Anterior insula stimulation suppresses appetitive behavior while inducing forebrain activation in alcohol-preferring rats

The anterior insular cortex plays a key role in the representation of interoceptive effects of drug and natural rewards and their integration with attention, executive function, and emotions, making it a potential target region for intervention to control appetitive behaviors. Here, we investigated the effects of chemogenetic stimulation or inhibition of the anterior insula on alcohol and sucrose consumption. Excitatory or inhibitory designer receptors (DREADDs) were expressed in the anterior insula of alcohol-preferring rats by means of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer. Rats had access to either alcohol or sucrose solution during intermittent sessions. To characterize the brain network recruited by chemogenetic insula stimulation we measured brain-wide activation patterns using pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging (phMRI) and c-Fos immunohistochemistry. Anterior insula stimulation by the excitatory Gq-DREADDs significantly attenuated both alcohol and sucrose consumption, whereas the inhibitory Gi-DREADDs had no effects. In contrast, anterior insula stimulation failed to alter locomotor activity or deprivation-induced water drinking. phMRI and c-Fos immunohistochemistry revealed downstream activation of the posterior insula and medial prefrontal cortex, as well as of the mediodorsal thalamus and amygdala. Our results show the critical role of the anterior insula in regulating reward-directed behavior and delineate an insula-centered functional network associated with the effects of insula stimulation. From a translational perspective, our data demonstrate the therapeutic potential of circuit-based interventions and suggest that potentiation of insula excitability with neuromodulatory methods, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), could be useful in the treatment of alcohol use disorders.Peer reviewe

Structural determinants of peripheral O-arylcarbamate FAAH inhibitors render them dual substrates for Abcb1 and Abcg2 and restrict their access to the brain.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the main entry route for chemicals into the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Two transmembrane transporters of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family - breast cancer resistance protein (ABCG2 in humans, Abcg2 in rodents) and P-glycoprotein (ABCB1 in humans, Abcb1 in rodents) - play a key role in mediating this process. Pharmacological and genetic evidence suggests that Abcg2 prevents CNS access to a group of highly potent and selective O-arylcarbamate fatty-acid amidohydrolase (FAAH) inhibitors, which include the compound URB937 (cyclohexylcarbamic acid 3'-carbamoyl-6-hydroxybiphenyl-3-yl ester). To define structure-activity relationships of the interaction of these molecules with Abcg2, in the present study we tested various peripherally restricted and non-restricted O-arylcarbamate FAAH inhibitors for their ability to serve as transport substrates in monolayer cultures of Madin-Darby Canine Kidney-II (MDCKII) cells over-expressing Abcg2. Surprisingly, we found that the majority of compounds tested - even those able to enter the CNS in vivo - were substrates for Abcg2 in vitro. Additional experiments in MDCKII cells overexpressing ABCB1 revealed that only those compounds that were dual substrates for ABCB1 and Abcg2 in vitro were also peripherally restricted in vivo. The extent of such restriction seems to depend upon other physicochemical features of the compounds, in particular the polar surface area. Consistent with these in vitro results, we found that URB937 readily enters the brain in dual knockout mice lacking both Abcg2 and Abcb1, whereas it is either partially or completely excluded from the brain of mice lacking either transporter alone. The results suggest that Abcg2 and Abcb1 act together to restrict the access of URB937 to the CNS

Structure-based design of CDC42 effector interaction inhibitors for the treatment of cancer.

CDC42 family GTPases (RHOJ, RHOQ, CDC42) are upregulated but rarely mutated in cancer and control both the ability of tumor cells to invade surrounding tissues and the ability of endothelial cells to vascularize tumors. Here, we use computer-aided drug design to discover a chemical entity (ARN22089) that has broad activity against a panel of cancer cell lines, inhibits S6 phosphorylation and MAPK activation, activates pro-inflammatory and apoptotic signaling, and blocks tumor growth and angiogenesis in 3D vascularized microtumor models (VMT) in vitro. Additionally, ARN22089 has a favorable pharmacokinetic profile and can inhibit the growth of BRAF mutant mouse melanomas and patient-derived xenografts in vivo. ARN22089 selectively blocks CDC42 effector interactions without affecting the binding between closely related GTPases and their downstream effectors. Taken together, we identify a class of therapeutic agents that influence tumor growth by modulating CDC42 signaling in both the tumor cell and its microenvironment

Structural basis of open channel block in a prokaryotic pentameric ligand-gated ion channel

The flow of ions through cation-selective members of the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel family is inhibited by a structurally diverse class of molecules that bind to the transmembrane pore in the open state of the protein. To obtain insight into the mechanism of channel block, we have investigated the binding of positively charged inhibitors to the open channel of the bacterial homolog GLIC by using X-ray crystallography and electrophysiology. Our studies reveal the location of two regions for interactions, with larger blockers binding in the center of the membrane and divalent transition metal ions binding to the narrow intracellular pore entry. The results provide a structural foundation for understanding the interactions of the channel with inhibitors that is relevant for the entire family