Towards a New Generation of Anti-HIV Drugs : Interaction Kinetic Analysis of Enzyme Inhibitors Using SPR-biosensors

As of today, there are 25 drugs approved for the treatment of HIV and AIDS. Nevertheless, HIV continues to infect and kill millions of people every year. Despite intensive research efforts, both a vaccine and a cure remain elusive and the long term efficacy of existing drugs is limited by the development of resistant HIV strains. New drugs and preventive strategies that are effective against resistant virus are therefore still needed. In this thesis an enzymological approach, primarily using SPR-based interaction kinetic analysis, has been used for identification and characterization of compounds of potential use in next generation anti-HIV drugs. By screening of a targeted non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) library, one novel and highly potent NNRTI was identified. The inhibitor was selected with respect to resilience to drug resistance and for high affinity and slow dissociation – a kinetic profile assumed to be suitable for inhibitors used in topical microbicides. In order to confirm the hypothesis that such a kinetic profile would result in an effective preventive agent with long-lasting effect, the correlation between antiviral effect and kinetic profile was investigated for a panel of NNRTIs. The kinetic profiles revealed that NNRTI efficacy is dependent on slow dissociation from the target, although the induced fit interaction mechanism prevented quantification of the rate constants. To avoid cross-resistance, the next generation anti-HIV drugs should be based on chemical entities that do not resemble drugs in clinical use, either in structure or mode-of-action. Fragment-based drug discovery was used for identification of structurally new inhibitors of HIV-enzymes. One fragment that was effective also on variants of HIV RT with resistance mutations was identified. The study revealed the possibility of identifying structurally novel NNRTIs as well as fragments interacting with other sites of the protein. The two compounds identified in this thesis represent potential starting points for a new generation of NNRTIs. The applied methodologies also show how interaction kinetic analysis can be used as an effective and versatile tool throughout the lead discovery process, especially when integrated with functional enzymological assays

Coupling stabilizers open K _V 1-type potassium channels

Significance Voltage-gated ion channels are transmembrane pores responsible for the generation and transmission of nervous impulses. They are also obvious targets for pharmaceutical drugs against neurological diseases. A challenge is to develop compounds that target a specific ion channel. Here, we report on the discovery of a large family of compounds that specifically open one subfamily of potassium channels. These compounds act on the linker between the channel’s voltage sensor and gate to keep the channel open. These findings open up an avenue for the development of ion-channel modulators.</jats:p

Coupling stabilizers open K_V1-type potassium channels

The opening and closing of voltage-gated ion channels are regulated by voltage sensors coupled to a gate that controls the ion flux across the cellular membrane. Modulation of any part of gating constitutes an entry point for pharmacologically regulating channel function. Here, we report on the discovery of a large family of warfarin-like compounds that open the two voltage-gated type 1 potassium (KV1) channels KV1.5 and Shaker, but not the related KV2-, KV4-, or KV7-type channels. These negatively charged compounds bind in the open state to positively charged arginines and lysines between the intracellular ends of the voltage-sensor domains and the pore domain. This mechanism of action resembles that of endogenous channel-opening lipids and opens up an avenue for the development of ion-channel modulators.</p

Site and Mechanism of Action of Resin Acids on Voltage-Gated Ion Channels [Elektronisk resurs]

Voltage-gated ion channels are pore-forming membrane proteins that open or close their gates when the voltage across the membrane is changed. They underlie the electrical activity that enables the heart to pump blood and the brain to receive and send signals. Changes in expression, distribution, and functional properties of voltage-gated ion channels can lead to diseases, such as epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, and pain-related disorders. Drugs that modulate the function of voltage-gated ion channels control these diseases in some patients, but the existing drugs do not adequately help all patients, and some also have severe side effects.Resin acids are common components of pine resins, with a hydrophobic three-ringed motif and a negatively charged carboxyl group. They open big-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels and voltage-gated potassium (KV) channels. We aimed to characterize the binding site and mechanism of action of resin acids on a KV channel and explore the effect of a resin acid by modifying the position and valence of charge of the carboxyl group. We tested the effect on several voltage-gated ion channels, including two KV channels expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and several voltage-gated ion channels expressed in cardiomyocytes. For this endeavour different electrophysiological techniques, ion channels, and cell types were used together with chemical synthesis of about 140 resin-acid derivatives, mathematical models, and computer simulations.We found that resin acids bind between the lipid bilayer and the Shaker KV channel, in the cleft between transmembrane segment S3 and S4, on the extracellular side of the voltage-sensor domain. This is a fundamentally new interaction site for small-molecule compounds that otherwise usually bind to ion channels in pockets surrounded by water. We also showed that the resin acids open the Shaker KV channel via an electrostatic mechanism, exerted on the positively charged voltage sensor S4. The effect of a resin acid increased when the negatively charged carboxyl group (the effector) and the hydrophobic three-ringed motif (anchor in lipid bilayer) were separated by three atoms: longer stalks decreased the effect. The length rule, in combination with modifications of the anchor, was used to design new resin-acid derivatives that open the human M-type (Kv7.2/7.3) channel. A naturally occurring resin acid also reduced the excitability of cardiomyocytes by affecting the voltage-dependence of several voltage-gated ion channels. The major finding was that the resin acid inactivated sodium and calcium channels, while it activated KV channels at more negative membrane voltages. Computer simulations confirmed that the combined effect on different ion channels reduced the excitability of a cardiomyocyte. Finally, the resin acid reversed induced arrhythmic firing of the cardiomyocytes.In conclusion, resin acids are potential drug candidates for diseases such as epilepsy and cardiac arrhythmia: knowing the binding site and mechanism of action can help to fine tune the resin acid to increase the effect, as well as the selectivity.</p

MIV-170 : A novel NNRTI exhibiting tight binding to HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT)

The NNRTI MIV-170 has been found to be a very efficient inhibitor of wtHIV and HIV mutant strains resistant to the NNRTIs used in the clinic. To better understand the interaction between MIV-170 and HIV-1 the details of this have been studied by different methods. The kinetics of the interaction between MIV-170 and HIV-1 RT was analysed using a biosensor assay. The association and dissociation rates were determined using immobilized wtRT or RT mutants and MIV-170 as analyte. The results demonstrated that MIV-170 had both a faster association and a slower dissociation rate than efavirenz, nevirapine and delavirdine, thus exhibiting a higher affinity than these compounds. The strength of the interaction between the NNRTIs and RT and RT mutants in the biosensor assay was compared to the reversibility of inhibition in cell culture experiments. In these experiments virus and infected cells were incubated with MIV-170 and other NNRTIs for various times and after removal of the compounds the remaining infectivity was assayed. X-ray analysis of the binding of MIV-170 to HIV-1 RT displayed extensive interactions, not only between the compound and the lining amino acids but also between these residues, turning the binding cavity into a rigid entity and explaining the tight binding in the biosensor assay and the inactivation of HIV.</p

Inhibition of HIV-1 by non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors via an induced fit mechanism—Importance of slow dissociation and relaxation rates for antiviral efficacy

The importance of slow dissociation of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) for antiviral effect has been investigated. The kinetic characteristics of a series of NNRTIs interacting with wild type and drug resistant variants of HIV-1 RT (EC 2.7.7.49) were analyzed by SPR biosensor technology. The antiviral effect was determined in MT-4 and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Due to extremely slow dissociation rates and a complex interaction mechanism, rate constants could not be quantified. Instead, interaction characteristics were qualitatively analyzed using simulated sensorgrams. The simplest model describing these interactions adequately was an induced fit mechanism, i.e. a mechanism involving the formation of an initial enzyme-inhibitor complex subsequently transformed into a more stable complex. Differences in rates of dissociation from the initial complex and rates of relaxation from the induced complex explained (1) the differences in the amounts of formed complex, (2) the stability of the complex and (3) the antiviral efficacies of the compounds. The effect of NNRTI binding site mutations also correlated with these kinetic characteristics. MIV-170 was the most effective inhibitor of wild type and mutant HIV-1 in cell culture, a property that was associated with the formation of the largest amount of complex and the slowest relaxation and dissociation rates. This study supports the hypothesis that the efficacy of anti-HIV drugs is dependent on slow dissociation from the target, thereby maximizing the duration of the inhibitory effect. It also illustrates the strength of simulating interaction data for qualitative analysis of tight-binding drugs and the importance of resolving the kinetic mechanism of drug-target interaction

Extracellular Photovoltage Clamp Using Conducting Polymer-Modified Organic Photocapacitors

Optoelectronic control of physiological processes accounts for new possibilities ranging from fundamental research to treatment of disease. Among nongenetic light-driven approaches, organic semiconductor-based device platforms such as the organic electrolytic photocapacitor (OEPC) offer the possibility of localized and wireless stimulation with a minimal mechanical footprint. Optimization of efficiency hinges on increasing effective capacitive charge delivery. Herein, a simple strategy to significantly enhance the photostimulation performance of OEPC devices by employing coatings of the conducting polymer formulation poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate), or PEDOT:PSS is reported. This modification increases the charge density of the stimulating photoelectrodes by a factor of 2-3 and simultaneously decreases the interfacial impedance. The electrophysiological effects of PEDOT:PSS-derivatized OEPCs on Xenopus laevis oocyte cells on membrane potential are measured and voltage-clamp techniques are used, finding an at-least twofold increase in capacitive coupling. The large electrolytic capacitance of PEDOT:PSS allows the OEPC to locally alter the extracellular voltage and keep it constant for long periods of time, effectively enabling a unique type of light-controlled membrane depolarization for measurements of ion channel opening. The finding that PEDOT:PSS-coated OEPCs can remain stable after a 50-day accelerated ageing test demonstrates that PEDOT:PSS modification can be applied for fabricating reliable and efficient optoelectronic stimulation devices.Funding Agencies|Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation within Linkoping University; Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsradet)Swedish Research Council [2018-04505]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF)Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research</p