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Ayinde O, Sharpe C, Stahl E, Tokarski RJ, Lerma JR, Muthusamy N, Byrd JC, Fuchs JR. Examination of the Impact of Triazole Position within Linkers on Solubility and Lipophilicity of a CDK9 Degrader Series. ACS Med Chem Lett 2023; 14:936-942. [PMID: 37465296 PMCID: PMC10351057 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Optimization of degrader properties is often a challenge due to their beyond-rule-of-5 nature. Given the paucity of known E3 ligases and the often-limited choice of ligands with varied chemical structures for a given protein target, degrader linkers represent the best position within the chimeric molecules to modify their overall physicochemical properties. In this work, a series of AT7519-based CDK9 degraders was assembled using click chemistry, facilitating the tuning of aqueous solubility and lipophilicity while retaining their linker type and molecular weight. Using chromatographic logD and kinetic solubility experiments, we show that degraders with similar chemical constitution but varied position of the embedded triazole demonstrate different lipophilicity and aqueous solubility properties. Overall, this work highlights the impact of triazole placement on linker composition through application of click chemistry for degrader synthesis and its ability to be used to promote the achievement of favorable physicochemical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwatosin
R. Ayinde
- Division
of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Chia Sharpe
- Department
of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Ohio 45267, United States
| | - Emily Stahl
- Division
of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Robert J. Tokarski
- Division
of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - James R. Lerma
- Department
of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Ohio 45267, United States
| | - Natarajan Muthusamy
- Division
of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
- The
Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio 43210, United States
| | - John C. Byrd
- Department
of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Ohio 45267, United States
- University
of Cincinnati Cancer Center, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Ohio 45267, United States
| | - James R. Fuchs
- Division
of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
- The
Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio 43210, United States
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52
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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] [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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53
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Tashima T. Proteolysis-Targeting Chimera (PROTAC) Delivery into the Brain across the Blood-Brain Barrier. Antibodies (Basel) 2023; 12:43. [PMID: 37489365 PMCID: PMC10366925 DOI: 10.3390/antib12030043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug development for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease has challenging difficulties due to the pharmacokinetic impermeability based on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) as well as the blurriness of pharmacodynamic targets based on their unclarified pathogenesis and complicated progression mechanisms. Thus, in order to produce innovative central nervous system (CNS) agents for patients suffering from CNS diseases, effective, selective delivery of CNS agents into the brain across the BBB should be developed. Currently, proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) attract rising attention as a new modality to degrade arbitrary intracellular proteins by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. The internalizations of peptide-based PROTACs by cell-penetrating peptides and that of small molecule-based PROTACs through passive diffusion lack cell selectivity. Therefore, these approaches may bring off-target side effects due to wrong distribution. Furthermore, efflux transporters such as multiple drug resistance 1 (MDR1) expressed at the BBB might interrupt the entry of small molecule-based PROTACs into the brain. Nonetheless, intelligent delivery using machinery systems to absorb the nutrition into the brain for homeostasis, such as carrier-mediated transport (CMT) or receptor-mediated transcytosis (RMT), can be established. PROTACs with N-containing groups that are recognized by the proton-coupled organic cation antiporter might cross the BBB through CMT. PROTAC-antibody conjugates (PACs) might cross the BBB through RMT. Subsequently, such small molecule-based PROTACs released in the brain interstitial fluid would be transported into cells such as neurons through passive diffusion and then demonstrate arbitrary protein degradation. In this review, I introduce the potential and advantages of PROTAC delivery into the brain across the BBB through CMT or RMT using PACs in a non-invasive way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshihiko Tashima
- Tashima Laboratories of Arts and Sciences, 1239-5 Toriyama-cho, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 222-0035, Japan
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54
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Schwalm MP, Krämer A, Dölle A, Weckesser J, Yu X, Jin J, Saxena K, Knapp S. Tracking the PROTAC degradation pathway in living cells highlights the importance of ternary complex measurement for PROTAC optimization. Cell Chem Biol 2023:S2451-9456(23)00157-5. [PMID: 37354907 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
The multi-step degradation process of PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) poses a challenge for their rational development, as the rate-limiting steps that determine PROTACs efficiency remain largely unknown. Moreover, the slow throughput of currently used endpoint assays does not allow the comprehensive analysis of larger series of PROTACs. Here, we developed cell-based assays using the NanoLuciferase and HaloTag that allow measuring PROTAC-induced degradation and ternary complex formation kinetics and stability in cells. Using PROTACs developed for the degradation of WD40 repeat domain protein 5 (WDR5), the characterization of the mode of action of these PROTACs in the early degradation cascade revealed a key role of ternary complex formation and stability. Comparing a series of ternary complex crystal structures highlighted the importance of an efficient E3-target interface for ternary complex stability. The developed assays outline a strategy for the rational optimization of PROTACs using a series of live cell assays monitoring key steps of the early PROTAC-induced degradation pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin P Schwalm
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Biozentrum, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Structural Genomics Consortium, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Andreas Krämer
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Biozentrum, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Structural Genomics Consortium, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Anja Dölle
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Biozentrum, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Structural Genomics Consortium, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Janik Weckesser
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Biozentrum, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Structural Genomics Consortium, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Xufen Yu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Oncological Sciences and Neuroscience, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Oncological Sciences and Neuroscience, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Krishna Saxena
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Biozentrum, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Structural Genomics Consortium, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stefan Knapp
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Biozentrum, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Structural Genomics Consortium, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)/German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), DKTK site Frankfurt-Mainz, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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55
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Zahid H, Costello JP, Li Y, Kimbrough JR, Actis M, Rankovic Z, Yan Q, Pomerantz WCK. Design of Class I/IV Bromodomain-Targeting Degraders for Chromatin Remodeling Complexes. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:1278-1293. [PMID: 37260298 PMCID: PMC10698694 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation is an emerging technology that can be used for modulating the activity of epigenetic protein targets. Among bromodomain-containing proteins, a number of degraders for the BET family have been developed, while non-BET bromodomains remain underexplored. Several of these proteins are subunits in chromatin remodeling complexes often associated with oncogenic roles. Here, we describe the design of class I (BPTF and CECR2) and IV (BRD9) bromodomain-targeting degraders based on two scaffolds derived from pyridazinone and pyrimidine-based heterocycles. We evaluate various exit vectors and linkers to identify analogues that demonstrate selectivity within these families. We further use an in-cell NanoBRET assay to demonstrate that these heterobifunctional molecules are cell-permeable, form ternary complexes, and can degrade nanoluciferase-bromodomain fusions. As a first example of a CECR2 degrader, we observe that our pyrimidine-based analogues degrade endogenous CECR2 while showing a smaller effect on BPTF levels. The pyridazinone-based compounds did not degrade BPTF when observed through Western blotting, further supporting a more challenging target for degradation and a goal for future optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huda Zahid
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant St. SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Jeff P Costello
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant St. SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Yao Li
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States
| | - Jennifer R Kimbrough
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant St. SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Marisa Actis
- Department of Chemical Biology & Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Zoran Rankovic
- Department of Chemical Biology & Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Qin Yan
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States
| | - William C K Pomerantz
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant St. SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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56
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Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) is an emerging technique for degrading disease-related proteins. However, the current PROTACs suffer from inadequate solubility and lack of organ targeting, which has hampered their druggability. Herein, we report direct and sustained delivery of PROTACs using microneedle patches to the diseased tissues. In this study, we use an estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-degrading PROTAC, ERD308, to treat ER-positive breast cancer. A pH-sensitive micelle, MPEG-poly(β-amino ester) (MPEG-PAE), is used to encapsulate ERD308 along with an FDA-approved CDK4/6 inhibitor, Palbociclib (Pal), before loading into biodegradable microneedle patches. These patches enable prolonged drug release into deep tumors, maintaining therapeutic levels for at least 4 days, with an excellent drug retention rate of over 87% in tumors. ERD308 released from the microneedle patches can sufficiently degrade ERα in MCF7 cells. Co-administration of ERD308 and Palbociclib exhibits excellent efficacy by over 80% tumor reduction as well as a good safety profile. Our work demonstrates the feasibility and proof-of-concept therapeutic potential of using microneedle patches to directly deliver PROTACs into tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Cheng
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States, and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607, United States
| | - Shiqi Hu
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States, and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607, United States
| | - Ke Cheng
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States, and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607, United States
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57
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Li YQ, Lannigan WG, Davoodi S, Daryaee F, Corrionero A, Alfonso P, Rodriguez-Santamaria JA, Wang N, Haley JD, Tonge PJ. Discovery of Novel Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase PROTACs with Enhanced Selectivity and Cellular Efficacy. J Med Chem 2023; 66:7454-7474. [PMID: 37195170 PMCID: PMC10332445 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) is a target for treating B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases, and several BTK inhibitors are already approved for use in humans. Heterobivalent BTK protein degraders are also in development, based on the premise that proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) may provide additional therapeutic benefits. However, most BTK PROTACs are based on the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib raising concerns about their selectivity profiles, given the known off-target effects of ibrutinib. Here, we disclose the discovery and in vitro characterization of BTK PROTACs based on the selective BTK inhibitor GDC-0853 and the cereblon recruitment ligand pomalidomide. PTD10 is a highly potent BTK degrader (DC50 0.5 nM) that inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis at lower concentrations than the two parent molecules, as well as three previously reported BTK PROTACs, and had improved selectivity compared to ibrutinib-based BTK PROTACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Qian Li
- Center for Advanced Study of Drug Action, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
- Department of Chemistry, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
| | - William G. Lannigan
- Department of Chemistry, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
| | - Shabnam Davoodi
- Center for Advanced Study of Drug Action, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
- Department of Chemistry, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
| | - Fereidoon Daryaee
- Center for Advanced Study of Drug Action, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
- Department of Chemistry, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
| | - Ana Corrionero
- Enzymlogic S.L., QUBE Technology Park, C/ Santiago Grisolía, 2, 28760, Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Alfonso
- Enzymlogic S.L., QUBE Technology Park, C/ Santiago Grisolía, 2, 28760, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Nan Wang
- Center for Advanced Study of Drug Action, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
- Department of Chemistry, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
| | - John D. Haley
- Department of Pathology, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
| | - Peter J. Tonge
- Center for Advanced Study of Drug Action, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
- Department of Chemistry, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
- Department of Radiology, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, United States
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58
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Liu HJ, Chen W, Wu G, Zhou J, Liu C, Tang Z, Huang X, Gao J, Xiao Y, Kong N, Joshi N, Cao Y, Abdi R, Tao W. Glutathione-Scavenging Nanoparticle-Mediated PROTACs Delivery for Targeted Protein Degradation and Amplified Antitumor Effects. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2207439. [PMID: 37066758 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202207439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) are an emerging class of promising therapeutic modalities that selectively degrade intracellular proteins of interest by hijacking the ubiquitin-proteasome system. However, the lack of techniques to efficiently transport these degraders to targeted cells and consequently the potential toxicity of PROTACs limit their clinical applications. Here, a strategy of nanoengineered PROTACs, that is, Nano-PROTACs, is reported, which improves the bioavailability of PROTACs and maximizes their capacity to therapeutically degrade intracellular oncogenic proteins for tumor therapy. The Nano-PROTACs are developed by encapsulating PROTACs in glutathione (GSH)-responsive poly(disulfide amide) polymeric (PDSA) nanoparticles and show that ARV@PDSA Nano-PROTAC, nanoengineered BRD4 degrader ARV-771, improves BRD4 protein degradation and decreases the downstream oncogene c-Myc expression. Benefiting from the GSH-scavenging ability to amply the c-Myc-related ferroptosis and cell cycle arrest, this ARV@PDSA Nano-PROTACs strategy shows superior anti-tumor efficacy with a low dose administration and good biocompatibility in vivo. The findings reveal the potential of the Nano-PROTACs strategy to treat a broad range of diseases by dismantling associated pathogenic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Jun Liu
- Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Anesthesiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Wei Chen
- Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Anesthesiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Gongwei Wu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Jun Zhou
- Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Anesthesiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Chuang Liu
- Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Anesthesiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Zhongmin Tang
- Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Anesthesiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Xiangang Huang
- Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Anesthesiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Jingjing Gao
- Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Anesthesiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Yufen Xiao
- Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Anesthesiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Na Kong
- Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Anesthesiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Nitin Joshi
- Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Anesthesiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Yihai Cao
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, 171 77, Sweden
| | - Reza Abdi
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Wei Tao
- Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Anesthesiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
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59
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Zografou-Barredo NA, Hallatt AJ, Goujon-Ricci J, Cano C. A beginner's guide to current synthetic linker strategies towards VHL-recruiting PROTACs. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 88-89:117334. [PMID: 37224698 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Over the last two decades, proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) have been revolutionary in drug development rendering targeted protein degradation (TPD) as an emerging therapeutic modality. These heterobifunctional molecules are comprised of three units: a ligand for the protein of interest (POI), a ligand for an E3 ubiquitin ligase, and a linker that tethers the two motifs together. Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) is one of the most widely employed E3 ligases in PROTACs development due to its prevalent expression across tissue types and well-characterised ligands. Linker composition and length has proven to play an important role in determining the physicochemical properties and spatial orientation of the POI-PROTAC-E3 ternary complex, thus influencing the bioactivity of degraders. Numerous articles and reports have been published showcasing the medicinal chemistry aspects of the linker design, but few have focused on the chemistry around tethering linkers to E3 ligase ligands. In this review, we focus on the current synthetic linker strategies employed in the assembly of VHL-recruiting PROTACs. We aim to cover a range of fundamental chemistries used to incorporate linkers of varying length, composition and functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikol A Zografou-Barredo
- Cancer Research UK Newcastle Drug Discovery Unit, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Alex J Hallatt
- Cancer Research UK Newcastle Drug Discovery Unit, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Jennyfer Goujon-Ricci
- Cancer Research UK Newcastle Drug Discovery Unit, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Céline Cano
- Cancer Research UK Newcastle Drug Discovery Unit, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
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60
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Kannan MP, Sreeraman S, Somala CS, Kushwah RB, Mani SK, Sundaram V, Thirunavukarasou A. Advancement of targeted protein degradation strategies as therapeutics for undruggable disease targets. Future Med Chem 2023; 15:867-883. [PMID: 37254917 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2023-0072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation (TPD) aids in developing novel bifunctional small-molecule degraders and eliminates proteins of interest. The TPD approach shows promising results in oncological, neurogenerative, cardiovascular and gynecological drug development. We provide an overview of technology advancements in TPD, including molecular glues, proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), lysosome-targeting chimeras, antibody-based PROTAC, GlueBody PROTAC, autophagy-targeting chimera, autophagosome-tethering compound, autophagy-targeting chimera and chaperone-mediated autophagy-based degraders. Here we discuss the development and evolution of the TPD field, the variety of proteins that PROTACs target and the biological repercussions of their degradation. We particularly highlight the recent improvements in TPD research that utilize autophagy or the endolysosomal pathway, which enables the targeting of undruggable targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayuri P Kannan
- Department of Biotechnology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical & Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Thandalam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 602105, India
- B-Aatral Biosciences Private Limited, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560091, India
| | - Sarojini Sreeraman
- Department of Biotechnology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical & Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Thandalam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 602105, India
- SRIIC Lab, Sri Ramachandra Institute for Higher Education & Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600116, India
| | - Chaitanya S Somala
- B-Aatral Biosciences Private Limited, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560091, India
| | - Raja Bs Kushwah
- B-Aatral Biosciences Private Limited, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560091, India
- Department of Entomology and Agrilife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Saravanan K Mani
- B-Aatral Biosciences Private Limited, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560091, India
- Department of Biotechnology, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600073, India
| | - Vickram Sundaram
- Department of Biotechnology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical & Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Thandalam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 602105, India
| | - Anand Thirunavukarasou
- B-Aatral Biosciences Private Limited, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560091, India
- SRIIC Lab, Sri Ramachandra Institute for Higher Education & Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600116, India
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Tseng YL, Lu PC, Lee CC, He RY, Huang YA, Tseng YC, Cheng TJR, Huang JJT, Fang JM. Degradation of neurodegenerative disease-associated TDP-43 aggregates and oligomers via a proteolysis-targeting chimera. J Biomed Sci 2023; 30:27. [PMID: 37101169 PMCID: PMC10131537 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-023-00921-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) associated with TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) aggregation has been considered as a lethal and progressive motor neuron disease. Recent studies have shown that both C-terminal TDP-43 (C-TDP-43) aggregates and oligomers were neurotoxic and pathologic agents in ALS and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). However, misfolding protein has long been considered as an undruggable target by applying conventional inhibitors, agonists, or antagonists. To provide this unmet medical need, we aim to degrade these misfolding proteins by designing a series of proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) against C-TDP-43. METHODS By applying filter trap assay, western blotting, and microscopy imaging, the degradation efficiency of C-TDP-43 aggregates was studied in Neuro-2a cells overexpressing eGFP-C-TDP-43 or mCherry-C-TDP-43. The cell viability was characterized by alarmarBlue assay. The beneficial and disaggregating effects of TDP-43 PROTAC were examined with the YFP-C-TDP-43 transgenic C. elegans by motility assay and confocal microscopy. The impact of TDP-43 PROTAC on C-TDP-43 oligomeric intermediates was monitored by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and size exclusion chromatography in the Neuro-2a cells co-expressing eGFP-C-TDP-43 and mCherry-C-TDP-43. RESULTS Four PROTACs with different linker lengths were synthesized and characterized. Among these chimeras, PROTAC 2 decreased C-TDP-43 aggregates and relieved C-TDP-43-induced cytotoxicity in Neuro-2a cells without affecting endogenous TDP-43. We showed that PROTAC 2 bound to C-TDP-43 aggregates and E3 ligase to initiate ubiquitination and proteolytic degradation. By applying advanced microscopy, it was further shown that PROTAC 2 decreased the compactness and population of C-TDP-43 oligomers. In addition to cellular model, PROTAC 2 also improved the motility of transgenic C. elegans by reducing the C-TDP-43 aggregates in the nervous system. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated the dual-targeting capacity of the newly-designed PROTAC 2 against both C-TDP-43 aggregates and oligomers to reduce their neurotoxicity, which shed light on the potential drug development for ALS as well as other neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ling Tseng
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106, Taiwan
| | - Po-Chao Lu
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
- Chemical Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
- Department and Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 100, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Chang Lee
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Ruei-Yu He
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Yung-An Huang
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Yin-Chen Tseng
- The Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | | | - Joseph Jen-Tse Huang
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan.
- Sustainable Chemical Science and Technology, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan.
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chiayi University, Chiayi City, 600, Taiwan.
- Neuroscience Program of Academia Sinica, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan.
| | - Jim-Min Fang
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106, Taiwan.
- The Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan.
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Yedla P, Babalghith AO, Andra VV, Syed R. PROTACs in the Management of Prostate Cancer. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28093698. [PMID: 37175108 PMCID: PMC10179857 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28093698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer treatments with targeted therapy have gained immense interest due to their low levels of toxicity and high selectivity. Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) have drawn special attention in the development of cancer therapeutics owing to their unique mechanism of action, their ability to target undruggable proteins, and their focused target engagement. PROTACs selectively degrade the target protein through the ubiquitin-proteasome system, which describes a different mode of action compared to conventional small-molecule inhibitors or even antibodies. Among different cancer types, prostate cancer (PC) is the most prevalent non-cutaneous cancer in men. Genetic alterations and the overexpression of several genes, such as FOXA1, AR, PTEN, RB1, TP53, etc., suppress the immune response, resulting in drug resistance to conventional drugs in prostate cancer. Since the progression of ARV-110 (PROTAC for PC) into clinical phases, the focus of research has quickly shifted to protein degraders targeting prostate cancer. The present review highlights an overview of PROTACs in prostate cancer and their superiority over conventional inhibitors. We also delve into the underlying pathophysiology of the disease and explain the structural design and linkerology strategies for PROTAC molecules. Additionally, we touch on the various targets for PROTAC in prostate cancer, including the androgen receptor (AR) and other critical oncoproteins, and discuss the future prospects and challenges in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poornachandra Yedla
- Department of Pharmacogenomics, Institute of Translational Research, Asian Healthcare Foundation, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology Hospitals, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500082, India
| | - Ahmed O Babalghith
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Vindhya Vasini Andra
- Department of Medical Oncology, Omega Hospitals, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, India
| | - Riyaz Syed
- Department of Chemiinformatics, Centella Scientific, JHUB, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad 500085, India
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Xu H, Kurohara T, Ohoka N, Tsuji G, Inoue T, Naito M, Demizu Y. Development of versatile solid-phase methods for syntheses of PROTACs with diverse E3 ligands. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 86:117293. [PMID: 37126968 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Developing highly active proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) requires investigating a variety of ubiquitin ligase (E3 ligase) ligands and linker structures as well as their lengths. In this study, we developed a solid-phase synthesis method that affords PROTAC design diversity. We expanded the E3 ligand range to include Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) and inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) ligands because only the cereblon (CRBN) ligand thalidomide and its derivatives have been investigated for solid-phase synthesis of PROTACs. Moreover, we examined the suitability of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) rather than an alkyl linker used in our previous study for synthesizing PROTACs. Facile and rapid solid-phase synthesis methods using the above E3 ligands for developing PROTACs targeting bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) were accomplished. Western blotting analysis revealed that minor differences in the E3 ligand and linker type significantly affected the activity of the synthesized PROTACs. Our solid-phase PROTAC synthesis methods enable rapid synthesis of multiple PROTACs with various combinations of ligands for the protein-of-interest and E3 ligands and linkers that connect these ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanqiao Xu
- National Institute of Health Sciences, 3-25-26, Tonomachi, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan; Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Takashi Kurohara
- National Institute of Health Sciences, 3-25-26, Tonomachi, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan
| | - Nobumichi Ohoka
- National Institute of Health Sciences, 3-25-26, Tonomachi, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan
| | - Genichiro Tsuji
- National Institute of Health Sciences, 3-25-26, Tonomachi, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan
| | - Takao Inoue
- National Institute of Health Sciences, 3-25-26, Tonomachi, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan
| | - Mikihiko Naito
- Laboratory of Targeted Protein Degradation, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yosuke Demizu
- National Institute of Health Sciences, 3-25-26, Tonomachi, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan; Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan; Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmaceutical Science of Okayama University, 1-1-1 Tsushimanaka, Kita, Okayama 700-8530, Japan.
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64
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Chen Y, Li W, Kwon S, Wang Y, Li Z, Hu Q. Small-Molecule Ferritin Degrader as a Pyroptosis Inducer. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:9815-9824. [PMID: 37094179 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c01852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Exploring the response of malignant cells to intracellular metabolic stress is critical for understanding pathologic processes and developing anticancer therapies. Herein, we developed ferritin-targeting proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) to establish the iron excess stress inside cancer cells and investigated subsequent cellular behaviors. We conjugated oleic acid that binds to the ferritin dimer to the ligand of von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) E3 ligase through an alkyl linker. The screened chimera, DeFer-2, degraded ferritin and then rapidly elevated the free iron content, thereby initiating the caspase 3-GSDME-mediated pyroptosis in cancer cells rather than typical ferroptosis that is always associated with iron ion overload. According to its structural and physicochemical characteristics, DeFer-2 was loaded into a tailored albumin-based nano-formulation, which substantially inhibited tumor growth and prolonged the survival time of mice bearing B16F10 subcutaneous tumors with negligible adverse effects. This study developed a ferritin-targeting PROTAC for iron overload stress, revealed iron metabolic dysregulation-mediated pyroptosis, and provided a PROTAC-based pyroptosis inducer for anticancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Chen
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
- Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
- Wisconsin Center for NanoBioSystems, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Wen Li
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Song Kwon
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Yixin Wang
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
- Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
- Wisconsin Center for NanoBioSystems, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Zhaoting Li
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
- Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
- Wisconsin Center for NanoBioSystems, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Quanyin Hu
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
- Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
- Wisconsin Center for NanoBioSystems, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
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Chen S, Chen Z, Lu L, Zhao Y, Zhou R, Xie Q, Shu Y, Lin J, Yu X, Wang Y. Discovery of novel BTK PROTACs with improved metabolic stability via linker rigidification strategy. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 255:115403. [PMID: 37119666 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) functions as a key regulator of B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathway, which is frequently hyperactivated in a variety of lymphoma cancers. Using Proteolysis Targeting Chimera (PROTAC) technology, we have recently discovered a highly potent ARQ-531-derived BTK PROTAC 6e, inducing effective degradation of both wild type (WT) and C481S mutant BTK proteins. However, the poor metabolic stability of PROTAC 6e have limited its further in vivo studies. Herein, we present our structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies on modifying PROTAC 6e using linker rigidification strategy to identify a novel cereblon (CRBN)-recruiting compound 3e that induced BTK degradation in a concentration-dependent manner but had no effect on reducing the level of CRBN neo-substrates. Moreover, compound 3e suppressed the cell growth more potently than the small molecule inhibitors ibrutinib and ARQ-531 in several cells. Furthermore, compound 3e with the rigid linker displayed a significantly improved metabolic stability profile with the T1/2 increased to more than 145 min. Overall, we discovered a highly potent and selective BTK PROTAC lead compound 3e, which could be further optimized as potential BTK degradation therapy for BTK-associated human cancers and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Zhendong Chen
- School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Lixue Lu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Yunpeng Zhao
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Ronghui Zhou
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Qiong Xie
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Yongzhi Shu
- Shanghai Meizer Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd, 58 Yuanmei Road, Shanghai, 201109, China
| | - Jun Lin
- School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Xufen Yu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China.
| | - Yonghui Wang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China.
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Wang M, Lin R, Li J, Suo Y, Gao J, Liu L, Zhou L, Ni Y, Yang Z, Zheng J, Lin J, Zhou H, Luo C, Lin H. Discovery of LL-K8-22: A Selective, Durable, and Small-Molecule Degrader of the CDK8-Cyclin C Complex. J Med Chem 2023; 66:4932-4951. [PMID: 36930701 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c02045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
Abstract
The CDK8-cyclin C complex is an important anti-tumor target, but unlike CDK8, cyclin C remains undruggable. Modulators regulating cyclin C activity directly are still under development. Here, a series of hydrophobic tagging-based degraders of the CDK8-cyclin C complex were designed, synthesized, and evaluated to identify the first dual degrader, LL-K8-22, which induced selective and synchronous degradation of CDK8 and cyclin C. Proteomic and immunoblot studies exhibited that LL-K8-22 significantly degraded CDK8 without reducing CDK19 and did not degrade other cyclin proteins except cyclin C. Moreover, LL-K8-22 showed enhanced anti-proliferative effects over its parental molecule, BI-1347, with potency increased by 5-fold in MDA-MB-468 cells. LL-K8-22 exhibited more pronounced effects on CDK8-cyclin C downstream signaling than BI-1347, suppressing STAT1 phosphorylation more persistently. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that LL-K8-22 inhibited E2F- and MYC-driven carcinogenic transcriptional programs. Overall, LL-K8-22 is the first-in-class degrader of cyclin C and would be useful for studying the unknown functions of cyclin C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Rongkun Lin
- School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China
| | - Jiacheng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yuying Suo
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jing Gao
- Biomedical Research Center of South China, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
| | - Liping Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Liyuan Zhou
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Yicheng Ni
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Ziqun Yang
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center of Immunological Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jie Zheng
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center of Immunological Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jin Lin
- School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China
| | - Hu Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Cheng Luo
- School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan 528437, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Hua Lin
- Biomedical Research Center of South China, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
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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] [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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Tokarski RJ, Sharpe CM, Huntsman AC, Mize BK, Ayinde OR, Stahl EH, Lerma JR, Reed A, Carmichael B, Muthusamy N, Byrd JC, Fuchs JR. Bifunctional degraders of cyclin dependent kinase 9 (CDK9): Probing the relationship between linker length, properties, and selective protein degradation. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 254:115342. [PMID: 37071962 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) is a promising therapeutic target in multiple cancer types, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Protein degraders, also known as proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), have emerged as tools for the selective degradation of cancer targets, including CDK9, complementing the activity of traditional small-molecule inhibitors. These compounds typically incorporate previously reported inhibitors and a known E3 ligase ligand to induce ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of the target protein. Although many protein degraders have been reported in the literature, the properties of the linker necessary for efficient degradation still require special attention. In this study, a series of protein degraders was developed, employing the clinically tested CDK inhibitor AT7519. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect that linker composition, specifically chain length, would have on potency. In addition to establishing a baseline of activity for various linker compositions, two distinct homologous series, a fully alkyl series and an amide-containing series, were prepared, demonstrating the dependence of degrader potency in these series on linker length and the correlation with predicted physicochemical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Tokarski
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States
| | - Chia M Sharpe
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, United States
| | - Andrew C Huntsman
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States
| | - Brittney K Mize
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States
| | - Oluwatosin R Ayinde
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States
| | - Emily H Stahl
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States
| | - James R Lerma
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, United States
| | - Andrew Reed
- CCIC Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States
| | - Bridget Carmichael
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States
| | - Natarajan Muthusamy
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States
| | - John C Byrd
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, United States; University of Cincinnati Cancer Center, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, United States
| | - James R Fuchs
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States.
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Kaneshige A, Bai L, Wang M, McEachern D, Meagher JL, Xu R, Kirchhoff PD, Wen B, Sun D, Stuckey JA, Wang S. Discovery of a Potent and Selective STAT5 PROTAC Degrader with Strong Antitumor Activity In Vivo in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. J Med Chem 2023; 66:2717-2743. [PMID: 36735833 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
STAT5 is an attractive therapeutic target for human cancers. We report herein the discovery of a potent and selective STAT5 degrader with strong antitumor activity in vivo. We first obtained small-molecule ligands with sub-micromolar to low micromolar binding affinities to STAT5 and STAT6 SH2 domains and determined co-crystal structures of three such ligands in complex with STAT5A. We successfully transformed these ligands into potent and selective STAT5 degraders using the PROTAC technology with AK-2292 as the best compound. AK-2292 effectively induces degradation of STAT5A, STAT5B, and phosphorylated STAT5 proteins in a concentration- and time-dependent manner in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines and demonstrates excellent degradation selectivity for STAT5 over all other STAT members. It exerts potent and specific cell growth inhibitory activity in AML cell lines with high levels of phosphorylated STAT5. AK-2292 effectively reduces STAT5 protein in vivo and achieves strong antitumor activity in mice at well-tolerated dose schedules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsunori Kaneshige
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.,Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Longchuan Bai
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Mi Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Donna McEachern
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Jennifer L Meagher
- Life Science Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Renqi Xu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Paul D Kirchhoff
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Bo Wen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Duxin Sun
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.,Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Jeanne A Stuckey
- Life Science Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.,Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Shaomeng Wang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.,Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.,Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.,Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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70
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O' Donovan DH, De Fusco C, Kuhnke L, Reichel A. Trends in Molecular Properties, Bioavailability, and Permeability across the Bayer Compound Collection. J Med Chem 2023; 66:2347-2360. [PMID: 36752336 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
For oral drugs, medicinal chemists aim to design compounds with high oral bioavailability, of which permeability is a key determinant. Taking advantage of >2000 compounds tested in rat bioavailability studies and >20,000 compounds tested in Caco2 assays at Bayer, we have examined the molecular properties governing bioavailability and permeability. In addition to classical parameters such as logD and molecular weight, we also investigated the relationship between calculated pKa and permeability. We find that neutral compounds retain permeability up to a molecular weight limit of 700, while stronger acids and bases are restricted to weights of 400-500. We also investigate trends for common properties such as hydrogen bond donors and acceptors, polar surface area, aromatic ring count, and rotatable bonds, including compounds which exceed Lipinski's rule of five (Ro5). These property-structure relationships are combined to provide design guidelines for bioavailable drugs in both traditional and "beyond rule of 5" (bRo5) chemical space.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lara Kuhnke
- Drug Discovery Sciences, Bayer AG, 13342 Berlin, Germany
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71
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O'Brien Laramy MN, Luthra S, Brown MF, Bartlett DW. Delivering on the promise of protein degraders. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2023; 22:410-427. [PMID: 36810917 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-023-00652-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Over the past 3 years, the first bivalent protein degraders intentionally designed for targeted protein degradation (TPD) have advanced to clinical trials, with an initial focus on established targets. Most of these clinical candidates are designed for oral administration, and many discovery efforts appear to be similarly focused. As we look towards the future, we propose that an oral-centric discovery paradigm will overly constrain the chemical designs that are considered and limit the potential to drug novel targets. In this Perspective, we summarize the current state of the bivalent degrader modality and propose three categories of degrader designs, based on their likely route of administration and requirement for drug delivery technologies. We then describe a vision for how parenteral drug delivery, implemented early in research and supported by pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modelling, can enable exploration of a broader drug design space, expand the scope of accessible targets and deliver on the promise of protein degraders as a therapeutic modality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Suman Luthra
- Discovery Pharmaceutical Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew F Brown
- Discovery Sciences, Worldwide Research, Development, and Medical, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT, USA
| | - Derek W Bartlett
- Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics, & Metabolism, Worldwide Research, Development, and Medical, Pfizer Inc., San Diego, CA, USA
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72
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Cho N, Naito M. Synthesis of SNIPERs against BCR-ABL with kinase inhibitors and a method to evaluate their growth inhibitory activity derived from BCR-ABL degradation. Methods Enzymol 2023; 681:41-60. [PMID: 36764763 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Specific and nongenetic IAP-dependent Protein Erasers (SNIPERs) are a kind of PROTACs recruiting IAP ubiquitin ligases to induce degradation of target proteins. We have developed a series of SNIPERs against BCR-ABL oncogenic kinases by employing kinase inhibitors as target ligands. Some of these SNIPERs show potent activities to degrade BCR-ABL protein and inhibit CML cell growth. However, since SNIPERs also inhibit kinase activity, it takes some ingenuity to show that degradation of BCR-ABL plays a significant role on growth inhibitory activity. Here we describe protocols for synthesizing SNIPERs against BCR-ABL oncogenic kinase that contain kinase inhibitors as target ligands, and methods for evaluating the growth inhibitory activity against cancer cells, especially focusing on a method to discriminate the significance of protein degradation from that of kinase inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuo Cho
- Drug Discovery Chemistry Platform Unit, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Mikihiko Naito
- Social Cooperation Program of Targeted Protein Degradation, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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73
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Colarusso E, Ceccacci S, Monti MC, Gazzillo E, Giordano A, Chini MG, Ferraro MG, Piccolo M, Ruggiero D, Irace C, Terracciano S, Bruno I, Bifulco G, Lauro G. Identification of 2,4,5-trisubstituted-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazol-3-one-based small molecules as selective BRD9 binders. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 247:115018. [PMID: 36577218 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.115018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Targeting bromodomain-containing protein 9 (BRD9) represents a promising strategy for the development of new agents endowed with anticancer properties. With this aim, a set of 2,4,5-trisubstituted-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazol-3-one-based compounds was investigated following a combined approach that relied on in silico studies, chemical synthesis, biophysical and biological evaluation of the most promising items. The protocol was initially based on molecular docking experiments, accounting a library of 1896 potentially synthesizable items tested in silico against the bromodomain of BRD9. A first set of 21 compounds (1-21) was selected and the binding on BDR9 was assessed through AlphaScreen assays. The obtained results disclosed compounds 17 and 20 able to bind BRD9 in the submicromolar range (IC50 = 0.35 ± 0.18 μM and IC50 = 0.14 ± 0.03 μM, respectively) showing a promising selectivity profile when tested against further nine bromodomains. Taking advantage of 3D structure-based pharmacophore models, additional 10 derivatives were selected in silico for the synthetic step and binding assessment, highlighting seven compounds (22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29, 31) able to selectively bind BRD9 among different bromodomains. The ability of the identified BRD9 binders to cross artificial membranes in vitro was also assessed, revealing a very good passive permeability profile. Preliminary studies were carried out on a panel of healthy and cancer human cell lines to explore the biological behavior of the selected compounds, disclosing a moderate activity and significant selectivity profile towards leukaemia cells. These results highlighted the applicability of the reported multidisciplinary approach for accelerating the selection of promising items and for driving the chemical synthesis of novel selective BRD9 binders. Moreover, the low molecular weight of the reported 2,4,5-trisubstituted-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazol-3-one-based BRD9 binders suggests the possibility for further exploring the chemical space in order to obtain new analogues with improved potency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Colarusso
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, 84084, Italy
| | - Sara Ceccacci
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, 84084, Italy; PhD Program in Drug Discovery and Development, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, 84084, Italy
| | - Maria Chiara Monti
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, 84084, Italy
| | - Erica Gazzillo
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, 84084, Italy; PhD Program in Drug Discovery and Development, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, 84084, Italy
| | - Assunta Giordano
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, 84084, Italy; Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry (ICB), Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (CNR), Via Campi Flegrei 34, I-80078, Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy
| | - Maria Giovanna Chini
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, C.da Fonte Lappone, Pesche, 86090, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Ferraro
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Domenico Montesano 49, Naples, 80131, Italy
| | - Marialuisa Piccolo
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Domenico Montesano 49, Naples, 80131, Italy
| | - Dafne Ruggiero
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, 84084, Italy
| | - Carlo Irace
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Domenico Montesano 49, Naples, 80131, Italy
| | - Stefania Terracciano
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, 84084, Italy
| | - Ines Bruno
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, 84084, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Bifulco
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, 84084, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Lauro
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, 84084, Italy.
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74
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Zhou QQ, Xiao HT, Yang F, Wang YD, Li P, Zheng ZG. Advancing targeted protein degradation for metabolic diseases therapy. Pharmacol Res 2023; 188:106627. [PMID: 36566001 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2022.106627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The development and application of traditional drugs represented by small molecule chemical drugs and biological agents, especially inhibitors, have become the mainstream drug development. In recent years, targeted protein degradation (TPD) technology has become one of the most promising methods to remove specific disease-related proteins using cell self-destruction mechanisms. Many different TPD strategies are emerging based on the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and the autophagy-lysosomal pathway (ALP), including but not limited to proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTAC), molecular glues (MG), lysosome targeting chimeras (LYTAC), chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA)-targeting chimeras, autophagy-targeting chimera (AUTAC), autophagosome-tethering compound (ATTEC), and autophagy-targeting chimera (AUTOTAC). The advent of targeted degradation technology can change most protein targets in human cells from undruggable to druggable, greatly expanding the therapeutic prospect of refractory diseases such as metabolic syndrome. Here, we summarize the latest progress of major TPD technologies, especially in metabolic syndrome and look forward to providing new insights for drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian-Qian Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hai-Tao Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Fan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yong-Dan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zu-Guo Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
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75
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Apprato G, D’Agostini G, Rossetti P, Ermondi G, Caron G. In Silico Tools to Extract the Drug Design Information Content of Degradation Data: The Case of PROTACs Targeting the Androgen Receptor. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28031206. [PMID: 36770875 PMCID: PMC9919651 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28031206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) have recently emerged as a promising technology in the drug discovery landscape. Large interest in the degradation of the androgen receptor (AR) as a new anti-prostatic cancer strategy has resulted in several papers focusing on PROTACs against AR. This study explores the potential of a few in silico tools to extract drug design information from AR degradation data in the format often reported in the literature. After setting up a dataset of 92 PROTACs with consistent AR degradation values, we employed the Bemis-Murcko method for their classification. The resulting clusters were not informative in terms of structure-degradation relationship. Subsequently, we performed Degradation Cliff analysis and identified some key aspects conferring a positive contribution to activity, as well as some methodological limits when applying this approach to PROTACs. Linker structure degradation relationships were also investigated. Then, we built and characterized ternary complexes to validate previous results. Finally, we implemented machine learning classification models and showed that AR degradation for VHL-based but not CRBN-based PROTACs can be predicted from simple permeability-related 2D molecular descriptors.
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76
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Mai H, Zimmer MH, Miller TF. Exploring PROTAC Cooperativity with Coarse-Grained Alchemical Methods. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:446-455. [PMID: 36607139 PMCID: PMC9869335 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c05795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) is a novel drug modality that facilitates the degradation of a target protein by inducing proximity with an E3 ligase. In this work, we present a new computational framework to model the cooperativity between PROTAC-E3 binding and PROTAC-target binding principally through protein-protein interactions (PPIs) induced by the PROTAC. Due to the scarcity and low resolution of experimental measurements, the physical and chemical drivers of these non-native PPIs remain to be elucidated. We develop a coarse-grained (CG) approach to model interactions in the target-PROTAC-E3 complexes, which enables converged thermodynamic estimations using alchemical free energy calculation methods despite an unconventional scale of perturbations. With minimal parametrization, we successfully capture fundamental principles of cooperativity, including the optimality of intermediate PROTAC linker lengths that originates from configurational entropy. We qualitatively characterize the dependency of cooperativity on PROTAC linker lengths and protein charges and shapes. Minimal inclusion of sequence- and conformation-specific features in our current force field, however, limits quantitative modeling to reproduce experimental measurements, but further development of the CG model may allow for efficient computational screening to optimize PROTAC cooperativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanghao Mai
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California91125, United States
| | - Matthew H. Zimmer
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California91125, United States
| | - Thomas F. Miller
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California91125, United States
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77
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Abstract
In order to deliver chemotherapeutics more efficiently, small-molecule-drug conjugates (SMDCs) and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have been synthesized and explored. These conjugates not only provide selective delivery but also improve the therapeutic index of toxins. By merging this conjugate concept with target protein degradation (TPD), the degrader-antibody conjugate (DAC) field has emerged, and clinical trials have even begun in recent years. In this Perspective, we provide the concepts, applications, and recent advances in the area of DACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ki Bum Hong
- New Drug Development Center (NDDC), Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation (DGMIF), 80 Cheombok-ro, Dong-gu, 41061 Daegu, Korea
| | - Hongchan An
- New Drug Development Center (NDDC), Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation (DGMIF), 80 Cheombok-ro, Dong-gu, 41061 Daegu, Korea
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78
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Banerjee S, Sharma S, Thakur A, Sachdeva R, Sharma R, Nepali K, Liou JP. N-Heterocycle based Degraders (PROTACs) Manifesting Anticancer Efficacy: Recent Advances. Curr Drug Targets 2023; 24:1184-1208. [PMID: 37946353 DOI: 10.2174/0113894501273969231102095615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) technology has emerged as a promising strategy for the treatment of undruggable therapeutic targets. Researchers have invested a great effort in developing druggable PROTACs; however, the problems associated with PROTACs, including poor solubility, metabolic stability, cell permeability, and pharmacokinetic profile, restrict their clinical utility. Thus, there is a pressing need to expand the size of the armory of PROTACs which will escalate the chances of pinpointing new PROTACs with optimum pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics properties. N- heterocycle is a class of organic frameworks that have been widely explored to construct new and novel PROTACs. This review provides an overview of recent efforts of medicinal chemists to develop N-heterocycle-based PROTACs as effective cancer therapeutics. Specifically, the recent endeavors centred on the discovery of PROTACs have been delved into various classes based on the E3 ligase they target (MDM2, IAP, CRBN, and other E3 ligases). Mechanistic insights revealed during the biological assessment of recently furnished Nheterocyclic- based PROTACs constructed via the utilization of ligands for various E3 ligases have been discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suddhasatwa Banerjee
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 110031, Taiwan
| | - Sachin Sharma
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 110031, Taiwan
| | - Amandeep Thakur
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 110031, Taiwan
| | - Ritika Sachdeva
- College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 110031, Taiwan
| | - Ram Sharma
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 110031, Taiwan
| | - Kunal Nepali
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 110031, Taiwan
- Ph.D. Program in Drug Discovery and Development Industry, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jing Ping Liou
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 110031, Taiwan
- Ph.D. Program in Drug Discovery and Development Industry, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
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79
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Villegas JA, Vaid TM, Johnson ME, Moore TW. Mapping the energy landscape of PROTAC-mediated protein-protein interactions. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:1885-1892. [PMID: 36923472 PMCID: PMC10008833 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.02.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A principal challenge in computational modeling of macromolecules is the vast conformational space that arises out of large numbers of atomic degrees of freedom. Recently, growing interest in building predictive models of complexes mediated by Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) has led to the application of state-of-the-art computational techniques to tackle this problem. However, repurposing existing tools to carry out protein-protein docking and linker conformer generation independently results in extensive sampling of structures incompatible with PROTAC-mediated complex formation. Here we show that it is possible to restrict the search to the space of protein-protein conformations that can be bridged by a PROTAC molecule with a given linker composition by using a cyclic coordinate descent algorithm to position PROTACs into complex-bound configurations. We use this methodology to construct potential energy and solvation energy landscapes of PROTAC-mediated interactions. Our results suggest that desolvation of amino acids at interfaces could play a dominant role in PROTAC-mediated complex formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A Villegas
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Tasneem M Vaid
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Michael E Johnson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.,Center for Biomolecular Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60606, USA
| | - Terry W Moore
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.,University of Illinois Cancer Center, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
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80
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Chatterjee DR, Kapoor S, Jain M, Das R, Chowdhury MG, Shard A. PROTACting the kinome with covalent warheads. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103417. [PMID: 36306996 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2022.103417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The dawn of targeted degradation using proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) against recalcitrant proteins has prompted numerous efforts to develop complementary drugs. Although many of these are specifically directed against undruggable proteins, there is increasing interest in small molecule-based PROTACs that target intracellular pathways, and some have recently entered clinical trials. Concurrently, small molecule-based PROTACs that target protumorigenic pathways in cancer cells, the tumor microenvironment (TME), and angiogenesis have been found to have potent effects that synergize with the action of antibodies. This has led to the augmentation of PROTACs with variable substitution patterns. Several combinations with small molecules targeting undruggable proteins are now under clinical investigation. In this review, we discuss the recent milestones achieved as well as challenges encountered in this area of drug development, as well as our opinion on the best path forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deep Rohan Chatterjee
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Saumya Kapoor
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Meenakshi Jain
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Rudradip Das
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Moumita Ghosh Chowdhury
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Amit Shard
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India.
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81
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Tunjic TM, Weber N, Brunsteiner M. Computer aided drug design in the development of proteolysis targeting chimeras. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:2058-2067. [PMID: 36968015 PMCID: PMC10030821 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.02.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteolysis targeting chimeras represent a class of drug molecules with a number of attractive properties, most notably a potential to work for targets that, so far, have been in-accessible for conventional small molecule inhibitors. Due to their different mechanism of action, and physico-chemical properties, many of the methods that have been designed and applied for computer aided design of traditional small molecule drugs are not applicable for proteolysis targeting chimeras. Here we review recent developments in this field focusing on three aspects: de-novo linker-design, estimation of absorption for beyond-rule-of-5 compounds, and the generation and ranking of ternary complex structures. In spite of this field still being young, we find that a good number of models and algorithms are available, with the potential to assist the design of such compounds in-silico, and accelerate applied pharmaceutical research.
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82
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Liu Z, Hu M, Yang Y, Du C, Zhou H, Liu C, Chen Y, Fan L, Ma H, Gong Y, Xie Y. An overview of PROTACs: a promising drug discovery paradigm. MOLECULAR BIOMEDICINE 2022; 3:46. [PMID: 36536188 PMCID: PMC9763089 DOI: 10.1186/s43556-022-00112-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) technology has emerged as a novel therapeutic paradigm in recent years. PROTACs are heterobifunctional molecules that degrade target proteins by hijacking the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Currently, about 20-25% of all protein targets are being studied, and most works focus on their enzymatic functions. Unlike small molecules, PROTACs inhibit the whole biological function of the target protein by binding to the target protein and inducing subsequent proteasomal degradation. PROTACs compensate for limitations that transcription factors, nuclear proteins, and other scaffolding proteins are difficult to handle with traditional small-molecule inhibitors. Currently, PROTACs have successfully degraded diverse proteins, such as BTK, BRD4, AR, ER, STAT3, IRAK4, tau, etc. And ARV-110 and ARV-471 exhibited excellent efficacy in clinical II trials. However, what targets are appropriate for PROTAC technology to achieve better benefits than small-molecule inhibitors are not fully understood. And how to rationally design an efficient PROTACs and optimize it to be orally effective poses big challenges for researchers. In this review, we summarize the features of PROTAC technology, analyze the detail of general principles for designing efficient PROTACs, and discuss the typical application of PROTACs targeting different protein categories. In addition, we also introduce the progress of relevant clinical trial results of representative PROTACs and assess the challenges and limitations that PROTACs may face. Collectively, our studies provide references for further application of PROTACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi Liu
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Mingxing Hu
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Yu Yang
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Chenghao Du
- grid.42505.360000 0001 2156 6853Department of Biological Sciences, USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles, 90089 USA
| | - Haoxuan Zhou
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Chengyali Liu
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Yuanwei Chen
- Hinova Pharmaceuticals Inc., Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Lei Fan
- Hinova Pharmaceuticals Inc., Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Hongqun Ma
- Hinova Pharmaceuticals Inc., Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Youling Gong
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Department of Thoracic Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Yongmei Xie
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
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83
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Koroleva OA, Dutikova YV, Trubnikov AV, Zenov FA, Manasova EV, Shtil AA, Kurkin AV. PROTAC: targeted drug strategy. Principles and limitations. Russ Chem Bull 2022; 71:2310-2334. [PMID: 36569659 PMCID: PMC9762658 DOI: 10.1007/s11172-022-3659-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The PROTAC (PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera) technology is a method of targeting intracellular proteins previously considered undruggable. This technology utilizes the ubiquitin-proteasome system in cells to specifically degrade target proteins, thereby offering significant advantages over conventional small-molecule inhibitors of the enzymatic function. Preclinical and preliminary clinical trials of PROTAC-based compounds (degraders) are presented. The review considers the general principles of the design of degraders. Advances and challenges of the PROTAC technology are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- O. A. Koroleva
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Build. 3, 1 Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Yu. V. Dutikova
- Patent & Law Firm “A. Zalesov and Partners”, Build. 9, 2 ul. Marshala Rybalko, 123060 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - A. V. Trubnikov
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Build. 3, 1 Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - F. A. Zenov
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Build. 3, 1 Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - E. V. Manasova
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Build. 3, 1 Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - A. A. Shtil
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Build. 3, 1 Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
- N. N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Build. 15, 24 Kashirskoe shosse, 115478 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - A. V. Kurkin
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Build. 3, 1 Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
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84
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Cross JM, Coulson ME, Smalley JP, Pytel WA, Ismail O, Trory JS, Cowley SM, Hodgkinson JT. A 'click' chemistry approach to novel entinostat (MS-275) based class I histone deacetylase proteolysis targeting chimeras. RSC Med Chem 2022; 13:1634-1639. [PMID: 36545434 PMCID: PMC9749924 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00199c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Click chemistry was utilised to prepare a library of PROTACs based on entinostat a class I histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor in clinical trials. A novel PROTAC JMC-137 was identified as a HDAC1/2 and HDAC3 degrader in HCT116 cells. However, potency was compromised compared to previously identified class I HDAC PROTACs highlighting the importance in the choice of HDAC ligand, functional group for linker attachment and positioning in PROTAC design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine M. Cross
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, School of Chemistry, University of LeicesterLeicesterLE1 7RHUK
| | - Megan E. Coulson
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, School of Chemistry, University of LeicesterLeicesterLE1 7RHUK,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of LeicesterLeicesterLE1 7RHUK
| | - Joshua P. Smalley
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, School of Chemistry, University of LeicesterLeicesterLE1 7RHUK
| | - Wiktoria A. Pytel
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, School of Chemistry, University of LeicesterLeicesterLE1 7RHUK,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of LeicesterLeicesterLE1 7RHUK
| | - Ozair Ismail
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, School of Chemistry, University of LeicesterLeicesterLE1 7RHUK
| | - Justin S. Trory
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, School of Chemistry, University of LeicesterLeicesterLE1 7RHUK
| | - Shaun M. Cowley
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of LeicesterLeicesterLE1 7RHUK
| | - James T. Hodgkinson
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, School of Chemistry, University of LeicesterLeicesterLE1 7RHUK
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85
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Bollu L, Bommi PV, Monsen PJ, Zhai L, Lauing KL, Bell A, Kim M, Ladomersky E, Yang X, Platanias LC, Matei DE, Bonini MG, Munshi HG, Hashizume R, Wu JD, Zhang B, James CD, Chen P, Kocherginsky M, Horbinski C, Cameron MD, Grigorescu AA, Yamini B, Lukas RV, Schiltz GE, Wainwright DA. Identification and Characterization of a Novel Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase 1 Protein Degrader for Glioblastoma. J Med Chem 2022; 65:15642-15662. [PMID: 36410047 PMCID: PMC9743093 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is a potent immunosuppressive enzyme that inhibits the antitumor immune response through both tryptophan metabolism and non-enzymatic functions. To date, most IDO1-targeted approaches have focused on inhibiting tryptophan metabolism. However, this class of drugs has failed to improve the overall survival of patients with cancer. Here, we developed and characterized proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) that degrade the IDO1 protein. IDO1-PROTACs were tested for their effects on IDO1 enzyme and non-enzyme activities. After screening a library of IDO1-PROTAC derivatives, a compound was identified that potently degraded the IDO1 protein through cereblon-mediated proteasomal degradation. The IDO1-PROTAC: (i) inhibited IDO1 enzyme activity and IDO1-mediated NF-κB phosphorylation in cultured human glioblastoma (GBM) cells, (ii) degraded the IDO1 protein within intracranial brain tumors in vivo, and (iii) mediated a survival benefit in mice with well-established brain tumors. This study identified and characterized a new IDO1 protein degrader with therapeutic potential for patients with glioblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lakshmi
R. Bollu
- Department
of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Prashant V. Bommi
- Department
of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Paige J. Monsen
- Department
of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Lijie Zhai
- Department
of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Kristen L. Lauing
- Department
of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - April Bell
- Department
of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Miri Kim
- Department
of Neurological Surgery, Loyola University
Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois 60153, United
States
| | - Erik Ladomersky
- Department
of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Xinyu Yang
- WuXi
AppTec, Shanghai 200131, People’s Republic of China
| | - Leonidas C. Platanias
- Department
of Medicine—Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Robert
H.
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Daniela E. Matei
- Robert
H.
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Department
of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Marcelo G. Bonini
- Department
of Medicine—Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Robert
H.
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Hidayatullah G. Munshi
- Department
of Medicine—Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Robert
H.
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Rintaro Hashizume
- Robert
H.
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Department
of Pediatrics − Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Stem
Cell Transplantation, Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Jennifer D. Wu
- Robert
H.
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Department
of Urology, Northwestern University Feinberg
School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Department
of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department
of Medicine—Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Department
of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Charles David James
- Department
of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Peiwen Chen
- Department
of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Masha Kocherginsky
- Robert
H.
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Department
of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Craig Horbinski
- Department
of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Robert
H.
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Department of Pathology, Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Michael D. Cameron
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, The
Scripps Research Institute, Scripps Florida, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
| | - Arabela A. Grigorescu
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern
University Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Bakhtiar Yamini
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Division of the Biological Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Rimas V. Lukas
- Robert
H.
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Department
of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg
School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Gary E. Schiltz
- Department
of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Robert
H.
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
| | - Derek A. Wainwright
- Department
of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Department
of Medicine—Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Robert
H.
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
- Department
of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
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86
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Meyer SM, Tanaka T, Zanon PRA, Baisden JT, Abegg D, Yang X, Akahori Y, Alshakarchi Z, Cameron MD, Adibekian A, Disney MD. DNA-Encoded Library Screening To Inform Design of a Ribonuclease Targeting Chimera (RiboTAC). J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:21096-21102. [PMID: 36342850 PMCID: PMC10786349 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c07217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Ribonuclease targeting chimeras (RiboTACs) induce degradation of an RNA target by facilitating an interaction between an RNA and a ribonuclease (RNase). We describe the screening of a DNA-encoded library (DEL) to identify binders of monomeric RNase L to provide a compound that induced dimerization of RNase L, activating its ribonuclease activity. This compound was incorporated into the design of a next-generation RiboTAC that targeted the microRNA-21 (miR-21) precursor and alleviated a miR-21-associated cellular phenotype in triple-negative breast cancer cells. The RNA-binding module in the RiboTAC is Dovitinib, a known receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor, which was previously identified to bind miR-21 as an off-target. Conversion of Dovitinib into this RiboTAC reprograms the known drug to selectively affect the RNA target. This work demonstrates that DEL can be used to identify compounds that bind and recruit proteins with effector functions in heterobifunctional compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M. Meyer
- The Scripps Research Institute & UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Department of Chemistry, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Toru Tanaka
- The Scripps Research Institute & UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Department of Chemistry, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Patrick R. A. Zanon
- The Scripps Research Institute & UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Department of Chemistry, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Jared T. Baisden
- The Scripps Research Institute & UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Department of Chemistry, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Daniel Abegg
- The Scripps Research Institute & UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Department of Chemistry, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Xueyi Yang
- The Scripps Research Institute & UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Department of Chemistry, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Yoshihiro Akahori
- The Scripps Research Institute & UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Department of Chemistry, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Zainab Alshakarchi
- The Scripps Research Institute & UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Department of Chemistry, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Michael D. Cameron
- The Scripps Research Institute & UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Department of Chemistry, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Alexander Adibekian
- The Scripps Research Institute & UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Department of Chemistry, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Matthew D. Disney
- The Scripps Research Institute & UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Department of Chemistry, Jupiter, FL 33458
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87
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Bhela I, Ranza A, Balestrero FC, Serafini M, Aprile S, Di Martino RMC, Condorelli F, Pirali T. A Versatile and Sustainable Multicomponent Platform for the Synthesis of Protein Degraders: Proof-of-Concept Application to BRD4-Degrading PROTACs. J Med Chem 2022; 65:15282-15299. [PMID: 36323630 PMCID: PMC9706574 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The use of small molecules to induce targeted protein degradation is increasingly growing in the drug discovery landscape, and protein degraders have progressed rapidly through the pipelines. Despite the advances made so far, their synthesis still represents a significant burden and new approaches are highly demanded. Herein we report an unprecedented platform that leverages the modular nature of both multicomponent reactions and degraders to enable the preparation of highly decorated PROTACs. As a proof of principle, our platform has been applied to the preparation of potential BRD4-degrading PROTACs, resulting in the discovery of a set of degraders endowed with high degradation efficiency. Compared to the existing methods, our approach offers a versatile and cost-effective means to access libraries of protein degraders and increase the chance of identifying successful candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene
Preet Bhela
- Department of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Università degli Studi
del Piemonte Orientale, Largo Donegani 2, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Alice Ranza
- Department of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Università degli Studi
del Piemonte Orientale, Largo Donegani 2, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Federica Carolina Balestrero
- Department of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Università degli Studi
del Piemonte Orientale, Largo Donegani 2, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | | | - Silvio Aprile
- Department of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Università degli Studi
del Piemonte Orientale, Largo Donegani 2, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Rita Maria Concetta Di Martino
- Department of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Università degli Studi
del Piemonte Orientale, Largo Donegani 2, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Condorelli
- Department of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Università degli Studi
del Piemonte Orientale, Largo Donegani 2, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Tracey Pirali
- Department of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Università degli Studi
del Piemonte Orientale, Largo Donegani 2, 28100 Novara, Italy
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88
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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: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [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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89
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Pu C, Wang S, Liu L, Feng Z, Zhang H, Gong Q, Sun Y, Guo Y, Li R. Current strategies for improving limitations of proteolysis targeting chimeras. CHINESE CHEM LETT 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2022.107927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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90
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Ma B, Fan Y, Zhang D, Wei Y, Jian Y, Liu D, Wang Z, Gao Y, Ma J, Chen Y, Xu S, Li L. De Novo Design of an Androgen Receptor DNA Binding Domain-Targeted peptide PROTAC for Prostate Cancer Therapy. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2201859. [PMID: 35971165 PMCID: PMC9534960 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202201859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Androgen receptor splice variant-7 (AR-V7), one of the major driving factors, is the most attractive drug target in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Currently, no available drugs efficiently target AR-V7 in clinical practice. The DNA binding domain (DBD) is indispensable for the transcriptional activity of AR full length and AR splice variants, including AR-V7. Based on the homodimerization structure of the AR DBD, a novel peptide-based proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) drug is designed to induce AR and AR-V7 degradation in a DBD and MDM2-dependent manner, without showing any activity on other hormone receptors. To overcome the short half-life and poor cell penetrability of peptide PROTAC drugs, an ultrasmall gold (Au)-peptide complex platform to deliver the AR DBD PROTAC in vivo is developed. The obtained Au-AR pep-PROTAC effectively degrades AR and AR-V7 in prostate cancer cell lines, particularly in CWR22Rv1 cells with DC50 values 48.8 and 79.2 nM, respectively. Au-AR pep-PROTAC results in suppression of AR levels and induces tumor regression in both enzalutamide sensitive and resistant prostate cancer animal models. Further optimization of the Au-AR pep-PROTAC can ultimately lead to a new therapy for AR-V7-positive CRPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bohan Ma
- Department of UrologyThe First Affiliated HospitalXi'an Jiaotong University#277 Yanta West RoadXi'anChina
| | - Yizeng Fan
- Department of UrologyThe First Affiliated HospitalXi'an Jiaotong University#277 Yanta West RoadXi'anChina
| | - Dize Zhang
- Department of UrologyThe First Affiliated HospitalXi'an Jiaotong University#277 Yanta West RoadXi'anChina
| | - Yi Wei
- Department of UrologyThe First Affiliated HospitalXi'an Jiaotong University#277 Yanta West RoadXi'anChina
| | - Yanlin Jian
- Department of UrologyThe First Affiliated HospitalXi'an Jiaotong University#277 Yanta West RoadXi'anChina
| | - Donghua Liu
- Department of UrologyThe First Affiliated HospitalXi'an Jiaotong University#277 Yanta West RoadXi'anChina
| | - Zixi Wang
- Department of UrologyThe First Affiliated HospitalXi'an Jiaotong University#277 Yanta West RoadXi'anChina
| | - Yang Gao
- Department of UrologyThe First Affiliated HospitalXi'an Jiaotong University#277 Yanta West RoadXi'anChina
| | - Jian Ma
- Department of UrologyThe First Affiliated HospitalXi'an Jiaotong University#277 Yanta West RoadXi'anChina
| | - Yule Chen
- Department of UrologyThe First Affiliated HospitalXi'an Jiaotong University#277 Yanta West RoadXi'anChina
| | - Shan Xu
- Department of UrologyThe First Affiliated HospitalXi'an Jiaotong University#277 Yanta West RoadXi'anChina
| | - Lei Li
- Department of UrologyThe First Affiliated HospitalXi'an Jiaotong University#277 Yanta West RoadXi'anChina
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91
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Poongavanam V, Atilaw Y, Siegel S, Giese A, Lehmann L, Meibom D, Erdelyi M, Kihlberg J. Linker-Dependent Folding Rationalizes PROTAC Cell Permeability. J Med Chem 2022; 65:13029-13040. [PMID: 36170570 PMCID: PMC9574858 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) must be cell permeable to reach their target proteins. This is challenging as the bivalent structure of PROTACs puts them in chemical space at, or beyond, the outer limits of oral druggable space. We used NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations independently to gain insights into the origin of the differences in cell permeability displayed by three flexible cereblon PROTACs having closely related structures. Both methods revealed that the propensity of the PROTACs to adopt folded conformations with a low solvent-accessible 3D polar surface area in an apolar environment is correlated to high cell permeability. The chemical nature and the flexibility of the linker were essential for the PROTACs to populate folded conformations stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonds, π-π interactions, and van der Waals interactions. We conclude that MD simulations may be used for the prospective ranking of cell permeability in the design of cereblon PROTACs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yoseph Atilaw
- Department of Chemistry─BMC, Uppsala University, Box 576, 75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Stephan Siegel
- Drug Discovery Sciences, Bayer AG, 13342 Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Giese
- Drug Discovery Sciences, Bayer AG, 13342 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lutz Lehmann
- Drug Discovery Sciences, Bayer AG, 42113 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Daniel Meibom
- Drug Discovery Sciences, Bayer AG, 42113 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Mate Erdelyi
- Department of Chemistry─BMC, Uppsala University, Box 576, 75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jan Kihlberg
- Department of Chemistry─BMC, Uppsala University, Box 576, 75123 Uppsala, Sweden
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92
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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: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [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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93
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Nussinov R, Zhang M, Maloney R, Liu Y, Tsai CJ, Jang H. Allostery: Allosteric Cancer Drivers and Innovative Allosteric Drugs. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167569. [PMID: 35378118 PMCID: PMC9398924 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Here, we discuss the principles of allosteric activating mutations, propagation downstream of the signals that they prompt, and allosteric drugs, with examples from the Ras signaling network. We focus on Abl kinase where mutations shift the landscape toward the active, imatinib binding-incompetent conformation, likely resulting in the high affinity ATP outcompeting drug binding. Recent pharmacological innovation extends to allosteric inhibitor (GNF-5)-linked PROTAC, targeting Bcr-Abl1 myristoylation site, and broadly, allosteric heterobifunctional degraders that destroy targets, rather than inhibiting them. Designed chemical linkers in bifunctional degraders can connect the allosteric ligand that binds the target protein and the E3 ubiquitin ligase warhead anchor. The physical properties and favored conformational state of the engineered linker can precisely coordinate the distance and orientation between the target and the recruited E3. Allosteric PROTACs, noncompetitive molecular glues, and bitopic ligands, with covalent links of allosteric ligands and orthosteric warheads, increase the effective local concentration of productively oriented and placed ligands. Through covalent chemical or peptide linkers, allosteric drugs can collaborate with competitive drugs, degrader anchors, or other molecules of choice, driving innovative drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Nussinov
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
| | - Mingzhen Zhang
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Ryan Maloney
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Yonglan Liu
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Chung-Jung Tsai
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Hyunbum Jang
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
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94
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PROTACs: Current Trends in Protein Degradation by Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras. BioDrugs 2022; 36:609-623. [PMID: 36098871 DOI: 10.1007/s40259-022-00551-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [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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95
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Anwar Z, Ali MS, Galvano A, Perez A, La Mantia M, Bukhari I, Swiatczak B. PROTACs: The Future of Leukemia Therapeutics. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:851087. [PMID: 36120561 PMCID: PMC9479449 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.851087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The fight to find effective, long-lasting treatments for cancer has led many researchers to consider protein degrading entities. Recent developments in PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) have signified their potential as possible cancer therapies. PROTACs are small molecule, protein degraders that function by hijacking the built-in Ubiquitin-Proteasome pathway. This review mainly focuses on the general design and functioning of PROTACs as well as current advancements in the development of PROTACs as anticancer therapies. Particular emphasis is given to PROTACs designed against various types of Leukemia/Blood malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zubair Anwar
- Department of Surgical, Oncological, and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, Uiniversity of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
- *Correspondence: Zubair Anwar, ; Bartlomiej Swiatczak,
| | - Muhammad Shahzad Ali
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, San Luigi Hospital, Turin, Italy
| | - Antonio Galvano
- Department of Surgical, Oncological, and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, Uiniversity of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Alessandro Perez
- Department of Surgical, Oncological, and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, Uiniversity of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Maria La Mantia
- Department of Surgical, Oncological, and Oral Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, Uiniversity of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Ihtisham Bukhari
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Bartlomiej Swiatczak
- Department of History of Science and Scientific Archeology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- *Correspondence: Zubair Anwar, ; Bartlomiej Swiatczak,
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96
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Cao C, He M, Wang L, He Y, Rao Y. Chemistries of bifunctional PROTAC degraders. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:7066-7114. [PMID: 35916511 DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00220e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) technology is a novel and promising therapeutic strategy using small molecules to induce ubiquitin-dependent degradation of proteins. It has received extensive attention from both academia and industry as it can potentially access previously inaccessible targets. However, the design and optimization of PROTACs present big challenges for researchers, and the general strategy for its development and optimization is a lot of trial and error based on experience. This review highlights the important advances in this rapidly growing field and critical limitations of the traditional trial-and-error approach to developing PROTACs by analyzing numerous representative examples of PROTACs development. We summarize and analyze the general principles and strategies for PROTACs design and optimization from the perspective of chemical structure design, and propose potential future pathways to facilitate the development of PROTACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- 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, Beijing 100084, P. R. China. .,Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - 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, Beijing 100084, P. R. China.
| | - Liguo Wang
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, 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, Beijing 100084, 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, Beijing 100084, P. R. China.
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97
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Li J, Liu T, Song Y, Wang M, Liu L, Zhu H, Li Q, Lin J, Jiang H, Chen K, Zhao K, Wang M, Zhou H, Lin H, Luo C. Discovery of Small-Molecule Degraders of the CDK9-Cyclin T1 Complex for Targeting Transcriptional Addiction in Prostate Cancer. J Med Chem 2022; 65:11034-11057. [PMID: 35925880 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Aberrant hyperactivation of cyclins results in carcinogenesis and therapy resistance in cancers. Direct degradation of the specific cyclin or cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-cyclin complex by small-molecule degraders remains a great challenge. Here, we applied the first application of hydrophobic tagging to induce degradation of CDK9-cyclin T1 heterodimer, which is required to keep productive transcription of oncogenes in cancers. LL-K9-3 was identified as a potent small-molecule degrader of CDK9-cyclin T1. Quantitative and time-resolved proteome profiling exhibited LL-K9-3 induced selective and synchronous degradation of CDK9 and cyclin T1. The expressions of androgen receptor (AR) and cMyc were reduced by LL-K9-3 in 22RV1 cells. LL-K9-3 exhibited enhanced anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects compared with its parental CDK9 inhibitor SNS032 and suppressed downstream signaling of CDK9 and AR more effectively than SNS032. Moreover, LL-K9-3 inhibited AR and Myc-driven oncogenic transcriptional programs and exerted stronger inhibitory effects on several intrinsic target genes of AR than the monomeric CDK9 PROTAC (Thal-SNS032).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiacheng Li
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ting Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China
| | - Yuanli Song
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.,Department of Analytical Chemistry and CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Mingyu Wang
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Liping Liu
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hongwen Zhu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.,Department of Analytical Chemistry and CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Qi Li
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jin Lin
- School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China
| | - Hualiang Jiang
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kaixian Chen
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kehao Zhao
- School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Yantai University), Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
| | - Mingliang Wang
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hu Zhou
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.,Department of Analytical Chemistry and CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hua Lin
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,Biomedical Research Center of South China, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
| | - Cheng Luo
- School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China.,The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 100 Haike Road, Shanghai 201210, China
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98
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Desantis J, Mammoli A, Eleuteri M, Coletti A, Croci F, Macchiarulo A, Goracci L. PROTACs bearing piperazine-containing linkers: what effect on their protonation state? RSC Adv 2022; 12:21968-21977. [PMID: 36043064 PMCID: PMC9361468 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra03761k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) represent an emerging class of compounds for innovative therapeutic application. Their bifunctional nature induces the formation of a ternary complex (target protein/PROTAC/E3 ligase) which allows target protein ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal-dependent degradation. To date, despite great efforts being made to improve their biological efficacy PROTACs rational design still represents a challenging task, above all for the modulation of their physicochemical and pharmacokinetics properties. Considering the pivotal role played by the linker moiety, recently the insertion of a piperazine moiety into the PROTAC linker has been widely used, as this ring can in principle improve rigidity and increase solubility upon protonation. Nevertheless, the pK a of the piperazine ring is significantly affected by the chemical groups located nearby, and slight modifications in the linker could eliminate the desired effect. In the present study, the pK a values of a dataset of synthesized small molecule compounds including PROTACs and their precursors have been evaluated in order to highlight how a fine modulation of piperazine-containing linkers can impact the protonation state of these molecules or similar heterobifunctional ones. Finally, the possibility of predicting the trend through in silico approaches was also evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Desantis
- Department of Chemistry, Biology, and Biotechnology, University of Perugia Via Elce di Sotto 8 06123 Perugia Italy
| | - Andrea Mammoli
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia Via del Liceo 1 06123 Perugia Italy
| | - Michela Eleuteri
- Department of Chemistry, Biology, and Biotechnology, University of Perugia Via Elce di Sotto 8 06123 Perugia Italy
| | - Alice Coletti
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia Via del Liceo 1 06123 Perugia Italy
| | - Federico Croci
- Department of Chemistry, Biology, and Biotechnology, University of Perugia Via Elce di Sotto 8 06123 Perugia Italy
| | - Antonio Macchiarulo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia Via del Liceo 1 06123 Perugia Italy
| | - Laura Goracci
- Department of Chemistry, Biology, and Biotechnology, University of Perugia Via Elce di Sotto 8 06123 Perugia Italy
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99
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Zhu CL, Luo X, Tian T, Rao Z, Wang H, Zhou Z, Mi T, Chen D, Xu Y, Wu Y, Che J, Zhou Y, Li J, Dong X. Structure-based rational design enables efficient discovery of a new selective and potent AKT PROTAC degrader. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 238:114459. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Chen Y, Tandon I, Heelan W, Wang Y, Tang W, Hu Q. Proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) delivery system: advancing protein degraders towards clinical translation. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:5330-5350. [PMID: 35713468 PMCID: PMC9382890 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00762a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs), an emerging therapeutic entity designed to degrade target proteins by hijacking the ubiquitin-proteasome system, have the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry. The broad applicability of this protein degradation strategy has been verified with a few E3 ligases and a variety of distinct targets through the construction of modular chimeric structures. Despite recent efforts to promote the use of PROTACs for clinical applications, most PROTACs do not make it beyond the preclinical stage of drug development. There are several reasons that prevent PROTACs from reaching the market, and the inadequate delivery to the target site is one of the most challenging hurdles. With the increasing need for accelerating the translational process, combining the concepts of PROTACs and delivery systems has been explored to enhance the in vivo performance of PROTACs. These improved delivery strategies can eliminate unfavorable physicochemical properties of PROTACs, improve their targetability, and decrease their off-target side effects. The integration of powerful PROTACs and versatile delivery systems will inaugurate a burgeoning orientation for the field of targeted protein degradation. In this review, we will survey the latest progress in improving the in vivo degradation efficacy of PROTACs through delivery strategies, outline design principles for PROTAC-based delivery systems, discuss the current challenges with PROTACs, and outlook future opportunities in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Chen
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
- Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Wisconsin Center for NanoBioSystems, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Ira Tandon
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
| | - William Heelan
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
| | - Yixin Wang
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
- Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Wisconsin Center for NanoBioSystems, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Weiping Tang
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
| | - Quanyin Hu
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
- Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Wisconsin Center for NanoBioSystems, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
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