Person:

Luo, Hongbo

Over-expression of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) is a hallmark of many inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and septic shock and hepatitis, making it a potential therapeutic target for clinical interventions. To explore chemical inhibitors against TNFα activity, we applied computer-aided drug design (CADD) combined with in vitro and cell-based assays and identified a lead chemical compound, (E)-4-(2-(4-chloro-3-nitrophenyl) (named as C87 thereafter), which directly binds to TNFα, potently inhibits TNFα-induced cytotoxicity ((IC_{50}=8.73\mu M)) and effectively blocks TNFα-triggered signaling activities. Furthermore, by using a murine acute hepatitis model, we showed that C87 attenuates TNFα-induced inflammation, thereby markedly reducing injuries to the liver and improving animal survival. Thus, our results lead to a novel and highly specific small-molecule TNFα inhibitor, which can be potentially used to treat TNFα-mediated inflammatory diseases.

The phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-triphosphate (PIP3) binding function of pleckstrin homology (PH) domain is essential for the activation of oncogenic Akt/PKB kinase. Following the PIP3-mediated activation at the membrane, the activated Akt is subjected to other regulatory events, including ubiquitination-mediated deactivation. Here, by identifying and characterizing an allosteric inhibitor, SC66, we show that the facilitated ubiquitination effectively terminates Akt signaling. Mechanistically, SC66 manifests a dual inhibitory activity that directly interferes with the PH domain binding to PIP3 and facilitates Akt ubiquitination. A known PH domain-dependent allosteric inhibitor, which stabilizes Akt, prevents the SC66-induced Akt ubiquitination. A cancer-relevant Akt1 (e17k) mutant is unstable, making it intrinsically sensitive to functional inhibition by SC66 in cellular contexts in which the PI3K inhibition has little inhibitory effect. As a result of its dual inhibitory activity, SC66 manifests a more effective growth suppression of transformed cells that contain a high level of Akt signaling, compared with other inhibitors of PIP3/Akt pathway. Finally, we show the anticancer activity of SC66 by using a soft agar assay as well as a mouse xenograft tumor model. In conclusion, in this study, we not only identify a dual-function Akt inhibitor, but also demonstrate that Akt ubiquitination could be chemically exploited to effectively facilitate its deactivation, thus identifying an avenue for pharmacological intervention in Akt signaling.

Following activation at the plasma membrane, Akt is subsequently deactivated in the cytoplasm. Although activation and deactivation of Akt must sometimes be separated in order to elicit and control cellular responses, the exact details of the spatiotemporal organization of Akt signaling are incompletely understood. Here we show that microtubule dynamics specifically modulate the deactivation phase of Akt signaling. Localization of Akt to microtubules sustains its activity, while disruption of microtubules attenuates Akt signaling independent of its initial activation. Conversely, stabilization of microtubules elevates Akt signaling both in vitro and in muscle tissues in vivo. Localization of Akt to microtubules is mediated by the microtubule binding protein dynactin p150, which is shown to be a direct target of Akt. Finally, microtubule disruption-induced Akt deactivation contributes to delayed cell cycle progression and accelerated cell death. Taken together, we revealed that, after initiation, the overall intensity and duration of oncogenic Akt signaling are determined by microtubule dynamics, a mechanism that could be exploited for therapeutic purposes.