1
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Cheng B, Pan W, Xiao Y, Ding Z, Zhou Y, Fei X, Liu J, Su Z, Peng X, Chen J. HDAC-targeting epigenetic modulators for cancer immunotherapy. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 265:116129. [PMID: 38211468 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116129] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
HDAC inhibitors, which can inhibit the activity of HDAC enzymes, have been extensively studied in tumor immunotherapy and have shown potential therapeutic effects in cancer immunotherapy. To date, numerous small molecule HDAC inhibitors have been identified, but many of them suffer from limited clinical efficacy and serious toxicity. Hence, HDAC inhibitor-based combination therapies, and other HDAC modulators (e.g. PROTAC degraders, dual-acting agents) have attracted great attention with significant advancements achieved in the past few years due to their superior efficacy compared to single-target HDAC inhibitors. In this review, we overviewed the recent progress on HDAC-based drug discovery with a focus on HDAC inhibitor-based drug combination therapy and other HDAC-targeting strategies (e.g. selective HDAC inhibitors, HDAC-based dual-target inhibitors, and PROTAC HDAC degraders) for cancer immunotherapy. In addition, we also summarized the reported co-crystal structures of HDAC inhibitors in complex with their target proteins and the binding interactions. Finally, the challenges and future directions for HDAC-based drug discovery in cancer immunotherapy are also discussed in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binbin Cheng
- School of Medicine, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, PR China; Key Laboratory of Joint Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Liver Disease and Liver Cancer of Lishui, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui People's Hospital, Lishui, Zhejiang, 323000, PR China; Molecular Pharmacology Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, PR China
| | - Wei Pan
- CardioIogy Department, Geriatric Department, Foshan Women and Children Hospital, Foshan, Guangdong, 528000, PR China
| | - Yao Xiao
- Wuchang Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan Wuchang Hospital, Wuchang, 430063, PR China
| | - Zongbao Ding
- Department of Bioengineering, Zhuhai Campus of Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai, 519041, PR China
| | - Yingxing Zhou
- School of Medicine, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, PR China
| | - Xiaoting Fei
- School of Medicine, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, PR China
| | - Jin Liu
- School of Medicine, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, PR China
| | - Zhenhong Su
- School of Medicine, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, PR China.
| | - Xiaopeng Peng
- College of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, PR China.
| | - Jianjun Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, PR China.
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2
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Yang N, Kong B, Zhu Z, Huang F, Zhang L, Lu T, Chen Y, Zhang Y, Jiang Y. Recent advances in targeted protein degraders as potential therapeutic agents. Mol Divers 2024; 28:309-333. [PMID: 36790583 PMCID: PMC9930057 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-023-10606-w] [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] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation (TPD) technology has gradually become widespread in the past 20 years, which greatly boosts the development of disease treatment. Contrary to small inhibitors that act on protein kinases, transcription factors, ion channels, and other targets they can bind to, targeted protein degraders could target "undruggable targets" and overcome drug resistance through ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) and lysosome pathway. Nowadays, some bivalent degraders such as proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) have aroused great interest in drug discovery, and some of them have successfully advanced into clinical trials. In this review, to better understand the mechanism of degraders, we elucidate the targeted protein degraders according to their action process, relying on the ubiquitin-proteasome system or lysosome pathway. Then, we briefly summarize the study of PROTACs employing different E3 ligases. Subsequently, the effect of protein of interest (POI) ligands, linker, and E3 ligands on PROTAC degradation activity is also discussed in detail. Other novel technologies based on UPP and lysosome pathway have been discussed in this paper such as in-cell click-formed proteolysis-targeting chimeras (CLIPTACs), molecular glues, Antibody-PROTACs (Ab-PROTACs), autophagy-targeting chimeras, and lysosome-targeting chimeras. Based on the introduction of these degradation technologies, we can clearly understand the action process and degradation mechanism of these approaches. From this perspective, it will be convenient to obtain the development status of these drugs, choose appropriate degradation methods to achieve better disease treatment and provide basis for future research and simultaneously distinguish the direction of future research efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Yang
- School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Kong
- School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhaohong Zhu
- School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei Huang
- School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China
| | - Liliang Zhang
- School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Lu
- School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Yadong Chen
- School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yanmin Zhang
- School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yulei Jiang
- School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China.
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3
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LegaardAndersson J, Christensen J, Kleine-Kohlbrecher D, Vacher Comet I, Fullerton Støier J, Antoku Y, Poljak V, Moretti L, Dolberg J, Jacso T, Jensby Nielsen S, Nørregaard-Madsen M, Franch T, Helin K, Cloos PAC. Discovery of NSD2-Degraders from Novel and Selective DEL Hits. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202300515. [PMID: 37807669 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300515] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
NSD2 is a histone methyltransferase predominantly catalyzing di-methylation of histone H3 on lysine K36. Increased NSD2 activity due to mutations or fusion-events affecting the gene encoding NSD2 is considered an oncogenic event and a driver in various cancers, including multiple myelomas carrying t(4;14) chromosomal translocations and acute lymphoblastic leukemia's expressing the hyperactive NSD2 mutant E1099 K. Using DNA-encoded libraries, we have identified small molecule ligands that selectively and potently bind to the PWWP1 domain of NSD2, inhibit NSD2 binding to H3K36me2-bearing nucleosomes, but do not inhibit the methyltransferase activity. The ligands were subsequently converted to selective VHL1-recruiting NSD2 degraders and by using one of the most efficacious degraders in cell lines, we show that it leads to NSD2 degradation, decrease in K3 K36me2 levels and inhibition of cell proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan LegaardAndersson
- Nuevolution A/S / Amgen Research Copenhagen, Rønnegade 8, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jesper Christensen
- University of Copenhagen, Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC), Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Daniela Kleine-Kohlbrecher
- University of Copenhagen, Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC), Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Itys Vacher Comet
- University of Copenhagen, Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC), Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Bioorigin Aps, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jonatan Fullerton Støier
- University of Copenhagen, Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC), Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Bioorigin Aps, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Yasuko Antoku
- University of Copenhagen, Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC), Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Visnja Poljak
- Nuevolution A/S / Amgen Research Copenhagen, Rønnegade 8, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Loris Moretti
- Nuevolution A/S / Amgen Research Copenhagen, Rønnegade 8, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Johannes Dolberg
- Nuevolution A/S / Amgen Research Copenhagen, Rønnegade 8, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tomas Jacso
- Nuevolution A/S / Amgen Research Copenhagen, Rønnegade 8, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Søren Jensby Nielsen
- Nuevolution A/S / Amgen Research Copenhagen, Rønnegade 8, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Thomas Franch
- Nuevolution A/S / Amgen Research Copenhagen, Rønnegade 8, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristian Helin
- University of Copenhagen, Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC), Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), 237 Fulham Road, London, SW3 6JB, UK
| | - Paul A C Cloos
- University of Copenhagen, Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC), Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Bioorigin Aps, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
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4
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Lee IK, Sharma N, Noguera-Ortega E, Liousia M, Baroja ML, Etersque JM, Pham J, Sarkar S, Carreno BM, Linette GP, Puré E, Albelda SM, Sellmyer MA. A genetically encoded protein tag for control and quantitative imaging of CAR T cell therapy. Mol Ther 2023; 31:3564-3578. [PMID: 37919903 PMCID: PMC10727978 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.10.020] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has been successful for hematological malignancies. Still, a lack of efficacy and potential toxicities have slowed its application for other indications. Furthermore, CAR T cells undergo dynamic expansion and contraction in vivo that cannot be easily predicted or controlled. Therefore, the safety and utility of such therapies could be enhanced by engineered mechanisms that engender reversible control and quantitative monitoring. Here, we use a genetic tag based on the enzyme Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase (eDHFR), and derivatives of trimethoprim (TMP) to modulate and monitor CAR expression and T cell activity. We fused eDHFR to the CAR C terminus, allowing regulation with TMP-based proteolysis-targeting chimeric small molecules (PROTACs). Fusion of eDHFR to the CAR does not interfere with cell signaling or its cytotoxic function, and the addition of TMP-based PROTACs results in a reversible and dose-dependent inhibition of CAR activity via the proteosome. We show the regulation of CAR expression in vivo and demonstrate imaging of the cells with TMP radiotracers. In vitro immunogenicity assays using primary human immune cells and overlapping peptide fragments of eDHFR showed no memory immune repertoire for eDHFR. Overall, this translationally-orientied approach allows for temporal monitoring and image-guided control of cell-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris K Lee
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Nitika Sharma
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Estela Noguera-Ortega
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Maria Liousia
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Miren L Baroja
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jean M Etersque
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jonathan Pham
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Swarbhanu Sarkar
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Beatriz M Carreno
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Gerald P Linette
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ellen Puré
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Steven M Albelda
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Mark A Sellmyer
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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5
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Pichlak M, Sobierajski T, Błażewska KM, Gendaszewska-Darmach E. Targeting reversible post-translational modifications with PROTACs: a focus on enzymes modifying protein lysine and arginine residues. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2023; 38:2254012. [PMID: 37667522 PMCID: PMC10481767 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2023.2254012] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
PROTACs represent an emerging field in medicinal chemistry, which has already led to the development of compounds that reached clinical studies. Posttranslational modifications contribute to the complexity of proteomes, with 2846 disease-associated sites. PROTAC field is very advanced in targeting kinases, while its use for enzymes mediating posttranslational modifications of the basic amino acid residues, started to be developed recently. Therefore, we bring together this less popular class of PROTACs, targeting lysine acetyltransferases/deacetylases, lysine and arginine methyltransferases, ADP-ribosyltransferases, E3 ligases, and ubiquitin-specific proteases. We put special emphasis on structural aspects of PROTAC elements to facilitate the lengthy experimental endeavours directed towards developing PROTACs. We will cover the period from the inception of the field, 2017, to April 2023.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Pichlak
- Institute of Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology, Lodz University of Technology, Łódź, Poland
| | - Tomasz Sobierajski
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Łódź, Poland
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6
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Julio AR, Shikwana F, Truong C, Burton NR, Dominguez E, Turmon AC, Cao J, Backus K. Pervasive aggregation and depletion of host and viral proteins in response to cysteine-reactive electrophilic compounds. bioRxiv 2023:2023.10.30.564067. [PMID: 38014036 PMCID: PMC10680658 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.30.564067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Protein homeostasis is tightly regulated, with damaged or misfolded proteins quickly eliminated by the proteasome and autophagosome pathways. By co-opting these processes, targeted protein degradation technologies enable pharmacological manipulation of protein abundance. Recently, cysteine-reactive molecules have been added to the degrader toolbox, which offer the benefit of unlocking the therapeutic potential of 'undruggable' protein targets. The proteome-wide impact of these molecules remains to be fully understood and given the general reactivity of many classes of cysteine-reactive electrophiles, on- and off-target effects are likely. Using chemical proteomics, we identified a cysteine-reactive small molecule degrader of the SARS-CoV-2 non- structural protein 14 (nsp14), which effects degradation through direct modification of cysteines in both nsp14 and in host chaperones together with activation of global cell stress response pathways. We find that cysteine-reactive electrophiles increase global protein ubiquitylation, trigger proteasome activation, and result in widespread aggregation and depletion of host proteins, including components of the nuclear pore complex. Formation of stress granules was also found to be a remarkably ubiquitous cellular response to nearly all cysteine-reactive compounds and degraders. Collectively, our study sheds light on complexities of covalent target protein degradation and highlights untapped opportunities in manipulating and characterizing proteostasis processes via deciphering the cysteine-centric regulation of stress response pathways.
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Mancarella C, Morrione A, Scotlandi K. PROTAC-Based Protein Degradation as a Promising Strategy for Targeted Therapy in Sarcomas. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16346. [PMID: 38003535 PMCID: PMC10671294 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216346] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Sarcomas are heterogeneous bone and soft tissue cancers representing the second most common tumor type in children and adolescents. Histology and genetic profiling discovered more than 100 subtypes, which are characterized by peculiar molecular vulnerabilities. However, limited therapeutic options exist beyond standard therapy and clinical benefits from targeted therapies were observed only in a minority of patients with sarcomas. The rarity of these tumors, paucity of actionable mutations, and limitations in the chemical composition of current targeted therapies hindered the use of these approaches in sarcomas. Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is an innovative pharmacological modality to directly alter protein abundance with promising clinical potential in cancer, even for undruggable proteins. TPD is based on the use of small molecules called degraders or proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), which trigger ubiquitin-dependent degradation of protein of interest. In this review, we will discuss major features of PROTAC and PROTAC-derived genetic systems for target validation and cancer treatment and focus on the potential of these approaches to overcome major issues connected to targeted therapies in sarcomas, including drug resistance, target specificity, and undruggable targets. A deeper understanding of these strategies might provide new fuel to drive molecular and personalized medicine to sarcomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Mancarella
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Andrea Morrione
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Center for Biotechnology, Department of Biology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA;
| | - Katia Scotlandi
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
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8
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Chen S, Zheng Y, Liang B, Yin Y, Yao J, Wang Q, Liu Y, Neamati N. The application of PROTAC in HDAC. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 260:115746. [PMID: 37607440 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115746] [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] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Inducing protein degradation by proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) has provided great opportunities for scientific research and industrial applications. Histone deacetylase (HDAC)-PROTAC has been widely developed since the first report of its ability to induce the degradation of SIRT2 in 2017. To date, ten of the eighteen HDACs (HDACs 1-8, HDAC10, and SIRT2) have been successfully targeted and degraded by HDAC-PROTACs. HDAC-PROTACs surpass traditional HDAC inhibitors in many aspects, such as higher selectivity, more potent antiproliferative activity, and the ability to disrupt the enzyme-independent functions of a multifunctional protein and overcome drug resistance. Rationally designing HDAC-PROTACs is a main challenge in development because slight variations in chemical structure can lead to drastic effects on the efficiency and selectivity of the degradation. In the future, HDAC-PROTACs can potentially be involved in clinical research with the support of the increased amount of in vivo data, pharmacokinetic evaluation, and pharmacological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaoting Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Collaborative Innovation Center for Guangxi Ethnic Medicine, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Yuxiang Zheng
- State Key Laboratory for Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Collaborative Innovation Center for Guangxi Ethnic Medicine, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Benji Liang
- State Key Laboratory for Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Collaborative Innovation Center for Guangxi Ethnic Medicine, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Yudong Yin
- State Key Laboratory for Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Collaborative Innovation Center for Guangxi Ethnic Medicine, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Jian Yao
- State Key Laboratory for Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Collaborative Innovation Center for Guangxi Ethnic Medicine, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Quande Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Collaborative Innovation Center for Guangxi Ethnic Medicine, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, PR China.
| | - Yanghan Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Collaborative Innovation Center for Guangxi Ethnic Medicine, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, PR China.
| | - Nouri Neamati
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy and Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States.
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9
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Bhole RP, Kute PR, Chikhale RV, Bonde CG, Pant A, Gurav SS. Unlocking the potential of PROTACs: A comprehensive review of protein degradation strategies in disease therapy. Bioorg Chem 2023; 139:106720. [PMID: 37480814 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
The technology known asPROTACs (PROteolysisTArgeting Chimeras) is a method of protein degradation. Utilising bifunctional small molecules, the ubiquitin-proteosome system (UPS) is used to induce the ubiquitination and degradation of target proteins. In addition to being novel chemical knockdown agents for biological studies that are catalytic, reversible, and rapid, PROTACs used in the treatment for disorders like cancer, immunological disorders, viral diseases, and neurological disorders. The protein degradation field has advanced quickly over the last two years, with a significant rise in research articles on the subject as well as a quick rise in smallmolecule degraders that are currently in or will soon enter the clinical stage. Other new degrading technologies, in addition to PROTAC and molecular glue technology, are also emerging rapidly. In this review article, we mainly focuses on various PROTAC molecules designed with special emphasis on targeted cellular pathways for different diseases i.e., cancer, Viral diseases Immune disorders, Neurodegenerative diseases, etc. We discussed about new technologies based on PROTACs such as Antibody PROTAC, Aptamers, Dual target, Folate caged, TF PROTAC, etc. Also, we listed out the PROTACs which are in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritesh P Bhole
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Pimpri, Pune, Maharashtra 411018, India.
| | - Payal R Kute
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Pimpri, Pune, Maharashtra 411018, India
| | | | - C G Bonde
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy & Technology Management, SVKM's NMIMS, Shirpur Campus 425 405, India.
| | - Amit Pant
- School of Medicine Creighton University, Omaha, Neraska, USA.
| | - Shailendra S Gurav
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Goa College of Pharmacy, Panaji, Goa University, Goa 403001, India.
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10
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Danazumi AU, Ishmam IT, Idris S, Izert MA, Balogun EO, Górna MW. Targeted protein degradation might present a novel therapeutic approach in the fight against African trypanosomiasis. Eur J Pharm Sci 2023; 186:106451. [PMID: 37088149 PMCID: PMC11032742 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2023.106451] [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] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
African trypanosomiasis (AT) is a hemoparasitic disease caused by infection with African trypanosomes and it is prevalent in many sub-Saharan African countries, affecting both humans and domestic animals. The disease is transmitted mostly by haematophagous insects of the genus Glossina while taking blood meal, in the process spreading the parasites from an infected animal to an uninfected animal. The disease is fatal if untreated, and the available drugs are generally ineffective and resulting in toxicities. Therefore, it is still pertinent to explore novel methods and targets for drug discovery. Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) present a new strategy for development of therapeutic molecules that mimic cellular proteasomal-mediated protein degradation to target proteins involved in different disease types. PROTACs have been used to degrade proteins involved in various cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and immune disorders with remarkable success. Here, we highlight the problems associated with the current treatments for AT, discuss the concept of PROTACs and associated targeted protein degradation (TPD) approaches, and provide some insights on the future potential for the use of these emerging technologies (PROTACs and TPD) for the development of new generation of anti-Trypanosoma drugs and the first "TrypPROTACs".
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Affiliation(s)
- Ammar Usman Danazumi
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland; Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland; Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
| | | | - Salisu Idris
- Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
| | - Matylda Anna Izert
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Emmanuel Oluwadare Balogun
- Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; African Centre of Excellence for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
| | - Maria Wiktoria Górna
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
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11
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Cai M, Ma F, Hu C, Li H, Cao F, Li Y, Dong J, Qin JJ. Design and synthesis of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) as degraders of glutathione peroxidase 4. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 90:117352. [PMID: 37257255 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Ferroptosis is a new type of regulated, non-apoptotic cell death driven by iron-dependent phospholipid peroxidation. Inducing cell ferroptosis by inactivating glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) has been considered as an effective cancer treatment strategy, but only few GPX4 inhibitors have been reported to date. Targeted protein degradation is receiving increasing attention in the discovery and development of therapeutic modality, particularly proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs). Herein, we reported the design, synthesis, and evaluation of different types of GPX4-targeting PROTACs using ML162 derivatives and ligands for CRBN/VHL E3 ligases. Among them, CRBN-based PROTAC GDC-11 showed a relatively balanced biological profile in GPX4 degradation (degradation rate of 33% at 10 μM), cytotoxicity (IC50 = 11.69 μM), and lipid peroxides accumulation (2-foldincreaserelatedtoDMSO), suggesting a typical characteristic of ferroptosis. In silico docking and quantum chemistry theoretical calculations provided a plausible explanation for the moderate degrading effect of these synthesized PROTACs. Overall, this work lays the foundation for subsequent studies of GPX4-targeting PROTACs, and further design and synthesis of GPX4-targeting degrader are currently in progress in our group, which will be reported in due course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maohua Cai
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Furong Ma
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Can Hu
- Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Prevention, Diagnosis and Therapy of Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haobin Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Fei Cao
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, China
| | - Yulong Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Jinyun Dong
- Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Prevention, Diagnosis and Therapy of Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Jiang-Jiang Qin
- Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Prevention, Diagnosis and Therapy of Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
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12
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Ng YL, Bricelj A, Jansen JA, Murgai A, Peter K, Donovan KA, Gütschow M, Krönke J, Steinebach C, Sosič I. Heterobifunctional Ligase Recruiters Enable pan-Degradation of Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins. J Med Chem 2023; 66:4703-4733. [PMID: 36996313 PMCID: PMC10108347 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 04/01/2023]
Abstract
Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) represent a new pharmacological modality to inactivate disease-causing proteins. PROTACs operate via recruiting E3 ubiquitin ligases, which enable the transfer of ubiquitin tags onto their target proteins, leading to proteasomal degradation. However, several E3 ligases are validated pharmacological targets themselves, of which inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins are considered druggable in cancer. Here, we report three series of heterobifunctional PROTACs, which consist of an IAP antagonist linked to either von Hippel-Lindau- or cereblon-recruiting ligands. Hijacking E3 ligases against each other led to potent, rapid, and preferential depletion of cellular IAPs. In addition, these compounds caused complete X-chromosome-linked IAP knockdown, which was rarely observed for monovalent and homobivalent IAP antagonists. In cellular assays, hit degrader 9 outperformed antagonists and showed potent inhibition of cancer cell viability. The hetero-PROTACs disclosed herein are valuable tools to facilitate studies of the biological roles of IAPs and will stimulate further efforts toward E3-targeting therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuen Lam
Dora Ng
- Department
of Hematology, Oncology and Cancer Immunology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate
Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität
zu Berlin, D-12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Aleša Bricelj
- Faculty
of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva Cesta 7, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jacqueline A. Jansen
- Department
of Hematology, Oncology and Cancer Immunology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate
Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität
zu Berlin, D-12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Arunima Murgai
- Department
of Hematology, Oncology and Cancer Immunology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate
Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität
zu Berlin, D-12203 Berlin, Germany
- German
Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Berlin and German Cancer Research
Center (DKFZ), D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kirsten Peter
- Department
of Hematology, Oncology and Cancer Immunology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate
Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität
zu Berlin, D-12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Katherine A. Donovan
- Department
of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Michael Gütschow
- Phamaceutical
Institute, Department of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Jan Krönke
- Department
of Hematology, Oncology and Cancer Immunology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate
Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität
zu Berlin, D-12203 Berlin, Germany
- German
Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Berlin and German Cancer Research
Center (DKFZ), D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Steinebach
- Phamaceutical
Institute, Department of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Izidor Sosič
- Faculty
of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva Cesta 7, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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13
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Ignatov M, Jindal A, Kotelnikov S, Beglov D, Posternak G, Tang X, Maisonneuve P, Poda G, Batey RA, Sicheri F, Whitty A, Tonge PJ, Vajda S, Kozakov D. High Accuracy Prediction of PROTAC Complex Structures. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:7123-7135. [PMID: 36961978 PMCID: PMC10240388 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c09387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/26/2023]
Abstract
The design of PROteolysis-TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) requires bringing an E3 ligase into proximity with a target protein to modulate the concentration of the latter through its ubiquitination and degradation. Here, we present a method for generating high-accuracy structural models of E3 ligase-PROTAC-target protein ternary complexes. The method is dependent on two computational innovations: adding a "silent" convolution term to an efficient protein-protein docking program to eliminate protein poses that do not have acceptable linker conformations and clustering models of multiple PROTACs that use the same E3 ligase and target the same protein. Results show that the largest consensus clusters always have high predictive accuracy and that the ensemble of models can be used to predict the dissociation rate and cooperativity of the ternary complex that relate to the degrading activity of the PROTAC. The method is demonstrated by applications to known PROTAC structures and a blind test involving PROTACs against BRAF mutant V600E. The results confirm that PROTACs function by stabilizing a favorable interaction between the E3 ligase and the target protein but do not necessarily exploit the most energetically favorable geometry for interaction between the proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail Ignatov
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Akhil Jindal
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Sergei Kotelnikov
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Dmitri Beglov
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 USA
- Acpharis Inc., Holliston, Massachusetts 01746, USA
| | - Ganna Posternak
- Center for Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario L4K-M9W, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario L4K-M9W, Canada
| | - Xiaojing Tang
- Center for Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario L4K-M9W, Canada
| | - Pierre Maisonneuve
- Center for Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario L4K-M9W, Canada
| | - Gennady Poda
- Drug Discovery Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario L4K-M9W, Canada
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario L4K-M9W, Canada
| | - Robert A. Batey
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario L4K-M9W, Canada
| | - Frank Sicheri
- Center for Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario L4K-M9W, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario L4K-M9W, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario L4K-M9W, Canada
| | - Adrian Whitty
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Peter J. Tonge
- Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Sandor Vajda
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 USA
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Dima Kozakov
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
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14
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Dann GP, Liu H, Nowak RP, Jones LH. Cereblon target validation using a covalent inhibitor of neosubstrate recruitment. Methods Enzymol 2023; 681:155-167. [PMID: 36764755 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.08.056] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Small molecule ligands of cereblon (CRBN), a component of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, such as immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) or proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), induce new interactions between the E3 and a target protein that is subsequently polyubiquitinated and proteasomally degraded. The development of new degraders requires validation of CRBN-dependence and existing methods include the use of engineered CRBN knockout cell lines, or PROTACs directed to CRBN itself. Technical limitations of these approaches necessitate a simple and rapid pharmacological method of CRBN inhibition. We developed a sulfonyl fluoride covalent CRBN ligand based on the IMiD EM12 called EM12-SO2F that was designed to engage His353 on the surface of the IMiD binding site. EM12-SO2F does not act as a molecular glue degrader like other IMiDs, and instead serves as an inhibitor of such function by blocking the degrader binding site. We demonstrate utility of EM12-SO2F by inhibiting the degradation of the zinc-finger transcription factor and CRBN neosubstrate IKZF1 by the molecular glue degrader lenalidomide. Increasingly, libraries of degrader molecules are being screened phenotypically to identify starting points for hit elaboration, that simultaneously reveals new therapeutic targets amenable to degradation. Indeed, targeted protein degradation has become an exciting new therapeutic modality and EM12-SO2F augments the chemical biology toolbox that will advance this area of drug discovery research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey P Dann
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Hu Liu
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Radosław P Nowak
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Lyn H Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
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15
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George N, Akhtar MJ, Balushi KA, Safi SZ, Azmi SNH, Khan SA. The emerging role of proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Med Chem Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00044-023-03026-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
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16
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Baker IM, Smalley JP, Sabat KA, Hodgkinson JT, Cowley SM. Comprehensive Transcriptomic Analysis of Novel Class I HDAC Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs). Biochemistry 2023; 62:645-656. [PMID: 35948047 PMCID: PMC9910044 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The class I histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes;HDAC1,2 and 3 form the catalytic engine of at least seven structurally distinct multiprotein complexes in cells. These molecular machines play a vital role in the regulation of chromatin accessibility and gene activity via the removal of acetyl moieties from lysine residues within histone tails. Their inhibition via small molecule inhibitors has beneficial effects in a number of disease types, including the clinical treatment of hematological cancers. We have previously reported a library of proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) incorporating a benzamide-based HDAC ligand (from CI-994), with an alkyl linker and ligand for the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) E3 ubiquitin ligase that degrade HDAC1-3 at submicromolar concentrations. Here we report the addition of two novel PROTACs (JPS026 and JPS027), which utilize a ligand for the cellular inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family of E3 ligases. We found that both VHL (JPS004)- and IAP (JPS026)-based PROTACs degrade HDAC1-3 and induce histone acetylation to a similar degree. However, JPS026 is significantly more potent at inducing cell death in HCT116 cells than is JPS004. RNA sequencing analysis of PROTAC-treated HCT116 cells showed a distinct gene expression signature in which cell cycle and DNA replication machinery are repressed. Components of the mTORC1 and -2 complexes were also reduced, leading to an increase in FOXO3 and downstream target genes that regulate autophagy and apoptosis. In summary, a novel combination of HDAC and IAP ligands generates a PROTAC with a potent ability to stimulate apoptosis and differential gene expression in human cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- India M Baker
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, U.K
| | - Joshua P Smalley
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, School of Chemistry, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, U.K
| | - Khadija A Sabat
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, U.K
| | - James T Hodgkinson
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, School of Chemistry, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, U.K
| | - Shaun M Cowley
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, U.K
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17
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Ahmad H, Zia B, Husain H, Husain A. Recent Advances in PROTAC-Based Antiviral Strategies. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11020270. [PMID: 36851148 PMCID: PMC9958553 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [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: 12/04/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous mysteries of cell and molecular biology have been resolved through extensive research into intracellular processes, which has also resulted in the development of innovative technologies for the treatment of infectious and non-infectious diseases. Some of the deadliest diseases, accounting for a staggering number of deaths, have been caused by viruses. Conventional antiviral therapies have been unable to achieve a feat in combating viral infections. As a result, the healthcare system has come under tremendous pressure globally. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover and develop newer therapeutic approaches against viruses. One such innovative approach that has recently garnered attention in the research world and can be exploited for developing antiviral therapeutic strategies is the PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTAC) technology, in which heterobifunctional compounds are employed for the selective degradation of target proteins by the intracellular protein degradation machinery. This review covers the most recent advancements in PROTAC technology, its diversity and mode of action, and how it can be applied to open up new possibilities for creating cutting-edge antiviral treatments and vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haleema Ahmad
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002, India
| | - Bushra Zia
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002, India
| | - Hashir Husain
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Integral University, Lucknow 226026, India
| | - Afzal Husain
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002, India
- Correspondence:
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18
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Palomba T, Baroni M, Cross S, Cruciani G, Siragusa L. ELIOT: A platform to navigate the E3 pocketome and aid the design of new PROTACs. Chem Biol Drug Des 2023; 101:69-86. [PMID: 35857806 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.14123] [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: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are novel therapeutics for the treatment of human disease. They exploit the enormous potential of the E3 ligases, a class of proteins that mark a target protein for degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Despite the existence of several E3 ligase-related databases, the choice of the functioning ligase is limited to only 1.6% of those available, probably due to the fragmentary understanding of their structures and their known ligands; in fact, none of the existing databases report detailed studies covering their 3D structure or their pockets. Here, we report ELIOT (E3 LIgase pocketOme navigaTor), an accurate and complete platform containing the E3 ligase pocketome to enable navigation and selection of new E3 ligases and new ligands for the design of new PROTACs. All E3 ligase pockets were characterized with innovative 3D descriptors including their PROTAC-ability score, and similarity analyses between E3 pockets are presented. Tissue specificity and their degree of involvement in patients with specific cancer types are also annotated for each E3 ligase, enabling appropriate selection for the design of a PROTAC with improved specificity. All data are available at https://eliot.moldiscovery.com.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Palomba
- Laboratory for Chemometrics and Molecular Modeling, Department of Chemistry, Biology, and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Massimo Baroni
- Molecular Discovery Ltd., The Kinetic Centre, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Simon Cross
- Molecular Discovery Ltd., The Kinetic Centre, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Gabriele Cruciani
- Laboratory for Chemometrics and Molecular Modeling, Department of Chemistry, Biology, and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Lydia Siragusa
- Molecular Discovery Ltd., The Kinetic Centre, Hertfordshire, UK.,Molecular Horizon Srl, Bettona, Italy
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19
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Wang F, Zhan Y, Li M, Wang L, Zheng A, Liu C, Wang H, Wang T. Cell-Permeable PROTAC Degraders against KEAP1 Efficiently Suppress Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation through the Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Pathway. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2022; 6:76-87. [PMID: 36654751 PMCID: PMC9841780 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.2c00165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [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: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence indicates that oxidative stress and inflammation are involved in the physiopathology of liver fibrogenesis. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a key transcription factor, which regulates the expression of redox regulators to establish cellular redox homeostasis. The Nrf2 modulator can serve as a primary cellular defense against the cytotoxic effects of oxidative stress. We designed a chimeric Keap1-Keap1 peptide (KKP1) based on the proteolysis-targeting chimera technology. The KKP1 peptide not only can efficiently penetrate into the rat hepatic stellate cell line (HSC-T6) cells but also can induce Keap1 protein degradation by the ubiquitination-proteasome degradation pathway, which releases Nrf2 and promotes the transcriptional activity of the Nrf2/antioxidant response element pathway. It then activates the protein expression of the downstream antioxidant factors, the glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Finally, Keap1 protein degradation inhibits the nuclear factor-kappaB inflammatory signal pathway, the downstream inflammatory factor tumor necrosis factor alpha, and the interleukin-1beta protein expression and further inhibits the expression of the fibrosis biomarker gene. The current research suggests that our designed KKP1 may provide a new avenue for the future treatment of liver fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengqin Wang
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Ying Zhan
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Manman Li
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Lidan Wang
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China,Department
of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Austin Zheng
- Institute
of Cell Engineering, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21215, United States
| | - Changbai Liu
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Hu Wang
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China,Institute
of Cell Engineering, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21215, United States,
| | - Tao Wang
- The
First College of Clinical Medical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei 443003, China,
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20
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Marini E, Marino M, Gionfriddo G, Maione F, Pandini M, Oddo D, Giorgis M, Rolando B, Blua F, Gastaldi S, Marchiò S, Kovachka S, Spyrakis F, Gianquinto E, Di Nicolantonio F, Bertinaria M. Investigation into the Use of Encorafenib to Develop Potential PROTACs Directed against BRAF(V600E) Protein. Molecules 2022; 27. [PMID: 36500607 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27238513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BRAF is a serine/threonine kinase frequently mutated in human cancers. BRAFV600E mutated protein is targeted through the use of kinase inhibitors which are approved for the treatment of melanoma; however, their long-term efficacy is hampered by resistance mechanisms. The PROTAC-induced degradation of BRAFV600E has been proposed as an alternative strategy to avoid the onset of resistance. In this study, we designed a series of compounds where the BRAF kinase inhibitor encorafenib was conjugated to pomalidomide through different linkers. The synthesized compounds maintained their ability to inhibit the kinase activity of mutated BRAF with IC50 values in the 40-88 nM range. Selected compounds inhibited BRAFV600E signaling and cellular proliferation of A375 and Colo205 tumor cell lines. Compounds 10 and 11, the most active of the series, were not able to induce degradation of mutated BRAF. Docking and molecular dynamic studies, conducted in comparison with the efficient BRAF degrader P5B, suggest that a different orientation of the linker bearing the pomalidomide substructure, together with a decreased mobility of the solvent-exposed part of the conjugates, could explain this behavior.
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21
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Ma L, Li G, Yang T, Zhang L, Wang X, Xu X, Ni H. An inhibitor of BRD4, GNE987, inhibits the growth of glioblastoma cells by targeting C-Myc and S100A16. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2022; 90:431-444. [PMID: 36224471 PMCID: PMC9637061 DOI: 10.1007/s00280-022-04483-7] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Among children, glioblastomas (GBMs) are a relatively common type of brain tumor. BRD4 expression was elevated in GBM and negatively correlated with the prognosis of glioma. We investigated the anti-GBM effects of a novel BRD4 inhibitor GNE987. METHODS We evaluated the anti-tumor effect of GNE987 in vitro and in vivo by Western blot, CCK8, flow cytometry detection, clone formation, the size of xenografts, and Ki67 immunohistochemical staining, and combined ChIP-seq with RNA-seq techniques to find its anti-tumor mechanism. RESULTS In vitro experiments showed that GNE987 significantly degraded BRD4, inhibited the proliferation of GBM cells, blocked the cell cycle, and induced apoptosis. Similarly, in vivo experiments, GNE987 also inhibited GBM growth as seen from the size of xenografts and Ki67 immunohistochemical staining. Based on Western blotting, GNE987 can significantly reduce the protein level of C-Myc; meanwhile, we combined ChIP-seq with RNA-seq techniques to confirm that GNE987 downregulated the transcription of S100A16 by disturbing H3K27Ac. Furthermore, we validated that S100A16 is indispensable in GBM growth. CONCLUSION GNE987 may be effective against GBM that targets C-Myc expression and influences S100A16 transcription through downregulation of BRD4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liya Ma
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215003, People's Republic of China
| | - Gen Li
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215003, People's Republic of China
- Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Tianquan Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215003, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Zhang
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215003, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinxin Wang
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215003, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaowen Xu
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215003, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong Ni
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215003, People's Republic of China.
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22
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Chen H, Nguyen NH, Magtoto CM, Cobbold SA, Bidgood GM, Meza Guzman LG, Richardson LW, Corbin J, Au AE, Lechtenberg BC, Feltham R, Sutherland KD, Grohmann C, Nicholson SE, Sleebs BE. Design and characterization of a heterobifunctional degrader of KEAP1. Redox Biol 2023; 59:102552. [PMID: 36473314 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1) - nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) signaling pathway senses reactive oxygen species and regulates cellular oxidative stress. Inhibiting KEAP1 to activate the NRF2 antioxidant response has been proposed as a promising strategy to treat chronic diseases caused by oxidative stress. Here, we developed a proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) that depletes KEAP1 from cells through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. A previously developed KEAP1 inhibitor and thalidomide were incorporated in the heterobifunctional design of the PROTAC as ligands for KEAP1 and CRBN recruitment, respectively. Optimization of the chemical composition and linker length resulted in PROTAC 14 which exhibited potent KEAP1 degradation with low nanomolar DC50 in HEK293T (11 nM) and BEAS-2B (<1 nM) cell lines. Furthermore, PROTAC 14 increased the expression of NRF2 regulated antioxidant proteins and prevented cell death induced by reactive oxygen species. Together, these results established a blueprint for further development of KEAP1-targeted heterobifunctional degraders and will facilitate the study of the biological consequences of KEAP1 removal from cells. This approach represents an alternative therapeutic strategy to existing treatments for diseases caused by oxidative stress.
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23
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Li F, Hu Q, Zhang X, Sun R, Liu Z, Wu S, Tian S, Ma X, Dai Z, Yang X, Gao S, Bai F. DeepPROTACs is a deep learning-based targeted degradation predictor for PROTACs. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7133. [PMID: 36414666 PMCID: PMC9681730 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34807-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [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: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The rational design of PROTACs is difficult due to their obscure structure-activity relationship. This study introduces a deep neural network model - DeepPROTACs to help design potent PROTACs molecules. It can predict the degradation capacity of a proposed PROTAC molecule based on structures of given target protein and E3 ligase. The experimental dataset is mainly collected from PROTAC-DB and appropriately labeled according to the DC50 and Dmax values. In the model of DeepPROTACs, the ligands as well as the ligand binding pockets are generated and represented with graphs and fed into Graph Convolutional Networks for feature extraction. While SMILES representations of linkers are fed into a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory layer to generate the features. Experiments show that DeepPROTACs model achieves 77.95% average prediction accuracy and 0.8470 area under receiver operating characteristic curve on the test set. DeepPROTACs is available online at a web server ( https://bailab.siais.shanghaitech.edu.cn/services/deepprotacs/ ) and at github ( https://github.com/fenglei104/DeepPROTACs ).
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Affiliation(s)
- Fenglei Li
- grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China ,grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879School of Information Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China
| | - Qiaoyu Hu
- grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China
| | - Xianglei Zhang
- grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China
| | - Renhong Sun
- Gluetacs Therapeutics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., 99 Haike Road, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai, 201210 China
| | - Zhuanghua Liu
- grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879School of Information Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China
| | - Sanan Wu
- grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China
| | - Siyuan Tian
- grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China ,grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China
| | - Xinyue Ma
- grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China ,grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879School of Information Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China
| | - Zhizhuo Dai
- grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China
| | - Xiaobao Yang
- Gluetacs Therapeutics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., 99 Haike Road, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai, 201210 China
| | - Shenghua Gao
- grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879School of Information Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China
| | - Fang Bai
- grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China ,grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879School of Information Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China ,grid.440637.20000 0004 4657 8879School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210 China ,grid.452344.0Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, 201210 China
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24
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Park S, Kim D, Lee W, Cho JH, Kim S, Lee GS, Moon JH, Kim JA, Ha JD, Kim JH, Kim HJ. Discovery of pan-IAP degraders via a CRBN recruiting mechanism. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 245:114910. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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25
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Du G, Jiang J, Henning NJ, Safaee N, Koide E, Nowak RP, Donovan KA, Yoon H, You I, Yue H, Eleuteri NA, He Z, Li Z, Huang HT, Che J, Nabet B, Zhang T, Fischer ES, Gray NS. Exploring the target scope of KEAP1 E3 ligase-based PROTACs. Cell Chem Biol 2022; 29:1470-1481.e31. [PMID: 36070758 PMCID: PMC9588736 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2022.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation (TPD) uses small molecules to recruit E3 ubiquitin ligases into the proximity of proteins of interest, inducing ubiquitination-dependent degradation. A major bottleneck in the TPD field is the lack of accessible E3 ligase ligands for developing degraders. To expand the E3 ligase toolbox, we sought to convert the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1) inhibitor KI696 into a recruitment handle for several targets. While we were able to generate KEAP1-recruiting degraders of BET family and murine focal adhesion kinase (FAK), we discovered that the target scope of KEAP1 was narrow, as targets easily degraded using a cereblon (CRBN)-recruiting degrader were refractory to KEAP1-mediated degradation. Linking the KEAP1-binding ligand to a CRBN-binding ligand resulted in a molecule that induced degradation of KEAP1 but not CRBN. In sum, we characterize tool compounds to explore KEAP1-mediated ubiquitination and delineate the challenges of exploiting new E3 ligases for generating bivalent degraders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangyan Du
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jie Jiang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nathaniel J Henning
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nozhat Safaee
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eriko Koide
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Radosław P Nowak
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katherine A Donovan
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hojong Yoon
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Inchul You
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Chem-H and Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hong Yue
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nicholas A Eleuteri
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhixiang He
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhengnian Li
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Chem-H and Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hubert T Huang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jianwei Che
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Behnam Nabet
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Tinghu Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Chem-H and Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Eric S Fischer
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Chem-H and Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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26
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Che J, Jones LH. Covalent drugs targeting histidine - an unexploited opportunity? RSC Med Chem 2022; 13:1121-1126. [PMID: 36325394 PMCID: PMC9579939 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00258b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Covalent drugs and chemical probes often possess pharmacological advantages over reversible binding ligands, such as enhanced potency and pharmacodynamic duration. The highly nucleophilic cysteine thiol is commonly targeted using acrylamide electrophiles, but the amino acid is rarely present in protein binding sites. Sulfonyl exchange chemistry has expanded the covalent drug discovery toolkit by enabling the rational design of irreversible inhibitors targeting tyrosine, lysine, serine and threonine. Probes containing the sulfonyl fluoride warhead have also been shown to serendipitously label histidine residues in proteins. Histidine targeting is an attractive prospect because the residue is frequently proximal to protein small molecule ligands and the imidazole side chain possesses desirable nucleophilicity. We recently reported the design of cereblon molecular glues to site-selectively modify a histidine in the thalidomide binding site using sulfonyl exchange chemistry. We believe that histidine targeting holds great promise for future covalent drug development and this Opinion highlights these opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwei Che
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 360 Longwood Avenue Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Lyn H Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 360 Longwood Avenue Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
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27
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Diehl CJ, Ciulli A. Discovery of small molecule ligands for the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) E3 ligase and their use as inhibitors and PROTAC degraders. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:8216-8257. [PMID: 35983982 PMCID: PMC9528729 DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00387b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) Cullin RING E3 ligase is an essential enzyme in the ubiquitin-proteasome system that recruits substrates such as the hypoxia inducible factor for ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation. The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway can be hijacked toward non-native neo-substrate proteins using proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), bifunctional molecules designed to simultaneously bind to an E3 ligase and a target protein to induce target ubiquitination and degradation. The availability of high-quality small-molecule ligands with good binding affinity for E3 ligases is fundamental for PROTAC development. Lack of good E3 ligase ligands as starting points to develop PROTAC degraders was initially a stumbling block to the development of the field. Herein, the journey towards the design of small-molecule ligands binding to VHL is presented. We cover the structure-based design of VHL ligands, their application as inhibitors in their own right, and their implementation into rationally designed, potent PROTAC degraders of various target proteins. We highlight the key findings and learnings that have provided strong foundations for the remarkable development of targeted protein degradation, and that offer a blueprint for designing new ligands for E3 ligases beyond VHL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia J Diehl
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK.
| | - Alessio Ciulli
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK.
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28
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Singh H, Agrawal DK. Recent advancements in the discovery of cereblon-based protease-targeted chimeras with potential for therapeutic intervention. Future Med Chem 2022; 14:1403-1416. [PMID: 36047364 PMCID: PMC9518005 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2022-0149] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Protease-targeted chimeras (PROTACs) have been employed as a novel therapeutic approach, utilizing the ubiquitin-proteasome system for targeted protein degradation. PROTACs are heterobifunctional molecules consisting of an E3 ligase ligand and a small-molecule inhibitor for recruiting a protein of interest. After binding, PROTAC molecules recruit E3 ligase for ubiquitination of the protein of interest, which is followed by its proteasome-mediated degradation. PROTAC molecules have several advantages over traditional small-molecule inhibitors. A number of PROTAC molecules based on small-molecule inhibitors have been developed against various diseases, among which cereblon-based PROTAC molecules have received the greatest interest due to their promising clinical use. This article highlights the current trends in the discovery of cereblon-based PROTAC molecules along with their medicinal chemistry, clinical progression and future outlook in cancers, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harbinder Singh
- Department of Translational Research, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA
| | - Devendra K Agrawal
- Department of Translational Research, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA
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29
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Liu X, Kalogeropulou AF, Domingos S, Makukhin N, Nirujogi RS, Singh F, Shpiro N, Saalfrank A, Sammler E, Ganley IG, Moreira R, Alessi DR, Ciulli A. Discovery of XL01126: A Potent, Fast, Cooperative, Selective, Orally Bioavailable, and Blood-Brain Barrier Penetrant PROTAC Degrader of Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:16930-16952. [PMID: 36007011 PMCID: PMC9501899 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c05499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) is one of the most promising targets for Parkinson's disease. LRRK2-targeting strategies have primarily focused on type 1 kinase inhibitors, which, however, have limitations as the inhibited protein can interfere with natural mechanisms, which could lead to undesirable side effects. Herein, we report the development of LRRK2 proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), culminating in the discovery of degrader XL01126, as an alternative LRRK2-targeting strategy. Initial designs and screens of PROTACs based on ligands for E3 ligases von Hippel-Lindau (VHL), Cereblon (CRBN), and cellular inhibitor of apoptosis (cIAP) identified the best degraders containing thioether-conjugated VHL ligand VH101. A second round of medicinal chemistry exploration led to qualifying XL01126 as a fast and potent degrader of LRRK2 in multiple cell lines, with DC50 values within 15-72 nM, Dmax values ranging from 82 to 90%, and degradation half-lives spanning from 0.6 to 2.4 h. XL01126 exhibits high cell permeability and forms a positively cooperative ternary complex with VHL and LRRK2 (α = 5.7), which compensates for a substantial loss of binary binding affinities to VHL and LRRK2, underscoring its strong degradation performance in cells. Remarkably, XL01126 is orally bioavailable (F = 15%) and can penetrate the blood-brain barrier after either oral or parenteral dosing in mice. Taken together, these experiments qualify XL01126 as a suitable degrader probe to study the noncatalytic and scaffolding functions of LRRK2 in vitro and in vivo and offer an attractive starting point for future drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingui Liu
- Centre
for Targeted Protein Degradation, Division of Biological Chemistry
and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1
5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Alexia F. Kalogeropulou
- Medical
Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation
Unit, School of Life Sciences, University
of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Sofia Domingos
- Centre
for Targeted Protein Degradation, Division of Biological Chemistry
and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1
5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Nikolai Makukhin
- Centre
for Targeted Protein Degradation, Division of Biological Chemistry
and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1
5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Raja S. Nirujogi
- Medical
Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation
Unit, School of Life Sciences, University
of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Francois Singh
- Medical
Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation
Unit, School of Life Sciences, University
of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Natalia Shpiro
- Medical
Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation
Unit, School of Life Sciences, University
of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Anton Saalfrank
- Medical
Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation
Unit, School of Life Sciences, University
of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Esther Sammler
- Medical
Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation
Unit, School of Life Sciences, University
of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Ian G. Ganley
- Medical
Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation
Unit, School of Life Sciences, University
of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Rui Moreira
- Research
Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Dario R. Alessi
- Medical
Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation
Unit, School of Life Sciences, University
of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Alessio Ciulli
- Centre
for Targeted Protein Degradation, Division of Biological Chemistry
and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1
5EH, United Kingdom
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30
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Madan J, Ahuja VK, Dua K, Samajdar S, Ramchandra M, Giri S. PROTACs: Current Trends in Protein Degradation by Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras. BioDrugs 2022. [PMID: 36098871 DOI: 10.1007/s40259-022-00551-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
In the recent past, proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology has received enormous attention for its ability to overcome the limitations of protein inhibitors and its capability to target undruggable proteins. The PROTAC molecule consists of three components, a ubiquitin E3 ligase ligand, a linker, and a target protein ligand. The application of this technology is rapidly gaining momentum, especially in cancer therapy. In this review, we first look at the history of degraders, followed by a section on the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) and E3 ligases used in PROTAC development. PROTACs are dependent on the UPS for degradation of target proteins. We further discuss the scope and design of degraders and mitigation strategies for overcoming the hook effect seen with degraders. As PROTACs do not follow Lipinski's 'Rule of 5', these molecules face drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic challenges. A detailed section on absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of degraders is provided wherein we discuss methodologies and strategies to surmount the challenges faced by these molecules. For understanding PROTAC-mediated degradation, the characterization and measurement of protein levels in cells is important. Currently used techniques and recent advancements in assessment tools for degraders are discussed. Furthermore, we examine the challenges and emerging technologies that need to be focused on in order to competently develop potent degraders. Many companies are working in this area of emerging new modality and a few PROTACs have already entered clinical trials; the details of the trials are included in this review.
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31
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Liu Z, Zhang Y, Xiang Y, Kang X. Small-Molecule PROTACs for Cancer Immunotherapy. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27175439. [PMID: 36080223 PMCID: PMC9458232 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27175439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Unsatisfactory physicochemical properties of macromolecular drugs seriously hinder their application in tumor immunotherapy. However, these problems can be effectively solved by small-molecule compounds. In the promising field of small-molecule drug development, proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) offers a novel mode of action in the interactions between small molecules and therapeutic targets (mainly proteins). This revolutionary technology has shown considerable impact on several proteins related to tumor survival but is rarely exploited in proteins associated with immuno-oncology up until now. This review attempts to comprehensively summarize the well-studied and less-developed immunological targets available for PROTAC technology, as well as some targets to be explored, aiming to provide more options and opportunities for the development of small-molecule-based tumor immunotherapy. In addition, some novel directions that can magnify and broaden the protein degradation efficiency are mentioned to improve PROTAC design in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Xin Kang
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-19138939183
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32
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Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) is a fast-growing technology providing many strengths over inhibition of protein activity directly and is attracting increasing interest in new drug discovery and development. However, efficiently identifying potent and drug-like degraders is still challenging in the development of PROTACs. Complementary to traditional PROTACs, several emerging types of PROTACs, such as homobivalent PROTACs based on two E3 ligases (e.g., CRBN, VHL, MDM2, TRIM24), chemical- or biological-based trivalent/multitargeted PROTACs, and covalent PROTACs, are rising for targeted protein degradation. These new types of PROTACs have several advantages over the traditional PROTACs including high selectivity, low toxicity, better therapeutic effects, and so on. In this perspective, we will summarize the latest development of representative PROTACs focusing on research mainly in past 10 years and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, the outlook and perspectives on the associated challenges and future directions will be provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianyu Yan
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Tengfei Li
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Zhenyuan Miao
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Pei Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Chunquan Sheng
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Chunlin Zhuang
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
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33
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Munoz E, Chen G, Hossain A, Wu S, Oceguera Nava E, Hang J, Lee T, Zhang Q, Wang G, Chen QH. Synthesis and biological evaluation of niclosamide PROTACs. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2022; 72:128870. [PMID: 35772635 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2022.128870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Roughly 268,000 new cases of prostate cancer and 34,000 deaths from prostate cancer are projected by the American Cancer Society to occur in the United States in 2022. Androgen receptor is a key protein in the proliferation and survival of prostate cancer cells and has been revealed to be overexpressed in 30% to 50% of castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. One promising approach to reducing the level of this protein is Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) that is an emerging drug discovery technology. PROTACs are hetero-bifunctional molecules where one end binds to a protein of interest and the other to an E3 ligase ligand, initiating the Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway for protein degradation. Two PROTACs with niclosamide as androgen receptor ligand and VHL-032 as the E3 ligase ligand have been designed and synthesized for suppressing proliferation of androgen receptor-positive prostate cancer cells via degrading androgen receptor. The in vitro antiproliferative assessment suggested that they can selectively suppress PC-3, LNCaP, and 22Rv1 prostate cancer cell proliferation, but cannot inhibit DU145 cell proliferation. However, the mechanism of both compounds in suppressing prostate cancer cell proliferation is not through the AR PROTAC mechanism because they did not degrade AR in our Western Blotting assay up to 1 µM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erick Munoz
- Department of Chemistry, California State University, Fresno, 2555 E. San Ramon Avenue, M/S SB70, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
| | - Guanglin Chen
- Department of Chemistry, California State University, Fresno, 2555 E. San Ramon Avenue, M/S SB70, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
| | - Ahamed Hossain
- Department of Chemistry and RCMI Cancer Research Center, Xavier University of Louisiana, 1 Drexel Drive, New Orleans, LA 70125, USA
| | - Sitong Wu
- Department of Chemistry, California State University, Fresno, 2555 E. San Ramon Avenue, M/S SB70, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
| | - Esveidy Oceguera Nava
- Department of Chemistry, California State University, Fresno, 2555 E. San Ramon Avenue, M/S SB70, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
| | - Jasmine Hang
- Department of Chemistry, California State University, Fresno, 2555 E. San Ramon Avenue, M/S SB70, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
| | - Tong Lee
- Department of Chemistry, California State University, Fresno, 2555 E. San Ramon Avenue, M/S SB70, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and RCMI Cancer Research Center, Xavier University of Louisiana, 1 Drexel Drive, New Orleans, LA 70125, USA
| | - Guangdi Wang
- Department of Chemistry and RCMI Cancer Research Center, Xavier University of Louisiana, 1 Drexel Drive, New Orleans, LA 70125, USA.
| | - Qiao-Hong Chen
- Department of Chemistry, California State University, Fresno, 2555 E. San Ramon Avenue, M/S SB70, Fresno, CA 93740, USA.
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He M, Cao C, Ni Z, Liu Y, Song P, Hao S, He Y, Sun X, Rao Y. PROTACs: great opportunities for academia and industry (an update from 2020 to 2021). Signal Transduct Target Ther 2022; 7:181. [PMID: 35680848 PMCID: PMC9178337 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-022-00999-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) technology is a new protein-degradation strategy that has emerged in recent years. It uses bifunctional small molecules to induce the ubiquitination and degradation of target proteins through the ubiquitin–proteasome system. PROTACs can not only be used as potential clinical treatments for diseases such as cancer, immune disorders, viral infections, and neurodegenerative diseases, but also provide unique chemical knockdown tools for biological research in a catalytic, reversible, and rapid manner. In 2019, our group published a review article “PROTACs: great opportunities for academia and industry” in the journal, summarizing the representative compounds of PROTACs reported before the end of 2019. In the past 2 years, the entire field of protein degradation has experienced rapid development, including not only a large increase in the number of research papers on protein-degradation technology but also a rapid increase in the number of small-molecule degraders that have entered the clinical and will enter the clinical stage. In addition to PROTAC and molecular glue technology, other new degradation technologies are also developing rapidly. In this article, we mainly summarize and review the representative PROTACs of related targets published in 2020–2021 to present to researchers the exciting developments in the field of protein degradation. The problems that need to be solved in this field will also be briefly introduced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming He
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Chaoguo Cao
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, P. R. China.,Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, 100084, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Zhihao Ni
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Yongbo Liu
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Peilu Song
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Shuang Hao
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Yuna He
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Xiuyun Sun
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Yu Rao
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, P. R. China. .,School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 450001, Zhengzhou, China.
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35
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Maccallini C, Ammazzalorso A, De Filippis B, Fantacuzzi M, Giampietro L, Amoroso R. HDAC Inhibitors for the Therapy of Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:667. [PMID: 35745586 PMCID: PMC9230362 DOI: 10.3390/ph15060667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an urgent as well as huge medical challenge, which is associated with poor prognosis and responsiveness to chemotherapies. Since epigenetic changes are highly implicated in TNBC tumorigenesis and development, inhibitors of histone deacetylases (HDACIs) could represent a promising therapeutic strategy. Although clinical trials involving single HDACIs showed disappointing results against TNBC, recent studies emphasize the high potential impact of HDACIs in controlling TNBC. In addition, encouraging results stem from new compounds designed to obtain isoform selectivity and/or polypharmacological HDAC approach. The present review provides a discussion of the HDACIs pharmacophoric models and of the structural modifications, leading to compounds with a potent activity against TNBC progression.
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Drula R, Iluta S, Gulei D, Iuga C, Dima D, Ghiaur G, Buzoianu AD, Ciechanover A, Tomuleasa C. Exploiting the ubiquitin system in myeloid malignancies. From basic research to drug discovery in MDS and AML. Blood Rev 2022; 56:100971. [PMID: 35595613 DOI: 10.1016/j.blre.2022.100971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The ubiquitin-proteasome system is the crucial homeostatic mechanism responsible for the degradation and turnover of proteins. As such, alterations at this level are often associated with oncogenic processes, either through accumulation of undegraded pathway effectors or, conversely, excessive degradation of tumor-suppressing factors. Therefore, investigation of the ubiquitin- proteasome system has gained much attraction in recent years, especially in the context of hematological malignancies, giving rise to efficient therapeutics such as bortezomib for multiple myeloma. Current investigations are now focused on manipulating protein degradation via fine-tuning of the ubiquitination process through inhibition of deubiquitinating enzymes or development of PROTAC systems for stimulation of ubiquitination and protein degradation. On the other hand, the efficiency of Thalidomide derivates in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), such as Lenalidomide, acted as the starting point for the development of targeted leukemia-associated protein degradation molecules. These novel molecules display high efficiency in overcoming the limitations of current therapeutic regimens, such as refractory diseases. Therefore, in this manuscript we will address the therapeutic opportunities and strategies based on the ubiquitin-proteasome system, ranging from the modulation of deubiquitinating enzymes and, conversely, describing the potential of modern targeted protein degrading molecules and their progress into clinical implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rares Drula
- Research Center for Advanced Medicine - MedFUTURE, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Sabina Iluta
- Department of Hematology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania; Department of Hematology, Ion Chiricuta Clinical Cancer Center, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Diana Gulei
- Research Center for Advanced Medicine - MedFUTURE, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Cristina Iuga
- Research Center for Advanced Medicine - MedFUTURE, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania; Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Delia Dima
- Department of Hematology, Ion Chiricuta Clinical Cancer Center, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Gabriel Ghiaur
- Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Anca Dana Buzoianu
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Aaron Ciechanover
- Research Center for Advanced Medicine - MedFUTURE, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania; Department of Hematology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania; Rappaport Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3109601, Israel; Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3109601, Israel
| | - Ciprian Tomuleasa
- Research Center for Advanced Medicine - MedFUTURE, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania; Department of Hematology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania; Department of Hematology, Ion Chiricuta Clinical Cancer Center, Cluj Napoca, Romania.
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Zorca CE, Fallahi A, Luo S, Eldeeb MA. Multifaceted targeted protein degradation systems for different cellular compartments. Bioessays 2022; 44:e2200008. [PMID: 35417040 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202200008] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Selective protein degradation maintains cellular homeostasis, but this process is disrupted in many diseases. Targeted protein degradation (TPD) approaches, built upon existing cellular mechanisms, are promising methods for therapeutically regulating protein levels. Here, we review the diverse palette of tools that are now available for doing so throughout the gene expression pathway and in specific cellular compartments. These include methods for directly removing targeted proteins via the ubiquitin proteasome system with proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) or dephosphorylation targeting chimeras (DEPTACs). Similar effects can also be achieved through the lysosomal system with autophagy-targeting chimeras (AUTACs), autophagosome tethering compounds (ATTECs), and lysosome targeting chimeras (LYTACs). Other methods act upstream to degrade RNAs (ribonuclease targeting chimeras; RIBOTACs) or transcription factors (transcription factor targeting chimeras; TRAFTACs), offering control throughout the gene expression process. We highlight the evolution and function of these methods and discuss their clinical implications in diverse disease contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia E Zorca
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Armaan Fallahi
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sophie Luo
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mohamed A Eldeeb
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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38
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Abstract
In recent years, proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), capable of achieving targeted protein degradation, have proven their great therapeutic potential and usefulness as molecular biology tools. These heterobifunctional compounds are comprised of a protein-targeting ligand, an appropriate linker, and a ligand binding to the E3 ligase of choice. A successful PROTAC induces the formation of a ternary complex, leading to the E3 ligase-mediated ubiquitination of the targeted protein and its proteasomal degradation. In over 20 years since the concept was first demonstrated, the field has grown substantially, mainly due to the advancements in the discovery of non-peptidic E3 ligase ligands. Development of small-molecule E3 binders with favourable physicochemical profiles aided the design of PROTACs, which are known for breaking the rules of established guidelines for discovering small molecules. Synthetic accessibility of the ligands and numerous successful applications led to the prevalent use of cereblon and von Hippel-Lindau as the hijacked E3 ligase. However, the pool of over 600 human E3 ligases is full of untapped potential, which is why expanding the artillery of E3 ligands could contribute to broadening the scope of targeted protein degradation. In this comprehensive review, we focus on the chemistry aspect of the PROTAC design process by providing an overview of liganded E3 ligases, their chemistries, appropriate derivatisation, and synthetic approaches towards their incorporation into heterobifunctional degraders. By covering syntheses of both established and underexploited E3 ligases, this review can serve as a chemistry blueprint for PROTAC researchers during their future ventures into the complex field of targeted protein degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izidor Sosič
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Aleša Bricelj
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Christian Steinebach
- Pharmaceutical Institute, Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
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39
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Heim C, Hartmann MD. High-resolution structures of the bound effectors avadomide (CC-122) and iberdomide (CC-220) highlight advantages and limitations of the MsCI4 soaking system. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2022; 78:290-298. [PMID: 35234143 PMCID: PMC8900816 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798322000092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Using the MsCI4 soaking system, the binding of the next-generation thalidomide-derived immunomodulatory drugs avadomide (CC-122) and iberdomide (CC-220) to cereblon was characterized at high resolution, highlighting the utility of the MsCI4 system for studies of the structure–activity relationship of cereblon effectors. Cereblon (CRBN) is the substrate receptor of the CRL4CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase and is a central player in targeted protein degradation. It is the target of the thalidomide-derived immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) and is one of the most widely employed receptors for proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), both of which induce the ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation of target proteins. Structural studies of ligand binding to CRBN are crucial to elucidate the mechanisms of action and for mediation of side effects, ultimately aiding the development of next-generation IMiDs and PROTACs. With this aim, a crystal-soaking system based on the single-domain bacterial homologue MsCI4 has previously been established and used to delineate the binding modes of several classes of small molecules, including FDA-approved drugs, at the molecular level. Here, this system was used to characterize the binding of the next-generation IMiDs avadomide (CC-122) and iberdomide (CC-220) at high resolution, highlighting the advantages and limitations of the MsCI4 system and its implications for the development of future cereblon effectors.
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40
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He S, Dong G, Cheng J, Wu Y, Sheng C. Strategies for designing proteolysis targeting chimaeras (PROTACs). Med Res Rev 2022; 42:1280-1342. [PMID: 35001407 DOI: 10.1002/med.21877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [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: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Proteolysis targeting chimaeras (PROTACs) is a cutting edge and rapidly growing technique for new drug discovery and development. Currently, the largest challenge in the molecular design and drug development of PROTACs is efficient identification of potent and drug-like degraders. This review aims to comprehensively summarize and analyse state-of-the-art methods and strategies in the design of PROTACs. We provide a detailed illustration of the general principles and tactics for designing potent PROTACs, highlight representative case studies, and discuss the advantages and limitations of these strategies. Particularly, structure-based rational PROTAC design and emerging new types of PROTACs (e.g., homo-PROTACs, multitargeting PROTACs, photo-control PROTACs and PROTAC-based conjugates) will be focused on.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shipeng He
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guoqiang Dong
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Junfei Cheng
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.,Department of Pharmacy, 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force, Kunming, China
| | - Chunquan Sheng
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
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Cruite JT, Dann GP, Che J, Donovan KA, Ferrao S, Ficarro SB, Fischer ES, Gray NS, Huerta F, Kong NR, Liu H, Marto JA, Metivier RJ, Nowak RP, Zerfas BL, Jones LH. Cereblon covalent modulation through structure-based design of histidine targeting chemical probes. RSC Chem Biol 2022; 3:1105-1110. [PMID: 36128501 PMCID: PMC9428674 DOI: 10.1039/d2cb00078d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic re-engineering of a surface histidine residue on cereblon using sulfonyl exchange chemistry yielded potent irreversible modulators of the E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, including a molecular glue degrader of the novel neosubstrate NTAQ1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin T. Cruite
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Geoffrey P. Dann
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jianwei Che
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katherine A. Donovan
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Silas Ferrao
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Scott B. Ficarro
- Department of Cancer Biology, Department of Oncologic Pathology, and Blais Proteomics Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Eric S. Fischer
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nathanael S. Gray
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, ChEM-H, Stanford Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Fidel Huerta
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nikki R. Kong
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hu Liu
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jarrod A. Marto
- Department of Cancer Biology, Department of Oncologic Pathology, and Blais Proteomics Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | | | - Radosław P. Nowak
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Breanna L. Zerfas
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lyn H. Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Singh S, Utreja D, Kumar V. Pyrrolo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazine: a promising fused heterocycle to target kinases in cancer therapy. Med Chem Res 2021; 31:1-25. [PMID: 34803342 PMCID: PMC8590428 DOI: 10.1007/s00044-021-02819-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide responsible for about 10 million deaths per year. To date several approaches have been developed to treat this deadly disease including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy, and synthetic lethality. The targeted therapy refers to targeting only specific proteins or enzymes that are dysregulated in cancer rather than killing all rapidly dividing cells, has gained much attention in the recent past. Kinase inhibition is one of the most successful approaches in targeted therapy. As of 30 March 2021, FDA has approved 65 small molecule protein kinase inhibitors and most of them are for cancer therapy. Interestingly, several kinase inhibitors contain one or more fused heterocycles as part of their structures. Pyrrolo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazine is one the most interesting fused heterocycle that is an integral part of several kinase inhibitors and nucleoside drugs viz. avapritinib and remdesivir. This review articles focus on the recent advances made in the development of kinase inhibitors containing pyrrolo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazine scaffold. ![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarbjit Singh
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198 USA
| | - Divya Utreja
- Department of Chemistry, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 141004 Punjab India
| | - Vimal Kumar
- Department of Chemistry, Dr B. R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology (NIT), Jalandhar, 144011 Punjab India
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cereblon (CRBN), the substrate receptor of the CRL4CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase has been extensively studied due to its involvement in many biological processes. It has also been identified as the target for immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs). CRBN ligands are also important components of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), special bifunctional constructs capable of targeted degradation of aberrantly acting proteins using the cell's ubiquitin-proteasome machinery. AREAS COVERED Due to upsurge of the PROTAC technology, the patenting activity of new CRBN ligands has been on the rise in the last 5 years. The present review covers two broadly defined areas of CRBN ligand design. One covers 'thalidomide-like' molecules representing modifications of various parts of classical IMiDs. The other areas - non-thalidomide-like compounds - are compounds that are structurally distinct from the classical IMiDs. Efforts toward creating new CRBN ligands reflected in non-patent literature are briefly discussed with emphasis on the rational, crystallography-driven approaches. EXPERT OPINION The chemical space of CRBN ligands which is related to the classical IMiDs (thalidomide/lenalidomide/pomalidomide) is comprehensively covered by the current patent literature. The promising area of research is in the identification of non-thalidomide-like chemotypes capable of binding to CRBN. Rational, crystallography-driven approaches currently exploited in academia will significantly aid in this endeavor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Kazantsev
- Institute of Chemistry, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
| | - Mikhail Krasavin
- Institute of Chemistry, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
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44
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Rodrigues DA, Roe A, Griffith D, Chonghaile TN. Advances in the Design and Development of PROTAC-mediated HDAC degradation. Curr Top Med Chem 2021; 22:408-424. [PMID: 34649488 DOI: 10.2174/1568026621666211015092047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Due to developments in modern chemistry, previously undruggable targets are becoming druggable thanks to selective degradation using the ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation system. PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) are heterobifunctional molecules designed specifically to degrade target proteins (protein of interest, POI). They are of significant interest to industry and academia as they are highly specific and can target previously undruggable target proteins from transcription factors to enzymes. More than 15 degraders are expected to be evaluated in clinical trials by the end of 2021. Herein, we describe recent advances in the design and development of PROTAC-mediated degradation of histone deacetylases (HDACs). PROTAC-mediated degradation of HDACs can offer some significant advantages over direct inhibition, such as the use of substoichiometric doses and the potential to disrupt enzyme-independent HDAC function. Herein, we discuss the potential implications of the degradation of HDACs with HDAC knockout studies and the selection of HDAC inhibitors and E3 ligase ligands for the design of the PROTACs. The potential utility of HDAC PROTACs in various disease pathologies from cancer to inflammation to neurodegeneration is driving the interest in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Alencar Rodrigues
- Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin. Ireland
| | - Andrew Roe
- Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin. Ireland
| | - Darren Griffith
- Department of Chemistry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin. Ireland
| | - Tríona Ní Chonghaile
- Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin. Ireland
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Xue X, Kang JB, Yang X, Li N, Chang L, Ji J, Meng XK, Zhang HQ, Zhong Y, Yu SP, Wu WY, Wang XL, Li NG, Sun SL. An efficient strategy for digging protein-protein interactions for rational drug design - A case study with HIF-1α/VHL. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 227:113871. [PMID: 34638033 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The ubiquitination of the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is mediated by interacting with the von Hippel-Lindau protein (VHL), and is associated with cancer, chronic anemia, and ischemia. VHL, an E3 ligase, has been reported to degrade HIF-1 for decades, however, there are few successful inhibitors currently. Poor understanding of the binding pocket and a lack of in-depth exploration of the interactions between two proteins are the main reasons. Hence, we developed an effective strategy to identify and design new inhibitors for protein-protein interaction targets. The hydroxyproline (Hyp564) of HIF-1α contributed the key interaction between HIF-1α and VHL. In this study, detailed information of the binding pocket were explored by alanine scanning, site-directed mutagenesis and molecular dynamics simulations. Interestingly, we found the interaction(s) between Y565 and H110 played a key role in the binding of VHL/HIF-1α. Based on the interactions, 8 derivates of VH032, 16a-h, were synthesized by introducing various groups bounded to H110. Further assay on protein and cellular level exhibited that 16a-h accessed higher binding affinity to VHL and markable or modest improvement in stabilization of HIF-1α or HIF-1α-OH in HeLa cells. Our work provides a new orientation for the modification or design of VHL/HIF-1α protein-protein interaction inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Xue
- National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Ji-Bo Kang
- National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Xiao Yang
- National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Nan Li
- National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Liang Chang
- National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Juan Ji
- Department of Pharmacology, Neuroprotective Drug Discovery Key Laboratory, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiang-Kai Meng
- National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Hai-Qing Zhang
- National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yue Zhong
- National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Shao-Peng Yu
- The Research Center of Chiral Drugs, Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine (IRI), Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Wen-Yu Wu
- National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Xiao-Long Wang
- National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Nian-Guang Li
- National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Shan-Liang Sun
- National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
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Powell CE, Du G, Bushman JW, He Z, Zhang T, Fischer ES, Gray NS. Selective degradation-inducing probes for studying cereblon (CRBN) biology. RSC Med Chem 2021; 12:1381-1390. [PMID: 34458741 PMCID: PMC8372211 DOI: 10.1039/d0md00382d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation represents a rapidly growing area in drug discovery and development. Moreover, small molecules that induce the targeted degradation of a given protein also represent an important addition to the chemical probes toolbox as these compounds can achieve selective protein knockdown, thus providing an approach that is orthogonal to genetic knockdowns. In order to develop degradation-inducing chemical probes for studying cereblon (CRBN) biology, we generated six CRBN-CRBN (homo-PROTAC) degraders and six CRBN-VHL (hetero-PROTAC) degraders. From these compounds we identified two potent and selective CRBN degraders (ZXH-4-130 and ZXH-4-137), both of which are CRBN-VHL compounds. We characterized these lead degraders by quantitative proteomics in five cell lines (MM1.S, Kelly, SK-N-DZ, HEK293T, and MOLT-4) and observed high selectivity for CRBN in all cell lines. Furthermore, we directly compared our compounds to current lead CRBN degraders and demonstrated how these probes can be used as chemical knockdown reagents for studying CRBN-dependent processes. Overall, our work provides a roadmap for thorough degrader characterization by combination western and proteomic analysis, as illustrated by the identification of ZXH-4-130 and ZXH-4-137 as CRBN-knockdown tool compounds suitable for cell-based studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea E Powell
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston Massachusetts 02215 USA
| | - Guangyan Du
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston Massachusetts 02215 USA
| | - Jonathan W Bushman
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston Massachusetts 02215 USA
| | - Zhixiang He
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston Massachusetts 02215 USA
| | - Tinghu Zhang
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston Massachusetts 02215 USA
| | - Eric S Fischer
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston Massachusetts 02215 USA
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston Massachusetts 02215 USA
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Frost J, Rocha S, Ciulli A. Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) small-molecule inhibitor binding increases stability and intracellular levels of VHL protein. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:100910. [PMID: 34174286 PMCID: PMC8313594 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is characterized by frequent mutation of VHL protein, a tumor suppressor that functions as the substrate recognition subunit of a Cullin2 RING E3 ligase complex (CRL2VHL). CRL2VHL plays important roles in oxygen sensing by targeting hypoxia-inducible factor-alpha (HIF-α) subunits for ubiquitination and degradation. VHL is also commonly hijacked by bifunctional molecules such as proteolysis-targeting chimeras to induce degradation of target molecules. We previously reported the design and characterization of VHL inhibitors VH032 and VH298 that block the VHL:HIF-α interaction, activate the HIF transcription factor, and induce a hypoxic response, which can be beneficial to treat anemia and mitochondrial diseases. How these compounds affect the global cellular proteome remains unknown. Here, we use unbiased quantitative MS to identify the proteomic changes elicited by the VHL inhibitor compared with hypoxia or the broad-spectrum prolyl-hydroxylase domain enzyme inhibitor IOX2. Our results demonstrate that VHL inhibitors selectively activate the HIF response similar to the changes induced in hypoxia and IOX2 treatment. Interestingly, VHL inhibitors were found to specifically upregulate VHL itself. Our analysis revealed that this occurs via protein stabilization of VHL isoforms and not via changes in transcript levels. Increased VHL levels upon VH298 treatment resulted in turn in reduced levels of HIF-1α protein. This work demonstrates the specificity of VHL inhibitors and reveals different antagonistic effects upon their acute versus prolonged treatment in cells. These findings suggest that therapeutic use of VHL inhibitors may not produce overt side effects from HIF stabilization as previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julianty Frost
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom; Center for Gene Regulation and Expression, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom; Department of Molecular Physiology and Cell Signalling, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Sonia Rocha
- Center for Gene Regulation and Expression, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom; Department of Molecular Physiology and Cell Signalling, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
| | - Alessio Ciulli
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom.
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den Besten W, Verma K, Yamazoe S, Blaquiere N, Phung W, Izrael-Tomasevic A, Mulvihill MM, Helgason E, Prakash S, Goncharov T, Vucic D, Dueber E, Fairbrother WJ, Wertz I, Yu K, Staben ST. Primary Amine Tethered Small Molecules Promote the Degradation of X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:10571-10575. [PMID: 34236858 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c05269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
We hypothesized that the proximity-driven ubiquitylation of E3-interacting small molecules could affect the degradation of E3 ubiquitin ligases. A series of XIAP BIR2 domain-binding small molecules was modified to append a nucleophilic primary amine. This modification transforms XIAP binders into inducers of XIAP degradation. The degradation of XIAP is E1- and proteasome-dependent, dependent on the ligase function of XIAP, and is rescued by subtle modifications of the small molecule that would obviate ubiquitylation. We demonstrate in vitro ubiquitylation of the small molecule that is dependent on its interaction with XIAP. Taken together, these results demonstrate the designed ubiquitylation of an engineered small molecule and a novel approach for the degradation of E3 ubiquitin ligases.
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LaPlante G, Zhang W. Targeting the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System for Cancer Therapeutics by Small-Molecule Inhibitors. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:3079. [PMID: 34203106 PMCID: PMC8235664 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13123079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is a critical regulator of cellular protein levels and activity. It is, therefore, not surprising that its dysregulation is implicated in numerous human diseases, including many types of cancer. Moreover, since cancer cells exhibit increased rates of protein turnover, their heightened dependence on the UPS makes it an attractive target for inhibition via targeted therapeutics. Indeed, the clinical application of proteasome inhibitors in treatment of multiple myeloma has been very successful, stimulating the development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting other UPS components. On the other hand, while the discovery of potent and selective chemical compounds can be both challenging and time consuming, the area of targeted protein degradation through utilization of the UPS machinery has seen promising developments in recent years. The repertoire of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), which employ E3 ligases for the degradation of cancer-related proteins via the proteasome, continues to grow. In this review, we will provide a thorough overview of small-molecule UPS inhibitors and highlight advancements in the development of targeted protein degradation strategies for cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel LaPlante
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada;
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada;
- CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, MaRS Centre West Tower, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G1M1, Canada
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50
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D'Amico F, Mukhopadhyay R, Ovaa H, Mulder MPC. Targeting TRIM Proteins: A Quest towards Drugging an Emerging Protein Class. Chembiochem 2021; 22:2011-2031. [PMID: 33482040 PMCID: PMC8251876 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The ubiquitylation machinery regulates several fundamental biological processes from protein homeostasis to a wide variety of cellular signaling pathways. As a consequence, its dysregulation is linked to diseases including cancer, neurodegeneration, and autoimmunity. With this review, we aim to highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting E3 ligases, with a special focus on an emerging class of RING ligases, named tri-partite motif (TRIM) proteins, whose role as targets for drug development is currently gaining pharmaceutical attention. TRIM proteins exert their catalytic activity as scaffolds involved in many protein-protein interactions, whose multidomains and adapter-like nature make their druggability very challenging. Herein, we give an overview of the current understanding of this class of single polypeptide RING E3 ligases and discuss potential targeting options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca D'Amico
- Oncode Institute and Department of Cell and Chemical BiologyLeiden University Medical Center (LUMC)Einthovenweg 202333ZCLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Rishov Mukhopadhyay
- Oncode Institute and Department of Cell and Chemical BiologyLeiden University Medical Center (LUMC)Einthovenweg 202333ZCLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Huib Ovaa
- Oncode Institute and Department of Cell and Chemical BiologyLeiden University Medical Center (LUMC)Einthovenweg 202333ZCLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Monique P. C. Mulder
- Oncode Institute and Department of Cell and Chemical BiologyLeiden University Medical Center (LUMC)Einthovenweg 202333ZCLeidenThe Netherlands
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