Aaron S. Goetz

The orphan G protein-coupled receptor GPR40 is activated by medium and long-chain fatty acids

GPR40 is a member of a subfamily of homologous G protein-coupled receptors that include GPR41 and GPR43 and that have no current function or ligand ascribed. Ligand fishing experiments in HEK293 cells expressing human GPR40 revealed that a range of saturated and unsaturated carboxylic acids with carbon chain lengths greater than six were able to induce an elevation of [Ca2+] i , measured using a fluorometric imaging plate reader. 5,8,11-Eicosatriynoic acid was the most potent fatty acid tested, with a pEC50 of 5.7. G protein coupling of GPR40 was examined in Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing the Gαq/i-responsive Gal4-Elk1 reporter system. Expression of human GPR40 led to a constitutive induction of luciferase activity, which was further increased by exposure of the cells to eicosatriynoic acid. Neither the constitutive nor ligand-mediated luciferase induction was inhibited by pertussis toxin treatment, suggesting that GPR40 was coupled to Gαq/11. Expression analysis by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR showed that GPR40 was specifically expressed in brain and pancreas, with expression in rodent pancreas being localized to insulin-producing β-cells. These data suggest that some of the physiological effects of fatty acids in pancreatic islets and brain may be mediated through a cell-surface receptor.

Pharmacological regulation of insulin secretion in MIN6 cells through the fatty acid receptor GPR40: identification of agonist and antagonist small molecules

1 Long chain fatty acids have recently been identified as agonists for the G protein‐coupled receptors GPR40 and GPR120. Here, we present the first description of GW9508, a small‐molecule agonist of the fatty acid receptors GPR40 and GPR120. In addition, we also describe the pharmacology of GW1100, a selective GPR40 antagonist. These molecules were used to further investigate the role of GPR40 in glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion in the MIN6 mouse pancreatic β‐cell line. 2 GW9508 and linoleic acid both stimulated intracellular Ca2+ mobilization in human embryonic kidney (HEK)293 cells expressing GPR40 (pEC50 values of 7.32±0.03 and 5.65±0.06, respectively) or GPR120 (pEC50 values of 5.46±0.09 and 5.89±0.04, respectively), but not in the parent HEK‐293 cell line. 3 GW1100 dose dependently inhibited GPR40‐mediated Ca2+ elevations stimulated by GW9508 and linoleic acid (pIC50 values of 5.99±0.03 and 5.99±0.06, respectively). GW1100 had no effect on the GPR120‐mediated stimulation of intracellular Ca2+ release produced by either GW9508 or linoleic acid. 4 GW9508 dose dependently potentiated glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion in MIN6 cells, but not in primary rat or mouse islets. Furthermore, GW9508 was able to potentiate the KCl‐mediated increase in insulin secretion in MIN6 cells. The effects of GW9508 on insulin secretion were reversed by GW1100, while linoleic acid‐stimulated insulin secretion was partially attenuated by GW1100. 5 These results add further evidence to a link between GPR40 and the ability of fatty acids to acutely potentiate insulin secretion and demonstrate that small‐molecule GPR40 agonists are glucose‐sensitive insulin secretagogues.

BMY 7378 is a selective antagonist of the D subtype of α1-adrenoceptors

BMY 7378 (8-[2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethyl]-8- azaspiro[4.5]decane-7,9-dione dihydrochloride), a 5-HT1A receptor partial agonist, also binds to alpha 1-adrenoceptors. Competition assays were performed using (+/-)-beta-([125I]iodo-4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethyl-aminomethyl-tetralone ([125I]HEAT), and membranes prepared from Rat-1 fibroblasts expressing hamster alpha 1b-, bovine alpha 1c-, or rat alpha 1d-adrenoceptor, or their respective human homologues. Results indicate that BMY 7378 is selective for the alpha 1D-adrenoceptor subtype (pKi: hamster alpha 1b-adrenoceptor 6.2 +/- 0.03, human alpha 1b-adrenoceptor 7.2 +/- 0.05; bovine alpha 1c-adrenoceptor 6.1 +/- 0.02, human alpha 1c-adrenoceptor 6.6 +/- 0.20; rat alpha 1d-adrenoceptor 8.2 +/- 0.06, human alpha 1d-adrenoceptor 9.4 +/- 0.05) and has high affinity (pA2, 8.9 +/- 0.1) for rat aorta alpha 1-adrenoceptor.

Thienopyrimidine-based dual EGFR/ErbB-2 inhibitors.

Two new series of potent and selective dual EGFR/ErbB-2 kinase inhibitors derived from novel thienopyrimidine cores have been identified. Isomeric thienopyrimidine cores were evaluated as isosteres for a 4-anilinoquinazoline core and several analogs containing the thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidine core showed anti-proliferative activity with IC(50) values less than 1 microM against human tumor cells in vitro.

The α1C‐adrenoceptor in human prostate: cloning, functional expression, and localization to specific prostatic cell types

1 Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) causes urinary obstruction in aging men that frequently requires surgery to relieve the symptoms of urinary retention, nocturia, and micturition. Smooth muscle tone which contributes to the urethral constriction in the enlarged gland appears to be mediated by the α1‐ adrenoceptors. In this paper, molecular and pharmacological approaches are used to establish the role played by the α1c‐adrenoceptor subtype in the prostate. 2 The α1‐adrenoceptor subtype(s) expressed in human prostate were investigated by use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Northern blot, and in situ hybridization. The α1C subtype was found in both prostate stromal and glandular cells while α1B and α1D subtypes were expressed in glandular cells. High expression levels for α1C were observed in prostate cancer tissues in both stroma and glandular cells. 3 Full length α1C‐adrenoceptor cDNA was cloned from human prostate. Stable mammalian cell lines expressing human α1B‐, α1C‐, and α1D‐adrenoceptors were made. Membranes prepared from these cell lines and human prostate were used to evaluate the pharmacological profiles of human α1B‐, α1C‐ and αD‐adrenoceptors in comparison to human prostate. Leverage plot analysis of compound affinities determined by competition for [125I]‐I‐HEAT binding demonstrated that the αlC subtype is the predominant α1‐adrenoceptor in human prostate. 4 The α1‐adrenoceptors cause smooth muscle constriction by coupling to IP3 turnover and intracellular Ca2+ release. Using stable cell lines to measure IP3 production in response to noradrenaline, α1C stimulated IP3 production most efficiently, with α1B at an intermediate level, while little IP3 above background could be detected with αD. These results supported a functional role of the α1C‐adrenoceptor on prostate smooth muscle constriction by noradrenaline stimulation.

Experimental design for high-throughput screening

Novel methods in molecular biology and advanced technologies have given pharmaceutical research laboratories the capability to test combinatorial libraries rapidly against large numbers of potential targets. Methods to identify optimal assay conditions efficiently are very useful in the development of robotic screening assays where there are numerous variables and potential interactions between the variables. This review discusses the use of statistical experimental design in the development and optimization of high-throughput screening assays. The authors provide a brief introduction to the theoretical basis for experimental design and discuss practical aspects of using these methods in a research laboratory. Two case studies demonstrate the power of the method in solving problems in assay development and illustrate the diversity of potential applications.

Development of a Facile Method for High Throughput Screening with Reporter Gene Assays

This report describes a facile methodology for high throughput screening with stable mammalian cell reporter gene assays. We have adapted a 96-well adherent cell method to an assay in which cells propagated in suspension are dispensed into 96- or 384-well plates containing test compounds in 100% DMSO. The validation of a stable CHO cell line that expresses 6xCRE-luciferase for use as a reporter gene host cell line is described. The reporter gene, when expressed in this particular CHO cell line, appears to respond specifically to modulation of cAMP levels, thus the cell line is appropriate for screening and pharmacological analysis of Gas- and Gas-coupled seven-transmem-brane receptors. The development of the new suspension cell assay in both 96- and 384-well formats was performed using a derivative of the CHO host reporter cell line that was stably transfected with human melanocortin-1 receptor. The response of this cell line to NDP-α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and forskolin was nearly identical between the adherent and suspension methods. The new method offers improvements in cost, throughput, cell culture effort, compound stability, accuracy of compound delivery, and hands-on time. The 384-well assay can be performed at high capacity in any laboratory without the use of expensive automation systems such that a single person can screen 100 plates per day with 3.54 h hands-on time. Although the system has been validated using Gas-coupled receptor-mediated activation of a cAMP response element, the method can be applied to other types of targets and/or transcriptional response elements.

Development of scintillation-proximity assays for alpha adrenoceptors

Binding assays have long been used to determine compound affinity and selectivity for various seven-transmembrane receptors. Over time, the degree of complexity has significantly reduced, whereas the throughput of the various assays has greatly increased. In this article, we detail the development of a filter-binding assay and a scintillation-proximity assay (SPA) designed to quantify a compounds affinity for the three alpha1-adrenoceptor subtypes, alpha1A, alpha1B, and alpha1D. The various components of the assays such as ease of assay performance, robustness, cost, and generation of radioactive waste are compared and contrasted. On the basis of the results, the SPA offers many advantages of high-throughput assay formats over the traditional filter-binding assay. To follow up on the success of the alpha1-adrenoceptor SPA, SPAs for the three alpha2-adrenoceptors were developed and are detailed in this article. Affinity data generated for a select number of alpha2 compounds agree with reported literature values. These assays, like those for alpha1 subtypes, are very amenable to high-throughput screening campaigns. In conclusion, scintillation-proximity assays offer significant advantages over filter-binding assays.

Discovery of small molecule agonists for the bombesin receptor subtype 3 (BRS-3) based on an omeprazole lead.

Starting from a weak omeprazole screening hit, replacement of the pyridine with a 1,3-benzodioxole moiety, modification of the thioether linkage, and substitution of the benzimidazole pharmacophore led to the discovery of nanomolar BRS-3 agonists.

A combination assay for simultaneous assessment of multiple signaling pathways.

We have developed an assay in which modulation of two or more signaling pathways can be assessed concurrently by combining reporter gene systems with fluorescent probe technology. The validation of this method was achieved by indirect analysis of adenylyl cyclase activation with the use of a cyclic AMP response element (CRE)-luciferase reporter system in combination with the measurement of calcium mobilization by Calcium Green-1 AM fluorescence on a fluorescent imaging plate reader. To demonstrate the utility of the method in studying the pharmacology of receptors that couple to more than one G protein, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which stably expressed both the CRE-luciferase reporter gene and the human pituitary adenylyl cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) receptor, were treated with PACAP 1-27 and 1-38. Calcium mobilization and the induction of adenylyl cyclase activity in response to each concentration of peptide were assessed in individuals wells. This assay may also be used to screen for ligands of two or more unrelated receptors simultaneously without compromising the assessment of either signaling pathway. To illustrate this point, Rat-1 fibroblasts, which expressed human alpha1A receptors, were cocultured with CRE-luciferase CHO cells, which expressed human GLP-1 receptors. Calcium mobilization elicited by phenylephrine agonism of the alpha1A receptor was assessed in the same assay as GLP-1-induced activation of adenylyl cyclase. The pEC(50) for each agonist was similar to that observed when the cell lines were not cocultured. The number of different receptors that can be screened per well is limited only by the ability to distinguish different reporter gene signals and fluorescent indicators.