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Yongyuth Yuthavong

Publications and source records attributed to Yongyuth Yuthavong.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Evaluation of the activities of pyrimethamine analogs against Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase using in vitro enzyme inhibition and bacterial complementation assays.

Pyrimethamine analogs were examined as potential agents against vivax malaria using a bacterial surrogate system carrying Plasmodium vivax dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (PvDHFR-TS), in which the PvDHFR complemented chemically knocked out host dihydrofolate reductase. The system was initially tested with P. falciparum dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase and was found to have good correlation with the parasite-based system. The 50% inhibitory concentrations derived from PvDHFR-TS-dependent bacteria were correlated with their corresponding inhibition constants (Ki) from an enzyme inhibition assay, pointing to the likelihood that the potent enzyme inhibitors will also have potent antimalarial activities. Active compounds against both wild-type and S58R S117N (SP21) double-mutant P. vivax include analogs with structures which can avert a steric clash with the asparagine (S117N) side chain of the mutant, similar to those found for homologous Plasmodium falciparum mutants, raising the possibility that the same compounds can be developed against both types of antifolate-resistant malaria. This rapid and convenient drug screening system should be useful for development of new antifolates against P. vivax, for which a continuous culture system is not yet available.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Crystal structure of dihydrofolate reductase from Plasmodium vivax: pyrimethamine displacement linked with mutation-induced resistance.

Pyrimethamine (Pyr) targets dihydrofolate reductase of Plasmodium vivax (PvDHFR) as well as other malarial parasites, but its use as antimalarial is hampered by the widespread high resistance. Comparison of the crystal structures of PvDHFR from wild-type and the Pyr-resistant (SP21, Ser-58 --> Arg + Ser-117 --> Asn) strain as complexes with NADPH and Pyr or its analog lacking p-Cl (Pyr20) clearly shows that the steric conflict arising from the side chain of Asn-117 in the mutant enzyme, accompanied by the loss of binding to Ser-120, is mainly responsible for the reduction in binding of Pyr. Pyr20 still effectively inhibits both the wild-type and SP21 proteins, and the x-ray structures of these complexes show how Pyr20 fits into both active sites without steric strain. These structural insights suggest a general approach for developing new generations of antimalarial DHFR inhibitors that, by only occupying substrate space of the active site, would retain binding affinity with the mutant enzymes.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed2005

Stoichiometric selection of tight-binding inhibitors by wild-type and mutant forms of malarial (Plasmodium falciparum) dihydrofolate reductase.

A simple method for screening combinatorial and other libraries of inhibitors of malarial (Plasmodium falciparum) dihydrofolate reductase (PfDHFR) has been developed, based on the affinities of the inhibitors with the enzyme. In the presence of limiting amounts of the enzyme, a number of inhibitors in the library were bound to extents reflecting the relative binding affinities. Following ultrafiltration and guanidine hydrochloride treatment to release bound inhibitors, the amounts of free and bound inhibitors could be determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The differences in the patterns reflected the binding of high-affinity components compared with the other members in the library. A good correlation was found between the inhibition constants (Ki values) and the extent of binding of inhibitors to wild-type, double (C59R+S108N) and quadruple mutant (N51I+C59R+S108N+I164L) of PfDHFR, as well as human DHFR. In addition to identifying lead components of the libraries with high affinities (low Ki values) and stabilities (low k(off) rates), this simple method also provides an alternative way for quickly and accurately calculating enzyme binding affinities of inhibitors in combinatorial chemical libraries.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2005

Subunit complementation of thymidylate synthase in Plasmodium falciparum bifunctional dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase.

Thymidylate synthase of Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (PfDHFR-TS) functions as a dimeric enzyme with extensive contact between the two TS domains. Structural data of PfDHFR-TS shows that the formation of the two TS active sites involves contribution of the amino acid residues from both TS domains. Arg-470 donated from the adjoining domain is shown to hydrogen-bond to dUMP, while Cys-490 is a key nucleophile for TS catalysis by attacking C-6 of dUMP. However, mutants of the two series could complement one another, giving rise to active enzyme. By means of subunit complementation assay using Arg-470 and Cys-490 mutants, it is shown that co-transformants of both TS-inactive Arg-470 and Cys-490 mutants can complement the growth of thymidine auxotroph chi2913RecA(DE3) by formation of a functional TS heterodimer contributing from both Arg-470 and Cys-490 mutant subunits. 6-[3H]-FdUMP thymidylate synthase activity assay further elaborate the essence of restoration of TS activity. The TS k(cat) value of the R470D+C490A heterodimer is decreased by half from that of the wild-type PfDHFR-TS. However, the Km values for dUMP and CH2H4folate of the R470D+C490A heterodimer are similar to those of wild-type enzyme, indicating that the catalytic efficiency of the functional TS from the R470D+C490A heterodimer is similar to the wild-type TS enzyme in P. falciparum DHFR-TS.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Characterization, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of bifunctional dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase from Plasmodium falciparum.

The full-length pfdhfr-ts genes of the wild-type TM4/8.2 and the double mutant K1CB1 (C59R+S108N) from the genomic DNA of the corresponding Plasmodium falciparum parasite have been cloned into a modified pET(17b) plasmid and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) pLysS. Conditions for the expression and purification of the P. falciparum dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (PfDHFR-TS) have been established that yield approximately 1 mg of the soluble active enzyme per litre of culture. The purified enzymes have been crystallized using a modified microbatch method with PEG 4000 as the primary precipitating agent. X-ray diffraction data were collected to 2.50 and 2.64 A resolution under cryogenic conditions from single crystals of the two PfDHFR-TS proteins in complex with NADPH, dUMP and either Pyr30 or Pyr39. Preliminary X-ray analysis indicated that the crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with two molecules per asymmetric unit and approximately 52% solvent content (VM approximately 2.6 A3 Da-1). The use of a particular type of baby oil in the microbatch setup appeared to be beneficial to PfDHFR-TS crystallization and a preliminary comparison with another commonly used oil is described.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Inhibitors of multiple mutants of Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase and their antimalarial activities.

Novel analogues of pyrimethamine (Pyr) and cycloguanil (Cyc) have been synthesized and tested as inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase carrying triple (N51I+C59R+S108N, C59R+S108N+I164L) and quadruple (N51I+C59R+S108N+I164L) mutations responsible for antifolate resistance. The inhibitors were designed to avoid steric clash of the p-Cl group of the inhibitors with the side chain of Asn108, augmented by additional mutations of the resistant mutants. Cycloguanil derivatives were also designed to avoid steric clash with the side chain of Val16 in the A16V+S108T mutant. Many compounds have inhibition constants (K(i)) at the low nanomolar level against the mutant enzymes and a number have good antimalarial activities against resistant P. falciparum parasites bearing multiple mutations in the S108N series and A16V+S108T mutant enzymes. These compounds in the Pyr and Cyc series exhibit low and moderate cytotoxicity to nontumor (Vero) and tumor (KB, BC) cell lines. Some of these inhibitors are therefore potential candidates for further development as antimalarials.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Target guided synthesis of 5-benzyl-2,4-diamonopyrimidines: their antimalarial activities and binding affinities to wild type and mutant dihydrofolate reductases from Plasmodium falciparum.

The resistance to pyrimethamine (PYR) of Plasmodium falciparum arising from mutation at position 108 of dihydrofolate reductase (pfDHFR) from serine to asparagine (S108N) is due to steric interaction between the bulky side chain of N108 and Cl atom of the 5-p-Cl aryl group of PYR, which consequently resulted in the reduction in binding affinity between the enzyme and inhibitor. Molecular modeling suggested that the flexible antifolate, such as trimethoprim (TMP) derivatives, could avoid this steric constraint and should be considered as new, potentially effective compounds. The hydrophobic interaction between the side chain of inhibitor and the active site of the enzyme around position 108 was enhanced by the introduction of a longer and more hydrophobic side chain on TMP's 5-benzyl moiety. The prepared compounds, especially those bearing aromatic substituents, exhibited better binding affinities to both wild type and mutant enzymes than the parent compound. Binding affinities of these compounds correlated well with their antimalarial activities against both wild type and resistant parasites. Molecular modeling of the binding of such compounds with pfDHFR also supported the experimental data and clearly showed that aromatic substituents play an important role in enhancing binding affinity. In addition, some compounds with 6-alkyl substituents showed relatively less decrease in binding constants with the mutant enzymes and relatively good antimalarial activities against the parasites bearing the mutant enzymes.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Random mutagenesis strategies for construction of large and diverse clone libraries of mutated DNA fragments.

The first important step toward a successful preparation of large and diverse DNA libraries with desired complexity is to select a suitable mutagenesis strategy. This chapter describes three different methods for random mutagenesis, the use of XL1-red cells, error-prone polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and degenerate oligonucleotides-Pfu (DOP). These mutagenesis strategies possess different benefits and pitfalls; thus, they are differentially useful for production of DNA libraries with different density and complexity. The use of XL1-red, an engineered Escherichia coli with DNA repair deficiency, is one of the simplest mutagenesis and requires no subcloning step. After plasmid encoding DNA of inter-est is transformed into the cells, the mutations are simply generated during each round of DNA replication. The mutation frequency of this method is reported to be 1 base change per 2000 nucleotides; however, it can be slightly increased by extending the culture period to allow the accumulation of more mutations. This strategy is suitable for generation of random mutations with low frequency in a large target DNA. Error-prone PCR is one of the most widely used random mutagenesis. During DNA amplification, misincorporation of nucleotides can be promoted by altering the nucleotide ratio and the concentration of divalent cations in the reaction. We discovered that, by adjusting template concentration, frequency of mutation could be controlled easily and a library with desired mutation rate could be obtained. Additionally, efficiency of subsequent cloning steps to insert the PCR product into plasmid DNA is also a key factor determining size and complexity of the libraries. DOP mutagenesis is a rapid and effective method for random mutagenesis of small DNA and peptides. This strategy uses two chemically synthesized degenerate oligonucleotides as primers. By controlling the positions and ratios of degenerate nucleotides used during oligonucleotide synthesis, it is possible to control both the position and rate of mutation in degenerated region of the primers. The primers are integrated into newly synthesized plasmid DNA by primer extension reaction using Pfu DNA polymerase. After plasmid DNA template encoding wild-type sequence is eliminated from the reaction by DpnI digestion, the pool of mutagenized plasmids can then be used directly in screening procedures.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed2003

Synthesis of solution-phase combinatorial library of 4,6-diamino-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazine and identification of new leads against A16V+S108T mutant dihydrofolate reductase of Plasmodium falciparum.

An efficient method to synthesize solution-phase combinatorial library of 1-aryl-4,6-diamino-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazine was developed. The strategy involved an acid-catalyzed cyclocondensation between arylbiguanide hydrochlorides and carbonyl compounds in the presence of triethyl orthoacetate as water scavenger. A 96-membered combinatorial library was constructed from 6 aryl biguanides and 16 carbonyl compounds. Screening of the library by iterative deconvolution method revealed two candidate leads which are equally active against wild-type Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase, but are about 100-fold more effective against the A16V+S108T mutant enzyme as compared to cycloguanil.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed2003

Insights into antifolate resistance from malarial DHFR-TS structures.

Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (PfDHFR-TS) is an important target of antimalarial drugs. The efficacy of this class of DHFR-inhibitor drugs is now compromised because of mutations that prevent drug binding yet retain enzyme activity. The crystal structures of PfDHFR-TS from the wild type (TM4/8.2) and the quadruple drug-resistant mutant (V1/S) strains, in complex with a potent inhibitor WR99210, as well as the resistant double mutant (K1 CB1) with the antimalarial pyrimethamine, reveal features for overcoming resistance. In contrast to pyrimethamine, the flexible side chain of WR99210 can adopt a conformation that fits well in the active site, thereby contributing to binding. The single-chain bifunctional PfDHFR-TS has a helical insert between the DHFR and TS domains that is involved in dimerization and domain organization. Moreover, positively charged grooves on the surface of the dimer suggest a function in channeling of substrate from TS to DHFR active sites. These features provide possible approaches for the design of new drugs to overcome antifolate resistance.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Membrane heme as a host factor in reducing effectiveness of dihydroartemisinin.

Plasmodium falciparum infecting alpha-thalassemic erythrocytes are resistant to artemisinin and its derivatives. Binding of the drug to hemoglobin H resulting in drug inactivation was previously demonstrated. We now show that an additional host factor, membrane heme, significantly accounted for decreased antimalarial activity of artemisinin. The antimalarial activity of dihydroartemisinin in the presence of normal and thalassemic erythrocyte membranes showed a correlation with the heme content of the membrane (r(2)=0.466, P<0.01). The correlation was more clearly seen when the drug effectiveness was correlated with the heme content of alpha-thalassemic membrane (r(2)=0.636, P<0.01). However, the drug effectiveness showed no correlation to ferrozine-reactive (free or non-heme) iron content (r(2)=0.0001, P>0.05). alpha-Thalassemic erythrocytes contained higher amounts of membrane heme (11.04+/-8.96 nmol/mg membrane protein) than those from normal and beta-thalassemia/HbE erythrocytes (2.68+/-1.28 and 3.98+/-3.98 nmol/mg membrane protein, respectively, P<0.01). Loss of drug effectiveness was also correlated with increment of heme content in membrane prepared from normal erythrocytes treated with phenylhydrazine. It is concluded that heme in both normal and thalassemic erythrocyte membranes is an important factor in drug inactivation.

Artemisinins↗
PubMed2002

Development of 2,4-diaminopyrimidines as antimalarials based on inhibition of the S108N and C59R+S108N mutants of dihydrofolate reductase from pyrimethamine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum.

The reduced binding of pyrimethamine to Ser108Asn (S108N) mutants of parasite dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), which forms the basis of resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to pyrimethamine, is largely due to steric constraint imposed by the bulky side chain of N108 on Cl of the 5-p-Cl-phenyl group. This and other S108 mutants with bulky side chains all showed reduced binding to pyrimethamine and cycloguanil. Less effect on binding to some bulky mutants was observed for trimethoprim, with greater flexibility for the 5-substituent. S108N DHFR also binds poorly with other pyrimethamine derivatives with bulky groups in place of the p-Cl, and the binding was generally progressively poorer for the double (C59R+S108N) mutant. Removal of the p-Cl or replacement with m-Cl led to better binding with the mutant DHFRs. Pyrimethamine analogues with unbranched hydrophobic 6-substituents showed generally good binding with the mutant DHFRs. A number of compounds were identified with high affinities for both wild-type and mutant DHFRs, with very low to no affinity to human DHFR. Some of these compounds show good antimalarial activities against pyrimethamine-resistant P. falciparum containing the mutant DHFRs with low cytotoxicity to three mammalian cell lines.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Molecular characterization of dihydrofolate reductase in relation to antifolate resistance in Plasmodium vivax.

The genes encoding the wild-type and six (five single and one double) mutant dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) domains of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium vivax (Pv), were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The catalytic activities and the kinetic parameters of the purified recombinant wild-type and the mutant PvDHFRs were determined. Generally, all the PvDHFR mutants yielded enzymes with poorer catalytic activities when compared to the wild type enzyme. The widely used antifolates, pyrimethamine and cycloguanil, were effective inhibitors of the wild-type PvDHFR, but were approximately 60 to >4000 times less active against the mutant enzymes. In contrast to the analogous S108N mutation of Plasmodium falciparum DHFR (PfDHFR), the single S117N mutation in PvDHFR conferred approximately 4000- and approximately 1600-fold increased resistance to pyrimethamine and cycloguanil, respectively, compared to the wild-type PvDHFR. The S58R+S117N double mutant PvDHFR was 10- to 25-fold less resistant than the S117N mutant to the inhibitors, but also exhibited higher kcat/Km value than the single mutant. The antifolate WR99210 was equally effective against both the wild-type and SP21 (S58R+S117N) mutant DHFRs, but was much less effective against some of the single mutants. Data on kinetic parameters and inhibitory constant suggest that the wild-type P. vivax is susceptible to antimalarial antifolates and that point mutations in the DHFR domain of P. vivax are responsible for antifolate resistance.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Novel antifolate resistant mutations of Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase selected in Escherichia coli.

A simple and effective system has been developed from which a number of Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (pfDHFR) mutants conferring resistance to antifolates were randomly generated and characterized. The system exploited error-prone PCR to generate random mutations in the pfDHFR. Using the synthetic gene encoding for wild-type and quadruple mutant (N51I+C59R+S108N+I164L) pfDHFRs as templates, mutants resistant to pyrimethamine (Pyr), m-Cl analogue of Pyr (SO3) and WR99210 were selected by bacterial complementation system in which the endogenous DHFR activity of bacterial host cells, but not of Plasmodium, is selectively inhibited by trimethoprim (Tmp). Mutants conferring resistance to antimalarial antifolates were selected under the condition that inhibited the growth of the wild-type pfDHFR. All obtained Pyr resistant mutants possessed S108 mutation, in combination with common mutations of N51I, C59R and I164L previously found in the field. New Pyr resistant mutants with novel mutations (K27T, N121D, N144K and V213E) not found in the field were also identified. Exposure of the randomly mutated pfDHFR libraries to WR99210 or SO3 resulted in selection of novel single and multiple mutants including D54N, F58L and a combination of C50R, K181R, T219P and K227E, which exhibited 2- to over 2000-fold increase in resistance against antifolates. Kinetic analysis of these mutants suggested that apart from the active site residues that are crucial for DHFR activity, residues remote from the binding pocket also play essential roles in substrate and inhibitor binding.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Mutational analysis of Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase: the role of aspartate 54 and phenylalanine 223 on catalytic activity and antifolate binding.

The catalytic activity and ability to confer resistance to antifolates of Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (pfDHFR) through single and double mutations at Asp-54 and Phe-223 were investigated. A single Asp54Glu (D54E) mutation in the pfDHFR domain greatly decreased the catalytic activity of the enzyme and affected both the K(m) values for the substrate dihydrofolate and the K(i) values for pyrimethamine, cycloguanil and WR99210. The Phe223Ser (F223S) single mutant had unperturbed kinetics but had very poor affinity with the first two antifolates. The ability to confer high resistance to the antifolates of F223S enzyme was, however, abolished in the D54E+F223S double mutant enzyme. When D54E mutation was present together with the A16V+S108T double mutation, the effects on the K(m) values for the substrate dihydrofolate and the binding affinity of antifolates were much more pronounced. The severely impaired kinetics and poor activity observed in A16V+S108T+D54E enzyme could, however, be restored when F223S was introduced, while the binding affinities to the antifolates remained poor. The experimental findings can be explained with a model for substrate and inhibitor binding. Our data not only indicate the importance of Asp-54 of pfDHFR in catalysis and inhibitor binding, but also provide evidence that infer the potentially crucial function of the C-terminal portion of pfDHFR domain.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Basis for antifolate action and resistance in malaria.

Resistance to antifolates of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum stems from stepwise mutations of the target enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). New drugs can be developed against resistant parasites, which are assumed to have limited possibilities in mutations. Mechanisms of resistance other than reduced binding of inhibitors to mutant enzymes may be possible and need to be further explored. New synergistic combinations of drugs targeting DHFR and dihydropteroate synthase may be employed, with new provisions against development of resistance.

Animals↗