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Chen H, Guan X, He C, Lu T, Lin X, Liao X. Current strategies for targeting HPK1 in cancer and the barriers to preclinical progress. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2024; 28:237-250. [PMID: 38650383 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2024.2344697] [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] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a 97-kDa serine/threonine Ste20-related protein kinase, functions as an intracellular negative regulator, primarily in hematopoietic lineage cells, where it regulates T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, and other immune cells. Loss of HPK1 kinase activity results in exacerbated cytokine secretion, enhanced T cell signaling, improved viral clearance, and thus increased restraint of tumor growth. These findings highlight HPK1 as a promising target for immuno-oncology treatments, culminating in the advancement of candidate compounds targeting HPK1 to clinical trials by several biotech enterprises. AREAS COVERED Through searching PubMed, Espacenet-patent search, and clinicaltrials.gov, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of HPK1, encompassing its structure and roles in various downstream signaling pathways, the consequences of constitutive activation of HPK1, and potential therapeutic strategies to treat HPK1-driven malignancies. Moreover, the review outlines the patents issued for small molecule inhibitors and clinical investigations of HPK1. EXPERT OPINION To enhance the success of tumor immunotherapy in clinical trials, it is important to develop protein degraders, allosteric inhibitors, and antibody-drug conjugates based on the crystal structure of HPK1, and to explore combination therapy approaches. Although several challenges remain, the development of HPK1 inhibitors display promising in preclinical and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangna Guan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Chi He
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Tingting Lu
- Zhuhai Yufan Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Xingyu Lin
- Zhuhai Yufan Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Xuebin Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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2
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Zeng S, Jin Y, Xia H, Shang Y, Li Y, Wang Z, Huang W. Discovery of highly efficient CRBN-recruiting HPK1-PROTAC as a potential chemical tool for investigation of scaffolding roles in TCR signaling. Bioorg Chem 2024; 143:107016. [PMID: 38086239 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.107016] [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: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1, MAP4K1) is a promising target for immune-oncology therapy. It has been recently demonstrated that loss of HPK1 kinase activity can enhance T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. However, many essential functions mediated by the HPK1 scaffolding role are still beyond the reach of any kinase inhibitor. Proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) has emerged as a promising strategy for pathogenic proteins degradation with the characteristics of rapid, reversible, and low-cost versus RNA interference or DNA knock-out technology. Herein we first disclosed the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a series of thalidomide-based PROTAC molecules and identified B1 as a highly efficient HPK1 degrader with DC50 value of 1.8 nM. Further mechanism investigation demonstrated that compound B1 inhibits phosphorylation of the SLP76 protein with IC50 value of 496.1 nM, and confirmed that B1 is a bona fide HPK1-PROTAC degrader. Thus, this study provides a basis for HPK1 degraders development and the candidate could be used as a potential chemical tool for further investigation of the kinase-independent signaling of HPK1 in TCR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenxin Zeng
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China.
| | - Yuyuan Jin
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China
| | - Heye Xia
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China
| | - Yanwei Shang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China
| | - Yingzhou Li
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China
| | - Zunyuan Wang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China
| | - Wenhai Huang
- Affiliated Yongkang First People's Hospital and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399, PR China; Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Drug Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China; Key Discipline of Zhejiang Province in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (First Class, Category A), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311399 PR China.
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3
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Tkacik E, Li K, Gonzalez-Del Pino G, Ha BH, Vinals J, Park E, Beyett TS, Eck MJ. Structure and RAF family kinase isoform selectivity of type II RAF inhibitors tovorafenib and naporafenib. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:104634. [PMID: 36963492 PMCID: PMC10149214 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Upon activation by RAS, RAF family kinases initiate signaling through the MAP kinase cascade to control cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. Among RAF isoforms (ARAF, BRAF, and CRAF), oncogenic mutations are by far most frequent in BRAF. The BRAFV600E mutation drives more than half of all malignant melanoma and is also found in many other cancers. Selective inhibitors of BRAFV600E (vemurafenib, dabrafenib, encorafenib) are used clinically for these indications, but they are not effective inhibitors in the context of oncogenic RAS, which drives dimerization and activation of RAF, nor for malignancies driven by aberrantly dimerized truncation/fusion variants of BRAF. By contrast, a number of "type II" RAF inhibitors have been developed as potent inhibitors of RAF dimers. Here, we compare potency of type II inhibitors tovorafenib (TAK-580) and naporafenib (LHX254) in biochemical assays against the three RAF isoforms and describe crystal structures of both compounds in complex with BRAF. We find that tovorafenib and naporafenib are most potent against CRAF but markedly less potent against ARAF. Crystal structures of both compounds with BRAFV600E or WT BRAF reveal the details of their molecular interactions, including the expected type II-binding mode, with full occupancy of both subunits of the BRAF dimer. Our findings have important clinical ramifications. Type II RAF inhibitors are generally regarded as pan-RAF inhibitors, but our studies of these two agents, together with recent work with type II inhibitors belvarafenib and naporafenib, indicate that relative sparing of ARAF may be a property of multiple drugs of this class.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emre Tkacik
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kunhua Li
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gonzalo Gonzalez-Del Pino
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Byung Hak Ha
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Javier Vinals
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Eunyoung Park
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tyler S Beyett
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael J Eck
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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4
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Gallego RA, Bernier L, Chen H, Cho-Schultz S, Chung L, Collins M, Del Bel M, Elleraas J, Costa Jones C, Cronin CN, Edwards M, Fang X, Fisher T, He M, Hoffman J, Huo R, Jalaie M, Johnson E, Johnson TW, Kania RS, Kraus M, Lafontaine J, Le P, Liu T, Maestre M, Matthews J, McTigue M, Miller N, Mu Q, Qin X, Ren S, Richardson P, Rohner A, Sach N, Shao L, Smith G, Su R, Sun B, Timofeevski S, Tran P, Wang S, Wang W, Zhou R, Zhu J, Nair SK. Design and Synthesis of Functionally Active 5-Amino-6-Aryl Pyrrolopyrimidine Inhibitors of Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1. J Med Chem 2023; 66:4888-4909. [PMID: 36940470 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c02038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2023]
Abstract
Immune activating agents represent a valuable class of therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. An area of active research is expanding the types of these therapeutics that are available to patients via targeting new biological mechanisms. Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is a negative regulator of immune signaling and a target of high interest for the treatment of cancer. Herein, we present the discovery and optimization of novel amino-6-aryl pyrrolopyrimidine inhibitors of HPK1 starting from hits identified via virtual screening. Key components of this discovery effort were structure-based drug design aided by analyses of normalized B-factors and optimization of lipophilic efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Gallego
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Louise Bernier
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Hui Chen
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Sujin Cho-Schultz
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Loanne Chung
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Michael Collins
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Matthew Del Bel
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Jeff Elleraas
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Cinthia Costa Jones
- Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Ciaran N Cronin
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Martin Edwards
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Xu Fang
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Timothy Fisher
- Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Mingying He
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Jacqui Hoffman
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Ruiduan Huo
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Mehran Jalaie
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Eric Johnson
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Ted W Johnson
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Robert S Kania
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Manfred Kraus
- Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Jennifer Lafontaine
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Phuong Le
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Tongnan Liu
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Michael Maestre
- La Jolla Laboratories, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Jean Matthews
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Michele McTigue
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Nichol Miller
- Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Qiming Mu
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Xulong Qin
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Shijian Ren
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Paul Richardson
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Allison Rohner
- Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Neal Sach
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Li Shao
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Graham Smith
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Ruirui Su
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Bin Sun
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Sergei Timofeevski
- Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Phuong Tran
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Shuiwang Wang
- WuXi AppTec, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Ru Zhou
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Jinjiang Zhu
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
| | - Sajiv K Nair
- Oncology Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, 10770 Science Center Drive, La Jolla, California 92121, United States
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TWN-RENCOD: A novel method for protein binding site comparison. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 21:425-431. [PMID: 36618985 PMCID: PMC9798139 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.12.014] [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: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Several diverse proteins possess similar binding sites. Protein binding site comparison provides valuable insights for the drug discovery and development. Binding site similarities are useful in understanding polypharmacology, identifying potential off-targets and repurposing of known drugs. Many binding site analysis and comparison methods are available today, however, these methods may not be adequate to explain variation in the activity of a drug or a small molecule against a number of similar proteins. Water molecules surrounding the protein surface contribute to structure and function of proteins. Water molecules form diverse types of hydrogen-bonded cyclic water-ring networks known as topological water networks (TWNs). Analysis of TWNs in binding site of proteins may improve understanding of the characteristics of binding sites. We propose TWN-based residue encoding (TWN-RENCOD), a novel binding site comparison method which compares the aqueous environment in binding sites of similar proteins. As compared to other existing methods, results obtained using our method correlated better with differences in wide range of activity of a known drug (Sunitinib) against nine different protein kinases (KIT, PDGFRA, VEGFR2, PHKG2, ITK, HPK1, MST3, PAK6 and CDK2).
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Zhou L, Wang T, Zhang K, Zhang X, Jiang S. The development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting HPK1. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 244:114819. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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7
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Zhu Q, Chen N, Tian X, Zhou Y, You Q, Xu X. Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1 in Tumor Immunology: A Medicinal Chemistry Perspective. J Med Chem 2022; 65:8065-8090. [PMID: 35696642 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a hematopoietic cell-restricted member of the serine/threonine Ste20-related protein kinases, is a negative regulator of the T cell receptor, B cell receptor, and dendritic cells. Loss of HPK1 kinase function increases cytokine secretion and enhances T cell signaling, virus clearance, and tumor growth inhibition. Therefore, HPK1 is considered a promising target for tumor immunotherapy. Several HPK1 inhibitors have been reported to regulate T cell function. In addition, HPK1-targeting PROTACs, which can induce the degradation of HPK1, have also been developed. Here, we provide an overview of research concerning HPK1 protein structure, function, and inhibitors and propose perspectives and insights for the future development of agents targeting HPK1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiangsheng Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Nannan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xinjian Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yeling Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - QiDong You
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xiaoli Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
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8
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Beck P, Selle B, Madenach L, Jones DTW, Vokuhl C, Gopisetty A, Nabbi A, Brecht IB, Ebinger M, Wegert J, Graf N, Gessler M, Pfister SM, Jäger N. The genomic landscape of pediatric renal cell carcinomas. iScience 2022; 25:104167. [PMID: 35445187 PMCID: PMC9014386 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Pediatric renal cell carcinomas (RCC) differ from their adult counterparts not only in histologic subtypes but also in clinical characteristics and outcome. However, the underlying biology is still largely unclear. For this reason, we performed whole-exome and transcriptome sequencing analyses on a cohort of 25 pediatric RCC patients with various histologic subtypes, including 10 MiT family translocation (MiT) and 10 papillary RCCs. In this cohort of pediatric RCC, we find only limited genomic overlap with adult RCC, even within the same histologic subtype. Recurrent somatic mutations in genes not previously reported in RCC were detected, such as in CCDC168, PLEKHA1, VWF, and MAP3K9. Our papillary pediatric RCCs, which represent the largest cohort to date with comprehensive molecular profiling in this age group, appeared as a distinct genomic subtype differing in terms of gene mutations and gene expression patterns not only from MiT-RCC but also from their adult counterparts. WES and RNA-seq of 25 pediatric RCCs with various histologic subtypes Detected only limited genomic overlap with adult RCC Revealed recurrent somatic mutations in genes not previously reported in RCC Discovery of a CRK-PITPNA fusion gene in a pediatric papillary RCC
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengbo Beck
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ) & Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Barbara Selle
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ) & Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lukas Madenach
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ) & Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David T W Jones
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ) & Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,Pediatric Glioma Research Group, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Vokuhl
- Section of Pediatric Pathology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Apurva Gopisetty
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ) & Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Arash Nabbi
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
| | - Ines B Brecht
- Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University Children's Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Martin Ebinger
- Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University Children's Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jenny Wegert
- Theodor-Boveri-Institute/Biocenter, Developmental Biochemistry, Würzburg University & Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Norbert Graf
- Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Manfred Gessler
- Theodor-Boveri-Institute/Biocenter, Developmental Biochemistry, Würzburg University & Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Stefan M Pfister
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ) & Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Natalie Jäger
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ) & Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
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9
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Ge H, Peng L, Sun Z, Liu H, Shen Y, Yao X. Discovery of Novel HPK1 Inhibitors Through Structure-Based Virtual Screening. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:850855. [PMID: 35370676 PMCID: PMC8967249 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.850855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase (HPK1) is a negative regulator of T-cell receptor and B-cell signaling, which has been recognized as a novel antitumor target for immunotherapy. In this work, Glide docking-based virtual screening and kinase inhibition assay were performed to identify novel HPK1 inhibitors. The kinase inhibition assay results demonstrated five compounds with IC50 values below 20 μM, and the most potent one (compound M074-2865) had an IC50 value of 2.93 ± 0.09 μM. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to delve into the interaction of sunitinib and the identified compound M074-2865 with the kinase domain of HPK1. The five compounds identified in this work could be considered promising hit compounds for further development of HPK1 inhibitors for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huizhen Ge
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Lizeng Peng
- Institute of Agro-Food Science and Technology Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Processing Technology of Shandong Province, Key Laboratory of Novel Food Resources Processing Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
| | - Zhou Sun
- Academy of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, China
| | - Huanxiang Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | | | - Xiaojun Yao
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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10
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Malchow S, Korepanova A, Panchal SC, McClure RA, Longenecker KL, Qiu W, Zhao H, Cheng M, Guo J, Klinge KL, Trusk P, Pratt SD, Li T, Kurnick MD, Duan L, Shoemaker AR, Gopalakrishnan SM, Warder SE, Shotwell JB, Lai A, Sun C, Osuma AT, Pappano WN. The HPK1 Inhibitor A-745 Verifies the Potential of Modulating T Cell Kinase Signaling for Immunotherapy. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:556-566. [PMID: 35188729 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is an MAP4K family member within the Ste20-like serine/threonine branch of the kinome. HPK1 expression is limited to hematopoietic cells and has a predominant role as a negative regulator of T cell function. Because of the central/dominant role in negatively regulating T cell function, HPK1 has long been in the center of interest as a potential pharmacological target for immune therapy. The development of a small molecule HPK1 inhibitor remains challenging because of the need for high specificity relative to other kinases, including additional MAP4K family members, that are required for efficient immune cell activation. Here, we report the identification of the selective and potent HPK1 chemical probe, A-745. In unbiased cellular kinase-binding assays, A-745 demonstrates an excellent cellular selectivity binding profile within pharmacologically relevant concentrations. This HPK1 selectivity translates to an in vitro immune cell activation phenotype reminiscent of Hpk1-deficient and Hpk1-kinase-dead T cells, including augmented proliferation and cytokine production. The results from this work give a path forward for further developmental efforts to generate additional selective and potent small molecule HPK1 inhibitors with the pharmacological properties for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Malchow
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Alla Korepanova
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Sanjay C. Panchal
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Ryan A. McClure
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | | | - Wei Qiu
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Hongyu Zhao
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Min Cheng
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Jun Guo
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Kelly L. Klinge
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Patricia Trusk
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Steven D. Pratt
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Tao Li
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Matthew D. Kurnick
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Lishu Duan
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Alex R. Shoemaker
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | | | - Scott E. Warder
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - J. Brad Shotwell
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Albert Lai
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Chaohong Sun
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Augustine T. Osuma
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - William N. Pappano
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Rd., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
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11
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Wang W, Mevellec L, Liu A, Struble G, Miller R, Allen SJ, Federowicz K, Wroblowski B, Vialard J, Ahn K, Krosky D. Discovery of an Allosteric, Inactive Conformation-Selective Inhibitor of Full-Length HPK1 Utilizing a Kinase Cascade Assay. Biochemistry 2021; 60:3114-3124. [PMID: 34608799 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Achieving selectivity across the human kinome is a major hurdle in kinase inhibitor drug discovery. Assays using active, phosphorylated protein kinases bias hits toward poorly selective inhibitors that bind within the highly conserved adenosine triphosphate (ATP) pocket. Targeting inactive (vs active) kinase conformations offers advantages in achieving selectivity because of their more diversified structures. Kinase cascade assays are typically initiated with target kinases in their unphosphorylated inactive forms, which are activated during the assays. Therefore, these assays are capable of identifying inhibitors that preferentially bind to the unphosphorylated form of the enzyme in addition to those that bind to the active form. We applied this cascade assay to the emerging cancer immunotherapy target hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a serine/threonine kinase that negatively regulates T cell receptor signaling. Using this approach, we discovered an allosteric, inactive conformation-selective triazolopyrimidinone HPK1 inhibitor, compound 1. Compound 1 binds to unphosphorylated HPK1 >24-fold more potently than active HPK1, is not competitive with ATP, and is highly selective against kinases critical for T cell signaling. Furthermore, compound 1 does not bind to the isolated HPK1 kinase domain alone but requires other domains. Together, these data indicate that 1 is an allosteric HPK1 inhibitor that attenuates kinase autophosphorylation by binding to a pocket consisting of residues within and outside of the kinase domain. Our study demonstrates that cascade assays can lead to the discovery of highly selective kinase inhibitors. The triazolopyrimidinone described in this study may represent a privileged chemical scaffold for further development of potent and selective HPK1 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weixue Wang
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Laurence Mevellec
- Discovery Chemistry, Janssen Research and Development, Campus de Maigremont, Val de Reuil 27106, France
| | - Annie Liu
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Geoff Struble
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Robyn Miller
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Samantha J Allen
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Kelly Federowicz
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Berthold Wroblowski
- Computational Chemistry, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Jorge Vialard
- Oncology Discovery Biology, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Kay Ahn
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Daniel Krosky
- Discovery Technologies and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
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12
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Ling Q, Li F, Zhang X, Mao S, Lin X, Pan J, Ye W, Wei W, Qian Y, Hu C, Huang X, Wang J, Wang H, Huang J, Wang Y, Jin J. MAP4K1 functions as a tumor promotor and drug mediator for AML via modulation of DNA damage/repair system and MAPK pathway. EBioMedicine 2021; 69:103441. [PMID: 34166980 PMCID: PMC8239467 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a group of heterogeneous hematologic malignancies correlates with poor prognosis. It is important to identify biomarkers for effective treatment of AML. Kinases participate in many regulatory pathways and biological activities in AML. Previous studies demonstrated that MAP4K1, a serine/threonine kinase, was associated with immune regulation and cancer progression. However, its role and mechanism in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have not been explored. Methods: RNA-seq profiling was performed for Homoharringtonine (HHT)-resistant and Homoharringtonine (HHT)-sensitive cell lines. Bioinformatic tools were used for differential analysis. Cell culture and transfection, Cell proliferation, apoptosis and Cell cycle assay, Quantitative RT-PCR, and Western blotting analysis were used to explore biological phenotypes in vitro. Findings: We found that MAP4K1 was highly expressed in HHT-induced resistant AML cell lines. In addition, overexpression of MAP4K1 in AML cells induced resistance of AML cells against HHT. Not only that, the findings of this study showed that overexpression of MAP4K1 was an independent risk factor that predicts poor prognosis of AML. Further, In vitro studies showed that MAP4K1 modulated cell cycle through MAPK and DNA damage/repair pathways. Therefore, MAP4K1 is a potential target for developing therapies for AML. Interpretation: This study demonstrates that MAP4K1 not only regulates HHT resistance but also independently predicts AML prognosis. In addition, understanding the regulatory mechanism of MAP4K1 reveals novel treatment strategies for resistant and refractory AML. Fundings: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant No.81800199, 81670124, 82070118) and the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (LY20H080008).
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Ling
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Fenglin Li
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiang Zhang
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shihui Mao
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiangjie Lin
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiajia Pan
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenle Ye
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenwen Wei
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yu Qian
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chao Hu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xin Huang
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jinghan Wang
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Huafeng Wang
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiansong Huang
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yungui Wang
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jie Jin
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Hematologic Malignancies, Diagnosis and Treatment, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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13
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Linney ID, Kaila N. Inhibitors of immuno-oncology target HPK1 - a patent review (2016 to 2020). Expert Opin Ther Pat 2021; 31:893-910. [PMID: 33956554 DOI: 10.1080/13543776.2021.1924671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Hematopoietic progenitor kinase (HPK1), a serine/threonine kinase, which is primarily expressed in hematopoietic cells is a negative regulator of T-cell receptor and B cell signaling. Studies using genetic disruption of HPK1 function show enhanced T-cell signaling, cytokine production, and in vivo tumor growth inhibition. This profile of enhanced immune response highlights small molecule inhibition of HPK1 as an attractive approach for the immunotherapy of cancer.Areas covered: This article summarizes the biological rationale for the inhibition of HPK1 as a potential adjunct to the current immuno-oncology (IO) therapies. The article primarily discloses the current state of development of HPK1 inhibitors.Expert Opinion: The rapid increase in the identification of small molecule inhibitors of HPK1 should translate into a fuller understanding of the role of HPK1 inhibition in the IO setting. This understanding will be of huge importance in determining whether HPK1 inhibition alone will be sufficient for tumor growth inhibition or if combination with current IO therapies will be required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian D Linney
- Medicinal Chemistry, Charles River, Chesterford Park Research Park, Saffron Walden, United Kingdom
| | - Neelu Kaila
- Medicinal Chemistry, Nimbus Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, USA
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14
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Vara BA, Levi SM, Achab A, Candito DA, Fradera X, Lesburg CA, Kawamura S, Lacey BM, Lim J, Methot JL, Xu Z, Xu H, Smith DM, Piesvaux JA, Miller JR, Bittinger M, Ranganath SH, Bennett DJ, DiMauro EF, Pasternak A. Discovery of Diaminopyrimidine Carboxamide HPK1 Inhibitors as Preclinical Immunotherapy Tool Compounds. ACS Med Chem Lett 2021; 12:653-661. [PMID: 33859804 PMCID: PMC8040257 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.1c00096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a serine/threonine kinase, is a negative immune regulator of T cell receptor (TCR) and B cell signaling that is primarily expressed in hematopoietic cells. Accordingly, it has been reported that HPK1 loss-of-function in HPK1 kinase-dead syngeneic mouse models shows enhanced T cell signaling and cytokine production as well as tumor growth inhibition in vivo, supporting its value as an immunotherapeutic target. Herein, we present the structurally enabled discovery of novel, potent, and selective diaminopyrimidine carboxamide HPK1 inhibitors. The key discovery of a carboxamide moiety was essential for enhanced enzyme inhibitory potency and kinome selectivity as well as sustained elevation of cellular IL-2 production across a titration range in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The elucidation of structure-activity relationships using various pendant amino ring systems allowed for the identification of several small molecule type-I inhibitors with promising in vitro profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon A. Vara
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Samuel M. Levi
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Abdelghani Achab
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - David A. Candito
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Xavier Fradera
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Charles A. Lesburg
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Shuhei Kawamura
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Brian M. Lacey
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Jongwon Lim
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Joey L. Methot
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Zangwei Xu
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Haiyan Xu
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Dustin M. Smith
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Jennifer A. Piesvaux
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - J. Richard Miller
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Mark Bittinger
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Sheila H. Ranganath
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - David J. Bennett
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Erin F. DiMauro
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Alexander Pasternak
- Discovery Chemistry, Computational and Structural Chemistry, Quantitative Biosciences, Pharmacokinetics
and Drug Metabolism, Oncology Early Discovery, Merck & Co.,
Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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15
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Degnan AP, Kumi GK, Allard CW, Araujo EV, Johnson WL, Zimmermann K, Pearce BC, Sheriff S, Futran A, Li X, Locke GA, You D, Morrison J, Parrish KE, Stromko C, Murtaza A, Liu J, Johnson BM, Vite GD, Wittman MD. Discovery of Orally Active Isofuranones as Potent, Selective Inhibitors of Hematopoetic Progenitor Kinase 1. ACS Med Chem Lett 2021; 12:443-450. [PMID: 33732413 PMCID: PMC7957935 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.0c00660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
![]()
While the discovery of immune checkpoint
inhibitors has led to
robust, durable responses in a range of cancers, many patients do
not respond to currently available therapeutics. Therefore, an urgent
need exists to identify alternative mechanisms to augment the immune-mediated
clearance of tumors. Hematopoetic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is a
serine-threonine kinase that acts as a negative regulator of T-cell
receptor (TCR) signaling, to dampen the immune response. Herein we
describe the structure-based discovery of isofuranones as inhibitors
of HPK1. Optimization of the chemotype led to improvements in potency,
selectivity, plasma protein binding, and metabolic stability, culminating
in the identification of compound 24. Oral administration
of 24, in combination with an anti-PD1 antibody, demonstrated
robust enhancement of anti-PD1 efficacy in a syngeneic tumor model
of colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P. Degnan
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Godwin K. Kumi
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Christopher W. Allard
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Erika V. Araujo
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Walter L. Johnson
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Redwood City, California 94063, United States
| | - Kurt Zimmermann
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Bradley C. Pearce
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Steven Sheriff
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Alan Futran
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Xin Li
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Gregory A. Locke
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Dan You
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, 100 Binney Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - John Morrison
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Karen E. Parrish
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Caitlyn Stromko
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Anwar Murtaza
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Jinqi Liu
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Benjamin M. Johnson
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, 100 Binney Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Gregory D. Vite
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, United States
| | - Mark D. Wittman
- Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, 100 Binney Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
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16
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Lau WL, Pearce B, Malakian H, Rodrigo I, Xie D, Gao M, Marsilio F, Chang C, Ruzanov M, Muckelbauer JK, Newitt JA, Lipovšek D, Sheriff S. Using yeast surface display to engineer a soluble and crystallizable construct of hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1). Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2021; 77:22-28. [PMID: 33439152 PMCID: PMC7805552 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x20016015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is an intracellular kinase that plays an important role in modulating tumor immune response and thus is an attractive target for drug discovery. Crystallization of the wild-type HPK1 kinase domain has been hampered by poor expression in recombinant systems and poor solubility. In this study, yeast surface display was applied to a library of HPK1 kinase-domain variants in order to select variants with an improved expression level and solubility. The HPK1 variant with the most improved properties contained two mutations, crystallized readily in complex with several small-molecule inhibitors and provided valuable insight to guide structure-based drug design. This work exemplifies the benefit of yeast surface display towards engineering crystallizable proteins and thus enabling structure-based drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wai L. Lau
- Biologics Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 100 Binney Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Bradley Pearce
- Molecular Structure and Design, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, CT 06492, USA
| | - Heather Malakian
- Biologics Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 100 Binney Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Iyoncy Rodrigo
- Protein Science, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, PO Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, USA
| | - Dianlin Xie
- Protein Science, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, PO Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, USA
| | - Mian Gao
- Protein Science, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, PO Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, USA
| | - Frank Marsilio
- Protein Science, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, PO Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, USA
| | - Chiehying Chang
- Molecular Structure and Design, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, PO Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, USA
| | - Max Ruzanov
- Molecular Structure and Design, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, PO Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, USA
| | - Jodi K. Muckelbauer
- Molecular Structure and Design, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, PO Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, USA
| | - John A. Newitt
- Protein Science, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, PO Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, USA
| | - Daša Lipovšek
- Biologics Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, 100 Binney Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Steven Sheriff
- Molecular Structure and Design, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research and Development, PO Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, USA
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17
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Sawasdikosol S, Burakoff S. A perspective on HPK1 as a novel immuno-oncology drug target. eLife 2020; 9:55122. [PMID: 32896273 PMCID: PMC7478889 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In this perspective review, the role Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1 (HPK1) in tumor immunity will be reviewed, with special emphasis on how T cells are negatively-regulated at different junctures of cancer-immunity cycle by this regulatory kinase. The review will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of HPK1 as a candidate target for novel immuno-oncology (IO) drug development that is centered on the use of small molecule kinase inhibitor to modulate the immune response against cancer. Such a therapeutic approach, if proven successful, could supplement the cancer cell-centric standard of care therapies in order to fully meet the therapeutic needs of cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sansana Sawasdikosol
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Hess Center for Science and Medicine, New York, United States
| | - Steven Burakoff
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Hess Center for Science and Medicine, New York, United States
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18
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Chen YH, Chen SH, Hou J, Ke ZB, Wu YP, Lin TT, Wei Y, Xue XY, Zheng QS, Huang JB, Xu N. Identifying hub genes of clear cell renal cell carcinoma associated with the proportion of regulatory T cells by weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Aging (Albany NY) 2019; 11:9478-9491. [PMID: 31672930 PMCID: PMC6874443 DOI: 10.18632/aging.102397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Numerous patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) experience drug resistance after immunotherapy. Regulatory T (Treg) cells may work as a suppressor for anti-tumor immune response. PURPOSE We performed bioinformatics analysis to better understand the role of Treg cells in ccRCC. RESULTS Module 10 revealed the most relevance with Treg cells. Functional annotation showed that biological processes and pathways were mainly related to activation of the immune system and the processes of immunoreaction. Four hub genes were selected: LCK, MAP4K1, SLAMF6, and RHOH. Further validation showed that the four hub genes well-distinguished tumor and normal tissues and were good prognostic biomarkers for ccRCC. CONCLUSION The identified hub genes facilitate our knowledge of the underlying molecular mechanism of how Treg cells affect ccRCC in anti-tumor immune therapy. METHODS The CIBERSORT algorithm was performed to evaluate tumor-infiltrating immune cells based on the Cancer Genome Atlas cohort. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was conducted to explore the modules related to Treg cells. Gene Ontology analysis and pathway enrichment analysis were performed for functional annotation and a protein-protein interaction network was built. Samples from the International Cancer Genomics Consortium database was used as a validation set.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye-Hui Chen
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China
| | - Shao-Hao Chen
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China
| | - Jian Hou
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China
| | - Zhi-Bin Ke
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China
| | - Yu-Peng Wu
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China
| | - Ting-Ting Lin
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China
| | - Yong Wei
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China
| | - Xue-Yi Xue
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China
| | - Qing-Shui Zheng
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China
| | - Jin-Bei Huang
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China
| | - Ning Xu
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China
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