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Chan BWGL, Lynch NB, Tran W, Joyce JM, Savage GP, Meutermans W, Montgomery AP, Kassiou M. Fragment-based drug discovery for disorders of the central nervous system: designing better drugs piece by piece. Front Chem 2024; 12:1379518. [PMID: 38698940 PMCID: PMC11063241 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1379518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has emerged as a powerful strategy to confront the challenges faced by conventional drug development approaches, particularly in the context of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. FBDD involves the screening of libraries that comprise thousands of small molecular fragments, each no greater than 300 Da in size. Unlike the generally larger molecules from high-throughput screening that limit customisation, fragments offer a more strategic starting point. These fragments are inherently compact, providing a strong foundation with good binding affinity for the development of drug candidates. The minimal elaboration required to transition the hit into a drug-like molecule is not only accelerated, but also it allows for precise modifications to enhance both their activity and pharmacokinetic properties. This shift towards a fragment-centric approach has seen commercial success and holds considerable promise in the continued streamlining of the drug discovery and development process. In this review, we highlight how FBDD can be integrated into the CNS drug discovery process to enhance the exploration of a target. Furthermore, we provide recent examples where FBDD has been an integral component in CNS drug discovery programs, enabling the improvement of pharmacokinetic properties that have previously proven challenging. The FBDD optimisation process provides a systematic approach to explore this vast chemical space, facilitating the discovery and design of compounds piece by piece that are capable of modulating crucial CNS targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicholas B. Lynch
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Wendy Tran
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jack M. Joyce
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Michael Kassiou
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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2
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Kumar V, Chunchagatta Lakshman PK, Prasad TK, Manjunath K, Bairy S, Vasu AS, Ganavi B, Jasti S, Kamariah N. Target-based drug discovery: Applications of fluorescence techniques in high throughput and fragment-based screening. Heliyon 2024; 10:e23864. [PMID: 38226204 PMCID: PMC10788520 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Target-based discovery of first-in-class therapeutics demands an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying human diseases. Precise measurements of cellular and biochemical activities are critical to gain mechanistic knowledge of biomolecules and their altered function in disease conditions. Such measurements enable the development of intervention strategies for preventing or treating diseases by modulation of desired molecular processes. Fluorescence-based techniques are routinely employed for accurate and robust measurements of in-vitro activity of molecular targets and for discovering novel chemical molecules that modulate the activity of molecular targets. In the current review, the authors focus on the applications of fluorescence-based high throughput screening (HTS) and fragment-based ligand discovery (FBLD) techniques such as fluorescence polarization (FP), Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), fluorescence thermal shift assay (FTSA) and microscale thermophoresis (MST) for the discovery of chemical probe to exploring target's role in disease biology and ultimately, serve as a foundation for drug discovery. Some recent advancements in these techniques for compound library screening against important classes of drug targets, such as G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and GTPases, as well as phosphorylation- and acetylation-mediated protein-protein interactions, are discussed. Overall, this review presents a landscape of how these techniques paved the way for the discovery of small-molecule modulators and biologics against these targets for therapeutic benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Thazhe Kootteri Prasad
- Centre for Chemical Biology & Therapeutics, inStem & NCBS, Bellary Road, Bangalore, 560065, India
| | - Kavyashree Manjunath
- Centre for Chemical Biology & Therapeutics, inStem & NCBS, Bellary Road, Bangalore, 560065, India
| | - Sneha Bairy
- Centre for Chemical Biology & Therapeutics, inStem & NCBS, Bellary Road, Bangalore, 560065, India
| | - Akshaya S. Vasu
- Centre for Chemical Biology & Therapeutics, inStem & NCBS, Bellary Road, Bangalore, 560065, India
| | - B. Ganavi
- Centre for Chemical Biology & Therapeutics, inStem & NCBS, Bellary Road, Bangalore, 560065, India
| | - Subbarao Jasti
- Centre for Chemical Biology & Therapeutics, inStem & NCBS, Bellary Road, Bangalore, 560065, India
| | - Neelagandan Kamariah
- Centre for Chemical Biology & Therapeutics, inStem & NCBS, Bellary Road, Bangalore, 560065, India
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3
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Abdel-Rahman SA, Świderek K, Gabr MT. First-in-class small molecule inhibitors of ICOS/ICOSL interaction as a novel class of immunomodulators. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:1767-1777. [PMID: 37731692 PMCID: PMC10507805 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00150d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The interaction of the inducible co-stimulator (ICOS) with its ligand (ICOSL) plays key roles in T-cell differentiation and activation of T-cell to B-cell functions. The ICOS/ICOSL pathway is a validated target for T-cell lymphomas induced by the proliferation of T-follicular helper (Tfh) cells. Moreover, the inhibition of ICOS/ICOSL interaction can decrease the enhancement of immunosuppressive regulatory T cells (Tregs) in both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. However, targeting ICOS/ICOSL interaction is currently restricted to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and there are no small molecules in existence that can block ICOS/ICOSL. To fill this gap, we report herein the first time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) assay to evaluate the ability of small molecules to inhibit ICOS/ICOSL interaction. Implementation of the developed TR-FRET assay in high-throughput screening (HTS) of a focused chemical library resulted in the identification of AG-120 as a first-in-class inhibitor of ICOS/ICOSL interaction. We further employed docking studies and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to identify the plausible mechanism of blocking ICOS/ICOSL complex formation by AG-120. Using the structure-activity relationship (SAR) by catalog approach, we identified AG-120-X with an IC50 value of 4.68 ± 0.47 μM in the ICOS/ICOSL TR-FRET assay. Remarkably, AG-120-X revealed a dose-dependent ability to block ICOS/ICOSL interaction in a bioluminescent cellular assay based on co-culturing Jurkat T cells expressing ICOS and CHO-K1 cells expressing ICOSL. This work will pave the way for future drug discovery efforts aiming at the development of small molecule inhibitors of ICOS/ICOSL interaction as potential therapeutics for cancer as well as other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somaya A Abdel-Rahman
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Innovations Institute (MI3), Weill Cornell Medicine New York NY 10065 USA
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University Mansoura 35516 Egypt
| | - Katarzyna Świderek
- BioComp Group, Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM), Universitat Jaume I 12071 Castellon Spain
| | - Moustafa T Gabr
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Innovations Institute (MI3), Weill Cornell Medicine New York NY 10065 USA
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4
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Abdel-Rahman SA, Talagayev V, Pach S, Wolber G, Gabr MT. Discovery of Small-Molecule TIM-3 Inhibitors for Acute Myeloid Leukemia Using Pharmacophore-Based Virtual Screening. J Med Chem 2023; 66:11464-11475. [PMID: 37566998 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (TIM-3) is a negative immune checkpoint that represents a promising target for cancer immunotherapy. Although encouraging results have been observed for TIM-3 inhibition in the context of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), targeting TIM-3 is currently restricted to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). To fill this gap, we implemented a pharmacophore-based screening approach to identify small-molecule TIM-3 inhibitors. Our approach resulted in the identification of hit compounds with TIM-3 binding affinity. Subsequently, we used the structure-activity relationship (SAR) by a catalog approach to identify compound A-41 with submicromolar TIM-3 binding affinity. Remarkably, A-41 demonstrated the ability to block TIM-3 interactions with key ligands and inhibited the immunosuppressive function of TIM-3 using an in vitro coculture assay. This work will pave the way for future drug discovery efforts aiming at the development of small-molecule inhibitors TIM-3 for AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somaya A Abdel-Rahman
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Innovations Institute (MI3), Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Valerij Talagayev
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry (Computer-Aided Drug Design), Freie Universitaet Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Szymon Pach
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry (Computer-Aided Drug Design), Freie Universitaet Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Gerhard Wolber
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry (Computer-Aided Drug Design), Freie Universitaet Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Moustafa T Gabr
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Innovations Institute (MI3), Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
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5
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Abdel-Rahman S, Rehman AU, Gabr MT. Discovery of First-in-Class Small Molecule Inhibitors of Lymphocyte Activation Gene 3 (LAG-3). ACS Med Chem Lett 2023; 14:629-635. [PMID: 37197466 PMCID: PMC10184155 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3) is a negative immune checkpoint that plays a key role in downregulating the immune response to cancer. Inhibition of LAG-3 interactions allows T cells to regain cytotoxic activity and reduce the immunosuppressive function of regulating T cells. We utilized a combination approach of focused screening and "SAR by catalog" to identify small molecules that function as dual inhibitors of the interactions of LAG-3 with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II and fibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGL1). Our top hit compound inhibited both LAG-3/MHCII and LAG-3/FGL1 interactions in biochemical binding assays with IC50 values of 4.21 ± 0.84 and 6.52 ± 0.47 μM, respectively. Moreover, we have demonstrated the ability of our top hit compound to block LAG-3 interactions in cell-based assays. This work will pave the way for future drug discovery efforts aiming at the development of LAG-3-based small molecules for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somaya
A. Abdel-Rahman
- Department
of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Innovations Institute (MI3), Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Ashfaq Ur Rehman
- Department
of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University
of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Moustafa T. Gabr
- Department
of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Innovations Institute (MI3), Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
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Abstract
Breast cancer is susceptible to Candida infections, and candidiasis has an enhancing effect on the progression and metastasis of tumor. Breast cancer and concurrent candidiasis represent a significant challenge in clinical therapy. Herein, a series of novel small molecule inhibitors simultaneously targeting bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) were designed for combinational treatment of breast cancer and resistant Candida albicans infections. Among them, compounds 13c and 17b exhibited excellent and balanced inhibitory activity against both BET family proteins BRD4 and HDAC1. As compared with BRD4 or HDAC1 inhibitors, dual inhibitors 13c and 17b displayed improved in vivo antitumor efficacy in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer xenograft models. Notably, they synergized with fluconazole (FLC) to effectively reduce the kidney fungal burden in a murine model of disseminated candidiasis. Thus, the BET-HDAC dual inhibitors represented a novel therapeutic strategy for combinational treatment of breast cancer and concurrent candidiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yahui Huang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China
| | - Na Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhizhi Pan
- College of Pharmacy, Dali University, Xueren Road 2, Dali 671000, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhuang Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunquan Sheng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China
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7
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Jiang W, Wang X, Shu C, Hou Q, Yang K, Wu X. Design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel pyridone derivatives as potent BRD4 inhibitors for the potential treatment of prostate cancer. Bioorg Chem 2021; 119:105575. [PMID: 34995979 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.105575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Since androgen receptor (AR) can bind to BRD4 protein and this binding can be blocked by BRD4 inhibitors, targeting BRD4 has emerged as a promising approach for the treatment of prostate cancer (PC). Herein, we designed and synthesized a series of 5-(1-benzyl-1H-indazol-6-yl)-4-ethoxy-1-methylpyridin-2(1H)-one derivatives as novel BRD4 inhibitors for prostate cancer. Among them, compound 13 displayed the most robust BRD4 inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 18 nM. Furthermore, 13 showed potent anti-proliferative activity against enzalutamide-resistant 22RV1 cells. The mechanism of action studies demonstrated that 13 induced cell apoptosis by regulating Bcl-2/Bax proteins and activating caspase-3 signaling pathway. In addition, the c-Myc level was significantly reduced in 22RV1 cells on the western blot assay. These findings collectively suggested that compound 13 might find potential use for the treatment of prostate cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhua Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Xiaohui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Chengxia Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Qiangqiang Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Kexin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Xiaoxing Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China.
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8
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleksandr O. Grygorenko
- Enamine Ltd. Chervonotkatska 78 Kyiv 02094 Ukraine
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Volodymyrska Street 60 Kyiv 01601 Ukraine
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9
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Wilson DM, Deacon AM, Duncton MAJ, Pellicena P, Georgiadis MM, Yeh AP, Arvai AS, Moiani D, Tainer JA, Das D. Fragment- and structure-based drug discovery for developing therapeutic agents targeting the DNA Damage Response. Prog Biophys Mol Biol 2021; 163:130-142. [PMID: 33115610 PMCID: PMC8666131 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2020.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cancer will directly affect the lives of over one-third of the population. The DNA Damage Response (DDR) is an intricate system involving damage recognition, cell cycle regulation, DNA repair, and ultimately cell fate determination, playing a central role in cancer etiology and therapy. Two primary therapeutic approaches involving DDR targeting include: combinatorial treatments employing anticancer genotoxic agents; and synthetic lethality, exploiting a sporadic DDR defect as a mechanism for cancer-specific therapy. Whereas, many DDR proteins have proven "undruggable", Fragment- and Structure-Based Drug Discovery (FBDD, SBDD) have advanced therapeutic agent identification and development. FBDD has led to 4 (with ∼50 more drugs under preclinical and clinical development), while SBDD is estimated to have contributed to the development of >200, FDA-approved medicines. Protein X-ray crystallography-based fragment library screening, especially for elusive or "undruggable" targets, allows for simultaneous generation of hits plus details of protein-ligand interactions and binding sites (orthosteric or allosteric) that inform chemical tractability, downstream biology, and intellectual property. Using a novel high-throughput crystallography-based fragment library screening platform, we screened five diverse proteins, yielding hit rates of ∼2-8% and crystal structures from ∼1.8 to 3.2 Å. We consider current FBDD/SBDD methods and some exemplary results of efforts to design inhibitors against the DDR nucleases meiotic recombination 11 (MRE11, a.k.a., MRE11A), apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1, a.k.a., APEX1), and flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1).
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Wilson
- Hasselt University, Biomedical Research Institute, Diepenbeek, Belgium; Boost Scientific, Heusden-Zolder, Belgium; XPose Therapeutics Inc., San Carlos, CA, USA
| | - Ashley M Deacon
- Accelero Biostructures Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA; XPose Therapeutics Inc., San Carlos, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Millie M Georgiadis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; XPose Therapeutics Inc., San Carlos, CA, USA
| | - Andrew P Yeh
- Accelero Biostructures Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Andrew S Arvai
- Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Davide Moiani
- Department of Cancer Biology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - John A Tainer
- Department of Cancer Biology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Debanu Das
- Accelero Biostructures Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA; XPose Therapeutics Inc., San Carlos, CA, USA.
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10
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Yang Y, Chen P, Zhao L, Zhang B, Xu C, Zhang H, Zhou J. Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of imidazolopyridone derivatives as novel BRD4 inhibitors. Bioorg Med Chem 2020; 29:115857. [PMID: 33191086 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Bromodomain containing protein 4 (BRD4) has been demonstrated to play critical roles in cellular proliferation and cell cycle progression. In this study, using the BRD4 inhibitor Fragment 9 as a lead compound, a series of imidazolopyridone derivatives were designed and tested for their inhibitory activity against BRD4 protein in vitro. Among them, HB100-A7 showed excellent BRD4(1) inhibitory activities with an IC50 value of 0.035 μM in amplified luminescent proximity homogeneous assay (Alphascreen). The result of MTT assay showed that HB100-A7 could suppress the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. In addition, flow cytometry further illustrated that HB100-A7 treatment resulted in G0/G1 phase arrest and promoted apoptosis of BxPc3 cells. Furthermore, the in vivo study found that HB100-A7 displayed significant tumor growth inhibition in a pancreatic mouse tumor model (Panc-02). Moreover, IHC staining suggested that HB100-A7 induce cell apoptosis in pancreatic cancer tumor tissue. Together, this study revealed, for the first time, HB100-A7 is a promising lead compound for further development as a new generation of small molecule inhibitors targeting the BRD4 protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Yang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Pan Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Leilei Zhao
- Center of Drug Discovery, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Discovery for Metabolic Disease, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Bing Zhang
- Center of Drug Discovery, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Discovery for Metabolic Disease, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Changliang Xu
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine Prevention and Treatment of Tumor, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, PR China.
| | - Huibin Zhang
- Center of Drug Discovery, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Discovery for Metabolic Disease, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China.
| | - Jinpei Zhou
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China.
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11
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Prieto-Martínez FD, Medina-Franco JL. Current advances on the development of BET inhibitors: insights from computational methods. Adv Protein Chem Struct Biol 2020; 122:127-180. [PMID: 32951810 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2020.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetics was coined almost 70 years ago for the description of heritable phenotype without altering DNA sequences. Research on the field has uncovered significant roles of such mechanisms, that account for the biogenesis of several diseases. Further studies have led the way for drug development which targets epi-enzymes, mainly for cancer treatment. Of the numerous epi-targets involved with histone acetylation, bromodomains have captured the spotlight of drug discovery focused on novel therapies. However, due to high sequence identity, the development of potent and selective inhibitors poses a significant challenge. Herein, we discuss recent computational developments on BET inhibitors and other methods that may be applied for drug discovery in general. As a proof-of-concept, we discuss a virtual screening to identify novel BET inhibitors based on coumarin derivatives. From public data, we identified putative structure-activity relationships of coumarin scaffold and propose R-group modifications for BET selectivity. Results showed that the optimization and design of novel coumarins could be further explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando D Prieto-Martínez
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Chemistry, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - José L Medina-Franco
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Chemistry, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
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12
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Zhou Z, Li X, Liu Z, Huang L, Yao Y, Li L, Chen J, Zhang R, Zhou J, Wang L, Zhang QQ. A Bromodomain-Containing Protein 4 (BRD4) Inhibitor Suppresses Angiogenesis by Regulating AP-1 Expression. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:1043. [PMID: 32765266 PMCID: PMC7381267 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.01043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Angiogenesis dysregulation contributes to inflammation, infections, immune disorders, and carcinogenesis. Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) is an epigenetic reader that recognizes histone proteins and acts as a transcriptional regulator to trigger tumor growth and the inflammatory response. The pan-bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) inhibitor, (+)-JQ1 (1), was reported to inhibit angiogenesis. However, owing to the non-selectivity action of (+)-JQ1 towards all BET family members, the role of BRD4 and that of its bromodomains (BD1 and BD2) in angiogenesis remains elusive. Herein, we identified a potent BRD4 inhibitor, ZL0513 (7), which exhibited significant anti-angiogenic effects in chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and yolk sac membrane (YSM) models. This inhibitor also directly suppressed the viability and tube formation of human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs). Moreover, ZL0513 (7) was found to inhibit the phosphorylation of c-jun and c-fos, important members of activating protein-1 (AP-1) transcription factor complexes that enhance angiogenesis. The findings on this novel BRD4 inhibitor indicate that, in addition to being a powerful pharmacological tool for further elucidating the roles and functions of BRD4 and its BD domains in angiogenesis, it may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for targeting the vasculature in various angiogenesis-dysregulated human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijun Zhou
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoming Li
- Department of Pathology, People's Hospital of Baoan District, Affiliated Baoan Hospital of Shenzhen, Southern Medical University, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhiqing Liu
- Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Lixun Huang
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuying Yao
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liuyou Li
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jian Chen
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rongxin Zhang
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jia Zhou
- Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Lijing Wang
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qian-Qian Zhang
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
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13
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Wang J, Quan Y, Lv J, Gong S, Dong D. BRD4 promotes glioma cell stemness via enhancing miR-142-5p-mediated activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Environ Toxicol 2020; 35:368-376. [PMID: 31724259 DOI: 10.1002/tox.22873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The bromodomain protein BRD4 exerts carcinogenic effects in many cancers. However, its roles in glioma occurrence are still confused. Here, it is found that BRD4 expression is increased in glioma tissues and negatively correlated with the overall survival of glioma patients. We construct cellular experiments indicating that BRD4 promotes glioma cell stemness by analyzing ALDH1 activity, master stemness regulator expression, and sphere formation ability. Mechanistically, BRD4 knockdown triggers a switch of miR-142-5p promoter methylation, which targets Wnt3a and thus further inactivates Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Importantly, inhibition of miR-142-5p or reactivation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling rescues the inhibition of BRD4 knockdown on glioma cell stemness. As a result, these results not only indicate an unforeseen connection between BRD4, miR-142-5p, and Wnt/β-catenin signaling, but also reveal a promising epigenetic-based therapeutic strategy that might be explored for glioma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jubo Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an City, China
| | - Yu Quan
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an City, China
| | - Jian Lv
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an City, China
| | - Shouping Gong
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an City, China
| | - Danfeng Dong
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an City, China
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Tosstorff A, Menzen T, Winter G. Exploring Chemical Space for New Substances to Stabilize a Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibody. J Pharm Sci 2020; 109:301-307. [DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2019.10.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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15
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Klingler FM, Gastreich M, Grygorenko OO, Savych O, Borysko P, Griniukova A, Gubina KE, Lemmen C, Moroz YS. SAR by Space: Enriching Hit Sets from the Chemical Space. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24173096. [PMID: 31454992 PMCID: PMC6749418 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24173096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
We introduce SAR by Space, a concept to drastically accelerate structure-activity relationship (SAR) elucidation by synthesizing neighboring compounds that originate from vast chemical spaces. The space navigation is accomplished within minutes on affordable standard computer hardware using a tree-based molecule descriptor and dynamic programming. Maximizing the synthetic accessibility of the results from the computer is achieved by applying a careful selection of building blocks in combination with suitably chosen reactions; a decade of in-house quality control shows that this is a crucial part in the process. The REAL Space is the largest chemical space of commercially available compounds, counting 11 billion molecules as of today. It was used to mine actives against bromodomain 4 (BRD4). Before synthesis, compounds were docked into the binding site using a scoring function, which incorporates intrinsic desolvation terms, thus avoiding time-consuming simulations. Five micromolar hits have been identified and verified within less than six weeks, including the measurement of IC50 values. We conclude that this procedure is a substantial time-saver, accelerating both ligand and structure-based approaches in hit generation and lead optimization stages.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marcus Gastreich
- BioSolveIT GmbH, An der Ziegelei 79, 53757 Sankt Augustin, Germany
| | - Oleksandr O Grygorenko
- Enamine Ltd., Chervonotkatska Street 78, 02094 Kyiv, Ukraine
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Volodymyrska Street 60, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Olena Savych
- Enamine Ltd., Chervonotkatska Street 78, 02094 Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Petro Borysko
- Bienta/Enamine Ltd., Chervonotkatska Street 78, 02094 Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | - Kateryna E Gubina
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Volodymyrska Street 60, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Christian Lemmen
- BioSolveIT GmbH, An der Ziegelei 79, 53757 Sankt Augustin, Germany
| | - Yurii S Moroz
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Volodymyrska Street 60, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine.
- Chemspace, Ilukstes iela 38-5, LV-1082 Riga, Latvia.
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16
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Casciuc I, Horvath D, Gryniukova A, Tolmachova KA, Vasylchenko OV, Borysko P, Moroz YS, Bajorath J, Varnek A. Pros and cons of virtual screening based on public “Big Data”: In silico mining for new bromodomain inhibitors. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 165:258-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 12/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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