Heart repair factor boosted by RNA-targeting compound

Date:
August 24, 2020
Source:
Scripps Research Institute
Summary:
Damaged hearts require stem cell activation to heal, but heart
attack silences a key signaling molecule. A newly discovered
compound reactivates its production, in cell-based studies.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A heart attack can leave parts of the heart permanently scarred and stiff, resulting in prolonged disability and potential progression toward heart failure. Scientists have studied various ways to repair or regenerate
such damaged heart tissue, with limited success.


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A new study from Scripps Research Chemist Matthew Disney, PhD, shows that
by targeting an essential biomolecule that surges in failing heart muscle,
it may be possible to one day heal damaged heart tissue with medication.

In a study published Monday in the journal Nature Chemistry, the Disney collaboration describes the discovery of the first compounds able to
restart cellular production of a factor called VEGF-A, short for vascular endothelial growth factor A, in cellular models. Research over many years
has shown VEGF- A acts as a signal to stem cells, causing them to rebuild
blood vessels and muscle in damaged heart tissue, and improve blood flow.

Targeting RNAs, the "middleman" between genes and protein production,
makes logical sense, but doing so with medicines was once deemed
unfeasible. RNAs were long thought to be poor small-molecule drug targets
due to their simple four-base makeup and dynamic shape. Through the
years, Disney and colleagues have developed an array of computational
and chemical tools designed to overcome those barriers.

"During a heart attack, the injury causes proteins that could promote new, healthy blood vessel growth to go silent," Disney explains. "We analyzed
the entire pathway for how the protein is silenced, and then we used that information to identify how to reinvigorate its expression." Lead author Hafeez Haniff, a graduate student at Scripps Research, Florida, analyzed
the genomics underlying VEGF-A production to assess optimal RNA drug
targets, working in collaboration with scientists at AstraZeneca. The
team selected a microRNA precursor called pre-miR-377, finding it acts
like a dimmer switch for VEGF-A production in failing heart muscle.



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They then used Disney's computational and chemical tools, in conjunction
with a diverse set of compounds from AstraZeneca's collection, in search
of chemical partners able to selectively bind to the key conserved
structural features of pre-miR-377.

"A remarkable on-target specificity is achieved by combining the active compound with other helper molecules," Haniff explains.

Other strategies that have been attempted to boost VEGF-A production
include administration of VEGF-A itself, or delivery of messenger RNA
that encodes for the protein.

"Each of these approaches uses large compounds that can have limited distribution to diseased tissues, compared to potential specific,
RNA-binding small-molecule lead medicines," Disney says.

The compound has, so far, been tested in cells, not whole-animal models
of heart failure, Disney notes.



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"We delivered a lead small molecule compound to reprogram the cell's
software to force it to re-express VEGF-A," Disney says. "Transforming
TGP-377 into a potential medicine that reaches patients will take
considerably more time and research." Disney called their success a
"test case" that shows it is possible to reliably and predictably
develop medicinal compounds for pre-defined RNA targets and induce
protein production in cellular models.

Malin Lemurell of AstraZeneca, calls it a potentially important first
step.

"The ability to design small molecules capable of interacting with
and modulating RNA could open new avenues to target challenging
disease pathways that have previously been considered undruggable,"
says Lemurell, who is head of Medicinal Chemistry, Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism, BioPharmaceuticals
R&D at AstraZeneca. "This research has enabled the generation of quality
tool compounds that will be useful to probe this mode of action further." Because of the largescale screening done to identify TGP-377, Disney says
the group expanded by 20-fold the data set of known RNA-binding small
molecules generally, with implications for multiple incurable diseases.

"There are potential RNA drug targets for nearly every disease." Disney
says.

"We now have a much greater toolbox to search for lead molecules with
medicinal potential."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Scripps_Research_Institute. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Hafeez S. Haniff, Laurent Knerr, Xiaohui Liu, Gogce Crynen, Jonas
Bostro"m, Daniel Abegg, Alexander Adibekian, Elizabeth Lekah,
Kye Won Wang, Michael D. Cameron, Ilyas Yildirim, Malin Lemurell,
Matthew D.

Disney. Design of a small molecule that stimulates vascular
endothelial growth factor A enabled by screening RNA
fold-small molecule interactions. Nature Chemistry, 2020; DOI:
10.1038/s41557-020-0514-4 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200824120044.htm

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