Identification of direct protein targets of small molecules.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Lomenick B
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3031183 | biostudies-other | 2011 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Similar Datasets
Project description:Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) composed of three subunits ?, ?, ? mediate activation of multiple intracellular signaling cascades initiated by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Previously our laboratory identified small molecules that bind to G?? and interfere with or enhance binding of select effectors with G??. To understand the molecular mechanisms of selectivity and assess binding of compounds to G??, we used biophysical and biochemical approaches to directly monitor small molecule binding to G??. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis indicated that multiple compounds bound directly to G?? with affinities in the high nanomolar to low micromolar range but with surprisingly slow on and off rate kinetics. While the k(off) was slow for most of the compounds in physiological buffers, they could be removed from G?? with mild chaotropic salts or mildly dissociating collision energy in a mass-spectrometer indicating that compound-G?? interactions were non-covalent. Finally, at concentrations used to observe maximal biological effects the stoichiometry of binding was 1:1. The results from this study show that small molecule modulation of G??-effector interactions is by specific direct non-covalent and reversible binding of small molecules to G??. This is highly relevant to development of G?? targeting as a therapeutic approach since reversible, direct binding is a prerequisite for drug development and important for specificity.
| S-EPMC3140432 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We describe the development and validation of interaction determination using unpurified proteins (IDUP), a method that selectively amplifies DNA sequences identifying ligand+target pairs from a mixture of DNA-linked small molecules and unpurified protein targets in cell lysates. By operating in cell lysates, IDUP preserves native post-translational modifications and interactions with endogenous binding partners, thereby enabling the study of difficult-to-purify targets and increasing the potential biological relevance of detected interactions compared with methods that require purified proteins. In IDUP, target proteins are associated with DNA oligonucleotide tags either non-covalently using a DNA-linked antibody or covalently using a SNAP-tag. Ligand-target binding promotes hybridization of a self-priming hairpin that is extended by a DNA polymerase to create a DNA strand that contains sequences identifying both the target and its ligand. These sequences encoding ligand+target pairs are selectively amplified by PCR and revealed by high-throughput DNA sequencing. IDUP can respond to the effect of affinity-modulating adaptor proteins in cell lysates that would be absent in ligand screening or selection methods using a purified protein target. This capability was exemplified by the 100-fold amplification of DNA sequences encoding FRB+rapamycin or FKBP+rapamycin in samples overexpressing both FRB and FKBP (FRB·rapamycin+FKBP, Kd ≈ 100 fM; FKBP·rapamycin+FRB, Kd = 12 nM). In contrast, these sequences were amplified 10-fold less efficiently in samples overexpressing either FRB or FKBP alone (rapamycin+FKBP, Kd ≈ 0.2 nM; rapamcyin+FRB, Kd = 26 μM). Finally, IDUP was used to process a model library of DNA-linked small molecules and a model library of cell lysates expressing SNAP-target fusions combined in a single sample. In this library×library experiment, IDUP resulted in enrichment of sequences corresponding to five known ligand+target pairs ranging in binding affinity from Kd = 0.2 nM to 3.2 μM out of 67,858 possible combinations, with no false positive signals enriched to the same extent as that of any of the bona fide ligand+target pairs.
| S-EPMC3985698 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Structure-based drug design traditionally uses static protein models as inspirations for focusing on "active" site targets. Allosteric regulation of biological macromolecules, however, is affected by both conformational and dynamic properties of the protein or protein complex and can potentially lead to more avenues for therapeutic development. We discuss the advantages of searching for molecules that conformationally trap a macromolecule in its inactive state. Although multiple methodologies exist to probe protein dynamics and ligand binding, our current discussion highlights the use of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the drug discovery and design process.
| S-EPMC2981433 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Lipids play critical roles in cell biology, often through direct interactions with proteins. We recently described the use of photoreactive lipid probes combined with quantitative mass spectrometry to globally map lipid-protein interactions, and the effects of drugs on these interactions, in cells. Here, we investigate the broader potential of lipid-based chemical proteomic probes for determining the cellular targets of biologically active small molecules, including natural product derivatives and repurposed drugs of ill-defined mechanisms. We identify the prostaglandin-regulatory enzyme PTGR2 as a target of the antidiabetic hops derivative KDT501 and show that miconazole-an antifungal drug that attenuates disease severity in preclinical models of multiple sclerosis-inhibits SGPL1, an enzyme that degrades the signaling lipid sphingosine-1-phosphate, drug analogues of which are used to treat multiple sclerosis in humans. Our findings highlight the versatility of lipid-based chemical proteomics probes for mapping small molecule-protein interactions in human cells to gain mechanistic understanding of bioactive compounds.
| S-EPMC5650530 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Identifying the protein targets of bioactive small molecules remains a major problem in the discovery of new chemical probes and therapeutics. While activity-based probes and photo-cross-linkers have had success in identifying protein targets of small molecules, each technique has limitations. Here we describe a method for direct proximity tagging of proteins that bind small molecules. We engineered a promiscuous ligase based on the NEDD8 conjugating enzyme, Ubc12, which can be covalently linked to a small molecule of interest. When target proteins bind the small molecule, they are directly labeled on surface lysines with a biotinylated derivative of the small ubiquitin homologue, NEDD8. This unique covalent tag can then be used to identify the small molecule binding proteins. Utilizing the drug dasatinib, we have shown that dasatinib-directed NEDDylation occurs for known endogenous protein binders in complex cell lysates. In addition, we have been able to improve NEDDylation efficiency through rational mutagenesis. Finally, we have shown that affinity-directed NEDDylation can be applied to two other protein-ligand interactions beyond kinases. Proximity tagging using this engineered ligase requires direct binding of the target and, thus, provides a useful and orthogonal approach to facilitate small molecule target identification.
| S-EPMC5308480 | biostudies-literature
Project description:SwissTargetPrediction is a web tool, on-line since 2014, that aims to predict the most probable protein targets of small molecules. Predictions are based on the similarity principle, through reverse screening. Here, we describe the 2019 version, which represents a major update in terms of underlying data, backend and web interface. The bioactivity data were updated, the model retrained and similarity thresholds redefined. In the new version, the predictions are performed by searching for similar molecules, in 2D and 3D, within a larger collection of 376 342 compounds known to be experimentally active on an extended set of 3068 macromolecular targets. An efficient backend implementation allows to speed up the process that returns results for a druglike molecule on human proteins in 15-20 s. The refreshed web interface enhances user experience with new features for easy input and improved analysis. Interoperability capacity enables straightforward submission of any input or output molecule to other on-line computer-aided drug design tools, developed by the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics. High levels of predictive performance were maintained despite more extended biological and chemical spaces to be explored, e.g. achieving at least one correct human target in the top 15 predictions for >70% of external compounds. The new SwissTargetPrediction is available free of charge (www.swisstargetprediction.ch).
| S-EPMC6602486 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The discovery of direct downstream targets of transcription factors (TFs) is necessary for understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying complex, highly regulated processes such as development. In this report, we have used a combinatorial strategy to conduct a genome-wide search for novel direct targets of Eyeless (Ey), a key transcription factor controlling early eye development in Drosophila. To overcome the lack of high-quality consensus binding site sequences, phylogenetic shadowing of known Ey binding sites in sine oculis (so) was used to construct a position weight matrix (PWM) of the Ey protein. This PWM was then used for in silico prediction of potential binding sites in the Drosophila melanogaster genome. To reduce the false positive rate, conservation of these potential binding sites was assessed by comparing the genomic sequences from seven Drosophila species. In parallel, microarray analysis of wild-type versus ectopic ey-expressing tissue, followed by microarray-based epistasis experiments in an atonal (ato) mutant background, identified 188 genes induced by ey. Intersection of in silico predicted conserved Ey binding sites with the candidate gene list produced through expression profiling yields a list of 20 putative ey-induced, eye-enriched, ato-independent, direct targets of Ey. The accuracy of this list of genes was confirmed using both in vitro and in vivo methods. Initial analysis reveals three genes, eyes absent, shifted, and Optix, as novel direct targets of Ey. These results suggest that the integrated strategy of computational biology, genomics, and genetics is a powerful approach to identify direct downstream targets for any transcription factor genome-wide.
| S-EPMC1457028 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The generation of human induced neurons (hiNs) via exogenous delivery of neural transcription factors represents a novel technique to obtain disease and patient specific neurons. These cells have the potential to be used for disease modeling, diagnostics and drug screening, and also to be further developed for brain repair. In the present study, we utilized hiNs to develop an unbiased screening assay for small molecules that increase the conversion efficiency. Using this assay, we screened 307 compounds from five annotated libraries and identified six compounds that were very potent in potentiating the reprogramming process. When combined in an optimal combination and dose, these compounds increased the reprogramming efficiency of human fibroblasts more than 6-fold. Global gene expression and CellNet analysis at different timepoints during the reprogramming process revealed that neuron-specific genes and gene regulatory networks (GRNs) became progressively more activated while converting cells shut down fibroblast-specific GRNs. Further bioinformatics analysis revealed that the addition of the six compound resulted in the accelerated upregulation of a subset of neuronal genes, and also increased expression of genes associated with transcriptional activity and mediation of cellular stress response.
| S-EPMC5137010 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cell-cell communication is critical for stem cell maintenance. Shoot apical meristem (SAM) located at the shoot tip harbors stem cells within the central zone (CZ). Their progeny differentiate in the adjacent peripheral zone (PZ). WUSCHEL (WUS) is a homeodomain transcription factor produced in a few cells of the organizing center (OC), located beneath the CZ. It has been shown to specify stem cell fate and also activate CLAVATA3 (CLV3) expression in cells of the CZ. CLV3 is a secreted peptide that activates a membrane bound receptor kinase-CLAVATA1 to restrict WUS transcription to the OC. It has been hypothesized that WUS activates CLV3 expression and stem cell fate in adjacent cells of the CZ by activating a non-cell autonomous signal. Contrary to this hypothesis, here we show that the WUS protein after being synthesized in cells of the OC, migrates into the superficial cell layers of the CZ where it activates CLV3 transcription by binding to its promoter elements. WUS also migrates laterally into the PZ to repress the expression of differentiation promoting transcription factors by binding to their regulatory regions. Migration of a stem cell inducing transcription factor into adjacent cells to activate a negative regulator, whereby restricting its own accumulation is unique to plant stem cell niches. While stem cell promoting transcription factor directly repressing differentiation promoting transcription factors to prevent premature differentiation of stem cell progenitors is conserved among diverse stem cell niches. A dexamethasone inducible version of WUSCHEL was used to identify its direct tragets. To analyze WUS-regulated gene expression programs at a higher spatial resolution, we introduced a dexamethasone (Dex)-inducible form of WUS consisting of the WUS protein-coding region fused to sequences coding for the ligand-binding domain of the rat glucocorticoid receptor (GR), expressed under a ubiquitous promoter (35S::WUS-GR) into apetala1-1;cauliflower1-1 (ap1-1;cal1-1) double mutant background. 35S::WUS-GR; ap1-1;cal1-1 SAMs were either treated with 10μM Dex or mock solution for four hours and RNA samples were hybridized to Arabidopsis ATH1 gene Chip (Affymmetrix). To identify putative genes that are directly regulated by WUS, in independent experiments, SAMs were simultaneously treated with 10μM Dex and 10μM Cycloheximide (Cyc), protein synthesis inhibitor and Cyc alone for four hours. A comparison of Dex-treated samples with mock identified 641 genes as differentially expressed [DEGs] (≥/≤2 fold; p < 0.01) and comparison of Dex+Cyc with Cyc identified 457 genes as DEGs (≥/≤2 fold; p < 0.01).
2013-03-26 | E-GEOD-29364 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Time course micro array experiment to identify transcriptional changes in response to exposure of hFLs to different combinations of small molecules during direct neuronal reprogramming hFL1 cells were transduced with conversion factors Ascl1, Brn2a and Myt1L and five days after transduction, transgene expression was activated by doxycycline. On day 3 of transgene expression, MEF medium was replaced by N2B27 medium plus small molecules, depending on the condition. Ascl1 expression was linked to GFP so that all GFP pos cells were FACS isolated at different times of exposure to small molecules (or N2B27 medium in transgene only groups). Post FACS, cells were lysed and total RNA was extracted and used as input for micro array experiments.
2016-07-30 | E-GEOD-83896 | biostudies-arrayexpress