Toshimasa Itoh

Structural basis for the activation of PPARγ by oxidized fatty acids

The nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) has important roles in adipogenesis and immune response as well as roles in both lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Although synthetic agonists for PPARγ are widely used as insulin sensitizers, the identity of the natural ligand(s) for PPARγ is still not clear. Suggested natural ligands include 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 and oxidized fatty acids such as 9-HODE and 13-HODE. Crystal structures of PPARγ have revealed the mode of recognition for synthetic compounds. Here we report structures of PPARγ bound to oxidized fatty acids that are likely to be natural ligands for this receptor. These structures reveal that the receptor can (i) simultaneously bind two fatty acids and (ii) couple covalently with conjugated oxo fatty acids. Thermal stability and gene expression analyses suggest that such covalent ligands are particularly effective activators of PPARγ and thus may serve as potent and biologically relevant ligands.

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ and oxidized docosahexaenoic acids as new class of ligand

PPARγ regulates the expression of numerous genes. In addition to their anti-diabetic activity, PPARγ agonists have been reported to have beneficial effects for cancer, inflammation including inflammatory bowel disease, atherosclerosis and brain inflammation, as well as bone turnover. To investigate a potential new class of ligands for PPARγ, we designed with reference to the crystal structure of the ligand-binding domain of PPARγ oxidized docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) derivatives, which have a hydrophilic substituent at the C(4)-position and are putative metabolites of DHA. We synthesized 14 compounds and evaluated their activities in vitro. We found that these DHA derivatives show PPARγ transactivation higher than, or comparable to, that of pioglitazone, which is a thiazolidinedione derivative used as an antidiabetic agent. Furthermore, one of them showed anti-diabetic activity in animal models. In this paper, we review the potential of PPARγ as a drug target and oxidized DHA as a new class of ligand for PPARγ.

Selective inhibition of methoxyflavonoids on human CYP1B1 activity

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1B1 catalyzes 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) to predominantly carcinogenic 4-hydroxy-E(2), whereas CYP1A1 and 1A2 convert E(2) to non-carcinogenic 2-hydroxy-E(2). Hence, selective inhibition of CYP1B1 is recognized to be beneficial for the prevention of E(2) related breast cancer. In this study, we first evaluated the structure-property relationship of 18 major flavonoids on inhibiting enzymatic activity of CYP1A1, 1A2 and 1B1 by using an ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation assay. Flavones and flavonols indicated relatively strong inhibitory effects on CYP1s compared with flavanone that does not have the double bond between C-positions 2 and 3 on the C-ring. Flavonoids used in this study selectively inhibited CYP1B1 activity. In particular, methoxy types of flavones and flavonols such as chrysoeriol and isorhamnetin showed strong and selective inhibition against CYP1B1. To understand why selective inhibition was observed, we carried out a molecular docking analysis of these methoxyflavonoids with the 2-3 double bond and CYP1s. The results suggested that chrysoeriol and isorhamnetin fit well into the active site of CYP1B1, but do not fit into the active site of CYP1A2 and 1A1 because of steric collisions between the methoxy substituent of these methoxyflavonoids and Ser-122 in CYP1A1 and Thr-124 in CYP1A2. In conclusion, our results demonstrate: (1) strong inhibitory effects of flavonoids on CYP1 activities require the 2-3 double bond on the C-ring; (2) methoxyflavonoids with the 2-3 double bond had strong and selective inhibition against CYP1B1, suggesting chemopreventive flavonoids for E(2) related breast cancer; and (3) binding specificity of these methoxyflavonoids is based on the interactions between the methoxy groups and specific CYP1s residues.

Structural basis for the activation of PPAR|[gamma]| by oxidized fatty acids

The nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) has important roles in adipogenesis and immune response as well as roles in both lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Although synthetic agonists for PPARγ are widely used as insulin sensitizers, the identity of the natural ligand(s) for PPARγ is still not clear. Suggested natural ligands include 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 and oxidized fatty acids such as 9-HODE and 13-HODE. Crystal structures of PPARγ have revealed the mode of recognition for synthetic compounds. Here we report structures of PPARγ bound to oxidized fatty acids that are likely to be natural ligands for this receptor. These structures reveal that the receptor can (i) simultaneously bind two fatty acids and (ii) couple covalently with conjugated oxo fatty acids. Thermal stability and gene expression analyses suggest that such covalent ligands are particularly effective activators of PPARγ and thus may serve as potent and biologically relevant ligands.

Substitution at carbon 2 of 19-nor-1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 with 3-hydroxypropyl group generates an analogue with enhanced chemotherapeutic potency in PC-3 prostate cancer cells

The active form of vitamin D(3), 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3)(1α,25(OH)(2)D(3)), has anti-proliferative and anti-invasive activities in prostate cancer cells. Because of 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) therapeutic potential in treating cancers, numerous analogues have been synthesized with an attempt to increase anti-proliferative and/or decrease calcemic properties. Among these analogues, 19-nor-1α,25(OH)(2)D(2) while being less calcemic has equivalent potency as 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) in several in vitro and in vivo systems. We recently showed that 19-nor-2α-(3-hydroxypropyl)-1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) (MART-10) was at least 500-fold and 10-fold more active than 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) in inhibiting the proliferation of an immortalized normal prostate PZ-HPV-7 cells and the invasion of androgen insensitive PC-3 prostate cancer cells, respectively. In this study, we further investigated the effects of MART-10 and 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) on the dose- and time-dependent induction of CYP24A1 gene expression in PC-3 prostate cancer cells. We found that MART-10 induced CYP24A1 gene expression at a lower concentration with a longer duration compared to 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3), suggesting that MART-10 is less susceptible to CYP24A1 degradation. Molecular docking model of human CYP24A1 and MART-10 indicates that its side chain is far away from the heme ion and is less likely to be hydroxylated by the enzyme. Furthermore, MART-10 was a more potent inhibitor of PC-3 cell proliferation and invasion compared to 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3). In addition, MART-10 down-regulated matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression which could be one mechanism whereby MART-10 influences cancer cell invasion. Finally, we observed that subcutaneous administration of MART-10 up-regulated the CYP24A1 mRNA expression in rat kidneys without affecting their plasma calcium levels. Thus, our findings demonstrate that MART-10 is biologically active in vivo and may be an effective vitamin D analogue for clinical trials to treat prostate cancer.

A 3D model of CYP1B1 explains the dominant 4-hydroxylation of estradiol.

CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 exhibit catalytic activity predominantly for the 2-hydroxylation of estradiol, whereas CYP1B1 exhibits catalytic activity predominantly for 4-hydroxylation of estradiol. To understand why CYP1B1 predominantly hydroxylates the 4-position of estradiol, we constructed three-dimensional structures of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 by homology modeling, using the crystal structure of CYP1A2, and studied the docking mode of estradiol with CYP1A1, CYP1A2, and CYP1B1. The results demonstrated that two particular amino acid residues for each CYP, namely Thr124 and Phe260 of CYP1A2, Ser122 and Phe258 of CYP1A1, and Ala133 and Asn265 of CYP1B1, play an important role in estradiol recognition.

Biomimetic total synthesis of (+/-)-8-oxoerymelanthine.

Erymelanthine 1 and 8-oxoerymelanthine 2 are unique erythrina alkaloids containing a pyridine ring. We synthesized (+/-)-8-oxoerymelanthine 2 in 2.0% overall yield using the following key reactions. The characteristic 6-5-6-6-membered ring system was constructed by the stereoselective intermolecular Diels-Alder reaction. Oxidative cleavage of the aromatic D-ring was conducted chemo- and regioselectively by ozonolysis in the presence of BF(3)-etherate. This cleavage site is identical to the site cleaved during the biosynthesis of erymelanthine 1. Nitrogen incorporation was achieved by aminolysis. Conversion of the D-ring pyridone to the corresponding pyridine was efficiently accomplished by palladium-catalyzed reduction of aryl triflate 21. This is not only the first total synthesis of (+/-)-8-oxoerymelanthine 2 (where the D-ring is pyridine) but also, more importantly, a biomimetic total synthesis of an erythrinan D-aza alkaloid.

A Mixed Population of Antagonist and Agonist Binding Conformers in a Single Crystal Explains Partial Agonism against Vitamin D Receptor: Active Vitamin D Analogues with 22R-Alkyl Group.

We are continuing to study the structural basis of vitamin D receptor (VDR) agonism and antagonism by using 22S-alkyl vitamin D analogues. Here we report the synthesis and biological evaluation of 22R-alkyl analogues and the X-ray crystallographic analysis of vitamin D receptor ligand-binding domain (VDR-LBD) complexed with a 22R-analogue. VDR-LBD complexed with the partial agonist 8a showed that 8a binds to VDR-LBD with two conformations, one of which is the antagonist/VDR-LBD complex structure and the other is the agonist/VDR-LBD complex structure. The results indicate that the partial agonist activity of 8a depends on the sum of antagonistic and agonistic activities caused by the antagonist and agonist binding conformers, respectively. The structural basis observed here must be applicable to the partial agonism of other ligand-dependent nuclear receptors. This is the first report describing the trapping of a conformational subset of the ligand and the nuclear receptor in a single crystal.

Structural and functional characterization of a cell cycle associated HDAC1/2 complex reveals the structural basis for complex assembly and nucleosome targeting

Recent proteomic studies have identified a novel histone deacetylase complex that is upregulated during mitosis and is associated with cyclin A. This complex is conserved from nematodes to man and contains histone deacetylases 1 and 2, the MIDEAS corepressor protein and a protein called DNTTIP1 whose function was hitherto poorly understood. Here, we report the structures of two domains from DNTTIP1. The amino-terminal region forms a tight dimerization domain with a novel structural fold that interacts with and mediates assembly of the HDAC1:MIDEAS complex. The carboxy-terminal domain of DNTTIP1 has a structure related to the SKI/SNO/DAC domain, despite lacking obvious sequence homology. We show that this domain in DNTTIP1 mediates interaction with both DNA and nucleosomes. Thus, DNTTIP1 acts as a dimeric chromatin binding module in the HDAC1:MIDEAS corepressor complex.

Butyl pocket formation in the vitamin d receptor strongly affects the agonistic or antagonistic behavior of ligands

Previously, we reported that 22S-butyl-25,26,27-trinor-1α,24-dihydroxyvitamin D(3)2 represents a new class of antagonist for the vitamin D receptor (VDR). The crystal structure of the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of VDR complexed with 2 showed the formation of a butyl pocket to accommodate the 22-butyl group and insufficient interactions between ligand 2 and the C-terminus of VDR. Here, we designed and synthesized new analogues 5a-c and evaluated their biological activities to probe whether agonistic activity is recovered when the analogue restores interactions with the C-terminus of VDR. Analogues 5a-c exhibited full agonistic activity in transactivation. Interestingly, 5c, which bears a 24-diethyl group, completely recovered agonistic activity, although 3c and 4c act as an antagonist and a weak agonist, respectively. The crystal structures of VDR-LBD complexed with 3a, 4a, 5a, and 5c were solved, and the results confirmed that butyl pocket formation in VDR strongly affects the agonistic or antagonistic behaviors of ligands.