Molecular Pharmacology最新文献

{"title":"Interaction of the Melatonin/Ca²⁺-CaM Complex with Calmodulin Kinase II: Physiological Importance.","authors":"Gloria Benítez-King, Jesús Argueta, Armida Miranda-Riestra, Jairo Muñoz-Delgado, Rosa Estrada-Reyes","doi":"10.1124/molpharm.123.000812","DOIUrl":"10.1124/molpharm.123.000812","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Melatonin <i>N</i>-acetyl-5-methoxytriptamine is an ancient molecule which synchronizes the internal biologic activity with the environmental photoperiod. It is synthesized by the pineal gland during the night and released to the general circulation, where it reaches nanomolar concentrations. The indolamine acts through melatonin receptors and binds to different proteins such as calmodulin: a phylogenetically conserved protein which is the main transductor of the calcium signaling. In this review, we will describe evidence supporting that melatonin binds to calmodulin in presence of calcium, and we discuss the effects of this indolamine on the activity of calmodulin kinase II as an inhibitor and as stimulator of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activity. We also provide a literature review supporting the relevance of melatonin binding to calmodulin in the regulation of circadian rhythms in unicellular organisms, as well as in neuronal development in mammals as an ancient, conserved mechanism. Finally, we highlight the importance of antioxidant effects of melatonin on calmodulin preservation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This review compiled evidence supporting that melatonin binds to calmodulin. We discuss the dual effect of melatonin on the activity of calmodulin kinase II, the possible mechanisms involved, and the relevance on regulation of circadian rhythms and neurodevelopment. Finally, we describe evidence supporting that the binding of melatonin to calmodulin hydrophobic pockets may prevent the oxidation of methionine species with a shielding effect that preserves the functionality of calmodulin.</p>","PeriodicalId":18767,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Pharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"3-12"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141175605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction to \"Sex Differences in Cardiovascular Impact of Early Metabolic Impairment: Interplay between Dysbiosis and Adipose Inflammation\".","authors":"","doi":"10.1124/molpharm.121.000338err","DOIUrl":"10.1124/molpharm.121.000338err","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18767,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Pharmacology","volume":"105 6","pages":"411"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140957932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Growing Class of Novel RNAi Therapeutics","authors":"Gavin M. Traber, Ai-Ming Yu","doi":"10.1124/molpharm.124.000895","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1124/molpharm.124.000895","url":null,"abstract":"The clinical use of RNA interference (RNAi) molecular mechanisms has introduced a novel, growing class of RNA therapeutics capable of treating diseases by controlling target gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. With the newly approved nedosiran (Rivfloza{trade mark, serif}), there are now six RNAi-based therapeutics approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Interestingly, five of the six FDA-approved small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics [patisiran (Onpattro{trade mark, serif}), lumasiran (Oxlumo{trade mark, serif}), inclisiran (Leqvio{trade mark, serif}), vutrisiran (Amvuttra{trade mark, serif}), and nedosiran] were revealed to act on the 3'-untranslated regions of target mRNAs, instead of coding sequences, thereby following the common mechanistic action of genome-derived microRNAs (miRNA). Furthermore, three of the FDA-approved siRNA therapeutics [patisiran, givosiran (Givlaari{trade mark, serif}), and nedosiran] induce target mRNA degradation or cleavage via near-complete rather than complete base-pair complementarity. These features along with previous findings confound the currently held characteristics to distinguish siRNAs and miRNAs or biosimilars, of which all converge in the RNAi regulatory pathway action. Herein, we discuss the RNAi mechanism of action and current criteria for distinguishing between miRNAs and siRNAs while summarizing the common and unique chemistry and molecular pharmacology of the six FDA-approved siRNA therapeutics. The term \"RNAi\" therapeutics, as used previously, provides a coherently unified nomenclature for broader RNAi forms as well as the growing number of therapeutic siRNAs and miRNAs or biosimilars that best aligns with current pharmacological nomenclature by mechanism of action.","PeriodicalId":18767,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Pharmacology","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140885076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intracellular allosteric antagonist of the olfactory receptor OR51E2","authors":"Tatjana Abaffy, Olivia Fu, Maira Harume-Nagai, Josh M. Goldenberg, Victor Kenyon, Terry Kenakin","doi":"10.1124/molpharm.123.000843","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1124/molpharm.123.000843","url":null,"abstract":"Olfactory receptors are members of Class A (rhodopsin-like) family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Their expression and function have been increasingly studied in nonolfactory tissues, and many have been identified as potential therapeutic targets. In this manuscript, we focus on discovery of novel ligands for the olfactory receptor OR51E2. We performed an artificial-intelligence-based virtual drug screen of a ~2.2 million small molecule library. Cell-based functional assay identified compound 80 (C80) as an antagonist and inverse agonist, and detailed pharmacological analysis revealed C80 acts as a negative allosteric modulator (NAM) by significantly decreasing the agonist efficacy, while having a minimal effect on receptor affinity for agonist. C80 binds to an allosteric binding site formed by a network of 9 residues localized in the intracellular parts of TM 3, 5, 6, 7 and H8, which also partially overlaps with a G-protein binding site. Mutational experiments of residues involved in C80 binding uncovered the significance of C240^6.37 position in blocking the activation-related conformational change and keeping the receptor in the inactive form. Our study provides a mechanistic understanding for a negative allosteric action of C80 on agonist activated OR51E2. We believe identification of antagonist of OR51E2 will enable multitude studies aiming to determine the functional role of this receptor in specific biological process.","PeriodicalId":18767,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Pharmacology","volume":"151 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140889859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Circumvention of Topoisomerase IIα Intron 19 Intronic Polyadenylation (IPA) in Acquired Etoposide Resistant Human Leukemia K562 Cells","authors":"Xinyi Wang, Jessika Carvajal-Moreno, Xinyu Zhao, Junan Li, Victor A. Hernandez, Jack C. Yalowich, Terry S. Elton","doi":"10.1124/molpharm.124.000868","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1124/molpharm.124.000868","url":null,"abstract":"DNA topoisomerase IIα (TOP2α, 170kDa, TOP2α/170) is an essential enzyme for proper chromosome dysjunction by producing transient DNA double-stranded breaks and is a significant target for DNA damage stabilizing anti-cancer agents such as etoposide. Therapeutic effects of TOP2α poisons can be limited due to acquired drug resistance. We previously demonstrated decreased TOP2α/170 levels in an etoposide-resistant human leukemia K562 subline, designated K/VP.5, accompanied by increased expression of a C-terminal truncated TOP2α isoform (90 kDa, TOP2α/90) which heterodimerized with TOP2α/170 and was a determinant of resistance by exhibiting dominant-negative effects against etoposide activity. Based on 3′-Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (3′-RACE), we confirmed TOP2α/90 as the translation product of a TOP2α mRNA in which a cryptic polyadenylation site (PAS) harbored in intron 19 (I19) was utilized. We hypothesized that resultant intronic polyadenylation (IPA) can would be attenuated by blocking or mutating the I19 PAS thereby circumventing acquired drug resistance. An antisense morpholino oligonucleotide (AMO) was used to hybridize/block the PAS in TOP2α pre-mRNA in K/VP.5 cells, resulting in decreased TOP2α/90 mRNA/protein levels in K/VP.5 cells and partially circumventing drug resistance. Subsequently, CRISPR/Cas9 homology-directed repair (HDR) was used to mutate the cryptic I19 PAS (A<span>ATA</span>AA--&gt;A<span>CCC</span>AA) to prevent IPA. Gene-edited clones exhibited increased TOP2α/170 and decreased TOP2α/90 mRNA/protein and demonstrated restored sensitivity to etoposide and other TOP2α-targeted drugs. Together, results indicated that blocking/mutating a cryptic I19 PAS in K/VP.5 cells reduced IPA and restored sensitivity to TOP2α-targeting drugs.","PeriodicalId":18767,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Pharmacology","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140884999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor can signal through multiple G protein families","authors":"Jeffrey S Smith, Ari S Hilibrand, Meredith A Skiba, Andrew N Dates, Victor G Calvillo-Miranda, Andrew C. Kruse","doi":"10.1124/molpharm.123.000818","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1124/molpharm.123.000818","url":null,"abstract":"The M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M₃R) is a G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) that regulates important physiological processes including vascular tone, bronchoconstriction, and insulin secretion. It is expressed on a wide variety of cell types, including pancreatic beta, smooth muscle, neuronal, and immune cells. Agonist binding to the M₃R is thought to initiate intracellular signaling events primarily through the heterotrimeric G protein Gq. However, reports differ on the ability of M₃R to couple to other G proteins beyond Gq. Using members from the four primary G protein families (Gq, Gi, Gs, and G13) in radioligand binding, GTP turnover experiments, and cellular signaling assays including live cell G protein dissociation and second messenger assessment of cAMP and inositol trisphosphate, we show that other G protein families, particularly Gi and Gs, can also interact with the human M₃R. We further show that these interactions are productive as assessed by amplification of classical second messenger signaling events. Our findings demonstrate that the M₃R is more promiscuous with respect to G protein interactions than previously appreciated.","PeriodicalId":18767,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Pharmacology","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140626512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"2023 Julius Axelrod Symposium: Plant-Derived Molecules Acting on G Protein-Coupled Receptors.","authors":"Nedjma Labani, Florence Gbahou, Shuangyu Lian, Jianfeng Liu, Ralf Jockers","doi":"10.1124/molpharm.123.000854","DOIUrl":"10.1124/molpharm.123.000854","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant extracts have played a significant role in traditional medicine for centuries, contributing to improved health and the treatment of various human illnesses. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are crucial in numerous physiologic functions, and there is growing evidence suggesting their involvement in the therapeutic effects of many plant extracts. In recent years, scientists have identified an expanding number of isolated molecules responsible for the biologic activity of these extracts, with many believed to act on GPCRs. This article critically reviews the evidence supporting the modulation of GPCR function by these plant-derived molecules through direct binding. Structural information is now available for some of these molecules, allowing for a comparison of their binding mode with that of endogenous GPCR ligands. The final section explores future trends and challenges, focusing on the identification of new plant-derived molecules with both orthosteric and allosteric binding modes, as well as innovative strategies for designing GPCR ligands inspired by these plant-derived compounds. In conclusion, plant-derived molecules are anticipated to play an increasingly vital role as therapeutic drugs and serve as templates for drug design. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This minireview summarizes the most pertinent publications on isolated plant-derived molecules interacting with G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and comments on available structural information on GPCR/plant-derived ligand pairs. Future challenges and trends for the isolation and characterization of plant-derived molecules and drug design are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":18767,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Pharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"328-347"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140065545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Conversation with ChatGPT on Contentious Issues in Senescence and Cancer Research.","authors":"Ahmed M Elshazly, Uruk Shahin, Sofian Al Shboul, David A Gewirtz, Tareq Saleh","doi":"10.1124/molpharm.124.000871","DOIUrl":"10.1124/molpharm.124.000871","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, such as Generative Pretrained Transformer (ChatGPT), have achieved a high degree of popularity within the scientific community due to their utility in providing evidence-based reviews of the literature. However, the accuracy and reliability of the information output and the ability to provide critical analysis of the literature, especially with respect to highly controversial issues, has generally not been evaluated. In this work, we arranged a question/answer session with ChatGPT regarding several unresolved questions in the field of cancer research relating to therapy-induced senescence (TIS), including the topics of senescence reversibility, its connection to tumor dormancy, and the pharmacology of the newly emerging drug class of senolytics. ChatGPT generally provided responses consistent with the available literature, although occasionally overlooking essential components of the current understanding of the role of TIS in cancer biology and treatment. Although ChatGPT, and similar AI platforms, have utility in providing an accurate evidence-based review of the literature, their outputs should still be considered carefully, especially with respect to unresolved issues in tumor biology. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Artificial Intelligence platforms have provided great utility for researchers to investigate biomedical literature in a prompt manner. However, several issues arise when it comes to certain unresolved biological questions, especially in the cancer field. This work provided a discussion with ChatGPT regarding some of the yet-to-be-fully-elucidated conundrums of the role of therapy-induced senescence in cancer treatment and highlights the strengths and weaknesses in utilizing such platforms for analyzing the scientific literature on this topic.</p>","PeriodicalId":18767,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Pharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"313-327"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11026153/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140065546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Therapeutic Potential for Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 7 Modulators in Cognitive Disorders.","authors":"Harrison H Parent, Colleen M Niswender","doi":"10.1124/molpharm.124.000874","DOIUrl":"10.1124/molpharm.124.000874","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGlu₇) is the most highly conserved and abundantly expressed mGlu receptor in the human brain. The presynaptic localization of mGlu₇, coupled with its low affinity for its endogenous agonist, glutamate, are features that contribute to the receptor's role in modulating neuronal excitation and inhibition patterns, including long-term potentiation, in various brain regions. These characteristics suggest that mGlu₇ modulation may serve as a novel therapeutic strategy in disorders of cognitive dysfunction, including neurodevelopmental disorders that cause impairments in learning, memory, and attention. Primary mutations in the <i>GRM7</i> gene have recently been identified as novel causes of neurodevelopmental disorders, and these patients exhibit profound intellectual and cognitive disability. Pharmacological tools, such as agonists, antagonists, and allosteric modulators, have been the mainstay for targeting mGlu₇ in its endogenous homodimeric form to probe effects of its function and modulation in disease models. However, recent research has identified diversity in dimerization, as well as trans-synaptic interacting proteins, that also play a role in mGlu₇ signaling and pharmacological properties. These novel findings represent exciting opportunities in the field of mGlu receptor drug discovery and highlight the importance of further understanding the functions of mGlu₇ in complex neurologic conditions at both the molecular and physiologic levels. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Proper expression and function of mGlu₇ is essential for learning, attention, and memory formation at the molecular level within neural circuits. The pharmacological targeting of mGlu₇ is undergoing a paradigm shift by incorporating an understanding of receptor interaction with other <i>cis-</i> and <i>trans-</i> acting synaptic proteins, as well as various intracellular signaling pathways. Based upon these new findings, mGlu₇'s potential as a drug target in the treatment of cognitive disorders and learning impairments is primed for exploration.</p>","PeriodicalId":18767,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Pharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"348-358"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11026152/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139996761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of a Novel Assay for Direct Assessment of Selective Amylin Receptor Activation Reveals Novel Differences in Behavior of Selective and Nonselective Peptide Agonists.","authors":"Peter Keov, George Christopoulos, Caroline A Hick, Tine Glendorf, Borja Ballarín-González, Denise Wootten, Patrick M Sexton","doi":"10.1124/molpharm.123.000865","DOIUrl":"10.1124/molpharm.123.000865","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonists (DACRAs) show promise as efficacious therapeutics for treatment of metabolic disease, including obesity. However, differences in efficacy in vivo have been observed for individual DACRAs, indicating that detailed understanding of the pharmacology of these agents across target receptors is required for rational drug development. To date, such understanding has been hampered by lack of direct, subtype-selective, functional assays for the amylin receptors (AMYRs). Here, we describe the generation of receptor-specific assays for recruitment of Venus-tagged Gs protein through fusion of luciferase to either the human calcitonin receptor (CTR), human receptor activity-modifying protein (RAMP)-1, RAMP1 (AMY₁R), human RAMP2 (AMY₂R), or human RAMP3 (AMY₃R). These assays revealed a complex pattern of receptor activation by calcitonin, amylin, or DACRA peptides that was distinct at each receptor subtype. Of particular note, although both of the CT-based DACRAs, sCT and AM1784, displayed relatively similar behaviors at CTR and AMY₁R, they generated distinct responses at AMY₂R and AMY₃R. These data aid the rationalization of in vivo differences in response to DACRA peptides in rodent models of obesity. Direct assessment of the pharmacology of novel DACRAs at AMYR subtypes is likely to be important for development of optimized therapeutics for treatment of metabolic diseases. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Amylin receptors (AMYRs) are important obesity targets. Here we describe a novel assay that allows selective functional assessment of individual amylin receptor subtypes that provides unique insight into the pharmacology of potential therapeutic ligands. Direct assessment of the pharmacology of novel agonists at AMYR subtypes is likely to be important for development of optimized therapeutics for treatment of metabolic diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":18767,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Pharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"359-373"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140065544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}