Therapeutic Validation of GEF-H1 Using a De Novo Designed Inhibitor in Models of Retinal Disease

Inflammation and fibrosis are important components of diseases that contribute to the malfunction of epithelia and endothelia. The Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) GEF-H1/ARHGEF-2 is induced in disease and stimulates inflammatory and fibrotic processes, cell migration, and metastasis. Here, we have generated peptide inhibitors to block the function of GEF-H1. Inhibitors were designed using a structural in silico approach or by isolating an inhibitory sequence from the autoregulatory C-terminal domain. Candidate inhibitors were tested for their ability to block RhoA/GEF-H1 binding in vitro, and their potency and specificity in cell-based assays. Successful inhibitors were then evaluated in models of TGFβ-induced fibrosis, LPS-stimulated endothelial cell-cell junction disruption, and cell migration. Finally, the most potent inhibitor was successfully tested in an experimental retinal disease mouse model, in which it inhibited blood vessel leakage and ameliorated retinal inflammation when treatment was initiated after disease diagnosis. Thus, an antagonist that blocks GEF-H1 signaling effectively inhibits disease features in in vitro and in vivo disease models, demonstrating that GEF-H1 is an effective therapeutic target and establishing a new therapeutic approach.