Total synthesis, NMR solution structure, and binding model of the potent histone deacetylase inhibitor FR235222

Synthesis and Evaluation of 9-epi-Koshidacin B as Selective Inhibitor of Histone Deacetylase 1

A concise synthetic route to an epimer of the recently isolated biologically active cyclic tetrapeptide koshidacin B has been developed, which featured a late-stage functionalization of a macrocyclic scaffold through a cross metathesis reaction. The synthetic 9-epi-koshidacin B showed marginal differences in spectroscopic behavior with that of the natural product but exhibited conformational preferences similar to those reported for analogous substrate chlamydocin. Moreover, it exhibited a useful level of selective inhibition of biologically relevant enzyme histone deacetylase 1 with an IC50 value of 0.145 μM over two other isoforms. Docking studies indicate that the natural product as well as its 9-epimer binds very similarly to the active site of HDAC1 indicating little influence of the configuration of the C9-stereocenter.

A convenient synthetic route to (2S,4S)-methylproline and its exploration for protein engineering of thioredoxin

4-Substituted prolines, especially 4-fluoroprolines, have been widely used in protein engineering and design. Here, we report a robust and stereoselective approach for the synthesis of (2S,4S)-methylproline starting from (2S)-pyroglutamic acid. Incorporation studies with both (2S,4R)- and (2S,4S)-methylproline into the Trx1P variant of the model protein thioredoxin of E. coli show that the stereochemistry of the 4-methyl group might be a key determinator for successful incorporation during ribosomal synthesis of this protein.

From natural products to HDAC inhibitors: An overview of drug discovery and design strategy

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play a key role in the homeostasis of protein acetylation in histones and have recently emerged as a therapeutic target for numerous diseases. The inhibition of HDACs may block angiogenesis, arrest cell growth, and lead to differentiation and apoptosis in tumour cells. Thus, HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) have received increasing attention and many of which are developed from natural sources. In the past few decades, naturally occurring HDACi have been identified to have potent anticancer activities, some of which have demonstrated promising therapeutic effects on haematological malignancies. In this review, we summarized the discovery and modification of HDAC inhibitors from natural sources, novel drug design that uses natural products as parent nuclei, and dual target design strategies that combine HDAC with non-HDAC targets.

Total Synthesis of Pagoamide A

The first total synthesis of the thiazole-containing cyclic depsipeptide pagoamide A, is detailed. The longest linear sequence of the liquid-phase synthesis comprises 9 long linear steps from simple known starting materials, which led to the unambiguous structural confirmation of pagoamide A.

Antibody drug conjugates with hydroxamic acid cargos for histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition

Antitumor hydroxamates SAHA and Dacinostat have been linked to cetuximab and trastuzumab through a non-cleavable linker based on the p-mercaptobenzyl alcohol structure. These antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) were able to inhibit HDAC in several tumour cell lines. The cetuximab based ADCs block human lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation, demonstrating that bioconjugation with antibodies is a suitable approach for targeted therapy based on hydroxamic acid-containing drugs. This work also shows that ADC-based delivery might be used to overcome the classical pharmacokinetic problems of hydroxamic acids.

Total Synthesis of Malacidin A by β-Hydroxyaspartic Acid Ligation-Mediated Cyclization and Absolute Structure Establishment

The development of novel antibiotics is critical to combating the growing emergence of drug-resistant pathogens. Malacidin A is a new member of the calcium-dependent antibiotic (CDAs) family with activity against antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Its mode of action is distinct from classical CDAs. However, the absolute structure of malacidin A has not been established. Herein, the total syntheses of malacidin A and its analogues are reported by a combination of Fmoc-based solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) and β-hydroxyaspartic acid ligation-mediated peptide cyclization. The total synthesis enabled us to establish the absolute configuration of malacidin A, which is in agreement with those for natural malacidin A confirmed by advanced Marfey's analysis in our study.

An overview of naturally occurring histone deacetylase inhibitors

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have recently emerged as key elements in epigenetic control of gene expression. Due to the implication of HDACs in a variety of diseases ranging from cancer to neurodegenerative disorder, HDAC inhibitors have received increased attention in recent years. Over the last few decades, a myriad of HDAC inhibitors containing a wide variety of structural features have been identified from natural sources. Here, we review the discovery, synthesis, biological properties, and modes of action of these naturally occurring HDAC inhibitors and consider their implications for future research.

Discovery and mechanism of natural products as modulators of histone acetylation

Small molecules that modulate histone acetylation by targeting key enzymes mediating this posttranslational modification - histone acetyltransferases and histone deacetylases - are validated chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer. This area of research has seen a rapid increase in interest in the past decade, with the structurally diverse natural products-derived compounds at its forefront. These secondary metabolites from various biological sources target this epigenetic modification through distinct mechanisms of enzyme regulation by utilizing a diverse array of pharmacophores. We review the discovery of these compounds and discuss their modes of inhibition together with their downstream biological effects.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors in the treatment of cancer: overview and perspectives

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) are one of the last frontiers in pharmaceutical research. Several classes of HDACi have been identified. Although more than 20 HDACi are under preclinical and clinical investigation as single agents and in combination therapies against different cancers, just two of them were approved by the US FDA: Zolinza(®) and Istodax(®), both licensed for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, the latter also of peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Since HDAC enzymes act by forming multiprotein complexes (clusters), containing cofactors, the main problem in designing new HDACi is that the inhibition activity evaluated on isolated enzyme isoforms does not match the in vivo outcomes. In the coming years, the research will be oriented toward a better understanding of the functioning of these protein complexes as well as the development of new screening assays, with the final goal to obtain new drug candidates for the treatment of cancer.

Stereumins H-J, stereumane-type sesquiterpenes from the fungus Stereum sp

Stereumins H (1), I (2), and J (3), three sesquiterpenes possessing a novel stereumane-type backbone, were isolated from an extract of culture broth of the Basidiomycete Stereum sp. CCTCC AF 207024. The complete structural assignments including the absolute configurations are reported by using X-ray studies and density functional theory at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ//B3LYP/6-31G(d) level.

Computer- and structure-based lead design for epigenetic targets

The term epigenetics is defined as inheritable changes that influence the outcome of a phenotype without changes in the genome. Epigenetics is based upon DNA methylation and posttranslational histone modifications. While there is much known about reversible acetylation as a posttranslational modification, research on reversible histone methylation is still emerging, especially with regard to drug discovery. As aberrant epigenetic modifications have been linked to many diseases, inhibitors of histone modifying enzymes are very much in demand. This article will summarize the progress on small molecule epigenetic inhibitors identified by structure- and computer-based approaches.

Epigenetic mechanisms regulate stage differentiation in the minimized protozoan Giardia lamblia

Histone modification is an important mechanism regulating both gene expression and the establishment and maintenance of cellular phenotypes during development. Regulation of histone acetylation via histone acetylases and deacetylases (HDACs) appears to be particularly crucial in determining gene expression patterns. In this study we explored the effect of HDAC inhibition on the life cycle of the human pathogen Giardia lamblia, a highly reduced parasitic protozoan characterized by minimized cellular processes. We found that the HDAC inhibitor FR235222 increased the level of histone acetylation and induced transcriptional regulation of approximately 2% of genes in proliferating and encysting parasites. In addition, our analyses showed that the levels of histone acetylation decreased during differentiation into cysts, the infective stage of the parasite. Importantly, FR235222 treatment during encystation reversed this histone hypo-acetylation and potently blocked the formation of cysts. These results provide the first direct evidence for epigenetic regulation of gene expression in this simple eukaryote. This suggests that regulation of histone acetylation is involved in the control of Giardia stage differentiation, and identifies epigenetic mechanisms as a promising target to prevent Giardia transmission.

Concise syntheses of enantiomerically pure protected 4-hydroxypyroglutamic acid and 4-hydroxyproline from a nitroso-cyclopentadiene cycloadduct

O-TBS-protected methyl trans-4-hydroxypyroglutamate and methyl trans-4-hydroxyproline ester were synthesized from nitroso-cyclopentadiene Diels-Alder cycloadducts. Enzymatic resolution of the key intermediate, 4-amino-cyclopent-2-enol, provides access to both L- and D- amino acids.

Natural cyclopeptaibiotics and related cyclic tetrapeptides: structural diversity and future prospects

Linearity is not considered a prerequisite anymore, and extension of the current definition of 'peptaibiotics' to cyclic, Aib-containing peptides is proposed. Sequences and bioactivities, together with ecophysiological importance of cyclopeptaibiotics and related cyclic tetrapeptides, and their fungal-taxonomic relationships, are discussed.

Design and synthesis of cyclopeptide analogues of the potent histone deacetylase inhibitor FR235222

Various structurally modified analogues of FR235222 (1), a natural tetrapeptide inhibitor of mammalian histone deacetylases, were prepared in a convergent approach. The design of the compounds was aimed to investigate the effect of structural modifications of the tetrapeptide core involved in enzyme binding in order to overcome some synthetic difficulties connected with the natural product 1. The modifications introduced could also help identify key structural features involved in the mechanism of action of these compounds. The prepared molecules were subjected to in vitro pharmacological tests, and their potency was tested on cultured cells. Two of the components of the array were found to be more potent than the parent compound 1 and almost as efficient as trichostatin A (TSA). These results demonstrate that it is possible to synthesize highly active cyclic tetrapeptides using commercially available amino acids (with the exception of 2-amino-8-oxodecanoic acid, Ahoda). The nature of the residue in the second position of the cyclic peptide and the stereochemistry of the Ahoda tail are important for the inhibitory activity of this class of cyclic tetrapeptide analogues.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of histone deacetylase inhibitors that are based on FR235222: a cyclic tetrapeptide scaffold

We outline the synthesis of six novel derivatives that are based on a recently discovered HDAC inhibitor FR235222. Our work is the first report utilizing a novel binding element, guanidine, as metal coordinators in HDAC inhibitors. Further, we demonstrate that these compounds show cytotoxicity that parallels their ability to inhibit deacetylase activity, and that the most potent compounds maintain an L-Phe at position 1, and a D-Pro at position 4. Both inhibition of HDAC activity and cytotoxicity against the pancreatic cancer cell line BxPC3 are exhibited by these compounds, establishing that a guanidine unit can be utilized successfully to inhibit HDAC activity.

Molecular insights into azumamide e histone deacetylases inhibitory activity

Azumamide E, a cyclotetrapeptide isolated from the sponge Mycale izuensis, is the most powerful carboxylic acid containing natural histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor known to date. In this paper, we describe design and synthesis of two stereochemical variants of the natural product. These compounds have allowed us to clarify the influence of side chain topology on the HDAC-inhibitory activity. The present contribution also reveals the identity of the recognition pattern between azumamides and the histone deacetylase-like protein (HDLP) model receptor and reports the azumamide E unprecedented isoform selectivity on histone deacetylases class subtypes. From the present studies, a plausible model for the interaction of azumamides with the receptor binding pocket is derived, providing a framework for the rational design of new cyclotetrapeptide-based HDAC inhibitors as antitumor agents.

Recent progress on the total synthesis of natural products in China

An overview of natural products synthesis in Mainland China during the past 10 years is provided. This review only emphasizes the first total synthesis of molecules of contemporary interest and syntheses that helped to correct structures. In addition, some significant results on the novel synthesis and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of several natural products are introduced.