Biomedical subjects

Kevin N Dalby

Publications and source records attributed to Kevin N Dalby.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Derivation and characterization of ubiquitin-specific protease 18 inhibitors.

Ubiquitin-Specific Protease 18 (USP18) is a deISGylation enzyme and antineoplastic target. To develop USP18 inhibitors, an enzymatically active human recombinant USP18 protein was engineered suitable for high-throughput screening of ~80,000 chemical compounds. Three of them substantially inhibited USP18 enzymatic activity, with β-lapachone having prominent antineoplastic activity. Independent β-lapachone treatments of murine and human lung cancer cell lines statistically significantly reduced proliferation and increased apoptosis. Gain of USP18 expression antagonized these effects. β-Lapachone treatments statistically significantly repressed lung cancer xenograft growth. β-Lapachone increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), but antineoplastic effects occurred at dosages with negligible ROS production. ROS scavenger treatments did not rescue β-lapachone effects at these concentrations, consistent with an ROS-independent mechanism. IFN-Stimulated Response Element (ISRE) reporter assays following β-lapachone treatment activated this reporter. USP18 cotransfection antagonized this activity. β-Lapachone treatments increased global ISGylation. RNA-seq of lung cancer cells engineered with or without enhanced USP18 expression showed specific pathways affected by β-lapachone treatment. Proteomic analysis of these treated cells revealed known and new ISGylated proteins. In silico modeling identified a unique USP18 pocket where these USP18 inhibitors bind. Engineered mutation of this pocket disrupted β-lapachone activity. Taken together, β-lapachone is an antineoplastic tool compound useful for USP18 inhibitor development.

Humans↗

PubMed2002

Transient protein-protein interactions and a random-ordered kinetic mechanism for the phosphorylation of a transcription factor by extracellular-regulated protein kinase 2.

No thorough mechanistic study of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 2 (ERK2) has appeared in the literature. A recombinant protein termed EtsDelta138, which comprises of residues 1-138 of the transcription factor Ets-1 is an excellent substrate of ERK2 (Waas W. F., and Dalby, K. N. (2001) Protein Exp. Purif. 23, 191-197). The kinetic mechanism of ERK2 was examined, with excess magnesium, by initial velocity measurements, both in the absence and presence of products at 27 degrees C, pH 7.5, and ionic strength 0.1 m (KCl). The velocity data are consistent with a steady-state random-ordered ternary complex mechanism, where both substrates have unhindered access to binding sites on the enzyme. The mechanism and magnitude of product inhibition by monophosphorylated EtsDelta138 is consistent with, but does not prove, the notion that ERK2 forms a discrete interaction with EtsDelta138 in the absence of active site interactions, and that this "docking complex" facilitates intramolecular phosphorylation of the substrate. The approximation of the steady-state data to a rapid equilibrium model strongly suggests that the formation of ERK2.Ets138 complexes are transient in nature with dissociation constants of greater magnitude than the catalytic constant, of k(cat) = 17 s(-1).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Toward a stable hydroxyphosphorane.

[reaction: see text] Hydroxy-pentaoxy-phosphoranes are transient intermediates formed during the hydrolysis of various phosphoesters. Kinetic analyses support the existence of such compounds, although they are not isolated. In an attempt to create a stable example, 2 equiv of a ligand possessing a very high effective molarity were attached to a central phosphorus. Instead of obtaining a hydroxyphosphorane, analysis by (31)P and (19)F NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography showed the product to be a phosphotriester. The reason for this is discussed.

Crystallography, X-Ray↗