Allosteric inhibitors targeting the calmodulin-PIP2 interface of SK4 K channels for atrial fibrillation treatment.

The Ca-activated SK4 K channel is gated by Ca-calmodulin (CaM) and is expressed in immune cells, brain, and heart. A cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the human SK4 K channel recently revealed four CaM molecules per channel tetramer, where the apo CaM C-lobe and the holo CaM -lobe interact with the proximal carboxyl terminus and the linker S4-S5, respectively, to gate the channel. Here, we show that phosphatidylinositol 4-5 bisphosphate (PIP2) potently activates SK4 channels by docking to the boundary of the CaM-binding domain.

Purpurin modulates Tau-derived VQIVYK fibrillization and ameliorates Alzheimer's disease-like symptoms in animal model.

Neurofibrillary tangles of the Tau protein and plaques of the amyloid β peptide are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is characterized by the conversion of monomeric proteins/peptides into misfolded β-sheet rich fibrils. Halting the fibrillation process and disrupting the existing aggregates are key challenges for AD drug development. Previously, we performed in vitro high-throughput screening for the identification of potent inhibitors of Tau aggregation using a proxy model, a highly aggregation-prone hexapeptide fragment VQIVYK (termed PHF6) derived from Tau.

Fibril formation and therapeutic targeting of amyloid-like structures in a yeast model of adenine accumulation.

The extension of the amyloid hypothesis to include non-protein metabolite assemblies invokes a paradigm for the pathology of inborn error of metabolism disorders. However, a direct demonstration of the assembly of metabolite amyloid-like structures has so far been provided only in vitro. Here, we established an in vivo model of adenine self-assembly in yeast, in which toxicity is associated with intracellular accumulation of the metabolite.

Integrating in vitro and in silico approaches to evaluate the "dual functionality" of palmatine chloride in inhibiting and disassembling Tau-derived VQIVYK peptide fibrils.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder which is characterized by the deposits of intra-cellular tau protein and extra-cellular amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides in the human brain. Understanding the mechanism of protein aggregation and finding compounds that are capable of inhibiting its aggregation is considered to be highly important for disease therapy.

Methods: We used an in vitro High-Throughput Screening for the identification of potent inhibitors of tau aggregation using a proxy model; a highly aggregation-prone hexapeptide fragment VQIVYK derived from tau.

Hapalindole/Ambiguine Biogenesis Is Mediated by a Cope Rearrangement, C-C Bond-Forming Cascade.

Hapalindoles are bioactive indole alkaloids with fascinating polycyclic ring systems whose biosynthetic assembly mechanism has remained unknown since their initial discovery in the 1980s. In this study, we describe the fam gene cluster from the cyanobacterium Fischerella ambigua UTEX 1903 encoding hapalindole and ambiguine biosynthesis along with the characterization of two aromatic prenyltransferases, FamD1 and FamD2, and a previously undescribed cyclase, FamC1. These studies demonstrate that FamD2 and FamC1 act in concert to form the tetracyclic core ring system of the hapalindoles from cis-indole isonitrile and geranyl pyrophosphate through a presumed biosynthetic Cope rearrangement and subsequent 6-exo-trig cyclization/electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction.

Actinoramide A Identified as a Potent Antimalarial from Titration-Based Screening of Marine Natural Product Extracts.

Methods to identify the bioactive diversity within natural product extracts (NPEs) continue to evolve. NPEs constitute complex mixtures of chemical substances varying in structure, composition, and abundance. NPEs can therefore be challenging to evaluate efficiently with high-throughput screening approaches designed to test pure substances.

The combined use of alphavirus replicons and pseudoinfectious particles for the discovery of antivirals derived from natural products.

Alphaviruses are a prominent class of reemergent pathogens due to their globally expanding ranges, potential for lethality, and possible use as bioweapons. The absence of effective treatments for alphaviruses highlights the need for innovative strategies to identify antiviral agents. Primary screens that use noninfectious self-replicating RNAs, termed replicons, have been used to identify potential antiviral compounds for alphaviruses.

Identification of protein kinase C activation as a novel mechanism for RGS2 protein upregulation through phenotypic screening of natural product extracts.

Biochemical high-throughput screening is widely used in drug discovery, using a variety of small molecule libraries. However, broader screening strategies may be more beneficial to identify novel biologic mechanisms. In the current study we used a β-galactosidase complementation method to screen a selection of microbial-derived pre-fractionated natural product extracts for those that increase regulator of G protein signaling 2 (RGS2) protein levels.

Discovery of potent broad spectrum antivirals derived from marine actinobacteria.

Natural products provide a vast array of chemical structures to explore in the discovery of new medicines. Although secondary metabolites produced by microbes have been developed to treat a variety of diseases, including bacterial and fungal infections, to date there has been limited investigation of natural products with antiviral activity. In this report, we used a phenotypic cell-based replicon assay coupled with an iterative biochemical fractionation process to identify, purify, and characterize antiviral compounds produced by marine microbes.

Aeruginazole A, a novel thiazole-containing cyclopeptide from the cyanobacterium Microcystis sp.

A novel thiazole-containing cyclic peptide, aeruginazole A (1), was isolated from the cyanobacterium Microcystis sp. strain (IL-323), which was collected from a water reservoir near Kfar-Yehoshua, Valley of Armageddon, Israel. The planar structure of aeruginazole A was established using homonuclear and inverse-heteronuclear 2D NMR techniques, as well as high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Antimicrobial ambiguines from the cyanobacterium Fischerella sp. collected in Israel.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the 7:3 MeOH/water extract of a cultured cyanobacterium strain identified as Fischerella sp. yielded nine isonitrile-containing alkaloids. Three of the compounds, ambiguine H isonitrile (1), ambiguine I isonitrile (2), and ambiguine J isonitrile (3), are new, while the other six, 12-epi-hapalindole H, ambiguine A isonitrile, ambiguine B isonitrile, ambiguine D isonitrile, ambiguine E isonitrile, and ambiguine F isonitrile, have been previously isolated from Fischerella ambigua.