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Wu F, Zhou C, Yao Y, Wei L, Feng Z, Deng L, Song Y. 3-(Piperidin-4-ylmethoxy)pyridine Containing Compounds Are Potent Inhibitors of Lysine Specific Demethylase 1. J Med Chem 2015; 59:253-263. [PMID: 26652247 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b01361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Methylation of histone lysine residues plays important roles in gene expression regulation as well as cancer initiation. Lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is responsible for maintaining balanced methylation levels at histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4). LSD1 is a drug target for certain cancers, due to important functions of methylated H3K4 or LSD1 overexpression. We report the design, synthesis, and structure-activity relationships of 3-(piperidin-4-ylmethoxy)pyridine containing compounds as potent LSD1 inhibitors with Ki values as low as 29 nM. These compounds exhibited high selectivity (>160×) against related monoamine oxidase A and B. Enzyme kinetics and docking studies suggested they are competitive inhibitors against a dimethylated H3K4 substrate and provided a possible binding mode. The potent LSD1 inhibitors can increase cellular H3K4 methylation and strongly inhibit proliferation of several leukemia and solid tumor cells with EC50 values as low as 280 nM, while they had negligible effects on normal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangrui Wu
- Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Chao Zhou
- Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yuan Yao
- Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Liping Wei
- Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Zizhen Feng
- Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lisheng Deng
- Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yongcheng Song
- Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Abstract
Drugs that target intracellular signalling pathways have markedly improved progression-free survival of patients with cancers who were previously regarded as untreatable. However, the rapid emergence of therapeutic resistance, as a result of bypass signalling or downstream mutation within kinase-mediated signalling cascades, has curtailed the benefit gained from these therapies. Such resistance mechanisms are facilitated by the linearity and redundancy of kinase signalling pathways. We argue that, in each cancer, the dysregulation of key transcriptional regulators not only defines the cancer phenotype but is essential for its development and maintenance. Furthermore, we propose that, as therapeutic targets, these transcriptional regulators are less prone to bypass by alternative mutational events or clonal heterogeneity, and therefore we must rekindle our efforts to directly target transcriptional regulation across a broad range of cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Gonda
- School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland, Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence (PACE), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Robert G Ramsay
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Sir Peter MacCallum Oncology Department and the Pathology Department, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
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Zeidner JF, Karp JE. Clinical activity of alvocidib (flavopiridol) in acute myeloid leukemia. Leuk Res 2015; 39:1312-8. [PMID: 26521988 DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2015.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2015] [Revised: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/14/2015] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
There have been minimal therapeutic advancements in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) over the past 4 decades and outcomes remain unsatisfactory. Alvocidib (formerly flavopiridol) is a multi-serine threonine cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor with demonstrable in vitro and clinical activity in AML when combined in a timed sequential chemotherapy regimen, FLAM (alvocidib followed by cytarabine continuous infusion and mitoxantrone). FLAM has been evaluated in sequential phase 1 and phase 2 studies in 149 and 256 relapsed/refractory and newly diagnosed non-favorable risk AML patients, respectively, with encouraging findings in both patient populations warranting further investigation. This review highlights the mechanism of action of alvocidib, pre-clinical studies of alvocidib in AML, and the clinical trials evaluating alvocidib alone and in combination with cytotoxic agents (FLAM) in AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua F Zeidner
- University of North Carolina, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
| | - Judith E Karp
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Wong M, Polly P, Liu T. The histone methyltransferase DOT1L: regulatory functions and a cancer therapy target. Am J Cancer Res 2015; 5:2823-2837. [PMID: 26609488 PMCID: PMC4633909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2015] [Accepted: 08/15/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023] Open
Abstract
DOT1L is a unique histone methyltransferase that targets the histone H3 lysine 79 (H3K79) residue for mono-, di- and tri- methylation. Histone H3K79 mono- and di-methylation results in active gene transcription, while H3K79 tri-methylation is associated with gene repression. DOT1L has a critical role in regulating gene transcription, development, cell cycle progression, somatic reprogramming and DNA damage repair. DOT1L interacts with Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) fusion proteins, leading to enhanced H3K79 methylation, maintenance of open chromatin, overexpression of downstream oncogenes and leukemogenesis. Importantly, small molecule DOT1L inhibitors have been recently developed, and one of the DOT1L inhibitors is already under investigation in a Phase I clinical trial in patients with MLL fusion gene-driven leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Wong
- Children’s Cancer Institute Australia for Medical ResearchRandwick NSW 2031, Australia
| | - Patsie Polly
- Department of Pathology and Inflammation and Infection Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, UNSW AustraliaKensington NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Children’s Cancer Institute Australia for Medical ResearchRandwick NSW 2031, Australia
- School of Women’s & Children’s Health, University of New South WalesRandwick NSW 2031, Australia
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Kim TK, Gore SD, Zeidan AM. Epigenetic Therapy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Current and Future Directions. Semin Hematol 2015; 52:172-83. [PMID: 26111464 DOI: 10.1053/j.seminhematol.2015.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic modifications affect gene expression without changes in the actual DNA sequence. Two of the most important mechanisms include DNA methylation and histone tail modifications (especially acetylation and methylation). Epigenetic modulation is a part of normal physiologic development; its dysregulation is an important mechanism of pathogenesis of some cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Despite significant progress in understanding the pathogenesis of AML, therapeutic options remain quite limited. Technological advances have facilitated understanding of aberrant DNA methylation and histone methylation/acetylation as key elements in the development of AML and uncovered several recurrent mutations in genes important for epigenetic regulation. However, much remains to be learned about how to exploit this knowledge for epigenetic therapeutic targeting. Currently, no epigenetic therapy is approved for the treatment of AML, although two DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (azacitidine and decitabine) are commonly used in clinical practice. Among the other epigenetic modifiers undergoing research in AML, the histone deacetylase inhibitors are the most studied. Other promising drugs, such as inhibitors of histone methylation (eg, EZH2 and DOT1L inhibitors), inhibitors of histone demethylases (eg, LSD1 inhibitors), inhibitors of bromodomain-containing epigenetic "reader" BET proteins, and inhibitors of mutant isocitrate dehydrogenases, are at early stages of clinical evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae Kon Kim
- Section of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, and Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT
| | - Steven D Gore
- Section of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, and Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT
| | - Amer M Zeidan
- Section of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, and Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT.
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Abstract
DNA methylation and histone modification are epigenetic mechanisms that result in altered gene expression and cellular phenotype. The exact role of methylation in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains unclear. However, aberrations (e.g. loss-/gain-of-function or up-/down-regulation) in components of epigenetic transcriptional regulation in general, and of the methylation machinery in particular, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of these diseases. In addition, many of these components have been identified as therapeutic targets for patients with MDS/AML, and are also being assessed as potential biomarkers of response or resistance to hypomethylating agents (HMAs). The HMAs 5-azacitidine (AZA) and 2'-deoxy-5-azacitidine (decitabine, DAC) inhibit DNA methylation and have shown significant clinical benefits in patients with myeloid malignancies. Despite being viewed as mechanistically similar drugs, AZA and DAC have differing mechanisms of action. DAC is incorporated 100% into DNA, whereas AZA is incorporated into RNA (80-90%) as well as DNA (10-20%). As such, both drugs inhibit DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs; dependently or independently of DNA replication) resulting in the re-expression of tumor-suppressor genes; however, AZA also has an impact on mRNA and protein metabolism via its inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase, resulting in apoptosis. Herein, we first give an overview of transcriptional regulation, including DNA methylation, post-translational histone-tail modifications, the role of micro-RNA and long-range epigenetic gene silencing. We place special emphasis on epigenetic transcriptional regulation and discuss the implication of various components in the pathogenesis of MDS/AML, their potential as therapeutic targets, and their therapeutic modulation by HMAs and other substances (if known). The main focus of this review is laid on dissecting the rapidly evolving knowledge of AZA and DAC with a special focus on their differing mechanisms of action, and the effect of HMAs on transcriptional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Pleyer
- 3rd Medical Department with Hematology and Medical Oncology, Hemostaseology, Rheumatology and Infectious Diseases, Laboratory for Immunological and Molecular Cancer Research, Oncologic Center, Paracelsus Medical University Hospital Salzburg, Center for Clinical Cancer and Immunology Trials at Salzburg Cancer Research Institute , Salzburg , Austria
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