Search

Background and Purpose The histamine H4 receptor, originally thought to signal merely through Gαi proteins, has recently been shown to also recruit and signal via β-arrestin2. Following the discovery that the reference antagonist indolecarboxamide JNJ 7777120 appears to be a partial agonist in β-arrestin2 recruitment, we have identified additional biased hH4R ligands that preferentially couple to Gαi or β-arrestin2 proteins. In this study, we explored ligand and receptor regions that are important for biased hH4R signalling. Experimental Approach We evaluated a series of 48 indolecarboxamides with subtle structural differences for their ability to induce hH4R-mediated Gαi protein signalling or β-arrestin2 recruitment. Subsequently, a Fingerprints for Ligands and Proteins three-dimensional quantitative structure–activity relationship analysis correlated intrinsic activity values with structural ligand requirements. Moreover, a hH4R homology model was used to identify receptor regions important for biased hH4R signalling. Key Results One indolecarboxamide (75) with a nitro substituent on position R7 of the aromatic ring displayed an equal preference for the Gαi and β-arrestin2 pathway and was classified as unbiased hH4R ligand. The other 47 indolecarboxamides were β-arrestin2-biased agonists. Intrinsic activities of the unbiased as well as β-arrestin2-biased indolecarboxamides to induce β-arrestin2 recruitment could be correlated with different ligand features and hH4R regions. Conclusion and Implications Small structural modifications resulted in diverse intrinsic activities for unbiased (75) and β-arrestin2-biased indolecarboxamides. Analysis of ligand and receptor features revealed efficacy hotspots responsible for biased-β-arrestin2 recruitment. This knowledge is useful for the design of hH4R ligands with biased intrinsic activities and aids our understanding of the mechanism of H4R activation. Linked Articles This article is part of a themed issue on Histamine Pharmacology Update. To view the other articles in this issue visit http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1111/bph.2013.170.issue-1

Goblet cell hyperplasia, a feature of asthma and other respiratory diseases, is driven by the Th-2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-13. In human bronchial epithelial cells, we find that IL-4 induces the expression of many genes coding for ion channels and transporters, including TMEM16A, SLC26A4, SLC12A2, and ATP12A. At the functional level, we find that IL-4 enhances calcium- and cAMP-activated chloride/bicarbonate secretion, resulting in high bicarbonate concentration and alkaline pH in the fluid covering the apical surface of epithelia. Importantly, mucin release, elicited by purinergic stimulation, requires the presence of bicarbonate in the basolateral solution and is defective in cells derived from cystic fibrosis patients. In conclusion, our results suggest that Th-2 cytokines induce a profound change in expression and function in multiple ion channels and transporters that results in enhanced bicarbonate transport ability. This change is required as an important mechanism to favor release and clearance of mucus.

FLAP fingerprints are applied in the ligand-, structure- and pharmacophore-based mode in a case study on antagonists of all four adenosine receptor (AR) subtypes. Structurally diverse antagonist collections with respect to the different ARs were constructed by including binding data to human species only. FLAP models well discriminate “active” (=highly potent) from “inactive” (=weakly potent) AR antagonists, as indicated by enrichment curves, numbers of false positives, and AUC values. For all FLAP modes, model predictivity slightly decreases as follows: A2BR > A2AR > A3R > A1R antagonists. General performance of FLAP modes in this study is: ligand- > structure- > pharmacophore- based mode. We also compared the FLAP performance with other common ligand- and structure-based fingerprints. Concerning the ligand-based mode, FLAP model performance is superior to ECFP4 and ROCS for all AR subtypes. Although focusing on the early first part of the A2A, A2B and A3 enrichment curves, ECFP4 and ROCS still retain a satisfactory retrieval of actives. FLAP is also superior when comparing the structure-based mode with PLANTS and GOLD. In this study we applied for the first time the novel FLAPPharm tool for pharmacophore generation. Pharmacophore hypotheses, generated with this tool, convincingly match with formerly published data. Finally, we could demonstrate the capability of FLAP models to uncover selectivity aspects although single AR subtype models were not trained for this purpose.

// Diego Carrella 1 , Isabella Manni 3 , Barbara Tumaini 1 , Rosanna Dattilo 2 , Federica Papaccio 3 , Margherita Mutarelli 1 , Francesco Sirci 1 , Carla A. Amoreo 4 , Marcella Mottolese 4 , Manuela Iezzi 5 , Laura Ciolli 5 , Valentina Aria 6 , Roberta Bosotti 7 , Antonella Isacchi 7 , Fabrizio Loreni 6 , Alberto Bardelli 8,9 , Vittorio E. Avvedimento 10 , Diego di Bernardo 1,11 and Luca Cardone 3 1 Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy 2 Department of Hematology, Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Biobank Unit, Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Rome, Italy 3 Department of Research, Advanced Diagnostics, and Technological Innovations, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy 4 S.C. Anatomia Patologica, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy 5 Immuno-Oncology Laboratory, Aging Research Center, G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti, Pescara, Italy 6 Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy 7 Nerviano Medical Sciences SRL, Nerviano, Italy 8 Candiolo Cancer Institute-FPO, IRCCS, Candiolo, Torino, Italy 9 Department of Oncology, University of Torino, Candiolo, Torino, Italy 10 Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Universita degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Naples, Italy 11 Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy Correspondence to: Luca Cardone, email: // Diego di Bernardo, email: // Keywords : oncogenes, PI3K-dependent pathways, gene expression signatures, drugs network, FDA-approved drugs Received : January 03, 2016 Accepted : August 03, 2016 Published : August 16, 2016 Abstract The discovery of inhibitors for oncogenic signalling pathways remains a key focus in modern oncology, based on personalized and targeted therapeutics. Computational drug repurposing via the analysis of FDA-approved drug network is becoming a very effective approach to identify therapeutic opportunities in cancer and other human diseases. Given that gene expression signatures can be associated with specific oncogenic mutations, we tested whether a “reverse” oncogene-specific signature might assist in the computational repositioning of inhibitors of oncogenic pathways. As a proof of principle, we focused on oncogenic PI3K-dependent signalling, a molecular pathway frequently driving cancer progression as well as raising resistance to anticancer-targeted therapies. We show that implementation of “reverse” oncogenic PI3K-dependent transcriptional signatures combined with interrogation of drug networks identified inhibitors of PI3K-dependent signalling among FDA-approved compounds. This led to repositioning of Niclosamide (Niclo) and Pyrvinium Pamoate (PP), two anthelmintic drugs, as inhibitors of oncogenic PI3K-dependent signalling. Niclo inhibited phosphorylation of P70S6K, while PP inhibited phosphorylation of AKT and P70S6K, which are downstream targets of PI3K. Anthelmintics inhibited oncogenic PI3K-dependent gene expression and showed a cytostatic effect in vitro and in mouse mammary gland. Lastly, PP inhibited the growth of breast cancer cells harbouring PI3K mutations. Our data indicate that drug repositioning by network analysis of oncogene-specific transcriptional signatures is an efficient strategy for identifying oncogenic pathway inhibitors among FDA-approved compounds. We propose that PP and Niclo should be further investigated as potential therapeutics for the treatment of tumors or diseases carrying the constitutive activation of the PI3K/P70S6K signalling axis.

Background Mistrafficking of CFTR protein caused by F508del, the most frequent mutation in cystic fibrosis (CF), can be corrected by cell incubation at low temperature, an effect that may be mediated by altered expression of proteostasis genes. Methods To identify small molecules mimicking low temperature, we compared gene expression profiles of cells kept at 27°C with those previously generated from more than 1300 compounds. The resulting candidates were tested with a functional assay on a bronchial epithelial cell line. Results We found that anti-inflammatory glucocorticoids, such as mometasone, budesonide, and fluticasone, increased mutant CFTR function. However, this activity was not confirmed in primary bronchial epithelial cells. Actually, glucocorticoids enhanced Na + absorption, an effect that could further impair mucociliary clearance in CF airways. Conclusions Our results suggest that rescue of F508del-CFTR by low temperature cannot be easily mimicked by small molecules and that compounds with closer transcriptional and functional effects need to be found.