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McCarthy WJ, van der Zouwen AJ, Bush JT, Rittinger K. Covalent fragment-based drug discovery for target tractability. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 86:102809. [PMID: 38554479 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2024.102809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
An important consideration in drug discovery is the prioritization of tractable protein targets that are not only amenable to binding small molecules, but also alter disease biology in response to small molecule binding. Covalent fragment-based drug discovery has emerged as a powerful approach to aid in the identification of such protein targets. The application of irreversible binding mechanisms enables the identification of fragment hits for challenging-to-target proteins, allows proteome-wide screening in a cellular context, and makes it possible to determine functional effects with modestly potent ligands without the requirement for extensive compound optimization. Here, we provide an overview of recent approaches to covalent fragment-based screening and discuss how these have been applied to establish the tractability of unexplored binding sites on protein targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J McCarthy
- Molecular Structure of Cell Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Antonie J van der Zouwen
- Molecular Structure of Cell Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Jacob T Bush
- Crick-GSK Biomedical LinkLabs, GSK, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 2NY, UK. https://twitter.com/Jake_T_Bush
| | - Katrin Rittinger
- Molecular Structure of Cell Signalling Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
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Hillebrand L, Liang XJ, Serafim RAM, Gehringer M. Emerging and Re-emerging Warheads for Targeted Covalent Inhibitors: An Update. J Med Chem 2024; 67:7668-7758. [PMID: 38711345 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Covalent inhibitors and other types of covalent modalities have seen a revival in the past two decades, with a variety of new targeted covalent drugs having been approved in recent years. A key feature of such molecules is an intrinsically reactive group, typically a weak electrophile, which enables the irreversible or reversible formation of a covalent bond with a specific amino acid of the target protein. This reactive group, often called the "warhead", is a critical determinant of the ligand's activity, selectivity, and general biological properties. In 2019, we summarized emerging and re-emerging warhead chemistries to target cysteine and other amino acids (Gehringer, M.; Laufer, S. A. J. Med. Chem. 2019, 62, 5673-5724; DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01153). Since then, the field has rapidly evolved. Here we discuss the progress on covalent warheads made since our last Perspective and their application in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Hillebrand
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Xiaojun Julia Liang
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ricardo A M Serafim
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Matthias Gehringer
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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Lucas SCC, Blackwell JH, Hewitt SH, Semple H, Whitehurst BC, Xu H. Covalent hits and where to find them. SLAS DISCOVERY : ADVANCING LIFE SCIENCES R & D 2024; 29:100142. [PMID: 38278484 DOI: 10.1016/j.slasd.2024.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Covalent hits for drug discovery campaigns are neither fantastic beasts nor mythical creatures, they can be routinely identified through electrophile-first screening campaigns using a suite of different techniques. These include biophysical and biochemical methods, cellular approaches, and DNA-encoded libraries. Employing best practice, however, is critical to success. The purpose of this review is to look at state of the art covalent hit identification, how to identify hits from a covalent library and how to select compounds for medicinal chemistry programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon C C Lucas
- Hit Discovery, Discovery Sciences, AstraZeneca R&D, Cambridge, UK.
| | | | - Sarah H Hewitt
- Mechanistic and Structural Biology, Discovery Sciences, AstraZeneca R&D, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hannah Semple
- Hit Discovery, Discovery Sciences, AstraZeneca R&D, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Hua Xu
- Mechanistic and structural Biology, Discovery Sciences, AstraZeneca R&D, Waltham, USA
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Schmidt M, Grethe C, Recknagel S, Kipka GM, Klink N, Gersch M. N-Cyanopiperazines as Specific Covalent Inhibitors of the Deubiquitinating Enzyme UCHL1. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202318849. [PMID: 38239128 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202318849] [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: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Cyanamides have emerged as privileged scaffolds in covalent inhibitors of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs). However, many compounds with a cyanopyrrolidine warhead show cross-reactivity toward small subsets of DUBs or toward the protein deglycase PARK7/DJ-1, hampering their use for the selective perturbation of a single DUB in living cells. Here, we disclose N'-alkyl,N-cyanopiperazines as structures for covalent enzyme inhibition with exceptional specificity for the DUB UCHL1 among 55 human deubiquitinases and with effective target engagement in cells. Notably, transitioning from 5-membered pyrrolidines to 6-membered heterocycles eliminated PARK7 binding and introduced context-dependent reversibility of the isothiourea linkage to the catalytic cysteine of UCHL1. Compound potency and specificity were analysed by a range of biochemical assays and with a crystal structure of a cyanopiperazine in covalent complex with UCHL1. The structure revealed a compound-induced conformational restriction of the cross-over loop, which underlies the observed inhibitory potencies. Through the rationalization of specificities of different cyanamides, we introduce a framework for the investigation of protein reactivity of bioactive nitriles of this compound class. Our results represent an encouraging case study for the refining of electrophilic compounds into chemical probes, emphasizing the potential to engineer specificity through subtle chemical modifications around the warhead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirko Schmidt
- Chemical Genomics Centre, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Christian Grethe
- Chemical Genomics Centre, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Sarah Recknagel
- Chemical Genomics Centre, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Gian-Marvin Kipka
- Chemical Genomics Centre, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Nikolas Klink
- Chemical Genomics Centre, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Malte Gersch
- Chemical Genomics Centre, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
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