Re-emerging Aspartic Protease Targets: Examining Cryptococcus neoformans Major Aspartyl Peptidase 1 as a Target for Antifungal Drug Discovery

J Med Chem. 2021 May 27;64(10):6706-6719. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c02177. Epub 2021 May 18.

Abstract

Cryptococcosis is an invasive infection that accounts for 15% of AIDS-related fatalities. Still, treating cryptococcosis remains a significant challenge due to the poor availability of effective antifungal therapies and emergence of drug resistance. Interestingly, protease inhibitor components of antiretroviral therapy regimens have shown some clinical benefits in these opportunistic infections. We investigated Major aspartyl peptidase 1 (May1), a secreted Cryptococcus neoformans protease, as a possible target for the development of drugs that act against both fungal and retroviral aspartyl proteases. Here, we describe the biochemical characterization of May1, present its high-resolution X-ray structure, and provide its substrate specificity analysis. Through combinatorial screening of 11,520 compounds, we identified a potent inhibitor of May1 and HIV protease. This dual-specificity inhibitor exhibits antifungal activity in yeast culture, low cytotoxicity, and low off-target activity against host proteases and could thus serve as a lead compound for further development of May1 and HIV protease inhibitors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antifungal Agents / chemistry*
  • Antifungal Agents / metabolism
  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology
  • Aspartic Acid Proteases / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Aspartic Acid Proteases / genetics
  • Aspartic Acid Proteases / metabolism
  • Binding Sites
  • Catalytic Domain
  • Cryptococcus neoformans / enzymology*
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
  • Fungal Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Fungal Proteins / genetics
  • Fungal Proteins / metabolism
  • Fungi / drug effects
  • HIV / enzymology
  • HIV Protease / chemistry
  • HIV Protease / metabolism
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation
  • Recombinant Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Substrate Specificity

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Fungal Proteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Aspartic Acid Proteases
  • HIV Protease