are free-living pathogenic protozoa that cause blinding keratitis, disseminated infection, and granulomatous amebic encephalitis, which is generally fatal. The development of efficient and safe drugs is a critical unmet need. sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) is an essential enzyme of the sterol biosynthetic pathway. Repurposing antifungal azoles for amoebic infections has been reported, but their inhibitory effects on CYP51 enzymatic activity have not been studied. Here, we report catalytic properties, inhibition, and structural characterization of CYP51 from . The enzyme displays a 100-fold substrate preference for obtusifoliol over lanosterol, supporting the plant-like cycloartenol-based pathway in the pathogen. The strongest inhibition was observed with voriconazole (1 h IC 0.45 μM), VT1598 (0.25 μM), and VT1161 (0.20 μM). The crystal structures of CYP51 with bound VT1161 (2.24 Å) and without an inhibitor (1.95 Å), presented here, can be used in the development of azole-based scaffolds to achieve optimal amoebicidal effectiveness.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00303 | DOI Listing |
mSphere
December 2024
Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Vigilin is a large and evolutionary conserved RNA-binding protein (RBP), which can interact with RNA through its KH domain. Vigilin is, therefore, a multifunctional protein reported to be associated with RNA transport and metabolism, sterol metabolism, chromosome segregation, carcinogenesis, and heterochromatin-mediated gene silencing. The receptor for activated C kinase 1 (RACK1) is another highly conserved protein involved in many cellular pathways.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrob Agents Chemother
December 2024
Department of Pediatrics, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
is the second most common cause of invasive candidiasis and is widely known to have reduced susceptibility to fluconazole relative to many other spp. Upc2A is a transcription factor that regulates ergosterol biosynthesis gene expression under conditions of sterol stress such as azole drug treatment or hypoxia. Through an microevolution experiment, we found that loss-of-function mutants of the ATF/CREB transcription factor suppresses the fluconazole hyper-susceptibility of the ∆ mutant.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCytochromes P450 (CYP) form one of the largest enzyme superfamilies on Earth, with similar structural fold but biological functions varying from synthesis of physiologically essential compounds to metabolism of myriad xenobiotics. Here we determined the crystal structures of Coryphaenoides armatus and human sterol 14α-demethylases (CYP51s). Both structures reveal elements that imply elevated conformational flexibility, uncovering molecular basis for faster catalytic rates, lower substrate selectivity, and resistance to inhibition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLuminescence
December 2024
Department of Biomaterials, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India.
The present study was performed to synthesize eco-friendly nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiONPs) from the aqueous extract of Fissidens species (FS) and explore its biological activities. Phytochemicals, namely, alkaloids, flavonoids, sterols, tannins, proteins, carbohydrates and phenols, were present in the aqueous extract of Fissidens sp. The UV-Vis and FT-IR analyses of FS-NiONPs revealed a prominent peak at 392 nm, along with functional groups that facilitate the formation of FS-NiONPs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Med Res
December 2024
Mianyang Central Hospital, Affiliated to School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Mianyang, China.
Background And Aim: Recent Mendelian randomization and meta analysis suggest a controversial causality between C3-epimer of 25 hydroxyvitamin D3 (C3-epi-D3) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The clinical evidence regarding the impact of C3-epi-D3 on the progression of T2DM is currently insufficient. This study aims to investigate whether C3-epi-D3 has any effect on metabolic disorders of T2DM patients.
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