To develop a new high-throughput screening model for human high-density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor (CD36 and LIMPⅡ analogous-1, CLA-1) agonists using CLA-1-expressing insect cells. Methods With the total RNA of h...To develop a new high-throughput screening model for human high-density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor (CD36 and LIMPⅡ analogous-1, CLA-1) agonists using CLA-1-expressing insect cells. Methods With the total RNA of human hepatoma cells BEL-7402 as template, the complementary DNA (cDNA) of CLA-1 was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Bac-to-Bac baculovirus expression system was used to express CLA-1 in insect cells. CLA-1 cDNA was cloned downstream of polyhedrin promoter of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) into donor vector pFastBacl and recombinant pFastBacl-CLA-1 was transformed into E. coli DH10Bac to transpose CLA-1 cDNA to bacrnid DNA. Recombinant bacrnid-CLA-1 was transfected into Spodopterafrugiperda Sf9 insect cells to produce recombinant baculovirus particles. Recombinant CLA- 1 was expressed on the membrane of Sf9 cells infected with the recombinant baculoviruses. A series of parameters of DiI-lipoprotein binding assays of CLA-1-expressing Sf9 cells in 96-well plates were optimized. Results Western blot analysis and DiI-lipoprotein binding assays confirmed that CLA-1 expressed in insect cells had similar immunoreactivity and ligand binding activity as its native counterpart. A reliable and sensitive in vitro cell-based assay was established to assess the activity of CLA-1 and used to screen agonists from different sample libraries. Conclusion Human HDL receptor CLA-1 was successfully expressed in Sf9 insect cells and a novel high-throughput screening model for CLA-1 agonists was developed. Utilization of this model allows us to identify potent and selective CLA-1 agonists which might possibly be used as therapeutics for atherosclerosis.展开更多
Multiple lines of evidence show that soluble oligomer forms of amyloidβprotein(Aβ42)are the most neurotoxic species in the brain and correlates with the degree of neuronal loss and cognitive deficit in Alzheimer’s ...Multiple lines of evidence show that soluble oligomer forms of amyloidβprotein(Aβ42)are the most neurotoxic species in the brain and correlates with the degree of neuronal loss and cognitive deficit in Alzheimer’s disease.Although many studies have used mammalian cells to investigate oligomer Aβ42 toxicity,the use of more simple eukaryotic cellular systems offers advantages for large-scale screening studies.We have previously established and validated budding yeast,Saccharomyces cerevisiae to be a simple and a robust model to study the toxicity of Aβ.Using colony counting based methods,oligomeric Aβ42 was shown to induce dose-dependent cell death in yeast.We have adapted this method for high throughput screening by developing an absorbance-based growth assay.We further validated the assay with treatments previously shown to protect oligomer Aβ42 induced cell death in mammalian and yeast cells.This assay offers a platform for studying underlying mechanisms of oligomer Aβ42 induced cell death using gene deletion/overexpression libraries and developing novel agents that alleviate Aβ42 induced cell death.展开更多
The life-threatening infections caused by Leptospira serovars demand the need for designing anti-leptospirosis drugs. The present study encompasses exploring inhibitors against phosphoheptose isomerase (GmhA) of Lep...The life-threatening infections caused by Leptospira serovars demand the need for designing anti-leptospirosis drugs. The present study encompasses exploring inhibitors against phosphoheptose isomerase (GmhA) of Leptospira, which is vital for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis and is identified as a common drug target through the subtractive genomic approach. GmhA model was built in Modeller 9v7. Structural refinement and energy minimization of the predicted model was carried out using Maestro 9.0. The refined model reliability was assessed through Procheck, ProSA, ProQ and Profile 3D. The substrate-based virtual high-throughput screening (VHTS) in Ligand.Info Meta-Database tool generated an in-house library of 354 substrate structural analogs. Furthermore, structure-based VHTS from the in-house library with different conformations of each ligand provided 14 novel competitive inhibitors. The model together with insight gained from the VHTS would be a promising starting point for developing anti-leptospirosis competitive inhibitors targeting LPS biosynthesis pathway.展开更多
文摘To develop a new high-throughput screening model for human high-density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor (CD36 and LIMPⅡ analogous-1, CLA-1) agonists using CLA-1-expressing insect cells. Methods With the total RNA of human hepatoma cells BEL-7402 as template, the complementary DNA (cDNA) of CLA-1 was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Bac-to-Bac baculovirus expression system was used to express CLA-1 in insect cells. CLA-1 cDNA was cloned downstream of polyhedrin promoter of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) into donor vector pFastBacl and recombinant pFastBacl-CLA-1 was transformed into E. coli DH10Bac to transpose CLA-1 cDNA to bacrnid DNA. Recombinant bacrnid-CLA-1 was transfected into Spodopterafrugiperda Sf9 insect cells to produce recombinant baculovirus particles. Recombinant CLA- 1 was expressed on the membrane of Sf9 cells infected with the recombinant baculoviruses. A series of parameters of DiI-lipoprotein binding assays of CLA-1-expressing Sf9 cells in 96-well plates were optimized. Results Western blot analysis and DiI-lipoprotein binding assays confirmed that CLA-1 expressed in insect cells had similar immunoreactivity and ligand binding activity as its native counterpart. A reliable and sensitive in vitro cell-based assay was established to assess the activity of CLA-1 and used to screen agonists from different sample libraries. Conclusion Human HDL receptor CLA-1 was successfully expressed in Sf9 insect cells and a novel high-throughput screening model for CLA-1 agonists was developed. Utilization of this model allows us to identify potent and selective CLA-1 agonists which might possibly be used as therapeutics for atherosclerosis.
基金supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council-Australian Research Council dementia research development fellowship(APP1107109)to PB
文摘Multiple lines of evidence show that soluble oligomer forms of amyloidβprotein(Aβ42)are the most neurotoxic species in the brain and correlates with the degree of neuronal loss and cognitive deficit in Alzheimer’s disease.Although many studies have used mammalian cells to investigate oligomer Aβ42 toxicity,the use of more simple eukaryotic cellular systems offers advantages for large-scale screening studies.We have previously established and validated budding yeast,Saccharomyces cerevisiae to be a simple and a robust model to study the toxicity of Aβ.Using colony counting based methods,oligomeric Aβ42 was shown to induce dose-dependent cell death in yeast.We have adapted this method for high throughput screening by developing an absorbance-based growth assay.We further validated the assay with treatments previously shown to protect oligomer Aβ42 induced cell death in mammalian and yeast cells.This assay offers a platform for studying underlying mechanisms of oligomer Aβ42 induced cell death using gene deletion/overexpression libraries and developing novel agents that alleviate Aβ42 induced cell death.
文摘The life-threatening infections caused by Leptospira serovars demand the need for designing anti-leptospirosis drugs. The present study encompasses exploring inhibitors against phosphoheptose isomerase (GmhA) of Leptospira, which is vital for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis and is identified as a common drug target through the subtractive genomic approach. GmhA model was built in Modeller 9v7. Structural refinement and energy minimization of the predicted model was carried out using Maestro 9.0. The refined model reliability was assessed through Procheck, ProSA, ProQ and Profile 3D. The substrate-based virtual high-throughput screening (VHTS) in Ligand.Info Meta-Database tool generated an in-house library of 354 substrate structural analogs. Furthermore, structure-based VHTS from the in-house library with different conformations of each ligand provided 14 novel competitive inhibitors. The model together with insight gained from the VHTS would be a promising starting point for developing anti-leptospirosis competitive inhibitors targeting LPS biosynthesis pathway.