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Dreier MR, Walia J, de la Serna IL. Targeting SWI/SNF Complexes in Cancer: Pharmacological Approaches and Implications. EPIGENOMES 2024; 8:7. [PMID: 38390898 PMCID: PMC10885108 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes8010007] [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: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
SWI/SNF enzymes are heterogeneous multi-subunit complexes that utilize the energy from ATP hydrolysis to remodel chromatin structure, facilitating transcription, DNA replication, and repair. In mammalian cells, distinct sub-complexes, including cBAF, ncBAF, and PBAF exhibit varying subunit compositions and have different genomic functions. Alterations in the SWI/SNF complex and sub-complex functions are a prominent feature in cancer, making them attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. Current strategies in cancer therapeutics involve the use of pharmacological agents designed to bind and disrupt the activity of SWI/SNF complexes or specific sub-complexes. Inhibitors targeting the catalytic subunits, SMARCA4/2, and small molecules binding SWI/SNF bromodomains are the primary approaches for suppressing SWI/SNF function. Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) were generated by the covalent linkage of the bromodomain or ATPase-binding ligand to an E3 ligase-binding moiety. This engineered connection promotes the degradation of specific SWI/SNF subunits, enhancing and extending the impact of this pharmacological intervention in some cases. Extensive preclinical studies have underscored the therapeutic potential of these drugs across diverse cancer types. Encouragingly, some of these agents have progressed from preclinical research to clinical trials, indicating a promising stride toward the development of effective cancer therapeutics targeting SWI/SNF complex and sub-complex functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan R Dreier
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, 3000 Arlington Ave, Toledo 43614, OH, USA
| | - Jasmine Walia
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, 3000 Arlington Ave, Toledo 43614, OH, USA
| | - Ivana L de la Serna
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, 3000 Arlington Ave, Toledo 43614, OH, USA
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2
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Gajjela BK, Zhou MM. Bromodomain inhibitors and therapeutic applications. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2023; 75:102323. [PMID: 37207401 PMCID: PMC10524616 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.102323] [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: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The bromodomain acts to recognize acetylated lysine in histones and transcription proteins and plays a fundamental role in chromatin-based cellular processes including gene transcription and chromatin remodeling. Many bromodomain proteins, particularly the bromodomain and extra terminal domain (BET) protein BRD4 have been implicated in cancers and inflammatory disorders and recognized as attractive drug targets. Although clinical studies of many BET bromodomain inhibitors have made substantial progress toward harnessing the therapeutic potential of targeting the bromodomain proteins, the development of this new class of epigenetic drugs is met with challenges, especially on-target dose-limiting toxicity. In this review, we highlight the current development of new-generation small molecule inhibitors for the BET and non-BET bromodomain proteins and discuss the research strategies used to target different bromodomain proteins for a wide array of human diseases including cancers and inflammatory disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bharath Kumar Gajjela
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1425 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, United States
| | - Ming-Ming Zhou
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1425 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, United States.
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3
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Çınaroğlu SS, Biggin PC. The role of loop dynamics in the prediction of ligand-protein binding enthalpy. Chem Sci 2023; 14:6792-6805. [PMID: 37350814 PMCID: PMC10284145 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc06471e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The enthalpic and entropic components of ligand-protein binding free energy reflect the interactions and dynamics between ligand and protein. Despite decades of study, our understanding and hence our ability to predict these individual components remains poor. In recent years, there has been substantial effort and success in the prediction of relative and absolute binding free energies, but the prediction of the enthalpic (and entropic) contributions in biomolecular systems remains challenging. Indeed, it is not even clear what kind of performance in terms of accuracy could currently be obtained for such systems. It is, however, relatively straight-forward to compute the enthalpy of binding. We thus evaluated the performance of absolute enthalpy of binding calculations using molecular dynamics simulation for ten inhibitors against a member of the bromodomain family, BRD4-1, against isothermal titration calorimetry data. Initial calculations, with the AMBER force-field showed good agreement with experiment (R2 = 0.60) and surprisingly good accuracy with an average of root-mean-square error (RMSE) = 2.49 kcal mol-1. Of the ten predictions, three were obvious outliers that were all over-predicted compared to experiment. Analysis of various simulation factors, including parameterization, buffer concentration and conformational dynamics, revealed that the behaviour of a loop (the ZA loop on the periphery of the binding site) strongly dictates the enthalpic prediction. Consistent with previous observations, the loop exists in two distinct conformational states and by considering one or the other or both states, the prediction for the three outliers can be improved dramatically to the point where the R2 = 0.95 and the accuracy in terms of RMSE improves to 0.90 kcal mol-1. However, performance across force-fields is not consistent: if OPLS and CHARMM are used, different outliers are observed and the correlation with the ZA loop behaviour is not recapitulated, likely reflecting parameterization as a confounding problem. The results provide a benchmark standard for future study and comparison.
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Affiliation(s)
- Süleyman Selim Çınaroğlu
- Structural Bioinformatics and Computational Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3QU UK +44 (0)1865 613238 +44 (0)1865 613305
| | - Philip C Biggin
- Structural Bioinformatics and Computational Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3QU UK +44 (0)1865 613238 +44 (0)1865 613305
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4
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Warstat R, Pervaiz M, Regenass P, Amann M, Schmidtkunz K, Einsle O, Jung M, Breit B, Hügle M, Günther S. A novel pan-selective bromodomain inhibitor for epigenetic drug design. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 249:115139. [PMID: 36736153 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115139] [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: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
For a long time, the development of bromodomain (BD) inhibitors (BDi) was almost exclusively related to the BET family. More recently, BDi for BDs outside the BET family have also been developed. Here we present a novel pan-BDi with micromolar affinities to various BDs, and nanomolar affinities to representatives of BD families I, II (Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal Domain (BET) family), III, and IV. The inhibitor shows a broad activity profile with nanomolar growth inhibition (GI50) values on various cancer cell lines. Subsequently, we were able to control the selectivity of the inhibitor by simple modifications and turned it into a highly selective BRD9 inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Warstat
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 21, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Mehrosh Pervaiz
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Wissenschaften, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 9, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Pierre Regenass
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 21, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Marius Amann
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Wissenschaften, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 9, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany; Institut für Biochemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 21, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Karin Schmidtkunz
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Wissenschaften, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 25, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Oliver Einsle
- Institut für Biochemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 21, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Manfred Jung
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Wissenschaften, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 25, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bernhard Breit
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 21, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Martin Hügle
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Wissenschaften, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 9, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany; Institut für Biochemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 21, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Stefan Günther
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Wissenschaften, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 9, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany
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5
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Markouli M, Strepkos D, Piperi C. Impact of Histone Modifications and Their Therapeutic Targeting in Hematological Malignancies. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:13657. [PMID: 36362442 PMCID: PMC9654260 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Hematologic malignancies are a large and heterogeneous group of neoplasms characterized by complex pathogenetic mechanisms. The abnormal regulation of epigenetic mechanisms and specifically, histone modifications, has been demonstrated to play a central role in hematological cancer pathogenesis and progression. A variety of epigenetic enzymes that affect the state of histones have been detected as deregulated, being either over- or underexpressed, which induces changes in chromatin compaction and, subsequently, affects gene expression. Recent advances in the field of epigenetics have revealed novel therapeutic targets, with many epigenetic drugs being investigated in clinical trials. The present review focuses on the biological impact of histone modifications in the pathogenesis of hematologic malignancies, describing a wide range of therapeutic agents that have been discovered to target these alterations and are currently under investigation in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Christina Piperi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (M.M.); (D.S.)
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6
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Dalle Vedove A, Cazzanelli G, Batiste L, Marchand JR, Spiliotopoulos D, Corsi J, D’Agostino VG, Caflisch A, Lolli G. Identification of a BAZ2A-Bromodomain Hit Compound by Fragment Growing. ACS Med Chem Lett 2022; 13:1434-1443. [PMID: 36105334 PMCID: PMC9465710 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.2c00173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BAZ2A is an epigenetic regulator affecting transcription of ribosomal RNA. It is overexpressed in aggressive and recurrent prostate cancer, promoting cellular migration. Its bromodomain is characterized by a shallow and difficult-to-drug pocket. Here, we describe a structure-based fragment-growing campaign for the identification of ligands of the BAZ2A bromodomain. By combining docking, competition binding assays, and protein crystallography, we have extensively explored the interactions of the ligands with the rim of the binding pocket, and in particular ionic interactions with the side chain of Glu1820, which is unique to BAZ2A. We present 23 high-resolution crystal structures of the holo BAZ2A bromodomain and analyze common bromodomain/ligand motifs and favorable intraligand interactions. Binding of some of the compounds is enantiospecific, with affinity in the low micromolar range. The most potent ligand has an equilibrium dissociation constant of 7 μM and a good selectivity over the paralog BAZ2B bromodomain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Dalle Vedove
- Department
of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, via Sommarive 9, 38123 Povo - Trento, Italy
| | - Giulia Cazzanelli
- Department
of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, via Sommarive 9, 38123 Povo - Trento, Italy
| | - Laurent Batiste
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Rémy Marchand
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dimitrios Spiliotopoulos
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jessica Corsi
- Department
of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, via Sommarive 9, 38123 Povo - Trento, Italy
| | - Vito Giuseppe D’Agostino
- Department
of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, via Sommarive 9, 38123 Povo - Trento, Italy
| | - Amedeo Caflisch
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Graziano Lolli
- Department
of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, via Sommarive 9, 38123 Povo - Trento, Italy
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7
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Dreier MR, de la Serna IL. SWI/SNF Chromatin Remodeling Enzymes in Melanoma. EPIGENOMES 2022; 6:epigenomes6010010. [PMID: 35323214 PMCID: PMC8947417 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes6010010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is an aggressive malignancy that arises from the transformation of melanocytes on the skin, mucosal membranes, and uvea of the eye. SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling enzymes are multi-subunit complexes that play important roles in the development of the melanocyte lineage and in the response to ultraviolet radiation, a key environmental risk factor for developing cutaneous melanoma. Exome sequencing has revealed frequent loss of function mutations in genes encoding SWI/SNF subunits in melanoma. However, some SWI/SNF subunits have also been demonstrated to have pro-tumorigenic roles in melanoma and to affect sensitivity to therapeutics. This review summarizes studies that have implicated SWI/SNF components in melanomagenesis and have evaluated how SWI/SNF subunits modulate the response to current therapeutics.
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8
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Fernández-Serrano M, Winkler R, Santos JC, Le Pannérer MM, Buschbeck M, Roué G. Histone Modifications and Their Targeting in Lymphoid Malignancies. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 23:253. [PMID: 35008680 PMCID: PMC8745418 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In a wide range of lymphoid neoplasms, the process of malignant transformation is associated with somatic mutations in B cells that affect the epigenetic machinery. Consequential alterations in histone modifications contribute to disease-specific changes in the transcriptional program. Affected genes commonly play important roles in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis-inducing signal transduction, and DNA damage response, thus facilitating the emergence of malignant traits that impair immune surveillance and favor the emergence of different B-cell lymphoma subtypes. In the last two decades, the field has made a major effort to develop therapies that target these epigenetic alterations. In this review, we discuss which epigenetic alterations occur in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Furthermore, we aim to present in a close to comprehensive manner the current state-of-the-art in the preclinical and clinical development of epigenetic drugs. We focus on therapeutic strategies interfering with histone methylation and acetylation as these are most advanced in being deployed from the bench-to-bedside and have the greatest potential to improve the prognosis of lymphoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda Fernández-Serrano
- Lymphoma Translational Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916 Badalona, Spain; (M.F.-S.); (J.C.S.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08014 Barcelona, Spain
| | - René Winkler
- Chromatin, Metabolism and Cell Fate Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916 Badalona, Spain; (R.W.); (M.-M.L.P.)
| | - Juliana C. Santos
- Lymphoma Translational Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916 Badalona, Spain; (M.F.-S.); (J.C.S.)
| | - Marguerite-Marie Le Pannérer
- Chromatin, Metabolism and Cell Fate Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916 Badalona, Spain; (R.W.); (M.-M.L.P.)
| | - Marcus Buschbeck
- Chromatin, Metabolism and Cell Fate Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916 Badalona, Spain; (R.W.); (M.-M.L.P.)
- Program of Personalized and Predictive Medicine of Cancer, Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), 08916 Badalona, Spain
| | - Gaël Roué
- Lymphoma Translational Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916 Badalona, Spain; (M.F.-S.); (J.C.S.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08014 Barcelona, Spain
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9
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Schäker-Hübner L, Warstat R, Ahlert H, Mishra P, Kraft FB, Schliehe-Diecks J, Schöler A, Borkhardt A, Breit B, Bhatia S, Hügle M, Günther S, Hansen FK. 4-Acyl Pyrrole Capped HDAC Inhibitors: A New Scaffold for Hybrid Inhibitors of BET Proteins and Histone Deacetylases as Antileukemia Drug Leads. J Med Chem 2021; 64:14620-14646. [PMID: 34582215 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Multitarget drugs are an emerging alternative to combination therapies. In three iterative cycles of design, synthesis, and biological evaluation, we developed a novel type of potent hybrid inhibitors of bromodomain, and extra-terminal (BET) proteins and histone deacetylases (HDACs) based on the BET inhibitor XD14 and well-established HDAC inhibitors. The most promising new hybrids, 49 and 61, displayed submicromolar inhibitory activity against HDAC1-3 and 6, and BRD4(1), and possess potent antileukemia activity. 49 induced apoptosis more effectively than the combination of ricolinostat and birabresib (1:1). The most balanced dual inhibitor, 61, induced significantly more apoptosis than the related control compounds 62 (no BRD4(1) affinity) and 63 (no HDAC inhibition) as well as the 1:1 combination of both. Additionally, 61 was well tolerated in an in vivo zebrafish toxicity model. Overall, our data suggest an advantage of dual HDAC/BET inhibitors over the combination of two single targeted compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Schäker-Hübner
- Institut für Wirkstoffentwicklung, Medizinische Fakultät, Universität Leipzig, Brüderstraße 34, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Robin Warstat
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstraße 21, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Heinz Ahlert
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Pankaj Mishra
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Wissenschaften, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Strasse 9, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Fabian B Kraft
- Institut für Wirkstoffentwicklung, Medizinische Fakultät, Universität Leipzig, Brüderstraße 34, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Abteilung für Pharmazeutische und Zellbiologische Chemie, Pharmazeutisches Institut, Universität Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Julian Schliehe-Diecks
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Andrea Schöler
- Institut für Wirkstoffentwicklung, Medizinische Fakultät, Universität Leipzig, Brüderstraße 34, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Arndt Borkhardt
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Bernhard Breit
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstraße 21, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sanil Bhatia
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Martin Hügle
- Institut für Biochemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstraße 21, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Günther
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Wissenschaften, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Strasse 9, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Finn K Hansen
- Institut für Wirkstoffentwicklung, Medizinische Fakultät, Universität Leipzig, Brüderstraße 34, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Abteilung für Pharmazeutische und Zellbiologische Chemie, Pharmazeutisches Institut, Universität Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
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10
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Feng L, Wang G, Chen Y, He G, Liu B, Liu J, Chiang CM, Ouyang L. Dual-target inhibitors of bromodomain and extra-terminal proteins in cancer: A review from medicinal chemistry perspectives. Med Res Rev 2021; 42:710-743. [PMID: 34633088 DOI: 10.1002/med.21859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4), as the most studied member of the bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) family, is a chromatin reader protein interpreting epigenetic codes through binding to acetylated histones and non-histone proteins, thereby regulating diverse cellular processes including cell cycle, cell differentiation, and cell proliferation. As a promising drug target, BRD4 function is closely related to cancer, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and liver fibrosis. Currently, clinical resistance to BET inhibitors has limited their applications but synergistic antitumor effects have been observed when used in combination with other tumor inhibitors targeting additional cellular components such as PLK1, HDAC, CDK, and PARP1. Therefore, designing dual-target inhibitors of BET bromodomains is a rational strategy in cancer treatment to increase potency and reduce drug resistance. This review summarizes the protein structures and biological functions of BRD4 and discusses recent advances of dual BET inhibitors from a medicinal chemistry perspective. We also discuss the current design and discovery strategies for dual BET inhibitors, providing insight into potential discovery of additional dual-target BET inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Guan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center and Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Gu He
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Bo Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jie Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Cheng-Ming Chiang
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Liang Ouyang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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