Inhibition of the SR Protein-Phosphorylating CLK Kinases of Plasmodium falciparum Impairs Blood Stage Replication and Malaria Transmission
作者:Selina Kern、Shruti Agarwal、Kilian Huber、André P. Gehring、Benjamin Strödke、Christine C. Wirth、Thomas Brügl、Liliane Onambele Abodo、Thomas Dandekar、Christian Doerig、Rainer Fischer、Andrew B. Tobin、Mahmood M. Alam、Franz Bracher、Gabriele Pradel
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0105732
日期:——
Cyclin-dependent kinase-like kinases (CLKs) are dual specificity protein kinases that phosphorylate Serine/Arginine-rich (SR) proteins involved in pre-mRNA processing. Four CLKs, termed PfCLK-1-4, can be identified in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which show homology with the yeast SR protein kinase Sky1p. The four PfCLKs are present in the nucleus and cytoplasm of the asexual blood stages and of gametocytes, sexual precursor cells crucial for malaria parasite transmission from humans to mosquitoes. We identified three plasmodial SR proteins, PfSRSF12, PfSFRS4 and PfSF-1, which are predominantly present in the nucleus of blood stage trophozoites, PfSRSF12 and PfSF-1 are further detectable in the nucleus of gametocytes. We found that recombinantly expressed SR proteins comprising the Arginine/Serine (RS)-rich domains were phosphorylated by the four PfCLKs in in vitro kinase assays, while a recombinant PfSF-1 peptide lacking the RS-rich domain was not phosphorylated. Since it was hitherto not possible to knock-out the pfclk genes by conventional gene disruption, we aimed at chemical knock-outs for phenotype analysis. We identified five human CLK inhibitors, belonging to the oxo-β-carbolines and aminopyrimidines, as well as the antiseptic chlorhexidine as PfCLK-targeting compounds. The six inhibitors block P. falciparum blood stage replication in the low micromolar to nanomolar range by preventing the trophozoite-to-schizont transformation. In addition, the inhibitors impair gametocyte maturation and gametogenesis in in vitro assays. The combined data show that the four PfCLKs are involved in phosphorylation of SR proteins with essential functions for the blood and sexual stages of the malaria parasite, thus pointing to the kinases as promising targets for antimalarial and transmission blocking drugs.
细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶样激酶(CLKs)是一种双重特异性蛋白激酶,可使参与前核糖核酸(mRNA)加工的富丝氨酸/精氨酸(SR)蛋白磷酸化。在人类疟原虫恶性疟原虫中发现了四种 CLK,称为 PfCLK-1-4,它们与酵母 SR 蛋白激酶 Sky1p 同源。这四种 PfCLK 存在于无性血液阶段和配子细胞的细胞核和细胞质中,配子细胞是疟原虫从人类向蚊子传播的关键有性前体细胞。我们发现了三种质体 SR 蛋白,即 PfSRSF12、PfSFRS4 和 PfSF-1,它们主要存在于血期滋养体的细胞核中,PfSRSF12 和 PfSF-1 还可在配子细胞的细胞核中检测到。我们发现,在体外激酶试验中,重组表达的富含精氨酸/丝氨酸(RS)结构域的 SR 蛋白会被四种 PfCLK 磷酸化,而缺乏富含 RS 结构域的重组 PfSF-1 肽则不会被磷酸化。由于迄今为止还无法通过传统的基因敲除方法敲除 pfclk 基因,我们的目标是通过化学方法敲除 pfclk 基因以进行表型分析。我们确定了五种人类 CLK 抑制剂(属于氧化-β-咔啉类和氨基嘧啶类)以及杀菌剂洗必泰作为 PfCLK 靶向化合物。这六种抑制剂通过阻止滋养体向裂殖体的转化,在微摩尔至纳摩尔的低浓度范围内阻断恶性疟原虫血液阶段的复制。此外,在体外试验中,这些抑制剂还会损害配子细胞的成熟和配子的产生。综合数据表明,这四种 PfCLK 参与了 SR 蛋白的磷酸化过程,而 SR 蛋白对疟原虫的血液阶段和有性阶段具有重要功能,因此这些激酶有望成为抗疟药物和传播阻断药物的靶点。