Semisynthetic latrunculin derivatives as inhibitors of metastatic breast cancer: biological evaluations, preliminary structure-activity relationship and molecular modeling studies

Optical Control of G-Actin with a Photoswitchable Latrunculin

Actin is one of the most abundant proteins in eukaryotic cells and is a key component of the cytoskeleton. A range of small molecules has emerged that interfere with actin dynamics by either binding to polymeric F-actin or monomeric G-actin to stabilize or destabilize filaments or prevent their formation and growth, respectively. Among these, the latrunculins, which bind to G-actin and affect polymerization, are widely used as tools to investigate actin-dependent cellular processes. Here, we report a photoswitchable version of latrunculin, termed opto-latrunculin (OptoLat), which binds to G-actin in a light-dependent fashion and affords optical control over actin polymerization. OptoLat can be activated with 390-490 nm pulsed light and rapidly relaxes to its inactive form in the dark. Light activated OptoLat induced depolymerization of F-actin networks in oligodendrocytes and budding yeast, as shown by fluorescence microscopy. Subcellular control of actin dynamics in human cancer cell lines was demonstrated via live cell imaging. Light-activated OptoLat also reduced microglia surveillance in organotypic mouse brain slices while ramification was not affected. Incubation in the dark did not alter the structural and functional integrity of the microglia. Together, our data demonstrate that OptoLat is a useful tool for the elucidation of G-actin dependent dynamic processes in cells and tissues.

Deep-Sea Sponges and Corals off the Western Coast of Florida-Intracellular Mechanisms of Action of Bioactive Compounds and Technological Advances Supporting the Drug Discovery Pipeline

The majority of natural products utilized to treat a diverse array of human conditions and diseases are derived from terrestrial sources. In recent years, marine ecosystems have proven to be a valuable resource of diverse natural products that are generated to defend and support their growth. Such marine sources offer a large opportunity for the identification of novel compounds that may guide the future development of new drugs and therapies. Using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) portal, we explore deep-sea coral and sponge species inhabiting a segment of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, specifically off the western coast of Florida. This area spans ~100,000 km2, containing coral and sponge species at sea depths up to 3000 m. Utilizing PubMed, we uncovered current knowledge on and gaps across a subset of these sessile organisms with regards to their natural products and mechanisms of altering cytoskeleton, protein trafficking, and signaling pathways. Since the exploitation of such marine organisms could disrupt the marine ecosystem leading to supply issues that would limit the quantities of bioactive compounds, we surveyed methods and technological advances that are necessary for sustaining the drug discovery pipeline including in vitro aquaculture systems and preserving our natural ecological community in the future. Collectively, our efforts establish the foundation for supporting future research on the identification of marine-based natural products and their mechanism of action to develop novel drugs and therapies for improving treatment regimens of human conditions and diseases.

Optical Control of G-Actin with a Photoswitchable Latrunculin

Actin is one of the most abundant proteins in eukaryotic cells and a key component of the cytoskeleton. A range of small molecules have emerged that interfere with actin dynamics by either binding to polymeric F-actin or monomeric G-actin to stabilize or destabilize filaments or prevent their formation and growth, respectively. Amongst these, the latrunculins, which bind to G-actin and affect polymerization, are widely used as tools to investigate actin-dependent cellular processes. Here, we report a photoswitchable version of latrunculin, termed opto-latrunculin (OptoLat), which binds to G-actin in a light-dependent fashion and affords optical control over actin polymerization. OptoLat can be activated with 390 - 490 nm pulsed light and rapidly relaxes to the inactive form in the dark. Light activated OptoLat induced depolymerization of F-actin networks in oligodendrocytes and budding yeast, as shown by fluorescence microscopy. Subcellular control of actin dynamics in human cancer cell lines was demonstrated by live cell imaging. Light-activated OptoLat also reduced microglia surveillance in organotypic mouse brain slices while ramification was not affected. Incubation in the dark did not alter the structural and functional integrity of microglia. Together, our data demonstrate that OptoLat is a useful tool for the elucidation of G-actin dependent dynamic processes in cells and tissues.

Discovery of cytotoxic natural products from Red Sea sponges: Structure and synthesis

Marine ecosystem continues to produce a great wealth of molecules endowed with cytotoxic activity towards a large panel of tumor cells. Marine sponges, apparently defenseless organisms are endowed through evolution with a range of cytotoxic metabolites for self protection against predators and space competition. Interestingly, high biodiversity of sponges with Demospongiae and Calcarea species that have yielded numerous bioactive compounds have been accorded in different regions of the Red Sea. This review for the first time provides a comprehensive overview of 123 cytotoxic agents derived from Red Sea sponges with diverse chemical structures covered till mid 2020 showing activities ranging from mildly active to very active against different panels of cancer cell lines. It has been divided according to the different classes of compounds including alkaloids, terpenoids (sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, sesterterpenes, norsesterterpenes), peptides and macrolides, lipids (steroids, fatty acids/amides and glycerides) etc. The enhancement in the cytotoxicity with respect to the molecular structure changes have been described in detail. We have also accounted for the total synthesis of cytotoxic molecules, subereamolline A, aerothionin, asmarine B, norrsolide and latrunculin B showing interesting activity against different cancer cell lines.

Targeting the cytoskeleton against metastatic dissemination

Cancer is a pathology characterized by a loss or a perturbation of a number of typical features of normal cell behaviour. Indeed, the acquisition of an inappropriate migratory and invasive phenotype has been reported to be one of the hallmarks of cancer. The cytoskeleton is a complex dynamic network of highly ordered interlinking filaments playing a key role in the control of fundamental cellular processes, like cell shape maintenance, motility, division and intracellular transport. Moreover, deregulation of this complex machinery contributes to cancer progression and malignancy, enabling cells to acquire an invasive and metastatic phenotype. Metastasis accounts for 90% of death from patients affected by solid tumours, while an efficient prevention and suppression of metastatic disease still remains elusive. This results in the lack of effective therapeutic options currently available for patients with advanced disease. In this context, the cytoskeleton with its regulatory and structural proteins emerges as a novel and highly effective target to be exploited for a substantial therapeutic effort toward the development of specific anti-metastatic drugs. Here we provide an overview of the role of cytoskeleton components and interacting proteins in cancer metastasis with a special focus on small molecule compounds interfering with the actin cytoskeleton organization and function. The emerging involvement of microtubules and intermediate filaments in cancer metastasis is also reviewed.

Structure-Activity Studies of Truncated Latrunculin Analogues with Antimalarial Activity

Malarial parasites employ actin dynamics for motility, and any disruption to these dynamics renders the parasites unable to effectively establish infection. Therefore, actin presents a potential target for malarial drug discovery, and naturally occurring actin inhibitors such as latrunculins are a promising starting point. However, the limited availability of the natural product and the laborious route for synthesis of latrunculins have hindered their potential development as drug candidates. In this regard, we recently described novel truncated latrunculins, with superior actin binding potency and selectivity towards P. falciparum actin than the canonical latrunculin B. In this paper, we further explore the truncated latrunculin core to summarize the SAR for inhibition of malaria motility. This study helps further understand the binding pattern of these analogues in order to develop them as drug candidates for malaria.

Propagation of THz irradiation energy through aqueous layers: Demolition of actin filaments in living cells

The effect of terahertz (THz) radiation on deep tissues of human body has been considered negligible due to strong absorption by water molecules. However, we observed that the energy of THz pulses transmits a millimeter thick in the aqueous solution, possibly as a shockwave, and demolishes actin filaments. Collapse of actin filament induced by THz irradiation was also observed in the living cells under an aqueous medium. We also confirmed that the viability of the cell was not affected under the exposure of THz pulses. The potential of THz waves as an invasive method to alter protein structure in the living cells is demonstrated.

Collective Locomotion of Human Cells, Wound Healing and Their Control by Extracts and Isolated Compounds from Marine Invertebrates

The collective migration of cells is a complex integrated process that represents a common theme joining morphogenesis, tissue regeneration, and tumor biology. It is known that a remarkable amount of secondary metabolites produced by aquatic invertebrates displays active pharmacological properties against a variety of diseases. The aim of this review is to pick up selected studies that report the extraction and identification of crude extracts or isolated compounds that exert a modulatory effect on collective cell locomotion and/or skin tissue reconstitution and recapitulate the molecular, biochemical, and/or physiological aspects, where available, which are associated to the substances under examination, grouping the producing species according to their taxonomic hierarchy. Taken all of the collected data into account, marine invertebrates emerge as a still poorly-exploited valuable resource of natural products that may significantly improve the process of skin regeneration and restrain tumor cell migration, as documented by in vitro and in vivo studies. Therefore, the identification of the most promising invertebrate-derived extracts/molecules for the utilization as new targets for biomedical translation merits further and more detailed investigations.

A rapid biofabrication technique for self-assembled collagen-based multicellular and heterogeneous 3D tissue constructs

Although monolayer cell culture models are considered as gold standard for in vitro modeling of pathophysiological events, they cannot reconstruct in vivo like gradient of gases and nutrients and lack proper cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Spherical cellular aggregates, otherwise known as multicellular spheroids, are widely used as three-dimensional in vitro models to mimic natural in vivo cellular microenvironment for applications such as drug screening. Although very useful, the previously established techniques are limited to low cell numbers, their processes are usually slow, and sometimes show limitations in terms of the cell type that can be used. Here, a versatile technique based on rapid self-assembly of cells and extracellular matrix material in different shapes using microfabricated molds is introduced to form multicellular tissue constructs. The self-assembly process takes less than 6 h and produces a mechanically robust tissue construct that could be handled easily. We demonstrate that a variety of shapes including spherical, cuboidal, dumbbell- and cross-like shapes could be fabricated using this approach. Interestingly, the structures formed with non-spherical shapes were able to retain that shape even after removal from the molds and during long term cell culture. This versatile approach is applicable to a variety of cell types (breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, MDA-MB-321, Hs-578T; osteosarcoma cell line SaOS-2; endothelial cell line HUVEC) as well as a range of cell numbers (10⁴-10⁶). Furthermore, we also show that the constructs could be spatially patterned to position various cell types in a precisely controlled way. Such heterogeneous constructs that are formed provide physiologically relevant cell densities, 3D structure as well as close positioning of multiple types of cells that are not possible using other fabrication approaches. This fabrication approach will find significant applications in developing 3D cell culture models for drug discovery as well as tissue grafts for implantation. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: In this manuscript we describe a method for rapid formation of tissue constructs (6 h as opposed to several days for current state of art methods). We also identify the essential factors needed for such a rapid consolidation into a construct. We demonstrate the ability to form non-spherical constructs of various shapes that retain their shape over long term as opposed to those formed with current state of art that lose their shape during long time cell culture. We also show the ability to form precise heterogeneous constructs consisting of multiple cell types and with well-defined interfaces that are not possible with current state of art methods. This method could be used with a wide variety of cell types and are mechanically robust within 6 h to be handled with tweezers. We believe that such multicellular, heterogeneous constructs would be of significant use to biologists and drug discovery researchers investigating mechanisms involved in diseases processes or the effect of drug on them.

Targeting the Hippo Pathway for Breast Cancer Therapy

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most prominent diseases in the world, and the treatments for BC have many limitations, such as resistance and a lack of reliable biomarkers. Currently the Hippo pathway is emerging as a tumor suppressor pathway with its four core components that regulate downstream transcriptional targets. In this review, we introduce the present targeted therapies of BC, and then discuss the roles of the Hippo pathway in BC. Finally, we summarize the evidence of the small molecule inhibitors that target the Hippo pathway, and then discuss the possibilities and future direction of the Hippo-targeted drugs for BC therapy.

Actin polymerization is activated by terahertz irradiation

Polymerization of monomeric actin into filaments has pivotal roles in cell motility, growth, differentiation, and gene expression. Therefore, techniques of manipulating actin polymerization, including actin-binding chemicals, have been developed for understanding and regulating multiple biological functions. Here, we demonstrate that irradiation with terahertz (THz) waves is a novel method of modulating actin polymerization. When actin polymerization reaction is performed under irradiation with 0.46 THz waves generated by a Gyrotron, actin polymerization was observed to be activated by monitoring the fluorescence of pyrene actin fluorophores. We also observed the number of actin filaments under a fluorescence microscope using the polymerized actin probe SiR-actin. The number of actin filaments was increased by 3.5-fold after THz irradiation for 20 min. When the THz irradiation was applied to a steady-state actin solution, in which elongation and depolymerization of actin filaments were equilibrated, increased actin polymerization was observed, suggesting that the THz irradiation activates actin polymerization, at least in the elongation process. These results suggest that THz waves could be applied for manipulating biomolecules and cells.

Migrastatics-Anti-metastatic and Anti-invasion Drugs: Promises and Challenges

In solid cancers, invasion and metastasis account for more than 90% of mortality. However, in the current armory of anticancer therapies, a specific category of anti-invasion and antimetastatic drugs is missing. Here, we coin the term ‘migrastatics’ for drugs interfering with all modes of cancer cell invasion and metastasis, to distinguish this class from conventional cytostatic drugs, which are mainly directed against cell proliferation. We define actin polymerization and contractility as target mechanisms for migrastatics, and review candidate migrastatic drugs. Critical assessment of these antimetastatic agents is warranted, because they may define new options for the treatment of solid cancers.

Local invasion and metastasis, rather than clonal proliferation, are the dominant features of solid cancer. However, a specific category of anti-invasion and antimetastatic drugs is missing for treatment of solid cancer

We propose the term ‘migrastatics’ for drugs interfering with all modes of cancer cell invasiveness and, consequently, with their ability to metastasize (e.g., inhibiting not only local invasion, but also extravasation and metastatic colonization).

In solid cancer, drug resistance is the main cause of treatment failure, and is attributed to mutations of the target. Since targeting the cause, although academically desirable, may be futile, a pragmatic and near-term option is to move downstream, to common denominators of cell migration and/or invasion, such as actin polymerization and actomyosin-mediated contractility.

HuR translocation to the cytoplasm of cancer cells in actin-independent manner

Human antigen R (HuR) is a RNA-binding protein, which binds to the AU-rich element (ARE) in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of certain mRNA and is involved in the export and stabilization of ARE-mRNA. HuR constitutively relocates to the cytoplasm in many cancer cells, however the mechanism of intracellular HuR trafficking is poorly understood. To address this question, we examined the functional role of the cytoskeleton in HuR relocalization. We tested the effect of actin depolymerizing macrolide latrunculin A or myosin II ATPase activity inhibitor blebbistatin for HuR relocalization induced by the vasoactive hormone Angiotensin II in cancer and control normal cells. Western blot and confocal imaging data revealed that both inhibitors attenuated the cytoplasmic HuR in normal cells but no such alteration was observed in cancer cells. Concomitant with changes in intracellular HuR localization, both inhibitors markedly decreased the accumulation and half-lives of HuR target ARE-mRNAs in normal cells, whereas no change was observed in cancer cells. Furthermore, co-immunoprecipitation experiments with HuR proteins revealed clear physical interaction with ß-actin only in normal cells. The current study is the first to verify that cancer cells can implicate a microfilament independent HuR transport. We hypothesized that when cytoskeleton structure is impaired, cancer cells can acquire an alternative HuR trafficking strategy.

Truncated Latrunculins as Actin Inhibitors Targeting Plasmodium falciparum Motility and Host Cell Invasion

Polymerization of the cytosolic protein actin is critical to cell movement and host cell invasion by the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Any disruption to actin polymerization dynamics will render the parasite incapable of invading a host cell and thereby unable to cause infection. Here, we explore the potential of using truncated latrunculins as potential chemotherapeutics for the treatment of malaria. Exploration of the binding interactions of the natural actin inhibitor latrunculins with actin revealed how a truncated core of the inhibitor could retain its key interaction features with actin. This truncated core was synthesized and subjected to preliminary structure-activity relationship studies to generate a focused set of analogues. Biochemical analyses of these analogues demonstrate their 6-fold increased activity compared with that of latrunculin B against P. falciparum and a 16-fold improved selectivity ex vivo. These data establish the latrunculin core as a potential focus for future structure-based drug design of chemotherapeutics against malaria.

Molecular dynamics and high throughput binding free energy calculation of anti-actin anticancer drugs-New insights for better design

Actin cytoskeleton plays an important role in cancerous cell progression. Till date many anticancer toxins are discovered that binds to different sites of actin. Mechanism of action of these toxins varies with respect to the site where they bind to actin. Latrunculin A (LAT) binds closely to nucleotide binding site and Reidispongiolide binds to the barbed end of actin. LAT is reported to reduce the displacement of domain 2 with respect to domain 1 and allosterically modulate nucleotide exchange. On the other hand Reidispongiolide binds with the higher affinity to actin and competes with the DNaseI binding loop once the inter-monomer interaction has been formed. Evolving better actin binders being the aim of this study we conducted a comparative molecular dynamics of these two actin-drug complexes and actin complexed with ATP alone, 50ns each. High throughput binding free energy calculations in conjugation with the high-throughput MD simulations was used to predict modifications in these two renowned anti-actin anticancer drugs for better design. Per residue energy profiling that contribute to free energy of binding shows that there is an unfavourable energy at the site where Asp157 interacts with 2-thiazolidinone moiety of LAT. Similarly, unfavourable energies are reported near macrocyclic region of Reidispongiolide specifically near carbons 7, 11 & 25 and tail region carbons 27 & 30. These predicted sites can be used for modifications and few of these are discussed in this work based on the interactions with the binding site residues. The study reveals specific interactions that are involved in the allosteric modulation of ATP by these two compounds. Glu207 closely interacting with LAT A initiates the allosteric effect on ATP binding site specifically affecting residues Asp184, Lys215 and Lys336. RGA bound actin shows high anti-correlated motions between sub domain 3 and 4. Unlike LAT A, Reidispongiolide induces a flat structure of actin which definitely should affect actin polymerisation and lead to disassembly of actin filaments.

Discovery of Novel Antiangiogenic Marine Natural Product Scaffolds

Marine natural products (MNPs) are recognized for their structural complexity, diversity, and novelty. The vast majority of MNPs are pharmacologically relevant through their ability to modulate macromolecular targets underlying human diseases. Angiogenesis is a fundamental process in cancer progression and metastasis. Targeting angiogenesis through selective modulation of linked protein kinases is a valid strategy to discover novel effective tumor growth and metastasis inhibitors. An in-house marine natural products mini-library, which comprises diverse MNP entities, was submitted to the Lilly’s Open Innovation Drug Discovery platform. Accepted structures were subjected to in vitro screening to discover mechanistically novel angiogenesis inhibitors. Active hits were subjected to additional angiogenesis-targeted kinase profiling. Some natural and semisynthetic MNPs, including multiple members of the macrolide latrunculins, the macrocyclic oxaquinolizidine alkaloid araguspongine C, and the sesquiterpene quinone puupehenone, showed promising results in primary and secondary angiogenesis screening modules. These hits inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-mediated endothelial tube-like formation, with minimal cytotoxicity at relevant doses. Secondary kinase profiling identified six target protein kinases, all involved in angiogenesis signaling pathways. Molecular modeling and docking experiments aided the understanding of molecular binding interactions, identification of pharmacophoric epitopes, and deriving structure-activity relationships of active hits. Marine natural products are prolific resources for the discovery of chemically and mechanistically unique selective antiangiogenic scaffolds.

Exploiting the cytoskeletal filaments of neoplastic cells to potentiate a novel therapeutic approach

Although cytoskeletal-directed agents have been a mainstay in chemotherapeutic protocols due to their ability to readily interfere with the rapid mitotic progression of neoplastic cells, they are all microtubule-based drugs, and there has yet to be any microfilament- or intermediate filament-directed agents approved for clinical use. There are many inherent differences between the cytoskeletal networks of malignant and normal cells, providing an ideal target to attain preferential damage. Further, numerous microfilament-directed agents, and an intermediate filament-directed agent of particular interest (withaferin A) have demonstrated in vitro and in vivo efficacy, suggesting that cytoskeletal filaments may be exploited to supplement chemotherapeutic approaches currently used in the clinical setting. Therefore, this review is intended to expose academics and clinicians to the tremendous variety of cytoskeletal filament-directed agents that are currently available for further chemotherapeutic evaluation. The mechanisms by which microfilament directed- and intermediate filament-directed agents damage malignant cells are discussed in detail in order to establish how the drugs can be used in combination with each other, or with currently approved chemotherapeutic agents to generate a substantial synergistic attack, potentially establishing a new paradigm of chemotherapeutic agents.

The cytoskeletal inhibitors latrunculin A and blebbistatin exert antitumorigenic properties in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells by interfering with intracellular HuR trafficking

The impact of the RNA-binding protein HuR for the post-transcriptional deregulation of tumor-relevant genes is well established. Despite of elevations in HuR expression levels, an increase in cytoplasmic HuR abundance in many cases correlates with a high grade of malignancy. Here, we demonstrated that administration of the actin-depolymerizing macrolide latrunculin A, or blebbistatin, an inhibitor of myosin II ATPase activity, caused a dose- and time-dependent reduction in the high cytoplasmic HuR content of HepG2 and Huh7 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Subcellular fractionation revealed that in addition, both inhibitors strongly attenuated cytoskeletal and membrane-bound HuR abundance and conversely increased the HuR amount in nuclear cell fractions. Concomitant with changes in intracellular HuR localization, both cytoskeletal inhibitors markedly decreased the half-lives of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), cyclin A and cyclin D1 encoding mRNAs resulting in a significant reduction in their expression levels in HepG2 cells. Importantly, a similar reduction in the expression of these HuR targets was achieved by a RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of either HuR or nonmuscle myoin IIA. Using polysomal fractionation, we further demonstrate that the decrease in cytoplasmic HuR by latrunculin A or blebbistatin is accompanied by a marked change in the allocation of HuR and its mRNA cargo from polysomes to ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles. Functionally, the basal migration and prostaglandin E2 synthesis are similarly impaired in inhibitor-treated and stable HuR-knockdown HepG2 cells. Our data demonstrate that interfering with the actomyosin-dependent HuR trafficking may comprise a valid therapeutic option for antagonizing pathologic posttranscriptional gene expression by HuR and furthermore emphasize the potential benefit of HuR inhibitory strategies for treatment of HCC.

Differential binding of latrunculins to G-actin: a molecular dynamics study

Latrunculins are unique macrolides containing a thiazolidinone moiety. Latrunculin A (1), latrunculin B (2), 16-epi-latrunculin B (3), and latrunculin T (4) were isolated from the Red Sea sponge Negombata magnifica. In the present study, after testing compounds 2-4 for cytotoxic activity, they were docked into the crystal structure of G-actin and subjected to binding energy calculation and a 20 ns MD simulation. The modeling study shows that latrunculins binding depends on both hydrophobic interaction of the macrocycle as well as H bonding of the thiazolidinone ring with Asp157 and Thr186. It was noticed that epimerization at C16 of latrunculin B was well tolerated as it could form an alternative H bonding network. However, opening of the macrocyclic ring deteriorates the actin binding due to reduced hydrophobicity. MD simulation showed that latrunculin B (2) possesses a more significant stabilizing effect on G-actin than latrunculin T (4) and could efficiently hinder the flattening transition of G-actin into F-actin. These findings could explain, at the molecular level, the impact of epimerization and macrolide ring-opening on latrunculins activity, an issue that has not been addressed before. Also, the study gives insights into the mechanism of cytotoxicity of diverse latrunculins and provides direction for future lead optimization studies.

Optimization of marine triterpene sipholenols as inhibitors of breast cancer migration and invasion

Sipholenol A, a sipholane triterpene isolated from the Red Sea sponge Callyspongia siphonella, has the ability to reverse multidrug resistance in cancer cells that overexpress P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Here, the antimigratory activity of sipholenol A and analogues are reported against the highly metastatic human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 in a wound-healing assay. Sipholenol A and sipholenone A were semisynthetically optimized using ligand-based strategies to generate structurally diverse analogues in an attempt to maximize their antimigratory activity. A total of 22 semisynthetic ester, ether, oxime, and carbamate analogues were generated and identified by extensive one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry analyses. Sipholenol A 4β-4-chlorobenzoate and 19,20-anhydrosipholenol A 4β-4-chlorobenzoate esters were the most potent of all tested analogues in the wound-healing assay, with IC(50) values of 5.3 and 5.9 μM, respectively. Generally, ester derivatives showed better antimigratory activities than the carbamate analogues. A KINOMEscan of 19,20-anhydrosipholenol A 4β-benzoate ester against 451 human protein kinases identified protein tyrosine kinase 6 (PTK6) as a potential target. In breast tumor cells, PTK6 promotes growth factor signaling and migration, and as such the semisynthetic sipholanes were evaluated for their ability to inhibit PTK6 phosphorylation in vitro. The two analogues with the highest antimigratory activities, sipholenol A 4β-4-chlorobenzoate and 19,20-anhydrosipholenol A 4β-4-chlorobenzoate esters, also exhibited the most potent inhibition of PTK6 phosphorylation inhibition. None of the compounds exhibited cytotoxicity in a normal epithelial breast cell line. These derivatives were evaluated in an in vitro invasion assay, where sipholenol A succinate potently inhibited MDA-MB-231 cell invasion at 10 μM. These results highlight sipholane triterpenoids as novel antimigratory marine natural products with potential for further development as agents for the control of metastatic breast malignancies.

Inhibition of interdomain motion in g-actin by the natural product latrunculin: a molecular dynamics study

As part of the cytoskeleton, actin is essential for the morphology, motility, and division of eukaryotic cells. Recent X-ray fiber diffraction studies have shown that the conformation of monomeric actin is flattened upon incorporation into the filament by a relative rotation of its two major domains. The antiproliferative activity of latrunculin, a macrolide toxin produced by sponges, seems to be related to its binding to monomeric actin and inhibition of polymerization. Yet, the mechanism of inhibition is not known in detail. Here, multiple explicit water molecular dynamics simulations show that latrunculin binding hinders the conformational transition related to actin polymerization. In particular, the presence of latrunculin at the interface of the two major domains of monomeric actin reduces the correlated displacement of Domain 2 with respect to Domain 1. Moreover, higher rotational flexibility between the two major domains is observed in the absence of ATP as compared to ATP-bound actin, offering a possible explanation as to why actin polymerizes more favorably in the absence of nucleotides.

A survey of marine natural compounds and their derivatives with anti-cancer activity reported in 2010

Although considerable progress in oncology therapeutics has been achieved in the last century, cancer remains one of major death causes in the World and for this reason, the development of novel cancer drugs remains a pressing need. Natural marine compounds represent an interesting source of novel leads with potent chemotherapeutic or chemo-preventive activities. In the last decades, structure-activity-relationship studies have led to the development of naturally-derived or semi-synthetic analogues with improved bioactivity, a simplified synthetic target or less toxicity. We aim here to review a selection of natural compounds with reported anticancer activity isolated of marine sources and their associated analogues published in 2010.

Gold from the sea: marine compounds as inhibitors of the hallmarks of cancer

Cancer is one of the most deadly diseases in the world. Although advances in the field of chemo-preventive and therapeutic medicine have been made regularly over the last ten years, the search for novel anticancer treatments continues. In this field, the marine environment, with its rich variety of organisms, is a largely untapped source of novel compounds with potent antitumor activity. Although many reviews of marine anticancer compounds have been published, we focus here on selected marine compounds that act on the six hallmarks of cancer presented namely self-sufficiency in growth signals, insensitivity to anti-growth signals, evasion of apoptosis, limitless replication, sustained angiogenesis and tissue invasion and metastasis.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of dibromotyrosine analogues inspired by marine natural products as inhibitors of human prostate cancer proliferation, invasion, and migration

Bioactive secondary metabolites originating from dibromotyrosine are common in marine sponges, such as sponges of the Aplysina species. Verongiaquinol (1), 3,5-dibromo-1-hydroxy-4-oxocyclohexa-2,5-diene-1-acetamide, and aeroplysinin-1 are examples of such bioactive metabolites. Previous studies have shown the potent antimicrobial as well as cytotoxic properties of verongiaquinol and the anti-angiogenic activity of aeroplysinin-1. The work presented herein shows the design and synthesis of dibromotyrosine-inspired phenolic ester and ether analogues with anti-angiogenic, anti-proliferative and anti-migratory properties and negligible cytotoxicity. Several analogues were synthesized based on docking experiments in the ATP binding site of VEGFR2 and their anti-angiogenic potential and ability to inhibit angiogenesis and prostate cancer proliferation, migration and invasion were evaluated using the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay, MTT, wound-healing, and Cultrex® BME cell invasion assay models, respectively. Analogues with high docking scores showed promising anti-angiogenic activity in the CAM assay. In general, ester analogues (5, 6, and 8-10) proved to be of higher anti-migratory activity whereas ether analogues (11-14) showed better anti-proliferative activity. These results demonstrate the potential of dibromotyrosines as promising inhibitory scaffolds for the control of metastatic prostate cancer proliferation and migration.

3D-QSAR studies of latrunculin-based actin polymerization inhibitors using CoMFA and CoMSIA approaches

The marine-derived macrolide latrunculins A and B, from the Red Sea sponge Negombata magnifica, are known to reversibly bind actin monomers, forming 1:1 complex with G-actin, disrupting its polymerization. Latrunculins have remarkable physiological properties and widely used as biochemical markers. Nevertheless, no QSAR studies have been developed for any kind of actin disruptors. In the present study, Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) and Comparative Molecular Similarity Indices Analysis (CoMSIA) implemented in the SYBYL software packages were used to develop predictive 3D-QSAR models. Two alignment strategies were used to fit analyzed molecules to a suitable conformational template. By means of the SYBYL multifit alignment function, the best CoMFA and CoMSIA results presented cross-validated correlation coefficient values (q(2)) of 0.621 and 0.659, and non-cross-validated values (r(2)) of 0.938 and 0.965, respectively. Comparable to multifit-derived models, CoMFA and CoMSIA 3D-QSAR models were also derived using a molecular alignment obtained by docking latrunculin derivatives into the ATP active site of actin. In addition to q(2), the predictive ability was validated using external test set of five compounds. The results of this study suggest that the established model has a strong predictive ability and can be prospectively used in the molecular design and action mechanism analysis of this kind of cytotoxic compounds.