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Szabo R, Dobie C, Montgomery AP, Steele H, Yu H, Skropeta D. Synthesis of α-Hydroxy-1,2,3-Triazole-linked Sialyltransferase Inhibitors and Evaluation of Selectivity Towards ST3GAL1, ST6GAL1 and ST8SIA2. ChemMedChem 2024:e202400088. [PMID: 38758134 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202400088] [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: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Tumour-derived sialoglycans, bearing the charged nonulosonic sugar sialic acid at their termini, play a critical role in tumour cell adhesion and invasion, as well as evading cell death and immune surveillance. Sialyltransferases (ST), the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of sialylated glycans, are highly upregulated in cancer, with tumour hypersialylation strongly correlated with tumour growth, metastasis and drug resistance. As a result, desialylation of the tumour cell surface using either targeted delivery of a pan-ST inhibitor (or sialidase) or systemic delivery of a non-toxic selective ST inhibitors are being pursued as potential new anti-metastatic strategies against multiple cancers including pancreatic, ovarian, breast, melanoma and lung cancer. Herein, we have employed molecular modelling to give insights into the selectivity observed in a series of selective ST inhibitors that incorporate a uridyl ring in place of the cytidine of the natural donor (CMP-Neu5Ac) and replace the charged phosphodiester linker of classical ST inhibitors with a neutral α-hydroxy-1,2,3-triazole linker. The inhibitory activities of the nascent compounds were determined against recombinant human ST enzymes (ST3GAL1, ST6GAL1, ST8SIA2) showing promising activity and selectivity towards specific ST sub-types. Our ST inhibitors are non-toxic and show improved synthetic accessibility and drug-likeness compared to earlier nucleoside-based ST inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rémi Szabo
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Chris Dobie
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Andrew P Montgomery
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Harrison Steele
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Haibo Yu
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Danielle Skropeta
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
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Al Saoud R, Hamrouni A, Idris A, Mousa WK, Abu Izneid T. Recent advances in the development of sialyltransferase inhibitors to control cancer metastasis: A comprehensive review. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 165:115091. [PMID: 37421784 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastasis accounts for the majority of cancer-associated mortalities, representing a huge health and economic burden. One of the mechanisms that enables metastasis is hypersialylation, characterized by an overabundance of sialylated glycans on the tumor surface, which leads to repulsion and detachment of cells from the original tumor. Once the tumor cells are mobilized, sialylated glycans hijack the natural killer T-cells through self-molecular mimicry and activatea downstream cascade of molecular events that result in inhibition of cytotoxicity and inflammatory responses against cancer cells, ultimately leading to immune evasion. Sialylation is mediated by a family of enzymes known as sialyltransferases (STs), which catalyse the transfer of sialic acid residue from the donor, CMP-sialic acid, onto the terminal end of an acceptor such as N-acetylgalactosamine on the cell-surface. Upregulation of STs increases tumor hypersialylation by up to 60% which is considered a distinctive hallmark of several types of cancers such as pancreatic, breast, and ovarian cancer. Therefore, inhibiting STs has emerged as a potential strategy to prevent metastasis. In this comprehensive review, we discuss the recent advances in designing novel sialyltransferase inhibitors using ligand-based drug design and high-throughput screening of natural and synthetic entities, emphasizing the most successful approaches. We analyse the limitations and challenges of designing selective, potent, and cell-permeable ST inhibitors that hindered further development of ST inhibitors into clinical trials. We conclude by analysing emerging opportunities, including advanced delivery methods which further increase the potential of these inhibitors to enrich the clinics with novel therapeutics to combat metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranim Al Saoud
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Program, College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, P.O. Box 112612, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; AAU Health and Biomedical Research Center, Al Ain University, P.O. Box 112612, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Amar Hamrouni
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Program, College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, P.O. Box 112612, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; AAU Health and Biomedical Research Center, Al Ain University, P.O. Box 112612, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Adi Idris
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point, QLD, Australia; School of Pharmacy and Medical Science, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
| | - Walaa K Mousa
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Program, College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, P.O. Box 112612, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; AAU Health and Biomedical Research Center, Al Ain University, P.O. Box 112612, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Tareq Abu Izneid
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Program, College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, P.O. Box 112612, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; AAU Health and Biomedical Research Center, Al Ain University, P.O. Box 112612, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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Dobie C, Montgomery AP, Szabo R, Yu H, Skropeta D. Synthesis and biological evaluation of selective phosphonate-bearing 1,2,3-triazole-linked sialyltransferase inhibitors. RSC Med Chem 2021; 12:1680-1689. [PMID: 34778769 DOI: 10.1039/d1md00079a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The critical role of sialyltransferase (ST) enzymes in tumour cell growth and metastasis, as well as links to multi-drug and radiation resistance, has seen STs emerge as a target for potential antimetastatic cancer treatments. One promising class of ST inhibitors that improve upon the pharmacokinetic issues of previous inhibitors is the 1,2,3-triazole-linked transition-state analogues. Herein, we present the design and synthesis of a new generation of 1,2,3-triazole-linked sialyltransferase inhibitors, along with their biological evaluation demonstrating increased potency for phosphonate bearing compounds. The six most promising inhibitors presented in this work exhibited a greater number of binding modes for hST6Gal I over hST3Gal I, with K i ranging from 3-55 μM. This work highlights phosphonate bearing triazole-linked compounds as a promising class of synthetically accessible ST inhibitors that warrant further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Dobie
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia
| | - Andrew P Montgomery
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia
| | - Rémi Szabo
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia
| | - Haibo Yu
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia .,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia
| | - Danielle Skropeta
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia .,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia
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Perez SJLP, Fu CW, Li WS. Sialyltransferase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Cancer Metastasis: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives. Molecules 2021; 26:5673. [PMID: 34577144 PMCID: PMC8470674 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26185673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Potent, cell-permeable, and subtype-selective sialyltransferase inhibitors represent an attractive family of substances that can potentially be used for the clinical treatment of cancer metastasis. These substances operate by specifically inhibiting sialyltransferase-mediated hypersialylation of cell surface glycoproteins or glycolipids, which then blocks the sialic acid recognition pathway and leads to deterioration of cell motility and invasion. A vast amount of evidence for the in vitro and in vivo effects of sialyltransferase inhibition or knockdown on tumor progression and tumor cell metastasis or colonization has been accumulated over the past decades. In this regard, this review comprehensively discusses the results of studies that have led to the recent discovery and development of sialyltransferase inhibitors, their potential biomedical applications in the treatment of cancer metastasis, and their current limitations and future opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ser John Lynon P. Perez
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan; (S.J.L.P.P.); (C.-W.F.)
- Sustainable Chemical Science and Technology, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
- Sustainable Chemical Science and Technology, Taiwan International Graduate Program, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Wei Fu
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan; (S.J.L.P.P.); (C.-W.F.)
- Department of Chemistry, National Central University, Taoyuan City 32001, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Shan Li
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan; (S.J.L.P.P.); (C.-W.F.)
- Doctoral Degree Program in Marine Biotechnology, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
- Ph.D. Program in Biotechnology Research and Development, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Department of Medicinal and Applied Chemistry, College of Life Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Tamkang University, New Taipei City 251, Taiwan
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
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Aberrant Sialylation in Cancer: Biomarker and Potential Target for Therapeutic Intervention? Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13092014. [PMID: 33921986 PMCID: PMC8122436 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13092014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Sialylation is a post-translational modification that consists in the addition of sialic acid to growing glycan chains on glycoproteins and glycolipids. Aberrant sialylation is an established hallmark of several types of cancer, including breast, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, colorectal and lung cancers, melanoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Hypersialylation can be the effect of increased activity of sialyltransferases and results in an excess of negatively charged sialic acid on the surface of cancer cells. Sialic acid accumulation contributes to tumor progression by several paths, including stimulation of tumor invasion and migration, and enhancing immune evasion and tumor cell survival. In this review we explore the mechanisms by which sialyltransferases promote cancer progression. In addition, we provide insights into the possible use of sialyltransferases as biomarkers for cancer and summarize findings on the development of sialyltransferase inhibitors as potential anti-cancer treatments. Abstract Sialylation is an integral part of cellular function, governing many biological processes including cellular recognition, adhesion, molecular trafficking, signal transduction and endocytosis. Sialylation is controlled by the levels and the activities of sialyltransferases on glycoproteins and lipids. Altered gene expression of these enzymes in cancer yields to cancer-specific alterations of glycoprotein sialylation. Mounting evidence indicate that hypersialylation is closely associated with cancer progression and metastatic spread, and can be of prognostic significance in human cancer. Aberrant sialylation is not only a result of cancer, but also a driver of malignant phenotype, directly impacting key processes such as tumor cell dissociation and invasion, cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, angiogenesis, resistance to apoptosis, and evasion of immune destruction. In this review we provide insights on the impact of sialylation in tumor progression, and outline the possible application of sialyltransferases as cancer biomarkers. We also summarize the most promising findings on the development of sialyltransferase inhibitors as potential anti-cancer treatments.
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Skropeta D, Dobie C, Montgomery AP, Steele H, Szabo R, Yu H. Sialyltransferase Inhibitors as Potential Anti-Cancer Agents. Aust J Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1071/ch21195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Sialic acid occupies a privileged position at the terminus of the glycan chain of many cell-surface glycoconjugates. Owing to both their structure and location, charged sialic acid residues mediate numerous critical interactions in cell–cell communication including cell recognition, invasion, migration, receptor binding, and immunological responses. Sialyltransferases (STs) are the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of sialylated glycans and are highly upregulated, up to 40–60 %, in a range of cancers, with tumour hypersialylation strongly correlated with both tumour progression and treatment resistance. Accordingly, inhibiting sialylation is currently being explored by several research groups worldwide as a potential new cancer treatment strategy. However, to progress small molecule ST inhibitors into the clinic, issues around selectivity, synthetic accessibility, and cell permeability need to be addressed. Using computationally guided design principles, we produced a leading series of ST inhibitors by replacing the cytidine nucleoside with uridine and substituting the charged phosphodiester linker with a carbamate or triazole moiety. Biological evaluation of the newly developed inhibitors was performed using commercially available human ST enzymes, with the Ki inhibition values of the lead compounds ranging from 1 to 20 µM. Compared with earlier generations of sialylation inhibitors, our inhibitors are non-toxic in a range of cell studies, with improved synthetic accessibility.
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Dobie C, Skropeta D. Insights into the role of sialylation in cancer progression and metastasis. Br J Cancer 2020; 124:76-90. [PMID: 33144696 PMCID: PMC7782833 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-020-01126-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Upregulation of sialyltransferases—the enzymes responsible for the addition of sialic acid to growing glycoconjugate chains—and the resultant hypersialylation of up to 40–60% of tumour cell surfaces are established hallmarks of several cancers, including lung, breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancer. Hypersialylation promotes tumour metastasis by several routes, including enhancing immune evasion and tumour cell survival, and stimulating tumour invasion and migration. The critical role of enzymes that regulate sialic acid in tumour cell growth and metastasis points towards targeting sialylation as a potential new anti-metastatic cancer treatment strategy. Herein, we explore insights into the mechanisms by which hypersialylation plays a role in promoting metastasis, and explore the current state of sialyltransferase inhibitor development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Dobie
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health; and Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Danielle Skropeta
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health; and Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Wollongong, Australia. .,Illawarra Health & Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia.
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Montgomery AP, Dobie C, Szabo R, Hallam L, Ranson M, Yu H, Skropeta D. Design, synthesis and evaluation of carbamate-linked uridyl-based inhibitors of human ST6Gal I. Bioorg Med Chem 2020; 28:115561. [PMID: 32616185 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Sialic acid at the terminus of cell surface glycoconjugates is a critical element in cell-cell recognition, receptor binding and immune responses. Sialyltransferases (ST), the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of sialylated glycans are highly upregulated in cancer and the resulting hypersialylation of the tumour cell surface correlates strongly with tumour growth, metastasis and drug resistance. Inhibitors of human STs, in particular human ST6Gal I, are thus expected to be valuable chemical tools for the discovery of novel anticancer drugs. Herein, we report on the computationally-guided design and development of uridine-based inhibitors that replace the charged phosphodiester linker of known ST inhibitors with a neutral carbamate to improve pharmacokinetic properties and synthetic accessibility. A series of 24 carbamate-linked uridyl-based compounds were synthesised by coupling aryl and hetaryl α-hydroxyphosphonates with a 5'-amino-5'-deoxyuridine fragment. The inhibitory activities of the newly synthesised compounds against recombinant human ST6Gal I were determined using a luminescent microplate assay, and five promising inhibitors with Ki's ranging from 1 to 20 µM were identified. These results show that carbamate-linked uridyl-based compounds are a potential new class of readily accessible, non-cytotoxic ST inhibitors to be further explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P Montgomery
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Christopher Dobie
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Rémi Szabo
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Laura Hallam
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Marie Ranson
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Haibo Yu
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Danielle Skropeta
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
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Zhang Q, Zhang J, Gavathiotis E. ICBS 2017 in Shanghai-Illuminating Life with Chemical Innovation. ACS Chem Biol 2018; 13:1111-1122. [PMID: 29677443 PMCID: PMC6855916 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.8b00220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Qi Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Jingyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Evripidis Gavathiotis
- Department of Biochemistry, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York 10461, United States
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