosomal solute carrier family 15 member 4 (SLC15A4) is required for TLR7/8/9-induced responses and disease development in SLE models. SLC15A4 has been proposed to affect TLR7-9 activation through its transport activity, as well as by assembling an IRF5-activating complex with TASL, but the relative contribution of these functions remains unclear. Here, we show that the essential role of SLC15A4 is to recruit TASL to endolysosomes, while its transport activity is dispensable when TASL is tethered to this compartment. Endolysosomal-localized TASL rescues TLR7-9-induced IRF5 activation as well as interferon β and cytokine production in SLC15A4-deficient cells. SLC15A4 acts as signaling scaffold, and this function is essential to control TLR7-9-mediated inflammatory responses. These findings support targeting the SLC15A4-TASL complex as a potential therapeutic strategy for SLE and related diseases.
Topics: Humans; Toll-Like Receptor 7; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Toll-Like Receptors; Interferon Regulatory Factors; Immunity, Innate; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Membrane Transport Proteins
PubMed: 37527038
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112916