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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 -
International Journal of Molecular... Mar 2022Human mitochondrial disorders impact tissues with high energetic demands and can be associated with cardiac muscle disease (cardiomyopathy) and early mortality. However,... (Review)
Review
Human mitochondrial disorders impact tissues with high energetic demands and can be associated with cardiac muscle disease (cardiomyopathy) and early mortality. However, the mechanistic link between mitochondrial disease and the development of cardiomyopathy is frequently unclear. In addition, there is often marked phenotypic heterogeneity between patients, even between those with the same genetic variant, which is also not well understood. Several of the mitochondrial cardiomyopathies are related to defects in the maintenance of mitochondrial protein homeostasis, or proteostasis. This essential process involves the importing, sorting, folding and degradation of preproteins into fully functional mature structures inside mitochondria. Disrupted mitochondrial proteostasis interferes with mitochondrial energetics and ATP production, which can directly impact cardiac function. An inability to maintain proteostasis can result in mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent mitophagy or even apoptosis. We review the known mitochondrial diseases that have been associated with cardiomyopathy and which arise from mutations in genes that are important for mitochondrial proteostasis. Genes discussed include DnaJ heat shock protein family member C19 (), mitochondrial import inner membrane translocase subunit TIM16 (), translocase of the inner mitochondrial membrane 50 (), mitochondrial intermediate peptidase (), X-prolyl-aminopeptidase 3 (), HtraA serine peptidase 2 (), caseinolytic mitochondrial peptidase chaperone subunit B () and heat shock 60-kD protein 1 (HSPD1). The identification and description of disorders with a shared mechanism of disease may provide further insights into the disease process and assist with the identification of potential therapeutics.
Topics: Cardiomyopathies; HSP40 Heat-Shock Proteins; Homeostasis; Humans; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins; Mitochondrial Proteins; Peptide Hydrolases; Protein Transport; Proteostasis
PubMed: 35328774
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063353 -
The Journal of Biological Chemistry Jul 2019A pivotal metabolic function of insulin is the stimulation of glucose uptake into muscle and adipose tissues. The discovery of the insulin-responsive glucose transporter... (Review)
Review
A pivotal metabolic function of insulin is the stimulation of glucose uptake into muscle and adipose tissues. The discovery of the insulin-responsive glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) protein in 1988 inspired its molecular cloning in the following year. It also spurred numerous cellular mechanistic studies laying the foundations for how insulin regulates glucose uptake by muscle and fat cells. Here, we reflect on the importance of the GLUT4 discovery and chronicle additional key findings made in the past 30 years. That exocytosis of a multispanning membrane protein regulates cellular glucose transport illuminated a novel adaptation of the secretory pathway, which is to transiently modulate the protein composition of the cellular plasma membrane. GLUT4 controls glucose transport into fat and muscle tissues in response to insulin and also into muscle during exercise. Thus, investigation of regulated GLUT4 trafficking provides a major means by which to map the essential signaling components that transmit the effects of insulin and exercise. Manipulation of the expression of GLUT4 or GLUT4-regulating molecules in mice has revealed the impact of glucose uptake on whole-body metabolism. Remaining gaps in our understanding of GLUT4 function and regulation are highlighted here, along with opportunities for future discoveries and for the development of therapeutic approaches to manage metabolic disease.
Topics: Animals; Biological Transport; Cloning, Molecular; Glucose; Glucose Transporter Type 4; Humans; Insulin; Insulin Resistance; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 31175156
DOI: 10.1074/jbc.REV119.008351 -
The Biochemical Journal Jun 2020Endocytosis mediates the cellular uptake of micronutrients and cell surface proteins. Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is the housekeeping pathway in resting cells... (Review)
Review
Endocytosis mediates the cellular uptake of micronutrients and cell surface proteins. Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is the housekeeping pathway in resting cells but additional Clathrin-independent endocytic (CIE) routes, including Fast Endophilin-Mediated Endocytosis (FEME), internalize specific cargoes and support diverse cellular functions. FEME is part of the Dynamin-dependent subgroup of CIE pathways. Here, we review our current understanding of the molecular mechanism of FEME. Key steps are: (i) priming, (ii) cargo selection, (iii) membrane curvature and carrier formation, (iv) membrane scission and (v) cytosolic transport. All steps are controlled by regulatory mechanisms mediated by phosphoinositides and by kinases such as Src, LRRK2, Cdk5 and GSK3β. A key feature of FEME is that it is not constitutively active but triggered upon the stimulation of selected cell surface receptors by their ligands. In resting cells, there is a priming cycle that concentrates Endophilin into clusters on discrete locations of the plasma membrane. In the absence of receptor activation, the patches quickly abort and new cycles are initiated nearby, constantly priming the plasma membrane for FEME. Upon activation, receptors are swiftly sorted into pre-existing Endophilin clusters, which then bud to form FEME carriers within 10 s. We summarize the hallmarks of FEME and the techniques and assays required to identify it. Next, we review similarities and differences with other CIE pathways and proposed cargoes that may use FEME to enter cells. Finally, we submit pending questions and future milestones and discuss the exciting perspectives that targeting FEME may boost treatments against cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Topics: Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; Biological Transport; Cell Membrane; Endocytosis; Humans
PubMed: 32589750
DOI: 10.1042/BCJ20190342 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jul 2022Ultrashort peptides (USPs), consisting of 2-7 amino-acid residues, are a group of signaling molecules that regulate gene expression and protein synthesis under normal... (Review)
Review
Ultrashort peptides (USPs), consisting of 2-7 amino-acid residues, are a group of signaling molecules that regulate gene expression and protein synthesis under normal conditions in various diseases and ageing. USPs serve as a basis for the development of drugs with a targeted mechanism of action. The purpose of this review is to systematize the available data on USP transport involving POT and LAT transporters in various organs and tissues under normal, pathological and ageing conditions. The carriers of the POT family (PEPT1, PEPT2, PHT1, PHT2) transport predominantly di- and tripeptides into the cell. Methods of molecular modeling and physicochemistry have demonstrated the ability of LAT1 to transfer not only amino acids but also some di- and tripeptides into the cell and out of it. LAT1 and 2 are involved in the regulation of the antioxidant, endocrine, immune and nervous systems' functions. Analysis of the above data allows us to conclude that, depending on their structure, di- and tripeptides can be transported into the cells of various tissues by POT and LAT transporters. This mechanism is likely to underlie the tissue specificity of peptides, their geroprotective action and effectiveness in the case of neuroimmunoendocrine system disorders.
Topics: Amino Acids; Biological Transport; Membrane Transport Proteins; Organ Specificity; Peptides; Symporters
PubMed: 35887081
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147733 -
Plant Physiology Dec 2021Plant water transport and its molecular components including aquaporins are responsive, across diverse time scales, to an extremely wide array of environmental and... (Review)
Review
Plant water transport and its molecular components including aquaporins are responsive, across diverse time scales, to an extremely wide array of environmental and hormonal signals. These include water deficit and abscisic acid (ABA) but also more recently identified stimuli such as peptide hormones or bacterial elicitors. The present review makes an inventory of corresponding signalling pathways. It identifies some main principles, such as the central signalling role of ROS, with a dual function of aquaporins in water and hydrogen peroxide transport, the importance of aquaporin phosphorylation that is targeted by multiple classes of protein kinases, and the emerging role of lipid signalling. More studies including systems biology approaches are now needed to comprehend how plant water transport can be adjusted in response to combined stresses.
Topics: Aquaporins; Biological Transport; Cell Membrane; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Plant Growth Regulators; Plant Physiological Phenomena; Signal Transduction; Water
PubMed: 35235672
DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab373 -
Chimia Jun 2021This review on intracellular delivery and oral bioavailability of peptides reflects a number of principal investigations at Novartis. Our studies were aimed at either... (Review)
Review
This review on intracellular delivery and oral bioavailability of peptides reflects a number of principal investigations at Novartis. Our studies were aimed at either understanding features enabling peptides to interfere with intracellular protein-protein interactions, or to achieve a more patient-friendly delivery by the oral route. In the light of these objectives, we have also spent some effort on assay development to come up with alternative methods for monitoring cellular peptide uptake. This summary of our insights is intended to help in the assessment and development of peptide therapeutics requiring membrane transition.
Topics: Administration, Oral; Biological Availability; Biological Transport; Humans; Peptides; Permeability
PubMed: 34233817
DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2021.522