PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Daniel P Walsh

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel P Walsh.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Forward chemical genetic approach identifies new role for GAPDH in insulin signaling.

Insulin and insulin-like growth factor have an essential role in growth, development and the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis, including glucose uptake from the bloodstream. Researchers have identified mutations in insulin receptors that cause severe insulin resistance, and a temperature-sensitive daf-2 (a gene encoding an insulin receptor-like protein) mutant in Caenorhabditis elegans has served as an insulin resistance model. Here we report a forward chemical genetic approach with a tagged library that we used to identify a small molecule, GAPDH segregator (GAPDS), that suppresses the dauer formation induced by the daf-2 mutant. Like insulin, GAPDS increased both glucose uptake and the concentration of phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3)) in mammalian preadipocytes. Using affinity matrices and RNA interference, we identified glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as a GAPDS target. We discovered that GAPDH stimulates phosphatase activity against not only PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3) but also PtdIns(4,5)P(2). These results suggest that GAPDH is both an active regulator in the phosphoinositide-mediated signaling pathway and a potential new target for insulin resistance treatment.

Adipocytes↗

Identification of 12Cysbeta on tubulin as the binding site of tubulyzine.

We have undertaken quantitative binding site studies in order to identify the binding site of the known microtubule destabilizing agents, the tubulyzines, in the tubulin dimer. Two different approaches were employed that utilized the tubulyzines and their derivatives. The first approach was based on a chemical affinity labeling method using tubulyzine affinity derivatives, and the second approach employed the mass spectrometric measurement of the differential reactivity of cysteines using the tubulyzines and monobromobimane. Based on overlapping data from these two approaches, we propose that the tubulyzines bind at the guanosine-5'-triphosphate binding site of beta-tubulin. Interestingly, we also show that the tubulyzines' binding to tubulin induces a conformational change in tubulin that prevents further interaction of the 239Cysbeta with other reagents.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Small molecule microarrays: recent advances and applications.

Directed or exploratory drug development programs constantly seek robust screening platforms for the high fidelity identification and validation of potential targets. Small-molecule microarrays (SMMs) have risen to this call by elegantly forging the capability of combinatorial chemistry in producing myriad compounds with the powerful throughput afforded by microarrays. This synergism offers scientists a versatile tool for rapid compound analysis and discovery. Microarrays of small molecules have already been successfully applied in important areas ranging from protein profiling to the discovery of therapeutic leads. Recent interesting developments towards improved immobilization strategies and library creation methods, together with novel advances herein described, have set the stage for SMMs to take on wider and more routine applications in academia and industry. As a rapidly maturing technology, SMMs pave the way forward in high-throughput exploration, both in the identification of biologically significant natural and synthetic small molecules and in harnessing their vast potential towards medicinal and diagnostic applications.

Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques↗

Tagged library approach to chemical genomics and proteomics.

Proteomics and chemical genomics face great challenges in the form of molecular libraries of ever increasing size and diversity requiring rapid screening, coupled with a growing number of target proteins for which complimentary molecular ligands are sought. Proteomics and chemical genomics are at a stage that requires techniques which can dramatically accelerate the discovery process. One technique that has shown great promise in accomplishing this is the tagged library approach. It entails the synthetic inclusion of an internal tag from the beginning of the synthesis. This tag adds another degree of functionality to the molecule, in addition to mere ligation, that eliminates the need for time-consuming steps downstream in the process. The tag's functional possibilities span a variety of uses including internal fluorophores, intrinsic binding motifs that enable compound identification, functionalities that play the major role in the synthesis of the ligand itself, and internal linkers that eliminate the need for lengthy 'tether effect' structure-activity relationship studies.

Animals↗

Facilitated forward chemical genetics using a tagged triazine library and zebrafish embryo screening.

An improved forward chemical genetics approach was successfully demonstrated using a tagged library concept. A small-molecule triazine library with linkers was used to screen for brain/eye developmental phenotypes in a zebrafish embryo system. This approach enabled the rapid isolation of the target proteins by facile affinity matrix preparation and elucidated the first small-molecule inhibitors for several ribosomal accessory proteins or their complex as the target.

Animals↗

Comparative resin kinetics using in situ fluorescence measurements.

The aminolysis of a novel activated ester resin was utilized for kinetic study via continuous in situ fluorescence measurements. A variety of resin compositions (polystyrene, JandaJel, ArgoPore, TentaGel, NovaGel, and PEGA) and solvents (dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, 1,2-dichlorethane, and toluene) were tested to compare their effects on the reaction rate. A linear relationship between the reaction rate and (solvent polarity x swelling of resin) was elucidated for the aminolysis reaction.

Amides↗

Nitrophenol resins for facile amide and sulfonamide library synthesis.

Novel nitrophenol solid supports based on various resin materials (polystyrene, TentaGel, macroporous, PEGA, and silica gel) are reported for facile amide and sulfonamide library synthesis. The broad choice of resin materials available will allow the reaction to occur successfully in solvents ranging from nonpolar organic solvents to aqueous media.

Journal Article↗

Microarrays of tagged combinatorial triazine libraries in the discovery of small-molecule ligands of human IgG.

A novel and highly diverse tagged triazine library incorporating a triethylene glycol-based linker was synthesized using an orthogonal combinatorial approach on the solid phase and covalently immobilized on a glass substrate as a small molecule microarray (SMM). The SMM was screened with a fluorophore-conjugated human IgG, and 4 novel binders from a library of 2688 compounds were identified from the fully spatially addressable array without the need for compound decoding. Using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis, binding seen on the array was confirmed, and a binding constant as low as Kd = 2.02 x10(-6) M was measured.

Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques↗