Phosphoribosyltransferase Enzyme Research Articles

Chemical synthesis, in vitro testing, and in silico Nampt-based molecular docking of novel aniline aromatic ring-substituted 2-aminothiazole analogs.

The heterocyclic 2-aminothiazoles scaffolds are used in a wide range of therapeutic applications against various diseases for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anticancer actions. In this study, we synthesized novel aniline aromatic ring-substituted 2-aminothiazole derivatives. Molecular docking was performed using Glide module of the Schrödinger Suite to fit compounds JG-49, JG-62, and KBA-18 against the Nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase (Nampt) enzyme, an intracellular regulator of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) redox cofactor involved in energy metabolism and epigenetics and are implicated in aging and metabolic diseases. The three compounds viz. JG-49, JG-62, and KBA-18 showed an increase in Nampt enzymatic activity in vitro. All three substituted derivatives of 2-aminothiazole showed no cytotoxicity with the mouse C2C12 myoblasts cultures assessed with the MTT cell viability assay. Moreover, the wound closure of the mouse C2C12 myoblasts in vitro displayed no significant difference between the treatment groups of the 2-aminothiazole derivatives compared with the control naïve and DMSO treated myoblasts cultures, except for the 2-aminothiazole substituted derivatives JG-62 and KBA-18, which showed a significant increase in the wound closure compared with the control cells at different concentrations. Taken together, we demonstrated that 2-aminothiazole substituted derivatives provide enhanced Nampt activity, wound closure, and no cytotoxic effects in vitro. Further studies will allow to improve the substitution of 2-aminothiazole derivatives and test their potential therapeutic applications.

High-throughput prioritization of target proteins for development of new antileishmanial compounds

Leishmaniasis, a vector-borne disease, is caused by the infection of Leishmania spp., obligate intracellular protozoan parasites. Presently, human vaccines are unavailable, and the primary treatment relies heavily on systemic drugs, often presenting with suboptimal formulations and substantial toxicity, making new drugs a high priority for LMIC countries burdened by the disease, but a low priority in the agenda of most pharmaceutical companies due to unattractive profit margins. New ways to accelerate the discovery of new, or the repositioning of existing drugs, are needed. To address this challenge, our study aimed to identify potential protein targets shared among clinically-relevant Leishmania species. We employed a subtractive proteomics and comparative genomics approach, integrating high-throughput multi-omics data to classify these targets based on different druggability metrics. This effort resulted in the ranking of 6502 ortholog groups of protein targets across 14 pathogenic Leishmania species. Among the top 20 highly ranked groups, metabolic processes known to be attractive drug targets, including the ubiquitination pathway, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, and purine synthesis, were rediscovered. Additionally, we unveiled novel promising targets such as the nicotinate phosphoribosyltransferase enzyme and dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferases. These groups exhibited appealing druggability features, including less than 40% sequence identity to the human host proteome, predicted essentiality, structural classification as highly druggable or druggable, and expression levels above the 50th percentile in the amastigote form. The resources presented in this work also represent a comprehensive collection of integrated data regarding trypanosomatid biology.

Targeting NAD+ Metabolism: Preclinical Insights into Potential Cancer Therapy Strategies.

NAD+ is one of the most important metabolites for cellular activities, and its biosynthesis mainly occurs through the salvage pathway using the nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase (NAMPT) enzyme. The main nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) consumers, poly-ADP-ribose-polymerases and sirtuins enzymes, are heavily involved in DNA repair and chromatin remodeling. Since cancer cells shift their energy production pathway, NAD levels are significantly affected. NAD's roles in cell survival led to the use of NAD depletion in cancer therapies. NAMPT inhibition (alone or in combination with other cancer therapies, including endocrine therapy and chemotherapy) results in decreased cell viability and tumor burden for many cancer types. Many NAMPT inhibitors (NAMPTi) tested before were discontinued due to toxicity; however, a novel NAMPTi, KPT-9274, is a promising, low-toxicity option currently in clinical trials.

Specific role of NAD+ biosynthesis reduction mediated mitochondrial dysfunction in vascular endothelial injury induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are prevalent among those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and are the leading cause of death in these individuals. However, due to clinical confounders, the mechanism by which OSA induces CVD is still unclear. Previous studies have shown that chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) and high cholesterol diet (HCD) induce distinct characteristics of atherosclerotic plaques, highlighting the specific mechanisms involved in CIH-induced vascular endothelial injury. This study aims to investigate whether nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) biosynthesis reduction-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction is responsible for vascular endothelial injury induced by CIH and to elucidate its specific role in this process. Models were established to stimulate human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with CIH and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), and the NAD+ biosynthesis-related indicators, such as NAD+ levels and nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) enzyme activity, were measured in this model. Additionally, interventions were performed by supplementing NAD+ levels with nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), inhibiting NAD+ synthesis with FK866, and evaluating mitochondrial function, oxidative stress status, vascular constriction and dilation function, and endothelial adhesion function in these models. A comparative study was conducted to assess the effects of these interventions. We found that under CIH conditions, NAMPT enzyme activity was inhibited, leading to a reduction in NAD+ biosynthesis and a decrease in NAD+/NADH ratio. At the same time, CIH caused mitochondrial dysfunction in HUVECs, including a decrease in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content and mitochondrial membrane potential, as well as the activity of respiratory chain complex I and III, induced an increase in oxidative stress levels in endothelial cells, impaired vascular constriction and dilation function, and significantly increased expression of adhesion factors. The impact of CIH on endothelial cell-related mitochondrial function and endothelial function was restored by supplementing NMN. Although ox-LDL also causes multi-level endothelial injury, it does not involve the NAD+ pathway, as there were no significant changes in the related indicators, and the impaired endothelial function under ox-LDL conditions was not restored by supplementing NMN. CIH-induced vascular endothelial injury may be associated with NAD+ biosynthesis reduction-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction. Supplementing NAD+ precursors to increase its levels may be a potential intervention to ameliorate CIH-induced vascular endothelial injury, while it does not have a significant effect on endothelial injury caused by ox-LDL.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated generation of human embryonic stem cell sub-lines with HPRT1 gene knockout to model Lesch Nyhan disease

Lesch-Nyhan disease (LND) is a X-linked genetic disease affecting boys characterized by complex neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms. LND is caused by loss of function mutations in the HPRT1 gene leading to decrease activity of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase enzyme (HGPRT) and altered purine salvage pathway (Lesch and Nyhan, 1964). This study describes the generation of isogenic clones with deletions in HPRT1 produced from one male human embryonic stem cell line using CRISPR/Cas9 strategy. Differentiation of these cells into different neuronal subtypes will help elucidating the neurodevelopmental events leading to LND and develop therapeutic strategies for this devastating neurodevelopmental disorder.

Novel carbon skeletons activate human NicotinAMide Phosphoribosyl Transferase (NAMPT) enzyme in biochemical assay.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a central molecule in cellular metabolism that has been implicated in human health, the aging process, and an array of human diseases. NAD is well known as an electron storage molecule, cycling between NAD and the reduced NADH. In addition, NAD is cleaved into nicotinamide and Adenine diphosphate ribose by NAD-consuming enzymes such as sirtuins, PARPs and CD38. There are numerous pathways for the biosynthesis of NAD to maintain a baseline concentration and thus avoid cellular death. The NAD salvage pathway, a two-step process to regenerate NAD after cleavage, is the predominant pathway for humans. Nicotinamide PhosphribosylTransferase (NAMPT) is the rate-limiting enzyme within the salvage path. Exposure to pharmacological modulators of NAMPT has been reported to either deplete or increase NAD levels. This study used a curated set of virtual compounds coupled with biochemical assays to identify novel activators of NAMPT. Autodock Vina generated a ranking of the National Cancer Institute's Diversity Set III molecular library. The library contains a set of organic molecules with diverse functional groups and carbon skeletons that can be used to identify lead compounds. The target NAMPT surface encompassed a novel binding location that included the NAMPT dimerization plane, the openings to the two active site channels, and a portion of the known binding location for NAMPT substrate and product. Ranked molecules were evaluated in a biochemical assay using purified recombinant NAMPT enzyme. Two novel carbon skeletons were confirmed to stimulate NAMPT activity. Compound 20 (NSC9037) is a polyphenolic xanthene derivative in the fluorescein family, while compound 2 (NSC19803) is the polyphenolic myricitrin nature product. Micromolar quantities of compound 20 or compound 2 can double NAMPT's product formation. In addition, natural products that contain high concentrations of polyphenolic flavonoids, similar to myricitrin, also stimulate NAMPT activity. Confirmation of a novel binding site for these compounds will further our understanding of the cellular mechanism leading to NAD homeostasis and better human health outcomes.

An Optimized Enzyme-Nucleobase Pair Enables In Vivo RNA Metabolic Labeling with Improved Cell-Specificity.

Current transcriptome-wide analyses have identified a growing number of regulatory RNA with expression that is characterized in a cell-type-specific manner. Herein, we describe RNA metabolic labeling with improved cell-specificity utilizing the in vivo expression of an optimized uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRT) enzyme. We demonstrate improved selectivity for metabolic incorporation of a modified nucleobase (5-vinyuracil) into nascent RNA, using a battery of tests. The selective incorporation of vinyl-U residues was demonstrated in 3xUPRT LM2 cells through validation with dot blot, qPCR, LC-MS/MS and microscopy analysis. We also report using this approach in a metastatic human breast cancer mouse model for profiling cell-specific nascent RNA.

Case of Self-Mutilation –Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome involves a congenital error of purine metabolism, due to the absence (or very low levels) of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) enzyme. The classic clinical phenotype of LNS was first described by Michael Lesch and William Nyhan in 1964 and is characterized by hyperuricemia, intellectual disability, severe motor deficiency, and recurring self-mutilation . Here we present a case of a 4-year-old male child with features of self-mutilation, aggression, and poor neck control and unable to sit and stand. we diagnosed him as a case of Lesch-Nyhan syndrome based on clinical features and slight hyperuricemia. Due to the lack of medical facilities, many cases of Lesch-Nyhan syndrome undergo unnoticed in many underdeveloped countries.

Probing Nascent RNA with Metabolic Incorporation of Modified Nucleosides.

The discovery of previously unknown functional roles of RNA in biological systems has led to increased interest in revealing novel RNA molecules as therapeutic targets and the development of tools to better understand the role of RNA in cells. RNA metabolic labeling broadens the scope of studying RNA by incorporating of unnatural nucleobases and nucleosides with bioorthogonal handles that can be utilized for chemical modification of newly synthesized cellular RNA. Such labeling of RNA provides access to applications including measurement of the rates of synthesis and decay of RNA, cellular imaging for RNA localization, and selective enrichment of nascent RNA from the total RNA pool. Several unnatural nucleosides and nucleobases have been shown to be incorporated into RNA by endogenous RNA synthesis machinery of the cells. RNA metabolic labeling can also be performed in a cell-specific manner, where only cells expressing an essential enzyme incorporate the unnatural nucleobase into their RNA. Although several discoveries have been enabled by the current RNA metabolic labeling methods, some key challenges still exist: (i) toxicity of unnatural analogues, (ii) lack of RNA-compatible conjugation chemistries, and (iii) background incorporation of modified analogues in cell-specific RNA metabolic labeling. In this Account, we showcase work done in our laboratory to overcome these challenges faced by RNA metabolic labeling.To begin, we discuss the cellular pathways that have been utilized to perform RNA metabolic labeling and study the interaction between nucleosides and nucleoside kinases. Then we discuss the use of vinyl nucleosides for metabolic labeling and demonstrate the low toxicity of 5-vinyluridine (5-VUrd) compared to other widely used nucleosides. Next, we discuss cell-specific RNA metabolic labeling with unnatural nucleobases, which requires the expression of a specific phosphoribosyl transferase (PRT) enzyme for incorporation of the nucleobase into RNA. In the course of this work, we discovered the enzyme uridine monophosphate synthase (UMPS), which is responsible for nonspecific labeling with modified uracil nucleobases. We were able to overcome this background labeling by discovering a mutant uracil PRT (UPRT) that demonstrates highly specific RNA metabolic labeling with 5-vinyluracil (5-VU). Furthermore, we discuss the optimization of inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) reactions for performing chemical modification of vinyl nucleosides to achieve covalent conjugation of RNA without transcript degradation. Finally, we highlight our latest endeavor: the development of mutually orthogonal chemical reactions for selective labeling of 5-VUrd and 2-vinyladenosine (2-VAdo), which allows for potential use of multiple vinyl nucleosides for simultaneous investigation of multiple cellular processes involving RNA. We hope that our methods and discoveries encourage scientists studying biological systems to include RNA metabolic labeling in their toolkit for studying RNA and its role in biological systems.

In silico study, Synthesis and evaluation purine analogues as potential antimalarial agents

The challenges concerning the control of malaria remain due to the continuous emergence of drug resistant strains. Available treatments for this disease present several limitations such as lack of efficacy, toxic side effects and drug resistance. One of the most striking differences was found in the purine metabolism, because parasites are incapable of de novo purine biosynthesis in which enzyme HGPRT is central to the purine salvage pathway and whose activity is critical for the production of the nucleotides required for DNA/RNA synthesis within this protozoan parasite. Thus, new drugs are urgently needed. Herein we have designed, docked, synthesized and screened 9-alkyl purine derivatives for antimalarial activity against pfHGPRT. We have reported four compounds with promising activity against the highly artimisnin resistant P. falciparum namely: compounds 2,6-dichloro-9-(propan-2-yl)-9H-purine (1a), 9-Butyl-2,6-dichloro-9H-purine (1b), 2,6-dichloro-9-(2-methylbutyl)-9H-purine (1c), 2,6-dichloro-9-pentyl-9H-purine (1d) and binding energies to predictable antimalarial agents (-5.1, -5.3, -5.5 and -5.6 kcal/mole and rmsd 1.198, 1.238, 1.354 and 1.554 respectively). These analogs have acceptable binding interactions, Moreover, an in silico docking study revealed that P. falciparum and hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase enzymes could be the potential targets of those compounds. Our study identified novel, purine-based chemotypes that could be further optimized to generate potent and diversified anti-parasitic drugs against malaria.

Encephalomalacia/gliosis, deep venous thrombosis, and cancer in Arg393His antithrombin Hanoi and the potential impact of the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) on thrombosis and cancer.

A heterozygous Arg393His point mutation at the reactive site of antithrombin (AT) gene causing thrombosis in a Vietnamese patient is reported and named as Arg393His in AT-Hanoi. The present variant is characterized by a severe reduction of functionally active AT plasma concentration to 42% of normal resulting in multiple severe thrombotic events such as cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) (encephalomalacia/gliosis), recurrent deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and the development of kidney cancer. Today the complexity of thrombophilia has grown with appreciation that multiple inherited and acquired risk factors may interact to result in a clinically thrombotic phenotype. This article focuses on the following issues: (1) pathophysiology and clinical conditions of Arg393His in AT-Hanoi; (2) “two way association” between cancer and thrombosis in which venous thromboembolism (VTE) can be both a presenting sign and a complication of cancer; (3) efficacy of anticoagulants used for the prevention of cancer-related thrombosis; (4) conditions of acquired risk factors such as cancer or genetic disorders via epigenetic modifications in gene-gene (epistasis) and/or gene-environment interactions such as in Lesch-Nyhan disease (LND), in which the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) that may interact to predispose a patient to thrombosis and cancer. It is also necessary to study the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGprt) enzyme, AT, and APP using expression vectors for exploring their impact on LND, thrombosis as well as other human diseases, especially the ones related to APP such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cancer. For such a purpose, the construction of expression vectors for HGprt and APP, with or without the glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor, was performed as described in Ref. #148 (Nguyen, K. V., Naviaux, R. K., Nyhan, W. L. Lesch-Nyhan disease: I. Construction of expression vectors for hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGprt) enzyme and amyloid precursor protein (APP). Nucleosides Nucleotides Nucleic Acids 2020, 39: 905–922). In the same manner, the construction of expression vectors for AT and APP can be performed as shown in Figure 6. These expressions vectors, with or without GPI anchor, could be used as tools for (a) studying the effects of Arg393His mutation in AT; (b) studying the emerging role of Arg393His mutation in AT and cancer; (c) studying intermolecular interactions between APP and AT.Furthermore, the construction of expression vectors as described in Ref. #148, especially the one with GPI, can be used as a model for the construction of expression vectors for any protein targeting to the cell plasma membrane for studying intermolecular interactions and could be therefore useful in the vaccines as well as antiviral drugs development (studying intermolecular interactions between the spike glycoprotein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2, as well as its variants and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, ACE2, in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [155],[156], for example).

The nucleotide messenger (p)ppGpp is an anti-inducer of the purine synthesis transcription regulator PurR in Bacillus.

The nucleotide messenger (p)ppGpp allows bacteria to adapt to fluctuating environments by reprogramming the transcriptome. Despite its well-recognized role in gene regulation, (p)ppGpp is only known to directly affect transcription in Proteobacteria by binding to the RNA polymerase. Here, we reveal a different mechanism of gene regulation by (p)ppGpp in Firmicutes: (p)ppGpp directly binds to the transcription factor PurR to downregulate purine biosynthesis gene expression upon amino acid starvation. We first identified PurR as a receptor of (p)ppGpp in Bacillus anthracis. A co-structure with Bacillus subtilis PurR reveals that (p)ppGpp binds to a PurR pocket reminiscent of the active site of phosphoribosyltransferase enzymes that has been repurposed to serve a purely regulatory role, where the effectors (p)ppGpp and PRPP compete to allosterically control transcription. PRPP inhibits PurR DNA binding to induce transcription of purine synthesis genes, whereas (p)ppGpp antagonizes PRPP to enhance PurR DNA binding and repress transcription. A (p)ppGpp-refractory purR mutant in B. subtilis fails to downregulate purine synthesis genes upon amino acid starvation. Our work establishes the precedent of (p)ppGpp as an effector of a classical transcription repressor and reveals the key function of (p)ppGpp in regulating nucleotide synthesis through gene regulation, from soil bacteria to pathogens.

A patient with Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome presenting with anesthetic challenges: Not an exception, but the rule

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (LNS) is a rare X-linked recessive disorder characterized by errors in purine metabolism that result in uric acid overproduction. The disease is caused by deficient levels of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) enzyme, which is encoded by the HPRT1 gene. We present a clinically diagnosed case of LNS presenting with typical symptoms of delayed global development, neurological dysfunction and self-mutilating behavior. Sequence analysis of the HPRT1 gene revealed the presence of a pathogenic R170* variant in the proband. While this variant was absent in the father, it was present in the mother suggesting carrier status, as is expected for an X-linked condition. The proband, like other LNS patients, had a history of unresponsiveness to commonly used anesthetics during outpatient surgical procedures. We provide genetic evidence against the potential use of succinylcholine in the proband and in his father due to the presence of genetic variants in the butyrylcholinesterase ( BCHE ) gene. Furthermore, the mechanism underlying the lack of response to Benzodiazepine in the proband and the anesthetic apnea in response to propofol in other LNS patients is discussed. This study highlights the abnormal responses to anesthetics in LNS patients and provides impetus for the development of guidelines for the safe use of anesthetics in these patients. • Patient diagnosed with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome had a pathologic mutation in the HPRT1 gene and the mother of the patient was a carrier of this HPRT1 gene mutation • The patient was unresponsive to Benzodiazepine in two separate surgical procedures • BCHE gene mutations in the patient would likely negate the use of succinylcholine as an anesthetic • Several LNS patients exhibited anesthetic apnea in response to propofol • Development of guidelines addressing the use of anesthetics in LNS patients is highlighted

Novel Purine Chemotypes with Activity against Plasmodium falciparum and Trypanosoma cruzi.

Malaria and Chagas disease, caused by Plasmodium spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi parasites, remain important global health problems. Available treatments for those diseases present several limitations, such as lack of efficacy, toxic side effects, and drug resistance. Thus, new drugs are urgently needed. The discovery of new drugs may be benefited by considering the significant biological differences between hosts and parasites. One of the most striking differences is found in the purine metabolism, because most of the parasites are incapable of de novo purine biosynthesis. Herein, we have analyzed the in vitro anti-P. falciparum and anti-T. cruzi activity of a collection of 81 purine derivatives and pyrimidine analogs. We firstly used a primary screening at three fixed concentrations (100, 10, and 1 µM) and progressed those compounds that kept the growth of the parasites < 30% at 100 µM to dose–response assays. Then, we performed two different cytotoxicity assays on Vero cells and human HepG2 cells. Finally, compounds specifically active against T. cruzi were tested against intracellular amastigote forms. Purines 33 (IC50 = 19.19 µM) and 76 (IC50 = 18.27 µM) were the most potent against P. falciparum. On the other hand, 6D (IC50 = 3.78 µM) and 34 (IC50 = 4.24 µM) were identified as hit purines against T. cruzi amastigotes. Moreover, an in silico docking study revealed that P. falciparum and T. cruzi hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase enzymes could be the potential targets of those compounds. Our study identified two novel, purine-based chemotypes that could be further optimized to generate potent and diversified anti-parasitic drugs against both parasites.

Functional Studies of α-Riboside Activation by the α-Ribazole Kinase (CblS) from Geobacillus kaustophilus.

We report the initial characterization of the α-ribazole (α-R) kinase enzyme of Geobacillus kaustophilus (GkCblS), which converts α-R to α-R-phosphate (α-RP) during the synthesis of cobamides. We implemented a continuous spectrophotometric assay to obtain kinetic parameters for several potential substrates and to study the specificity of the enzyme for α-N-linked ribosides. The apparent Km values for α-R and ATP were 358 and 297 μM, respectively. We also report methods for synthesizing and quantifying non-commercially available α-ribosides and β-ribazole (β-R). Purified GkCblS activated α-R and other α-ribosides, including α-adenosine (α-Ado). GkCblS did not phosphorylate β-N-linked glycosides like β-adenosine or β-R. Expression of G. kaustophilus cblS+ in a Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica sv Typhimurium LT2 (S. enterica) strain lacking the nicotinate mononucleotide:5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole phosphoribosyl transferase (CobT) enzyme resulted in the activation of various benzimidazole α-ribosides, and the synthesis of benzimidazolyl cobamides to levels that supported robust growth. Notably, α-Ado did not support growth under similar conditions, in spite of the fact that GkCblS phosphorylated α-Ado in vitro. When α-Ado was provided at a very high concentration, growth was observed. This result suggested that in S. enterica α-Ado transport may be inefficient. We conclude that GkCblS has specificity for α-N-glycosidic bonds, but not for the base in α-ribosides.

Antitubercular, Antimalarial Activity and Molecular Docking Study of New Synthesized 7-Chloroquinoline Derivatives

We have synthesized a new series of 7-chloroquinoline derivatives by a single step choro-amine coupling reaction. Compounds 3a–l was tested for in vitro antitubercular and antimalarial agent. Compounds 3a and 3 b were more active than rifampicin against M. tuberculosis H37Rv and compound 3a was more active against P. falciparum strain as compared to quinine. Furthermore, compounds 3b and 3c were found to possess excellent activity as compared to quinine. These compounds could be considered as a new broad spectrum antitubercular and antimalarial agent. All the synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, Mass, 1HNMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Molecular docking studies were also done subsequently, using target, shikimate kinase (2IYZ) and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (1BZY) enzyme to find the structural requirement for activity for these series of compounds.

Crystal structures of anthranilate phosphoribosyltransferase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Anthranilate phosphoribosyltransferase (AnPRT) catalyzes the transfer of the phosphoribosyl group of 5'-phosphoribosyl-1'-pyrophosphate (PRPP) to anthranilate to form phosphoribosyl-anthranilate. Crystal structures of AnPRTs from bacteria and archaea have previously been determined; however, the structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae AnPRT (ScAnPRT) still remains unsolved. Here, crystal structures of ScAnPRT in the apo form as well as in complex with its substrate PRPP and the substrate analogue 4-fluoroanthranilate (4FA) are presented. These structures demonstrate that ScAnPRT exhibits the conserved structural fold of type III phosphoribosyltransferase enzymes and shares the similar mode of substrate binding found across the AnPRT protein family. In addition, crystal structures of ScAnPRT mutants (ScAnPRTSer121Ala and ScAnPRTGly141Asn) were also determined. These structures suggested that the conserved residue Ser121 is critical for binding PRPP, while Gly141 is dispensable for binding 4FA. In summary, these structures improved the preliminary understanding of the substrate-binding mode of ScAnPRT and laid foundations for future research.

Deep Brain Stimulation of the Internal Pallidum in Lesch–Nyhan Syndrome: Clinical Outcomes and Connectivity Analysis

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (LNS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by a deficiency of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase enzyme. It manifests during infancy with compulsive self-mutilation behavior associated with disabling generalized dystonia and dyskinesia. Clinical management of these patients poses an enormous challenge for medical teams and carers. We report our experience with bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) in the management of this complex disorder. Preoperative and postoperative functional assessment data prospectively collected by a multidisciplinary pediatric complex motor disorders team, including imaging, neuropsychology, and neurophysiology evaluations were analyzed with regards to motor and behavioral control, goal achievement, and patient and caregivers' expectations. Four male patients (mean age 13 years) underwent DBS implantation between 2011 and 2018. Three patients received double bilateral DBS electrodes within the posteroventral GPi and the anteromedial GPi, whereas one patient had bilateral electrodes placed in the posteroventral GPi only. Median follow-up was 47.5 months (range 22-98 months). Functional improvement was observed in all patients and discussed in relation to previous reports. Analysis of structural connectivity revealed significant correlation between the involvement of specific cortical regions and clinical outcome. Combined bilateral stimulation of the anteromedial and posteroventral GPi may be considered as an option for managing refractory dystonia and self-harm behavior in LNS patients. A multidisciplinary team-based approach is essential for patient selection and management, to support children and families, to achieve functional improvement and alleviate the overall disease burden for patients and caregivers.

Potential molecular link between the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGprt) enzyme in Lesch-Nyhan disease and cancer.

Lesch-Nyhan disease (LND) is a rare X-linked inherited neurogenetic disorders of purine metabolic in which the cytoplasmic enzyme, hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGprt) is defective. Despite having been characterized over 60 years ago, however, up to now, there is no satisfactory explanation of how deficits in enzyme HGprt can lead to LND with the development of the persistent and severe self-injurious behavior. Recently, a role for epistasis between the mutated hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase 1 (HPRT1) and the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) genes affecting the regulation of alternative APP pre-mRNA splicing in LND has been demonstrated. Furthermore, there were also some reported cases of LND developing thrombosis while APP is an important regulator of vein thrombosis and controls coagulation. Otherwise, the surface expression of HGprt enzyme was also observed in several somatic tissue cancers while APP and the APP-like protein-2 (APLP2) are deregulated in cancer cells and linked to increased tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. The present review provides a discussion about these findings and suggests a potential molecular link between APP and HGprt via epistasis between HPRT1 and APP genes affecting the regulation of alternative APP pre-mRNA splicing. As a perspective, expression vectors for HGprt enzyme and APP are constructed as described in Ref. # 24 (Nguyen KV, Naviaux RK, Nyhan WL (2020) Lesch-Nyhan disease: I. Construction of expression vectors for hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGprt) enzyme and amyloid precursor protein (APP). Nucleosides Nucleotides Nucleic Acids 39: 905–922), and they could be used as tools for clarification of these issues. In addition, these expression vectors, especially the one with the glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor can be used as a model for the construction of expression vectors for any protein targeting to the cell plasma membrane for studying intermolecular interactions and could be therefore useful in the vaccines as well as antiviral drugs development (studying intermolecular interactions between the spike glycoprotein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2, as well as its variants and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, ACE2, in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [43],[44], for example).

Nanoparticle-Encapsulated NAMPT Inhibitors Administered via Convection Enhanced Delivery as a Novel Glioma Radiosensitization Strategy

Mutations of protein phosphatase magnesium-dependent 1D (PPM1D, also known as WIP1) are found in a wide range of brain tumors, including gliomas such as diffuse midline glioma (DMG). PPM1D is a known oncogene, and the phosphatase is involved in pathways crucial for genomic integrity. Recently, we discovered that activating PPM1D mutations induce a silencing of nicotinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase (NAPRT), a key protein involved in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) biosynthesis, leading to decreased NAD levels. This can be exploited with inhibitors of the nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) enzyme (NAMPTi). NAMPTi’s have been tested clinically and have shown promise as chemo- and radio-sensitizers. However, their success has been curbed by factors such as significant dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) and poor CNS penetration. Administering NAMPTi’s via convection-enhanced delivery (CED) has the potential to obviate these impediments. However, infused drugs rarely persist in the brain beyond 12h. One way to circumvent this limitation is to encapsulate drugs in nanoparticles (NP). NPs have multiple advantages, including sustained release, reduced clearance, and improved stability. This work aims to develop and test NP-encapsulated NAMPTi’s with the intent of treating PPM1D-mutated DMGs in combination with radiation therapy (RT). NP formulations were created with single emulsion and nanoprecipitation techniques using 2 NAMPTi’s and 4 polymers. Formulations were characterized, and stability was tested in artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF). Uptake of NPs was assessed with fluorescence microscopy. Efficacy was evaluated using isogenic cell lines (+/- PPM1D mutation) assayed for NAD levels. Safety, stability, and retention was evaluated in vivo with intracranial CED utilizing a rat model and LC-MS. The NAMPTi GMX-1778 was efficiently encapsulated into NPs (GMX-NP) with multiple polymers (e.g. PLA-PEG, PLA-HPG, and PLGA) with yields of 68-82%. GMX encapsulation ranged from 2-10 ug GMX/mg NP. When compared to single emulsion, the nanoprecipitation method produced significantly smaller NPs with higher drug concentration (up to 50 ug GMX/mg NP). NPs demonstrated near 100% cellular uptake within 24h. GMX-NP is stable for at least 21d in aCSF at 37°C. When exposed to GMX-NP for 24h, NAD was potently depleted in a dose-dependent manner (25, 50, 75 nM GMX). Compared to WT, PPM1D mutants demonstrated 7x higher sensitivity. Finally, GMX-NP was safely and effectively infused intracranially into rats with no adverse events. LC-MS analysis of brain samples demonstrated excellent retention of GMX-NP 24h after CED. This work successfully developed a NP-encapsulated NAMPTi with in vitro efficacy and in vivo safety and stability. Additional studies will continue to refine and characterize these formulations as well as assess in vivo efficacy. These data lay the groundwork for future combinations of NAMPTi NPs with RT.