Probing the Effect of Sildenafil on Progesterone and Testosterone Production by an Intracellular FRET/BRET Combined Approach

Biochemistry. 2019 Feb 12;58(6):799-808. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b01073. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

Abstract

Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based biosensors have been recently applied to the study of biological pathways. In this study, a new biosensor was validated for the first time in live HEK293 and steroidogenic MLTC-1 cell lines for studying the effect of the PDE5 inhibitor on the hCG/LH-induced steroidogenic pathway. The sensor improves FRET between a donor (D), the fluorescein-like diarsenical probe that can covalently bind a tetracysteine motif fused to the PDE5 catalytic domain, and an acceptor (A), the rhodamine probe conjugated to the pseudosubstrate cGMPS. Affinity constant ( Kd) values of 5.6 ± 3.2 and 13.7 ± 0.8 μM were obtained with HEK293 and MLTC-1 cells, respectively. The detection was based on the competitive displacement of the cGMPS-rhodamine conjugate by sildenafil; the Ki values were 3.6 ± 0.3 nM (IC50 = 2.3 nM) in HEK293 cells and 10 ± 1.0 nM (IC50 = 3.9 nM) in MLTC-1 cells. The monitoring of both cAMP and cGMP by bioluminescence resonance energy transfer allowed the exploitation of the effects of PDE5i on steroidogenesis, indicating that sildenafil enhanced the gonadotropin-induced progesterone-to-testosterone conversion in a cAMP-independent manner.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arsenicals / chemistry
  • Biosensing Techniques / methods
  • Catalytic Domain
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Chorionic Gonadotropin / pharmacology
  • Cyclic AMP / metabolism
  • Cyclic GMP / metabolism
  • Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 5 / chemistry
  • Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 5 / metabolism*
  • Cysteine / chemistry
  • Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer / methods
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Luteinizing Hormone / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors / metabolism*
  • Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Progesterone / biosynthesis*
  • Progesterone / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Rhodamines / chemistry
  • Sildenafil Citrate / metabolism*
  • Sildenafil Citrate / pharmacology
  • Testosterone / biosynthesis*
  • Testosterone / metabolism

Substances

  • Arsenicals
  • Chorionic Gonadotropin
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors
  • Rhodamines
  • Testosterone
  • Progesterone
  • Luteinizing Hormone
  • Sildenafil Citrate
  • Cyclic AMP
  • Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 5
  • Cyclic GMP
  • Cysteine