1
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Ismail HS, Khalil A, Taha RA, Lasheen DS, Abou El Ella DA. Design, molecular modelling and synthesis of novel benzothiazole derivatives as BCL-2 inhibitors. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15554. [PMID: 37730790 PMCID: PMC10511702 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41783-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Apoptosis plays a crucial role in cancer pathogenesis and drug resistance. BCL-2 family of enzymes is considered as one of the key enzymes which is involved in apoptosis. When there is disruption in the balance between anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic members of the BCL-2 family apoptosis is dysregulated in the affected cells. Herein, 33 novel benzothiazole-based molecules 7a-i, 8a-f, 9a-b, 12a-e, 13a-d, 14a,b, and 17a-j were designed, synthesized and tested for their BCL-2 inhibitory activity. Scaffold hopping strategy was applied in designing of the target compounds. Compounds 13c and 13d showed the highest activity with IC50 values equal to 0.471 and 0.363 µM, respectively. Molecular docking studies of the synthesized compounds showed comparable binding interactions with the lead compound. Structure activity relationship study was performed to show the effects of structural modifications on the inhibitory activities on BCL-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoda S Ismail
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Amira Khalil
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, The British University in Egypt (BUE), El-Sherouk City, Cairo, 11837, Egypt.
| | - Rabah A Taha
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Deena S Lasheen
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Dalal A Abou El Ella
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
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2
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Faheem, Karan Kumar B, Venkata Gowri Chandra Sekhar K, Chander S, Kunjiappan S, Murugesan S. 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroisoquinoline (THIQ) as privileged scaffold for anticancer de novo drug design. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2021; 16:1119-1147. [PMID: 33908322 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2021.1916464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Cancer is a dreadful disorder that is emerging as one of the leading causes of mortality across the globe. The complex tumor environment, supplemented with drawbacks of the existing drugs, has made it a global health concern. The Tetrahydroisoquinoline (THIQ) ring holds an important position in medicinal chemistry due to its wide range of pharmacological properties. Several THIQ based natural products have been previously explored for their antitumor properties, making it a vital scaffold for anticancer drug design.Areas covered: This review article addresses the potential of THIQ as anticancer agents. Various medicinal chemistry strategies employed for the design and development of THIQ analogs as inhibitors or modulators of relevant anticancer targets have been discussed in detail. Moreover, the common strategies employed for the synthesis of the core scaffold are also highlighted.Expert opinion: Evidently, THIQs have tremendous potential in anticancer drug design. Some of these analogs exhibited potent activity against various cancer molecular targets. However, there are some drawbacks, such as selectivity that need addressing. The synthetic ease for constructing the core scaffold complimented with its reactivity makes it ideal for further structure-activity relationship studies. For these reasons, THIQ is a privileged scaffold for the design and development of novel anticancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faheem
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science-Pilani, Pilani, India
| | - Banoth Karan Kumar
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science-Pilani, Pilani, India
| | | | - Subhash Chander
- Amity Institute of Phytomedicine and Phytochemistry, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, India
| | - Selvaraj Kunjiappan
- Department of Biotechnology, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Krishnankoil, India
| | - Sankaranarayanan Murugesan
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science-Pilani, Pilani, India
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3
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Upadhyay N, Tilekar K, Loiodice F, Anisimova NY, Spirina TS, Sokolova DV, Smirnova GB, Choe JY, Meyer-Almes FJ, Pokrovsky VS, Lavecchia A, Ramaa CS. Pharmacophore hybridization approach to discover novel pyrazoline-based hydantoin analogs with anti-tumor efficacy. Bioorg Chem 2021; 107:104527. [PMID: 33317839 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.104527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In search for new and safer anti-cancer agents, a structurally guided pharmacophore hybridization strategy of two privileged scaffolds, namely diaryl pyrazolines and imidazolidine-2,4-dione (hydantoin), was adopted resulting in a newfangled series of compounds (H1-H22). Herein, a bio-isosteric replacement of "pyrrolidine-2,5-dione" moiety of our recently reported antitumor hybrid incorporating diaryl pyrazoline and pyrrolidine-2,5-dione scaffolds with "imidazoline-2,4-dione" moiety has been incorporated. Complete biological studies revealed the most potent analog among all i.e. compound H13, which was at-least 10-fold more potent compared to the corresponding pyrrolidine-2,5-dione, in colon and breast cancer cells. In-vitro studies showed activation of caspases, arrest of G0/G1 phase of cell cycle, decrease in the expression of anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-2) and increased DNA damage. In-vivo assay on HT-29 (human colorectal adenocarcinoma) animal xenograft model unveiled the significant anti-tumor efficacy along with oral bioavailability with maximum TGI 36% (i.p.) and 44% (per os) at 50 mg/kg dose. These findings confirm the suitability of hybridized pyrazoline and imidazolidine-2,4-dione analog H13 for its anti-cancer potential and starting-point for the development of more efficacious analogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Upadhyay
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Pharmacy, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Kalpana Tilekar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Pharmacy, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Fulvio Loiodice
- Department of Pharmacy-Drug Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Via E. Orabona, 4, 70126 Bari, Italy
| | - Natalia Yu Anisimova
- Laboratory of Combined Therapy, N.N. Blokhin Cancer Research Center, Moscow, Russia
| | - Tatiana S Spirina
- Laboratory of Combined Therapy, N.N. Blokhin Cancer Research Center, Moscow, Russia
| | - Darina V Sokolova
- Laboratory of Combined Therapy, N.N. Blokhin Cancer Research Center, Moscow, Russia
| | - Galina B Smirnova
- Laboratory of Combined Therapy, N.N. Blokhin Cancer Research Center, Moscow, Russia
| | - Jun-Yong Choe
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Department of Chemistry, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
| | - Franz-Josef Meyer-Almes
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Applied Science, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Vadim S Pokrovsky
- Laboratory of Combined Therapy, N.N. Blokhin Cancer Research Center, Moscow, Russia; Department of Biochemistry, People's Friendship University, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Antonio Lavecchia
- Department of Pharmacy, "Drug Discovery" Laboratory, University of Napoli "Federico II", Via D. Montesano, 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy.
| | - C S Ramaa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Pharmacy, Navi Mumbai, India.
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4
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Gaddam GR, Dubey PK, Chittireddy VRR. Synthesis of Indolyl Pyrazole Scaffolds as Potential Anti-cancer Agents and their Molecular Modelling Studies. LETT DRUG DES DISCOV 2020. [DOI: 10.2174/1570180816666191024103534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Background::
Indole and pyrazoles are one of the prime structural units in the field of
medicinal chemistry and have been reported to exhibit a variety of biological activities specifically
anti-cancer. In view of their medicinal significance, we synthesized a conjugate of the two moieties
to get access to newer and potential anti-cancer agents.
Methods:
Indolyl pyrazoles [3-(1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-(1-methyl-1H-indole-3-carbon
yl)acrylonitriles] (4a-l) were synthesized by adopting simple and greener protocol and all the synthesized
derivatives were docked against Bcl-2 protein and the selected chemical moieties were
screened for their cytotoxicity by using the MTT assay.
Results: :
All the synthesized compounds were docked against BCL-2 protein in order to understand
their binding pattern. Among the 12 compounds docked, 4d, 4f, 4h, 4j, and 4l compounds exhibited
better protein binding interactions and the same were screened for their anti-cancer activity against
A549 (lung) cancer cell lines at a concentration of 100 μM using Doxorubicin as standard. Substitutions
such as N-benzyl, N-ethyl groups and halogen groups such as Br, Cl on indole ring showed
moderate activity against A-549 cell lines.
Conclusion::
Among the 5 indolyl pyrazole derivatives screened, compounds 4h and 4j showed significantly
better activity with an IC50 of 33.12 and 34.24 μM, respectively. Further, structural tweaking
of the synthesized new chemical entities may lead to potential hit/lead-like molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganga Reddy Gaddam
- Department of Chemistry, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad, Kukatpally, Hyderabad, Telangana 500 085, India
| | - Pramod Kumar Dubey
- Department of Chemistry, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad, Kukatpally, Hyderabad, Telangana 500 085, India
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5
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Denis C, Sopková-de Oliveira Santos J, Bureau R, Voisin-Chiret AS. Hot-Spots of Mcl-1 Protein. J Med Chem 2019; 63:928-943. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b00983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Camille Denis
- Normandie Univiversité, UNICAEN, CERMN, 14000 Caen, France
| | | | - Ronan Bureau
- Normandie Univiversité, UNICAEN, CERMN, 14000 Caen, France
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6
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The Structural Biology of Bcl-x L. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20092234. [PMID: 31067648 PMCID: PMC6540150 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20092234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Interactions between the pro-survival and pro-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins dictate whether a cell lives or dies. Much of our knowledge of the molecular details of these interactions has come from biochemical and structural studies on the pro-survival protein Bcl-xL. The first high-resolution structure of any Bcl-2 family member was of Bcl-xL, which revealed the conserved topology amongst all family members. Subsequent structures of Bcl-xL complexes with pro-apoptotic ligands demonstrated the general features of all pro-survival:pro-apoptotic complexes. Structural studies involving Bcl-xL were also the basis for the discovery of the first small-molecule pro-survival protein inhibitors, leading ultimately to the development of a new class of drugs now successfully used for cancer treatment in the clinic. This article will review our current knowledge of the structural biology of Bcl-xL and how this has impacted our understanding of the molecular details of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway.
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7
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Schmidt D, Boehm M, McClendon CL, Torella R, Gohlke H. Cosolvent-Enhanced Sampling and Unbiased Identification of Cryptic Pockets Suitable for Structure-Based Drug Design. J Chem Theory Comput 2019; 15:3331-3343. [PMID: 30998331 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.8b01295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Modulating protein activity with small-molecules binding to cryptic pockets offers great opportunities to overcome hurdles in drug design. Cryptic sites are atypical binding sites in proteins that are closed in the absence of a stabilizing ligand and are thus inherently difficult to identify. Many studies have proposed methods to predict cryptic sites. However, a general approach to prospectively sample open conformations of these sites and to identify cryptic pockets in an unbiased manner suitable for structure-based drug design remains elusive. Here, we describe an all-atom, explicit cosolvent, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations-based workflow to sample the open states of cryptic sites and identify opened pockets, in a manner that does not require a priori knowledge about these sites. Furthermore, the workflow relies on a target-independent parametrization that only distinguishes between binding pockets for peptides or small molecules. We validated our approach on a diverse test set of seven proteins with crystallographically determined cryptic sites. The known cryptic sites were found among the three highest-ranked predicted cryptic sites, and an open site conformation was sampled and selected for most of the systems. Crystallographic ligand poses were well reproduced by docking into these identified open conformations for five of the systems. When the fully open state could not be reproduced, we were still able to predict the location of the cryptic site, or identify other cryptic sites that could be retrospectively validated with knowledge of the protein target. These characteristics render our approach valuable for investigating novel protein targets without any prior information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Schmidt
- Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Institut für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie , Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf , 40225 Düsseldorf , Germany
| | - Markus Boehm
- Medicinal Sciences , Pfizer Inc. , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02139 , United States
| | | | - Rubben Torella
- Medicinal Sciences , Pfizer Inc. , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02139 , United States
| | - Holger Gohlke
- Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Institut für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie , Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf , 40225 Düsseldorf , Germany.,John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) & Institute for Complex Systems-Structural Biochemistry (ICS 6) , Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH , 52425 Jülich , Germany
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8
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Maity A, Majumdar S, Ghosh Dastidar S. Flexibility enables to discriminate between ligands: Lessons from structural ensembles of Bcl-xl and Mcl-1. Comput Biol Chem 2018; 77:17-27. [PMID: 30195235 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2018.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Revised: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The proteins of Bcl-2 family, which are promising anti-cancer-drug targets, have substantial similarity in primary sequence and share homologous domains as well as similar structural folds. In spite of similarities in sequence and structures, the members of its pro- and anti- apoptotic subgroups form complexes with different type of partners with discriminating binding affinities. Understanding the origin of this discrimination is very important for designing ligands that can either selectively target a protein or could be made broad ranged as necessary. Using principal component analysis (PCA) of the available structures and from the analysis of the evolution of the binding pocket residues, the correlation has been investigated considering two important anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xl and Mcl-1, which serve as two ideal representatives of this family. The flexibility of the receptor enables them to discriminate between the ligands or the binding partners. It has been observed that although Bcl-xl and Mcl-1 are classified as homologous proteins, through the course of evolution the binding pocket residues are highly conserved for Bcl-xl; whereas they have been substituted frequently in Mcl-1. The investigation has revealed that the Bcl-xl can adjust the backbone conformation of the binding pocket residues to a larger extent to complement with the shape of different binding partners whereas the Mcl-1 shows more variation in the side chain conformation of binding pocket residues for the same purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atanu Maity
- Bioinformatics Centre, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata 700054, India
| | - Sarmistha Majumdar
- Bioinformatics Centre, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata 700054, India
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9
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Kanakaveti V, Sakthivel R, Rayala SK, Gromiha MM. Importance of functional groups in predicting the activity of small molecule inhibitors for Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Chem Biol Drug Des 2017; 90:308-316. [DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.12952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Revised: 11/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Vishnupriya Kanakaveti
- Protein Bioinformatics Lab; Department of Biotechnology; Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences; Indian Institute of Technology Madras; Chennai Tamil Nadu India
| | - Ramasamy Sakthivel
- Protein Bioinformatics Lab; Department of Biotechnology; Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences; Indian Institute of Technology Madras; Chennai Tamil Nadu India
| | - S. K. Rayala
- Molecular Oncology Lab; Department of Biotechnology; Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences; Indian Institute of Technology Madras; Chennai Tamil Nadu India
| | - M. Michael Gromiha
- Protein Bioinformatics Lab; Department of Biotechnology; Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences; Indian Institute of Technology Madras; Chennai Tamil Nadu India
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10
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Kellici TF, Chatziathanasiadou MV, Lee MS, Sayyad N, Geromichalou EG, Vrettos EI, Tsiailanis AD, Chi SW, Geromichalos GD, Mavromoustakos T, Tzakos AG. Rational design and structure–activity relationship studies of quercetin–amino acid hybrids targeting the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xL. Org Biomol Chem 2017; 15:7956-7976. [DOI: 10.1039/c7ob02045g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Anti-apoptotic proteins, like the Bcl-2 family proteins, present an important therapeutic cancer drug target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahsin F. Kellici
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Ioannina
- Ioannina 45110
- Greece
- Department of Chemistry
| | | | - Min-Sung Lee
- Disease Target Structure Research Center
- KRIBB
- Daejeon 34141
- Republic of Korea
| | - Nisar Sayyad
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Ioannina
- Ioannina 45110
- Greece
| | - Elena G. Geromichalou
- Laboratory of Pharmacology
- Medical School National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
- Athens 11527
- Greece
| | | | | | - Seung-Wook Chi
- Disease Target Structure Research Center
- KRIBB
- Daejeon 34141
- Republic of Korea
| | - George D. Geromichalos
- Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry
- Faculty of Chemistry
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
- GR-54124 Thessaloniki
- Greece
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11
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Wallach DR, Chisholm JD. Alkylation of Sulfonamides with Trichloroacetimidates under Thermal Conditions. J Org Chem 2016; 81:8035-42. [PMID: 27487402 PMCID: PMC5010445 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.6b01421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
An intermolecular alkylation of sulfonamides with trichloroacetimidates is reported. This transformation does not require an exogenous acid, base, or transition metal catalyst; instead the addition occurs in refluxing toluene without additives. The sulfonamide alkylation partner appears to be only limited by sterics, with unsubstituted sulfonamides providing better yields than more encumbered N-alkyl sulfonamides. The trichloroacetimidate alkylating agent must be a stable cation precursor for the substitution reaction to proceed under these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R. Wallach
- Department of Chemistry, 1-014 Center for Science and Technology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244
| | - John D. Chisholm
- Department of Chemistry, 1-014 Center for Science and Technology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244
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12
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Dynamics of the BH3-Only Protein Binding Interface of Bcl-xL. Biophys J 2016; 109:1049-57. [PMID: 26331262 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.07.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2015] [Revised: 07/24/2015] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The balance and interplay between pro-death and pro-survival members of the B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family proteins play key roles in regulation of the mitochondrial pathway of programmed cell death. Recent NMR and biochemical studies have revealed that binding of the proapoptotic BH3-only protein PUMA induces significant unfolding of antiapoptotic Bcl-xL at the interface, which in turn disrupts the Bcl-xL/p53 interaction to activate apoptosis. However, the molecular mechanism of such regulated unfolding of Bcl-xL is not fully understood. Analysis of the existing Protein Data Bank structures of Bcl-xL in both bound and unbound states reveal substantial intrinsic heterogeneity at its BH3-only protein binding interface. Large-scale atomistic simulations were performed in explicit solvent for six representative structures to further investigate the intrinsic conformational dynamics of Bcl-xL. The results support that the BH3-only protein binding interface of Bcl-xL is much more dynamic compared to the rest of the protein, both unbound and when bound to various BH3-only proteins. Such intrinsic interfacial conformational dynamics likely provides a physical basis that allows Bcl-xL to respond sensitively to detailed biophysical properties of the ligand. The ability of Bcl-xL to retain or even enhance dynamics at the interface in bound states could further facilitate the regulation of its interactions with various BH3-only proteins such as through posttranslational modifications.
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13
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Abstract
High-resolution protein structures determined by X-ray crystallography or NMR have proven invaluable for deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying the function of a vast range of proteins. Here, we describe methods to generate complexes of proteins belonging to the Bcl-2 family of proteins with either biological ligands or small molecule antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Kvansakul
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Physical Sciences 4, Room 205, Kingsbury Drive, Bundoora, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia.,La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia
| | - Peter E Czabotar
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia. .,Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.
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14
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Rajan S, Choi M, Baek K, Yoon HS. Bh3 induced conformational changes in Bcl-Xl revealed by crystal structure and comparative analysis. Proteins 2015; 83:1262-72. [PMID: 25907960 DOI: 10.1002/prot.24816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2014] [Revised: 04/09/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Apoptosis or programmed cell death is a regulatory process in cells in response to stimuli perturbing physiological conditions. The Bcl-2 family of proteins plays an important role in regulating homeostasis during apoptosis. In the process, the molecular interactions among the three members of this family, the pro-apoptotic, anti-apoptotic and BH3-only proteins at the mitochondrial outer membrane define the fate of a cell. Here, we report the crystal structures of the human anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-XL in complex with BH3-only BID(BH3) and BIM(BH3) peptides determined at 2.0 Å and 1.5 Å resolution, respectively. The BH3 peptides bind to the canonical hydrophobic pocket in Bcl-XL and adopt an alpha helical conformation in the bound form. Despite a similar structural fold, a comparison with other BH3 complexes revealed structural differences due to their sequence variations. In the Bcl-XL-BID(BH3) complex we observed a large pocket, in comparison with other BH3 complexes, lined by residues from helices α1, α2, α3, and α5 located adjacent to the canonical hydrophobic pocket. These results suggest that there are differences in the mode of interactions by the BH3 peptides that may translate into functional differences in apoptotic regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sreekanth Rajan
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Minjoo Choi
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Kwanghee Baek
- Department of Genetic Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-Si, Gyeonggi-Do, 446-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho Sup Yoon
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Singapore.,Department of Genetic Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-Si, Gyeonggi-Do, 446-701, Republic of Korea
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15
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Johnson DK, Karanicolas J. Selectivity by small-molecule inhibitors of protein interactions can be driven by protein surface fluctuations. PLoS Comput Biol 2015; 11:e1004081. [PMID: 25706586 PMCID: PMC4338137 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2014] [Accepted: 12/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Small-molecules that inhibit interactions between specific pairs of proteins have long represented a promising avenue for therapeutic intervention in a variety of settings. Structural studies have shown that in many cases, the inhibitor-bound protein adopts a conformation that is distinct from its unbound and its protein-bound conformations. This plasticity of the protein surface presents a major challenge in predicting which members of a protein family will be inhibited by a given ligand. Here, we use biased simulations of Bcl-2-family proteins to generate ensembles of low-energy conformations that contain surface pockets suitable for small molecule binding. We find that the resulting conformational ensembles include surface pockets that mimic those observed in inhibitor-bound crystal structures. Next, we find that the ensembles generated using different members of this protein family are overlapping but distinct, and that the activity of a given compound against a particular family member (ligand selectivity) can be predicted from whether the corresponding ensemble samples a complementary surface pocket. Finally, we find that each ensemble includes certain surface pockets that are not shared by any other family member: while no inhibitors have yet been identified to take advantage of these pockets, we expect that chemical scaffolds complementing these “distinct” pockets will prove highly selective for their targets. The opportunity to achieve target selectivity within a protein family by exploiting differences in surface fluctuations represents a new paradigm that may facilitate design of family-selective small-molecule inhibitors of protein-protein interactions. Despite intense interest and considerable effort, there are few examples of small molecules that directly inhibit protein-protein interactions. Crystal structures of early successes have highlighted the plasticity of the protein surface, as some inhibitor-bound proteins are captured in conformations that are distinct from both their unbound and their protein-bound conformations. The lack of a single well-defined structure presents a challenge for predicting the members of a protein family to which a given compound will show activity (ligand selectivity). Here we generate ensembles of conformations from simulation, and show that we can predict ligand selectivity based on which family members sample conformations complementary to the ligand. This approach may present a new avenue for designing highly-selective inhibitors of protein-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David K. Johnson
- Center for Computational Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - John Karanicolas
- Center for Computational Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Roy MJ, Vom A, Czabotar PE, Lessene G. Cell death and the mitochondria: therapeutic targeting of the BCL-2 family-driven pathway. Br J Pharmacol 2014; 171:1973-87. [PMID: 24117105 PMCID: PMC3976616 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2013] [Revised: 09/13/2013] [Accepted: 09/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The principal biological role of mitochondria is to supply energy to cells; although intriguingly, evolution has bestowed another essential function upon these cellular organelles: under physiological stress, mitochondria become the cornerstone of apoptotic cell death. Specifically, mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) allows cell death factors such as cytochrome c to be released into the cytoplasm, thus inducing caspase activation and the eventual destruction of essential cellular components. Proteins of the B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) family control the tightly regulated pathway that causes MOMP. The equilibrium between pro-survival and pro-apoptotic members of the BCL-2 family dictates the fate of cells, the homeostasis of organs and, by extension, the health of whole organisms. Dysregulation of this equilibrium is involved in a large number of diseases such as cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegenerative conditions. Modulating the activity of the BCL-2 family of proteins with small molecules or peptides is an attractive but challenging therapeutic goal. This review highlights the latest developments in this field and provides evidence that this strategy is likely to have a positive effect on the treatment of still poorly addressed medical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Roy
- Divisions of Chemical and Structural Biology, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchMelbourne, Vic, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of MelbourneMelbourne, Vic, Australia
| | - A Vom
- Divisions of Chemical and Structural Biology, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchMelbourne, Vic, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of MelbourneMelbourne, Vic, Australia
| | - P E Czabotar
- Divisions of Chemical and Structural Biology, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchMelbourne, Vic, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of MelbourneMelbourne, Vic, Australia
| | - G Lessene
- Divisions of Chemical and Structural Biology, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchMelbourne, Vic, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of MelbourneMelbourne, Vic, Australia
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of MelbourneMelbourne, Vic, Australia
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Xu Y, Zhou M, Li Y, Li C, Zhang Z, Yu B, Wang R. Characterization of the Stereochemical Structures of 2H-Thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidine Compounds and Their Binding Affinities for Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 Family Proteins. ChemMedChem 2013; 8:1345-52. [DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201300159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2013] [Revised: 05/31/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Xu X, Zavalij PY, Hu W, Doyle MP. Vinylogous reactivity of enol diazoacetates with donor-acceptor substituted hydrazones. Synthesis of substituted pyrazole derivatives. J Org Chem 2013; 78:1583-8. [PMID: 23301562 DOI: 10.1021/jo302696y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A regiospecific synthesis of multifunctional pyrazoleshas been developed from a cascade process triggered by Rh(II)-catalyzed dinitrogen extrusion from enol diazoacetates with vinylogous nucleophilic addition followed by Lewis acid catalyzed cyclization and aromatization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinfang Xu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
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Identification of a phenylacylsulfonamide series of dual Bcl-2/Bcl-xL antagonists. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2012; 22:3946-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2012.04.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2012] [Revised: 04/20/2012] [Accepted: 04/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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