1
|
Duchamp E, Vasquez G, Firoozi N, Freestone GC, Oestergaard M, Seth PP, Hanessian S. Towards combining backbone and sugar constraint in 3'-3' bis-phosphonate tethered 2'-4' bridged LNA oligonucleotide trimers. RSC Adv 2024; 14:23583-23591. [PMID: 39070250 PMCID: PMC11276400 DOI: 10.1039/d4ra04277h] [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: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic oligonucleotides are chemically modified to enhance their drug-like properties - including binding affinity for target RNA. Many nucleic acid analogs that enhance RNA binding affinity constrain the furanose sugar in an RNA-like sugar pucker. The improvements in binding affinity result primarily from increased off-rates with minimal effects on on-rates for hybridization. To identify alternate chemical modification strategies that can modulate on- and off-rates for oligonucleotide hybridization, we hypothesized that extending conformational restraint across multiple nucleotides could modulate hybridization kinetics by restricting rotational freedom of the sugar-phosphate backbone. As part of that effort, we recently reported that using hydrocarbon tethers to bridge adjacent phosphodiester linkages as phosphonate tethered bridges can pre-organize nucleic acids in conformations conducive for Watson-Crick base-pairing and modulate hybridization kinetics. In this report, we describe the synthesis of locked nucleic acid (LNA) trimers linked through alkylphosphonate tethers which restrict conformation of the furanose sugar in addition to restricting conformational mobility of the sugar-phosphate backbone across three nucleotide units.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Edouard Duchamp
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal Québec H3C 3J7 Canada
| | - Guillermo Vasquez
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ionis Pharmaceuticals Carlsbad CA 92010 USA
| | - Neda Firoozi
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal Québec H3C 3J7 Canada
| | - Graeme C Freestone
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ionis Pharmaceuticals Carlsbad CA 92010 USA
| | - Michael Oestergaard
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ionis Pharmaceuticals Carlsbad CA 92010 USA
| | - Punit P Seth
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals 675 West Kendall St Cambridge MA 0214 USA
| | - Stephen Hanessian
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal Québec H3C 3J7 Canada
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California Irvine CA 92697 USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hanessian S. My 50-Plus Years of Academic Research Collaborations with Industry. A Retrospective. J Org Chem 2024; 89:9147-9186. [PMID: 38865159 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.4c00652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
A retrospective is presented highlighting the synthesis of selected "first-in-kind" natural products, their synthetic analogues, structure elucidations, and rationally designed bioactive synthetic compounds that were accomplished because of collaborations with past and present pharmaceutical and agrochemical companies. Medicinal chemistry projects involving structure-based design exploiting cocrystal structures of small molecules with biologically relevant enzymes, receptors, and bacterial ribosomes with synthetic small molecules leading to marketed products, clinical candidates, and novel drug prototypes were realized in collaboration. Personal reflections, historical insights, behind the scenes stories from various long-term projects are shared in this retrospective article.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Hanessian
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6128, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3J7
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California 91266, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Traoré D, Biecher E, Mallet M, Rouanet S, Vasseur JJ, Smietana M, Dupouy C. Synthesis and properties of RNA constrained by a 2'-O-disulfide bridge. ChemistryOpen 2024:e202300232. [PMID: 38200655 DOI: 10.1002/open.202300232] [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: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
We recently reported the properties of RNA hairpins constrained by a dimethylene (DME) disulfide (S-S) linker incorporated between two adjacent nucleosides in the loop and showed that this linker locked the hairpin conformation thus disturbing the duplex/hairpin equilibrium. We have now investigated the influence of the length of the linker and synthesized oligoribonucleotides containing diethylene (DEE) and dipropylene (DPE) S-S bridges. This was achieved via the preparation of building blocks, namely 2'-O-acetylthioethyl (2'-O-AcSE) and 2'-O-acetylthiopropyl (2'-O-AcSP) uridine phosphoramidites, which were successfully incorporated into RNA sequences. Thermal denaturation analysis revealed that the DEE and DPE disulfide bridges destabilize RNA duplexes but do not disrupt the hairpin conformation. Furthermore, our investigation of the duplex/hairpin equilibrium indicated that sequences modified with DME and DEE S-S linkers predominantly lock the hairpin form, whereas the DPE S-S linker provides flexibility. These findings highlight the potential of S-S linkers to study RNA interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Diallo Traoré
- CNRS, ENSCM, 1919 route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Elisa Biecher
- CNRS, ENSCM, 1919 route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Manon Mallet
- CNRS, ENSCM, 1919 route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Sonia Rouanet
- CNRS, ENSCM, 1919 route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | | | - Michael Smietana
- CNRS, ENSCM, 1919 route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Christelle Dupouy
- CNRS, ENSCM, 1919 route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kawamoto Y, Wu Y, Takahashi Y, Takakura Y. Development of nucleic acid medicines based on chemical technology. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2023; 199:114872. [PMID: 37244354 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2023.114872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Oligonucleotide-based therapeutics have attracted attention as an emerging modality that includes the modulation of genes and their binding proteins related to diseases, allowing us to take action on previously undruggable targets. Since the late 2010s, the number of oligonucleotide medicines approved for clinical uses has dramatically increased. Various chemistry-based technologies have been developed to improve the therapeutic properties of oligonucleotides, such as chemical modification, conjugation, and nanoparticle formation, which can increase nuclease resistance, enhance affinity and selectivity to target sites, suppress off-target effects, and improve pharmacokinetic properties. Similar strategies employing modified nucleobases and lipid nanoparticles have been used for developing coronavirus disease 2019 mRNA vaccines. In this review, we provide an overview of the development of chemistry-based technologies aimed at using nucleic acids for developing therapeutics over the past several decades, with a specific emphasis on the structural design and functionality of chemical modification strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Kawamoto
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Drug Metabolism, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
| | - You Wu
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Drug Metabolism, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yuki Takahashi
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Drug Metabolism, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yoshinobu Takakura
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Drug Metabolism, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Rajasekaran T, Freestone GC, Galindo-Murillo R, Lugato B, Gaus H, Migawa MT, Swayze EE, Cheatham TE, Seth PP, Hanessian S. Systematic Investigation of Tether Length and Phosphorus Configuration in Backbone Constrained Macrocyclic Nucleic Acids to Modulate Binding Kinetics for RNA. J Org Chem 2023; 88:3599-3614. [PMID: 36857642 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.2c02796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
We recently described a chemical strategy to pre-organize a trinucleotide subunit in a conformation suitable for Watson-Crick base pairing for modulating the binding kinetics of single-stranded oligonucleotides (ONs) using bis-phosphonate esters bridging hydrocarbon tethers to provide 11- and 15-membered macrocyclic analogues. In this manuscript, we describe the synthesis of all eight P-stereoisomers of macrocyclic 12-, 13-, 14-, and 16-membered hydrocarbon-bridged nucleotide trimers, their incorporation into ONs, and biophysical characterization of the modified ONs. The size of the macrocyclic tether and configuration at phosphorus had profound effects on hybridization kinetics. ONs containing 12- and 13-membered rings exhibited faster on-rates (up to 5-fold) and off-rates (up to 161-fold). In contrast, ONs using the larger ring size macrocycles generally exhibited smaller changes in binding kinetics relative to unmodified DNA. Interestingly, several of the analogues retained significant binding affinity for RNA based on their dissociation constants, despite being modestly destabilizing in the thermal denaturation experiments, highlighting the potential utility of measuring dissociation constants versus duplex thermal stability when evaluating novel nucleic acid analogues. Overall, our results provide additional insights into the ability of backbone-constrained macrocyclic nucleic acid analogues to modulate hybridization kinetics of modified ONs with RNA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Graeme C Freestone
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, California 92010, United States
| | - Rodrigo Galindo-Murillo
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, California 92010, United States
| | - Barbara Lugato
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Hans Gaus
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, California 92010, United States
| | - Michael T Migawa
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, California 92010, United States
| | - Eric E Swayze
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, California 92010, United States
| | - Thomas E Cheatham
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, 2000 East 30 South Skaggs 201, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Punit P Seth
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, California 92010, United States
| | - Stephen Hanessian
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
The Importance of Charge Transfer and Solvent Screening in the Interactions of Backbones and Functional Groups in Amino Acid Residues and Nucleotides. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232113514. [PMID: 36362296 PMCID: PMC9654426 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113514] [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: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantum mechanical (QM) calculations at the level of density-functional tight-binding are applied to a protein–DNA complex (PDB: 2o8b) consisting of 3763 atoms, averaging 100 snapshots from molecular dynamics simulations. A detailed comparison of QM and force field (Amber) results is presented. It is shown that, when solvent screening is taken into account, the contributions of the backbones are small, and the binding of nucleotides in the double helix is governed by the base–base interactions. On the other hand, the backbones can make a substantial contribution to the binding of amino acid residues to nucleotides and other residues. The effect of charge transfer on the interactions is also analyzed, revealing that the actual charge of nucleotides and amino acid residues can differ by as much as 6 and 8% from the formal integer charge, respectively. The effect of interactions on topological models (protein -residue networks) is elucidated.
Collapse
|
7
|
Ricardo MG, Reuber EE, Yao L, Danglad-Flores J, Delbianco M, Seeberger PH. Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Stapled Oligosaccharides. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:18429-18434. [PMID: 36173281 PMCID: PMC9562281 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c06882] [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] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Stapling short peptides
to lock specific conformations and thereby
obtain superior pharmacological properties is well established. However,
similar concepts have not been applied to oligosaccharides. Here,
we describe the design, synthesis, and characterization of the first
stapled oligosaccharides. Automated assembly of β-(1,6)-glucans
equipped with two alkenyl side chains was followed by on-resin Grubbs
metathesis for efficient ring closure with a variety of cross-linkers
of different sizes. Oligosaccharide stapling increases enzymatic stability
and cell penetration, therefore opening new opportunities for the
use of glycans in medicinal chemistry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manuel G Ricardo
- Department of Biomolecular Systems, Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Muehlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Emelie E Reuber
- Department of Biomolecular Systems, Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Muehlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.,Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 22, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ling Yao
- Department of Biomolecular Systems, Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Muehlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - José Danglad-Flores
- Department of Biomolecular Systems, Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Muehlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Martina Delbianco
- Department of Biomolecular Systems, Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Muehlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Peter H Seeberger
- Department of Biomolecular Systems, Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Muehlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.,Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 22, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|