bx795 and Disease-Models--Animal

When Zika virus emerged as a public health emergency there were no drugs or vaccines approved for its prevention or treatment. We used a high-throughput screen for Zika virus protease inhibitors to identify several inhibitors of Zika virus infection. We expressed the NS2B-NS3 Zika virus protease and conducted a biochemical screen for small-molecule inhibitors. A quantitative structure-activity relationship model was employed to virtually screen ∼138,000 compounds, which increased the identification of active compounds, while decreasing screening time and resources. Candidate inhibitors were validated in several viral infection assays. Small molecules with favorable clinical profiles, especially the five-lipoxygenase-activating protein inhibitor, MK-591, inhibited the Zika virus protease and infection in neural stem cells. Members of the tetracycline family of antibiotics were more potent inhibitors of Zika virus infection than the protease, suggesting they may have multiple mechanisms of action. The most potent tetracycline, methacycline, reduced the amount of Zika virus present in the brain and the severity of Zika virus-induced motor deficits in an immunocompetent mouse model. As Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs, the tetracyclines could be quickly translated to the clinic. The compounds identified through our screening paradigm have the potential to be used as prophylactics for patients traveling to endemic regions or for the treatment of the neurological complications of Zika virus infection.

Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; Artificial Intelligence; Chlorocebus aethiops; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; High-Throughput Screening Assays; Immunocompetence; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Methacycline; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Protease Inhibitors; Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship; Small Molecule Libraries; Vero Cells; Zika Virus; Zika Virus Infection

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) causes recurrent mucocutaneous lesions in the eye that may advance to corneal blindness. Nucleoside analogs exemplified by acyclovir (ACV) form the primary class of antiherpetic drugs, but this class suffers limitations due to the emergence of viral resistance and other side effects. While studying the molecular basis of ocular HSV-1 infection, we observed that BX795, a commonly used inhibitor of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1), strongly suppressed infection by multiple strains of HSV-1 in transformed and primary human cells, cultured human and animal corneas, and a murine model of ocular infection. Our investigations revealed that the antiviral activity of BX795 relies on targeting Akt phosphorylation in infected cells, leading to the blockage of viral protein synthesis. This small-molecule inhibitor, which was also effective against an ACV-resistant HSV-1 strain, shows promise as an alternative to existing drugs and as an effective topical therapy for ocular herpes infection. Collectively, our results obtained using multiple infection models and virus strains establish BX795 as a promising lead compound for broad-spectrum antiviral applications in humans.

Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; Disease Models, Animal; Enzyme Activation; Epithelium, Corneal; Eye; Herpes Simplex; Herpesvirus 1, Human; Humans; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Pyrimidines; Swine; Thiophenes; Virion

Essentials Phosphoinositide 3-kinase and MAPK pathways crosstalk via PDK1. PDK1 is required for adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet activation and thromboxane generation. PDK1 regulates RAF proto-oncogene Ser/Thr kinase (Raf1) activation in the MAPK pathway. Genetic ablation of PDK1 protects against platelet-dependent thrombosis in vivo.

Topics: 3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinases; Animals; Blood Platelets; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Mice, Knockout; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Phosphorylation; Platelet Aggregation; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Proto-Oncogene Mas; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; Pulmonary Embolism; Pyrimidines; Signal Transduction; Thiophenes; Thrombosis; Thromboxanes

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide that is characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death. However, RGC senescence as a phase before RGC death, and the mechanism of RGC senescence remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that TANK-binding protein 1 (TBK1) is upregulated in acute IOP elevation-induced ischemic retinas mouse model. Moreover, pre-treatment with the TBK1 inhibitor BX-795 reduced p16INK4a (p16) expression and RGC senescence. Upregulation of TBK1 via plasmid transfection increased Akt phosphorylation at Ser473 and Bmi1 phosphorylation. The Akt inhibitor MK-2206 decreased the expression of p16 and Bmi1 serine phosphorylation. A Bmi1 Ser316 mutation also attenuated TBK1-induced p16 upregulation. Finally, silencing of TBK1 via shRNA knockdown reduced the expression of p16 as well as Akt and Bmi1 phosphorylation, reducing RGC senescence in vivo. These data suggest that acute IOP elevation-induced ischemia increases TBK1 expression, which then increases p16 expression through the Akt- Bmi1 phosphorylation pathway. This study therefore elucidates a novel mechanism whereby TBK1 regulates p16 expression and RGC senescence, suggesting a potential novel treatment strategy for minimizing RGC senescence in retinal ischemia and glaucoma.

Topics: Animals; Cellular Senescence; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; Disease Models, Animal; Gene Knockdown Techniques; Intraocular Pressure; Ischemia; Models, Biological; Phosphorylation; Polycomb Repressive Complex 1; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Pyrimidines; Retinal Ganglion Cells; RNA, Small Interfering; Signal Transduction; Thiophenes; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; Up-Regulation

Glaucoma is the leading cause for blindness affecting 60 million people worldwide. The optineurin (OPTN) E50K mutation was first identified in familial primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), the onset of which is not associated with intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation, and is classified as normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). Optineurin (OPTN) is a multifunctional protein and its mutations are associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as POAG and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We have previously described an E50K mutation-carrying transgenic (E50K-tg) mouse that exhibited glaucomatous phenotypes of decreased retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and surrounding cell death at normal IOP. Further phenotypic analysis of these mice revealed persistent reactive gliosis and E50K mutant protein deposits in the outer plexiform layer (OPL). Over-expression of E50K in HEK293 cells indicated accumulation of insoluble OPTN in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This phenomenon was consistent with the results seen in neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from E50K mutation-carrying NTG patients. The E50K mutant strongly interacted with TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1), which prohibited the proper oligomerization and solubility of OPTN, both of which are important for OPTN intracellular transition. Treatment with a TBK1 inhibitor, BX795, abrogated the aberrant insolubility of the E50K mutant. Here, we delineated the intracellular dynamics of the endogenous E50K mutant protein for the first time and demonstrated how this mutation causes OPTN insolubility, in association with TBK1, to evoke POAG.

Topics: Animals; Cell Cycle Proteins; Disease Models, Animal; Endoplasmic Reticulum; Glaucoma, Open-Angle; Gliosis; HEK293 Cells; Humans; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells; Membrane Transport Proteins; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Pyrimidines; Retina; Thiophenes; Transcription Factor TFIIIA