Development and Characterization of Novel Allosteric Modulators Acting on Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors 2 and 3
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DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL ALLOSTERIC MODULATORS ACTING ON METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE RECEPTORS 2 AND 3 By Cody James Wenthur Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in PHARMACOLOGY August, 2015 Nashville, Tennessee Approved: Professor Craig W. Lindsley Professor P. Jeffrey Conn Professor Randy D. Blakely Professor Aaron B. Bowman Professor Joey V. Barnett To my beloved wife, Brielle, the author of my happiness and To the untested truths, out beyond the ragged frontier ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The following work was generously supported by financial assistance from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute / Vanderbilt University Medical Center Certificate Program in Molecular Medicine, the NIGMS Vanderbilt Pre-Doctoral Pharmacology Training Program, NCATS funds awarded through the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, the NIH Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program, and the NIH Molecular Libraries Program. These visionary awards enable scientific studies at the boundaries between disciplines, emphasize the importance of applied science, and champion the development of the next generation of translational researchers. It is no overstatement to say that without such incredible backing, this manuscript would never have come to fruition. Likewise, the continuous guidance and assistance of my committee members was essential. The insights and suggestions of Drs. Randy Blakely, Aaron Bowman, and Joey Barnett, along with their unwavering commitment to helping me pursue my career and research goals, were integral to the success of the project. The current and former chairs of my committee, Drs. Jeff Conn and Scott Daniels, respectively, have both gone far beyond the simple requirements of their positions, providing me with access to their labs, equipment, and expertise – I will always be grateful for the opportunity to have learned from them. I especially thank my mentor, Dr. Craig Lindsley, for always allowing me to branch out and explore new avenues for the project, for allowing me time to pursue iii additional techniques, for letting me pursue dissertation-enriching opportunities and grants, and for providing a professional, friendly atmosphere where a diverse group of students, post-docs, staff scientists, and faculty could work together to improve each other and pursue common goals. Those wonderful colleagues in the Lindsley lab, and throughout the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, are particularly worth thanking here. There are quite literally dozens of individuals in the VCNDD who have given me individual help over the years, including a number of undergraduate, rotation, and exchange students. No problem was ever too complex or too trivial for them to assist me with, and I am indebted to them all for their tireless support. While I do not have space to thank all of the VCNDD members individually, I must specifically thank Adam Walker, who was instrumental in the design and implementation of the electrophysiology experiments described within, along with Peter Martin, Lana Olson, Hyekyung Plumley, Douglas Sheffler, Ryan Morrison, Colleen Niswender, Jerri Rook, and Kyle Emmitte. Finally, I thank my friends and family, both old and new, for their unwavering faith in my success and their unfathomable ability to improve my life with every passing day. While no mere acknowledgment can suffice for any of the contributions mentioned on this page, all of my attempts to quantify the specific ways in which these individuals have enriched my existence seem especially inadequate. So to my parents, grandparents, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws, brunch-eaters, band-players, cast-mates and soul-mate, I will simply thank you for everything and hope that it is enough. iv PREFACE Note Regarding the Numbering of Figures, Tables, Schemes and Compounds All figures, tables and schemes listed in this document are given a unique ID following the convention Object type [Chapter number].[object number] (e.g. Figure II.3 or Scheme III.1). All chemical structures listed in this document are given a unique ID upon their first appearance in this document, following the convention [Chapter number].[compound number] (e.g. IV.22). Compounds generated during the course of this work are referred to in the text by this convention; the corresponding identifier generated by Vanderbilt University will be referenced alongside this numbering system for key compounds where further clarification is required. Commercially available materials that were purchased for use in this work are referred to by the name they are sold under (e.g. LY341495). Note Regarding Animal Care and Use All animal studies described in this document were performed under protocols that had been reviewed and approved by the Vanderbilt University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and all experiments are performed in strict accordance with the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Such studies were conducted in the vivarium facility or the mouse neurobehavioral core of v Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which operates under guidelines set forth by the NIH and is fully accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC). Animals used were under the care of veterinary and vivarium staff with extensive experience in the care of rodents. Note Regarding Human Subjects Protection All studies described in this document that use human DNA and medical records were conducted under a protocol that had been reviewed and approved by the Vanderbilt University Human Research Protections Program / Institutional Review Board (HRPP / IRB). All records and samples were obtained with patient consent using the opt- out policy of the Vanderbilt BioVU database, and were fully de-identified in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Note Regarding Copyright Permissions Some portions of this document are reproduced from works previously published by the author. All necessary copyright permissions have been obtained for the use of text and figures from these document. Where necessary, such permissions are noted at the conclusion of the chapter where they are presented. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION ....................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... iii PREFACE ............................................................................................................................. v LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. xi LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF EQUATIONS AND SCHEMES .................................................................................xv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................. xvi Chapter I. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 1 Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors 2 and 3 ............................................................... 1 The glutamatergic nervous system and the neurotransmitter glutamate ............ 1 Structure and function of the group II metabotropic glutamate receptors .......... 6 Ligands for Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors 2 and 3 ............................................ 9 Orthosteric versus allosteric regulation ................................................................ 9 Allosteric regulation in drug discovery ................................................................ 12 Orthosteric ligands for the group II metabotropic glutamate receptors ............ 14 Allosteric ligands for the group II metabotropic glutamate receptors ................ 17 Role of the Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors 2 and 3 in Psychiatric Illnesses ..... 19 The group II metabotropic glutamate receptors and schizophrenia ................... 19 The group II metabotropic glutamate receptors and depression ....................... 21 The group II metabotropic glutamate receptors and anxiety disorders ............. 23 The group II metabotropic glutamate receptors and substance dependence .... 25 The group II metabotropic glutamate receptors and other neuropsychiatric illnesses ................................................................................................................ 26 Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 27 II. MATERIALS AND METHODS ......................................................................................... 28 Chemical Synthesis, Analysis, and Purification Techniques ...................................... 28 vii Iterative, parallel, multidimensional synthesis .................................................... 28 General methods and instrumentation ............................................................... 29 Molecular Pharmacology Techniques ........................................................................ 32 Cell culture ..........................................................................................................