| 1. |
- Al-Amin, Rasel A., 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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Target Engagement-Mediated Amplification for Monitoring Drug-Target Interactions in Situ
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- It is important to determine the localization of drugs or drug candidates at cellular and subcellular resolution in relevant clinical specimens. This is necessary to evaluate drug candidates from early stages of drug development to clinical evaluation of mutations potentially causing resistance to targeted therapy. We describe a technology where oligonucleotide-conjugated drug molecules are used to visualize and measure target engagement in situ via rolling-circle amplification (RCA) of circularized oligonucleotide probes (padlock probes). We established this target engagement-mediated amplification (TEMA) technique using kinase inhibitor precursor compounds, and we applied the assay to investigate target interactions by microscopy in pathology tissue sections and using flow cytometry for blood samples from patients, as well as in commercial arrays including almost half of all human proteins. In the variant proxTEMAtechnique, in situ proximity ligation assays were performed by combining drug-DNA conjugates with antibody-DNA conjugates to specifically reveal drug binding to particular on- or off-targets in pathological tissues sections. In conclusion, the TEMA methods successfully visualize drug-target interaction by experimental and clinically approved kinase inhibitors in situ and with kinases among a large collection of arrayed proteins.
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| 2. |
- Cederfelt, Daniela
(författare)
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Structural studies of drug targets and a drug metabolizing enzyme
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The work presented in this thesis describes how structural information about a protein can be acquired, and how it can be used to answer scientific questions about proteins’ function, their dynamic behaviour and their interactions with other proteins or ligands.The catalytic function of the pyrimidine-degrading, drug metabolizing enzyme β-ureidopropionase (βUP) is dependent on the shift between oligomeric states. Substitution of amino acids H173 and H307 in the dimer-dimer interface and E207Q in the active site revealed that these are crucial for βUP activation. Inhibition studies of substrate-and product analogues allowed for a hypothesis that the ability to interact with F205 might distinguish activators from inhibitors. The first structure of the activated higher oligomer state of human βUP was determined using cryogenic electron microscopy, and confirmed that the closed entrance loop conformations and dimer-dimer interfaces are conserved between HsβUP and DmβUP. Interactions between the epigenetic drug target SET and MYND domain containing protein 3 (SMYD3) and possible inhibitors were investigated. A crystal structure confirmed the covalent bond of a rationally designed, targeted inhibitor to C186 in the active site of SMYD3. A new allosteric binding site was discovered using a biosensor screen with a blocked active site. Crystal structures revealed the location of the new binding site, and the binding mode of the (S)-and (R) enantiomers of the allosteric inhibitor. Lastly, a fragment based drug discovery approach was taken, co-crystallizing and soaking SMYD3 with hits from a fragment screen. This resulted in four crystal structures with weak electron density of fragments at several locations in the enzyme. The dynamic acetylcholine binding protein (AChBP) is a homologue of a Cys-loop type ligand gated ion channel. Hits from various biosensor screens, of which some indicated conformational changes, were co-crystallized with AChBP. Seven crystal structures of AChBP in complex with hit compounds from the biophysical screens were determined. Small conformational changes in the Cys-loop were detected in several of the crystal structures, coinciding with the results from the biosensor screens.In these studies, we explore new strategies for the investigation of the function and regulation of proteins relevant in drug discovery and optimization.
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| 3. |
- Christopeit, Tony, 1982-
(författare)
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Protein Interaction Studies with Low Molecular Weight Ligands : Applications for Drug Discovery, Basic Research and Diagnostic Tool Design
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this thesis, the interactions between different proteins and small ligands were characterized by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR) and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) based assays. For the C-reactive protein (CRP), a new type of artificial binder was identified which allows designing diagnostic assays superior to commonly used standard assays. Furthermore, an interaction study with the endogenous ligand phosphocholine revealed the importance of the avidity of pentameric CRP for the distinction of different types of lipid membranes. The interaction study with calcium showed how SPR based assays can be used to study ion-protein interactions despite the low atomic weight of ions. The transmembrane protease BACE1, an important drug target for Alzheimer’s disease, was immobilized to an SPR biosensor surface and embedded into a lipid membrane. An interaction study with a set of known BACE1 inhibitors showed that the transmembrane region has only minor effects on the interactions. Furthermore the pH-dependencies of the interactions were investigated and revealed new important conclusions for inhibitor design. Computer aided modelling showed that the protonation state of the aspartic dyad is dependent on the interacting inhibitor which offers new perspectives for in silico screenings.The SPR assay developed for BACE1 was adapted to a more complex membrane protein, the pentameric β3 GABAA receptor. The assay allowed the pharmacological characterisation for histaminergic and GABAergic ligands and gave further evidence for cross-talk between the two signal transduction pathways. This study shows that the immobilisation method used for BACE1 and the ß3 GABAA receptor has the potential to become a standard method for handling membrane proteins. The identification of new drug leads from natural sources is a common strategy for drug discovery. A combination of SPR and FRET based activity assays were explored to increase the efficiency of this process. For HIV-1 protease, secreted aspartic protease (SAP) 1, 2 and 3 extracts from a marine vertebrate were identified containing potent inhibitors which interacted with the active site of the enzymes.The studies in this thesis show that the investigation of protein interactions is crucial for understanding protein functions and can help to develop novel drugs for the treatment of different diseases.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Elinder, Malin
(författare)
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Towards a New Generation of Anti-HIV Drugs : Interaction Kinetic Analysis of Enzyme Inhibitors Using SPR-biosensors
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- 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.
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| 6. |
- Encarnação, João Crispim, Master, 1990-
(författare)
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Towards time-resolved molecular interaction assays in living bacteria
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Rare and neglected diseases such as multidrug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis, malaria and trypanosomiasis are re-emerging in Europe. New strategies are needed to accelerate drug discovery to fight these pathogens. AEGIS is a Pan-European project that combines different technologies to accelerate the discovery of molecules suitable for drug development in selected neglected diseases. This thesis is part of the AEGIS research area that considers time in a multidisciplinary approach, combining biology, physics and mathematics to provide tools to characterize biological events for improving drug development and information about the target diseases and lead compounds.Real-time cell binding assays (RT-CBA) of receptor-ligand interactions are fundamental in basic research and drug discovery. However, this kind of assays are still rare on living cells, especially in the microbiology field. In this project, we apply the same high-precision assay type on bacterial systems and explored the interior of the cell with a time resolved assay.The effect of temperature was evaluated in the RT-CBA using LigandTracer to ensure that it was possible to use the technology in a range of temperatures suitable for bacteria. A method for attaching Gram positive and negative bacteria on the surface of a normal Petri dish, showing a high reproducibly and a high cellular viability after 16 h. With these two key steps, an RT-CBA fit for microbiology is available.Next, to answer biological questions, intracellular interactions were explored by expression and validation of intracellular proteins with fluorescent tags suitable for RT-CBAs. First, we used the subunit B from the Shiga toxin (STxB) as a model to understand different aspects about the internalization processes. RT-CBAs allowed to discovery new features of STxB binding and mechanism to deliver small molecules or small proteins into cancer cells. Then, for exploring intracellular interactions, insect cells were bioengineered for evaluating the ability of small molecules to internalize and bind to its target. Using Carbonic anhydrase II – sulfonamides as a model system, the molecular interaction in the cytoplasm could be measured using a quencher label approach. The development of this kind of novel RT-CBA tools provide new information about drug candidates for targets that are not properly expressed in bacterial cells.The assays in this project can make drug design more efficient. Furthermore, the evaluation of binding activity of the new compounds developed by AEGIS, focusing on rare/neglected diseases, in a biological environment has the potential to accelerate drug discovery for the targeted emerging diseases.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- FitzGerald, Edward A., et al.
(författare)
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Multiplexed experimental strategies for fragment library screening using SPR biosensors
- 2020
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Surface plasmon resonance biosensor technology (SPR) is ideally suited for fragment-based lead discovery. However, generally suitable experimental procedures or detailed protocols are lacking, especially for structurally or physico-chemically challenging targets or when tool compounds are lacking. Success depends on accounting for the features of both the target and the chemical library, purposely designing screening experiments for identification and validation of hits with desired specificity and mode-of-action, and availability of orthogonal methods capable of confirming fragment hits. By adopting a multiplexed strategy, the range of targets and libraries amenable to an SPR biosensor-based approach for identifying hits is considerably expanded. We here illustrate innovative strategies using five challenging targets and variants thereof. Two libraries of 90 and 1056 fragments were screened using two different flow-based SPR biosensor systems, allowing different experimental approaches. Practical considerations and procedures accounting for the characteristics of the proteins and libraries, and that increase robustness, sensitivity, throughput and versatility are highlighted.Competing Interest StatementAnna Moberg, Maria T. Lindgren and Claes Holmgren work for Cytiva, which produce Biacore systems.
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| 10. |
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