Background and Purpose
The transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) cation channel participates in multiple physiological processes and is also at the core of different diseases, making this ...channel an interesting pharmacological target with therapeutic potential. However, little is known about the structural elements governing its inhibition.
Experimental Approach
We have now combined in silico drug discovery and molecular dynamics simulation based on Xenopus tropicalis xTRPV4 structure with functional studies measuring cell Ca2+ influx mediated by human TRPV4 channel to characterize the binding site of known TRPV4 inhibitors and to identify novel small molecule channel modulators.
Key Results
We have found that the inhibitor HC067047 binds to a pocket conformed by residues from S2–S3 linker (xTRPV4‐D542), S4 (xTRPV4‐M583 and Y587 and S5 (xTRPV4‐D609 and F613). This pocket was also used for structure‐based virtual screening in the search of novel channel modulators. Forty potential hits were selected based on the lower docking scores (from ~250,000 compounds) and their effect upon TRPV4 functionally tested. Three were further analysed for stability using molecular dynamics simulation and functionally tested on TRPV4 channels carrying mutations in the binding pocket. Compound NSC151066, shown to require residue xTRPV4‐M583 for its inhibitory effect, presented an IC50 of 145 nM and demonstrated to be an effective antiviral against Zika virus with a potency similar to HC067047.
Conclusion and Implications
Together, we propose structural insights into the inhibition of TRPV4 and how this information can be used for the design of novel channel modulators.
LINKED ARTICLES
This article is part of a themed issue on Structure Guided Pharmacology of Membrane Proteins (BJP 75th Anniversary). To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v179.14/issuetoc
Most transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are regulated by phosphatidylinositol-4,5-biphosphate (PIP ₂), although the structural rearrangements occurring on PIP ₂ binding are currently far ...from clear. Here we report that activation of the TRP vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel by hypotonic and heat stimuli requires PIP ₂ binding to and rearrangement of the cytosolic tails. Neutralization of the positive charges within the sequence ¹²¹KRWRK ¹²⁵, which resembles a phosphoinositide-binding site, rendered the channel unresponsive to hypotonicity and heat but responsive to 4α-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate, an agonist that binds directly to transmembrane domains. Similar channel response was obtained by depletion of PIP ₂ from the plasma membrane with translocatable phosphatases in heterologous expression systems or by activation of phospholipase C in native ciliated epithelial cells. PIP ₂ facilitated TRPV4 activation by the osmotransducing cytosolic messenger 5′-6’-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid and allowed channel activation by heat in inside-out patches. Protease protection assays demonstrated a PIP ₂-binding site within the N-tail. The proximity of TRPV4 tails, analyzed by fluorescence resonance energy transfer, increased by depleting PIP ₂ mutations in the phosphoinositide site or by coexpression with protein kinase C and casein kinase substrate in neurons 3 (PACSIN3), a regulatory molecule that binds TRPV4 N-tails and abrogates activation by cell swelling and heat. PACSIN3 lacking the Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs (F-BAR) domain interacted with TRPV4 without affecting channel activation or tail rearrangement. Thus, mutations weakening the TRPV4–PIP ₂ interacting site and conditions that deplete PIP ₂ or restrict access of TRPV4 to PIP ₂—in the case of PACSIN3—change tail conformation and negatively affect channel activation by hypotonicity and heat.
TRPV4 cation channel activation by cytochrome P450-mediated derivatives of arachidonic acid (AA), epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), constitute a major mechanisms of endothelium-derived ...vasodilatation. Besides, TRPV4 mechano/osmosensitivity depends on phospholipase A
(PLA
) activation and subsequent production of AA and EETs. However, the lack of evidence for a direct interaction of EETs with TRPV4 together with claims of EET-independent mechanical activation of TRPV4 has cast doubts on the validity of this mechanism. We now report: 1) The identification of an EET-binding pocket that specifically mediates TRPV4 activation by 5',6'-EET, AA and hypotonic cell swelling, thereby suggesting that all these stimuli shared a common structural target within the TRPV4 channel; and 2) A structural insight into the gating of TRPV4 by a natural agonist (5',6'-EET) in which K535 plays a crucial role, as mutant TRPV4-K535A losses binding of and gating by EET, without affecting GSK1016790A, 4α-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate and heat mediated channel activation. Together, our data demonstrates that the mechano- and osmotransducing messenger EET gates TRPV4 by a direct action on a site formed by residues from the S2-S3 linker, S4 and S4-S5 linker.
Actin polymerization and assembly into stress fibers (SFs) is central to many cellular processes. However, how SFs form in response to the mechanical interaction of cells with their environment is ...not fully understood. Here we have identified Piezo2 mechanosensitive cationic channel as a transducer of environmental physical cues into mechanobiological responses. Piezo2 is needed by brain metastatic cells from breast cancer (MDA-MB-231-BrM2) to probe their physical environment as they anchor and pull on their surroundings or when confronted with confined migration through narrow pores. Piezo2-mediated Ca2+ influx activates RhoA to control the formation and orientation of SFs and focal adhesions (FAs). A possible mechanism for the Piezo2-mediated activation of RhoA involves the recruitment of the Fyn kinase to the cell leading edge as well as calpain activation. Knockdown of Piezo2 in BrM2 cells alters SFs, FAs, and nuclear translocation of YAP; a phenotype rescued by overexpression of dominant-positive RhoA or its downstream effector, mDia1. Consequently, hallmarks of cancer invasion and metastasis related to RhoA, actin cytoskeleton, and/or force transmission, such as migration, extracellular matrix degradation, and Serpin B2 secretion, were reduced in cells lacking Piezo2.
•Amyloid induces methylglyoxal production.•Tyr modification of TPI is the cause of methylglyoxal production.•Methylglyoxal triggers neuronal apoptosis.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by ...the oxidative stress generated from amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) aggregates. It produces protein nitrotyrosination, after the reaction with nitric oxide to form peroxynitrite, being triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) one of the most affected proteins. TPI is a glycolytic enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion between glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (GAP) and dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP). Methylglyoxal (MG) is a by-product of TPI activity whose production is triggered when TPI is nitrotyrosinated. MG is harmful to cells because it glycates proteins. Here we found protein glycation when human neuroblastoma cells were treated with Aβ. Moreover glycation was also observed when neuroblastoma cells overexpressed mutated TPI where Tyr165 or Tyr209, the two tyrosines close to the catalytic center, were changed by Phe in order to mimic the effect of nitrotyrosination. The pathological relevance of these findings was studied by challenging cells with Aβ oligomers and MG. A significant decrease in mitochondrial transmembrane potential, one of the first apoptotic events, was obtained. Therefore, increasing concentrations of MG were assayed searching for MG effect in neuronal apoptosis. We found a decrease of the protective Bcl2 and an increase of the proapoptotic caspase-3 and Bax levels. Our results suggest that MG is triggering apoptosis in neurons and it would play a key role in AD neurodegeneration.
Alterations of protein folding or Ca2+ levels within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) result in the unfolded-protein response (UPR), a process considered as an endogenous inducer of inflammation. ...Thereby, understanding how genetic factors modify UPR is particularly relevant in chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma. Here we identified that ORMDL3, the only genetic risk factor recently associated to asthma in a genome wide study, alters ER-mediated Ca2+ homeostasis and facilitates the UPR. Heterologous expression of human ER-resident transmembrane ORMDL3 protein increased resting cytosolic Ca2+ levels and reduced ER-mediated Ca2+ signaling, an effect reverted by co-expression with the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump (SERCA). Increased ORMDL3 expression also promoted stronger activation of UPR transducing molecules and target genes while siRNA-mediated knock-down of endogenous ORMDL3 potentiated ER Ca2+ release and attenuated the UPR. In conclusion, our findings are consistent with a model in which ORMDL3 binds and inhibits SERCA resulting in a reduced ER Ca2+ concentration and increased UPR. Thus, we provide a first insight into the molecular mechanism explaining the association of ORMDL3 with proinflammatory diseases.
Poner en relación a dos poetas de arraigo tan distinto y de edades diferenciadas (Cortázar nace en 1914 en Bruselas y José Agustín en Barcelona en 1928) establece inevitablemente una relación ...“vertical”, de mayor a menor. Pero tanto Julio Cortázar como José Agustín Goytisolo comparten la misma concepción de la historia como problemática de referencia, que, junto con el “deseo de cambiar las cosas” posibilita el encuentro con los otros más frágiles en tanto que sujetos de amor, a través del espacio urbano y doméstico desplegado, el ensanchamiento del concepto de lo poético hacia el relato oral y la canción, y el manejo de la ironía.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the chromosome region 17q12-q21 are risk factors for asthma. Particularly, there are cis-regulatory haplotypes within this region that regulate ...differentially the expression levels of ORMDL3, GSDMB and ZPBP2 genes. Remarkably, ORMDL3 has been shown to modulate lymphocyte activation parameters in a heterologous expression system. In this context, it has been shown that Th2 and Th17 cytokine production is affected by SNPs in this region. Therefore, we aim to assess the impact of hereditary components within region 17q12-q21 on the activation profile of human T lymphocytes, focusing on the haplotype formed by allelic variants of SNPs rs7216389 and rs12936231. We measured calcium influx and activation markers, as well as the proliferation rate upon T cell activation. Haplotype-dependent differences in mRNA expression levels of IL-2 and INF-γ were observed at early times after activation. In addition, the allelic variants of these SNPs impacted on the extent of calcium influx in resting lymphocytes and altered proliferation rates in a dose dependent manner. As a result, the asthma risk haplotype carriers showed a lower threshold of saturation during activation. Finally, we confirmed differences in activation marker expression by flow cytometry using phytohemagglutinin, a strong polyclonal stimulus. Altogether, our data suggest that the genetic component of pro-inflammatory pathologies present in this chromosome region could be explained by different T lymphocyte activation dynamics depending on individual allelic heredity.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Significance
Rapid regulatory volume increase (RVI) is important for cell survival under hypertonic conditions. RVI is driven by Cl
−
uptake via the Na–K–Cl cotransporter (NKCC), which is activated ...by WNK kinases following a reduction in intracellular Cl
−
. However, how intracellular Cl
−
is regulated to modulate the WNK–NKCC axis and engage a protective RVI remains unknown. Our work reveals that LRRC8A-containing chloride channel is a key protective factor against hypertonic shocks. Considering that LRRC8A (SWELL1) is typically activated by low ionic strength under hypotonic stress, our results posed another interesting question: what activates this chloride channel under hypertonic stress? We demonstrated that, upon hyperosmotic activation, the p38-MSK1 pathway gates LRRC8A-containing chloride channel to facilitate activation of WNK–NKCC and an effective RVI.
Regulation of cell volume is essential for tissue homeostasis and cell viability. In response to hypertonic stress, cells need rapid electrolyte influx to compensate water loss and to prevent cell death in a process known as regulatory volume increase (RVI). However, the molecular component able to trigger such a process was unknown to date. Using a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screen, we identified
LRRC8A
, which encodes a chloride channel subunit, as the gene most associated with cell survival under hypertonic conditions. Hypertonicity activates the p38 stress-activated protein kinase pathway and its downstream MSK1 kinase, which phosphorylates and activates LRRC8A. LRRC8A-mediated Cl
−
efflux facilitates activation of the with-no-lysine (WNK) kinase pathway, which in turn, promotes electrolyte influx via Na
+
/K
+
/2Cl
−
cotransporter (NKCC) and RVI under hypertonic stress. LRRC8A-S217A mutation impairs channel activation by MSK1, resulting in reduced RVI and cell survival. In summary, LRRC8A is key to bidirectional osmotic stress responses and cell survival under hypertonic conditions.
T lymphocytes rely on a Ca(2+) signal known as store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) for their activation. This Ca(2+) signal is generated by activation of a T-cell receptor, depletion of endoplasmic ...reticulum (ER) Ca(2+) stores and activation of Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) currents (I(CRAC)). Here, we report that the ER protein orosomucoid like 3 (ORMDL3), the product of the ORMDL3 gene associated with several autoimmune and/or inflammatory diseases, negatively modulates I(CRAC), SOCE, nuclear factor of activated T cells nuclear translocation and interleukin-2 production. ORMDL3 inhibits the Ca(2+) influx mechanism at the outer mitochondrial membrane, resulting in a Ca(2+)-dependent inhibition of I(CRAC) and reduced SOCE. The effect of ORMDL3 could be mimicked by interventions that decreased mitochondrial Ca(2+) influx and reverted by buffering of cytosolic Ca(2+) or activation of mitochondrial Ca(2+) influx. In conclusion, ORMDL3 modifies key steps in the process of T-lymphocyte activation, providing a functional link between the genetic associations of the ORMDL3 gene with autoimmune and/or inflammatory diseases.