Justin E. Jones

Suppression of colitis in mice by Cl-amidine: a novel peptidylarginine deiminase inhibitor

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), mainly Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis, are dynamic, chronic inflammatory conditions that are associated with an increased colon cancer risk. Inflammatory cell apoptosis is a key mechanism for regulating IBD. Peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs) catalyze the posttranslational conversion of peptidylarginine to peptidylcitrulline in a calcium-dependent, irreversible reaction and mediate the effects of proinflammatory cytokines. Because PAD levels are elevated in mouse and human colitis, we hypothesized that a novel small-molecule inhibitor of the PADs, i.e., chloramidine (Cl-amidine), could suppress colitis in a dextran sulfate sodium mouse model. Results are consistent with this hypothesis, as demonstrated by the finding that Cl-amidine treatment, both prophylactic and after the onset of disease, reduced the clinical signs and symptoms of colitis, without any indication of toxic side effects. Interestingly, Cl-amidine drives apoptosis of inflammatory cells in vitro and in vivo, providing a mechanism by which Cl-amidine suppresses colitis. In total, these data help validate the PADs as therapeutic targets for the treatment of IBD and further suggest Cl-amidine as a candidate therapy for this disease.

Substrate Specificity and Kinetic Studies of PADs 1, 3, and 4 Identify Potent and Selective Inhibitors of Protein Arginine Deiminase 3

Protein citrullination has been shown to regulate numerous physiological pathways (e.g., the innate immune response and gene transcription) and is, when dysregulated, known to be associated with numerous human diseases, including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. This modification, also termed deimination, is catalyzed by a group of enzymes called the protein arginine deiminases (PADs). In mammals, there are five PAD family members (i.e., PADs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6) that exhibit tissue-specific expression patterns and vary in their subcellular localization. The kinetic characterization of PAD4 was recently reported, and these efforts guided the development of the two most potent PAD4 inhibitors (i.e., F- and Cl-amidine) known to date. In addition to being potent PAD4 inhibitors, we show here that Cl-amidine also exhibits a strong inhibitory effect against PADs 1 and 3, thus indicating its utility as a pan PAD inhibitor. Given the increasing number of diseases in which dysregulated PAD activity has been implicated, the development of PAD-selective inhibitors is of paramount importance. To aid that goal, we characterized the catalytic mechanism and substrate specificity of PADs 1 and 3. Herein, we report the results of these studies, which suggest that, like PAD4, PADs 1 and 3 employ a reverse protonation mechanism. Additionally, the substrate specificity studies provided critical information that aided the identification of PAD3-selective inhibitors. These compounds, denoted F4- and Cl4-amidine, are the most potent PAD3 inhibitors ever described.

A fluopol-ABPP HTS assay to identify PAD inhibitors.

Protein Arginine Deiminase (PAD) activity is dysregulated in numerous diseases, e.g., Rheumatoid Arthritis. Herein we describe the development of a fluorescence polarization-Activity Based Protein Profiling (fluopol-ABPP) based high throughput screening assay that can be used to identify PAD-selective inhibitors. Using this assay, streptonigrin was identified as a potent, selective, and irreversible PAD4 inactivator.

Synthesis and Screening of a Haloacetamidine Containing Library To Identify PAD4 Selective Inhibitors.

Protein arginine deiminase activity (PAD) is increased in cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. Although the link between abnormal PAD activity and disease is clear, the relative contribution of the individual PADs to human disease is not known; there are 5 PAD isozymes in humans. Building on our previous development of F- and Cl-amidine as potent pan-PAD irreversible inhibitors, we describe herein a library approach that was used to identify PAD-selective inhibitors. Specifically, we describe the identification of Thr-Asp-F-amidine (TDFA) as a highly potent PAD4 inactivator that displays ≥15-fold selectivity for PAD4 versus PAD1 and ≥50-fold versus PADs 2 and 3. This compound is active in cells and can be used to inhibit PAD4 activity in cellulo. The structure of the PAD4·TDFA complex has also been solved, and the structure and mutagenesis data indicate that the enhanced potency is due to interactions between the side chains of Q346, R374, and R639. Finally, we converted TDFA into a PAD4-selective ABPP and demonstrated that this compound, biotin-TDFA, can be used to selectively isolate purified PAD4 in vitro. In total, TDFA and biotin-TDFA represent PAD4-selective chemical probes that can be used to study the physiological roles of this enzyme.

The Development of N-α-(2-Carboxyl)benzoyl-N5-(2-fluoro-1-iminoethyl)-l-ornithine Amide (o-F-amidine) and N-α-(2-Carboxyl)benzoyl-N5-(2-chloro-1-iminoethyl)-l-ornithine Amide (o-Cl-amidine) As Second Generation Protein Arginine Deiminase (PAD) Inhibitors

Protein arginine deiminase (PAD) activity is upregulated in a number of human diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and cancer. These enzymes, there are five in humans (PADs 1-4 and 6), regulate gene transcription, cellular differentiation, and the innate immune response. Building on our successful generation of F- and Cl-amidine, which irreversibly inhibit all of the PADs, a structure-activity relationship was performed to develop second generation compounds with improved potency and selectivity. Incorporation of a carboxylate ortho to the backbone amide resulted in the identification of N-α-(2-carboxyl)benzoyl-N(5)-(2-fluoro-1-iminoethyl)-l-ornithine amide (o-F-amidine) and N-α-(2-carboxyl)benzoyl-N(5)-(2-chloro-1-iminoethyl)-l-ornithine amide (o-Cl-amidine), as PAD inactivators with improved potency (up to 65-fold) and selectivity (up to 25-fold). Relative to F- and Cl-amidine, the compounds also show enhanced potency in cellulo. As such, these compounds will be versatile chemical probes of PAD function.

Activity-based protein profiling of protein arginine methyltransferase 1

The protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are SAM-dependent enzymes that catalyze the mono- and dimethylation of peptidyl arginine residues. PRMT1 is the founding member of the PRMT family, and this isozyme is responsible for methylating ∼85% of the arginine residues in mammalian cells. Additionally, PRMT1 activity is aberrantly upregulated in heart disease and cancer. As a part of a program to develop isozyme-specific PRMT inhibitors, we recently described the design and synthesis of C21, a chloroacetamidine bearing histone H4 tail analogue that acts as an irreversible PRMT1 inhibitor. Given the covalent nature of the interaction, we set out to develop activity-based probes (ABPs) that could be used to characterize the physiological roles of PRMT1. Herein, we report the design, synthesis, and characterization of fluorescein-conjugated C21 (F-C21) and biotin-conjugated C21 (B-C21) as PRMT1-specific ABPs. Additionally, we provide the first evidence that PRMT1 activity is negatively regulated in a spatial and temporal fashion.

A Chloroacetamidine-based Inactivator of Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 1: Design, Synthesis, and in Vitro and in Vivo Evaluation **

Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) catalyze the post-translational methylation of arginine residues. PRMT1 is the predominant mammalian isozyme, and is responsible for generating the majority of the asymmetrically dimethylated arginine found in vivo. The dysregulation of this enzyme has been implicated in heart disease and cancer; thus, its inhibition would be useful in the treatment of these diseases. Herein, we describe the most potent PRMT1 inhibitor described to date. This compound, denoted C21, is a chloroacetamidine-containing peptide that is able to irreversibly bind and inactivate the enzyme selectively. We have also shown that the coactivator activity of PRMT1 is selectively inhibited by the compound in cellulo.

Design, synthesis, and kinetic characterization of protein N-terminal acetyltransferase inhibitors.

The N-termini of 80-90% of human proteins are acetylated by the N-terminal acetyltransferases (NATs), NatA-NatF. The major NAT complex, NatA, and particularly the catalytic subunit hNaa10 (ARD1) has been implicated in cancer development. For example, knockdown of hNaa10 results in cancer cell death and the arrest of cell proliferation. It also sensitized cancer cells to drug-induced cytotoxicity. Human NatE has a distinct substrate specificity and is essential for normal chromosome segregation. Thus, NAT inhibitors may potentially be valuable anticancer therapeutics, either directly or as adjuvants. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of the first inhibitors targeting these enzymes. Using the substrate specificity of the enzymes as a guide, we synthesized three bisubstrate analogues that potently and selectively inhibit the NatA complex (CoA-Ac-SES4; IC50 = 15.1 μM), hNaa10, the catalytic subunit of NatA (CoA-Ac-EEE4; Ki = 1.6 μM), and NatE/hNaa50 (CoA-Ac-MLG7; Ki* = 8 nM); CoA-Ac-EEE4 is a reversible competitive inhibitor of hNaa10, and CoA-Ac-MLG7 is a slow tight binding inhibitor of hNaa50. Our demonstration that it is possible to develop NAT selective inhibitors should assist future efforts to develop NAT inhibitors with more drug-like properties that can be used to chemically interrogate in vivo NAT function.

Characterization and inactivation of an agmatine deiminase from Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori encodes a potential virulence factor, agmatine deiminase (HpAgD), which catalyzes the conversion of agmatine to N-carbamoyl putrescine (NCP) and ammonia - agmatine is decarboxylated arginine. Agmatine is an endogenous human cell signaling molecule that triggers the innate immune response in humans. Unlike H. pylori, humans do not encode an AgD; it is hypothesized that inhibition of this enzyme would increase the levels of agmatine, and thereby enhance the innate immune response. Taken together, these facts suggest that HpAgD is a potential drug target. Herein we describe the optimized expression, isolation, and purification of HpAgD (10-30 mg/L media). The initial kinetic characterization of this enzyme has also been performed. Additionally, the crystal structure of wild-type HpAgD has been determined at 2.1A resolution. This structure provides a molecular basis for the preferential deimination of agmatine, and identifies Asp198 as a key residue responsible for agmatine recognition, which has been confirmed experimentally. Information gathered from these studies led to the development and characterization of a novel class of haloacetamidine-based HpAgD inactivators. These compounds are the most potent AgD inhibitors ever described.

Mechanistic Studies of Protein Arginine Deiminase 2: Evidence for a Substrate-Assisted Mechanism

Citrullination, which is catalyzed by protein arginine deiminases (PADs 1–4 and 6), is a post-translational modification (PTM) that effectively neutralizes the positive charge of a guanidinium group by its replacement with a neutral urea. Given the sequence similarity of PAD2 across mammalian species and the genomic organization of the PAD2 gene, PAD2 is predicted to be the ancestral homologue of the PADs. Although PAD2 has long been known to play a role in myelination, it has only recently been linked to other cellular processes, including gene transcription and macrophage extracellular trap formation. For example, PAD2 deiminates histone H3 at R26, and this PTM leads to the increased transcription of more than 200 genes under the control of the estrogen receptor. Given that our understanding of PAD2 biology remains incomplete, we initiated mechanistic studies on this enzyme to aid the development of PAD2-specific inhibitors. Herein, we report that the substrate specificity and calcium dependence of PAD2 are similar to those of PADs 1, 3, and 4. However, unlike those isozymes, PAD2 appears to use a substrate-assisted mechanism of catalysis in which the positively charged substrate guanidinium depresses the pKa of the nucleophilic cysteine. By contrast, PADs 1, 3, and 4 use a reverse-protonation mechanism. These mechanistic differences will aid the development of isozyme-specific inhibitors.