| Autor: |
De-la-Torre P; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School and Mass Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, USA., Martínez-García C; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Concepción, Chile., Gratias P; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School and Mass Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, USA., Mun M; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School and Mass Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, USA., Santana P; Facultad de Ingeniería, Instituto de Ciencias Químicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile., Akyuz N; Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA., González W; Center for Bioinformatics and Molecular Simulations (CBSM), University of Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile., Indzhykulian AA; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School and Mass Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, USA., Ramírez D; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Concepción, Chile. |
| Abstrakt: |
Our ability to hear and maintain balance relies on the proper functioning of inner ear sensory hair cells, which translate mechanical stimuli into electrical signals via mechano-electrical transducer (MET) channels, composed of TMC1/2 proteins. However, the therapeutic use of ototoxic drugs, such as aminoglycosides and cisplatin, which can enter hair cells through MET channels, often leads to profound auditory and vestibular dysfunction. Despite extensive research on otoprotective compounds targeting MET channels, our understanding of how small molecule modulators interact with these channels remains limited, hampering the discovery of novel compounds. Here, we propose a structure-based screening approach, integrating 3D-pharmacophore modeling, molecular simulations, and experimental validation. Our pipeline successfully identified several novel compounds and FDA-approved drugs that reduced dye uptake in cultured cochlear explants, indicating MET modulation activity. Molecular docking and free-energy estimations for binding allowed us to identify three potential drug binding sites within the channel pore, phospholipids, and key amino acids involved in modulator interactions. We also identified shared ligand-binding features between TMC and structurally related TMEM16 protein families, providing novel insights into their distinct inhibition, while potentially guiding the rational design of MET-channel-specific modulators. Our pipeline offers a broad application to discover small molecule modulators for a wide spectrum of mechanosensitive ion channels. |
