Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center (RI-MUHC), Montreal, QC, Canada.
Nat Commun. 2021 Aug 3;12(1):4688. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-24968-y.
Internalization and intracellular trafficking of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play pivotal roles in cell responsiveness. Dysregulation in receptor trafficking can lead to aberrant signaling and cell behavior. Here, using an endosomal BRET-based assay in a high-throughput screen with the prototypical GPCR angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R), we sought to identify receptor trafficking inhibitors from a library of ~115,000 small molecules. We identified a novel dual Ras and ARF6 inhibitor, which we named Rasarfin, that blocks agonist-mediated internalization of AT1R and other GPCRs. Rasarfin also potently inhibits agonist-induced ERK1/2 signaling by GPCRs, and MAPK and Akt signaling by EGFR, as well as prevents cancer cell proliferation. In silico modeling and in vitro studies reveal a unique binding modality of Rasarfin within the SOS-binding domain of Ras. Our findings unveil a class of dual small G protein inhibitors for receptor trafficking and signaling, useful for the inhibition of oncogenic cellular responses.
G 蛋白偶联受体(GPCRs)的内化和细胞内转运在细胞反应中起着关键作用。受体转运的失调会导致异常信号和细胞行为。在这里,我们使用基于内体 BRET 的测定法,在高通量筛选中使用典型的 GPCR 血管紧张素 II 型 1 受体(AT1R),我们试图从大约 115000 种小分子文库中鉴定出受体转运抑制剂。我们发现了一种新型的 Ras 和 ARF6 双重抑制剂,我们将其命名为 Rasarfin,它可以阻止激动剂介导的 AT1R 和其他 GPCR 的内化。Rasarfin 还能有效抑制激动剂诱导的 GPCR 的 ERK1/2 信号转导,以及 EGFR 的 MAPK 和 Akt 信号转导,并防止癌细胞增殖。计算建模和体外研究揭示了 Rasarfin 在 Ras 结合 SOS 结构域内的独特结合模式。我们的研究结果揭示了一类用于受体转运和信号转导的双重小 G 蛋白抑制剂,可用于抑制致癌细胞反应。