Related Experiment Videos
V-ATPases as drug targets
Emma Jean Bowman1, Barry J Bowman
1Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA. rbowman@biology.ucsc.edu
Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes
|May 13, 2006
Summary
Vacuolar ATPases (V-ATPases) are crucial enzymes in cells, and their inhibition is key to treating diseases like cancer. Natural products offer promising therapeutic strategies by targeting V-ATPases.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Vacuolar H+-ATPases (V-ATPases) are essential proton pumps vital for cellular acidification.
- These enzymes play critical roles in numerous physiological processes and are implicated in diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis, and deafness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of V-ATPases in cellular functions and disease.
- To explore natural product inhibitors of V-ATPases as potential therapeutic agents.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on V-ATPase function, inhibition, and therapeutic potential.
- Analysis of different classes of natural product inhibitors, including bafilomycins, concanamycins, salicylihalamides, lobatamides, and chondropsins.
Main Results:
- Bafilomycins and concanamycins broadly inhibit eukaryotic V-ATPases by targeting the Vo subunit c.
- Salicylihalamides and lobatamides exhibit specificity for animal V-ATPases.
- Chondropsins selectively inhibit fungal V-ATPases.
Conclusions:
- V-ATPases are attractive therapeutic targets due to their involvement in diverse physiological processes and diseases.
- Natural products provide a rich source of V-ATPase inhibitors with potential for developing selective therapeutic agents.