We previously reported on a novel compound (Compound 1; RUC-1) identified by high-throughput screening that inhibits human ␣IIb3. RUC-1 did not inhibit ␣V3, suggesting that it interacts with ␣IIb, and flexible ligand/rigid protein molecular docking studies supported this speculation. We have now studied RUC-1's effects on murine and rat platelets, which are less sensitive than human to inhibition by Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides due to differences in the ␣IIb sequences contributing to the binding pocket. We found that RUC-1 was much less potent in inhibiting aggregation of murine and rat platelets. Moreover, RUC-1 potently inhibited fibrinogen binding to murine platelets expressing a hybrid ␣IIb3 receptor composed of human ␣IIb and murine 3, but not a hybrid receptor composed of murine ␣IIb and human 3. Molecular docking studies of RUC-1 were consistent with the functional data. In vivo studies of RUC-1 administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 26.5 mg/kg demonstrated antithrombotic effects in both ferric chloride carotid artery and laser-induced microvascular injury models in mice with hybrid h␣IIb/m3 receptors. Collectively, these data support RUC-1's specificity for ␣IIb, provide new insights into the ␣IIb binding pocket, and establish RUC-1's antithrombotic effects in vivo. (Blood. 2009;114:195-201)
IntroductionWe previously published data on the identification of a novel inhibitor of ␣IIb3 (Compound 1; now referred to as RUC-1). 1 We speculated that it interacted exclusively with the ␣IIb portion of the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) binding site based on its specificity for ␣IIb3 compared with ␣V3 and molecular docking studies into the human ␣IIb3 headpiece suggesting that the positively charged piperazinyl nitrogen of RUC-1 interacts with the carboxyl group of D224 in ␣IIb and that the heterocyclic fused ring of RUC-1 interacts with one or more of the 3 aromatic residues that line the ␣IIb pocket. RUC-1 also is too short to span between D224 of ␣IIb and the 3 metal ion-dependent adhesion site (MIDAS) and lacks a carboxyl group to coordinate the MIDAS metal ion, which is an invariant feature of all other small molecule ␣IIb3 antagonists. [2][3][4] In the present study, we further tested whether RUC-1 demonstrates specificity for ␣IIb by taking advantage of known differences in the abilities of ␣IIb3 antagonists to inhibit ␣IIb3-mediated platelet aggregation in different species. Consistent with these data, we also found that RUC-1 could inhibit thrombus formation in vivo in transgenic mice expressing human (h) ␣IIb in complex with murine (m) 3, but not wild-type (WT) mice. Estimates of electrostatic and van der Waals interaction energies of RUC-1 docked into the crystal structure of human ␣IIb3 or molecular models of rat ␣IIb3, mouse ␣IIb3, or hybrid human ␣IIb/mouse3 were consistent with the functional data. In aggregate, these data have important implications for understanding the structure of the ␣IIb binding pocket and the potential antiplatelet effects of ␣IIb-specific ␣IIb3 antagonists.
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