1
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Li Y, Qu J, Jiang L, Peng X, Wu K, Chen M, Peng Y, Cao X. Application and challenges of nitrogen heterocycles in PROTAC linker. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 273:116520. [PMID: 38788299 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
The absence of effective active pockets makes traditional molecularly targeted drug strategies ineffective against 80 % of human disease-related proteins. The PROTAC technology effectively makes up for the deficiency of traditional molecular targeted drugs, which produces drug activity by degrading rather than inhibiting the target protein. The degradation of PROTAC is not only affected by POI ligand and E3 ligand, but by the selection of suitable linker which can play an important role in the efficiency and selectivity of the degradation. In the early exploring stage of the PROTAC, flexible chains were priorly applied as the linker of PROTAC. Although PROTAC with flexible chains as linkers sometimes perform well in vitro bioactivity evaluations, the introduction of lipophilic flexible chains reduces the hydrophilicity of these molecules, resulting in generally poor pharmacokinetic characteristics and pharmacological activities in vivo. In addition, recent reports have also shown that some PROTAC with flexible chains have some risks to causing hemolysis in vivo. Therefore, PROTAC with flexible chains show less druggability and large difficulty to entering the clinical trial stage. On the other hand, the application of nitrogen heterocycles in the design of PROTAC linkers has been widely reported in recent years. More and more reports have shown that the introduction of nitrogen heterocycles in the linker not only can effectively improves the metabolism of PROTAC in vivo, but also can enhance the degradation efficiency and selectivity of PROTAC. These PROTAC with nitrogen heterocycle linkers have attracted much attention of pharmaceutical chemists. The introduction of nitrogen heterocycles in the linker deserves priority consideration in the primary design of the PROTAC based on various druggabilities including pharmacokinetic characteristics and pharmacological activity. In this work, we summarized the optimization process and progress of nitrogen heterocyclic rings as the PROTAC linker in recent years. However, there were still limited understanding of how to discover, design and optimize PROTAC. For example, the selection of the types of nitrogen heterocycles and the optimization sites of this linker are challenges for researchers, choosing between four to six-membered nitrogen heterocycles, selecting from saturated to unsaturated ones, and even optimizing the length and extension angle of the linker. There is a truly need for theoretical explanation and elucidation of the PROTAC to guide the developing of more effective and valuable PROTAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Hunan Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, College of Pharmacy, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Junfeng Qu
- Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Hunan Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, College of Pharmacy, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Lizhi Jiang
- Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Hunan Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, College of Pharmacy, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Xiaoyu Peng
- Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Hunan Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, College of Pharmacy, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Kaiyue Wu
- Department of Pharmacy, Ezhou Central Hospital, Ezhou, Hubei, China
| | - Miaojia Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, The First People's Hospital, Pingjiang, Yueyang, Hunan, China
| | - Yuanyuan Peng
- School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang, 330000, China
| | - Xuan Cao
- Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Hunan Province, Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, College of Pharmacy, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China.
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2
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Wang C, Zhang Y, Chen W, Wu Y, Xing D. New-generation advanced PROTACs as potential therapeutic agents in cancer therapy. Mol Cancer 2024; 23:110. [PMID: 38773495 PMCID: PMC11107062 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-024-02024-9] [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: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) technology has garnered significant attention over the last 10 years, representing a burgeoning therapeutic approach with the potential to address pathogenic proteins that have historically posed challenges for traditional small-molecule inhibitors. PROTACs exploit the endogenous E3 ubiquitin ligases to facilitate degradation of the proteins of interest (POIs) through the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in a cyclic catalytic manner. Despite recent endeavors to advance the utilization of PROTACs in clinical settings, the majority of PROTACs fail to progress beyond the preclinical phase of drug development. There are multiple factors impeding the market entry of PROTACs, with the insufficiently precise degradation of favorable POIs standing out as one of the most formidable obstacles. Recently, there has been exploration of new-generation advanced PROTACs, including small-molecule PROTAC prodrugs, biomacromolecule-PROTAC conjugates, and nano-PROTACs, to improve the in vivo efficacy of PROTACs. These improved PROTACs possess the capability to mitigate undesirable physicochemical characteristics inherent in traditional PROTACs, thereby enhancing their targetability and reducing off-target side effects. The new-generation of advanced PROTACs will mark a pivotal turning point in the realm of targeted protein degradation. In this comprehensive review, we have meticulously summarized the state-of-the-art advancements achieved by these cutting-edge PROTACs, elucidated their underlying design principles, deliberated upon the prevailing challenges encountered, and provided an insightful outlook on future prospects within this burgeoning field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Wang
- Cancer Institute, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, Shandong, China
| | - Yujing Zhang
- The Affiliated Cardiovascular Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, Shandong, China.
| | - Wujun Chen
- Cancer Institute, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, Shandong, China
| | - Yudong Wu
- Cancer Institute, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, Shandong, China.
| | - Dongming Xing
- Cancer Institute, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, Shandong, China.
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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3
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Vorderbruggen M, Velázquez-Martínez CA, Natarajan A, Karpf AR. PROTACs in Ovarian Cancer: Current Advancements and Future Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5067. [PMID: 38791105 PMCID: PMC11121112 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic malignancy. The majority of patients diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer will relapse, at which point additional therapies can be administered but, for the most part, these are not curative. As such, a need exists for the development of novel therapeutic options for ovarian cancer patients. Research in the field of targeted protein degradation (TPD) through the use of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) has significantly increased in recent years. The ability of PROTACs to target proteins of interest (POI) for degradation, overcoming limitations such as the incomplete inhibition of POI function and the development of resistance seen with other inhibitors, is of particular interest in cancer research, including ovarian cancer research. This review provides a synopsis of PROTACs tested in ovarian cancer models and highlights PROTACs characterized in other types of cancers with potential high utility in ovarian cancer. Finally, we discuss methods that will help to enable the selective delivery of PROTACs to ovarian cancer and improve the pharmacodynamic properties of these agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makenzie Vorderbruggen
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6805, USA; (M.V.); (A.N.)
- Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6805, USA
| | | | - Amarnath Natarajan
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6805, USA; (M.V.); (A.N.)
- Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6805, USA
| | - Adam R. Karpf
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6805, USA; (M.V.); (A.N.)
- Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6805, USA
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4
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Bhuniya S, Vrettos EI. Hypoxia-Activated Theragnostic Prodrugs (HATPs): Current State and Future Perspectives. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:557. [PMID: 38675218 PMCID: PMC11054426 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16040557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia is a significant feature of solid tumors and frequently poses a challenge to the effectiveness of tumor-targeted chemotherapeutics, thereby limiting their anticancer activity. Hypoxia-activated prodrugs represent a class of bio-reductive agents that can be selectively activated in hypoxic compartments to unleash the toxic warhead and thus, eliminate malignant tumor cells. However, their applicability can be further elevated by installing fluorescent modalities to yield hypoxia-activated theragnostic prodrugs (HATPs), which can be utilized for the simultaneous visualization and treatment of hypoxic tumor cells. The scope of this review is to summarize noteworthy advances in recent HATPs, highlight the challenges and opportunities for their further development, and discuss their potency to serve as personalized medicines in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sankarprasad Bhuniya
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, JIS Institute of Advanced Studies and Research, JIS University, Kolkata 700091, India;
| | - Eirinaios I. Vrettos
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
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5
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Giardina SF, Valdambrini E, Singh PK, Bacolod MD, Babu-Karunakaran G, Peel M, Warren JD, Barany F. Combinatorial Ubiquitination REal-time PROteolysis (CURE-PROs): A Modular Platform for Generating Reversible, Self-Assembling Bifunctional Targeted Degraders. J Med Chem 2024; 67:5473-5501. [PMID: 38554135 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) are bifunctional molecules that bring a target protein and an E3 ubiquitin ligase into proximity to append ubiquitin, thus directing target degradation. Although numerous PROTACs have entered clinical trials, their development remains challenging, and their large size can produce poor drug-like properties. To overcome these limitations, we have modified our Coferon platform to generate Combinatorial Ubiquitination REal-time PROteolysis (CURE-PROs). CURE-PROs are small molecule degraders designed to self-assemble through reversible bio-orthogonal linkers to form covalent heterodimers. By modifying known ligands for Cereblon, MDM2, VHL, and BRD with complementary phenylboronic acid and diol/catechol linkers, we have successfully created CURE-PROs that direct degradation of BRD4 both in vitro and in vivo. The combinatorial nature of our platform significantly reduces synthesis time and effort to identify the optimal linker length and E3 ligase partner to each target and is readily amenable to screening for new targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah F Giardina
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Elena Valdambrini
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Pradeep K Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Manny D Bacolod
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | | | - Michael Peel
- MRP Pharma LLC, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514, United States
| | - J David Warren
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Francis Barany
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
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6
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Guo Y, Li X, Xie Y, Wang Y. What influences the activity of Degrader-Antibody conjugates (DACs). Eur J Med Chem 2024; 268:116216. [PMID: 38387330 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
The targeted protein degradation (TPD) technology employing proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) has been widely applied in drug chemistry and chemical biology for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. PROTACs have demonstrated significant advantages in targeting undruggable targets and overcoming drug resistance. However, despite the efficient degradation of targeted proteins achieved by PROTACs, they still face challenges related to selectivity between normal and cancer cells, as well as issues with poor membrane permeability due to their substantial molecular weight. Additionally, the noteworthy toxicity resulting from off-target effects also needs to be addressed. To solve these issues, Degrader-Antibody Conjugates (DACs) have been developed, leveraging the targeting and internalization capabilities of antibodies. In this review, we elucidates the characteristics and distinctions between DACs, and traditional Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Meanwhile, we emphasizes the significance of DACs in facilitating the delivery of PROTACs and delves into the impact of various components on DAC activity. These components include antibody targets, drug-antibody ratio (DAR), linker types, PROTACs targets, PROTACs connections, and E3 ligase ligands. The review also explores the suitability of different targets (antibody targets or PROTACs targets) for DACs, providing insights to guide the design of PROTACs better suited for antibody conjugation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaolin Guo
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Targeted Tracer Research and Development Laboratory, Institute of Respiratory Health, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu, 610212, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaoxue Li
- Department of Dermatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Yang Xie
- Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu, 610212, Sichuan, China
| | - Yuxi Wang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Targeted Tracer Research and Development Laboratory, Institute of Respiratory Health, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu, 610212, Sichuan, China.
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7
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Wittlinger F, Ogboo BC, Shevchenko E, Damghani T, Pham CD, Schaeffner IK, Oligny BT, Chitnis SP, Beyett TS, Rasch A, Buckley B, Urul DA, Shaurova T, May EW, Schaefer EM, Eck MJ, Hershberger PA, Poso A, Laufer SA, Heppner DE. Linking ATP and allosteric sites to achieve superadditive binding with bivalent EGFR kinase inhibitors. Commun Chem 2024; 7:38. [PMID: 38378740 PMCID: PMC10879502 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-024-01108-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Bivalent molecules consisting of groups connected through bridging linkers often exhibit strong target binding and unique biological effects. However, developing bivalent inhibitors with the desired activity is challenging due to the dual motif architecture of these molecules and the variability that can be introduced through differing linker structures and geometries. We report a set of alternatively linked bivalent EGFR inhibitors that simultaneously occupy the ATP substrate and allosteric pockets. Crystal structures show that initial and redesigned linkers bridging a trisubstituted imidazole ATP-site inhibitor and dibenzodiazepinone allosteric-site inhibitor proved successful in spanning these sites. The re-engineered linker yielded a compound that exhibited significantly higher potency (~60 pM) against the drug-resistant EGFR L858R/T790M and L858R/T790M/C797S, which was superadditive as compared with the parent molecules. The enhanced potency is attributed to factors stemming from the linker connection to the allosteric-site group and informs strategies to engineer linkers in bivalent agent design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Wittlinger
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Blessing C Ogboo
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Ekaterina Shevchenko
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies" Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery & Development (TüCAD2), 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tahereh Damghani
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Calvin D Pham
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Ilse K Schaeffner
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Brandon T Oligny
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Surbhi P Chitnis
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Tyler S Beyett
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, 5119 Rollins Research Center, 1510 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Alexander Rasch
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Brian Buckley
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Daniel A Urul
- AssayQuant Technologies, Inc., Marlboro, MA, 01752, USA
| | - Tatiana Shaurova
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Earl W May
- AssayQuant Technologies, Inc., Marlboro, MA, 01752, USA
| | | | - Michael J Eck
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Pamela A Hershberger
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Antti Poso
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies" Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery & Development (TüCAD2), 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, 70210, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Stefan A Laufer
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies" Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
- Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery & Development (TüCAD2), 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - David E Heppner
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA.
- Department of Structural Biology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
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8
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Yang H, Qin J, Pei Y, Guan S, Zhao M, Wang Y, Yao Y, Duan Y, Sun M. Discovery of the cereblon-recruiting tubulin PROTACs effective in overcoming Taxol resistance in vitro and in vivo. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 265:116067. [PMID: 38171146 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.116067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Overexpression of β3-tubulin is a common occurrence in human tumors and is associated with resistance to microtubule-targeting agents. PROTAC strategy has demonstrated significant potential in overcoming drug resistance. Herein, we report the discovery of W13 as the first PROTAC against tubulin, which was created by connecting a CRBN ligand to the widely recognized microtubule-destabilizing agent CA-4. Notably, it retains the inhibitory activity of the parental CA-4 and further exhibits substantial degradation of α/β/β3-tubulin in both A549 and A549/Taxol cell lines. The degradation of tubulin was subsequently verified to be mediated by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Importantly, tumor xenograft research clearly showed W13's promising antitumor activity against human lung cancer. Taken together, the discovery of W13 demonstrated the practicality and feasibility of PROTAC targeting tubulin, hence establishing a potential therapeutic approach for treating NSCLC caused by the overexpression of β3-tubulin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Yang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Institute of Drug Discovery & Development, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China
| | - Jinling Qin
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Institute of Drug Discovery & Development, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China
| | - Yuanyuan Pei
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Institute of Drug Discovery & Development, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China
| | - Sumeng Guan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Institute of Drug Discovery & Development, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China
| | - Mei Zhao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Institute of Drug Discovery & Development, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China
| | - Yingge Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Institute of Drug Discovery & Development, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China
| | - Yongfang Yao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Institute of Drug Discovery & Development, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China
| | - Yongtao Duan
- Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Children's Genetics and Metabolic Diseases, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450018, China.
| | - Moran Sun
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Institute of Drug Discovery & Development, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China.
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9
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Ichikawa S, Payne NC, Xu W, Chang CF, Vallavoju N, Frome S, Flaxman HA, Mazitschek R, Woo CM. The cyclimids: Degron-inspired cereblon binders for targeted protein degradation. Cell Chem Biol 2024:S2451-9456(24)00039-4. [PMID: 38320555 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2024.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Cereblon (CRBN) is an E3 ligase substrate adapter widely exploited for targeted protein degradation (TPD) strategies. However, achieving efficient and selective target degradation is a preeminent challenge with ligands that engage CRBN. Here, we report that the cyclimids, ligands derived from the C-terminal cyclic imide degrons of CRBN, exhibit distinct modes of interaction with CRBN and offer a facile approach for developing potent and selective bifunctional degraders. Quantitative TR-FRET-based characterization of 60 cyclimid degraders in binary and ternary complexes across different substrates revealed that ternary complex binding affinities correlated strongly with cellular degradation efficiency. Our studies establish the unique properties of the cyclimids as versatile warheads in TPD and a systematic biochemical approach for quantifying ternary complex formation to predict their cellular degradation activity, which together will accelerate the development of ligands that engage CRBN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saki Ichikawa
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - N Connor Payne
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Wenqing Xu
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Chia-Fu Chang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Nandini Vallavoju
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Spencer Frome
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Hope A Flaxman
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Ralph Mazitschek
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
| | - Christina M Woo
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
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10
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Zhang Q, Kuang G, Wang L, Duan P, Sun W, Ye F. Designing Bioorthogonal Reactions for Biomedical Applications. RESEARCH (WASHINGTON, D.C.) 2023; 6:0251. [PMID: 38107023 PMCID: PMC10723801 DOI: 10.34133/research.0251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Bioorthogonal reactions are a class of chemical reactions that can be carried out in living organisms without interfering with other reactions, possessing high yield, high selectivity, and high efficiency. Since the first proposal of the conception by Professor Carolyn Bertozzi in 2003, bioorthogonal chemistry has attracted great attention and has been quickly developed. As an important chemical biology tool, bioorthogonal reactions have been applied broadly in biomedicine, including bio-labeling, nucleic acid functionalization, drug discovery, drug activation, synthesis of antibody-drug conjugates, and proteolysis-targeting chimeras. Given this, we summarized the basic knowledge, development history, research status, and prospects of bioorthogonal reactions and their biomedical applications. The main purpose of this paper is to furnish an overview of the intriguing bioorthogonal reactions in a variety of biomedical applications and to provide guidance for the design of novel reactions to enrich bioorthogonal chemistry toolkits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingfei Zhang
- Wenzhou Institute,
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325001, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Gaizhen Kuang
- Wenzhou Institute,
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325001, China
| | - Li Wang
- Wenzhou Institute,
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325001, China
| | - Ping Duan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325027, China
| | - Weijian Sun
- Wenzhou Institute,
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325001, China
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China
| | - Fangfu Ye
- Wenzhou Institute,
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325001, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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11
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Danishuddin, Jamal MS, Song KS, Lee KW, Kim JJ, Park YM. Revolutionizing Drug Targeting Strategies: Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Structure-Based Methods in PROTAC Development. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:1649. [PMID: 38139776 PMCID: PMC10747325 DOI: 10.3390/ph16121649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera (PROTAC) is an emerging technology in chemical biology and drug discovery. This technique facilitates the complete removal of the target proteins that are "undruggable" or challenging to target through chemical molecules via the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System (UPS). PROTACs have been widely explored and outperformed not only in cancer but also in other diseases. During the past few decades, several academic institutes and pharma companies have poured more efforts into PROTAC-related technologies, setting the stage for several major degrader trial readouts in clinical phases. Despite their promising results, the formation of robust ternary orientation, off-target activity, poor permeability, and binding affinity are some of the limitations that hinder their development. Recent advancements in computational technologies have facilitated progress in the development of PROTACs. Researchers have been able to utilize these technologies to explore a wider range of E3 ligases and optimize linkers, thereby gaining a better understanding of the effectiveness and safety of PROTACs in clinical settings. In this review, we briefly explore the computational strategies reported to date for the formation of PROTAC components and discuss the key challenges and opportunities for further research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danishuddin
- Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of Korea;
| | | | - Kyoung-Seob Song
- Department of Medical Science, Kosin University College of Medicine, 194 Wachi-ro, Yeongdo-gu, Busan 49104, Republic of Korea;
| | - Keun-Woo Lee
- Division of Life Science, Department of Bio & Medical Big-Data (BK4 Program), Research Institute of Natural Science (RINS), Gyeongsang National University (GNU), 501 Jinju-daero, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea
- Angel i-Drug Design (AiDD), 33-3 Jinyangho-ro 44, Jinju 52650, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Joo Kim
- Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of Korea;
| | - Yeong-Min Park
- Department of Integrative Biological Sciences and Industry, Sejong University, 209, Neugdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea
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12
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Li Y, Liu X, Yu L, Huang X, Wang X, Han D, Yang Y, Liu Z. Covalent LYTAC Enabled by DNA Aptamers for Immune Checkpoint Degradation Therapy. J Am Chem Soc 2023. [PMID: 37910771 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c03899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy, while achieving tremendous clinical successes, still suffers from a low objective response rate in clinical cancer treatment. As a proof-of-concept study, we propose a new immune checkpoint degradation (ICD) therapy relying on lysosome-targeting chimera (LYTAC) to deplete immune checkpoint programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) on the tumor cell surface. Our designed chimeric aptamer on one side targets lysosome-trafficking receptor, and on the other side allows biorthogonal covalent-conjugation-reinforced specific binding of PD-L1. This covalent LYTAC is able to hijack PD-L1 for lysosomal degradation with greatly improved efficiency over its noncovalent counterpart in complex in vivo environment. Beyond abolishing the PD-1/PD-L1 axis associated immune resistance, we demonstrate for the first time that LYTAC-triggered PD-L1 degradation could directly cause immunogenic apoptosis of tumor cells to elicit tumor-specific immune responses, offering unparalleled advantages over ICB antibody therapy. Remarkably, ICD therapy with covalent LYTAC achieves comparable or higher antitumor efficacy while causing significantly less inflammatory injury compared to antibody-based ICB therapy. Moreover, covalent LYTAC can serve as a general platform for specifically degrading other membrane-associated proteins, making it a promising tool for future applications. Our work presents a novel molecular tool for effective LYTAC in complex environments, offering valuable insights in pushing DNA-based LYTAC drugs toward in vivo and clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Li
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Xueliang Liu
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Lu Yu
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Xin Huang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
- Institute of Nanochemistry and Nanobiology, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Da Han
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Yu Yang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Zhuang Liu
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
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13
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Heppner D, Wittlinger F, Ogboo B, Shevchenko E, Damghani T, Pham C, Schaeffner I, Oligny B, Chitnis S, Beyett T, Rasch A, Buckley B, Urul D, Shaurova T, May E, Schaefer E, Eck M, Hershberger P, Poso A, Laufer S. Linking ATP and allosteric sites to achieve superadditive binding with bivalent EGFR kinase inhibitors. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3286949. [PMID: 37790373 PMCID: PMC10543509 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3286949/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Bivalent molecules consisting of groups connected through bridging linkers often exhibit strong target binding and unique biological effects. However, developing bivalent inhibitors with the desired activity is challenging due to the dual motif architecture of these molecules and the variability that can be introduced through differing linker structures and geometries. We report a set of alternatively linked bivalent EGFR inhibitors that simultaneously occupy the ATP substrate and allosteric pockets. Crystal structures show that initial and redesigned linkers bridging a trisubstituted imidazole ATP-site inhibitor and dibenzodiazepinone allosteric-site inhibitor proved successful in spanning these sites. The reengineered linker yielded a compound that exhibited significantly higher potency (~60 pM) against the drug-resistant EGFR L858R/T790M and L858R/T790M/C797S, which was superadditive as compared with the parent molecules. The enhanced potency is attributed to factors stemming from the linker connection to the allosteric-site group and informs strategies to engineer linkers in bivalent agent design.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Michael Eck
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School
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14
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Mostofian B, Martin HJ, Razavi A, Patel S, Allen B, Sherman W, Izaguirre JA. Targeted Protein Degradation: Advances, Challenges, and Prospects for Computational Methods. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:5408-5432. [PMID: 37602861 PMCID: PMC10498452 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
The therapeutic approach of targeted protein degradation (TPD) is gaining momentum due to its potentially superior effects compared with protein inhibition. Recent advancements in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors have led to the development of compounds that are currently in human trials, with some showing promising clinical results. However, the use of computational tools in TPD is still limited, as it has distinct characteristics compared with traditional computational drug design methods. TPD involves creating a ternary structure (protein-degrader-ligase) responsible for the biological function, such as ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation, which depends on the spatial orientation of the protein of interest (POI) relative to E2-loaded ubiquitin. Modeling this structure necessitates a unique blend of tools initially developed for small molecules (e.g., docking) and biologics (e.g., protein-protein interaction modeling). Additionally, degrader molecules, particularly heterobifunctional degraders, are generally larger than conventional small molecule drugs, leading to challenges in determining drug-like properties like solubility and permeability. Furthermore, the catalytic nature of TPD makes occupancy-based modeling insufficient. TPD consists of multiple interconnected yet distinct steps, such as POI binding, E3 ligase binding, ternary structure interactions, ubiquitination, and degradation, along with traditional small molecule properties. A comprehensive set of tools is needed to address the dynamic nature of the induced proximity ternary complex and its implications for ubiquitination. In this Perspective, we discuss the current state of computational tools for TPD. We start by describing the series of steps involved in the degradation process and the experimental methods used to characterize them. Then, we delve into a detailed analysis of the computational tools employed in TPD. We also present an integrative approach that has proven successful for degrader design and its impact on project decisions. Finally, we examine the future prospects of computational methods in TPD and the areas with the greatest potential for impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barmak Mostofian
- OpenEye, Cadence Molecular Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 United States
| | - Holli-Joi Martin
- Laboratory
for Molecular Modeling, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal
Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599 United States
| | - Asghar Razavi
- ENKO
Chem, Inc, Mystic, Connecticut 06355 United States
| | - Shivam Patel
- Psivant
Therapeutics, Boston, Massachusetts 02210 United States
| | - Bryce Allen
- Differentiated
Therapeutics, San Diego, California 92056 United States
| | - Woody Sherman
- Psivant
Therapeutics, Boston, Massachusetts 02210 United States
| | - Jesus A Izaguirre
- Differentiated
Therapeutics, San Diego, California 92056 United States
- Atommap
Corporation, New York, New York 10013 United States
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15
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Tang JQ, Marchand MM, Veggiani G. Ubiquitin Engineering for Interrogating the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System and Novel Therapeutic Strategies. Cells 2023; 12:2117. [PMID: 37626927 PMCID: PMC10453149 DOI: 10.3390/cells12162117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein turnover, a highly regulated process governed by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), is essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Dysregulation of the UPS has been implicated in various diseases, including viral infections and cancer, making the proteins in the UPS attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. However, the functional and structural redundancies of UPS enzymes present challenges in identifying precise drug targets and achieving target selectivity. Consequently, only 26S proteasome inhibitors have successfully advanced to clinical use thus far. To overcome these obstacles, engineered peptides and proteins, particularly engineered ubiquitin, have emerged as promising alternatives. In this review, we examine the impact of engineered ubiquitin on UPS and non-UPS proteins, as well as on viral enzymes. Furthermore, we explore their potential to guide the development of small molecules targeting novel surfaces, thereby expanding the range of druggable targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Q. Tang
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, ON M5S3E1, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, ON M5S3E1, Canada
| | - Mary M. Marchand
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Gianluca Veggiani
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
- Division of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
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16
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Zhang J, Ma C, Yu Y, Liu C, Fang L, Rao H. Single amino acid-based PROTACs trigger degradation of the oncogenic kinase BCR-ABL in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). J Biol Chem 2023; 299:104994. [PMID: 37392851 PMCID: PMC10388202 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) that specifically targets harmful proteins for destruction by hijacking the ubiquitin-proteasome system is emerging as a potent anticancer strategy. How to efficiently modulate the target degradation remains a challenging issue. In this study, we employ a single amino acid-based PROTAC, which uses the shortest degradation signal sequence as the ligand of the N-end rule E3 ubiquitin ligases to degrade the fusion protein BCR (breakpoint cluster region)-ABL (Abelson proto-oncogene), an oncogenic kinase that drives the progression of chronic myeloid leukemia. We find that the reduction level of BCR-ABL can be easily adjusted by substituting different amino acids. Furthermore, a single PEG linker is found to achieve the best proteolytic effect. Our efforts have resulted in effective degradation of BCR-ABL protein by the N-end rule pathway and efficient growth inhibition of K562 cells expressing BCR-ABL in vitro and blunted tumor growth in a K562 xenograft tumor model in vivo. The PROTAC presented has unique advantages including lower effective concentration, smaller molecular size, and modular degradation rate. Demonstrating the efficacy of the N-end rule-based PROTACs in vitro and in vivo, our study further expands the limited degradation pathways currently available for PROTACs in vivo and is easily adapted for broader applications in targeted protein degradation.
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MESH Headings
- Humans
- Proteolysis Targeting Chimera
- Amino Acids
- Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl/genetics
- Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl/metabolism
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/genetics
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/metabolism
- K562 Cells
- Ubiquitins
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianchao Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Caibing Ma
- Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yongjun Yu
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chaowei Liu
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lijing Fang
- Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
| | - Hai Rao
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China; Key University Laboratory of Metabolism and Health of Guangdong, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
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17
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Zhou L, Yu B, Gao M, Chen R, Li Z, Gu Y, Bian J, Ma Y. DNA framework-engineered chimeras platform enables selectively targeted protein degradation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4510. [PMID: 37495569 PMCID: PMC10372072 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40244-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
A challenge in developing proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) is the establishment of a universal platform applicable in multiple scenarios for precise degradation of proteins of interest (POIs). Inspired by the addressability, programmability, and rigidity of DNA frameworks, we develop covalent DNA framework-based PROTACs (DbTACs), which can be synthesized in high-throughput via facile bioorthogonal chemistry and self-assembly. DNA tetrahedra are employed as templates and the spatial position of each atom is defined. Thus, by precisely locating ligands of POI and E3 ligase on the templates, ligand spacings can be controllably manipulated from 8 Å to 57 Å. We show that DbTACs with the optimal linker length between ligands achieve higher degradation rates and enhanced binding affinity. Bispecific DbTACs (bis-DbTACs) with trivalent ligand assembly enable multi-target depletion while maintaining highly selective degradation of protein subtypes. When employing various types of warheads (small molecules, antibodies, and DNA motifs), DbTACs exhibit robust efficacy in degrading diverse targets, including protein kinases and transcription factors located in different cellular compartments. Overall, utilizing modular DNA frameworks to conjugate substrates offers a universal platform that not only provides insight into general degrader design principles but also presents a promising strategy for guiding drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Bin Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Mengqiu Gao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Rui Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Zhiyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Yueqing Gu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
| | - Jinlei Bian
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
| | - Yi Ma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
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18
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Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) is an emerging technique for degrading disease-related proteins. However, the current PROTACs suffer from inadequate solubility and lack of organ targeting, which has hampered their druggability. Herein, we report direct and sustained delivery of PROTACs using microneedle patches to the diseased tissues. In this study, we use an estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-degrading PROTAC, ERD308, to treat ER-positive breast cancer. A pH-sensitive micelle, MPEG-poly(β-amino ester) (MPEG-PAE), is used to encapsulate ERD308 along with an FDA-approved CDK4/6 inhibitor, Palbociclib (Pal), before loading into biodegradable microneedle patches. These patches enable prolonged drug release into deep tumors, maintaining therapeutic levels for at least 4 days, with an excellent drug retention rate of over 87% in tumors. ERD308 released from the microneedle patches can sufficiently degrade ERα in MCF7 cells. Co-administration of ERD308 and Palbociclib exhibits excellent efficacy by over 80% tumor reduction as well as a good safety profile. Our work demonstrates the feasibility and proof-of-concept therapeutic potential of using microneedle patches to directly deliver PROTACs into tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Cheng
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States, and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607, United States
| | - Shiqi Hu
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States, and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607, United States
| | - Ke Cheng
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States, and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607, United States
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19
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Gao J, Yang L, Lei S, Zhou F, Nie H, Peng B, Xu T, Chen X, Yang X, Sheng C, Rao Y, Pu K, Jin J, Xu Z, Yu H. Stimuli-activatable PROTACs for precise protein degradation and cancer therapy. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2023; 68:1069-1085. [PMID: 37169612 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) approach has attracted extensive attention in the past decade, which represents an emerging therapeutic modality with the potential to tackle disease-causing proteins that are historically challengeable for conventional small molecular inhibitors. PROTAC harnesses the endogenic E3 ubiquitin ligase to degrade protein of interest (POI) via ubiquitin-proteasome system in a cycle-catalytic manner. The event-driven pharmacology of PROTAC is poised to pursue those targets that are conventionally undruggable, which enormously extends the space of drug development. Furthermore, PROTAC has the potential to address drug resistance of small molecular inhibitors by degrading the whole POI. Nevertheless, PROTACs display high-efficiency and always-on properties to degrade POI, they may cause severe side effects due to an "on-target but off-tissue" protein degradation profile at the undesirable tissues and cells. Given that, the stimuli-activatable PROTAC prodrugs have been recently exploited to confine precise protein degradation of the favorable targets, which may conquer the adverse effects of PROTAC due to uncontrollable protein degradation. Herein, we summarized the cutting-edge advances of the stimuli-activatable PROTAC prodrugs. We also overviewed the progress of PROTAC prodrug-based nanomedicine to improve PROTAC delivery to the tumors and precise POI degradation in the targeted cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Gao
- Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Lei Yang
- Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Shumin Lei
- Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Feng Zhou
- Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Huijun Nie
- Center of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Bo Peng
- Information Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Tianfeng Xu
- Center of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xiaohua Chen
- Center of Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China; School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Xiaobao Yang
- Gluetacs Therapeutics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Chunquan Sheng
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yu Rao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Kanyi Pu
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Oncological Sciences and Neuroscience, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY 10029, USA
| | - Zhiai Xu
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
| | - Haijun Yu
- Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.
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20
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Zografou-Barredo NA, Hallatt AJ, Goujon-Ricci J, Cano C. A beginner's guide to current synthetic linker strategies towards VHL-recruiting PROTACs. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 88-89:117334. [PMID: 37224698 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Over the last two decades, proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) have been revolutionary in drug development rendering targeted protein degradation (TPD) as an emerging therapeutic modality. These heterobifunctional molecules are comprised of three units: a ligand for the protein of interest (POI), a ligand for an E3 ubiquitin ligase, and a linker that tethers the two motifs together. Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) is one of the most widely employed E3 ligases in PROTACs development due to its prevalent expression across tissue types and well-characterised ligands. Linker composition and length has proven to play an important role in determining the physicochemical properties and spatial orientation of the POI-PROTAC-E3 ternary complex, thus influencing the bioactivity of degraders. Numerous articles and reports have been published showcasing the medicinal chemistry aspects of the linker design, but few have focused on the chemistry around tethering linkers to E3 ligase ligands. In this review, we focus on the current synthetic linker strategies employed in the assembly of VHL-recruiting PROTACs. We aim to cover a range of fundamental chemistries used to incorporate linkers of varying length, composition and functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikol A Zografou-Barredo
- Cancer Research UK Newcastle Drug Discovery Unit, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Alex J Hallatt
- Cancer Research UK Newcastle Drug Discovery Unit, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Jennyfer Goujon-Ricci
- Cancer Research UK Newcastle Drug Discovery Unit, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Céline Cano
- Cancer Research UK Newcastle Drug Discovery Unit, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
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21
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Tseng YL, Lu PC, Lee CC, He RY, Huang YA, Tseng YC, Cheng TJR, Huang JJT, Fang JM. Degradation of neurodegenerative disease-associated TDP-43 aggregates and oligomers via a proteolysis-targeting chimera. J Biomed Sci 2023; 30:27. [PMID: 37101169 PMCID: PMC10131537 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-023-00921-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) associated with TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) aggregation has been considered as a lethal and progressive motor neuron disease. Recent studies have shown that both C-terminal TDP-43 (C-TDP-43) aggregates and oligomers were neurotoxic and pathologic agents in ALS and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). However, misfolding protein has long been considered as an undruggable target by applying conventional inhibitors, agonists, or antagonists. To provide this unmet medical need, we aim to degrade these misfolding proteins by designing a series of proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) against C-TDP-43. METHODS By applying filter trap assay, western blotting, and microscopy imaging, the degradation efficiency of C-TDP-43 aggregates was studied in Neuro-2a cells overexpressing eGFP-C-TDP-43 or mCherry-C-TDP-43. The cell viability was characterized by alarmarBlue assay. The beneficial and disaggregating effects of TDP-43 PROTAC were examined with the YFP-C-TDP-43 transgenic C. elegans by motility assay and confocal microscopy. The impact of TDP-43 PROTAC on C-TDP-43 oligomeric intermediates was monitored by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and size exclusion chromatography in the Neuro-2a cells co-expressing eGFP-C-TDP-43 and mCherry-C-TDP-43. RESULTS Four PROTACs with different linker lengths were synthesized and characterized. Among these chimeras, PROTAC 2 decreased C-TDP-43 aggregates and relieved C-TDP-43-induced cytotoxicity in Neuro-2a cells without affecting endogenous TDP-43. We showed that PROTAC 2 bound to C-TDP-43 aggregates and E3 ligase to initiate ubiquitination and proteolytic degradation. By applying advanced microscopy, it was further shown that PROTAC 2 decreased the compactness and population of C-TDP-43 oligomers. In addition to cellular model, PROTAC 2 also improved the motility of transgenic C. elegans by reducing the C-TDP-43 aggregates in the nervous system. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated the dual-targeting capacity of the newly-designed PROTAC 2 against both C-TDP-43 aggregates and oligomers to reduce their neurotoxicity, which shed light on the potential drug development for ALS as well as other neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ling Tseng
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106, Taiwan
| | - Po-Chao Lu
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
- Chemical Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
- Department and Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 100, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Chang Lee
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Ruei-Yu He
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Yung-An Huang
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Yin-Chen Tseng
- The Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | | | - Joseph Jen-Tse Huang
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan.
- Sustainable Chemical Science and Technology, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan.
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chiayi University, Chiayi City, 600, Taiwan.
- Neuroscience Program of Academia Sinica, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan.
| | - Jim-Min Fang
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106, Taiwan.
- The Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan.
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22
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Sobhia ME, Kumar H, Kumari S. Bifunctional robots inducing targeted protein degradation. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 255:115384. [PMID: 37119667 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
The gaining importance of Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) and PROTACs (PROteolysis-TArgeting Chimeras) have drawn the scientific community's attention. PROTACs are considered bifunctional robots owing to their avidity for the protein of interest (POI) and E3-ligase, which induce the ubiquitination of POI. These molecules are based on event-driven pharmacology and are applicable in different conditions such as oncology, antiviral, neurodegenerative disease, acne etc., offering tremendous scope to researchers. In this review, primarily, we attempted to compile the recent works available in the literature on PROTACs for various targeted proteins. We summarized the design and development strategies with a focus on molecular information of protein residues and linker design. Rationalization of the ternary complex formation using Artificial Intelligence including machine & deep learning models and traditionally followed computational tools are also included in this study. Moreover, details describing the optimization of PROTACs chemistry and pharmacokinetic properties are added. Advanced PROTAC designs and targeting complex proteins, is summed up to cover the wide spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Elizabeth Sobhia
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector - 67, S. A. S. Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, 160062, India.
| | - Harish Kumar
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector - 67, S. A. S. Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, 160062, India
| | - Sonia Kumari
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector - 67, S. A. S. Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, 160062, India
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23
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Maity P, Chatterjee J, Patil KT, Arora S, Katiyar MK, Kumar M, Samarbakhsh A, Joshi G, Bhutani P, Chugh M, Gavande NS, Kumar R. Targeting the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor with Molecular Degraders: State-of-the-Art and Future Opportunities. J Med Chem 2023; 66:3135-3172. [PMID: 36812395 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an oncogenic drug target and plays a critical role in several cellular functions including cancer cell growth, survival, proliferation, differentiation, and motility. Several small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been approved for targeting intracellular and extracellular domains of EGFR, respectively. However, cancer heterogeneity, mutations in the catalytic domain of EGFR, and persistent drug resistance limited their use. Different novel modalities are gaining a position in the limelight of anti-EGFR therapeutics to overcome such limitations. The current perspective reflects upon newer modalities, importantly the molecular degraders such as PROTACs, LYTACs, AUTECs, and ATTECs, etc., beginning with a snapshot of traditional and existing anti-EGFR therapies including small molecule inhibitors, mAbs, and antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). Further, a special emphasis has been made on the design, synthesis, successful applications, state-of-the-art, and emerging future opportunities of each discussed modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pritam Maity
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab, 151401 Bathinda, India
| | - Joydeep Chatterjee
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab, 151401 Bathinda, India
| | - Kiran T Patil
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab, 151401 Bathinda, India
| | - Sahil Arora
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab, 151401 Bathinda, India
| | - Madhurendra K Katiyar
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab, 151401 Bathinda, India
| | - Manvendra Kumar
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab, 151401 Bathinda, India
| | - Amirreza Samarbakhsh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, United States
| | - Gaurav Joshi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal (A Central) University, Srinagar 246174, Dist. Garhwal (Uttarakhand), India
| | | | - Manoj Chugh
- In Vitro Diagnostics, Transasia BioMedical Pvt. Ltd. 400072 Mumbai, India
| | - Navnath S Gavande
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, United States.,Molecular Therapeutics Program, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, United States
| | - Raj Kumar
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab, 151401 Bathinda, India
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24
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Hung CL, Liu HH, Fu CW, Yeh HH, Hu TL, Kuo ZK, Lin YC, Jhang MR, Hwang CS, Hsu HC, Kung HJ, Wang LY. Targeting androgen receptor and the variants by an orally bioavailable Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras compound in castration resistant prostate cancer. EBioMedicine 2023; 90:104500. [PMID: 36893587 PMCID: PMC10011747 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the advent of improved therapeutic options for advanced prostate cancer, the durability of clinical benefits is limited due to inevitable development of resistance. By constitutively sustaining androgen receptor (AR) signaling, expression of ligand-binding domain truncated AR variants (AR-V(ΔLBD)) accounts for the major mechanism underlying the resistance to anti-androgen drugs. Strategies to target AR and its LBD truncated variants are needed to prevent the emergence or overcome drug resistance. METHODS We utilize Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTAC) technology to achieve induced degradation of both full-length AR (AR-FL) and AR-V(ΔLBD) proteins. In the ITRI-PROTAC design, an AR N-terminal domain (NTD) binding moiety is appended to von-Hippel-Lindau (VHL) or Cereblon (CRBN) E3 ligase binding ligand with linker. FINDINGS In vitro studies demonstrate that ITRI-PROTAC compounds mechanistically degrade AR-FL and AR-V(ΔLBD) proteins via ubiquitin-proteasome system, leading to impaired AR transactivation on target gene expression, and inhibited cell proliferation accompanied by apoptosis activation. The compounds also significantly inhibit enzalutamide-resistant growth of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells. In castration-, enzalutamide-resistant CWR22Rv1 xenograft model without hormone ablation, ITRI-90 displays a pharmacokinetic profile with decent oral bioavailability and strong antitumor efficacy. INTERPRETATION AR NTD that governs the transcriptional activities of all active variants has been considered attractive therapeutic target to block AR signaling in prostate cancer cells. We demonstrated that utilizing PROTAC for induced AR protein degradation via NTD represents an efficient alternative therapeutic strategy for CRPC to overcome anti-androgen resistance. FUNDING The funding detail can be found in the Acknowledgements section.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiu-Lien Hung
- Department of Preclinical Drug Discovery Technology, Biomedical Technology and Devices Research Labs, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 31040, Taiwan
| | - Hao-Hsuan Liu
- Department of Preclinical Drug Discovery Technology, Biomedical Technology and Devices Research Labs, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 31040, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Wei Fu
- Department of Preclinical Drug Discovery Technology, Biomedical Technology and Devices Research Labs, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 31040, Taiwan
| | - Hsun-Hao Yeh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan
| | - Tsan-Lin Hu
- Department of Preclinical Drug Discovery Technology, Biomedical Technology and Devices Research Labs, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 31040, Taiwan
| | - Zong-Keng Kuo
- Department of Preclinical Drug Discovery Technology, Biomedical Technology and Devices Research Labs, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 31040, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chin Lin
- Department of Preclinical Drug Discovery Technology, Biomedical Technology and Devices Research Labs, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 31040, Taiwan
| | - Mei-Ru Jhang
- Department of Preclinical Drug Discovery Technology, Biomedical Technology and Devices Research Labs, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 31040, Taiwan
| | - Chrong-Shiong Hwang
- Department of Preclinical Drug Discovery Technology, Biomedical Technology and Devices Research Labs, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 31040, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Chih Hsu
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan; College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan
| | - Hsing-Jien Kung
- Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli County 35053, Taiwan; Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; Ph.D. Program for Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
| | - Ling-Yu Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan; Division of Hematology-Oncology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan.
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25
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O’Herin C, Moriuchi YW, Bemis TA, Kohlbrand AJ, Burkart MD, Cohen SM. Development of Human Carbonic Anhydrase II Heterobifunctional Degraders. J Med Chem 2023; 66:2789-2803. [PMID: 36735827 PMCID: PMC9969396 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Human carbonic anhydrase II (hCAII) is a metalloenzyme essential to critical physiological processes in the body. hCA inhibitors are used clinically for the treatment of indications ranging from glaucoma to epilepsy. Targeted protein degraders have emerged as a promising means of inducing the degradation of disease-implicated proteins by using the endogenous quality control mechanisms of a cell. Here, a series of heterobifunctional degrader candidates targeting hCAII were developed from a simple aryl sulfonamide fragment. Degrader candidates were functionalized to produce either cereblon E3 ubiquitin ligase (CRBN) recruiting proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) or adamantyl-based hydrophobic tags (HyTs). Screens in HEK293 cells identified two PROTAC small-molecule degraders of hCA. Optimization of linker length and composition yielded a degrader with sub-nanomolar potency and sustained depletion of hCAII over prolonged treatments. Mechanistic studies suggest that this optimized degrader depletes hCAII through the same mechanism as previously reported CRBN-recruiting heterobifunctional degraders.
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26
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Wang P, Zhu H, Liu J, Xie S, Xu S, Chen Y, Xu J, Zhao Y, Zhu Z, Xu J. Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel protopanoxadiol derivatives based PROTACs technology for the treatment of lung cancer. Bioorg Chem 2023; 131:106327. [PMID: 36549254 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2022.106327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Protopanoxadiol is a key active ingredient derived from Panax ginseng that is well-known to exhibit anti-tumor activity. Previous research focused on the natural protopanaxadiol derivative AD-1 has demonstrated that it possesses broad spectrum anti-tumor activities in vitro and in vivo. However, its limited activity, selectivity, and cell permeability have impeded its therapeutic application. Herein, a series of novel AD-1 derivatives were designed and synthesized based on proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology by linking AD-1 at the C-3 and C-12 positions with pomalidomide through linkers of alkyl chain of differing lengths to achieve the goal of improving the efficacy of the parent compound. Among these synthesized PROTACs, the representative compound A05 exhibited the most potent anti-proliferative activity against A549 cells. Furthermore, mechanistic studies revealed that compound A05 was able to suppress MDM2 expression, disrupt interactions between p53 and MDM2 and readily induce apoptotic death via the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Moreover, the in vivo assays revealed that compound A05 exhibited both anti-proliferative and anti-metastatic activities in the zebrafish tumor xenograft model with A549 cells. Together, our findings suggest that AD-1 based PROTACs associated with the degradation of MDM2 may have promising effects for the treatment of lung cancer and this work provide a foundation for future efforts to develop novel anti-tumor agents from natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Huajian Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Jianmin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Shaowen Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Shengtao Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yu Chen
- School of Functional Food and Wine, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Jing Xu
- School of Functional Food and Wine, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Yuqing Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines of the Changbai Mountain, Ministry of Education, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, China.
| | - Zheying Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Nottingham, University Park Campus, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Jinyi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
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27
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Zuma NH, Aucamp J, Janse van Rensburg HD, N'Da DD. Synthesis and in vitro antileishmanial activity of alkylene-linked nitrofurantoin-triazole hybrids. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 246:115012. [PMID: 36516584 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.115012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne parasitic disease that mostly affects populations in tropical and sub-tropical countries. There is currently no protective anti-leishmanial vaccine and only a paucity of clinical drugs is available to treat this disease albeit their toxicity. Leishmaniasis is curable but its eradication and elimination have been hampered by the emergence of multidrug resistant strains of the causative pathogens. This heightens the necessity for new and effective antileishmanial drugs. In search for such agents, nitrofurantoin, a clinical antibiotic, was appended to triazole scaffold through alkylene linkers of various length, and the resulting hybrids were evaluated for in vitro antileishmanial efficacy against Leishmania (L.) parasite of two strains. The hybrid 13, harboring a n-pentylene linker was uncovered as a leishmanicidal hit with micromolar activity against antimonial-resistant L. donovani, the causative of deadly visceral Leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nonkululeko H Zuma
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
| | - Janine Aucamp
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
| | | | - David D N'Da
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa.
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28
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Zhao HY, Xin M, Zhang SQ. Progress of small molecules for targeted protein degradation: PROTACs and other technologies. Drug Dev Res 2023; 84:337-394. [PMID: 36606428 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.22026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Recent years have witnessed the rapid development of targeted protein degradation (TPD), especially proteolysis targeting chimeras. These degraders have manifested many advantages over small molecule inhibitors. To date, a huge number of degraders have been excavated against over 70 disease-related targets. In particular, degraders against estrogen receptor and androgen receptor have crowded into phase II clinical trial. TPD technologies largely expand the scope of druggable targets, and provide powerful tools for addressing intractable problems that can not be tackled by traditional small molecule inhibitors. In this review, we mainly focus on the structures and biological activities of small molecule degraders as well as the elucidation of mechanisms of emerging TPD technologies. We also propose the challenges that exist in the TPD field at present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Yi Zhao
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Minhang Xin
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - San-Qi Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
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29
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Chatterjee DR, Kapoor S, Jain M, Das R, Chowdhury MG, Shard A. PROTACting the kinome with covalent warheads. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103417. [PMID: 36306996 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2022.103417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The dawn of targeted degradation using proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) against recalcitrant proteins has prompted numerous efforts to develop complementary drugs. Although many of these are specifically directed against undruggable proteins, there is increasing interest in small molecule-based PROTACs that target intracellular pathways, and some have recently entered clinical trials. Concurrently, small molecule-based PROTACs that target protumorigenic pathways in cancer cells, the tumor microenvironment (TME), and angiogenesis have been found to have potent effects that synergize with the action of antibodies. This has led to the augmentation of PROTACs with variable substitution patterns. Several combinations with small molecules targeting undruggable proteins are now under clinical investigation. In this review, we discuss the recent milestones achieved as well as challenges encountered in this area of drug development, as well as our opinion on the best path forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deep Rohan Chatterjee
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Saumya Kapoor
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Meenakshi Jain
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Rudradip Das
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Moumita Ghosh Chowdhury
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Amit Shard
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India.
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30
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Guedeney N, Cornu M, Schwalen F, Kieffer C, Voisin-Chiret AS. PROTAC technology: A new drug design for chemical biology with many challenges in drug discovery. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103395. [PMID: 36228895 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2022.103395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Target Protein Degradation TPD is a new avenue and revolutionary for therapeutics because redefining the principles of classical drug discovery and guided by event-based target activity rather than the occupancy-driven activity. Since the discovery of the first PROTAC in 2001, TPD represents a rapidly growing technology, with applications in both drug discovery and chemical biology. Over the last decade, many questions have been raised and today the knowledge gained by each team has elucidated a number of them, although there is still a long way to go. The objective of this work is to present the challenges that the PROTAC strategy has very recently addressed in drug design and discovery by presenting extremely recent results from the literature and to provide guidelines in the drug design of new PROTACs as successful therapeutic modality for medicinal chemists.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marie Cornu
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, CERMN, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Florian Schwalen
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, CERMN, 14000 Caen, France; Department of Pharmacy, Caen University Hospital, Caen 14000, France
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31
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Liu Z, Hu M, Yang Y, Du C, Zhou H, Liu C, Chen Y, Fan L, Ma H, Gong Y, Xie Y. An overview of PROTACs: a promising drug discovery paradigm. MOLECULAR BIOMEDICINE 2022; 3:46. [PMID: 36536188 PMCID: PMC9763089 DOI: 10.1186/s43556-022-00112-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) technology has emerged as a novel therapeutic paradigm in recent years. PROTACs are heterobifunctional molecules that degrade target proteins by hijacking the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Currently, about 20-25% of all protein targets are being studied, and most works focus on their enzymatic functions. Unlike small molecules, PROTACs inhibit the whole biological function of the target protein by binding to the target protein and inducing subsequent proteasomal degradation. PROTACs compensate for limitations that transcription factors, nuclear proteins, and other scaffolding proteins are difficult to handle with traditional small-molecule inhibitors. Currently, PROTACs have successfully degraded diverse proteins, such as BTK, BRD4, AR, ER, STAT3, IRAK4, tau, etc. And ARV-110 and ARV-471 exhibited excellent efficacy in clinical II trials. However, what targets are appropriate for PROTAC technology to achieve better benefits than small-molecule inhibitors are not fully understood. And how to rationally design an efficient PROTACs and optimize it to be orally effective poses big challenges for researchers. In this review, we summarize the features of PROTAC technology, analyze the detail of general principles for designing efficient PROTACs, and discuss the typical application of PROTACs targeting different protein categories. In addition, we also introduce the progress of relevant clinical trial results of representative PROTACs and assess the challenges and limitations that PROTACs may face. Collectively, our studies provide references for further application of PROTACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi Liu
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Mingxing Hu
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Yu Yang
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Chenghao Du
- grid.42505.360000 0001 2156 6853Department of Biological Sciences, USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles, 90089 USA
| | - Haoxuan Zhou
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Chengyali Liu
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Yuanwei Chen
- Hinova Pharmaceuticals Inc., Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Lei Fan
- Hinova Pharmaceuticals Inc., Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Hongqun Ma
- Hinova Pharmaceuticals Inc., Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Youling Gong
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Department of Thoracic Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Yongmei Xie
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
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Yang J, Ruan Y, Wang D, Fan J, Luo N, Chen H, Li X, Chen W, Wang X. VHL-recruiting PROTAC attenuates renal fibrosis and preserves renal function via simultaneous degradation of Smad3 and stabilization of HIF-2α. Cell Biosci 2022; 12:203. [PMID: 36536448 PMCID: PMC9761961 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-022-00936-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Renal fibrosis is the pathological foundation of various chronic kidney diseases progressing to end stage renal failure. However, there are currently no nephroprotective drugs targeted to the fibrotic process in clinical practice. Proteolytic targeting chimeras (PROTACs), which reversibly degrade target proteins through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, is a novel therapeutic modality. Smad3 is a key pathogenic factor in fibrogenesis while HIF-2α exhibits prominent renal protective effects, which is the natural substrate of von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) E3 Ligase. We hypothesied the construction of VHL-recruiting, Smad3-targeting PROTAC might combine the effects of Smad3 degradation and HIF-2α stabilization, which not only improving the clinical efficacy of PROTAC but also avoiding its potential off-target effects, could greatly improve the possibility of its translation into clinical drugs. METHODS By joining the Smad3-binding small molecule compound (SMC) to VHL-binding SMC with a linker, we designed and synthesized a Smad3-targeting, VHL-based PROTAC. The effects of this PROTAC on targeted proteins were verified both in vitro and in vivo. The toxicity and pharmacokinetic (PK) evaluations were conducted with both male and female mice. The renal protection effects and mechanism of PROTAC were evaluated in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) and 5/6 subtotal nephrectomy (5/6Nx) mouse model. RESULTS By optimizing the linker and the Smad3-binding SMC, we got a stable and high efficient PROTAC which simultaneously degraded Smad3 and stabilized HIF-2α both in vivo and in vitro. The acute toxicity evaluation showed a pretty large therapeutic window of the PROTAC. The prominent renal protection effects and its underlying mechanism including anti-fibrosis and anti-inflammatory, improving renal anemia and promoting kidney repair, had all been verified in UUO and 5/6Nx mouse model. CONCLUSION By accurate combination of PROTAC targeted protein and E3 ligase, we got a Smad3-targeting, VHL-recruting PROTAC which caused Smad3 degradation and HIF-2α stabilization effects simultaneously, and led to the strong renal function protection effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Yang
- grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080 China ,grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XNHC Key Laboratory of Clinical Nephrology (Sun Yat-Sen University) and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nephrology, Guangzhou, 510080 China
| | - Yuyi Ruan
- grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080 China ,grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XNHC Key Laboratory of Clinical Nephrology (Sun Yat-Sen University) and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nephrology, Guangzhou, 510080 China
| | - Dan Wang
- grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080 China ,grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XNHC Key Laboratory of Clinical Nephrology (Sun Yat-Sen University) and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nephrology, Guangzhou, 510080 China
| | - Jinjin Fan
- grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080 China ,grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XNHC Key Laboratory of Clinical Nephrology (Sun Yat-Sen University) and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nephrology, Guangzhou, 510080 China
| | - Ning Luo
- grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080 China ,grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XNHC Key Laboratory of Clinical Nephrology (Sun Yat-Sen University) and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nephrology, Guangzhou, 510080 China
| | - Huiting Chen
- grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080 China ,grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XNHC Key Laboratory of Clinical Nephrology (Sun Yat-Sen University) and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nephrology, Guangzhou, 510080 China
| | - Xiaoyan Li
- grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080 China ,grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XNHC Key Laboratory of Clinical Nephrology (Sun Yat-Sen University) and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nephrology, Guangzhou, 510080 China
| | - Wei Chen
- grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080 China ,grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XNHC Key Laboratory of Clinical Nephrology (Sun Yat-Sen University) and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nephrology, Guangzhou, 510080 China
| | - Xin Wang
- grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080 China ,grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XNHC Key Laboratory of Clinical Nephrology (Sun Yat-Sen University) and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nephrology, Guangzhou, 510080 China
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Sachkova AA, Andreeva DV, Tikhomirov AS, Scherbakov AM, Salnikova DI, Sorokin DV, Bogdanov FB, Rysina YD, Shchekotikhin AE, Shchegravina ES, Fedorov AY. Design, Synthesis and In Vitro Investigation of Cabozantinib-Based PROTACs to Target c-Met Kinase. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14122829. [PMID: 36559322 PMCID: PMC9781691 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14122829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: This investigation aimed at developing a series of c-Met-targeting cabozantinib-based PROTACs. (2) Methods: Purification of intermediate and target compounds was performed using column chromatography, in vitro antiproliferation activity was measured using a standard MTT assay and a c-Met degradation assay was performed via the immunoblotting technique. (3) Results: Several compounds exhibited antiproliferative activity towards different cell lines of breast cancer (T47D, MDA-MB-231, SKBR3, HCC1954 and MCF7) at the same level as parent cabozantinib and 7-demethyl cabozantinib. Two target conjugates, bearing a VHL-ligand as an E3-ligase binding moiety and glycol-based linkers, exhibited the effective inhibition of c-Met phosphorylation and an ability to decrease the level of c-Met in HCC1954 cells at micromolar concentrations. (4) Conclusions: Two compounds exhibit c-Met inhibition activity in the nanomolar range and can be considered as PROTAC molecules due to their ability to decrease the total level of c-Met in HCC1954 cells. The structures of the offered compounds can be used as starting points for further evaluation of cabozantinib-based PROTACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia A. Sachkova
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Nizhny Novgorod State University, Gagarina Av. 23, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | - Daria V. Andreeva
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, 11 B. Pirogovskaya Street, 119021 Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Alexander M. Scherbakov
- Department of Experimental Tumor Biology, Blokhin N.N. National Medical Research Center of Oncology, 115522 Moscow, Russia
| | - Diana I. Salnikova
- Department of Experimental Tumor Biology, Blokhin N.N. National Medical Research Center of Oncology, 115522 Moscow, Russia
| | - Danila V. Sorokin
- Department of Experimental Tumor Biology, Blokhin N.N. National Medical Research Center of Oncology, 115522 Moscow, Russia
| | - Fedor B. Bogdanov
- Department of Experimental Tumor Biology, Blokhin N.N. National Medical Research Center of Oncology, 115522 Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Fundamental Medicine, Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Yulia D. Rysina
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Nizhny Novgorod State University, Gagarina Av. 23, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | | | - Ekaterina S. Shchegravina
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Nizhny Novgorod State University, Gagarina Av. 23, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
- Correspondence: (E.S.S.); (A.Y.F.); Tel.: +7-906-359-74-49 (E.S.S.)
| | - Alexey Yu. Fedorov
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Nizhny Novgorod State University, Gagarina Av. 23, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
- Correspondence: (E.S.S.); (A.Y.F.); Tel.: +7-906-359-74-49 (E.S.S.)
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Li J, Cai Z, Li XW, Zhuang C. Natural Product-Inspired Targeted Protein Degraders: Advances and Perspectives. J Med Chem 2022; 65:13533-13560. [PMID: 36205223 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation (TPD), a promising therapeutic strategy in drug discovery, has great potential to regulate the endogenous degradation of undruggable targets with small molecules. As vital resources that provide diverse structural templates for drug discovery, natural products (NPs) are a rising and robust arsenal for the development of therapeutic TPD. The first proof-of-concept study of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) was a natural polyketide ovalicin-derived degrader; since then, NPs have shown great potential to promote TPD technology. The use of NP-inspired targeted protein degraders has been confirmed to be a promising strategy to treat many human conditions, including cancer, inflammation, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Nevertheless, the development of NP-inspired degraders is challenging, and the field is currently in its infancy. In this review, we summarize the bioactivities and mechanisms of NP-inspired degraders and discuss the associated challenges and future opportunities in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Li
- Clinical Medicine Scientific and Technical Innovation Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China.,School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Zhenyu Cai
- Tongji University Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xu-Wen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai 201203, China.,Shandong Laboratory of Yantai Drug Discovery, Bohai Rim Advanced Research Institute for Drug Discovery, Yantai, Shandong 264117, China
| | - Chunlin Zhuang
- Clinical Medicine Scientific and Technical Innovation Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China.,School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
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Wang K, Dai X, Yu A, Feng C, Liu K, Huang L. Peptide-based PROTAC degrader of FOXM1 suppresses cancer and decreases GLUT1 and PD-L1 expression. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:289. [PMID: 36171633 PMCID: PMC9520815 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02483-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Peptide proteolysis-targeting chimeras (p-PROTACs) with advantages of high specificity and low toxicity have emerged as a powerful technology of targeted protein degradation for biomedical applications. FOXM1, a proliferation-associated transcription factor, is overexpressed in a variety of human tumors as a key driver of tumorigenesis and cancer progression, and is a potential anticancer therapeutic target. However, FOXM1-targeting p-PROTACs has not been researched. Methods Here, we first analyzed the expression of FOXM1, GLUT1 and PD-L1 in liver cancer through database and clinical samples of patients. FOXM1-targeting peptides, selected by screening phage display library, are verified its targeting effect by immunofluorescence and CCK-8 test. The novel p-PROTAC degrader of FOXM1 is chemically synthesis, named FOXM1-PROTAC, by linking a FOXM1-binding antagonistic peptide, with the E3 ubiquitin ligase recruitment ligand Pomalidomide and with the cell membrane penetrating peptide TAT. Its degradation effect on FOXM1 was detected by Western blotting, qPCR, and we verified its effect on the behavior of cancer cells by flow cytometry, scratch assay, and Transwell in vitro. The tumor xenografted mice model was used for evaluating FOXM1-PROTAC therapeutic response in vivo. Finally, we detected the expression of GLUT1 and PD-L1 after FOXM1-PROTAC degraded FOXM1 by using Western Blotting and hippocampal detectors and dual immunofluorescence. Results We found that the novel FOXM1-PROTAC efficiently entered cells and induced degradation of FOXM1 protein, which strongly inhibits viability as well as migration and invasion in various cancer cell lines, and suppressed tumor growth in HepG2 and MDA-MB-231 cells xenograft mouse models, without detected toxicity in normal tissues. Meanwhile, FOXM1-PROTAC decreased the cancer cells glucose metabolism via downregulating the protein expression levels of glucose transporter GLUT1 and the immune checkpoint PD-L1, which suggests involvement of FOXM1 in cancer cell metabolism and immune regulation. Conclusions Our results indicate that biologically targeted degradation of FOXM1 is an attractive therapeutic strategy, and antagonist peptide-containing FOXM1-PROTACs as both degrader and inhibitor of FOXM1 could be developed as a safe and promising drug for FOXM1-overexpressed cancer therapy. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13046-022-02483-2.
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Nussinov R, Zhang M, Maloney R, Liu Y, Tsai CJ, Jang H. Allostery: Allosteric Cancer Drivers and Innovative Allosteric Drugs. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167569. [PMID: 35378118 PMCID: PMC9398924 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Here, we discuss the principles of allosteric activating mutations, propagation downstream of the signals that they prompt, and allosteric drugs, with examples from the Ras signaling network. We focus on Abl kinase where mutations shift the landscape toward the active, imatinib binding-incompetent conformation, likely resulting in the high affinity ATP outcompeting drug binding. Recent pharmacological innovation extends to allosteric inhibitor (GNF-5)-linked PROTAC, targeting Bcr-Abl1 myristoylation site, and broadly, allosteric heterobifunctional degraders that destroy targets, rather than inhibiting them. Designed chemical linkers in bifunctional degraders can connect the allosteric ligand that binds the target protein and the E3 ubiquitin ligase warhead anchor. The physical properties and favored conformational state of the engineered linker can precisely coordinate the distance and orientation between the target and the recruited E3. Allosteric PROTACs, noncompetitive molecular glues, and bitopic ligands, with covalent links of allosteric ligands and orthosteric warheads, increase the effective local concentration of productively oriented and placed ligands. Through covalent chemical or peptide linkers, allosteric drugs can collaborate with competitive drugs, degrader anchors, or other molecules of choice, driving innovative drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Nussinov
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
| | - Mingzhen Zhang
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Ryan Maloney
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Yonglan Liu
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Chung-Jung Tsai
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Hyunbum Jang
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
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Design and optimization of oestrogen receptor PROTACs based on 4-hydroxytamoxifen. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 243:114770. [PMID: 36148710 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In the last four decades, treatment of oestrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer (BCa), has focused on targeting the estrogenic receptor signaling pathway. This signaling function is pivotal to sustain cell proliferation. Tamoxifen, a competitive inhibitor of oestrogen, has played a major role in therapeutics. However, primary and acquired resistance to hormone blockade occurs in a large subset of these cancers, and new approaches are urgently needed. Aromatase inhibitors and receptor degraders were approved and alternatively used. Yet, resistance appears in the metastatic setting. Here we report the design and synthesis of a series of proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) that induce the degradation of estrogen receptor alpha in breast cancer MCF-7 (ER+) cells at nanomolar concentration. Using a warhead based on 4-hydroxytamoxifen, bifunctional degraders recruiting either cereblon or the Von Hippel Lindau E3 ligases were synthesized. Our efforts resulted in the discovery of TVHL-1, a potent ERα degrader (DC50: 4.5 nM) that we envisage as a useful tool for biological study and a platform for potential therapeutics.
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Cao C, He M, Wang L, He Y, Rao Y. Chemistries of bifunctional PROTAC degraders. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:7066-7114. [PMID: 35916511 DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00220e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) technology is a novel and promising therapeutic strategy using small molecules to induce ubiquitin-dependent degradation of proteins. It has received extensive attention from both academia and industry as it can potentially access previously inaccessible targets. However, the design and optimization of PROTACs present big challenges for researchers, and the general strategy for its development and optimization is a lot of trial and error based on experience. This review highlights the important advances in this rapidly growing field and critical limitations of the traditional trial-and-error approach to developing PROTACs by analyzing numerous representative examples of PROTACs development. We summarize and analyze the general principles and strategies for PROTACs design and optimization from the perspective of chemical structure design, and propose potential future pathways to facilitate the development of PROTACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoguo Cao
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China. .,Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Ming He
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China.
| | - Liguo Wang
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China.
| | - Yuna He
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China.
| | - Yu Rao
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China.
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Zhu CL, Luo X, Tian T, Rao Z, Wang H, Zhou Z, Mi T, Chen D, Xu Y, Wu Y, Che J, Zhou Y, Li J, Dong X. Structure-based rational design enables efficient discovery of a new selective and potent AKT PROTAC degrader. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 238:114459. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Qin L, Dai H, Wang J. Key Considerations in Targeted Protein Degradation Drug Discovery and Development. Front Chem 2022; 10:934337. [PMID: 35978859 PMCID: PMC9376879 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.934337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeting proteins’ enzymatic functions with small molecule inhibitors, as well as functions of receptor proteins with small-molecule agonists and antagonists, were the major forms of small-molecule drug development. These small-molecule modulators are based on a conventional occupancy-driven pharmacological approach. For proteome space traditionally considered undruggable by small-molecule modulators, such as enzymes with scaffolding functions, transcription factors, and proteins that lack well-defined binding pockets for small molecules, targeted protein degraders offer the opportunity to drug the proteome with an event-driven pharmacological approach. A degrader molecule, either PROTAC or molecular glue, brings the protein of interest (POI) and E3 ubiquitin ligase in close proximity and engages the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), the cellular waste disposal system for the degradation of the POI. For the development of targeted protein degraders to meet therapeutic needs, several aspects will be considered, namely, the selective degradation of disease-causing proteins, the oral bioavailability of degraders beyond Lipinski’s rule of five (bRo5) scope, demands of new E3 ubiquitin ligases and molecular glue degraders, and drug resistance of the new drug modality. This review will illustrate several under-discussed key considerations in targeted protein degradation drug discovery and development: 1) the contributing factors for the selectivity of PROTAC molecules and the design of PROTACs to selectively degrade synergistic pathological proteins; 2) assay development in combination with a multi-omics approach for the identification of new E3 ligases and their corresponding ligands, as well as molecular glue degraders; 3) a molecular design to improve the oral bioavailability of bRo5 PROTACs, and 4) drug resistance of degraders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liena Qin
- Insilico Medicine Ltd., Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Liena Qin, ; Han Dai, ; Junfeng Wang,
| | - Han Dai
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, China
- *Correspondence: Liena Qin, ; Han Dai, ; Junfeng Wang,
| | - Junfeng Wang
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, China
- International Magnetobiology Frontier Research Center, Hefei, China
- Institute of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, China
- *Correspondence: Liena Qin, ; Han Dai, ; Junfeng Wang,
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Nozawa K, Fujihara Y, Devlin DJ, Deras RE, Kent K, Larina IV, Umezu K, Yu Z, Sutton CM, Ye Q, Dean LK, Emori C, Ikawa M, Garcia TX, Matzuk MM. The testis-specific E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF133 is required for fecundity in mice. BMC Biol 2022; 20:161. [PMID: 35831855 PMCID: PMC9277888 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01368-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ubiquitination is a post-translational modification required for a number of physiological functions regulating protein homeostasis, such as protein degradation. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) quality control system recognizes and degrades proteins no longer needed in the ER through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. E2 and E3 enzymes containing a transmembrane domain have been shown to function in ER quality control. The ER transmembrane protein UBE2J1 is a E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme reported to be essential for spermiogenesis at the elongating spermatid stage. Spermatids from Ube2j1 KO male mice are believed to have defects in the dislocation step of ER quality control. However, associated E3 ubiquitin-protein ligases that function during spermatogenesis remain unknown. RESULTS We identified four evolutionarily conserved testis-specific E3 ubiquitin-protein ligases [RING finger protein 133 (Rnf133); RING finger protein 148 (Rnf148); RING finger protein 151 (Rnf151); and Zinc finger SWIM-type containing 2 (Zswim2)]. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, we generated and analyzed the fertility of mutant mice with null alleles for each of these E3-encoding genes, as well as double and triple knockout (KO) mice. Male fertility, male reproductive organ, and sperm-associated parameters were analyzed in detail. Fecundity remained largely unaffected in Rnf148, Rnf151, and Zswim2 KO males; however, Rnf133 KO males displayed severe subfertility. Additionally, Rnf133 KO sperm exhibited abnormal morphology and reduced motility. Ultrastructural analysis demonstrated that cytoplasmic droplets were retained in Rnf133 KO spermatozoa. Although Rnf133 and Rnf148 encode paralogous genes that are chromosomally linked and encode putative ER transmembrane E3 ubiquitin-protein ligases based on their protein structures, there was limited functional redundancy of these proteins. In addition, we identified UBE2J1 as an E2 ubiquitin-conjugating protein that interacts with RNF133. CONCLUSIONS Our studies reveal that RNF133 is a testis-expressed E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase that plays a critical role for sperm function during spermiogenesis. Based on the presence of a transmembrane domain in RNF133 and its interaction with the ER containing E2 protein UBE2J1, we hypothesize that these ubiquitin-regulatory proteins function together in ER quality control during spermatogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaori Nozawa
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yoshitaka Fujihara
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Bioscience and Genetics, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Osaka, 564-8565, Japan
| | - Darius J Devlin
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Ricardo E Deras
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Katarzyna Kent
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Irina V Larina
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Kohei Umezu
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Zhifeng Yu
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Courtney M Sutton
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Qiuji Ye
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Laura K Dean
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Chihiro Emori
- Department of Experimental Genome Research, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masahito Ikawa
- Department of Experimental Genome Research, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Thomas X Garcia
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Martin M Matzuk
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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42
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Design, Synthesis and Biological Characterization of Histone Deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) with Anti-Neuroblastoma Activity. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23147535. [PMID: 35886887 PMCID: PMC9322761 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In addition to involvement in epigenetic gene regulation, histone deacetylases (HDACs) regulate multiple cellular processes through mediating the activity of non-histone protein substrates. The knockdown of HDAC8 isozyme is associated with the inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptosis enhancement in several cancer cell lines. As shown in several studies, HDAC8 can be considered a potential target in the treatment of cancer forms such as childhood neuroblastoma. The present work describes the development of proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) of HDAC8 based on substituted benzhydroxamic acids previously reported as potent and selective HDAC8 inhibitors. Within this study, we investigated the HDAC8-degrading profiles of the synthesized PROTACs and their effect on the proliferation of neuroblastoma cells. The combination of in vitro screening and cellular testing demonstrated selective HDAC8 PROTACs that show anti-neuroblastoma activity in cells.
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43
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Bakulina O, Sapegin A, Bunev AS, Krasavin M. Synthetic approaches to constructing proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs). MENDELEEV COMMUNICATIONS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mencom.2022.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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44
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Hua L, Zhang Q, Zhu X, Wang R, You Q, Wang L. Beyond Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeric Molecules: Designing Heterobifunctional Molecules Based on Functional Effectors. J Med Chem 2022; 65:8091-8112. [PMID: 35686733 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, with the successful development of proteolysis-targeting chimeric molecules (PROTACs), the potential of heterobifunctional molecules to contribute to reenvisioning drug design, especially small-molecule drugs, has been increasingly recognized. Inspired by PROTACs, diverse heterobifunctional molecules have been reported to simultaneously bind two or more molecules and bring them into proximity to interaction, such as ribonuclease-recruiting, autophagy-recruiting, lysosome-recruiting, kinase-recruiting, phosphatase-recruiting, glycosyltransferase-recruiting, and acetyltransferase-recruiting chimeras. On the basis of the heterobifunctional principle, more opportunities for advancing drug design by linking potential effectors to a protein of interest (POI) have emerged. Herein, we introduce heterobifunctional molecules other than PROTACs, summarize the limitations of existing molecules, list the main challenges, and propose perspectives for future research directions, providing insight into alternative design strategies based on substrate-proximity-based targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liwen Hua
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, P. R. China.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, P. R.China
| | - Qiuyue Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, P. R. China.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, P. R.China
| | - Xinyue Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, P. R. China.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, P. R.China
| | - Ruoning Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Qidong You
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, P. R. China.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, P. R.China
| | - Lei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, P. R. China.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, P. R.China
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45
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Pedrucci F, Pappalardo C, Marzaro G, Ferri N, Ferlin A, De Toni L. Proteolysis Targeting Chimeric Molecules: Tuning Molecular Strategies for a Clinically Sound Listening. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23126630. [PMID: 35743070 PMCID: PMC9223854 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23126630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
From seminal evidence in the early 2000s, the opportunity to drive the specific knockdown of a protein of interest (POI) through pharmacological entities called Proteolysis Targeting Chimeric molecules, or PROTACs, has become a possible therapeutic option with the involvement of these compounds in clinical trials for cancers and autoimmune diseases. The fulcrum of PROTACs pharmacodynamics is to favor the juxtaposition between an E3 ligase activity and the POI, followed by the ubiquitination of the latter and its degradation by the proteasome system. In the face of an apparently modular design of these drugs, being constituted by an E3 ligase binding moiety and a POI-binding moiety connected by a linker, the final structure of an efficient PROTAC degradation enhancer often goes beyond the molecular descriptors known to influence the biological activity, specificity, and pharmacokinetics, requiring a rational improvement through appropriate molecular strategies. Starting from the description of the basic principles underlying the activity of the PROTACs to the evaluation of the strategies for the improvement of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics and rational design, this review examines the molecular elements that have been shown to be effective in allowing the evolution of these compounds from interesting proof of concepts to potential aids of clinical interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Pedrucci
- Department of Medicine, Unit of Andrology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy; (F.P.); (C.P.); (A.F.)
| | - Claudia Pappalardo
- Department of Medicine, Unit of Andrology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy; (F.P.); (C.P.); (A.F.)
| | - Giovanni Marzaro
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy;
| | - Nicola Ferri
- Department of Medicine, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy;
| | - Alberto Ferlin
- Department of Medicine, Unit of Andrology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy; (F.P.); (C.P.); (A.F.)
| | - Luca De Toni
- Department of Medicine, Unit of Andrology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy; (F.P.); (C.P.); (A.F.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-049-8218519; Fax: +39-049-8218520
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46
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Wu X, Zhang Y, Liu S, Liu C, Tang G, Cao X, Lei X, Peng J. Research applications of “linkers” in small molecule drugs design in fragment-based. Bioorg Chem 2022; 127:105921. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2022.105921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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47
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Lackner RM, O’Connell W, Zhang H, Chenoweth DM. A general strategy for the design and evaluation of heterobifunctional tools: applications to protein localization and phase separation. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200209. [DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Will O’Connell
- Carnegie Mellon University Biological Sciences UNITED STATES
| | - Huaiying Zhang
- Carnegie Mellon University Biological Sciences UNITED STATES
| | - David M. Chenoweth
- University of Pennsylvania Chemistry 231 South 34th Street 19104-6323 Philadelphia UNITED STATES
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48
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Aublette MC, Harrison TA, Thorpe EJ, Gadd MS. Selective Wee1 degradation by PROTAC degraders recruiting VHL and CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligases. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2022; 64:128636. [PMID: 35231578 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2022.128636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The Ser/Thr protein kinase Wee1 plays a regulatory role at the G2/M checkpoint by phosphorylating CDK1 when DNA is damaged to allow time for DNA to repair, disruption of which is a key approach to sensitise cancer cells to DNA-damaging therapies. The main selective inhibitor for Wee1 undergoing development in clinical trials, AZD1775, however, has been shown to have off target effects towards other protein kinases with similar potency. Here we describe the synthesis and assessment of a series of Wee1-degrading PROTACs using AZD1775 linked to either the VHL ligand VH032 or to the CRBN ligand pomalidomide using different types and lengths of linkers. The conversion of AZD1775 into a PROTAC induces selective Wee1 degradation for compounds of both series depending on the nature of the linker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine C Aublette
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YG, United Kingdom
| | - Tom A Harrison
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YG, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth J Thorpe
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YG, United Kingdom
| | - Morgan S Gadd
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YG, United Kingdom.
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49
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Grohmann C, Magtoto CM, Walker JR, Chua NK, Gabrielyan A, Hall M, Cobbold SA, Mieruszynski S, Brzozowski M, Simpson DS, Dong H, Dorizzi B, Jacobsen AV, Morrish E, Silke N, Murphy JM, Heath JK, Testa A, Maniaci C, Ciulli A, Lessene G, Silke J, Feltham R. Development of NanoLuc-targeting protein degraders and a universal reporter system to benchmark tag-targeted degradation platforms. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2073. [PMID: 35440107 PMCID: PMC9019100 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29670-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Modulation of protein abundance using tag-Targeted Protein Degrader (tTPD) systems targeting FKBP12F36V (dTAGs) or HaloTag7 (HaloPROTACs) are powerful approaches for preclinical target validation. Interchanging tags and tag-targeting degraders is important to achieve efficient substrate degradation, yet limited degrader/tag pairs are available and side-by-side comparisons have not been performed. To expand the tTPD repertoire we developed catalytic NanoLuc-targeting PROTACs (NanoTACs) to hijack the CRL4CRBN complex and degrade NanoLuc tagged substrates, enabling rapid luminescence-based degradation screening. To benchmark NanoTACs against existing tTPD systems we use an interchangeable reporter system to comparatively test optimal degrader/tag pairs. Overall, we find the dTAG system exhibits superior degradation. To align tag-induced degradation with physiology we demonstrate that NanoTACs limit MLKL-driven necroptosis. In this work we extend the tTPD platform to include NanoTACs adding flexibility to tTPD studies, and benchmark each tTPD system to highlight the importance of comparing each system against each substrate. tag-Targeted Protein Degrader (tTPD) systems are powerful tools for preclinical target validation. Here the authors extend the tTPD platform by developing NanoTACs that degrade NanoLuc tagged substrates and benchmark each tTPD system using an interchangeable tag reporter system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Grohmann
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Charlene M Magtoto
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Joel R Walker
- Promega Biosciences LLC, 277 Granada Drive, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401, USA
| | - Ngee Kiat Chua
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Anna Gabrielyan
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Mary Hall
- Promega Biosciences LLC, 277 Granada Drive, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401, USA
| | - Simon A Cobbold
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Stephen Mieruszynski
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Martin Brzozowski
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Daniel S Simpson
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Hao Dong
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Bridget Dorizzi
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Annette V Jacobsen
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Emma Morrish
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Natasha Silke
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - James M Murphy
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Joan K Heath
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Andrea Testa
- Amphista Therapeutics Ltd, Bo'Ness Road Newhouse, Glasgow, ML1 5UH, UK
| | - Chiara Maniaci
- Chemistry School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Bedson Building, Newcastle University Edwards Walk, Newcastle, NE1 8QB, UK
| | - Alessio Ciulli
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Guillaume Lessene
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - John Silke
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Rebecca Feltham
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia. .,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
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50
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Shinchi H, Komaki F, Yuki M, Ohara H, Hayakawa N, Wakao M, Cottam HB, Hayashi T, Carson DA, Moroishi T, Suda Y. Glyco-Nanoadjuvants: Impact of Linker Length for Conjugating a Synthetic Small-Molecule TLR7 Ligand to Glyco-Nanoparticles on Immunostimulatory Effects. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:957-968. [PMID: 35353497 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapy has become a powerful clinical strategy for treating infectious diseases and cancer. Synthetic small-molecule toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) ligands are attractive candidates as immunostimulatory agents for immunotherapy. TLR7 is mainly localized in intracellular endosomal compartments so that the formulation of their small-molecule ligands with macromolecules enhances endocytic uptake of TLR7 ligands and improves the pharmaceutical properties. Previously, we demonstrated that gold nanoparticles co-immobilized with a TLR7 ligand derivative, that is, a conjugate of synthetic small-molecule TLR7 ligand (1V209) and thioctic acid (TA) via 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine, and α-mannose (1V209-αMan-GNPs: glyco-nanoadjuvants) significantly enhances immunostimulatory effects. In the present study, we designed a second-generation glyco-nanoadjuvant that possesses a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain as a spacer between 1V209 and GNPs and investigated the impact of linker length in 1V209 derivatives on the immunostimulatory activities. We used different chain lengths of PEG (n = 3, 5, 11, or 23) as spacers between 1V209 and thioctic acid to prepare four 1V209-αMan-GNPs. In the in vitro study using primary mouse bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells, 1V209-αMan-GNPs that immobilized with longer 1V209 derivatives, especially the 1V209 derivative possessing PEG23 (1V209-PEG23-TA), showed the highest potency toward induction both for interleukin-6 and type I interferon production than those derivatives with shorter PEG chains. Furthermore, 1V209-αMan-GNPs that immobilized with 1V209-PEG23-TA showed significantly higher adjuvant effects for inducing both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against ovalbumin in the in vivo immunization study. These results indicate that the linker length for immobilizing small-molecule TLR7 ligand on the GNPs significantly affects the adjuvant activity of 1V209-αMan-GNPs and that 1V209-αMan-GNPs immobilized with 1V209-PEG-23-TA could be superior adjuvants for immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Shinchi
- Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, 1-21-40 Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
| | - Fumikazu Komaki
- Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, 1-21-40 Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
| | - Masaharu Yuki
- Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, 1-21-40 Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
| | - Haruka Ohara
- Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, 1-21-40 Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
| | - Naohiro Hayakawa
- Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, 1-21-40 Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
| | - Masahiro Wakao
- Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, 1-21-40 Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
| | - Howard B. Cottam
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0809, United States
| | - Tomoko Hayashi
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0809, United States
| | - Dennis A. Carson
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0809, United States
| | - Toshiro Moroishi
- Department of Cell Signaling and Metabolic Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan
- Center for Metabolic Regulation of Healthy Aging (CMHA), Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan
| | - Yasuo Suda
- Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, 1-21-40 Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
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