CCMB study to help develop better drugs for cholesterol

Hyderabad: A latest study by researchers from Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), published in peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, has thrown a new light on possible ways to develop better therapeutics related to cholesterol.

In the study, CCMB researchers report a sensor region on human serotonin1A receptor that can detect cholesterol. They looked at specific regions called CRAC motifs in the receptor. These are believed to interact with cholesterol. The researchers carefully replaced specific amino acids in the CRAC motifs of the serotonin1A receptor, and identified a particular amino acid responsible for cholesterol-sensitive function of the receptor, according to a CCMB release.

Normally, cells communicate with each other via receptor proteins expressed on the cell membranes and many drugs target these receptor proteins to alter cell’s functioning and physiology. The latest study from Prof Amitabha Chattopadhyay’s lab at CCMB makes a case for accounting for the lipid environment that surrounds the receptor proteins, while designing drugs acting on the latter.

“These findings are important since cholesterol levels change in our cells with age and in many disease conditions. We believe our work will help in developing better drugs that keep in mind not just the receptor as the drug target, but also the lipid environment in which the receptor is present”, explained Prof Chattopadhyay.

The CCMB researchers collaborated with Dr Jana Selent’s group from Pompeu Fabra University Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain to visualize the protein-cholesterol interaction via computer-aided molecular dynamics simulations.

“Our expertise in structural biology at CCMB is key towards physical understanding of cells and their functions. This not only adds to the detailed view of living cells but also have immense potential in therapeutics development”, said Dr Vinay Nandicoori, Director, CCMB, in the release added.

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