Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29258562›Full record

ArticleBMC structural biology2017

Leishmania infantum 5'-Methylthioadenosine Phosphorylase presents relevant structural divergence to constitute a potential drug target.

Hela Abid, Emna Harigua-Souiai, Thouraya Mejri, Mourad Barhoumi, Ikram Guizani

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC structural biology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 85% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Repurposing approved drugs targetingFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Hela AbidLaboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Experimental Pathology (LR11IPT04/ LR16IPT04), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.
Emna Harigua-SouiaiLaboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Experimental Pathology (LR11IPT04/ LR16IPT04), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.
Thouraya MejriLaboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Experimental Pathology (LR11IPT04/ LR16IPT04), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.
Mourad BarhoumiLaboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Experimental Pathology (LR11IPT04/ LR16IPT04), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.
Ikram GuizaniLaboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Experimental Pathology (LR11IPT04/ LR16IPT04), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia. ikram.guizani@pasteur.rns.tn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2763-8963
Tunis University · TN

Funding

Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur, de la Recherche Scientifique et des Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication (LR00SP04 & LR11IPT04)
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe 5'-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP), an enzyme involved in purine and polyamine metabolism and in the methionine salvage pathway, is considered as a potential drug target against cancer and trypanosomiasis. In fact, Trypanosoma and Leishmania parasites lack de novo purine pathways and rely on purine salvage pathways to meet their requirements. Herein, we propose the first comprehensive bioinformatic and structural characterization of the putative Leishmania infantum MTAP (LiMTAP), using a comparative computational approach.

resultsSequence analysis showed that LiMTAP shared higher identity rates with the Trypanosoma brucei (TbMTAP) and the human (huMTAP) homologs as compared to the human purine nucleoside phosphorylase (huPNP). Motifs search using MEME identified more common patterns and higher relatedness of the parasite proteins to the huMTAP than to the huPNP. The 3D structures of LiMTAP and TbMTAP were predicted by homology modeling and compared to the crystal structure of the huMTAP. These models presented conserved secondary structures compared to the huMTAP, with a similar topology corresponding to the Rossmann fold. This confirmed that both LiMTAP and TbMTAP are members of the NP-I family. In comparison to the huMTAP, the 3D model of LiMTAP showed an additional α-helix, at the C terminal extremity. One peptide located in this specific region was used to generate a specific antibody to LiMTAP. In comparison with the active site (AS) of huMTAP, the parasite ASs presented significant differences in the shape and the electrostatic potentials (EPs). Molecular docking of 5'-methylthioadenosine (MTA) and 5'-hydroxyethylthio-adenosine (HETA) on the ASs on the three proteins predicted differential binding modes and interactions when comparing the parasite proteins to the human orthologue.

conclusionsThis study highlighted significant structural peculiarities, corresponding to functionally relevant sequence divergence in LiMTAP, making of it a potential drug target against Leishmania.

Indexed as

AdenosineAmino Acid MotifsAmino Acid SequenceAntibodiesBinding Sites, AntibodyCatalytic DomainDeoxyadenosinesHumansLeishmania infantumMolecular Docking SimulationPeptide FragmentsProtein BindingProtein ConformationPurine-Nucleoside PhosphorylaseSequence Analysis, DNASequence Homology5'-deoxy-5'-(hydroxyethylthio)adenosine5'-methylthioadenosine5'-methylthioadenosine phosphorylaseAdenosineAntibodiesDeoxyadenosinesPeptide FragmentsPurine-Nucleoside PhosphorylaseThionucleosidesAntibodyHomology modelingLeishmaniaMolecular dockingMTAP

Identifiers

PMID29258562
PMCPMC5738077
OpenAlexW2779453842

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.