Identification of Novel Inhibitors of DLK Palmitoylation and Signaling by High Content Screening

Sci Rep. 2019 Mar 6;9(1):3632. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-39968-8.

Abstract

After axonal insult and injury, Dual leucine-zipper kinase (DLK) conveys retrograde pro-degenerative signals to neuronal cell bodies via its downstream target c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). We recently reported that such signals critically require modification of DLK by the fatty acid palmitate, via a process called palmitoylation. Compounds that inhibit DLK palmitoylation could thus reduce neurodegeneration, but identifying such inhibitors requires a suitable assay. Here we report that DLK subcellular localization in non-neuronal cells is highly palmitoylation-dependent and can thus serve as a proxy readout to identify inhibitors of DLK palmitoylation by High Content Screening (HCS). We optimized an HCS assay based on this readout, which showed highly robust performance in a 96-well format. Using this assay we screened a library of 1200 FDA-approved compounds and found that ketoconazole, the compound that most dramatically affected DLK localization in our primary screen, dose-dependently inhibited DLK palmitoylation in follow-up biochemical assays. Moreover, ketoconazole significantly blunted phosphorylation of c-Jun in primary sensory neurons subjected to trophic deprivation, a well known model of DLK-dependent pro-degenerative signaling. Our HCS platform is thus capable of identifying novel inhibitors of DLK palmitoylation and signalling that may have considerable therapeutic potential.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques
  • Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • HEK293 Cells
  • High-Throughput Screening Assays / methods*
  • Humans
  • Ketoconazole / pharmacology*
  • Lipoylation*
  • MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases / metabolism
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational*
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A Inhibitors
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases
  • mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 12
  • Ketoconazole