The molecular chaperone Hsp90 is a ubiquitous ATPase-directed protein responsible for the activation and structural stabilization of a large clientele of proteins. As such, Hsp90 has emerged as a suitable candidate for the treatment of a diverse set of diseases, such as cancer and neurodegeneration. The inhibition of the chaperone through ATP-competitive inhibitors, however, was shown to lead to undesirable side effects. One strategy to alleviate this problem is the development of molecules that are able to disrupt specific protein–protein interactions, thus modulating the activity of Hsp90 only in the particular cellular pathway that needs to be targeted. Here, we exploit novel computational and theoretical approaches to design a set of peptides that are able to bind Hsp90 and compete for its interaction with the co-chaperone Cdc37, which is found to be responsible for the promotion of cancer cell proliferation. In spite of their capability to disrupt the Hsp90–Cdc37 interaction, no important cytotoxicity was observed in human cancer cells exposed to designed compounds. These findings imply the need for further optimization of the compounds, which may lead to new ways of interfering with the Hsp90 mechanisms that are important for tumour growth.
Last. Gabriela Chiosis(MSK: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)H-Index: 62
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: The chaperome is the collection of proteins in the cell that carry out molecular chaperoning functions. Changes in the interaction strength between chaperome proteins lead to an assembly that is functionally and structurally distinct from each constituent member. In this review, we discuss the epichaperome, the cellular network that forms when the chaperome components of distinct chaperome machineries come together as stable, functionally integrated, multimeric complexes. In tumors, maintenanc...
Last. Giorgio Colombo(UNIPV: University of Pavia)H-Index: 30
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Molecular chaperones HSP90 and HSP70 are essential regulators of the folding and activation of a disparate ensemble of client proteins. They function through ATP hydrolysis and the assembly of multiprotein complexes with cochaperones and clients. While their therapeutic relevance is recognized, important details underlying the links between ATP-dependent conformational dynamics and clients/cochaperones recruitment remain elusive. Allosteric modulators represent fundamental tools to obtain molecu...
Herein we propose a facile, versatile and selective chemo-enzymatic synthesis of substituted (E)-2,3-diaryl-5-styryl-trans-2,3-dihydrobenzofurans based on the exploitation of the laccase-mediated oxidative (homo)coupling of (E)-4-styrylphenols. Thanks to this novel synthetic strategy, a library of benzofuran-based potential allosteric activators of the Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) was easily prepared. Moreover, considering their structural analogies to previously reported allosteric modulators,...
Last. Johannes Buchner(TUM: Technische Universität München)H-Index: 108
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The heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) chaperone machinery is a key regulator of proteostasis. Recent progress has shed light on the interactions of HSP90 with its clients and co-chaperones, and on their functional implications. This opens up new avenues for the development of drugs that target HSP90, which could be valuable for the treatment of cancers and protein-misfolding diseases.
Allosteric compounds that stimulate Hsp90 adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity were rationally designed, showing anticancer potencies in the low micromolar to nanomolar range. In parallel, the mode of action of these compounds was clarified and a quantitative model that links the dynamic ligand–protein cross-talk to observed cellular and in vitro activities was developed. The results support the potential of using dynamics-based approaches to develop original mechanism-based cancer therape...
#1Jasmeen Oberoi(UCL: University College London)H-Index: 1
#2Diana M. Dunn(State University of New York Upstate Medical University)H-Index: 9
Last. Cara K. Vaughan(UCL: University College London)H-Index: 19
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The serine/threonine phosphatase protein phosphatase 5 (PP5) regulates hormone- and stress-induced cellular signaling by association with the molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90). PP5-mediated dephosphorylation of the cochaperone Cdc37 is essential for activation of Hsp90-dependent kinases. However, the details of this mechanism remain unknown. We determined the crystal structure of a Cdc37 phosphomimetic peptide bound to the catalytic domain of PP5. The structure reveals PP5 utiliz...
#1Kliment A. Verba(UCSF: University of California, San Francisco)H-Index: 6
#2Ray Yu-Ruei Wang(UCSF: University of California, San Francisco)H-Index: 13
Last. David A. Agard(UCSF: University of California, San Francisco)H-Index: 112
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About 60% of kinases only reach their active state in the presence of the molecular chaperone Hsp90 and its co-chaperone Cdc37. It is unclear how the chaperones facilitate kinase function or why only some kinases are chaperone-dependent. Verba et al. determined a 3.9 A cryo–electron microscopy structure of Hsp90:Cdc37 in complex with the kinase Cdk4. Together, Hsp90 and Cdc37 trap the kinase in an open, partially unfolded state. Taking on this state probably has direct functional benefits. Scien...
The prediction of the quaternary structure of biomolecular macromolecules is of paramount importance for fundamental understanding of cellular processes and drug design. In the era of integrative structural biology, one way of increasing the accuracy of modeling methods used to predict the structure of biomolecular complexes is to include as much experimental or predictive information as possible in the process. This has been at the core of our information-driven docking approach HADDOCK. We pre...
Background Diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (DMPM) is a rare and locally aggressive disease. DMPM prognosis is dismal, mainly due to the lack of effective treatment options and the development of new therapeutic strategies is urgently needed. In this context, novel immunotherapy approaches can be explored in an attempt to improve DMPM patients’ survival.
Last. Giorgio Colombo(UNIPV: University of Pavia)H-Index: 30
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Advances in genomics and proteomics have unveiled an ever-growing number of key proteins and provided mechanistic insights into the genesis of pathologies. This wealth of data showed that changes in expression levels of specific proteins, mutations, and post-translational modifications can result in (often subtle) perturbations of functional protein-protein interaction networks, which ultimately determine disease phenotypes. Although many such validated pathogenic proteins have emerged as ideal ...
The ATP-competitive inhibitors of Hsp90 have been tested predominantly in kinase addicted cancers; however, they have had limited success. A mechanistic connection between Hsp90 and oncogenic K-Ras is not known. Here, we show that K-Ras selectivity is enabled by the loss of the K-Ras membrane nanocluster modulator galectin-3 downstream of the Hsp90 client HIF-1α. This mechanism suggests a higher drug sensitivity in the context of KRAS mutant, HIF-1α-high and/or Gal3-high cancer cells, such as th...
Last. Giorgio Colombo(UNIPV: University of Pavia)H-Index: 30
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The Hsp90 chaperone system interacts with a wide spectrum of client proteins, forming variable and dynamic multiprotein complexes that involve the intervention of cochaperone partners. Recent results suggest that the role of Hsp90 complexes is to establish interactions that suppress unwanted client activities, allow clients to be protected from degradation and respond to biochemical signals. Cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) provided the first key molecular picture of Hsp90 in complex with a kin...
The combination of molecular modeling methods to identify the putative binding site of inhibitors constitutes an important tool in drug discovery. In this work, we used these analyses to understand...
Molecular chaperones have recently emerged as fundamental regulators of salient biological routines, including metabolic adaptations to environmental changes. Yet, many of the molecular mechanisms at the basis of their functions are still unknown or at least uncertain. This is in part due to the lack of chemical tools that can interact with the chaperones to induce measurable functional perturbations. In this context, the use of small molecules as modulators of protein functions has proven relev...