1
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Travis CR, Dumais RG, Treacy JW, Kean KM, Houk KN, Waters ML. Contribution of Electrostatic CH 3-π Interactions to Recognition of Histone Asymmetric Dimethylarginine by the SPIN1 Triple Tudor Domain. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:20678-20684. [PMID: 39023428 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c03463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Methylation of arginine (Arg) residues on histones creates a new binding epitope, enabling recognition by aromatic cage binding pockets in Tudor domains; these protein-protein interactions (PPIs) govern gene expression. Despite their biological importance, the molecular details of methylated Arg recognition are poorly understood. While the desolvation, hydrogen bonding, and guanidinium stacking of methylated Arg have been explored in model systems and proposed to contribute to binding, direct interactions between the methyl groups and the aromatic residues in the binding pocket have not previously been investigated. Herein, we mechanistically study the CH3-π interactions between the SPIN1 triple Tudor domain and histone asymmetric dimethylarginine. We find that these CH3-π interactions are electrostatically tunable, exhibiting cation-π character, albeit attenuated relative to cation-π interactions with quaternary ammonium ions, offering key insight into how methylation of Arg alters its binding epitope to enable new PPIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R Travis
- Department of Chemistry, CB 3290, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Ryan G Dumais
- Department of Chemistry, CB 3290, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Joseph W Treacy
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, United States
| | - Kelsey M Kean
- Department of Chemistry, High Point University, High Point, North Carolina 27268, United States
| | - K N Houk
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, United States
| | - Marcey L Waters
- Department of Chemistry, CB 3290, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
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2
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Dai L, Tan C, Wang H, Wang L, Zhang T, Zhi S, Yang Z, Zhao X, Li D. Exploring Derivatives of Quinolizidine Alkaloid Sophoridine in the Design and Biological Mechanistic Evaluation of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. ChemMedChem 2024; 19:e202300467. [PMID: 38031642 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202300467] [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: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
As a critical epigenetic modulator of gene expression, histone deacetylases (HDACs) have been involved in the pathogenesis and therapeutic investigation of cancer. Quinolizidine alkaloid sophoridine is known to have anticancer efficacy but with limited indication. By incorporating the pharmacophore of the HDAC inhibitor into the ring-opened sophoridine core, a new series of sophoridine hydroxamic acid derivatives were synthesized. After structure-activity studies, a selected compound was found to exert significant cytotoxicity in triple-negative breast cancer CAL-51 cells (IC50 1.17 μM), and demonstrated low nanomolar inhibitory potency toward HDAC1/3/6. Cellular functional assays indicated that this compound was able to induce apoptosis and cause accumulation of cells in the S phase of the cell cycle. Western blot analysis revealed it to decrease the expression of DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b by down-regulating phosphor-ERK1/2. Furthermore, treatment with this compound proved to block the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling in the PI3KCA and PTEN-mutant CAL-51 cells. Collectively, this work provides a novel lead compound for the development of potential therapeutics against triple-negative breast cancers, possibly mesenchymal-like subtype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Dai
- Tianjin Institute of Medical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 79 Duolun Road, Tianjin, 300020, China
| | - Cheng Tan
- Tianjin Institute of Medical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 79 Duolun Road, Tianjin, 300020, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Tianjin Institute of Medical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 79 Duolun Road, Tianjin, 300020, China
| | - Luyao Wang
- Tianjin Institute of Medical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 79 Duolun Road, Tianjin, 300020, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- Tianjin Institute of Medical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 79 Duolun Road, Tianjin, 300020, China
| | - Shuang Zhi
- Tianjin Institute of Medical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 79 Duolun Road, Tianjin, 300020, China
| | - Zibo Yang
- Tianjin Institute of Medical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 79 Duolun Road, Tianjin, 300020, China
| | - Xiumei Zhao
- Tianjin Institute of Medical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 79 Duolun Road, Tianjin, 300020, China
| | - Dongdong Li
- Tianjin Institute of Medical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 79 Duolun Road, Tianjin, 300020, China
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3
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Maujean T, Kannaboina P, Green AI, Burslem GM. Lead-oriented synthesis of epigenetic relevant scaffolds. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:14555-14558. [PMID: 37991354 PMCID: PMC10842704 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc04317g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
A simple and rational method to rank lead-likeness of molecules using continuous evaluation functions was hereby developed. This strategy proved to be competitive against known methods and finally helped in driving synthetic efforts towards candidates of interest for epigenetic applications against HDAC6, BRD4 and EZH2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothé Maujean
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department of Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Prakash Kannaboina
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department of Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Adam I Green
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department of Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA.
| | - George M Burslem
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department of Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA.
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4
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Luo Y, Wang P, Mou M, Zheng H, Hong J, Tao L, Zhu F. A novel strategy for designing the magic shotguns for distantly related target pairs. Brief Bioinform 2023; 24:6984790. [PMID: 36631399 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbac621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to its promising capacity in improving drug efficacy, polypharmacology has emerged to be a new theme in the drug discovery of complex disease. In the process of novel multi-target drugs (MTDs) discovery, in silico strategies come to be quite essential for the advantage of high throughput and low cost. However, current researchers mostly aim at typical closely related target pairs. Because of the intricate pathogenesis networks of complex diseases, many distantly related targets are found to play crucial role in synergistic treatment. Therefore, an innovational method to develop drugs which could simultaneously target distantly related target pairs is of utmost importance. At the same time, reducing the false discovery rate in the design of MTDs remains to be the daunting technological difficulty. In this research, effective small molecule clustering in the positive dataset, together with a putative negative dataset generation strategy, was adopted in the process of model constructions. Through comprehensive assessment on 10 target pairs with hierarchical similarity-levels, the proposed strategy turned out to reduce the false discovery rate successfully. Constructed model types with much smaller numbers of inhibitor molecules gained considerable yields and showed better false-hit controllability than before. To further evaluate the generalization ability, an in-depth assessment of high-throughput virtual screening on ChEMBL database was conducted. As a result, this novel strategy could hierarchically improve the enrichment factors for each target pair (especially for those distantly related/unrelated target pairs), corresponding to target pair similarity-levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongchao Luo
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Panpan Wang
- College of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Huanghuai University, Zhumadian 463000, China
| | - Minjie Mou
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Hanqi Zheng
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jiajun Hong
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Lin Tao
- Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicine of Zhejiang Province, School of Medicine, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China
| | - Feng Zhu
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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5
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Travis CR, Francis DY, Williams DC, Waters ML. Evaluation of acyllysine isostere interactions with the aromatic pocket of the AF9 YEATS domain. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4533. [PMID: 36482045 PMCID: PMC9793969 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4533] [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: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Amide-π interactions, in which an amide interacts with an aromatic group, are ubiquitous in biology, yet remain understudied relative to other noncovalent interactions. Recently, we demonstrated that an electrostatically tunable amide-π interaction is key to recognition of histone acyllysine by the AF9 YEATS domain, a reader protein which has emerged as a therapeutic target due to its dysregulation in cancer. Amide isosteres are commonly employed in drug discovery, often to prevent degradation by proteases, and have proven valuable in achieving selectivity when targeting epigenetic proteins. However, like amide-π interactions, interactions of amide isosteres with aromatic rings have not been thoroughly studied despite widespread use. Herein, we evaluate the recognition of a series of amide isosteres by the AF9 YEATS domain using genetic code expansion to evaluate the amide isostere-π interaction. We show that compared to the amide-π interaction with the native ligand, each isostere exhibits similar electrostatic tunability with an aromatic residue in the binding pocket, demonstrating that the isosteres maintain similar interactions with the aromatic residue. We identify a urea-containing ligand that binds with enhanced affinity for the AF9 YEATS domain, offering a promising starting point for inhibitor development. Furthermore, we demonstrate that carbamate and urea isosteres of crotonyllysine are resistant to enzymatic removal by SIRT1, a protein that cleaves acyl post-translational modifications, further indicating the potential of amide isosteres in YEATS domain inhibitor development. These results also provide experimental precedent for interactions of these common drug discovery moieties with aromatic rings that can inform computational methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R. Travis
- Department of Chemistry, CB 3290University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel HillNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Denver Y. Francis
- Department of Chemistry, CB 3290University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel HillNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - David C. Williams
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, CB 7525University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel HillNorth CarolinaUSA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer CenterUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel HillNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Marcey L. Waters
- Department of Chemistry, CB 3290University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel HillNorth CarolinaUSA
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6
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Berkeley RF, Debelouchina GT. Chemical tools for study and modulation of biomolecular phase transitions. Chem Sci 2022; 13:14226-14245. [PMID: 36545140 PMCID: PMC9749140 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc04907d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomolecular phase transitions play an important role in organizing cellular processes in space and time. Methods and tools for studying these transitions, and the intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) that often drive them, are typically less developed than tools for studying their folded protein counterparts. In this perspective, we assess the current landscape of chemical tools for studying IDPs, with a specific focus on protein liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). We highlight methodologies that enable imaging and spectroscopic studies of these systems, including site-specific labeling with small molecules and the diverse range of capabilities offered by inteins and protein semisynthesis. We discuss strategies for introducing post-translational modifications that are central to IDP and LLPS function and regulation. We also investigate the nascent field of noncovalent small-molecule modulators of LLPS. We hope that this review of the state-of-the-art in chemical tools for interrogating IDPs and LLPS, along with an associated perspective on areas of unmet need, can serve as a valuable and timely resource for these rapidly expanding fields of study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond F. Berkeley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | - Galia T. Debelouchina
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
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7
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Selepe MA, Kunyane P, Seboletswe P, Nair S, Cele N, Engelbrecht M, Joubert DF, Vandevoorde C, Singh P, Sonopo MS. Synthesis and evaluation of benzoylbenzofurans and isoflavone derivatives as sirtuin 1 inhibitors with antiproliferative effects on cancer cells. Bioorg Chem 2022; 128:106101. [PMID: 35998518 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2022.106101] [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: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Isoflavone derivatives were prepared from benzoylbenzofuran precursors. The synthesized compounds were analyzed by 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, as well as high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) to confirm their structures. The benzoylbenzofuran and isoflavone analogues were evaluated for inhibition of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and cell proliferation in MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. Several isoflavone and benzoylbenzofuran derivatives exhibited potent antiproliferative effects against the MDA-MB-231 cancer cell line. Most of the isoflavone derivatives attenuated SIRT1 activity to below 50%. The most active compounds were the isoflavone quinones 38, 39, and 40, at IC50 values of 5.58 ± 0.373, 1.62 ± 0.0720, and 7.24 ± 0.823 μM, respectively. Importantly, the most active compound, 6-methoxy-4',6'-dimethylisoflavone-2',5'-quinone (39) displayed SIRT1 inhibitory activity comparable to that of the reference compound, suramin. The in silico docking simulations in the active site of SIRT1 further substantiated the experimental results and explored the binding orientations of potent compounds in the active site of the target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamoalosi A Selepe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Rd, Hatfield, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
| | - Phaladi Kunyane
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Rd, Hatfield, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Pule Seboletswe
- School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X54001, Westville, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - Shankari Nair
- Radiation Biophysics Division, Separated Sector Cyclotron Laboratory, NRF-iThemba LABS, Cape Town 7131, South Africa
| | - Nosipho Cele
- School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X54001, Westville, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - Monique Engelbrecht
- Radiation Biophysics Division, Separated Sector Cyclotron Laboratory, NRF-iThemba LABS, Cape Town 7131, South Africa
| | - Daniël F Joubert
- Department of Physiology, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Rd, Hatfield, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Charlot Vandevoorde
- Radiation Biophysics Division, Separated Sector Cyclotron Laboratory, NRF-iThemba LABS, Cape Town 7131, South Africa
| | - Parvesh Singh
- School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X54001, Westville, Durban 4000, South Africa.
| | - Molahlehi S Sonopo
- Radiochemistry, South African Nuclear Energy Corporation Ltd, Pelindaba, Brits 0240, South Africa.
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8
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H M Ehrler J, Brunst S, Tjaden A, Kilu W, Heering J, Hernandez-Olmos V, Krommes A, Kramer JS, Steinhilber D, Schubert-Zsilavecz M, Müller-Knapp S, Merk D, Proschak E. Compilation and Evaluation of Fatty Acid Mimetics Screening Library. Biochem Pharmacol 2022; 204:115191. [PMID: 35907497 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2022.115191] [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: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Focused compound libraries are well-established tools for hit identification in drug discovery and chemical probe development. We present the compilation and application of a focused screening library of fatty acid mimetics (FAMs), which are compounds designed to bind the orthosteric site proteins that endogenously accommodate natural fatty acids and lipid metabolites. This set complies with chemical properties of FAM and was found suitable for use also in cellular setting. Several hits were retrieved in screening the focused library against diverse fatty acid binding targets including the enzymes soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) and leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H), the nuclear receptors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and retinoid X receptor α (RXRα), the carrier proteins fatty acid binding protein 4 and 5 (FABP4 and FABP5), as well as the G-protein coupled receptors leukotriene B4 receptor 1 (BLT1) and free-fatty acid receptor 1 (FFAR1). Thus, the focused FAM library is suitable to obtain chemical starting matter for fatty acid binding proteins and valuable extends available screening collections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna H M Ehrler
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Steffen Brunst
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60596 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Amelie Tjaden
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Whitney Kilu
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60596 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jan Heering
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60596 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Victor Hernandez-Olmos
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60596 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Andrè Krommes
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jan S Kramer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Dieter Steinhilber
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60596 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Manfred Schubert-Zsilavecz
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susanne Müller-Knapp
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Daniel Merk
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Department of Pharmacy, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Ewgenij Proschak
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60596 Frankfurt, Germany.
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9
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Elkina NA, Shchegolkov EV, Burgart YV, Agafonova NA, Perminova AN, Gerasimova NA, Makhaeva GF, Rudakova EV, Kovaleva NV, Boltneva NP, Serebryakova OG, Borisevich SS, Evstigneeva NP, Zilberberg NV, Kungurov NV, Saloutin VI. Synthesis and biological evaluation of polyfluoroalkyl-containing 4-arylhydrazinylidene-isoxazoles as antifungal agents with antioxidant activity. J Fluor Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jfluchem.2021.109935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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10
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Flores-Padilla EA, Juárez-Mercado KE, Naveja JJ, Kim TD, Alain Miranda-Quintana R, Medina-Franco JL. Chemoinformatic Characterization of Synthetic Screening Libraries Focused on Epigenetic Targets. Mol Inform 2021; 41:e2100285. [PMID: 34931466 DOI: 10.1002/minf.202100285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The importance of epigenetic drug and probe discovery is on the rise. This is not only paramount to identify and develop therapeutic treatments associated with epigenetic processes but also to understand the underlying epigenetic mechanisms involved in biological processes. To this end, chemical vendors have been developing synthetic compound libraries focused on epigenetic targets to increase the probabilities of identifying promising starting points for drug or probe candidates. However, the chemical contents of these data sets, the distribution of their physicochemical properties, and diversity remain unknown. To fill this gap and make this information available to the scientific community, we report a comprehensive analysis of eleven libraries focused on epigenetic targets containing more than 50,000 compounds. We used well-validated chemoinformatics approaches to characterize these sets, including novel methods such as automated detection of analog series and visual representations of the chemical space based on Constellation Plots and Chemical Library Networks. This work will guide the efforts of experimental groups working on high-throughput and medium-throughput screening of epigenetic-focused libraries. The outcome of this work can also be used as a reference to design and describe novel focused epigenetic libraries.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Alexis Flores-Padilla
- DIFACQUIM Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - K Eurídice Juárez-Mercado
- DIFACQUIM Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - José J Naveja
- Instituto de Quimica, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Taewon D Kim
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, United States
| | - Ramón Alain Miranda-Quintana
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, United States.,Quantum Theory Project, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, United States
| | - José L Medina-Franco
- DIFACQUIM Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
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11
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Holdgate GA, Bardelle C, Lanne A, Read J, O'Donovan DH, Smith JM, Selmi N, Sheppard R. Drug discovery for epigenetics targets. Drug Discov Today 2021; 27:1088-1098. [PMID: 34728375 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2021] [Revised: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Dysregulation of the epigenome is associated with the onset and progression of several diseases, including cancer, autoimmune, cardiovascular, and neurological disorders. Members from the three families of epigenetic proteins (readers, writers, and erasers) have been shown to be druggable using small-molecule inhibitors. Increasing knowledge of the role of epigenetics in disease and the reversibility of these modifications explain why pharmacological intervention is an attractive strategy for tackling epigenetic-based disease. In this review, we provide an overview of epigenetics drug targets, focus on approaches used for initial hit identification, and describe the subsequent role of structure-guided chemistry optimisation of initial hits to clinical candidates. We also highlight current challenges and future potential for epigenetics-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey A Holdgate
- High-throughput Screening, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park, UK.
| | - Catherine Bardelle
- High-throughput Screening, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park, UK
| | - Alice Lanne
- High-throughput Screening, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park, UK
| | - Jon Read
- Structure and Biophysics, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Nidhal Selmi
- iLAB, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Robert Sheppard
- Medicinal Chemistry, Cardiovascular, Renal, Metabolism R&D, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
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12
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Green AI, Burslem GM. Photochemical synthesis of an epigenetic focused tetrahydroquinoline library. RSC Med Chem 2021; 12:1780-1786. [PMID: 34778779 DOI: 10.1039/d1md00193k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Discovery of epigenetic chemical probes is an important area of research with potential to deliver drugs for a multitude of diseases. However, commercially available libraries frequently used in drug discovery campaigns contain molecules that are focused on a narrow range of chemical space primarily driven by ease of synthesis and previously targeted enzyme classes (e.g., kinases) resulting in low hit rates for epigenetic targets. Here we describe the design and synthesis of a compound collection that augments current screening collections by the inclusion of privileged isosteres for epigenetic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam I Green
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania PA 19104 USA
| | - George M Burslem
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania PA 19104 USA .,Department of Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania PA 19104 USA
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13
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Prado-Romero D, Medina-Franco JL. Advances in the Exploration of the Epigenetic Relevant Chemical Space. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:22478-22486. [PMID: 34514220 PMCID: PMC8427648 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c03389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic drug discovery is a promising avenue to find therapeutic agents for treating several diseases and developing novel chemical probes for research. In order to identify hit and lead compounds, the chemical space has been explored and screened, generating valuable bioactivity information that can be used for multiple purposes such as prediction of the activity of existing chemicals, e.g., small molecules, guiding the design or optimization of compounds, and expanding the epigenetic relevant chemical space. Herein, we review the chemical spaces explored for epigenetic drug discovery and discuss the advances in using structure-activity relationships stored in public chemogenomic databases. We also review current efforts to chart and identify novel regions of the epigenetic relevant chemical space. In particular, we discuss the development and accessibility of two significant types of compound libraries focused on epigenetic targets: commercially available libraries for screening and targeted chemical libraries using de novo design. In this mini-review, we emphasize inhibitors of DNA methyltransferases.
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