High-Affinity Inhibitors of Human NAD+-Dependent 15-Hydroxyprostaglandin Dehydrogenase: Mechanisms of Inhibition and Structure-Activity Relationships

BACKGROUND: 15-Hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH, EC 1.1.1.141) is the key enzyme for the inactivation of prostaglandins, regulating processes such as inflammation or proliferation. The anabolic pathways of prostaglandins, especially with respect to regulation of the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes have been studied in detail; however, little is known about downstream events including functional interaction of prostaglandin-processing and -metabolizing enzymes. High-affinity probes for 15-PGDH will, therefore, represent important tools for further studies. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To identify novel high-affinity inhibitors of 15-PGDH we performed a quantitative high-throughput screen (qHTS) by testing >160 thousand compounds in a concentration-response format and identified compounds that act as noncompetitive inhibitors as well as a competitive inhibitor, with nanomolar affinity. Both types of inhibitors caused strong thermal stabilization of the enzyme, with cofactor dependencies correlating with their mechanism of action. We solved the structure of human 15-PGDH and explored the binding modes of the inhibitors to the enzyme in silico. We found binding modes that are consistent with the observed mechanisms of action. CONCLUSIONS: Low cross-reactivity in screens of over 320 targets, including three other human dehydrogenases/reductases, suggest selectivity of the present inhibitors for 15-PGDH. The high potencies and different mechanisms of action of these chemotypes make them a useful set of complementary chemical probes for functional studies of prostaglandin-signaling pathways. ENHANCED VERSION: This article can also be viewed as an enhanced version in which the text of the article is integrated with interactive 3D representations and animated transitions. Please note that a web plugin is required to access this enhanced functionality. Instructions for the installation and use of the web plugin are available in Text S2

Downregulation of the Hsp90 System Causes Defects in Muscle Cells of Caenorhabditis Elegans

The ATP-dependent molecular chaperone Hsp90 is required for the activation of a variety of client proteins involved in various cellular processes. Despite the abundance of known client proteins, functions of Hsp90 in the organismal context are not fully explored. In Caenorhabditis elegans, Hsp90 (DAF-21) has been implicated in the regulation of the stress-resistant dauer state, in chemosensing and in gonad formation. In a C. elegans strain carrying a DAF-21 mutation with a lower ATP turnover, we observed motility defects. Similarly, a reduction of DAF-21 levels in wild type nematodes leads to reduced motility and induction of the muscular stress response. Furthermore, aggregates of the myosin MYO-3 are visible in muscle cells, if DAF-21 is depleted, implying a role of Hsp90 in the maintenance of muscle cell functionality. Similar defects can also be observed upon knockdown of the Hsp90-cochaperone UNC-45. In life nematodes YFP-DAF-21 localizes to the I-band and the M-line of the muscular ultrastructure, but the protein is not stably attached there. The Hsp90-cofactor UNC-45-CFP contrarily can be found in all bands of the nematode muscle ultrastructure and stably associates with the UNC-54 containing A-band. Thus, despite the physical interaction between DAF-21 and UNC-45, apparently the two proteins are not always localized to the same muscular structures. While UNC-45 can stably bind to myofilaments in the muscular ultrastructure, Hsp90 (DAF-21) appears to participate in the maintenance of muscle structures as a transiently associated diffusible factor