Filippo Favretto, Eva Jiménez-Faraco, Gianluca Catucci, Adele Di Matteo, Carlo Travaglini-Allocatelli, Sheila J Sadeghi, Paola Dominici, Juan A Hermoso, Alessandra Astegno
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis persists as a prevalent disease, facing challenges from parasite resistance and treatment side effects. Consequently, identifying new drugs by exploring novel protein targets is essential for effective intervention. Cyclosporin A (CsA) possesses antiparasitic activity against Toxoplasma gondii, with cyclophilins identified as possible targets. However, CsA immunosuppressive nature hinders its use as an antitoxoplasmosis agent. Here, we evaluate the potential of three CsA derivatives devoid of immunosuppressive activity, namely, NIM811, Alisporivir, and dihydrocyclosporin A to target a previously characterized cyclophilin from Toxoplasma gondii (TgCyp23). We determined the X-ray crystal structures of TgCyp23 in complex with the three analogs and elucidated their binding and inhibitory properties. The high resolution of the structures revealed the precise positioning of ligands within the TgCyp23 binding site and the details of protein-ligand interactions. A comparison with the established ternary structure involving calcineurin indicates that substitutions at position 4 in CsA derivatives prevent calcineurin binding. This finding provides a molecular explanation for why CsA analogs can target Toxoplasma cyclophilins without compromising the human immune response.
期刊介绍:
Protein Science, the flagship journal of The Protein Society, is a publication that focuses on advancing fundamental knowledge in the field of protein molecules. The journal welcomes original reports and review articles that contribute to our understanding of protein function, structure, folding, design, and evolution.
Additionally, Protein Science encourages papers that explore the applications of protein science in various areas such as therapeutics, protein-based biomaterials, bionanotechnology, synthetic biology, and bioelectronics.
The journal accepts manuscript submissions in any suitable format for review, with the requirement of converting the manuscript to journal-style format only upon acceptance for publication.
Protein Science is indexed and abstracted in numerous databases, including the Agricultural & Environmental Science Database (ProQuest), Biological Science Database (ProQuest), CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service (ACS), Embase (Elsevier), Health & Medical Collection (ProQuest), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Materials Science & Engineering Database (ProQuest), MEDLINE/PubMed (NLM), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), and SciTech Premium Collection (ProQuest).