Using computational bioactivity prediction models we identified phosphodiesterase 3B (PDE3B) and cathepsin L as macromolecular targets of de novo designed compounds. By disclosing the most potent cathepsin L activator known to date, small molecule repurposing by target panel prediction represents a feasible route towards innovative leads for chemical biology and molecular medicine.

BACKGROUND It has been shown that hosphodiesterases (PDEs) play an important role in mediating the smooth muscle tone of rat urinary bladder. However, the gene expression profiles of them were still unknown. METHODS Urinary bladder Strips were obtained from both neonatal and adult Sprague-Dawley rats. RT-PCR/western blot and organ bath were used to measure the expression and function of PDEs....

In the testis of the 1.5-year-old horse, spermatogenesis initiates locally in grossly light, central areas that contrast with grossly dark, peripheral areas that are as yet inactive in spermatogenesis. Gene expression was compared between "light" and "dark" tissues of 1.5-year-old horse testes to identify mechanisms important to the initiation of spermatogenesis. Microarrays containing human cD...

PURPOSE cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 is a family of enzymes the inhibition of which induces chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) apoptosis. However, leukemic cells from a subset of CLL patients are relatively resistant to treatment with the PDE4 inhibitor rolipram, particularly when this drug is used in the absence of an adenylate cyclase stimulus such as forskolin. Elevated cAMP levels induce ...

Increases in the second messenger cAMP are associated with receptor-mediated ATP release from erythrocytes. In other signaling pathways, cAMP-specific phosphodiesterases (PDEs) hydrolyze this second messenger and thereby limit its biological actions. Although rabbit and human erythrocytes possess adenylyl cyclase and synthesize cAMP, their PDE activity is poorly characterized. It was reported p...

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) stimulates lipolysis in human adipocytes. However, the mechanisms regulating this process are largely unknown. We demonstrate that TNF-alpha increases lipolysis in differentiated human adipocytes by activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK), and elevation of intracellular cAMP. TNF-alpha activat...

AIMS Leptin plays an important role in the pathogenesis of obesity and diabetes, yet the regulatory mechanisms of this hormone have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we aimed to clarify the roles of insulin and glucose in leptin secretion and mRNA production using inhibitors of insulin signal transduction in adipocytes cultured under glucose-free or normal conditions. METHODS Differen...