Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:1.5.1.3 (dihydrofolate reductase)
 5,819 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The mitochondrial processing peptidase (MPP) specifically cleaves N-terminal targeting signals from hundreds of nuclear-encoded, matrix-targeted precursor proteins. In contrast to yeast and mammals, the plant MPP is an integral component of the respiratory cytochrome bc1 complex. The topology of the protein import channel in relation to MPP/bc1 in plants was studied using chimeric precursors containing truncated cytochrome b2 (cyt b2) proteins of 55-167 residues in length, fused to dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). The DHFR domain could be tightly folded by methotrexate (MTX), generating translocation intermediates trapped in the import channel with only the cyt b2 pre-sequence/mature domain protruding into the matrix. Spinach and soybean mitochondria imported and processed unfolded precursors. MTX-folded intermediates were not processed in spinach but the longest (1-167) MTX-folded cyt b2-DHFR construct was processed in soybean, while yeast mitochondria successfully processed even shorter MTX-folded constructs. The MTX-folded precursors were cleaved with high efficiency by purified spinach MPP/bc1 complex. We interpret these results as indicating that the protein import channel is located distantly from the MPP/bc1 complex in plants, and that there is no link between protein translocation and protein processing.
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PMID:Studies on the topology of the protein import channel in relation to the plant mitochondrial processing peptidase integrated into the cytochrome bc1 complex. 1112 2

3D-QSAR has become a very important tool in the field of Drug Discovery, especially in important areas like malarial research. The 3D-QSAR is principally a ligand-based drug design but the bioactive conformation of the ligand can also be taken into account in constructing a 3D-QSAR model. The induction of receptor-based 3D-QSAR has been proven to give more robust statistical models. In this review, we have discussed the various 3D-QSAR works done so far which were aimed at combating malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparam. We have also discussed the various enzymes/receptors (targets) in Plasmodium falciparam for which the 3D-QSAR had been generated. The enzymes - wild and mutated dihydrofolate reductase, enoyl acyl protein carrier protein reductase, farnesyltransferase, cytochrome bc1, and falcipains were the major targets for pharmacophore-based drug design. Apart from the above-mentioned targets there were many scaffolds for which the target macromolecule was undefined and could have single/multiple targets. The generated 3D-QSAR model can be used to identify hits by screening the pharmacophore against a chemical library. In this review, the hits identified against various targets of plasmodium falciparam that have been discussed along with their basic scaffold. The various software programs and chemical databases that have been used in the generation of 3D-QSAR and screening were given. From this review, we understand that there is a considerable need to develop novel scaffolds that are different from the existing ligands to overcome cross-resistance.
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PMID:3D-QSAR studies on Plasmodium falciparam proteins: a mini-review. 2554 83

Since the recent renaissance of phenotypic screening in the field of protozoan drug discovery, is there still an opportunity for the structure-based design of new anti-protozoan agents? Target-based approaches should be used in parallel to phenotypic screening to strengthen the pipeline of anti-protozoan agents. We give an overview of the protozoan drug discovery landscape highlighting four protein targets of interest: cytochrome bc1, dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, dihydrofolate reductase and calcium-dependent protein kinase 1. We discuss recent structurebased design efforts to inhibit these targets, reviewing their crystal structures and their ability to accommodate potent and selective compounds. Finally, we discuss future opportunities to apply structure-based methods to promising molecular targets within protozoan parasites discovered using chemical genomics.
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PMID:New Opportunities in the Structure-based Design of Anti-Protozoan Agents. 2753 Oct 28