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Chen H, Guan X, He C, Lu T, Lin X, Liao X. Current strategies for targeting HPK1 in cancer and the barriers to preclinical progress. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2024; 28:237-250. [PMID: 38650383 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2024.2344697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a 97-kDa serine/threonine Ste20-related protein kinase, functions as an intracellular negative regulator, primarily in hematopoietic lineage cells, where it regulates T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, and other immune cells. Loss of HPK1 kinase activity results in exacerbated cytokine secretion, enhanced T cell signaling, improved viral clearance, and thus increased restraint of tumor growth. These findings highlight HPK1 as a promising target for immuno-oncology treatments, culminating in the advancement of candidate compounds targeting HPK1 to clinical trials by several biotech enterprises. AREAS COVERED Through searching PubMed, Espacenet-patent search, and clinicaltrials.gov, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of HPK1, encompassing its structure and roles in various downstream signaling pathways, the consequences of constitutive activation of HPK1, and potential therapeutic strategies to treat HPK1-driven malignancies. Moreover, the review outlines the patents issued for small molecule inhibitors and clinical investigations of HPK1. EXPERT OPINION To enhance the success of tumor immunotherapy in clinical trials, it is important to develop protein degraders, allosteric inhibitors, and antibody-drug conjugates based on the crystal structure of HPK1, and to explore combination therapy approaches. Although several challenges remain, the development of HPK1 inhibitors display promising in preclinical and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangna Guan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Chi He
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Tingting Lu
- Zhuhai Yufan Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Xingyu Lin
- Zhuhai Yufan Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Xuebin Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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2
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Yan S, Schöpe PC, Lewis J, Putzker K, Uhrig U, Specker E, von Kries JP, Lindemann P, Omran A, Sanchez-Ibarra HE, Unger A, Zischinsky ML, Klebl B, Walther W, Nazaré M, Kobelt D, Stein U. Discovery of tetrazolo-pyridazine-based small molecules as inhibitors of MACC1-driven cancer metastasis. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 168:115698. [PMID: 37865992 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastasis is directly linked to poor prognosis of cancer patients and warrants search for effective anti-metastatic drugs. MACC1 is a causal key molecule for metastasis. High MACC1 expression is prognostic for metastasis and poor survival. Here, we developed novel small molecule inhibitors targeting MACC1 expression to impede metastasis formation. We performed a human MACC1 promoter-driven luciferase reporter-based high-throughput screen (HTS; 118.500 compound library) to identify MACC1 transcriptional inhibitors. HTS revealed 1,2,3,4-tetrazolo[1,5-b]pyridazine-based compounds as efficient transcriptional inhibitors of MACC1 expression, able to decrease MACC1-induced cancer cell motility in vitro. Structure-activity relationships identified the essential inhibitory core structure. Best candidates were evaluated for metastasis inhibition in xenografted mouse models demonstrating metastasis restriction. ADMET showed high drug-likeness of these new candidates for cancer therapy. The NFκB pathway was identified as one mode of action targeted by these compounds. Taken together, 1,2,3,4-tetrazolo[1,5-b]pyridazine-based compounds are effective MACC1 inhibitors and pose promising candidates for anti-metastatic therapies particularly for patients with MACC1-overexpressing cancers, that are at high risk to develop metastases. Although further preclinical and clinical development is necessary, these compounds represent important building blocks for an individualized anti-metastatic therapy for solid cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shixian Yan
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Curtis Schöpe
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Joe Lewis
- The European Molecular Biology Laboratory, EMBL, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Putzker
- The European Molecular Biology Laboratory, EMBL, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Uhrig
- The European Molecular Biology Laboratory, EMBL, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Edgar Specker
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, FMP, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jens Peter von Kries
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, FMP, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter Lindemann
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, FMP, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Anahid Omran
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, FMP, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Hector E Sanchez-Ibarra
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Anke Unger
- Lead Discovery Center GmbH, LDC, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | | | - Bert Klebl
- Lead Discovery Center GmbH, LDC, Otto-Hahn-Str. 15, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Walther
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Marc Nazaré
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, FMP, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dennis Kobelt
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK Partnersite Berlin), Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Stein
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK Partnersite Berlin), Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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3
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Peng X, Yu Z, Surineni G, Deng B, Zhang M, Li C, Sun Z, Pan W, Liu Y, Liu S, Yu B, Chen J. Discovery of novel benzohydroxamate-based histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) inhibitors with the ability to potentiate anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in melanoma. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2023; 38:2201408. [PMID: 37096557 PMCID: PMC10132229 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2023.2201408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, a novel series of histone deacetylases 6 (HDAC6) inhibitors containing polycyclic aromatic rings were discovered and evaluated for their pharmacological activities. The most potent compound 10c exhibited high HDAC6 inhibitory activity (IC50 = 261 nM) and excellent HDAC6 selectivity (SI = 109 for HDAC6 over HDAC3). 10c also showed decent antiproliferative activity in vitro with IC50 of 7.37-21.84 μM against four cancer cell lines, comparable to that of tubastatin A (average IC50 = 6.10 μM). Further mechanism studies revealed that 10c efficiently induced apoptosis and S-phase arrest in B16-F10 cells. In addition, 10c markedly increased the expression of acetylated-α-tubulin both in vitro and in vivo, without affecting the levels of acetylated-H3 (marker of HDAC1 inhibition). Furthermore, 10c (80 mg/kg) exhibited moderate antitumor efficacy in a melanoma tumour model with a tumour growth inhibition (TGI) of 32.9%, comparable to that (TGI = 31.3%) of tubastatin A. Importantly, the combination of 10c with NP19 (a small molecule PD-L1 inhibitor discovered by us before) decreased tumour burden substantially (TGI% = 60.1%) as compared to monotherapy groups. Moreover, the combination of 10c with NP19 enhanced the anti-tumour immune response, mediated by a decrease of PD-L1 expression levels and increased infiltration of anti-tumour CD8+ T cells in tumour tissues. Collectively, 10c represents a novel HDAC6 inhibitor deserving further investigation as a potential anti-cancer agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaopeng Peng
- College of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ziwen Yu
- College of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Goverdhan Surineni
- College of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bulian Deng
- College of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Meizhu Zhang
- College of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chuan Li
- College of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiqiang Sun
- College of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wanyi Pan
- College of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yao Liu
- Instrumental Analysis Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shenglan Liu
- College of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bin Yu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jianjun Chen
- College of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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4
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He S, Yu J, Xu M, Zhang C, Xu C, Cheng P, Pu K. A Semiconducting Iron-Chelating Nano-immunomodulator for Specific and Sensitized Sono-metallo-immunotherapy of Cancer. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202310178. [PMID: 37671691 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202310178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Sono-immunotherapy holds great potential for deep tumor inhibition; however, smart sono-therapeutic agents to simultaneously eliminate 'domestic' tumor cells and regulate the 'community' tumor immune microenvironment have rarely been developed. Herein, we report a spatiotemporally controllable semiconducting iron-chelated nano-metallomodulator (SINM) for hypersensitive sono-metallo-immunotherapy of cancer. SINM consists of a semiconducting polymer (SP) backbone chelating iron ions (Fe3+ ) with thiophene-based Schiff base structure, and a hydrophilic side chain. Upon accumulation in tumors after systemic administration, SINM specifically arouses ferroptosis and M1 macrophage polarization due to its response toward the tumor redox environment; meanwhile, the chelation of Fe3+ enhances the sono-sensitizing effect of SPs, leading to enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species for immunogenic cell death. Such combined sonodynamic metallo-immunotherapy of SINM efficiently ablates deep tumor and spatiotemporally regulates immunophenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shasha He
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637457, Singapore
| | - Jie Yu
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637457, Singapore
| | - Mengke Xu
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637457, Singapore
| | - Chi Zhang
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637457, Singapore
| | - Cheng Xu
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637457, Singapore
| | - Penghui Cheng
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637457, Singapore
| | - Kanyi Pu
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637457, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 59 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 636921, Singapore
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5
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Kim G, Hou X, Byun WS, Kim G, Jarhad DB, Lee G, Hyun YE, Yu J, Lee CS, Qu S, Warnick E, Gao ZG, Kim JY, Ji S, Shin H, Choi JR, Jacobson KA, Lee HW, Lee SK, Jeong LS. Structure-Activity Relationship of Truncated 2,8-Disubstituted-Adenosine Derivatives as Dual A 2A/A 3 Adenosine Receptor Antagonists and Their Cancer Immunotherapeutic Activity. J Med Chem 2023; 66:12249-12265. [PMID: 37603705 PMCID: PMC10896643 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Based on hA2AAR structures, a hydrophobic C8-heteroaromatic ring in 5'-truncated adenosine analogues occupies the subpocket tightly, converting hA2AAR agonists into antagonists while maintaining affinity toward hA3AR. The final compounds of 2,8-disubstituted-N6-substituted 4'-thionucleosides, or 4'-oxo, were synthesized from d-mannose and d-erythrono-1,4-lactone, respectively, using a Pd-catalyst-controlled regioselective cross-coupling reaction. All tested compounds completely antagonized hA2AAR, including 5d with the highest affinity (Ki,A2A = 7.7 ± 0.5 nM). The hA2AAR-5d X-ray structure revealed that C8-heteroaromatic rings prevented receptor activation-associated conformational changes. However, the C8-substituted compounds still antagonized hA3AR. Structural SAR features and docking studies supported different binding modes at A2AAR and A3AR, elucidating pharmacophores for receptor activation and selectivity. Favorable pharmacokinetics were demonstrated, in which 5d displayed high oral absorption, moderate half-life, and bioavailability. Also, 5d significantly improved the antitumor effect of anti-PD-L1 in vivo. Overall, this study suggests that the novel dual A2AAR/A3AR nucleoside antagonists would be promising drug candidates for immune-oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gibae Kim
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Xiyan Hou
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- College of Life Science, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian 116600, People's Republic of China
| | - Woong Sub Byun
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Chem-H and Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Gyudong Kim
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- College of Pharmacy & Research Institute of Drug Development, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Dnyandev B Jarhad
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Grim Lee
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Eum Hyun
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinha Yu
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- College of Pharmacy and Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, South Korea
| | - Chang Soo Lee
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Shuhao Qu
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Eugene Warnick
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Zhan-Guo Gao
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Ji Yong Kim
- Future Medicine Company Limited, Seoul 06665, Republic of Korea
| | - Seunghee Ji
- HK Inno.N Corporation, Seoul 04551, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunwoo Shin
- HK Inno.N Corporation, Seoul 04551, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Kenneth A Jacobson
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Hyuk Woo Lee
- Future Medicine Company Limited, Seoul 06665, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Kook Lee
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Lak Shin Jeong
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Future Medicine Company Limited, Seoul 06665, Republic of Korea
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6
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Abdel-Rahman SA, Talagayev V, Pach S, Wolber G, Gabr MT. Discovery of Small-Molecule TIM-3 Inhibitors for Acute Myeloid Leukemia Using Pharmacophore-Based Virtual Screening. J Med Chem 2023; 66:11464-11475. [PMID: 37566998 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (TIM-3) is a negative immune checkpoint that represents a promising target for cancer immunotherapy. Although encouraging results have been observed for TIM-3 inhibition in the context of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), targeting TIM-3 is currently restricted to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). To fill this gap, we implemented a pharmacophore-based screening approach to identify small-molecule TIM-3 inhibitors. Our approach resulted in the identification of hit compounds with TIM-3 binding affinity. Subsequently, we used the structure-activity relationship (SAR) by a catalog approach to identify compound A-41 with submicromolar TIM-3 binding affinity. Remarkably, A-41 demonstrated the ability to block TIM-3 interactions with key ligands and inhibited the immunosuppressive function of TIM-3 using an in vitro coculture assay. This work will pave the way for future drug discovery efforts aiming at the development of small-molecule inhibitors TIM-3 for AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somaya A Abdel-Rahman
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Innovations Institute (MI3), Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Valerij Talagayev
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry (Computer-Aided Drug Design), Freie Universitaet Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Szymon Pach
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry (Computer-Aided Drug Design), Freie Universitaet Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Gerhard Wolber
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry (Computer-Aided Drug Design), Freie Universitaet Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Moustafa T Gabr
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Innovations Institute (MI3), Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
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7
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Zhou L, Wang T, Zhang K, Zhang X, Jiang S. The development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting HPK1. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 244:114819. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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8
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Zhu Q, Chen N, Tian X, Zhou Y, You Q, Xu X. Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1 in Tumor Immunology: A Medicinal Chemistry Perspective. J Med Chem 2022; 65:8065-8090. [PMID: 35696642 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a hematopoietic cell-restricted member of the serine/threonine Ste20-related protein kinases, is a negative regulator of the T cell receptor, B cell receptor, and dendritic cells. Loss of HPK1 kinase function increases cytokine secretion and enhances T cell signaling, virus clearance, and tumor growth inhibition. Therefore, HPK1 is considered a promising target for tumor immunotherapy. Several HPK1 inhibitors have been reported to regulate T cell function. In addition, HPK1-targeting PROTACs, which can induce the degradation of HPK1, have also been developed. Here, we provide an overview of research concerning HPK1 protein structure, function, and inhibitors and propose perspectives and insights for the future development of agents targeting HPK1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiangsheng Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Nannan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xinjian Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yeling Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - QiDong You
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xiaoli Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
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9
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Szponarski M, Gademann K. Antibody Recognition of Cancer Cells via Glycan Surface Engineering. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200125. [PMID: 35638149 PMCID: PMC9400979 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Stimulation of the body's immune system toward tumor cells is now well recognized as a promising strategy in cancer therapy. Just behind cell therapy and monoclonal antibodies, small molecule‐based strategies are receiving growing attention as alternatives to direct immune response against tumor cells. However, the development of small‐molecule approaches to modulate the balance between stimulatory immune factors and suppressive factors in a targeted way remains a challenge. Here, we report the cell surface functionalization of LS174T cancer cells with an abiotic hapten to recruit antibodies to the cell surface. Metabolic glycoengineering followed by covalent reaction with the hapten results in antibody recognition of the target cells. Microscopy and flow cytometry studies provide compelling evidence that metabolic glycoengineering and small molecule stimulators can be combined to direct antibody recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Szponarski
- University of Zurich: Universitat Zurich, Department of Chemistry, SWITZERLAND
| | - Karl Gademann
- University of Zurich, Department of Chemistry, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, SWITZERLAND
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10
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Aicher TD, Van Huis CA, Hurd AR, Skalitzky DJ, Taylor CB, Beleh OM, Glick G, Toogood PL, Yang B, Zheng T, Huo C, Gao J, Qiao C, Tian X, Zhang J, Demock K, Hao LY, Lesch CA, Morgan RW, Moisan J, Wang Y, Scatina J, Paulos CM, Zou W, Carter LL, Hu X. Discovery of LYC-55716: A Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable Retinoic Acid Receptor-Related Orphan Receptor-γ (RORγ) Agonist for Use in Treating Cancer. J Med Chem 2021; 64:13410-13428. [PMID: 34499493 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γ (RORc, RORγ, or NR1F3) is the nuclear receptor master transcription factor that drives the function and development of IL-17-producing T helper cells (Th17), cytotoxic T cells (Tc17), and subsets of innate lymphoid cells. Activation of RORγ+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment is hypothesized to render immune infiltrates more effective at countering tumor growth. To test this hypothesis, a family of benzoxazines was optimized to provide LYC-55716 (37c), a potent, selective, and orally bioavailable small-molecule RORγ agonist. LYC-55716 decreases tumor growth and enhances survival in preclinical tumor models and was nominated as a clinical development candidate for evaluation in patients with solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D Aicher
- Department of Chemistry, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Chad A Van Huis
- Department of Chemistry, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Alexander R Hurd
- Department of Chemistry, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Donald J Skalitzky
- Department of Chemistry, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Clarke B Taylor
- Department of Chemistry, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Omar M Beleh
- Department of Chemistry, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Gary Glick
- Chief Scientific Officer, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Peter L Toogood
- Department of Chemistry, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Bing Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Pharmaron Beijing, Co. Ltd., Beijing 100176, P. R. China
| | - Tao Zheng
- Department of Chemistry, Pharmaron Beijing, Co. Ltd., Beijing 100176, P. R. China
| | - Changxin Huo
- Department of Chemistry, Pharmaron Beijing, Co. Ltd., Beijing 100176, P. R. China
| | - Jie Gao
- Department of Chemistry, Pharmaron Beijing, Co. Ltd., Beijing 100176, P. R. China
| | - Chenxi Qiao
- Department of Chemistry, Pharmaron Beijing, Co. Ltd., Beijing 100176, P. R. China
| | - Xiaolong Tian
- Department of Chemistry, Pharmaron Beijing, Co. Ltd., Beijing 100176, P. R. China
| | - Junping Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Pharmaron Beijing, Co. Ltd., Beijing 100176, P. R. China
| | - Kellie Demock
- Department of Biology, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Ling-Yang Hao
- Department of Biology, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Charles A Lesch
- Department of Biology, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Rodney W Morgan
- Department of Biology, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Jacques Moisan
- Department of Biology, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Yahong Wang
- Department of Biology, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - JoAnn Scatina
- Department of Preclinical Development, Lycera Corp., 620 Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania 19462, United States
| | - Chrystal M Paulos
- Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, MSC 509, Room 203, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, United States
| | - Weiping Zou
- School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, 2101 Taubman Center, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Laura L Carter
- Department of Biology, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Xiao Hu
- Department of Biology, Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Suite A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
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11
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Ma X, Sun N, Li X, Fu W. Discovery of novel N-sulfonamide-tetrahydroisoquinolines as potent retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt agonists. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 222:113585. [PMID: 34118722 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has become a research hotspot in recent years. A variety of targets were developed for small molecule immuno-oncology agents, including retinoic acid-related orphan receptor gamma t (RORγt), chemokine receptor, stimulator of interferon genes (Sting), indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), toll-like receptors (TLR), etc. Among them, the retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt) has gradually attracted more attention in these years. In particular, LYC-55716 (cintirorgon), a small molecule RORγt agonist developed by Lycera, has entered the phase II clinical study. In this work, starting from compound 7, compound 28 was obtained after 4 rounds of compound design, synthesis and SAR studies, which had an EC50 of 0.021 ± 0.002 μM in dual Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (dual-FRET) assay and an EC50 of 0.021 ± 0.002 μM in mouse Th17 cell differentiation assay. It indicated that compound 28 had excellent RORγt agonistic activity and was expected to be developed as a new type of small molecule drug for cancer immunotherapy. The molecular dynamic simulation revealed that the agonist 28 formed a strong HYF triplet intramolecular interaction to stabilize H12, which helped RORγt to form the protein-binding site and therefore made the receptor ready to recruit coactivator. When the inverse agonist s27 bound with RORγt, the steric hindrance between s27 and H479 caused the destruction of the HYF triplet, leading to the collapse of H12, thus the transcription function of RORγt was interrupted due to the failure of recruiting a coactivator molecule. The triplet HYF in RORγt and the rigidity of 28 and s27 were identified to be the structural determinants for the functional switch of RORγt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojun Ma
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, No. 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Nannan Sun
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, No. 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Xinwei Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, No. 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Wei Fu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, No. 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai, 201203, China.
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12
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Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of novel resorcinol biphenyl ether analogs as small molecule inhibitors of PD-1/PD-L1 with benign toxicity profiles for cancer treatment. Biochem Pharmacol 2021; 188:114522. [PMID: 33741334 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Programmed death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death protein ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway is one of the most actively pursued targets in cancer immunotherapy. In a continuation of our research interest in this pathway, we synthesized and evaluated the pharmacological activities of a series of resorcinol biphenyl ether analogs as small molecule PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors for cancer treatment. Among the 27 newly synthesized compounds, CH1 was found to have the highest inhibitory effect against PD-1/PDL-1 with an IC50 value of 56.58 nM in the HTRF (homogenous time-resolved fluorescence) assay. In addition, CH1 dose-dependently promoted HepG2 cell death in a co-culture model of HepG2/hPD-L1 and Jurkat T cells. Furthermore, molecular modeling study indicated that CH1 binds with high affinity to the binding interface of PD-L1. Moreover, CH1 effectively inhibited tumor growth (TGI of 76.4% at 90 mg/kg) in an immune checkpoint humanized mouse model with no obvious toxicity. Finally, CH1 did not cause in vivo cardiotoxicity and bone marrow suppression (myelosuppression) to BALB/c mice. Taken together, these results suggest that CH1 deserves further investigation as a potent and safe PD-1/PDL-1 inhibitor for cancer treatment.
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13
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Wang F, Ye W, Wang S, He Y, Zhong H, Wang Y, Zhu Y, Han J, Bing Z, Ji S, Liu H, Yao X. Discovery of a new inhibitor targeting PD-L1 for cancer immunotherapy. Neoplasia 2021; 23:281-293. [PMID: 33529880 PMCID: PMC7851350 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2021.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 immunologic checkpoint using monoclonal antibodies has provided breakthrough therapies against cancer in the recent years. Nevertheless, intrinsic disadvantages of therapeutic antibodies may limit their applications. Thus, blocking of the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction by small molecules may be a promising alternative for cancer immunotherapy. We used a docking-based virtual screening strategy to rapidly identify new small molecular inhibitors targeting PD-L1. We demonstrated that a small molecule compound (N-[2-(aminocarbonyl)phenyl][1,1′-biphenyl]-4-carboxamide [APBC]) could effectively interrupt the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction by directly binding to PD-L1, presenting the KD and IC50 values at low-micromolar level. Molecular docking study revealed that APBC may have function through a PD-L1 dimer-locking mechanism, occluding the PD-1 interaction surface of PD-L1. We further confirmed the ligand blocking activity and T cell-reinvigoration potency of APBC using cell-based assays. APBC could dose-dependently elevate cytokine secretions of the primary T-lymphocytes that are cocultured with cancer cells. Importantly, APBC displayed superior antitumor efficacy in hPD-L1 knock-in B16F10-bearing mouse model without the induction of observable liver toxicity. Analyses on the APBC-treated mice further revealed drastically elevated levels of infiltrating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and inflammatory cytokines production in tumor microenvironment. The APBC compound could serve as a privileged scaffold in the design of improved PD pathway modulators, thus providing us promising drug candidates for tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengling Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry and Department of Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Joint National Laboratory for Antibody Drug Engineering, Cell Signal Transduction Laboratory, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Wenling Ye
- Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Joint National Laboratory for Antibody Drug Engineering, Cell Signal Transduction Laboratory, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Shuang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry and Department of Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yongxing He
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Haiyang Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry and Department of Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yuwei Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, China
| | - Yongchang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry and Department of Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jianting Han
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry and Department of Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhitong Bing
- Institute of Modern Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Shaoping Ji
- Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Joint National Laboratory for Antibody Drug Engineering, Cell Signal Transduction Laboratory, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Huanxiang Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
| | - Xiaojun Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry and Department of Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau, China.
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14
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Wu Y, Zhang Y, Chen X, Hu Y, Dong G, Guo Y, Sheng C. A theranostic probe of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) for small molecule cancer immunotherapy. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 213:113163. [PMID: 33482599 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Discovering novel small molecules for cancer immunotherapy represents a promising but challenging strategy in future cancer treatment. Herein, we designed the first theranostic fluorescent probes to efficiently detect and inhibit the enzymatic activity of 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1). Probe 6b is a highly active IDO1 inhibitor (IC50 = 12 nM, Cellular IC50 = 10 nM), which can sensitively and specifically detect endogenous IDO1 in living cells. Furthermore, as a theranostic probe, 6b showed excellent in vivo antitumor efficacy in the CT26 xenograft mouse model as well. Therefore, it can be applied as a valuable chemical tool for better understanding the immunotherapy mechanism of IDO1 and improving the therapeutic efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Yanhui Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, 1 Xuefu Avenue, Xi'an, 710127, China
| | - Xi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, 1 Xuefu Avenue, Xi'an, 710127, China
| | - Yulu Hu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, 1 Xuefu Avenue, Xi'an, 710127, China
| | - Guoqiang Dong
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Yuan Guo
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, 1 Xuefu Avenue, Xi'an, 710127, China.
| | - Chunquan Sheng
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai, 200433, China.
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15
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Recent advance of peptide-based molecules and nonpeptidic small-molecules modulating PD-1/PD-L1 protein-protein interaction or targeting PD-L1 protein degradation. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 213:113170. [PMID: 33454550 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Tumor immunotherapy has made great progress in recent years. In the tumor microenvironment, the binding of PD-1 and its ligand PD-L1 can promote tumor immune escape and tumor survival. Clinical studies have indicated that antibodies blocking PD-1 and PD-L1 have reliable effects on many advanced malignant tumors. However, no small-molecule inhibitors have been approved so far, indicating that the development of marketable small-molecules PD-1/PD-L1 targeted therapy drugs is a challenging process. Small-molecule inhibitors can overcome the limitations of monoclonal antibodies, including poor oral bioavailability, high cost, poor tissue and tumor penetration and long half-life, which prompt researchers to turn their attention to the development of peptide molecules and small-molecule inhibitors modulating PD-1/PD-L1 to overcome some disadvantages of monoclonal antibodies or targeting PD-L1 protein degradation as potential alternatives or supplements. In this review, we will focus on the peptide-based and nonpeptidic molecules against PD-1/PD-L1 base on the structural classification. More importantly, we also focus on the latest research progress of small-molecules mediated PD-L1 degradation mechanism.
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16
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Issa NT, Stathias V, Schürer S, Dakshanamurthy S. Machine and deep learning approaches for cancer drug repurposing. Semin Cancer Biol 2021; 68:132-142. [PMID: 31904426 PMCID: PMC7723306 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2019.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge of the underpinnings of cancer initiation, progression and metastasis has increased exponentially in recent years. Advanced "omics" coupled with machine learning and artificial intelligence (deep learning) methods have helped elucidate targets and pathways critical to those processes that may be amenable to pharmacologic modulation. However, the current anti-cancer therapeutic armamentarium continues to lag behind. As the cost of developing a new drug remains prohibitively expensive, repurposing of existing approved and investigational drugs is sought after given known safety profiles and reduction in the cost barrier. Notably, successes in oncologic drug repurposing have been infrequent. Computational in-silico strategies have been developed to aid in modeling biological processes to find new disease-relevant targets and discovering novel drug-target and drug-phenotype associations. Machine and deep learning methods have especially enabled leaps in those successes. This review will discuss these methods as they pertain to cancer biology as well as immunomodulation for drug repurposing opportunities in oncologic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naiem T Issa
- Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Vasileios Stathias
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Stephan Schürer
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Sivanesan Dakshanamurthy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
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17
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Small molecules targeting the innate immune cGAS‒STING‒TBK1 signaling pathway. Acta Pharm Sin B 2020; 10:2272-2298. [PMID: 33354501 PMCID: PMC7745059 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2020.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple cancer immunotherapies including chimeric antigen receptor T cell and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been successfully developed to treat various cancers by motivating the adaptive anti-tumor immunity. Particularly, the checkpoint blockade approach has achieved great clinic success as evidenced by several U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved anti-programmed death receptor 1/ligand 1 or anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated protein 4 antibodies. However, the majority of cancers have low clinical response rates to these ICIs due to poor tumor immunogenicity. Indeed, the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase‒stimulator of interferon genes‒TANK-binding kinase 1 (cGAS‒STING‒TBK1) axis is now appreciated as the major signaling pathway in innate immune response across different species. Aberrant signaling of this pathway has been closely linked to multiple diseases, including auto-inflammation, virus infection and cancers. In this perspective, we provide an updated review on the latest progress on the development of small molecule modulators targeting the cGAS‒STING‒TBK1 signaling pathway and their preclinical and clinical use as a new immune stimulatory therapy. Meanwhile, highlights on the clinical candidates, limitations and challenges, as well as future directions in this field are also discussed. Further, small molecule inhibitors targeting this signaling axis and their potential therapeutic use for various indications are discussed as well.
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Key Words
- ABZI, amidobenzimidazole
- ACMA, 9-amino-6-chloro-2-methoxyacridine
- AMP, adenosine monophosphate
- ATP, adenosine triphosphate
- Anti-tumor
- BNBC, 6-bromo-N-(naphthalen-1-yl)benzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carboxamide
- CBD, cyclic dinucleotide-binding domain
- CDA, cyclic diadenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP)
- CDG, cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP)
- CDN, cyclic dinucleotide
- CMA, 10-carboxymethyl-9-acridanone
- CTD, C-terminal domain
- CTLA-4, cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated protein 4
- CTT, C-terminal tail
- CXCL, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand
- DC50, concentration for 50% degradation
- DCs, dendritic cells
- DMXAA, 5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid
- DSDP, dispiro diketopiperzine
- EM, cryo-electron microscopy
- ENPP1, ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase
- ER, endoplasmic reticulum
- FAA, flavone-8-acetic acid
- FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- FP, fluorescence polarization
- GMP, guanosine monophosphate
- GTP, guanosine triphosphate
- HCQ, hydrochloroquine
- HTS, high throughput screening
- ICI, immune checkpoint inhibitor
- IKK, IκB kinase
- IO, immune-oncology
- IRF3, interferon regulatory factor 3
- ISG, interferon stimulated gene
- ITC, isothermal titration calorimetry
- Immunotherapy
- KD, kinase domain
- LBD, ligand-binding domain
- MDCK, Madin–Darby canine kidney
- MG, Mangostin
- MI, maximum induction
- MLK, mixed lineage kinase
- MinEC5×, minimum effective concentration for inducing 5-fold luciferase activity
- NF-κB, nuclear factor-κB
- Ntase, nucleotidyl transferase
- PBMCs, peripheral-blood mononuclear cells
- PD-1, programmed death receptor 1
- PD-L1, programmed death ligand 1
- PDE, phosphodiesterases
- PDK1, 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1
- PPi, pyrophosphoric acid
- PROTACs, proteolysis targeting chimeras
- PRRs, pattern recognition receptors
- QC, quinacrine
- SAR, structure–activity relationship
- SDD, scaffold and dimerization domain
- STAT, signal transducer and activator of transcription
- STING
- STING, stimulator of interferon genes
- Small molecule modulators
- TBK1
- TBK1, TANK-binding kinase 1
- THIQCs, tetrahydroisoquinolone acetic acids
- TNFRSF, tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily
- ULD, ubiquitin-like domain
- VHL, von Hippel–Lindau
- cAIMP, cyclic adenosine-inosine monophosphate
- cGAMP, cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate
- cGAS
- cGAS, cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase
- dsDNA, double-stranded DNA
- i.t., intratumoral
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18
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Islam R, Lam KW. Recent progress in small molecule agents for the targeted therapy of triple-negative breast cancer. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 207:112812. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 08/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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19
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Wang L, Ding K, Zheng C, Xiao H, Liu X, Sun L, Omer R, Feng Q, Zhang Z. Detachable Nanoparticle-Enhanced Chemoimmunotherapy Based on Precise Killing of Tumor Seeds and Normalizing the Growing Soil Strategy. NANO LETTERS 2020; 20:6272-6280. [PMID: 32787161 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c01415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Although immunogenic cell death (ICD)-based chemoimmunotherapy elicits an immune response, it always focuses on eliminating "seeds" (tumor cells) but neglects "soil" (tumor microenvironment, TME), leading to tumor growth and metastasis. Herein, a type of detachable core-shell nanoplatform (DOX@HA-MMP-2-DEAP/CXB) is developed, which could swell in the acidic TME because of the protonation of the 3-diethylaminopropyl isothiocyanate (DEAP) inner core for celecoxib (CXB) release, while hyaluronic acid@doxorubicine (HA@DOX) prodrug in the outer shell could release by the cleavage of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) peptide. HA@DOX targets tumor cells precisely for triggering ICD. And CXB acts on multiple immune cells to remodulate TME, such as increasing the infiltration of dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells, decreasing the infiltration of the immunosuppressive cells, and eliminating the physical barriers between T cells and tumor cells. For comparison, HA-DOCA/DOX/CXB traditional nanoparticles are constructed. And DOX@HA-MMP-2-DEAP/CXB performs an impressive antitumor effect, which shows potential in enhancing the effect of chemoimmunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan Province, China
| | - Kaili Ding
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Cuixia Zheng
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Huifang Xiao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Xinxin Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Lingling Sun
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Rida Omer
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Qianhua Feng
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan Province, China
| | - Zhenzhong Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan Province, China
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20
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Yu F, Zhu C, Xie Q, Wang Y. Adenosine A 2A Receptor Antagonists for Cancer Immunotherapy. J Med Chem 2020; 63:12196-12212. [PMID: 32667814 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Currently, the most promising therapeutic modality for cancer treatment is the blockade of immune checkpoint pathways, which has revolutionized cancer therapy in the past 15 years. Strategies targeting and modulating adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR), an emerging alternative immune checkpoint, have shown the potential to produce significant therapeutic effects. In this review, we describe the immunosuppressive activities of A2AR and A2BR in the tumor microenvironment (TME), followed by a summary and discussion of the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of the A2AR (and dual A2AR/A2BR) antagonists that have been experimentally confirmed to exert oncoimmunological effects. This review also provides an update on the compounds under clinical evaluation and insights into the ligand binding modes of the receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fazhi Yu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Chenyu Zhu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Qiong Xie
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yonghui Wang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 826 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 201203, China
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21
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Cheng B, Ren Y, Niu X, Wang W, Wang S, Tu Y, Liu S, Wang J, Yang D, Liao G, Chen J. Discovery of Novel Resorcinol Dibenzyl Ethers Targeting the Programmed Cell Death-1/Programmed Cell Death–Ligand 1 Interaction as Potential Anticancer Agents. J Med Chem 2020; 63:8338-8358. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Binbin Cheng
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yichang Ren
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xiaoge Niu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Wei Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Shuanghu Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yingfeng Tu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Shuwen Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jin Wang
- AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Deying Yang
- Joint Laboratory for Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicine of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Guochao Liao
- Joint Laboratory for Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicine of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jianjun Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
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22
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Putting the Brakes on Tumorigenesis with Natural Products of Plant Origin: Insights into the Molecular Mechanisms of Actions and Immune Targets for Bladder Cancer Treatment. Cells 2020; 9:cells9051213. [PMID: 32414171 PMCID: PMC7290334 DOI: 10.3390/cells9051213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Bladder cancer is the 10th most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. Although the incidence in men is 4 times higher than that in women, the diagnoses are worse for women. Over the past 30 years, the treatment for bladder cancer has not achieved a significant positive effect, and the outlook for mortality rates due to muscle-invasive bladder cancer and metastatic disease is not optimistic. Phytochemicals found in plants and their derivatives present promising possibilities for cancer therapy with improved treatment effects and reduced toxicity. In this study, we summarize the promising natural products of plant origin with anti-bladder cancer potential, and their anticancer mechanisms—especially apoptotic induction—are discussed. With the developments in immunotherapy, small-molecule targeted immunotherapy has been promoted as a satisfactory approach, and the discovery of novel small molecules against immune targets for bladder cancer treatment from products of plant origin represents a promising avenue of research. It is our hope that this could pave the way for new ideas in the fields of oncology, immunology, phytochemistry, and cell biology, utilizing natural products of plant origin as promising drugs for bladder cancer treatment.
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23
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Ma D, Zou Y, Chu Y, Liu Z, Liu G, Chu J, Li M, Wang J, Sun SY, Chang Z. A cell-permeable peptide-based PROTAC against the oncoprotein CREPT proficiently inhibits pancreatic cancer. Am J Cancer Res 2020; 10:3708-3721. [PMID: 32206117 PMCID: PMC7069095 DOI: 10.7150/thno.41677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancers remain a threat to human health due to the lack of effective therapeutic strategies. Great effort has been devoted to the discovery of drug targets to treat cancers, but novel oncoproteins still need to be unveiled for efficient therapy. Methods: We show that CREPT is highly expressed in pancreatic cancer and is associated with poor disease-free survival. CREPT overexpression promotes but CREPT deletion blocks colony formation and proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. To provide a proof of concept for CREPT as a new target for the inhibition of pancreatic cancer, we designed a cell-permeable peptide-based proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC), named PRTC, based on the homodimerized leucine-zipper-like motif in the C-terminus domain of CREPT to induce its degradation in vivo. Results: PRTC has high affinity for CREPT, with Kd = 0.34 +/- 0.11 μM and is able to permeate into cells because of the attached membrane-transportable peptide RRRRK. PRTC effectively induces CREPT degradation in a proteasome-dependent manner. Intriguingly, PRTC inhibits colony formation, cell proliferation, and motility in pancreatic cancer cells and ultimately impairs xenograft tumor growth, comparable to the effect of CREPT deletion. Conclusions: PRTC-induced degradation of CREPT leads to inhibition of tumor growth, which is promising for the development of new drugs against pancreatic cancer. In addition, using an interacting motif based on the dimerized structure of proteins may be a new way to design a PROTAC aiming at degrading any protein without known interacting small molecules or peptides.
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24
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Huber AD, Chen T. Discovering Anti-cancer Immune Enhancers in a Miniaturized Immune-Tumor Microenvironment. Cell Chem Biol 2019; 26:314-316. [PMID: 30901558 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In this issue of Cell Chemical Biology, Mo et al. (2019) report the development and validation of a co-culture system with cancer and immune cells that is suitable for high-throughput screening. The method is an important step forward in technologies for identifying cancer-cell-specific immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Huber
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Taosheng Chen
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.
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25
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Chen X, Liu H, Xie W, Yang Y, Wang Y, Fan Y, Hua Y, Zhu L, Zhao J, Lu T, Chen Y, Zhang Y. Investigation of Crystal Structures in Structure-Based Virtual Screening for Protein Kinase Inhibitors. J Chem Inf Model 2019; 59:5244-5262. [PMID: 31689093 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.9b00684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Protein kinases are important drug targets in several therapeutic areas ,and structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) is an important strategy in discovering lead compounds for kinase targets. However, there are multiple crystal structures available for each target, and determining which one is the most favorable is a key step in molecular docking for SBVS due to the ligand induce-fit effect. This work aimed to find the most desirable crystal structures for molecular docking by a comprehensive analysis of the protein kinase database which covers 190 different kinases from all eight main kinase families. Through an integrated self-docking and cross-docking evaluation, 86 targets were eventually evaluated on a total of 2608 crystal structures. Results showed that molecular docking has great capability in reproducing conformation of crystallized ligands and for each target, the most favorable crystal structure was selected, and the AGC family outperformed the other family targets based on RMSD comparison. In addition, RMSD values, GlideScore, and corresponding bioactivity data were compared and demonstrated certain relationships. This work provides great convenience for researchers to directly select the optimal crystal structure in SBVS-based kinase drug design and further validates the effectiveness of molecular docking in drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingye Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science , China Pharmaceutical University , 639 Longmian Avenue , Nanjing 211198 , China
| | - Haichun Liu
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science , China Pharmaceutical University , 639 Longmian Avenue , Nanjing 211198 , China
| | - Wuchen Xie
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science , China Pharmaceutical University , 639 Longmian Avenue , Nanjing 211198 , China
| | - Yan Yang
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science , China Pharmaceutical University , 639 Longmian Avenue , Nanjing 211198 , China
| | - Yuchen Wang
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science , China Pharmaceutical University , 639 Longmian Avenue , Nanjing 211198 , China
| | - Yuanrong Fan
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science , China Pharmaceutical University , 639 Longmian Avenue , Nanjing 211198 , China
| | - Yi Hua
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science , China Pharmaceutical University , 639 Longmian Avenue , Nanjing 211198 , China
| | - Lu Zhu
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science , China Pharmaceutical University , 639 Longmian Avenue , Nanjing 211198 , China
| | - Junnan Zhao
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science , China Pharmaceutical University , 639 Longmian Avenue , Nanjing 211198 , China
| | - Tao Lu
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science , China Pharmaceutical University , 639 Longmian Avenue , Nanjing 211198 , China.,State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines , China Pharmaceutical University , 24 Tongjiaxiang , Nanjing 210009 , China
| | - Yadong Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science , China Pharmaceutical University , 639 Longmian Avenue , Nanjing 211198 , China
| | - Yanmin Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science , China Pharmaceutical University , 639 Longmian Avenue , Nanjing 211198 , China
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26
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XIAP as a Target of New Small Organic Natural Molecules Inducing Human Cancer Cell Death. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11091336. [PMID: 31505859 PMCID: PMC6770071 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11091336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) is an emerging crucial therapeutic target in cancer. We report on the discovery and characterisation of small organic molecules from Piper genus plants exhibiting XIAP antagonism, namely erioquinol, a quinol substituted in the 4-position with an alkenyl group and the alkenylphenols eriopodols A–C. Another isolated compound was originally identified as gibbilimbol B. Erioquinol was the most potent inhibitor of human cancer cell viability when compared with gibbilimbol B and eriopodol A was listed as intermediate. Gibbilimbol B and eriopodol A induced apoptosis through mitochondrial permeabilisation and caspase activation while erioquinol acted on cell fate via caspase-independent/non-apoptotic mechanisms, likely involving mitochondrial dysfunctions and aberrant generation of reactive oxygen species. In silico modelling and molecular approaches suggested that all molecules inhibit XIAP by binding to XIAP-baculoviral IAP repeat domain. This demonstrates a novel aspect of XIAP as a key determinant of tumour control, at the molecular crossroad of caspase-dependent/independent cell death pathway and indicates molecular aspects to develop tumour-effective XIAP antagonists.
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27
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Chauhan J, Ravva MK, Sen S. Harnessing Autoxidation of Aldehydes: In Situ Iodoarene Catalyzed Synthesis of Substituted 1,3,4-Oxadiazole, in the Presence of Molecular Oxygen. Org Lett 2019; 21:6562-6565. [PMID: 31368711 DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.9b02542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Isobutyraldehyde underwent auto-oxidation in the presence of molecular oxygen to generate an acyloxy radical under a "metal-free" environment. They were subsequently exploited in situ to afford hypervalent iodines with p-anisolyl iodide which generated substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazoles in moderate to excellent yields from N'-arylidene acetohydrazides. The reaction strategy tolerated diverse substitution on the hydrazide substrates. Control experiments and literature precedence supported the formation of an in situ iodosylarene complex that facilitates the formation of products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyoti Chauhan
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences , Shiv Nadar University , Dadri, Chithera, Gautambudh Nagar , Uttar Pradesh 201314 , India
| | - Mahesh K Ravva
- Department of Chemistry , SRM University-AP , Amaravati , Andhra Pradesh 522502 , India
| | - Subhabrata Sen
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences , Shiv Nadar University , Dadri, Chithera, Gautambudh Nagar , Uttar Pradesh 201314 , India
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28
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Catalani E, Buonanno F, Lupidi G, Bongiorni S, Belardi R, Zecchini S, Giovarelli M, Coazzoli M, De Palma C, Perrotta C, Clementi E, Prantera G, Marcantoni E, Ortenzi C, Fausto AM, Picchietti S, Cervia D. The Natural Compound Climacostol as a Prodrug Strategy Based on pH Activation for Efficient Delivery of Cytotoxic Small Agents. Front Chem 2019; 7:463. [PMID: 31316972 PMCID: PMC6609918 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We synthesized and characterized MOMO as a new small molecule analog of the cytotoxic natural product climacostol efficiently activated in mild extracellular acidosis. The synthesis of MOMO had a key step in the Wittig olefination for the construction of the carbon-carbon double bond in the alkenyl moiety of climacostol. The possibility of obtaining the target (Z)-alkenyl MOMO derivative in very good yield and without presence of the less active (E)-diastereomer was favored from the methoxymethyl ether (MOM)-protecting group of hydroxyl functions in aromatic ring of climacostol aldehyde intermediate. Of interest, the easy removal of MOM-protecting group in a weakly acidic environment allowed us to obtain a great quantity of climacostol in biologically active (Z)-configuration. Results obtained in free-living ciliates that share the same micro-environment of the climacostol natural producer Climacostomum virens demonstrated that MOMO is well-tolerated in a physiological environment, while its cytotoxicity is rapidly and efficiently triggered at pH 6.3. In addition, the cytostatic vs. cytotoxic effects of acidified-MOMO can be modulated in a dose-dependent manner. In mouse melanoma cells, MOMO displayed a marked pH-sensitivity since its cytotoxic and apoptotic effects become evident only in mild extracellular acidosis. Data also suggested MOMO being preferentially activated in the unique extra-acidic microenvironment that characterizes tumoural cells. Finally, the use of the model organism Drosophila melanogaster fed with an acidic diet supported the efficient activity and oral delivery of MOMO molecule in vivo. MOMO affected oviposition of mating adults and larvae eclosion. Reduced survival of flies was due to lethality during the larval stages while emerging larvae retained their ability to develop into adults. Interestingly, the gut of eclosed larvae exhibited an extended damage (cell death by apoptosis) and the brain tissue was also affected (reduced mitosis), demonstrating that orally activated MOMO efficiently targets different tissues of the developing fly. These results provided a proof-of-concept study on the pH-dependence of MOMO effects. In this respect, MOM-protection emerges as a potential prodrug strategy which deserves to be further investigated for the generation of efficient pH-sensitive small organic molecules as pharmacologically active cytotoxic compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Catalani
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Federico Buonanno
- Laboratory of Protistology and Biology Education, Department of Education, Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Università degli Studi di Macerata, Macerata, Italy
| | - Gabriele Lupidi
- School of Sciences and Technologies, Section of Chemistry, Università degli Studi di Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Silvia Bongiorni
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Riccardo Belardi
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Silvia Zecchini
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “Luigi Sacco” (DIBIC), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Giovarelli
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “Luigi Sacco” (DIBIC), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Coazzoli
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “Luigi Sacco” (DIBIC), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Clara De Palma
- Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital “Luigi Sacco”-ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Cristiana Perrotta
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “Luigi Sacco” (DIBIC), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Emilio Clementi
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “Luigi Sacco” (DIBIC), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- Scientific Institute IRCCS “Eugenio Medea”, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Giorgio Prantera
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Enrico Marcantoni
- School of Sciences and Technologies, Section of Chemistry, Università degli Studi di Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Claudio Ortenzi
- Laboratory of Protistology and Biology Education, Department of Education, Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Università degli Studi di Macerata, Macerata, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Fausto
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Simona Picchietti
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Davide Cervia
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
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29
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Chen S, Song Z, Zhang A. Small-Molecule Immuno-Oncology Therapy: Advances, Challenges and New Directions. Curr Top Med Chem 2019; 19:180-185. [PMID: 30854972 DOI: 10.2174/1568026619666190308131805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Oncology immunotherapy has gained significant advances in recent years and benefits cancer patients with superior efficacy and superior clinical responses. Currently over ten immune checkpoint antibodies targeting CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 have received regulatory approval worldwide and over thousands are under active clinical trials. However, compared to the rapid advance of Monoclonal Antibody (mAb), studies on immunotherapeutic small molecules have far lagged behind. Small molecule immunotherapy not only can target immunosuppressive mechanisms similar to mAbs, but also can stimulate intracellular pathways downstream of checkpoint proteins in innate or adaptive immune cells that mAbs are unable to access. Therefore, small molecule immunotherapy can provide an alternative treatment modality either alone or complementary to or synergistic with extracellular checkpoint mAbs to address low clinical response and drug resistance. Fortunately, remarkable progress has achieved recently in the pursuit of small molecule immunotherapy. This review intends to provide a timely highlight on those clinically investigated small molecules targeting PD-1/PD-L1, IDO1, and STING. The most advanced IDO1 inhibitor epacadostat have been aggressively progressed into multiple clinical testings. Small molecule PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and STING activators are still in a premature state and their decisive application needs to wait for the ongoing clinical outcomes. Since no small molecule immunotherapy has been approved yet, the future research should continue to focus on discovery of novel small molecules with distinct chemo-types and higher potency, identification of biomarkers to precisely stratify patients, as well as validation of many other immune-therapeutic targets, such as LAG3, KIRs, TIM-3, VISTA, B7-H3, and TIGIT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shulun Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research and the State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zilan Song
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research and the State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ao Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research and the State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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30
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Li D, Tang X, Li M, Zheng Y. Long noncoding RNA DLX6-AS1 promotes liver cancer by increasing the expression of WEE1 via targeting miR-424-5p. J Cell Biochem 2019; 120:12290-12299. [PMID: 30805988 PMCID: PMC6712946 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.28493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) played an important role in tumorigenesis and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we first demonstrated that lncRNA DLX6 antisense RNA 1 (DLX6‐AS1) was upregulated in cancer tissues and cells lines compared with normal adjacent and cell line. Knock‐down DLX6‐AS1 by transfection with small interfering RNA (siRNA) suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells. Cell cycle analysis showed that cells transfected with siRNA were arrested in G0/G1 phase. Then, we performed dual‐luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay to show that DLX6‐AS1 could bind with miR‐424‐5p. And cotransfection inhibitor of miR‐424‐5p with siRNA of DLX6‐AS1 could abolish the inhibitory effect of siRNA of DLX6‐AS1 on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Moreover, we further demonstrated that the oncogene WEE1 G2 checkpoint kinase (WEE1) was the target of miR‐424‐5p and expression levels of WEE1 were positive correlation with that of DLX6‐AS1. Taken together, these results suggested that upregulated DLX6‐AS1 promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC through increasing expression of WEE1 via targeting miR‐424‐5p.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Li
- Department of Pathology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Xianbin Tang
- Department of Pathology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Man Li
- Department of Otolaryngology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Yi Zheng
- Department of Ultrasound, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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31
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Lightfoot HL, Goldberg FW, Sedelmeier J. Evolution of Small Molecule Kinase Drugs. ACS Med Chem Lett 2019; 10:153-160. [PMID: 30783496 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.8b00445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of small molecule kinase drugs is a rapidly evolving field and represents one of the most important research areas within oncology. This innovation letter provides an overview and analysis of approved kinase drugs according to their WHO registration (INN) dates, primary biological targets, and selectivity and structural similarities, which are also depicted in an associated poster. It also discusses new trends in kinase drug discovery programs such as new kinase targets, novel mechanisms of action, and diverse indications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen L. Lightfoot
- IMED Biotech Unit,Discovery Sciences, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park SK10 4TG, U.K
| | - Frederick W. Goldberg
- Oncology, IMED Biotech Unit, Medicinal Chemistry, AstraZeneca, Cambridge CB4 0WG, U.K
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32
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Zhang N, Dou Y, Liu L, Zhang X, Liu X, Zeng Q, Liu Y, Yin M, Liu X, Deng H, Song D. SA-49, a novel aloperine derivative, induces MITF-dependent lysosomal degradation of PD-L1. EBioMedicine 2019; 40:151-162. [PMID: 30711516 PMCID: PMC6414307 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.01.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a T-cell inhibitory checkpoint molecule that suppresses antitumor immunity. Anti-PD-L1 antibodies have shown remarkable promise in treating tumors, but the patient response rate is low. Therefore, small-molecule checkpoint inhibitors blocking PD-L1 function are urgently needed. METHODS Changes of protein expression and phosphorylation levels were determined by immunoblotting. The level of Membrane PD-L1 was examined by flow cytometer. Cytotoxicity of T cells and NK cells toward tumor cells were detected using LDH and cell index assays. Lysosome function was investigated by NAG assay. Changes in lysosomal-related genes were measured by RT-PCR. In vivo anti-NSCLC cancer effects were assessed using C57BL/6 mice bearing Lewis tumor xenografts. FINDINGS We identified SA-49 as a new regulator of PD-L1 expression from a series of novel aloperine derivatives. SA-49 decreased the expression of PD-L1 in NSCLC cells and enhanced the cytotoxicity of co-cultured T and NK cells toward tumor cells. Importantly, lysosomal pathway contributed to SA-49-mediated down-regulation of PD-L1. SA-49 increased the biogenesis of lysosome and promoted translocation of PD-L1 to lysosome for proteolysis, which was associated with nuclear translocation of MITF. SA-49-induced MITF translocation acted through activation of PKCα and subsequently suppression of GSK3β activity. Furthermore, SA-49 suppressed Lewis tumor xenograft growth by activating immune microenvironment in C57BL/6 mice. INTERPRETATION Our data demonstrate that SA-49 can be used to regulate PD-L1 in cancer cells and trigger its degradation by activating lysosome function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Zhang
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Yueying Dou
- Pharmacy Department, Hefei BOE Hospital Co., Ltd., Hefei 230011, China
| | - Lu Liu
- Qingdao Women and Children's Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266034, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Xiaojia Liu
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Qingxuan Zeng
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Mingxiao Yin
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Xiujun Liu
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Hongbin Deng
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
| | - Danqing Song
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
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HTiP: High-Throughput Immunomodulator Phenotypic Screening Platform to Reveal IAP Antagonists as Anti-cancer Immune Enhancers. Cell Chem Biol 2019; 26:331-339.e3. [PMID: 30639259 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2018.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Protein- and cell-based immunotherapeutic agents have revolutionized cancer treatment. However, small-molecule immunomodulators with favorable pharmacological properties for reaching intracellular targets remain to be developed. To explore the vast chemical space, a robust method that recapitulates the complex cancer-immune microenvironment in a high-throughput format is essential. To address this critical gap, we developed a high-throughput immunomodulator phenotypic screening platform, HTiP, which integrates the immune and cancer cell co-culture system with imaging- and biochemical-based multiplexed readouts. Using the HTiP platform, we have demonstrated its capability in modeling an oncogenic KRAS mutation-driven immunosuppressive phenotype. From a bioactive chemical library, multiple structurally distinct compounds were identified, all of which target the same class of proteins, inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP). IAP has demonstrated roles in cancer immunity. Identification of IAP antagonists as potent anti-tumor immune enhancers provides strong validating evidence for the use of the HTiP platform to discover small-molecule immunomodulators.
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34
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Liu M, Guo F. Recent updates on cancer immunotherapy. PRECISION CLINICAL MEDICINE 2018; 1:65-74. [PMID: 30687562 PMCID: PMC6333045 DOI: 10.1093/pcmedi/pby011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Traditional cancer therapies include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, all of which are typically non-specific approaches. Cancer immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps the immune system fight cancer. Cancer immunotherapy represents a standing example of precision medicine: immune checkpoint inhibitors precisely target the checkpoints; tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, TCR T cells, and CAR T cells precisely kill cancer cells through tumor antigen recognition; and cancer vaccines are made from patient-derived dendritic cells, tumor cell DNA, or RNA, or oncolytic viruses, thus offering a type of personalized medicine. This review will highlight up-to-date advancement in most, if not all, of the immunotherapy strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Liu
- Department of Medical Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Fukun Guo
- Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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Cheng B, Yuan WE, Su J, Liu Y, Chen J. Recent advances in small molecule based cancer immunotherapy. Eur J Med Chem 2018; 157:582-598. [PMID: 30125720 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.08.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Revised: 07/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Immunotherapy has been increasingly utilized for the treatment of cancer. Currently available cancer immunotherapies mainly involve the use of antibodies, which have advantages in terms of pharmacodynamics such as efficacy and specificity, however, they exhibit disadvantages in regard to the pharmacokinetics including but not limited to poor tissue and tumor penetration, very long half-life, and the lack of oral bioavailability. Also they are immunogenic and may cause undesired side effects. In addition, they are difficult and expensive to produce. In contrast to therapeutic antibodies, small molecule immuno-oncology agents generally have favorable pharmacokinetics, for example, better oral bioavailability, higher tissue and tumor penetration, reasonable half-lives etc. Furthermore, some small molecules are highly selective and efficacious with benign toxicity profiles. Therefore, small molecule immuno-oncology agents have the potential to overcome the drawbacks of therapeutic antibodies, and they can complement existing therapeutic antibodies and may also be used in combination with antibodies to achieve synergistic effects. In this article, we summarize the current advances in the field of small molecule approaches in tumor immunology which include the small molecules in clinical trials and preclinical studies, and the reported crystal structures of small molecules and their target proteins as well as the binding interactions between small molecules and the targets. The tumorigenesis mechanism of different targets (the programmed cell death 1/programmed cell death ligand 1(PD1/PD-L1), retinoic acid-related orphan receptor-gamma t (RORγt), Chemokine receptor, Stimulator of Interferon Genes (Sting), Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), toll-like receptors (TLR) etc.) are also elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binbin Cheng
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Wei-En Yuan
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong Univerisity, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Jing Su
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong Univerisity, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yao Liu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Jianjun Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
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Huck BR, Kötzner L, Urbahns K. Kleine Moleküle, ganz groß: niedermolekulare immunonkologische Kombinationstherapien. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201707816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bayard R. Huck
- Healthcare R&D, Discovery Technologies, Merck KGaA; Frankfurter Straße 250 64293 Darmstadt Deutschland
| | - Lisa Kötzner
- Healthcare R&D, Discovery Technologies, Merck KGaA; Frankfurter Straße 250 64293 Darmstadt Deutschland
| | - Klaus Urbahns
- Healthcare R&D, Discovery Technologies, Merck KGaA; Frankfurter Straße 250 64293 Darmstadt Deutschland
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Huck BR, Kötzner L, Urbahns K. Small Molecules Drive Big Improvements in Immuno-Oncology Therapies. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018; 57:4412-4428. [PMID: 28971564 PMCID: PMC5900885 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201707816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Immuno-oncology therapies have the potential to revolutionize the armamentarium of available cancer treatments. To further improve clinical response rates, researchers are looking for novel combination regimens, with checkpoint blockade being used as a backbone of the treatment. This Review highlights the significance of small molecules in this approach, which holds promise to provide increased benefit to cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bayard R. Huck
- Healthcare R&D, Discovery Technologies, Merck KGaAFrankfurter Strasse 25064293DarmstadtGermany
| | - Lisa Kötzner
- Healthcare R&D, Discovery Technologies, Merck KGaAFrankfurter Strasse 25064293DarmstadtGermany
| | - Klaus Urbahns
- Healthcare R&D, Discovery Technologies, Merck KGaAFrankfurter Strasse 25064293DarmstadtGermany
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Nuhn L, Van Hoecke L, Deswarte K, Schepens B, Li Y, Lambrecht BN, De Koker S, David SA, Saelens X, De Geest BG. Potent anti-viral vaccine adjuvant based on pH-degradable nanogels with covalently linked small molecule imidazoquinoline TLR7/8 agonist. Biomaterials 2018; 178:643-651. [PMID: 29573820 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Revised: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Improving the immunogenicity of subunit vaccines, in particular skewing of the immune response towards Th1 type immunity, is crucial for the development of effective vaccines against intracellular infections and for the development of anti-cancer vaccines. Small molecule TLR7/8 agonist hold high potential for this purpose, but suffer from an undesirable pharmacokinetic profile, resulting in systemic inflammatory responses. An effective solution to this problem is covalent ligation to a larger carrier. Here, a degradable nanogel carrier containing a covalently linked imidazoquinoline (IMDQ) TLR7/8 agonist is explored as adjuvant for vaccination against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In vitro and in vivo experiments in mice provide a solid rational base for preferring nanogels over soluble polymers as IMDQ carrier in terms of cellular uptake and lymph node accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lutz Nuhn
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Lien Van Hoecke
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kim Deswarte
- VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, VIB, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium; Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bert Schepens
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Yupeng Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Bart N Lambrecht
- VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, VIB, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium; Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Stefaan De Koker
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sunil A David
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Xavier Saelens
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bruno G De Geest
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
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Toogood PL. Small molecule immuno-oncology therapeutic agents. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2017; 28:319-329. [PMID: 29326017 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2017.12.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2017] [Revised: 12/17/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Treatment of cancer by activation of an antitumor immune response is now a widely practiced and well-accepted approach to therapy. However, despite dramatic responses in some patients, the high proportion of unresponsive patients points to a considerable unmet medical need. Although antibody therapies have led the way, small molecule immuno-oncology agents are close behind. This perspective provides an overview of some of the many small molecule approaches being explored. It encompasses small molecule modulators of validated targets such as programed cell death 1 (PD-1) as well as novel approaches still to be proven clinically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter L Toogood
- Lycera Corp., 1350 Highland Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
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