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Dubois V, Lefebvre P, Staels B, Eeckhoute J. Nuclear receptors: pathophysiological mechanisms and drug targets in liver disease. Gut 2024:gutjnl-2023-331741. [PMID: 38862216 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2023-331741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Nuclear receptors (NRs) are ligand-dependent transcription factors required for liver development and function. As a consequence, NRs have emerged as attractive drug targets in a wide range of liver diseases. However, liver dysfunction and failure are linked to loss of hepatocyte identity characterised by deficient NR expression and activities. This might at least partly explain why several pharmacological NR modulators have proven insufficiently efficient to improve liver functionality in advanced stages of diseases such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). In this perspective, we review the most recent advances in the hepatic NR field and discuss the contribution of multiomic approaches to our understanding of their role in the molecular organisation of an intricated transcriptional regulatory network, as well as in liver intercellular dialogues and interorgan cross-talks. We discuss the potential benefit of novel therapeutic approaches simultaneously targeting multiple NRs, which would not only reactivate the hepatic NR network and restore hepatocyte identity but also impact intercellular and interorgan interplays whose importance to control liver functions is further defined. Finally, we highlight the need of considering individual parameters such as sex and disease stage in the development of NR-based clinical strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Dubois
- Basic and Translational Endocrinology (BaTE), Department of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Philippe Lefebvre
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1011-EGID, Lille, France
| | - Bart Staels
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1011-EGID, Lille, France
| | - Jerome Eeckhoute
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1011-EGID, Lille, France
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2
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Hancock GR, Gertz J, Jeselsohn R, Fanning SW. Estrogen Receptor Alpha Mutations, Truncations, Heterodimers, and Therapies. Endocrinology 2024; 165:bqae051. [PMID: 38643482 PMCID: PMC11075793 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqae051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Annual breast cancer (BCa) deaths have declined since its apex in 1989 concomitant with widespread adoption of hormone therapies that target estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), the prominent nuclear receptor expressed in ∼80% of BCa. However, up to ∼50% of patients who are ER+ with high-risk disease experience post endocrine therapy relapse and metastasis to distant organs. The vast majority of BCa mortality occurs in this setting, highlighting the inadequacy of current therapies. Genomic abnormalities to ESR1, the gene encoding ERα, emerge under prolonged selective pressure to enable endocrine therapy resistance. These genetic lesions include focal gene amplifications, hotspot missense mutations in the ligand binding domain, truncations, fusions, and complex interactions with other nuclear receptors. Tumor cells utilize aberrant ERα activity to proliferate, spread, and evade therapy in BCa as well as other cancers. Cutting edge studies on ERα structural and transcriptional relationships are being harnessed to produce new therapies that have shown benefits in patients with ESR1 hotspot mutations. In this review we discuss the history of ERα, current research unlocking unknown aspects of ERα signaling including the structural basis for receptor antagonism, and future directions of ESR1 investigation. In addition, we discuss the development of endocrine therapies from their inception to present day and survey new avenues of drug development to improve pharmaceutical profiles, targeting, and efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Govinda R Hancock
- Department of Cancer Biology, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL 60513, USA
| | - Jason Gertz
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Rinath Jeselsohn
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sean W Fanning
- Department of Cancer Biology, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL 60513, USA
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3
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Manickasamy MK, Jayaprakash S, Girisa S, Kumar A, Lam HY, Okina E, Eng H, Alqahtani MS, Abbas M, Sethi G, Kumar AP, Kunnumakkara AB. Delineating the role of nuclear receptors in colorectal cancer, a focused review. Discov Oncol 2024; 15:41. [PMID: 38372868 PMCID: PMC10876515 DOI: 10.1007/s12672-023-00808-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) stands as one of the most prevalent form of cancer globally, causing a significant number of deaths, surpassing 0.9 million in the year 2020. According to GLOBOCAN 2020, CRC ranks third in incidence and second in mortality in both males and females. Despite extensive studies over the years, there is still a need to establish novel therapeutic targets to enhance the patients' survival rate in CRC. Nuclear receptors (NRs) are ligand-activated transcription factors (TFs) that regulate numerous essential biological processes such as differentiation, development, physiology, reproduction, and cellular metabolism. Dysregulation and anomalous expression of different NRs has led to multiple alterations, such as impaired signaling cascades, mutations, and epigenetic changes, leading to various diseases, including cancer. It has been observed that differential expression of various NRs might lead to the initiation and progression of CRC, and are correlated with poor survival outcomes in CRC patients. Despite numerous studies on the mechanism and role of NRs in this cancer, it remains of significant scientific interest primarily due to the diverse functions that various NRs exhibit in regulating key hallmarks of this cancer. Thus, modulating the expression of NRs with their agonists and antagonists, based on their expression levels, holds an immense prospect in the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutical modalities of CRC. In this review, we primarily focus on the role and mechanism of NRs in the pathogenesis of CRC and emphasized the significance of targeting these NRs using a variety of agents, which may represent a novel and effective strategy for the prevention and treatment of this cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukesh Kumar Manickasamy
- Cancer Biology Laboratory, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India
| | - Sujitha Jayaprakash
- Cancer Biology Laboratory, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India
| | - Sosmitha Girisa
- Cancer Biology Laboratory, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India
| | - Aviral Kumar
- Cancer Biology Laboratory, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India
| | - Hiu Yan Lam
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Queenstown, 117600, Singapore
- NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Queenstown, 117699, Singapore
| | - Elena Okina
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Queenstown, 117600, Singapore
- NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Queenstown, 117699, Singapore
| | - Huiyan Eng
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Queenstown, 117600, Singapore
- NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Queenstown, 117699, Singapore
| | - Mohammed S Alqahtani
- Radiological Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, 61421, Abha, Saudi Arabia
- BioImaging Unit, Space Research Centre, Michael Atiyah Building, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Mohamed Abbas
- Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, 61421, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Gautam Sethi
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Queenstown, 117600, Singapore
- NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Queenstown, 117699, Singapore
| | - Alan Prem Kumar
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Queenstown, 117600, Singapore.
- NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Queenstown, 117699, Singapore.
| | - Ajaikumar B Kunnumakkara
- Cancer Biology Laboratory, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India.
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He X, Weng Z, Zou Y. Progress in the controllability technology of PROTAC. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 265:116096. [PMID: 38160619 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.116096] [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: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimaera (PROTAC) technology functions by directly targeting proteins and catalysing their degradation through an event-driven mode of action, a novel mechanism with significant clinical application prospects for various diseases. Currently, the most advanced PROTAC drug is undergoing phase III clinical trials (NCT05654623). Although PROTACs exhibit significant advantages over traditional small-molecule inhibitors, their catalytic degradation of normal cellular proteins can potentially cause toxic side effects. Therefore, to achieve targeted release of PROTACs and minimize adverse reactions, researchers are actively exploring diverse controllable PROTACs. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the control strategies to provide a theoretical basis for the innovative application of PROTAC technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin He
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Changzhou Vocational Institute of Engineering, Changzhou, 213164, PR China.
| | - Zhibing Weng
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Changzhou Vocational Institute of Engineering, Changzhou, 213164, PR China
| | - Yi Zou
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, PR China.
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Rej RK, Roy J, Allu SR. Therapies for the Treatment of Advanced/Metastatic Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer: Current Situation and Future Directions. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:552. [PMID: 38339303 PMCID: PMC10854569 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16030552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The hormone receptor-positive (HR+) type is the most frequently identified subtype of breast cancer. HR+ breast cancer has a more positive prognosis when compared to other subtypes, such as human epidermal growth factor protein 2-positive disorder and triple-negative disease. The advancement in treatment outcomes for advanced HR+ breast cancer has been considerably elevated due to the discovery of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors and their combination effects with endocrine therapy. However, despite the considerable effectiveness of tamoxifen, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERMs), and aromatase inhibitors (AI), the issue of treatment resistance still presents a significant challenge for HR+ breast cancer. As a result, there is a focus on exploring new therapeutic strategies such as targeted protein degradation and covalent inhibition for targeting ERα. This article discusses the latest progress in treatments like oral selective ER degraders (SERDs), complete estrogen receptor antagonists (CERANs), selective estrogen receptor covalent antagonists (SERCAs), proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) degraders, and combinations of CDK4/6 inhibitors with endocrine therapy. The focus is specifically on those compounds that have transitioned into phases of clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohan Kalyan Rej
- Rogel Cancer Center, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
| | - Joyeeta Roy
- Departments of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
| | - Srinivasa Rao Allu
- Rogel Cancer Center, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
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Ahmed IMM, Beveridge R. Native mass spectrometry interrogation of complexes formed during targeted protein degradation. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2023; 37:e9604. [PMID: 37817340 PMCID: PMC10909470 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.9604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Protein degraders are small molecules that promote cellular degradation of a target protein. Degraders simultaneously bind to their target and an E3 ligase, bringing them into close spatial proximity, but the formation of this ternary complex is difficult to measure with many biophysical techniques. METHODS Native mass spectrometry (nMS) is an effective label-free technique to identify the complexes formed by proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs). It can monitor the formation of ternary E3-PROTAC-target complexes and detect intermediate binary species. Experiments are described using a Synapt G2Si (Waters) equipped with a nano-electrospray ionisation source. RESULTS The protocol describes nMS experiments for measuring the complexes formed by PROTAC molecules. It also describes how to investigate differences in the affinity of PROTAC complexes, whether a PROTAC shows specificity for a given target and whether a PROTAC shows cooperative behaviour. CONCLUSIONS Here, we provide step-by-step instructions for the sample preparation of PROTAC complexes and their nMS interrogation to obtain optimal information on their binding modes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ikhlas M. M. Ahmed
- Department of Pure and Applied ChemistryUniversity of StrathclydeGlasgowUK
| | - Rebecca Beveridge
- Department of Pure and Applied ChemistryUniversity of StrathclydeGlasgowUK
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Will M, Liang J, Metcalfe C, Chandarlapaty S. Therapeutic resistance to anti-oestrogen therapy in breast cancer. Nat Rev Cancer 2023; 23:673-685. [PMID: 37500767 PMCID: PMC10529099 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-023-00604-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The hormone receptor oestrogen receptor-α (ER) orchestrates physiological mammary gland development, breast carcinogenesis and the progression of breast tumours into lethal, treatment-refractory systemic disease. Selective antagonism of ER signalling has been one of the most successful therapeutic approaches in oncology, benefiting patients as both a cancer preventative measure and a cancer treatment strategy. However, resistance to anti-oestrogen therapy is a major clinical challenge. Over the past decade, we have gained an understanding of how breast cancers evolve under the pressure of anti-oestrogen therapy. This is best depicted by the case of oestrogen-independent mutations in the gene encoding ER (ESR1), which are virtually absent in primary breast cancer but highly prevalent (20-40%) in anti-oestrogen-treated metastatic disease. These and other findings highlight the 'evolvability' of ER+ breast cancer and the need to understand molecular processes by which this evolution occurs. Recent development and approval of next-generation ER antagonists to target ESR1-mutant breast cancer underscores the clinical importance of this evolvability and sets a new paradigm for the treatment of ER+ breast cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Will
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jackson Liang
- Department of Oncology Biomarker Development, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ciara Metcalfe
- Department of Discovery Oncology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Sarat Chandarlapaty
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
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8
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Bhoir S, De Benedetti A. Targeting Prostate Cancer, the 'Tousled Way'. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11100. [PMID: 37446279 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241311100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has been the mainstay of prostate cancer (PCa) treatment, with success in developing more effective inhibitors of androgen synthesis and antiandrogens in clinical practice. However, hormone deprivation and AR ablation have caused an increase in ADT-insensitive PCas associated with a poor prognosis. Resistance to ADT arises through various mechanisms, and most castration-resistant PCas still rely on the androgen axis, while others become truly androgen receptor (AR)-independent. Our research identified the human tousled-like kinase 1 (TLK1) as a crucial early mediator of PCa cell adaptation to ADT, promoting androgen-independent growth, inhibiting apoptosis, and facilitating cell motility and metastasis. Although explicit, the growing role of TLK1 biology in PCa has remained underrepresented and elusive. In this review, we aim to highlight the diverse functions of TLK1 in PCa, shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the transition from androgen-sensitive (AS) to an androgen-insensitive (AI) disease mediated by TLK1, and explore potential strategies to counteract this process. Targeting TLK1 and its associated signaling could prevent PCa progression to the incurable metastatic castration-resistant PCa (mCRPC) stage and provide a promising approach to treating PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddhant Bhoir
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA
| | - Arrigo De Benedetti
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA
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9
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Danazumi AU, Ishmam IT, Idris S, Izert MA, Balogun EO, Górna MW. Targeted protein degradation might present a novel therapeutic approach in the fight against African trypanosomiasis. Eur J Pharm Sci 2023; 186:106451. [PMID: 37088149 PMCID: PMC11032742 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2023.106451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
African trypanosomiasis (AT) is a hemoparasitic disease caused by infection with African trypanosomes and it is prevalent in many sub-Saharan African countries, affecting both humans and domestic animals. The disease is transmitted mostly by haematophagous insects of the genus Glossina while taking blood meal, in the process spreading the parasites from an infected animal to an uninfected animal. The disease is fatal if untreated, and the available drugs are generally ineffective and resulting in toxicities. Therefore, it is still pertinent to explore novel methods and targets for drug discovery. Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) present a new strategy for development of therapeutic molecules that mimic cellular proteasomal-mediated protein degradation to target proteins involved in different disease types. PROTACs have been used to degrade proteins involved in various cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and immune disorders with remarkable success. Here, we highlight the problems associated with the current treatments for AT, discuss the concept of PROTACs and associated targeted protein degradation (TPD) approaches, and provide some insights on the future potential for the use of these emerging technologies (PROTACs and TPD) for the development of new generation of anti-Trypanosoma drugs and the first "TrypPROTACs".
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Affiliation(s)
- Ammar Usman Danazumi
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland; Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland; Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
| | | | - Salisu Idris
- Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
| | - Matylda Anna Izert
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Emmanuel Oluwadare Balogun
- Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; African Centre of Excellence for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
| | - Maria Wiktoria Górna
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
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Sekhon I, Chen G, Piri K, Shinkawa S, Ashong D, Zhang Q, Wang G, Chen QH. Tricyclic Diterpenoids Selectively Suppress Androgen Receptor-Positive Prostate Cancer Cells. Molecules 2023; 28:4743. [PMID: 37375297 PMCID: PMC10300971 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28124743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Androgen receptor (AR) is a viable therapeutic target for lethal castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), because the continued progression of CRPC is mainly driven by the reactivation of AR transcriptional activity. The current FDA-approved AR antagonists binding to ligand binding domain (LBD) become ineffective in CRPC with AR gene amplification, LBD mutation, and the evolution of LBD-truncated AR splice variants. Encouraged by the fact that tricyclic aromatic diterpenoid QW07 has recently been established as a potential N-terminal AR antagonist, this study aims to explore the structure-activity relationship of tricyclic diterpenoids and their potential to suppress AR-positive cell proliferation. Dehydroabietylamine, abietic acid, dehydroabietic acid, and their derivatives were selected, since they have a similar core structure as QW07. Twenty diterpenoids were prepared for the evaluation of their antiproliferative potency on AR-positive prostate cancer cell models (LNCaP and 22Rv1) using AR-null cell models (PC-3 and DU145) as comparisons. Our data indicated that six tricyclic diterpenoids possess greater potency than enzalutamide (FDA-approved AR antagonist) towards LNCaP and 22Rv1 AR-positive cells, and four diterpenoids are more potent than enzalutamide against 22Rv1 AR-positive cells. The optimal derivative possesses greater potency (IC50 = 0.27 µM) and selectivity than QW07 towards AR-positive 22Rv1 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inderpal Sekhon
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, California State University, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
| | - Guanglin Chen
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, California State University, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
| | - Keyara Piri
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, California State University, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
| | - Seiji Shinkawa
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, California State University, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
| | - Dennis Ashong
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, California State University, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and RCMI Cancer Research Center, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA 70125, USA
| | - Guangdi Wang
- Department of Chemistry and RCMI Cancer Research Center, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA 70125, USA
| | - Qiao-Hong Chen
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, California State University, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
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11
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Chetverina D, Vorobyeva NE, Gyorffy B, Shtil AA, Erokhin M. Analyses of Genes Critical to Tumor Survival Reveal Potential 'Supertargets': Focus on Transcription. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15113042. [PMID: 37297004 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15113042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The identification of mechanisms that underlie the biology of individual tumors is aimed at the development of personalized treatment strategies. Herein, we performed a comprehensive search of genes (termed Supertargets) vital for tumors of particular tissue origin. In so doing, we used the DepMap database portal that encompasses a broad panel of cell lines with individual genes knocked out by CRISPR/Cas9 technology. For each of the 27 tumor types, we revealed the top five genes whose deletion was lethal in the particular case, indicating both known and unknown Supertargets. Most importantly, the majority of Supertargets (41%) were represented by DNA-binding transcription factors. RNAseq data analysis demonstrated that a subset of Supertargets was deregulated in clinical tumor samples but not in the respective non-malignant tissues. These results point to transcriptional mechanisms as key regulators of cell survival in specific tumors. Targeted inactivation of these factors emerges as a straightforward approach to optimize therapeutic regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darya Chetverina
- Group of Epigenetics, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov Street, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Nadezhda E Vorobyeva
- Group of Dynamics of Transcriptional Complexes, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov Street, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Balazs Gyorffy
- Departments of Bioinformatics and Pediatrics, Semmelweis University, H-1094 Budapest, Hungary
- Cancer Biomarker Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Institute of Enzymology, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Alexander A Shtil
- Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, 24 Kashirskoye Shosse, Moscow 115522, Russia
| | - Maksim Erokhin
- Group of Chromatin Biology, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov Street, Moscow 119334, Russia
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12
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Somsen BA, Sijbesma E, Leysen S, Honzejkova K, Visser EJ, Cossar PJ, Obšil T, Brunsveld L, Ottmann C. Molecular basis and dual ligand regulation of tetrameric Estrogen Receptor α/14-3-3ζ protein complex. J Biol Chem 2023:104855. [PMID: 37224961 PMCID: PMC10302166 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic strategies targeting Nuclear Receptors (NRs) beyond their endogenous ligand binding pocket have gained significant scientific interest, driven by a need to circumvent problems associated with drug resistance and pharmacological profile. The hub protein 14-3-3 is an endogenous regulator of various NRs, providing a novel entry point for small molecule modulation of NR activity. Exemplified, 14-3-3 binding to the C-terminal F-domain of the Estrogen Receptor alpha (ERα), and small molecule stabilization of the ERα/14-3-3ζ protein complex by the natural product Fusicoccin A (FC-A), was demonstrated to downregulate ERα-mediated breast cancer proliferation. This presents a novel drug discovery approach to target ERα, however, structural and mechanistic insights into ERα/14-3-3 complex formation are lacking. Here, we provide an in-depth molecular understanding of the ERα/14-3-3ζ complex by isolating 14-3-3ζ in complex with an ERα protein construct comprising its Ligand Binding Domain (LBD) and phosphorylated F-domain. Bacterial co-expression and co-purification of the ERα/14-3-3ζ complex, followed by extensive biophysical and structural characterization, revealed a tetrameric complex between the ERα homodimer and the 14-3-3ζ homodimer. 14-3-3ζ binding to ERα, and ERα/14-3-3ζ complex stabilization by FC-A, appeared to be orthogonal to ERα endogenous agonist (E2) binding, E2-induced conformational changes, and cofactor recruitment. Similarly, the ERα antagonist 4-hydroxytamoxifen inhibited cofactor recruitment to the ERα LBD while ERα was bound to 14-3-3ζ. Furthermore, stabilization of the ERα/14-3-3ζ protein complex by FC-A was not influenced by the disease-associated and 4-hydroxytamoxifen resistant ERα-Y537S mutant. Together, these molecular and mechanistic insights provide direction for targeting ERα via the ERα/14-3-3 complex as an alternative drug discovery approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bente A Somsen
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Eline Sijbesma
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Seppe Leysen
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Karolina Honzejkova
- Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Emira J Visser
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Peter J Cossar
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Tomáš Obšil
- Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Luc Brunsveld
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Christian Ottmann
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
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13
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Li Q, Zhou L, Qin S, Huang Z, Li B, Liu R, Yang M, Nice EC, Zhu H, Huang C. Proteolysis-targeting chimeras in biotherapeutics: Current trends and future applications. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 257:115447. [PMID: 37229829 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The success of inhibitor-based therapeutics is largely constrained by the acquisition of therapeutic resistance, which is partially driven by the undruggable proteome. The emergence of proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology, designed for degrading proteins involved in specific biological processes, might provide a novel framework for solving the above constraint. A heterobifunctional PROTAC molecule could structurally connect an E3 ubiquitin ligase ligand with a protein of interest (POI)-binding ligand by chemical linkers. Such technology would result in the degradation of the targeted protein via the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), opening up a novel way of selectively inhibiting undruggable proteins. Herein, we will highlight the advantages of PROTAC technology and summarize the current understanding of the potential mechanisms involved in biotherapeutics, with a particular focus on its application and development where therapeutic benefits over classical small-molecule inhibitors have been achieved. Finally, we discuss how this technology can contribute to developing biotherapeutic drugs, such as antivirals against infectious diseases, for use in clinical practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiong Li
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, and West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, PR China
| | - Li Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, PR China
| | - Siyuan Qin
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, and West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, PR China
| | - Zhao Huang
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, and West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, PR China
| | - Bowen Li
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, and West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, PR China
| | - Ruolan Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, PR China
| | - Mei Yang
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, and West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, PR China
| | - Edouard C Nice
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Huili Zhu
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children of Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, PR China.
| | - Canhua Huang
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, and West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, PR China; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, PR China.
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14
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Sincere NI, Anand K, Ashique S, Yang J, You C. PROTACs: Emerging Targeted Protein Degradation Approaches for Advanced Druggable Strategies. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28104014. [PMID: 37241755 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28104014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
A potential therapeutic strategy to treat conditions brought on by the aberrant production of a disease-causing protein is emerging for targeted protein breakdown using the PROTACs technology. Few medications now in use are tiny, component-based and utilize occupancy-driven pharmacology (MOA), which inhibits protein function for a short period of time to temporarily alter it. By utilizing an event-driven MOA, the proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) technology introduces a revolutionary tactic. Small-molecule-based heterobifunctional PROTACs hijack the ubiquitin-proteasome system to trigger the degradation of the target protein. The main challenge PROTAC's development facing now is to find potent, tissue- and cell-specific PROTAC compounds with favorable drug-likeness and standard safety measures. The ways to increase the efficacy and selectivity of PROTACs are the main focus of this review. In this review, we have highlighted the most important discoveries related to the degradation of proteins by PROTACs, new targeted approaches to boost proteolysis' effectiveness and development, and promising future directions in medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuwayo Ishimwe Sincere
- Laboratory Medicine Center, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, The Second Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Krishnan Anand
- Department of Chemical Pathology, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
| | - Sumel Ashique
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Bharat Institute of Technology (BIT), School of Pharmacy, Meerut 250103, India
| | - Jing Yang
- Laboratory Medicine Center, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, The Second Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Chongge You
- Laboratory Medicine Center, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, The Second Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
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15
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Cheng W, Li S, Han S, Miao R, Wang S, Liu C, Wei H, Tian X, Zhang X. Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of the tumor hypoxia-activated PROTACs bearing caged CRBN E3 ligase ligands. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 82:117237. [PMID: 36906965 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117237] [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: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Tumor hypoxia-activated proteolysis targeting chimeras (ha-PROTACs) 9 and 10 were designed and synthesized by incorporating the hypoxia-activated leaving group (1-methyl-2-nitro-1H-imidazol-5-yl)methyl or 4‑nitrobenzyl into the structure of the cereblon (CRBN) E3 ligand of an epidermal growth factor receptor 19 deletions (EGFRDel19-based PROTAC 8. The in vitro protein degradation assay demonstrated that 9 and 10 could effectively and selectively degrade EGFRDel19 in tumor hypoxia. Meanwhile, these two compounds showed higher potency in inhibiting cell viability and migration, as well as in promoting cells apoptosis in tumor hypoxia. Moreover, nitroreductase reductive activation assay indicated that prodrugs 9 and 10 could successfully release the active compound 8. This study confirmed the feasibility to develop ha-PROTACs to enhance the selectivity of PROTACs by caging CRBN E3 ligase ligand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiyan Cheng
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Precision Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China.
| | - Shasha Li
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Precision Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China
| | - Siyuan Han
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Precision Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China
| | - Ruoyang Miao
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Precision Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China
| | - Suhua Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Precision Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China
| | - Chunxia Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Precision Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China
| | - Han Wei
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Precision Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China
| | - Xin Tian
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Precision Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China.
| | - Xiaojian Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Precision Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China.
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16
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Jia X, Han X. Targeting androgen receptor degradation with PROTACs from bench to bedside. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 158:114112. [PMID: 36508999 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.114112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibition of androgen receptor (AR) has been extensively investigated to treat prostate cancer. Resistance mechanisms such as increased levels of androgen production, increased AR gene, enhancer expression and AR point mutations always reduce the clinical efficacy. Design and discovery of small-molecule PROTAC AR degraders have been pursued as a new therapeutic strategy to overcome common resistance mechanisms developed during prostate cancer treatment. In the last two decades, potent and efficacious PROTAC AR degraders have been gotten rapid development and several such compounds have been advanced into preclinical phase and phase I/II trials for the treatment of human prostate cancers. Especially, the first PROTAC to enter the clinic, ARV-110, has shown good clinical effects in patients with mCRPC. This fully demonstrates the high clinical value of PROTAC strategy in treatment of human diseases. Here, we summarized the recent advances in the development of these potential clinical-stage PROTAC AR degraders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojuan Jia
- The 2nd Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Xin Han
- The 2nd Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China.; Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310029, China..
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17
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Zhou QQ, Xiao HT, Yang F, Wang YD, Li P, Zheng ZG. Advancing targeted protein degradation for metabolic diseases therapy. Pharmacol Res 2023; 188:106627. [PMID: 36566001 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2022.106627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The development and application of traditional drugs represented by small molecule chemical drugs and biological agents, especially inhibitors, have become the mainstream drug development. In recent years, targeted protein degradation (TPD) technology has become one of the most promising methods to remove specific disease-related proteins using cell self-destruction mechanisms. Many different TPD strategies are emerging based on the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and the autophagy-lysosomal pathway (ALP), including but not limited to proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTAC), molecular glues (MG), lysosome targeting chimeras (LYTAC), chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA)-targeting chimeras, autophagy-targeting chimera (AUTAC), autophagosome-tethering compound (ATTEC), and autophagy-targeting chimera (AUTOTAC). The advent of targeted degradation technology can change most protein targets in human cells from undruggable to druggable, greatly expanding the therapeutic prospect of refractory diseases such as metabolic syndrome. Here, we summarize the latest progress of major TPD technologies, especially in metabolic syndrome and look forward to providing new insights for drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian-Qian Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hai-Tao Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Fan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yong-Dan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zu-Guo Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
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18
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Arterburn JB, Prossnitz ER. G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor GPER: Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutic Applications. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2023; 63:295-320. [PMID: 36662583 PMCID: PMC10153636 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-031122-121944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The actions of estrogens and related estrogenic molecules are complex and multifaceted in both sexes. A wide array of natural, synthetic, and therapeutic molecules target pathways that produce and respond to estrogens. Multiple receptors promulgate these responses, including the classical estrogen receptors of the nuclear hormone receptor family (estrogen receptors α and β), which function largely as ligand-activated transcription factors, and the 7-transmembrane G protein-coupled estrogen receptor, GPER, which activates a diverse array of signaling pathways. The pharmacology and functional roles of GPER in physiology and disease reveal important roles in responses to both natural and synthetic estrogenic compounds in numerous physiological systems. These functions have implications in the treatment of myriad disease states, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic disorders. This review focuses on the complex pharmacology of GPER and summarizes major physiological functions of GPER and the therapeutic implications and ongoing applications of GPER-targeted compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey B Arterburn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
- University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA;
| | - Eric R Prossnitz
- University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA;
- Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Autophagy, Inflammation and Metabolism, and Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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19
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Liu Z, Hu M, Yang Y, Du C, Zhou H, Liu C, Chen Y, Fan L, Ma H, Gong Y, Xie Y. An overview of PROTACs: a promising drug discovery paradigm. MOLECULAR BIOMEDICINE 2022; 3:46. [PMID: 36536188 PMCID: PMC9763089 DOI: 10.1186/s43556-022-00112-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) technology has emerged as a novel therapeutic paradigm in recent years. PROTACs are heterobifunctional molecules that degrade target proteins by hijacking the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Currently, about 20-25% of all protein targets are being studied, and most works focus on their enzymatic functions. Unlike small molecules, PROTACs inhibit the whole biological function of the target protein by binding to the target protein and inducing subsequent proteasomal degradation. PROTACs compensate for limitations that transcription factors, nuclear proteins, and other scaffolding proteins are difficult to handle with traditional small-molecule inhibitors. Currently, PROTACs have successfully degraded diverse proteins, such as BTK, BRD4, AR, ER, STAT3, IRAK4, tau, etc. And ARV-110 and ARV-471 exhibited excellent efficacy in clinical II trials. However, what targets are appropriate for PROTAC technology to achieve better benefits than small-molecule inhibitors are not fully understood. And how to rationally design an efficient PROTACs and optimize it to be orally effective poses big challenges for researchers. In this review, we summarize the features of PROTAC technology, analyze the detail of general principles for designing efficient PROTACs, and discuss the typical application of PROTACs targeting different protein categories. In addition, we also introduce the progress of relevant clinical trial results of representative PROTACs and assess the challenges and limitations that PROTACs may face. Collectively, our studies provide references for further application of PROTACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi Liu
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Mingxing Hu
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Yu Yang
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Chenghao Du
- grid.42505.360000 0001 2156 6853Department of Biological Sciences, USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles, 90089 USA
| | - Haoxuan Zhou
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Chengyali Liu
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Yuanwei Chen
- Hinova Pharmaceuticals Inc., Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Lei Fan
- Hinova Pharmaceuticals Inc., Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Hongqun Ma
- Hinova Pharmaceuticals Inc., Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Youling Gong
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Department of Thoracic Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Yongmei Xie
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041 China
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20
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Pagliuca M, Donato M, D’Amato AL, Rosanova M, Russo AOM, Scafetta R, De Angelis C, Trivedi MV, André F, Arpino G, Del Mastro L, De Laurentiis M, Puglisi F, Giuliano M. New steps on an old path: Novel estrogen receptor inhibitors in breast cancer. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2022; 180:103861. [DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2022.103861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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21
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Divakaran A, Scholtz CR, Zahid H, Lin W, Griffith EC, Lee RE, Chen T, Harki DA, Pomerantz WCK. Development of an N-Terminal BRD4 Bromodomain-Targeted Degrader. ACS Med Chem Lett 2022; 13:1621-1627. [PMID: 36262390 PMCID: PMC9575167 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.2c00300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation is a powerful induced-proximity tool to control cellular protein concentrations using small molecules. However, the design of selective degraders remains empirical. Among bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) family proteins, BRD4 is the primary therapeutic target over family members BRD2/3/T. Existing strategies for selective BRD4 degradation use pan-BET inhibitors optimized for BRD4:E3 ubiquitin ligase (E3) ternary complex formation, but these result in residual inhibition of undegraded BET-bromodomains by the pan-BET ligand, obscuring BRD4-degradation phenotypes. Using our selective inhibitor of the first BRD4 bromodomain, iBRD4-BD1 (IC50 = 12 nM, 23- to 6200-fold intra-BET selectivity), we developed dBRD4-BD1 to selectively degrade BRD4 (DC50 = 280 nM). Notably, dBRD4-BD1 upregulates BRD2/3, a result not observed with degraders using pan-BET ligands. Designing BRD4 selectivity up front enables analysis of BRD4 biology without wider BET-inhibition and simplifies designing BRD4-selective heterobifunctional molecules, such as degraders with new E3 recruiting ligands or for additional probes beyond degraders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anand Divakaran
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 2231 Sixth Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Cole R. Scholtz
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Huda Zahid
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Wenwei Lin
- Department
of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Elizabeth C. Griffith
- Department
of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Richard E. Lee
- Department
of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Taosheng Chen
- Department
of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Daniel A. Harki
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 2231 Sixth Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - William C. K. Pomerantz
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 2231 Sixth Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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22
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Li J, Cai Z, Li XW, Zhuang C. Natural Product-Inspired Targeted Protein Degraders: Advances and Perspectives. J Med Chem 2022; 65:13533-13560. [PMID: 36205223 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation (TPD), a promising therapeutic strategy in drug discovery, has great potential to regulate the endogenous degradation of undruggable targets with small molecules. As vital resources that provide diverse structural templates for drug discovery, natural products (NPs) are a rising and robust arsenal for the development of therapeutic TPD. The first proof-of-concept study of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) was a natural polyketide ovalicin-derived degrader; since then, NPs have shown great potential to promote TPD technology. The use of NP-inspired targeted protein degraders has been confirmed to be a promising strategy to treat many human conditions, including cancer, inflammation, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Nevertheless, the development of NP-inspired degraders is challenging, and the field is currently in its infancy. In this review, we summarize the bioactivities and mechanisms of NP-inspired degraders and discuss the associated challenges and future opportunities in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Li
- Clinical Medicine Scientific and Technical Innovation Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China.,School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Zhenyu Cai
- Tongji University Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xu-Wen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai 201203, China.,Shandong Laboratory of Yantai Drug Discovery, Bohai Rim Advanced Research Institute for Drug Discovery, Yantai, Shandong 264117, China
| | - Chunlin Zhuang
- Clinical Medicine Scientific and Technical Innovation Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China.,School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
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23
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Jayaprakash S, Hegde M, Girisa S, Alqahtani MS, Abbas M, Lee EHC, Yap KCH, Sethi G, Kumar AP, Kunnumakkara AB. Demystifying the Functional Role of Nuclear Receptors in Esophageal Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810952. [PMID: 36142861 PMCID: PMC9501100 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Esophageal cancer (EC), an aggressive and poorly understood disease, is one of the top causes of cancer-related fatalities. GLOBOCAN 2020 reports that there are 544,076 deaths and 604,100 new cases expected worldwide. Even though there are various advancements in treatment procedures, this cancer has been reported as one of the most difficult cancers to cure, and to increase patient survival; treatment targets still need to be established. Nuclear receptors (NRs) are a type of transcription factor, which has a key role in several biological processes such as reproduction, development, cellular differentiation, stress response, immunity, metabolism, lipids, and drugs, and are essential regulators of several diseases, including cancer. Numerous studies have demonstrated the importance of NRs in tumor immunology and proved the well-known roles of multiple NRs in modulating proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. There are surplus of studies conducted on NRs and their implications in EC, but only a few studies have demonstrated the diagnostic and prognostic potential of NRs. Therefore, there is still a paucity of the role of NRs and different ways to target them in EC cells to stop them from spreading malignancy. This review emphasizes the significance of NRs in EC by discussing their diverse agonists as well as antagonists and their response to tumor progression. Additionally, we emphasize NRs’ potential to serve as a novel therapeutic target and their capacity to treat and prevent EC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujitha Jayaprakash
- Cancer Biology Laboratory, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
| | - Mangala Hegde
- Cancer Biology Laboratory, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
| | - Sosmitha Girisa
- Cancer Biology Laboratory, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
| | - Mohammed S. Alqahtani
- Radiological Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
- BioImaging Unit, Space Research Centre, Michael Atiyah Building, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Mohamed Abbas
- Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
- Electronics and Communications Department, College of Engineering, Delta University for Science and Technology, Gamasa 35712, Egypt
| | - E. Hui Clarissa Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117600, Singapore
- NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore
| | - Kenneth Chun-Hong Yap
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117600, Singapore
- NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore
| | - Gautam Sethi
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117600, Singapore
- NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore
| | - Alan Prem Kumar
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117600, Singapore
- NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore
- Correspondence: (A.P.K.); (A.B.K.)
| | - Ajaikumar B. Kunnumakkara
- Cancer Biology Laboratory, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
- Correspondence: (A.P.K.); (A.B.K.)
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24
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Abstract
The androgen receptor (AR) plays a key role in the maintenance of muscle and bone and the support of male sexual-related functions, as well as in the progression of prostate cancer. Accordingly, AR-targeted therapies have been developed for the treatment of related human diseases and conditions. AR agonists are an important class of drugs in the treatment of bone loss and muscle atrophy. AR antagonists have also been developed for the treatment of prostate cancer, including metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Additionally, selective AR degraders (SARDs) have been reported. More recently, heterobifunctional degrader molecules of AR have been developed, and four such compounds are now in clinical development for the treatment of human prostate cancer. This review attempts to summarize the different types of compounds designed to target AR and the current frontiers of research on this important therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiguo Xiang
- Departments of Internal Medicine, Pharmacology and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Shaomeng Wang
- Departments of Internal Medicine, Pharmacology and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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25
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Pei H, Guo W, Peng Y, Xiong H, Chen Y. Targeting key proteins involved in transcriptional regulation for cancer therapy: Current strategies and future prospective. Med Res Rev 2022; 42:1607-1660. [PMID: 35312190 DOI: 10.1002/med.21886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The key proteins involved in transcriptional regulation play convergent roles in cellular homeostasis, and their dysfunction mediates aberrant gene expressions that underline the hallmarks of tumorigenesis. As tumor progression is dependent on such abnormal regulation of transcription, it is important to discover novel chemical entities as antitumor drugs that target key tumor-associated proteins involved in transcriptional regulation. Despite most key proteins (especially transcription factors) involved in transcriptional regulation are historically recognized as undruggable targets, multiple targeting approaches at diverse levels of transcriptional regulation, such as epigenetic intervention, inhibition of DNA-binding of transcriptional factors, and inhibition of the protein-protein interactions (PPIs), have been established in preclinically or clinically studies. In addition, several new approaches have recently been described, such as targeting proteasomal degradation and eliciting synthetic lethality. This review will emphasize on accentuating these developing therapeutic approaches and provide a thorough conspectus of the drug development to target key proteins involved in transcriptional regulation and their impact on future oncotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixiang Pei
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University and Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, The Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weikai Guo
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, The Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,Joint National Laboratory for Antibody Drug Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Yangrui Peng
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, The Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hai Xiong
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University and Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yihua Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, The Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
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26
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Zhao HY, Wang HP, Mao YZ, Zhang H, Xin M, Xi XX, Lei H, Mao S, Li DH, Zhang SQ. Discovery of Potent PROTACs Targeting EGFR Mutants through the Optimization of Covalent EGFR Ligands. J Med Chem 2022; 65:4709-4726. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Yi Zhao
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi, P. R. China
| | - Hai-Peng Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Xi’an 710068, Shaanxi, P. R. China
| | - Yu-Ze Mao
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi, P. R. China
| | - Hao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Generic Manufacture Technology of Chinese Traditional Medicine, Lunan Pharmaceutical Group Co., LTD., Linyi 276000, Shandong, P. R. China
| | - Minhang Xin
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi, P. R. China
| | - Xiao-Xiao Xi
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi, P. R. China
| | - Hao Lei
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi, P. R. China
| | - Shuai Mao
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi, P. R. China
| | - Dong-Hui Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Xi’an 710068, Shaanxi, P. R. China
| | - San-Qi Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi, P. R. China
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27
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Abstract
Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is an emerging therapeutic modality with the potential to tackle disease-causing proteins that have historically been highly challenging to target with conventional small molecules. In the 20 years since the concept of a proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) molecule harnessing the ubiquitin-proteasome system to degrade a target protein was reported, TPD has moved from academia to industry, where numerous companies have disclosed programmes in preclinical and early clinical development. With clinical proof-of-concept for PROTAC molecules against two well-established cancer targets provided in 2020, the field is poised to pursue targets that were previously considered 'undruggable'. In this Review, we summarize the first two decades of PROTAC discovery and assess the current landscape, with a focus on industry activity. We then discuss key areas for the future of TPD, including establishing the target classes for which TPD is most suitable, expanding the use of ubiquitin ligases to enable precision medicine and extending the modality beyond oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Craig M Crews
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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28
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Halloy F, Biscans A, Bujold KE, Debacker A, Hill AC, Lacroix A, Luige O, Strömberg R, Sundstrom L, Vogel J, Ghidini A. Innovative developments and emerging technologies in RNA therapeutics. RNA Biol 2022; 19:313-332. [PMID: 35188077 PMCID: PMC8865321 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2022.2027150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA-based therapeutics are emerging as a powerful platform for the treatment of multiple diseases. Currently, the two main categories of nucleic acid therapeutics, antisense oligonucleotides and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), achieve their therapeutic effect through either gene silencing, splicing modulation or microRNA binding, giving rise to versatile options to target pathogenic gene expression patterns. Moreover, ongoing research seeks to expand the scope of RNA-based drugs to include more complex nucleic acid templates, such as messenger RNA, as exemplified by the first approved mRNA-based vaccine in 2020. The increasing number of approved sequences and ongoing clinical trials has attracted considerable interest in the chemical development of oligonucleotides and nucleic acids as drugs, especially since the FDA approval of the first siRNA drug in 2018. As a result, a variety of innovative approaches is emerging, highlighting the potential of RNA as one of the most prominent therapeutic tools in the drug design and development pipeline. This review seeks to provide a comprehensive summary of current efforts in academia and industry aimed at fully realizing the potential of RNA-based therapeutics. Towards this, we introduce established and emerging RNA-based technologies, with a focus on their potential as biosensors and therapeutics. We then describe their mechanisms of action and their application in different disease contexts, along with the strengths and limitations of each strategy. Since the nucleic acid toolbox is rapidly expanding, we also introduce RNA minimal architectures, RNA/protein cleavers and viral RNA as promising modalities for new therapeutics and discuss future directions for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Halloy
- Department of Paediatrics, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Annabelle Biscans
- Oligonucleotide Chemistry, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&d, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Katherine E. Bujold
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, McMaster University, (Ontario), Canada
| | | | - Alyssa C. Hill
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Eth Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Aurélie Lacroix
- Sixfold Bioscience, Translation & Innovation Hub, London, UK
| | - Olivia Luige
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - Roger Strömberg
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - Linda Sundstrom
- Mechanistic and Structural Biology, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&d, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jörg Vogel
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (Hiri), Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (Hzi), Würzburg, Germany
- RNA Biology Group, Institute for Molecular Infection Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Alice Ghidini
- Mechanistic and Structural Biology, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&d, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
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29
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Ma S, Ji J, Tong Y, Zhu Y, Dou J, Zhang X, Xu S, Zhu T, Xu X, You Q, Jiang Z. Non-small molecule PROTACs (NSM-PROTACs): Protein degradation kaleidoscope. Acta Pharm Sin B 2022; 12:2990-3005. [PMID: 35865099 PMCID: PMC9293674 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) technology has been rapidly developed since its birth in 2001, attracting rapidly growing attention of scientific institutes and pharmaceutical companies. At present, a variety of small molecule PROTACs have entered the clinical trial. However, as small molecule PROTACs flourish, non-small molecule PROTACs (NSM-PROTACs) such as peptide PROTACs, nucleic acid PROTACs and antibody PROTACs have also advanced considerably over recent years, exhibiting the unique characters beyond the small molecule PROTACs. Here, we briefly introduce the types of NSM-PROTACs, describe the advantages of NSM-PROTACs, and summarize the development of NSM-PROTACs so far in detail. We hope this article could not only provide useful insights into NSM-PROTACs, but also expand the research interest of NSM-PROTACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinan Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Jianai Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yuanyuan Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yuxuan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Junwei Dou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Shicheng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Tianbao Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xiaoli Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Corresponding authors. Tel./fax: +86 25 83271351.
| | - Qidong You
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Corresponding authors. Tel./fax: +86 25 83271351.
| | - Zhengyu Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Corresponding authors. Tel./fax: +86 25 83271351.
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30
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Designing small molecules for therapeutic success: A contemporary perspective. Drug Discov Today 2021; 27:538-546. [PMID: 34601124 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Successful small-molecule drug design requires a molecular target with inherent therapeutic potential and a molecule with the right properties to unlock its potential. Present-day drug design strategies have evolved to leave little room for improvement in drug-like properties. As a result, inadequate safety or efficacy associated with molecular targets now constitutes the primary cause of attrition in preclinical development through Phase II. This finding has led to a deeper focus on target selection. In this current reality, design tactics that enable rapid identification of risk-balanced clinical candidates, translation of clinical experience into meaningful differentiation strategies, and expansion of the druggable proteome represent significant levers by which drug designers can accelerate the discovery of the next generation of medicines.
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31
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Liu J, Peng Y, Wei W. Light-Controllable PROTACs for Temporospatial Control of Protein Degradation. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:678077. [PMID: 34350175 PMCID: PMC8326567 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.678077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
PROteolysis-TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) is an emerging and promising approach to target intracellular proteins for ubiquitination-mediated degradation, including those so-called undruggable protein targets, such as transcriptional factors and scaffold proteins. To date, plenty of PROTACs have been developed to degrade various disease-relevant proteins, such as estrogen receptor (ER), androgen receptor (AR), RTK, and CDKs. However, the on-target off-tissue and off-target effect is one of the major limitation that prevents the usage of PROTACs in clinic. To this end, we and several other groups have recently developed light-controllable PROTACs, as the representative for the third generation controllable PROTACs, by using either photo-caging or photo-switch approaches. In this review, we summarize the emerging light-controllable PROTACs and the prospective for other potential ways to achieve temporospatial control of PROTACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Liu
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Yunhua Peng
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Wenyi Wei
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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32
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Henley MJ, Koehler AN. Advances in targeting 'undruggable' transcription factors with small molecules. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2021; 20:669-688. [PMID: 34006959 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-021-00199-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) represent key biological players in diseases including cancer, autoimmunity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, outside nuclear receptors, TFs have traditionally been considered 'undruggable' by small-molecule ligands due to significant structural disorder and lack of defined small-molecule binding pockets. Renewed interest in the field has been ignited by significant progress in chemical biology approaches to ligand discovery and optimization, especially the advent of targeted protein degradation approaches, along with increasing appreciation of the critical role a limited number of collaborators play in the regulation of key TF effector genes. Here, we review current understanding of TF-mediated gene regulation, discuss successful targeting strategies and highlight ongoing challenges and emerging approaches to address them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Henley
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. .,The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA. .,Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Angela N Koehler
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. .,The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA. .,Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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33
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Mukhamejanova Z, Tong Y, Xiang Q, Xu F, Pang J. Recent Advances in the Design and Development of Anticancer Molecules based on PROTAC Technology. Curr Med Chem 2021; 28:1304-1327. [PMID: 32164504 DOI: 10.2174/0929867327666200312112412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
PROTAC (Proteolysis Targeting Chimera) degraders based on protein knockdown technology are now suggested as a novel option for the treatment of various diseases. Over the last couple of years, the application of PROTAC technology has spread in a wide range of disorders, and plenty of PROTAC molecules with high potency have been reported. Mostly developing for anticancer therapy, these molecules showed high selectivities to target proteins, the ability to significantly induce degradation of oncoproteins, good in vitro and in vivo results. In this review, we summarized the recent development of PROTAC technology in the anticancer therapy field, including molecular design, types of targeted proteins, in vitro and in vivo results. Additionally, we also discuss the prospects and challenges for the application of candidates based on PROTAC strategy in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yichen Tong
- School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Qi Xiang
- Institute of Biomedicine & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Bioengineering Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Fang Xu
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), Guangzhou City Key Laboratory of Precision Chemical Drug Development, School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Jiyan Pang
- School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
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34
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Mottamal M, Kang B, Peng X, Wang G. From Pure Antagonists to Pure Degraders of the Estrogen Receptor: Evolving Strategies for the Same Target. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:9334-9343. [PMID: 33869913 PMCID: PMC8047716 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c06362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Pure antiestrogens, or selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs), have proven to be effective in treating breast cancer that has progressed on tamoxifen and/or aromatase inhibitors. However, the only FDA-approved pure antiestrogen, fulvestrant, is limited in efficacy by its low bioavailability. The search for orally bioavailable SERDs has continued for nearly as long as the clinical history of the injection-only fulvestrant. Oral SERDs that have been developed and tested in patients ranged from nonsteroidal ER binders containing an acrylic acid or amino side chain to bifunctional proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) pure ER degraders. Structural evolution in the development of oral SERD molecules has been closely associated with quantifiable ER-degrading potency, as seen in the structural comparison analysis of acrylic acid and basic amino side-chain-bearing SERDs. Failure to improve on fulvestrant in the clinical trials by numerous acidic SERDs and early basic SERDs is blamed on tolerability and/or insufficient efficacy, which will likely be overcome by the new-generation basic SERD molecules and PROTAC ER degraders with improved oral bioavailability, low toxicity, and superior efficacy of receptor degradation.
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35
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Disch JS, Duffy JM, Lee ECY, Gikunju D, Chan B, Levin B, Monteiro MI, Talcott SA, Lau AC, Zhou F, Kozhushnyan A, Westlund NE, Mullins PB, Yu Y, von Rechenberg M, Zhang J, Arnautova YA, Liu Y, Zhang Y, McRiner AJ, Keefe AD, Kohlmann A, Clark MA, Cuozzo JW, Huguet C, Arora S. Bispecific Estrogen Receptor α Degraders Incorporating Novel Binders Identified Using DNA-Encoded Chemical Library Screening. J Med Chem 2021; 64:5049-5066. [PMID: 33844532 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Bispecific degraders (PROTACs) of ERα are expected to be advantageous over current inhibitors of ERα signaling (aromatase inhibitors/SERMs/SERDs) used to treat ER+ breast cancer. Information from DNA-encoded chemical library (DECL) screening provides a method to identify novel PROTAC binding features as the linker positioning, and binding elements are determined directly from the screen. After screening ∼120 billion DNA-encoded molecules with ERα WT and 3 gain-of-function (GOF) mutants, with and without estradiol to identify features that enrich ERα competitively, the off-DNA synthesized small molecule exemplar 7 exhibited nanomolar ERα binding, antagonism, and degradation. Click chemistry synthesis on an alkyne E3 ligase engagers panel and an azide variant of 7 rapidly generated bispecific nanomolar degraders of ERα, with PROTACs 18 and 21 inhibiting ER+ MCF7 tumor growth in a mouse xenograft model of breast cancer. This study validates this approach toward identifying novel bispecific degrader leads from DECL screening with minimal optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy S Disch
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Jennifer M Duffy
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Esther C Y Lee
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Diana Gikunju
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Betty Chan
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Benjamin Levin
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Michael I Monteiro
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Sarah A Talcott
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Anthony C Lau
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Fei Zhou
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Anton Kozhushnyan
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Neil E Westlund
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Patrick B Mullins
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Yan Yu
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | | | - Junyi Zhang
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Yelena A Arnautova
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Yanbin Liu
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Ying Zhang
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Andrew J McRiner
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Anthony D Keefe
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Anna Kohlmann
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Matthew A Clark
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - John W Cuozzo
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Christelle Huguet
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
| | - Shilpi Arora
- X-Chem Inc., 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States
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An Overview of Next-Generation Androgen Receptor-Targeted Therapeutics in Development for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22042124. [PMID: 33672769 PMCID: PMC7924596 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22042124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Traditional endocrine therapy for prostate cancer (PCa) has been directed at suppression of the androgen receptor (AR) signaling axis since Huggins et al. discovered that diethylstilbestrol (DES; an estrogen) produced chemical castration and PCa tumor regression. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) still remains the first-line PCa therapy. Insufficiency of ADT over time leads to castration-resistant PCa (CRPC) in which the AR axis is still active, despite castrate levels of circulating androgens. Despite the approval and use of multiple generations of competitive AR antagonists (antiandrogens), antiandrogen resistance emerges rapidly in CRPC due to several mechanisms, mostly converging in the AR axis. Recent evidence from multiple groups have defined noncompetitive or noncanonical direct binding sites on AR that can be targeted to inhibit the AR axis. This review discusses new developments in the PCa treatment paradigm that includes the next-generation molecules to noncanonical sites, proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC), or noncanonical N-terminal domain (NTD)-binding of selective AR degraders (SARDs). A few lead compounds targeting each of these novel noncanonical sites or with SARD activity are discussed. Many of these ligands are still in preclinical development, and a few early clinical leads have emerged, but successful late-stage clinical data are still lacking. The breadth and diversity of targets provide hope that optimized noncanonical inhibitors and/or SARDs will be able to overcome antiandrogen-resistant CRPC.
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION PROTACs represent a novel class of heterobifunctional molecules that simultaneously bind to a target protein and to an E3 ligase complex, resulting in the transfer of ubiquitin and initiating a process ultimately causing the proteasomal degradation of the target protein. This mechanism of action imbues PROTACs with the ability to modulate target biology in unique ways compared to inhibitors, and the development of PROTACs as therapeutic agents is expected to result in new medicines to treat multiple diseases. AREAS COVERED This review includes published PCT (WO) patent applications covering January 2013 through June 2020. Only English-language patent applications with exemplified PROTACs reported to degrade a target protein(s) were deemed in scope, and the definition of 'PROTAC' was restricted to a bifunctional molecule which contains a discrete binding element for a specific degradation target(s), as well as a separate discrete E3 ligase-binding moiety. EXPERT OPINION Delivering on the enormous potential of PROTACs will require the development of PROTAC medicines that are differentiated from traditional small-molecule inhibitors. The modular composition of PROTACs affords both opportunities and challenges in securing robust intellectual property, and we envision that requirements for novelty are likely to evolve as this area matures.
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Formaggio N, Rubin MA, Theurillat JP. Loss and revival of androgen receptor signaling in advanced prostate cancer. Oncogene 2021; 40:1205-1216. [PMID: 33420371 PMCID: PMC7892335 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-020-01598-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Targeting the androgen receptor (AR) signaling axis has been, over decades, the mainstay of prostate cancer therapy. More potent inhibitors of androgen synthesis and antiandrogens have emerged and have been successfully implemented in clinical practice. That said, the stronger inhibition of the AR signaling axis has led in recent years to an increase of prostate cancers that de-differentiate into AR-negative disease. Unfortunately, this process is intimately linked with a poor prognosis. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms that enable cancer cells to switch from an AR-positive to an AR-negative disease and efforts to prevent/revert this process and thereby maintain/restore AR-dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolò Formaggio
- grid.29078.340000 0001 2203 2861Institute of Oncology Research, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Mark A. Rubin
- grid.5734.50000 0001 0726 5157Department for BioMedical Research and Bern Center of Precision Medicine, University of Bern and Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Philippe Theurillat
- grid.29078.340000 0001 2203 2861Institute of Oncology Research, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
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Shomali M, Cheng J, Sun F, Koundinya M, Guo Z, Hebert AT, McManus J, Levit MN, Hoffmann D, Courjaud A, Arrebola R, Cao H, Pollard J, Lee JS, Besret L, Caron A, Bangari DS, Abecassis PY, Schio L, El-Ahmad Y, Halley F, Tabart M, Certal V, Thompson F, McCort G, Filoche-Rommé B, Cheng H, Garcia-Echeverria C, Debussche L, Bouaboula M. SAR439859, a Novel Selective Estrogen Receptor Degrader (SERD), Demonstrates Effective and Broad Antitumor Activity in Wild-Type and Mutant ER-Positive Breast Cancer Models. Mol Cancer Ther 2020; 20:250-262. [PMID: 33310762 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-20-0390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Primary treatment for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer is endocrine therapy. However, substantial evidence indicates a continued role for ER signaling in tumor progression. Selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERD), such as fulvestrant, induce effective ER signaling inhibition, although clinical studies with fulvestrant report insufficient blockade of ER signaling, possibly due to suboptimal pharmaceutical properties. Furthermore, activating mutations in the ER have emerged as a resistance mechanism to current endocrine therapies. New oral SERDs with improved drug properties are under clinical investigation, but the biological profile that could translate to improved therapeutic benefit remains unclear. Here, we describe the discovery of SAR439859, a novel, orally bioavailable SERD with potent antagonist and degradation activities against both wild-type and mutant Y537S ER. Driven by its fluoropropyl pyrrolidinyl side chain, SAR439859 has demonstrated broader and superior ER antagonist and degrader activities across a large panel of ER+ cells, compared with other SERDs characterized by a cinnamic acid side chain, including improved inhibition of ER signaling and tumor cell growth. Similarly, in vivo treatment with SAR439859 demonstrated significant tumor regression in ER+ breast cancer models, including MCF7-ESR1 wild-type and mutant-Y537S mouse tumors, and HCI013, a patient-derived tamoxifen-resistant xenograft tumor. These findings indicate that SAR439859 may provide therapeutic benefit to patients with ER+ breast cancer, including those who have resistance to endocrine therapy with both wild-type and mutant ER.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jane Cheng
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Fangxian Sun
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | | | - Zhuyan Guo
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Hui Cao
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Jack Pollard
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Joon Sang Lee
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Laurent Besret
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - Anne Caron
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | | | | | - Laurent Schio
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | | | - Frank Halley
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - Michel Tabart
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - Victor Certal
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | | | - Gary McCort
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | | | - Hong Cheng
- Sanofi, Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Karaboga H, Huang W, Srivastava S, Widmann S, Addanki S, Gamage KT, Mazhar Z, Ebalunode JO, Briggs JM, Gustafsson JÅ, Filgueira CS, Gilbertson SR, Lin CY. Screening of Focused Compound Library Targeting Liver X Receptors in Pancreatic Cancer Identified Ligands with Inverse Agonist and Degrader Activity. ACS Chem Biol 2020; 15:2916-2928. [PMID: 33074669 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.0c00546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the predominant form of pancreatic cancer. PDACs harbor oncogenic mutations in the KRAS gene, and ongoing efforts to directly target its mutant protein product to inhibit tumor growth are a priority not only in pancreatic cancer but in other malignancies such as lung and colorectal cancers where KRAS is also commonly mutated. An alternative strategy to directly targeting KRAS is to identify and target druggable receptors involved in dysregulated cancer hallmarks downstream of KRAS dysregulation. Liver X receptors (LXRs) are members of the nuclear receptor family of ligand-modulated transcription factors and are involved in the regulation of genes which function in key cancer-related processes, including cholesterol transport, lipid and glucose metabolism, and inflammatory and immune responses. Modulation of LXRs via small molecule ligands has emerged as a promising approach for directly targeting tumor cells or the stromal and immune cells within the tumor microenvironment. We have previously shown that only one of the two LXR subtypes (LXRβ) is expressed in pancreatic cancer cells, and targeting LXR with available synthetic ligands blocked the proliferation of PDAC cells and tumor formation. In a screen of a focused library of drug-like small molecules predicted to dock in the ligand-binding pocket of LXRβ, we identified two novel LXR ligands with more potent antitumor activity than current LXR agonists used in our published studies. Characterization of the two lead compounds (GAC0001E5 and GAC0003A4) indicates that they function as LXR inverse agonists which inhibit their transcriptional activity. Prolonged treatments with novel ligands further revealed their function as LXR "degraders" which significantly reduced LXR protein levels in all three PDAC cell lines tested. These findings support the utility of these novel inhibitors in basic research on ligand design, allosteric mechanisms, and LXR functions and their potential application as treatments for advanced pancreatic cancer and other recalcitrant malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wentao Huang
- College of Pharmacy, Guangxi Medical University, Qingxiu District, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Carly S. Filgueira
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
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Controlled Delivery of BET-PROTACs: In Vitro Evaluation of MZ1-Loaded Polymeric Antibody Conjugated Nanoparticles in Breast Cancer. Pharmaceutics 2020; 12:pharmaceutics12100986. [PMID: 33086530 PMCID: PMC7589709 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12100986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bromo and extraterminal domain (BET) inhibitors-PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera (BETi-PROTAC) is a new family of compounds that induce proteasomal degradation through the ubiquitination of the tagged to BET inhibitors Bromodomain proteins, BRD2 and BRD. The encapsulation and controlled release of BET-PROTACs through their vectorization with antibodies, like trastuzumab, could facilitate their pharmacokinetic and efficacy profile. Antibody conjugated nanoparticles (ACNPs) using PROTACs have not been designed and evaluated. In this pioneer approach, the commercial MZ1 PROTAC was encapsulated into the FDA-approved polymeric nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were conjugated with trastuzumab to guide the delivery of MZ1 to breast tumoral cells that overexpress HER2. These ACNPs were characterized by means of size, polydispersity index, and Z-potential. Morphology of the nanoparticles, along with stability and release studies, completed the characterization. MZ1-loaded ACNPs showed a significant cytotoxic effect maintaining its mechanism of action and improving its therapeutic properties.
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Hu B, Zhou Y, Sun D, Yang Y, Liu Y, Li X, Li H, Chen L. PROTACs: New method to degrade transcription regulating proteins. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 207:112698. [PMID: 32858471 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Transcription is the fundamental process in all living organisms. A variety of important proteins, such as NRs, BETs, HDACs and many others are involved in transcription process. In general, overexpression of these proteins would cause many diseases. Some approved therapeutics employed inhibitors to regulate the transcription process, however, the results are far from satisfying. Therefore, it is in high demand to develop new technology to improve the therapeutic effects. In recent years, proteolysis-targeting chimaera (PROTAC) turned out to be a novel efficient therapeutic method to treat various diseases which were caused by proteins overexpression. PROTAC molecules are bifunctional small molecules that simultaneously bind a target protein and an E3-ubiquitin ligase, thus causing ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of the target protein by the proteasome. In contrast to traditional inhibitors, PROTACs showed higher efficiency to tackle the diseases which were caused by protein overexpression due to their excellent performance for degrading target proteins in transcription regulation. In this review, 29 kinds of PROTACs targeting transcription regulator proteins are summarized, and meanwhile the advantages of PROTACs are highlighted. Furthermore, several examples of PROTACs regulating the transcription for the treatment of diseases and functioning as tools for biological research are also disscussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beichen Hu
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Yirong Zhou
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Natural Medicinal Chemistry and Resource Evaluation, School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Dejuan Sun
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Yueying Yang
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Xingzhou Li
- National Engineering Research Center for the Emergency Drug, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, PR China.
| | - Hua Li
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Natural Medicinal Chemistry and Resource Evaluation, School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
| | - Lixia Chen
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China.
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43
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Lin X, Xiang H, Luo G. Targeting estrogen receptor α for degradation with PROTACs: A promising approach to overcome endocrine resistance. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 206:112689. [PMID: 32829249 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Estrogen receptor alfa (ERα) is expressed in approximate 70% of breast cancer (BC) which is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. To date, the foremost intervention in the treatment of ER positive (ER+) BC is still the endocrine therapy. However, resistance to endocrine therapies remains a major hurdle in the long-term management of ER + BC. Although the mechanisms underlying endocrine resistance are complex, cumulative evidence revealed that ERα still plays a critical role in driving BC tumor cells to grow in resistance state. Fulvestrant, a selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD), has moved to first line therapy for metastatic ER + BC, suggesting that removing ERα would be a useful strategy to overcome endocrine resistance. Proteolysis-Targeting Chimera (PROTAC) technology, an emerging paradigm for protein degradation, has the potential to eliminate both wild type and mutant ERα in breast cancer cells. Excitingly, ARV-471, an ERα-targeted PROTAC developed by Arvinas, has been in phase 1 clinical trials. In this review, we will summarize recent progress of ER-targeting PROTACs from publications and patents along with their therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of endocrine-resistant BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Hua Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
| | - Guoshun Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
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Beveridge R, Kessler D, Rumpel K, Ettmayer P, Meinhart A, Clausen T. Native Mass Spectrometry Can Effectively Predict PROTAC Efficacy. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2020; 6:1223-1230. [PMID: 32724856 PMCID: PMC7379389 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.0c00049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Protein degraders, also known as proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), are bifunctional small molecules that promote cellular degradation of a protein of interest (POI). PROTACs act as molecular mediators, bringing an E3 ligase and a POI into proximity, thus promoting ubiquitination and degradation of the targeted POI. Despite their great promise as next-generation pharmaceutical drugs, the development of new PROTACs is challenged by the complexity of the system, which involves binary and ternary interactions between components. Here, we demonstrate the strength of native mass spectrometry (nMS), a label-free technique, to provide novel insight into PROTAC-mediated protein interactions. We show that nMS can monitor the formation of ternary E3-PROTAC-POI complexes and detect various intermediate species in a single experiment. A unique benefit of the method is its ability to reveal preferentially formed E3-PROTAC-POI combinations in competition experiments with multiple substrate proteins, thereby positioning it as an ideal high-throughput screening strategy during the development of new PROTACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Beveridge
- Research
Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dirk Kessler
- Discovery
Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional
Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, 1120 Vienna, Austria
| | - Klaus Rumpel
- Discovery
Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional
Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, 1120 Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Ettmayer
- Discovery
Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional
Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, 1120 Vienna, Austria
| | - Anton Meinhart
- Research
Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Tim Clausen
- Research
Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
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45
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Kargbo RB. PROTAC Compounds Targeting Androgen Receptor for Cancer Therapeutics: Prostate Cancer and Kennedy's Disease. ACS Med Chem Lett 2020; 11:1092-1093. [PMID: 32550986 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.0c00236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Robert B Kargbo
- Usona Institute, 277 Granada Drive, San Luis Obispo, California 93401-7337, United States
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46
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Deshaies RJ. Multispecific drugs herald a new era of biopharmaceutical innovation. Nature 2020; 580:329-338. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2168-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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47
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Burslem GM, Crews CM. Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras as Therapeutics and Tools for Biological Discovery. Cell 2020; 181:102-114. [PMID: 31955850 PMCID: PMC7319047 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.11.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 525] [Impact Index Per Article: 131.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
New biological tools provide new techniques to probe fundamental biological processes. Here we describe the burgeoning field of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), which are capable of modulating protein concentrations at a post-translational level by co-opting the ubiquitin-proteasome system. We describe the PROTAC technology and its application to drug discovery and provide examples where PROTACs have enabled novel biological insights. Furthermore, we provide a workflow for PROTAC development and use and discuss the benefits and issues associated with PROTACs. Finally, we compare PROTAC-mediated protein-level modulation with other technologies, such as RNAi and genome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- George M Burslem
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Craig M Crews
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Departments of Chemistry and Pharmacology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Abstract
Heterobifunctional molecules, which recruit E3 ligases to ubiquitinate a target protein of interest, have found wide application as both biological tools and molecules with the potential to have clinical effects. In their recent paper, Yamazoe et al. report a heterobifunctional molecule that recruits the phosphatase PP1 to promote the dephosphorylation of pAKT to give AKT. This Viewpoint seeks to place this work in the wider context of heterobifunctional molecules and looks ahead to new possibilities presented by these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart J Conway
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K
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49
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Liu J, Ma J, Liu Y, Xia J, Li Y, Wang ZP, Wei W. PROTACs: A novel strategy for cancer therapy. Semin Cancer Biol 2020; 67:171-179. [PMID: 32058059 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2020.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Chemotherapeutic strategy has been widely used for treating malignance by targeting irregular expressed or mutant proteins with small molecular inhibitors (SMIs) or monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). However, most intracellular proteins lack of active sites or antigens where SMIs or mAbs bind with, and are called as non-druggable targets for a long time. From the first year of this century, PROteolysis-TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) has emerged to be a promising approach for proteins, including those non-druggable ones, such as transcriptional factors and scaffold proteins. The first generation of peptide-based PROTACs adopts β-TrCP and VHL as E3 ligases, but the cellular permeability and chemical stability issues restrict their clinical application. The second generation of small molecule-based PROTACs adopts MDM2, VHL, IAPs and Cereblon as E3 ligases have been tensely studied. To date, the targets of PROTACs including those overexpressed oncogenic proteins such as ER, AR and BRDs, disease-relevant fusion proteins such as NPM/EML4-ALK and BCR-ABL, cancer-driven mutant proteins such as EGFR, kinases such as CDKs and RTKs. The major disadvantage of PROTACs is the noncancer specificity and relative higher toxicity, due to its catalytic role. To overcome this, we and other have recently developed several similar light-controllable PROTACs, termed as the third generation controllable PROTACs. The degradation of targets by those PROTACs can be triggered by UVA or visible light, providing a tool box for further PROTACs design. Here in this review, we introduce the historical milestones and prospective for further PROTACs development in clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Liu
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jia Ma
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Research Center of Laboratory Medicine, School of Laboratory Medicine, Bengbu Medical College, Anhui, 233030, China
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China
| | - Jun Xia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Research Center of Laboratory Medicine, School of Laboratory Medicine, Bengbu Medical College, Anhui, 233030, China
| | - Yuyun Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics, School of Laboratory Medicine, Bengbu Medical College, Anhui, 233030, China
| | - Z Peter Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Research Center of Laboratory Medicine, School of Laboratory Medicine, Bengbu Medical College, Anhui, 233030, China.
| | - Wenyi Wei
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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50
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Sun X, Gao H, Yang Y, He M, Wu Y, Song Y, Tong Y, Rao Y. PROTACs: great opportunities for academia and industry. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2019; 4:64. [PMID: 31885879 PMCID: PMC6927964 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-019-0101-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 339] [Impact Index Per Article: 67.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Revised: 11/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Although many kinds of therapies are applied in the clinic, drug-resistance is a major and unavoidable problem. Another disturbing statistic is the limited number of drug targets, which are presently only 20-25% of all protein targets that are currently being studied. Moreover, the focus of current explorations of targets are their enzymatic functions, which ignores the functions from their scaffold moiety. As a promising and appealing technology, PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) have attracted great attention both from academia and industry for finding available approaches to solve the above problems. PROTACs regulate protein function by degrading target proteins instead of inhibiting them, providing more sensitivity to drug-resistant targets and a greater chance to affect the nonenzymatic functions. PROTACs have been proven to show better selectivity compared to classic inhibitors. PROTACs can be described as a chemical knockdown approach with rapidity and reversibility, which presents new and different biology compared to other gene editing tools by avoiding misinterpretations that arise from potential genetic compensation and/or spontaneous mutations. PRTOACs have been widely explored throughout the world and have outperformed not only in cancer diseases, but also in immune disorders, viral infections and neurodegenerative diseases. Although PROTACs present a very promising and powerful approach for crossing the hurdles of present drug discovery and tool development in biology, more efforts are needed to gain to get deeper insight into the efficacy and safety of PROTACs in the clinic. More target binders and more E3 ligases applicable for developing PROTACs are waiting for exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuyun Sun
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Hongying Gao
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Yiqing Yang
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Ming He
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Yue Wu
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Yugang Song
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Yan Tong
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Yu Rao
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001 China
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