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Li F, Liu J, Liu C, Liu Z, Peng X, Huang Y, Chen X, Sun X, Wang S, Chen W, Xiong D, Diao X, Wang S, Zhuang J, Wu C, Wu D. Cyclic peptides discriminate BCL-2 and its clinical mutants from BCL-X L by engaging a single-residue discrepancy. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1476. [PMID: 38368459 PMCID: PMC10874388 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45848-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Overexpressed pro-survival B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) family proteins BCL-2 and BCL-XL can render tumor cells malignant. Leukemia drug venetoclax is currently the only approved selective BCL-2 inhibitor. However, its application has led to an emergence of resistant mutations, calling for drugs with an innovative mechanism of action. Herein we present cyclic peptides (CPs) with nanomolar-level binding affinities to BCL-2 or BCL-XL, and further reveal the structural and functional mechanisms of how these CPs target two proteins in a fashion that is remarkably different from traditional small-molecule inhibitors. In addition, these CPs can bind to the venetoclax-resistant clinical BCL-2 mutants with similar affinities as to the wild-type protein. Furthermore, we identify a single-residue discrepancy between BCL-2 D111 and BCL-XL A104 as a molecular "switch" that can differently engage CPs. Our study suggests that CPs may inhibit BCL-2 or BCL-XL by delicately modulating protein-protein interactions, potentially benefiting the development of next-generation therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengwei Li
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China.
| | - Junjie Liu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Chao Liu
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Ziyan Liu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Xiangda Peng
- Shanghai Zelixir Biotech Company Ltd., Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Yinyue Huang
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Xiaoyu Chen
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Xiangnan Sun
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Sen Wang
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Shanghai Immune Therapy Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine-Affiliated Renji Hospital, Shanghai, 200127, China
| | - Dan Xiong
- Xiamen Lifeint Technology Company Ltd., Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Xiaotong Diao
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Sheng Wang
- Shanghai Zelixir Biotech Company Ltd., Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Jingjing Zhuang
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
- Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, China
| | - Chuanliu Wu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China.
| | - Dalei Wu
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China.
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2
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Ballinas-Indilí R, Nicolás-Vázquez MI, Martínez J, Ramírez-Apan MT, Álvarez-Toledano C, Toscano A, Hernández-Rodríguez M, Mera Jiménez E, Miranda Ruvalcaba R. Synthesis, Cytotoxic Activity and In Silico Study of Novel Dihydropyridine Carboxylic Acids Derivatives. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15414. [PMID: 37895094 PMCID: PMC10607468 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
To aid the possible prevention of multidrug resistance in tumors and cause lower toxicity, a set of sixteen novel dihydropyridine carboxylic acids derivatives 3a-p were produced; thus, the activation of various ynones with triflic anhydride was performed, involving a nucleophilic addition of several bis(trimethylsilyl) ketene acetals, achieving good yields requiring easy workup. The target molecules were unequivocally characterized by common spectroscopic methods. In addition, two of the tested compounds (3a, and 3b) were selected to perform in silico studies due to the highest cytotoxic activity towards the HCT-15 cell line (7.94 ± 1.6 μM and 9.24 ± 0.9 μM, respectively). Employing theoretical calculations with density functional theory (DFT) using the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) showed that the molecular parameters correlate adequately with the experimental results. In contrast, predictions employing Osiris Property Explorer showed that compounds 3a and 3b present physicochemical characteristics that would likely make it an orally active drug. Moreover, the performance of Docking studies with proteins related to the apoptosis pathway allowed a proposal of which compounds could interact with PARP-1 protein. Pondering the obtained results (synthesis, in silico, and cytotoxic activity) of the target compounds, they can be judged as suitable antineoplastic agent candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Ballinas-Indilí
- Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán Campo 1, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida 1o de Mayo s/n, Colonia Santa María las Torres, Cuautitlán Izcalli 54740, Mexico; (R.B.-I.); (M.I.N.-V.); (J.M.)
| | - María Inés Nicolás-Vázquez
- Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán Campo 1, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida 1o de Mayo s/n, Colonia Santa María las Torres, Cuautitlán Izcalli 54740, Mexico; (R.B.-I.); (M.I.N.-V.); (J.M.)
| | - Joel Martínez
- Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán Campo 1, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida 1o de Mayo s/n, Colonia Santa María las Torres, Cuautitlán Izcalli 54740, Mexico; (R.B.-I.); (M.I.N.-V.); (J.M.)
| | - María Teresa Ramírez-Apan
- Instituto de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (M.T.R.-A.); (C.Á.-T.); (A.T.)
| | - Cecilio Álvarez-Toledano
- Instituto de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (M.T.R.-A.); (C.Á.-T.); (A.T.)
| | - Alfredo Toscano
- Instituto de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (M.T.R.-A.); (C.Á.-T.); (A.T.)
| | - Maricarmen Hernández-Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Cultivo Celular, Sección de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11340, Mexico; (M.H.-R.); (E.M.J.)
| | - Elvia Mera Jiménez
- Laboratorio de Cultivo Celular, Sección de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11340, Mexico; (M.H.-R.); (E.M.J.)
| | - René Miranda Ruvalcaba
- Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán Campo 1, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida 1o de Mayo s/n, Colonia Santa María las Torres, Cuautitlán Izcalli 54740, Mexico; (R.B.-I.); (M.I.N.-V.); (J.M.)
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Wu D, Li Y, Zheng L, Xiao H, Ouyang L, Wang G, Sun Q. Small molecules targeting protein-protein interactions for cancer therapy. Acta Pharm Sin B 2023; 13:4060-4088. [PMID: 37799384 PMCID: PMC10547922 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2023.05.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are fundamental to many biological processes that play an important role in the occurrence and development of a variety of diseases. Targeting the interaction between tumour-related proteins with emerging small molecule drugs has become an attractive approach for treatment of human diseases, especially tumours. Encouragingly, selective PPI-based therapeutic agents have been rapidly advancing over the past decade, providing promising perspectives for novel therapies for patients with cancer. In this review we comprehensively clarify the discovery and development of small molecule modulators of PPIs from multiple aspects, focusing on PPIs in disease, drug design and discovery strategies, structure-activity relationships, inherent dilemmas, and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Defa Wu
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Yang Li
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Lang Zheng
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Huan Xiao
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Liang Ouyang
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Guan Wang
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Qiu Sun
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- West China Medical Publishers, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
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Huang G, Cierpicki T, Grembecka J. 2-Aminobenzothiazoles in anticancer drug design and discovery. Bioorg Chem 2023; 135:106477. [PMID: 36989736 PMCID: PMC10718064 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Substantial research efforts have been made to develop new chemical entities with improved anticancer efficacy. 2-Aminobenzothiazole is an important class of heterocycles containing one sulfur and two nitrogen atoms, which is associated with a broad spectrum of medical and pharmacological activities, including antitumor, antibacterial, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral activities. In recent years, an extraordinary collection of potent and low-toxicity 2-aminobenzothiazole compounds have been discovered as new anticancer agents. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of this class of compounds based on their activities against tumor-related proteins, including tyrosine kinases (CSF1R, EGFR, VEGFR-2, FAK, and MET), serine/threonine kinases (Aurora, CDK, CK, RAF, and DYRK2), PI3K kinase, BCL-XL, HSP90, mutant p53 protein, DNA topoisomerase, HDAC, NSD1, LSD1, FTO, mPGES-1, SCD, hCA IX/XII, and CXCR. In addition, the anticancer potentials of 2-aminobenzothiazole-derived chelators and metal complexes are also described here. Moreover, the design strategies, mechanism of actions, structure-activity relationships (SAR) and more advanced stages of pre-clinical development of 2-aminobenzothiazoles as new anticancer agents are extensively reviewed in this article. Finally, the examples that 2-aminobenzothiazoles showcase an advantage over other heterocyclic systems are also highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang Huang
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Tomasz Cierpicki
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jolanta Grembecka
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
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Eruçar FM, Kuran FK, Altıparmak Ülbegi G, Özbey S, Karavuş ŞN, Arcan GG, Yazıcı Tütüniş S, Tan N, Aksoy Sağırlı P, Miski M. Sesquiterpene Coumarin Ethers with Selective Cytotoxic Activities from the Roots of Ferula huber-morathii Peşmen (Apiaceae) and Unequivocal Determination of the Absolute Stereochemistry of Samarcandin. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:792. [PMID: 37375740 DOI: 10.3390/ph16060792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Ancient physicians frequently used the resin of Ferula species to treat cancer. Today, some folkloric recipes used for cancer treatment also contain the resin of Ferula species. The dichloromethane extract of the roots of Ferula huber-morathii exhibited cytotoxic activities against COLO 205 (colon), K-562 (lymphoblast), and MCF-7 (breast) cancer cell lines (IC50 = 52 µg/mL, 72 µg/mL, and 20 µg/mL, respectively). Fifteen sesquiterpene coumarin ethers with cytotoxic activity were isolated from the dichloromethane extract of the roots of F. huber-morathii using bioactivity-directed isolation studies. Extensive spectroscopic analyses and chemical transformations have elucidated the structures of these sesquiterpene coumarin ethers as conferone (1), conferol (2), feselol (3), badrakemone (4), mogoltadone (5), farnesiferol A (6), farnesiferol A acetate (7), gummosin (8), ferukrin (9), ferukrin acetate (10), deacetylkellerin (11), kellerin (12), samarcandone (13), samarcandin (14), and samarcandin acetate (15). The absolute configuration of samarcandin (14) was unequivocally determined by the X-ray crystallographic analysis of the semi-synthetic (R)-MTPA ester of samarcandin (24). Conferol (2) and mogoltadone (5) were found to be the most potent cytotoxic compounds against all three cancer cell lines; furthermore, these compounds exhibit low cytotoxic activity against the non-cancerous human umbilical vein epithelial cells (HUVEC) cell line. Investigation of the biological activity mechanisms of mogoltadone (5) revealed that while suppressing the levels of Bcl-XL and procaspase-3 in the COLO 205 cancer cell line, it did not have a significant effect on the Bcl-XL, caspase-3, and β-catenin protein levels of the HUVEC cell line, which may explain the cytotoxic selectivity of mogoltadone (5) on cancer cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatma Memnune Eruçar
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, İstanbul University, 34116 İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Fadıl Kaan Kuran
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, İstanbul University, 34116 İstanbul, Türkiye
| | | | - Süheyla Özbey
- Department of Engineering Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Hacettepe University, 06800 Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Şule Nur Karavuş
- Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, İstanbul Medipol University, 34810 İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Gülşah Gamze Arcan
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, İstanbul University, 34116 İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Seçil Yazıcı Tütüniş
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, İstanbul University, 34116 İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Nur Tan
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, İstanbul University, 34116 İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Pınar Aksoy Sağırlı
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, İstanbul University, 34116 İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Mahmut Miski
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, İstanbul University, 34116 İstanbul, Türkiye
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Negi A, Voisin-Chiret AS. Strategies to reduce the On-target Platelet Toxicity of Bcl-xL Inhibitors: PROTACs, SNIPERs and Prodrug-based approaches. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202100689. [PMID: 35263486 PMCID: PMC9311450 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Apoptosis is a highly regulated cellular process. Any alteration in apoptosis signaling results in disease states. Therefore, apoptosis proteins are prime targets in various therapies. Bcl-x L is an anti-apoptotic protein that prevents cellular apoptosis. Compared to other antiapoptotic proteins, expression of Bcl-x L is commonly observed in solid tumors and to an extent to some leukemias and lymphomas. Also, its overexpression is linked with survival, acquired resistance to other chemotherapeutics in cancer as well as in senescent cells, making it a potent anticancer and senolytic target. Therefore, various nanomolar range Bcl-x L inhibitors were studied. To a success, ABT-263 was identified as a Bcl-x L /Bcl-2 dual inhibitor but failed in the clinical trial (phase-II), due to on-target platelet toxicity, implying an expression of Bcl-x L protein is essential for human platelet survival. However, most of the presented designs of Bcl-x L inhibitors were based on conventional medicinal chemistry approaches using occupancy-derived pharmacology, therefore, other approaches were investigated. Most of the approaches developed to overcome the on-target platelet toxicity of Bcl-x L inhibitors were based on event-based pharmacology, such as pr oteolysis ta rgeting c himeras (PROTACs) and SNIPERs ( s pecific n on-genetic I AP-based p rotein er asers). However, PROTACs take advantage of 600 E3-ligases that are expressed differently based on cell type and, importantly less expressed in platelets. This paper also discussed the approaches that utilized the concept of the prodrugs, such as antibody-drug conjugates, phosphate prodrugs, dendrimer conjugate, and glycosylated conjugate. Various studies such as in vitro , in vivo , structure-activity relationship, and biophysical characterization of each inhibitor retrieved from these strategies are timely discussed in the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arvind Negi
- Aalto-yliopisto, Bioproducts and Biosystems, Vuorimiehentie 1, 02150 Espoo Finland, 00530, Helsinki, FINLAND
| | - Anne Sophie Voisin-Chiret
- Caen University: Universite de Caen Normandie, Centre d' etudes et de recherche sur le medicament de normandie, FRANCE
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Discovery, development and application of drugs targeting BCL-2 pro-survival proteins in cancer. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:2381-2395. [PMID: 34515749 PMCID: PMC8589430 DOI: 10.1042/bst20210749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of a new class of small molecule compounds that target the BCL-2 family of anti-apoptotic proteins is one of the great success stories of basic science leading to translational outcomes in the last 30 years. The eponymous BCL-2 protein was identified over 30 years ago due to its association with cancer. However, it was the unveiling of the biochemistry and structural biology behind it and its close relatives’ mechanism(s)-of-action that provided the inspiration for what are now known as ‘BH3-mimetics’, the first clinically approved drugs designed to specifically inhibit protein–protein interactions. Herein, we chart the history of how these drugs were discovered, their evolution and application in cancer treatment.
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