Publications by authors named "James H Harwood"

Inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylases (ACCs), a crucial enzyme for fatty acid metabolism, has been shown to promote fatty acid oxidation and reduce body fat in animal models. Therefore, ACCs are attractive targets for structure-based inhibitor design, particularly the carboxyltransferase (CT) domain, which is the primary site for inhibitor interaction. We have cloned, expressed, and purified the CT domain of human ACC2 using baculovirus-mediated insect cell expression system.

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Inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), with its resultant inhibition of fatty acid synthesis and stimulation of fatty acid oxidation, has the potential to favorably affect, in a concerted manner, a multitude of the cardiometabolic risk factors associated with diabetes, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome. Studies in ACC2 knockout mice and in experimental animals treated with isozyme-specific antisense oligonucleotides or with isozyme-nonselective ACC inhibitors have demonstrated the potential for treating metabolic syndrome through this modality. Co-crystallization of the biotin carboxylase and carboxyltransferase domains of eukaryotic ACC in the presence of substrates and inhibitors has revealed characteristics of the catalytic center that can be exploited in drug discovery.

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