Structural basis for Smoothened receptor modulation and chemoresistance to anticancer drugs.

The Smoothened receptor (SMO) mediates signal transduction in the hedgehog pathway, which is implicated in normal development and carcinogenesis. SMO antagonists can suppress the growth of some tumours; however, mutations at SMO have been found to abolish their antitumour effects, a phenomenon known as chemoresistance. Here we report three crystal structures of human SMO bound to the antagonists SANT1 and Anta XV, and the agonist, SAG1.5, at 2.6-2.8 Å resolution. The long and narrow cavity in the transmembrane domain of SMO harbours multiple ligand binding sites, where SANT1 binds at a deeper site as compared with other ligands. Distinct interactions at D473(6.54f) elucidated the structural basis for the differential effects of chemoresistance mutations on SMO antagonists. The agonist SAG1.5 induces a conformational rearrangement of the binding pocket residues, which could contribute to SMO activation. Collectively, these studies reveal the structural basis for the modulation of SMO by small molecules.

A Gαs DREADD mouse for selective modulation of cAMP production in striatopallidal neurons.

Here, we describe a newly generated transgenic mouse in which the Gs DREADD (rM3Ds), an engineered G protein-coupled receptor, is selectively expressed in striatopallidal medium spiny neurons (MSNs). We first show that in vitro, rM3Ds can couple to Gαolf and induce cAMP accumulation in cultured neurons and HEK-T cells. The rM3Ds was then selectively and stably expressed in striatopallidal neurons by creating a transgenic mouse in which an adenosine2A (adora2a) receptor-containing bacterial artificial chromosome was employed to drive rM3Ds expression. In the adora2A-rM3Ds mouse, activation of rM3Ds by clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) induces DARPP-32 phosphorylation, consistent with the known consequence of activation of endogenous striatal Gαs-coupled GPCRs. We then tested whether CNO administration would produce behavioral responses associated with striatopallidal Gs signaling and in this regard CNO dose-dependently decreases spontaneous locomotor activity and inhibits novelty induced locomotor activity. Last, we show that CNO prevented behavioral sensitization to amphetamine and increased AMPAR/NMDAR ratios in transgene-expressing neurons of the nucleus accumbens shell. These studies demonstrate the utility of adora2a-rM3Ds transgenic mice for the selective and noninvasive modulation of Gαs signaling in specific neuronal populations in vivo.This unique tool provides a new resource for elucidating the roles of striatopallidal MSN Gαs signaling in other neurobehavioral contexts.

Identification of human Ether-à-go-go related gene modulators by three screening platforms in an academic drug-discovery setting.

The human Ether-à-go-go related gene (hERG) potassium channel is responsible for the rapid delayed rectifier potassium current that plays a critical role in the repolarization of cardiomyocytes during the cardiac action potential. In humans, inhibition of hERG by drugs can prolong the electrocardiographic QT interval, which, in rare instance, leads to ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. As such, several medications that block hERG channels in vitro have been withdrawn from the market due to QT prolongation and arrhythmias. The current FDA guidelines recommend that drug candidates destined for human use be evaluated for potential hERG activity ( www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/ucm074963.pdf ). Here, we employed automated planar patch clamp (APPC), high-throughput fluorescent Tl(+) flux, and moderate-throughput [³H]dofetilide competition binding assays to characterize a panel of 49 drugs for their activities at the hERG channel. Notably, we used the same HEK293-hERG cell line for all assays, facilitating comparisons of hERG potencies across screening platforms. In general, hERG inhibitors were most potent in APPC assays, intermediate potent in [³H]dofetilide binding assays, and least potent in Tl(+) flux assays. Binding affinity constants (pK(i) values) and Tl(+) flux potencies (pEC50 values) correlated well with APPC pEC50 values. Further, the inhibitory potencies of many known hERG inhibitors in APPC matched literature values from manual and/or automated patch clamp systems. We also developed a novel fluorescent Tl(+) flux assays to measure the effects of drugs that modulate hERG trafficking and surface expression.

In vitro receptor screening of pure constituents of St. John's wort reveals novel interactions with a number of GPCRs.

RATIONALE: Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John's wort; SJW) is one of the leading psychotherapeutic phytomedicines and great effort has been devoted to clarifying its mechanism of action. OBJECTIVE: We have undertaken a comprehensive analysis of several pure compounds isolated from the crude extract to gain further insight into the molecular actions of various substituents of SJW. METHODS: We characterized the in vitro pharmacology of the naphthodianthrones hypericin and pseudohypericin, the phloroglucinol derivative hyperforin, and several flavonoids at 42 biogenic amine receptors and transporters using the resources of the National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program. RESULTS: The biflavonoid amentoflavone significantly inhibited binding at serotonin (5-HT(1D), 5-HT(2C)), D(3)-dopamine, delta-opiate, and benzodiazepine receptors. The naphthodianthrone hypericin had significant activity at D(3)- and D(4)-dopamine receptors and beta-adrenergic receptors. With the exception of the D(1)-dopamine receptor, the phloroglucinol derivative hyperforin was less active than other SJW constituents tested on all screened receptors. CONCLUSION: Our present in vitro data clearly show that several pure substances in SJW are potential CNS psychoactive agents and may contribute to the antidepressant efficacy of the plant in a complex manner. Our data also reveal novel and heretofore unexpected interactions of pure compounds in SJW at a number of GPCRs, transporters, and ion channels. We hypothesize that additive or synergistic actions of different single compounds may be responsible for the antidepressant efficacy of SJW. These results and this general approach may impact our understanding of phytomedicines in general and H. perforatum specifically.