MT119, a new planar-structured compound, targets the colchicine site of tubulin arresting mitosis and inhibiting tumor cell proliferation

Discovery of thalicthuberine as a novel antimitotic agent from nature that disrupts microtubule dynamics and induces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells

We report for the first time the mechanism of action of the natural product thalicthuberine (TH) in prostate and cervical cancer cells. TH induced a strong accumulation of LNCaP cells in mitosis, severe mitotic spindle defects, and asymmetric cell divisions, ultimately leading to mitotic catastrophe accompanied by cell death through apoptosis. However, unlike microtubule-binding drugs (vinblastine and paclitaxel), TH did not directly inhibit tubulin polymerization when tested in a cell-free system, whereas it reduced cellular microtubule polymer mass in LNCaP cells. This suggests that TH indirectly targets microtubule dynamics through inhibition of a critical regulator or tubulin-associated protein. Furthermore, TH is not a major substrate for P-glycoprotein (Pgp), which is responsible for multidrug resistance in numerous cancers, providing a rationale to further study TH in cancers with Pgp-mediated treatment resistance. The identification of TH's molecular target in future studies will be of great value to the development of TH as potential treatment of multidrug-resistant tumors.

The Structure of MT189-Tubulin Complex Provides Insights into Drug Design

Background:

Drugs that interfere with microtubule dynamics are used widely in cancer chemotherapy. Microtubules are composed of αβ-tubulin heterodimers, and the colchicine binding site of tubulin is an important pocket for designing tubulin polymerization inhibitors. We have previously designed and synthesized a series of colchicine binding site inhibitors (CBSIs). However, these compounds showed no anticancer activity in vivo. Then, we have used a deconstruction approach to obtain a new derivative MT189, which showed in vivo anticancer activity.

Methods:

We crystallized a protein complex including two tubulins, one stathmin-like domain of RB3 and one tubulin tyrosine ligase, and soaked MT189 into the crystals. We collected the diffraction data and determined the tubulin-MT189 structure to 2.8 Å.

Results:

Here, we report the crystal structure of tubulin complexed with MT189, elucidate how the small-molecular agent binds to tubulin and inhibits microtubule assembly, and explain previous results of the structure-activity-relationship studies.

Conclusion:

The tubulin-MT189 complex structure reveals the interactions between this agent and tubulin and provides insights into the design of new derivatives targeting the colchicine binding site.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 5-chloro-N-(4-sulfamoylbenzyl) salicylamide derivatives as tubulin polymerization inhibitors

A novel series of sulfonamide derivatives, coupled with a salicylamide scaffold, was designed and synthesized. The structures of the synthesized compounds were established using 1H NMR, 13C NMR and high-resolution mass spectroscopy. The synthesized compounds were tested in vitro against five types of human cell lines. Two were breast adenocarcinoma, including the hormone-dependent MCF-7 and the hormone-independent MDA-MB-231. The others were the colorectal adenocarcinoma Caco-2, the carcinoma HCT-116 and the immortalized retinal-pigmented epithelium, hTERT-RPE1. Nine sulfonamides were able to inhibit the growth of the four tested cancer cells. Compound 33 was the most active against the selected colon cancer (Caco-2 and HCT-116) subtypes, while compound 24 showed the best efficacy against the examined breast cancer (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) cells. The selectivity index introduced compounds 24 and 33 as having the best selectivity among the breast and colon subtypes, respectively. In vitro tubulin polymerization experiments and flow cytometric assays showed that compounds 24 and 33 led to cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase in a dose-dependent manner by effectively inhibiting tubulin polymerization. Furthermore, the results of the molecular docking studies indicate that this class of compounds can bind to the colchicine-binding site of tubulin.

Novel PARP1/2 inhibitor mefuparib hydrochloride elicits potent in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity, characteristic of high tissue distribution

The approval of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor AZD2281 in 2014 marked the successful establishment of the therapeutic strategy targeting homologous recombination repair defects of cancers in the clinic. However, AZD2281 has poor water solubility, low tissue distribution and relatively weak in vivo anticancer activity, which appears to become limiting factors for its clinical use. In this study, we found that mefuparib hydrochloride (MPH) was a potent PARP inhibitor, possessing prominent in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity. Notably, MPH displayed high water solubility (> 35 mg/ml) and potent PARP1/2 inhibition in a substrate-competitive manner. It reduced poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) formation, enhanced γH2AX levels, induced G2/M arrest and subsequent apoptosis in homologous recombination repair (HR)-deficient cells. Proof-of-concept studies confirmed the MPH-caused synthetic lethality. MPH showed potent in vitro and in vivo proliferation and growth inhibition against HR-deficient cancer cells and synergistic sensitization of HR-proficient xenografts to the anticancer drug temozolomide. A good relationship between the anticancer activity and the PARP inhibition of MPH suggested that PAR formation and γH2AX accumulation could serve as its pharmacodynamic biomarkers. Its high bioavailability (40%~100%) and high tissue distribution in both monkeys and rats were its most important pharmacokinetic features. Its average concentrations were 33-fold higher in the tissues than in the plasma in rats. Our work supports the further clinical development of MPH as a novel PARP1/2 inhibitor for cancer therapy.

New microtubulin inhibitor MT189 suppresses angiogenesis via the JNK-VEGF/VEGFR2 signaling axis

The microtubulin inhibitor MT189 possesses anticancer activity and has been shown to overcome multidrug resistance. Here, we report that MT189 also inhibits angiogenesis. MT189 inhibited the proliferation, migration and differentiation of endothelial cells, with or without VEGF stimulation, and suppressed microvessel formation ex vivo and in vivo. MT189 reduced VEGF expression and secretion in both tumor and endothelial cells, under either hypoxic or normoxic conditions. The activation of VEGFR2 and downstream Src was thus abrogated in the MT189-treated endothelial cells. MT189 subsequently stabilized endothelial cell-cell junctions consist of VE-cadherin, β-catenin, vinculin, and actin. MT189 also disrupted endothelial cell-matrix junctions by inhibiting the turnover of focal adhesions containing FAK, paxillin, vinculin, and actin. Inhibition of JNK reversed MT189-mediated inhibition of endothelial migration and differentiation, JNK activation, the reduction of VEGF expression and secretion, and the decrease of Src and FAK phosphorylation. These results indicate that MT189 suppresses angiogenesis by reducing endothelial proliferation, migration, and differentiation via the JNK-VEGF/VEGFR2 signaling axis. Together with our previous report showing that MT189 exhibited anticancer activity via the JNK-MCL-1 pathway, these new findings further support MT189-based drug development for cancer therapy.

The BET-Bromodomain Inhibitor JQ1 synergized ABT-263 against colorectal cancer cells through suppressing c-Myc-induced miR-1271-5p expression

Colorectal cancer (CRC) cells undergo apoptosis in the presence of the small-molecule inhibitor ABT-263 by up-regulating antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members. However, the resistance to ABT-263 gradually developed in most solid tumors due to its low affinity to Mcl-1. Here, we found the BET-Bromodomain inhibitor JQ1, when combined with ABT-263, synergistically reduced Mcl-1 protein level, induced apoptosis, and decreased cell viability in the CRC HCT-15, HT-29 and SW620 cells. The subsequent mechanism study revealed that a pathway of c-Myc/miR-1271-5p/Noxa/Mcl-1 underlies the synergistic effect of such combination treatment. We discovered that miR-1271-5p, the key mediator for the synergistic effect, is transcriptionally activated by c-Myc, and binds to the 3'-UTR of noxa to inhibit its protein production. The combination treatment of JQ1 and ABT-263 inhibited c-Myc protein level and also c-Myc-driven expression of miR-1271-5p, subsequently increased the protein level of Noxa, and finally promotes the degradation of Mcl-1. Our findings provide an alternative strategy to resolve the resistance during treatment of CRC by JQ1, and also discovered a novel miR-1271-5p-dependent regulatory mechanism for gene expression of noxa.

Integrated diagnostic network construction reveals a 4-gene panel and 5 cancer hallmarks driving breast cancer heterogeneity

Breast cancer encompasses a group of heterogeneous diseases, each associated with distinct clinical implications. Dozens of molecular biomarkers capable of categorizing tumors into clinically relevant subgroups have been proposed which, though considerably contribute in precision medicine, complicate our understandings toward breast cancer subtyping and its clinical translation. To decipher the networking of markers with diagnostic roles on breast carcinomas, we constructed the diagnostic networks by incorporating 6 publically available gene expression datasets with protein interaction data retrieved from BioGRID on previously identified 1015 genes with breast cancer subtyping roles. The Greedy algorithm and mutual information were used to construct the integrated diagnostic network, resulting in 37 genes enclosing 43 interactions. Four genes, FAM134B, KIF2C, ALCAM, KIF1A, were identified having comparable subtyping efficacies with the initial 1015 genes evaluated by hierarchical clustering and cross validations that deploy support vector machine and k nearest neighbor algorithms. Pathway, Gene Ontology, and proliferation marker enrichment analyses collectively suggest 5 primary cancer hallmarks driving breast cancer differentiation, with those contributing to uncontrolled proliferation being the most prominent. Our results propose a 37-gene integrated diagnostic network implicating 5 cancer hallmarks that drives breast cancer heterogeneity and, in particular, a 4-gene panel with clinical diagnostic translation potential.

Triptolide Induces Cell Killing in Multidrug-Resistant Tumor Cells via CDK7/RPB1 Rather than XPB or p44

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major cause of tumor treatment failure; therefore, drugs that can avoid this outcome are urgently needed. We studied triptolide, which directly kills MDR tumor cells with a high potency and a broad spectrum of cell death. Triptolide did not inhibit P-glycoprotein (P-gp) drug efflux and reduced P-gp and MDR1 mRNA resulting from transcription inhibition. Transcription factors including c-MYC, SOX-2, OCT-4, and NANOG were not correlated with triptolide-induced cell killing, but RPB1, the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II, was critical in mediating triptolide's inhibition of MDR cells. Triptolide elicited antitumor and anti-MDR activity through a universal mechanism: by activating CDK7 by phosphorylating Thr170 in both parental and MDR cell lines and in SK-OV-3 cells. The CDK7-selective inhibitor BS-181 partially rescued cell killing induced by 72-hour treatment of triptolide, which may be due to partial rescue of RPB1 degradation. We suggest that a precise phosphorylation site on RPB1 (Ser1878) was phosphorylated by CDK7 in response to triptolide. In addition, XPB and p44, two transcription factor TFIIH subunits, did not contribute to triptolide-driven RPB1 degradation and cell killing, although XPB was reported to covalently bind to triptolide. Several clinical trials are underway to test triptolide and its analogues for treating cancer and other diseases, so our data may help expand potential clinical uses of triptolide, as well as offer a compound that overcomes tumor MDR. Future investigations into the primary molecular target(s) of triptolide responsible for RPB1 degradation may suggest novel anti-MDR target(s) for therapeutic development. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(7); 1495-503. ©2016 AACR.

Dual targeting of microtubule and topoisomerase II by α-carboline derivative YCH337 for tumor proliferation and growth inhibition

Both microtubule and topoisomerase II (Top2) are important anticancer targets and their respective inhibitors are widely used in combination for cancer therapy. However, some combinations could be mutually antagonistic and drug resistance further limits their therapeutic efficacy. Here we report YCH337, a novel α-carboline derivative that targets both microtubule and Top2, eliciting tumor proliferation and growth inhibition and overcoming drug resistance. YCH337 inhibited microtubule polymerization by binding to the colchicine site and subsequently led to mitotic arrest. It also suppressed Top2 and caused DNA double-strand breaks. It disrupted microtubule more potently than Top2. YCH337 induced reversible mitotic arrest at low concentrations but persistent DNA damage. YCH337 caused intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis and decreased MCL-1, cIAP1 and XIAP proteins. In this aspect, YCH337 behaved differently from the combination of vincristine and etoposide. YCH337 inhibited proliferation of tumor cells with an averaged IC₅₀ of 0.3 μM. It significantly suppressed the growth of HT-29 xenografts in nude mice too. Importantly, YCH337 nearly equally killed different-mechanism-mediated resistant tumor cells and corresponding parent cells. Together with the novelty of its chemical structure, YCH337 could serve as a promising lead for drug development and a prototype for a dual microtubule/Top2 targeting strategy for cancer therapy.

Metal free direct formation of various substituted pyrido[2′,1′:2,3]imidazo[4,5-c]isoquinolin-5-amines and their further functionalization

Original substituted pyrido[2′,1′:2,3]imidazo[4,5-c]isoquinolin-5-amines have been easily prepared via an Groebke–Blackburn–Bienaymé MCR, then an N-deprotection followed by a spontaneous final cyclization step.

Ga(OTf)3-promoted synthesis of functionalized 2-carbonyl-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines derived from ethyl α-benzotriazolyl-α-morpholinoacetate

Synthesis of functionalized 2-carbonyl-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines derived from ethyl α-benzotriazolyl-α-morpholinoacetate.

MCL-1 degradation mediated by JNK activation via MEKK1/TAK1-MKK4 contributes to anticancer activity of new tubulin inhibitor MT189

Colchicine site-targeted tubulin inhibitors are a promising type of anticancer drugs. MT189 is a new derivative of MT119, a previously reported colchicine site-binding antitubulin agent. In this study, MT189 was demonstrated to retain the property of MT119 in disrupting microtubulin via binding to the colchicine site, causing mitotic arrest and inducing apoptosis, and to display 8.7-fold enhanced proliferative inhibition in a panel of cancer cells. MT189 was shown to elicit in vivo anticancer effects on MDA-MB-231 xenografts in nude mice, and the tumor growth was suppressed by 35.9% over 14 days. MT189 led to degradation of MCL-1, a member of the antiapoptotic BCL-2 protein family. Its overexpression reduced but its silenced expression increased the apoptotic induction followed by the treatment with MT189. Moreover, the treatment with MT189 caused activation of the MEKK1/TAK1-MKK4-JNK signaling pathway. The activated JNK resulted in phosphorylation of MCL-1, which facilitated its ubiquitination-mediated degradation. Our results show that MT189 inhibits microtubulin polymerization by binding to the colchicine site. Relief of apoptotic suppression by MCL-1 degradation together with mitotic arrest contributes to the anticancer activity of MT189.

Optimization of 4-(N-cycloamino)phenylquinazolines as a novel class of tubulin-polymerization inhibitors targeting the colchicine site

The 6-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline moiety in prior leads 2-chloro- and 2-methyl-4-(6-methoxy-3,4-dihydroquinolin-1(2H)-yl)quinazoline (1a and 1b) was modified to produce 4-(N-cycloamino)quinazolines (4a-c and 5a-m). The new compounds were evaluated in cytotoxicity and tubulin inhibition assays, resulting in the discovery of new tubulin-polymerization inhibitors. 7-Methoxy-4-(2-methylquinazolin-4-yl)-3,4-dihydroquinoxalin- 2(1H)-one (5f), the most potent compound, exhibited high in vitro cytotoxic activity (GI50 1.9-3.2 nM), significant potency against tubulin assembly (IC50 0.77 μM), and substantial inhibition of colchicine binding (99% at 5 μM). In mechanism studies, 5f caused cell arrest in G2/M phase, disrupted microtubule formation, and competed mostly at the colchicine site on tubulin. Compound 5f and N-methylated analogue 5g were evaluated in nude mouse MCF7 xenograft models to validate their antitumor activity. Compound 5g displayed significant in vivo activity (tumor inhibitory rate 51%) at a dose of 4 mg/kg without obvious toxicity, whereas 5f unexpectedly resulted in toxicity and death at the same dose.

An overview of tubulin inhibitors that interact with the colchicine binding site

Tubulin dynamics is a promising target for new chemotherapeutic agents. The colchicine binding site is one of the most important pockets for potential tubulin polymerization destabilizers. Colchicine binding site inhibitors (CBSI) exert their biological effects by inhibiting tubulin assembly and suppressing microtubule formation. A large number of molecules interacting with the colchicine binding site have been designed and synthesized with significant structural diversity. CBSIs have been modified as to chemical structure as well as pharmacokinetic properties, and tested in order to find a highly potent, low toxicity agent for treatment of cancers. CBSIs are believed to act by a common mechanism via binding to the colchicine site on tubulin. The present review is a synopsis of compounds that have been reported in the past decade that have provided an increase in our understanding of the actions of CBSIs.