Pharmacological chaperones as a potential therapeutic option in methylmalonic aciduria cblB type

Hum Mol Genet. 2013 Sep 15;22(18):3680-9. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddt217. Epub 2013 May 13.

Abstract

Methylmalonic aciduria (MMA) cblB type is caused by mutations in the MMAB gene. This encodes the enzyme ATP:cob(I)alamin adenosyltransferase (ATR), which converts reduced cob(I)alamin to an active adenosylcobalamin cofactor. We recently reported the presence of destabilizing pathogenic mutations that retain some residual ATR activity. The aim of the present study was to seek pharmacological chaperones as a tailored therapy for stabilizing the ATR protein. High-throughput ligand screening of over 2000 compounds was performed; six were found to enhance the thermal stability of purified recombinant ATR. Further studies using a well-established bacterial system in which the recombinant ATR protein was expressed in the presence of these six compounds, showed them all to increase the stability of the wild-type ATR and the p.Ile96Thr mutant proteins. Compound V (N-{[(4-chlorophenyl)carbamothioyl]amino}-2-phenylacetamide) significantly increased this stability and did not act as an inhibitor of the purified protein. Importantly, compound V increased the activity of ATR in patient-derived fibroblasts harboring the destabilizing p.Ile96Thr mutation in a hemizygous state to within control range. When cobalamin was coadministrated with compound V, mutant ATR activity further improved. Oral administration of low doses of compound V to C57BL/6J mice for 12 days, led to increase in steady-state levels of ATR protein in liver and brain (disease-relevant organs). These results hold promise for the clinical use of pharmacological chaperones in MMA cblB type patients harboring chaperone-responsive mutations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alkyl and Aryl Transferases / chemistry
  • Alkyl and Aryl Transferases / genetics*
  • Alkyl and Aryl Transferases / metabolism
  • Amino Acid Metabolism, Inborn Errors / drug therapy*
  • Amino Acid Metabolism, Inborn Errors / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Benzeneacetamides / administration & dosage
  • Benzeneacetamides / chemistry*
  • Benzeneacetamides / pharmacology*
  • Binding Sites
  • Brain / drug effects
  • Brain / enzymology
  • Enzyme Stability
  • Female
  • High-Throughput Screening Assays
  • Humans
  • Liver / drug effects
  • Liver / enzymology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Mutant Proteins / genetics
  • Mutant Proteins / metabolism
  • Thiourea / administration & dosage
  • Thiourea / analogs & derivatives*
  • Thiourea / chemistry
  • Thiourea / pharmacology
  • Vitamin B 12 / administration & dosage
  • Vitamin B 12 / pharmacology

Substances

  • Benzeneacetamides
  • Mutant Proteins
  • N-(((4-chlorophenyl)carbamothioyl)amino)-2-phenylacetamide
  • Alkyl and Aryl Transferases
  • cob(I)alamin adenosyltransferase
  • Thiourea
  • Vitamin B 12

Supplementary concepts

  • Methylmalonic aciduria cblB type