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Hatcher JM, Wang ES, Johannessen L, Kwiatkowski N, Sim T, Gray NS. Development of Highly Potent and Selective Steroidal Inhibitors and Degraders of CDK8. ACS Med Chem Lett 2018; 9:540-545. [PMID: 29937979 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.8b00011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cortistatin A is a natural product isolated from the marine sponge Corticium simplex and was found to be a potent and selective inhibitor of CDK8. Many synthetic groups have reported total syntheses of Cortistatin A; however, these syntheses require between 16 and 30 steps and report between 0.012-2% overall yields, which is not amenable to large-scale production. Owing to similarities between the complex core of Cortistatin A and the simple steroid core, we initiated a campaign to design simple, more easily prepared CDK8 inhibitors based on a steroid scaffold that would be more convenient for large-scale synthesis. Herein, we report the discovery and optimization of JH-VIII-49, a potent and selective inhibitor of CDK8 with a simple steroid core that has an eight-step synthesis with a 33% overall yield, making it suitable for large-scale preparation. Using this scaffold, we then developed a bivalent small molecule degrader, JH-XI-10-02, that can recruit the E3 ligase CRL4Cereblon to promote the ubiquitination and proteosomal degradation of CDK8.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M. Hatcher
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, 360 Longwood Avenue, Longwood Center LC-2209, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Eric S. Wang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, 360 Longwood Avenue, Longwood Center LC-2209, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Liv Johannessen
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, 360 Longwood Avenue, Longwood Center LC-2209, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Nicholas Kwiatkowski
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, 360 Longwood Avenue, Longwood Center LC-2209, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Taebo Sim
- Chemical Kinomics Research Center, KU-KIST, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791, Korea
| | - Nathanael S. Gray
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, 360 Longwood Avenue, Longwood Center LC-2209, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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Rzymski T, Mikula M, Żyłkiewicz E, Dreas A, Wiklik K, Gołas A, Wójcik K, Masiejczyk M, Wróbel A, Dolata I, Kitlińska A, Statkiewicz M, Kuklinska U, Goryca K, Sapała Ł, Grochowska A, Cabaj A, Szajewska-Skuta M, Gabor-Worwa E, Kucwaj K, Białas A, Radzimierski A, Combik M, Woyciechowski J, Mikulski M, Windak R, Ostrowski J, Brzózka K. SEL120-34A is a novel CDK8 inhibitor active in AML cells with high levels of serine phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT5 transactivation domains. Oncotarget 2018; 8:33779-33795. [PMID: 28422713 PMCID: PMC5464911 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.16810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibition of oncogenic transcriptional programs is a promising therapeutic strategy. A substituted tricyclic benzimidazole, SEL120-34A, is a novel inhibitor of Cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8), which regulates transcription by associating with the Mediator complex. X-ray crystallography has shown SEL120-34A to be a type I inhibitor forming halogen bonds with the protein's hinge region and hydrophobic complementarities within its front pocket. SEL120-34A inhibits phosphorylation of STAT1 S727 and STAT5 S726 in cancer cells in vitro. Consistently, regulation of STATs- and NUP98-HOXA9- dependent transcription has been observed as a dominant mechanism of action in vivo. Treatment with the compound resulted in a differential efficacy on AML cells with elevated STAT5 S726 levels and stem cell characteristics. In contrast, resistant cells were negative for activated STAT5 and revealed lineage commitment. In vivo efficacy in xenotransplanted AML models correlated with significant repression of STAT5 S726. Favorable pharmacokinetics, confirmed safety and in vivo efficacy provide a rationale for the further clinical development of SEL120-34A as a personalized therapeutic approach in AML.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michał Mikula
- Department of Genetics, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Anna Wróbel
- R&D Department, Selvita S.A., Kraków, Poland
| | | | | | | | - Urszula Kuklinska
- Department of Genetics, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Goryca
- Department of Genetics, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Aleksandra Grochowska
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Oncology, Medical Center for Postgraduate Education, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Cabaj
- Department of Genetics, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center, Warsaw, Poland.,Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jerzy Ostrowski
- Department of Genetics, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center, Warsaw, Poland.,Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Oncology, Medical Center for Postgraduate Education, Warsaw, Poland
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