Browsing by Author "Jarosinski, Mark A."

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Insertion of a synthetic switch into insulin provides metabolite-dependent regulation of hormone–receptor activation
    (National Academy of Sciences, 2021) Chen, Yen-Shan; Gleaton, Jeremy; Yang, Yanwu; Dhayalan, Balamurugan; Phillips, Nelson B.; Liu, Yule; Broadwater, Laurie; Jarosinski, Mark A.; Chatterjee, Deepak; Lawrence, Michael C.; Hattier, Thomas; Michael, M. Dodson; Weiss, Michael A.; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
    Ligand-dependent conformational switches are ubiquitous in biological macromolecules, from allosteric proteins to RNA riboswitches. Molecular design of artificial switches provides a general strategy to test relationships between macromolecular structure and function. The present study exploited recent structures of complexes between an ancestral signaling protein (insulin) and the ectodomain of its cellular receptor to insert a metabolite-regulated switch into the hormone. Whereas binding of ligands often stabilizes structure, this design envisioned metabolite-dependent “opening” of a closed, inactive insulin conformation. Assessment of hormone-directed receptor autophosphorylation and a downstream signaling cascade in liver-derived cells demonstrated that binding of metabolite (a monosaccharide) enabled hormonal signaling. These results suggest a mechanism-based strategy to design “smart” glucose-responsive analogs to more safely treat insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
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    New Horizons: Next-Generation Insulin Analogues: Structural Principles and Clinical Goals
    (The Endocrine Society, 2022) Jarosinski, Mark A.; Chen, Yen-Shan; Varas, Nicolás; Dhayalan, Balamurugan; Chatterjee, Deepak; Weiss, Michael A.; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
    Design of “first-generation” insulin analogues over the past 3 decades has provided pharmaceutical formulations with tailored pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) properties. Application of a molecular tool kit—integrating protein sequence, chemical modification, and formulation—has thus led to improved prandial and basal formulations for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Although PK/PD changes were modest in relation to prior formulations of human and animal insulins, significant clinical advantages in efficacy (mean glycemia) and safety (rates of hypoglycemia) were obtained. Continuing innovation is providing further improvements to achieve ultrarapid and ultrabasal analogue formulations in an effort to reduce glycemic variability and optimize time in range. Beyond such PK/PD metrics, next-generation insulin analogues seek to exploit therapeutic mechanisms: glucose-responsive (“smart”) analogues, pathway-specific (“biased”) analogues, and organ-targeted analogues. Smart insulin analogues and delivery systems promise to mitigate hypoglycemic risk, a critical barrier to glycemic control, whereas biased and organ-targeted insulin analogues may better recapitulate physiologic hormonal regulation. In each therapeutic class considerations of cost and stability will affect use and global distribution. This review highlights structural principles underlying next-generation design efforts, their respective biological rationale, and potential clinical applications.
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    Peptide Model of the Mutant Proinsulin Syndrome. I. Design and Clinical Correlation
    (Frontiers Media, 2022-03-01) Dhayalan, Balamurugan; Glidden, Michael D.; Zaykov, Alexander N.; Chen, Yen-Shan; Yang, Yanwu; Phillips, Nelson B.; Ismail-Beigi, Faramarz; Jarosinski, Mark A.; DiMarchi, Richard D.; Weiss, Michael A.; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
    The mutant proinsulin syndrome is a monogenic cause of diabetes mellitus due to toxic misfolding of insulin's biosynthetic precursor. Also designated mutant INS-gene induced diabetes of the young (MIDY), this syndrome defines molecular determinants of foldability in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of β-cells. Here, we describe a peptide model of a key proinsulin folding intermediate and variants containing representative clinical mutations; the latter perturb invariant core sites in native proinsulin (LeuB15→Pro, LeuA16→Pro, and PheB24→Ser). The studies exploited a 49-residue single-chain synthetic precursor (designated DesDi), previously shown to optimize in vitro efficiency of disulfide pairing. Parent and variant peptides contain a single disulfide bridge (cystine B19-A20) to provide a model of proinsulin's first oxidative folding intermediate. The peptides were characterized by circular dichroism and redox stability in relation to effects of the mutations on (a) in vitro foldability of the corresponding insulin analogs and (b) ER stress induced in cell culture on expression of the corresponding variant proinsulins. Striking correlations were observed between peptide biophysical properties, degree of ER stress and age of diabetes onset (neonatal or adolescent). Our findings suggest that age of onset reflects the extent to which nascent structure is destabilized in proinsulin's putative folding nucleus. We envisage that such peptide models will enable high-resolution structural studies of key folding determinants and in turn permit molecular dissection of phenotype-genotype relationships in this monogenic diabetes syndrome. Our companion study (next article in this issue) employs two-dimensional heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy to define site-specific perturbations in the variant peptides.
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    ‘Smart’ insulin-delivery technologies and intrinsic glucose-responsive insulin analogues
    (SpringerLink, 2021-05) Jarosinski, Mark A.; Dhayalan, Balamurugan; Rege, Nischay; Chatterjee, Deepak; Weiss, Michael A.; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
    Insulin replacement therapy for diabetes mellitus seeks to minimise excursions in blood glucose concentration above or below the therapeutic range (hyper- or hypoglycaemia). To mitigate acute and chronic risks of such excursions, glucose-responsive insulin-delivery technologies have long been sought for clinical application in type 1 and long-standing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Such 'smart' systems or insulin analogues seek to provide hormonal activity proportional to blood glucose levels without external monitoring. This review highlights three broad strategies to co-optimise mean glycaemic control and time in range: (1) coupling of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to delivery devices (algorithm-based 'closed-loop' systems); (2) glucose-responsive polymer encapsulation of insulin; and (3) mechanism-based hormone modifications. Innovations span control algorithms for CGM-based insulin-delivery systems, glucose-responsive polymer matrices, bio-inspired design based on insulin's conformational switch mechanism upon insulin receptor engagement, and glucose-responsive modifications of new insulin analogues. In each case, innovations in insulin chemistry and formulation may enhance clinical outcomes. Prospects are discussed for intrinsic glucose-responsive insulin analogues containing a reversible switch (regulating bioavailability or conformation) that can be activated by glucose at high concentrations.
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    Structural principles of insulin formulation and analog design: A century of innovation
    (Elsevier, 2021-10) Jarosinski, Mark A.; Dhayalan, Balamurugan; Chen, Yen-Shan; Chatterjee, Deepak; Varas, Nicolás; Weiss, Michael A.; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
    Background: The discovery of insulin in 1921 and its near-immediate clinical use initiated a century of innovation. Advances extended across a broad front, from the stabilization of animal insulin formulations to the frontiers of synthetic peptide chemistry, and in turn, from the advent of recombinant DNA manufacturing to structure-based protein analog design. In each case, a creative interplay was observed between pharmaceutical applications and then-emerging principles of protein science; indeed, translational objectives contributed to a growing molecular understanding of protein structure, aggregation and misfolding. Scope of review: Pioneering crystallographic analyses-beginning with Hodgkin's solving of the 2-Zn insulin hexamer-elucidated general features of protein self-assembly, including zinc coordination and the allosteric transmission of conformational change. Crystallization of insulin was exploited both as a step in manufacturing and as a means of obtaining protracted action. Forty years ago, the confluence of recombinant human insulin with techniques for site-directed mutagenesis initiated the present era of insulin analogs. Variant or modified insulins were developed that exhibit improved prandial or basal pharmacokinetic (PK) properties. Encouraged by clinical trials demonstrating the long-term importance of glycemic control, regimens based on such analogs sought to resemble daily patterns of endogenous β-cell secretion more closely, ideally with reduced risk of hypoglycemia. Major conclusions: Next-generation insulin analog design seeks to explore new frontiers, including glucose-responsive insulins, organ-selective analogs and biased agonists tailored to address yet-unmet clinical needs. In the coming decade, we envision ever more powerful scientific synergies at the interface of structural biology, molecular physiology and therapeutics.