1
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Alboreggia G, Udompholkul P, Baggio C, Muzzarelli K, Assar Z, Pellecchia M. Histidine-Covalent Stapled Alpha-Helical Peptides Targeting hMcl-1. J Med Chem 2024; 67:8172-8185. [PMID: 38695666 PMCID: PMC11129181 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00277] [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] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024]
Abstract
Several novel and effective cysteine targeting (Cys) covalent drugs are in clinical use. However, the target area containing a druggable Cys residue is limited. Therefore, methods for creating covalent drugs that target different residues are being looked for; examples of such ligands include those that target the residues lysine (Lys) and tyrosine (Tyr). Though the histidine (His) side chain is more frequently found in protein binding locations and has higher desirable nucleophilicity, surprisingly limited research has been done to specifically target this residue, and there are not many examples of His-targeting ligands that have been rationally designed. In the current work, we created novel stapled peptides that are intended to target hMcl-1 His 252 covalently. We describe the in vitro (biochemical, NMR, and X-ray) and cellular design and characterization of such agents. Our findings further suggest that the use of electrophiles to specifically target His residues is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Alboreggia
- Division
of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Parima Udompholkul
- Division
of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Carlo Baggio
- Division
of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Kendall Muzzarelli
- Cayman
Chemical Co., 1180 E. Ellsworth road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Zahra Assar
- Cayman
Chemical Co., 1180 E. Ellsworth road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - Maurizio Pellecchia
- Division
of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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2
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Hillebrand L, Liang XJ, Serafim RAM, Gehringer M. Emerging and Re-emerging Warheads for Targeted Covalent Inhibitors: An Update. J Med Chem 2024; 67:7668-7758. [PMID: 38711345 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Covalent inhibitors and other types of covalent modalities have seen a revival in the past two decades, with a variety of new targeted covalent drugs having been approved in recent years. A key feature of such molecules is an intrinsically reactive group, typically a weak electrophile, which enables the irreversible or reversible formation of a covalent bond with a specific amino acid of the target protein. This reactive group, often called the "warhead", is a critical determinant of the ligand's activity, selectivity, and general biological properties. In 2019, we summarized emerging and re-emerging warhead chemistries to target cysteine and other amino acids (Gehringer, M.; Laufer, S. A. J. Med. Chem. 2019, 62, 5673-5724; DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01153). Since then, the field has rapidly evolved. Here we discuss the progress on covalent warheads made since our last Perspective and their application in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Hillebrand
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Xiaojun Julia Liang
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ricardo A M Serafim
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Matthias Gehringer
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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3
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Keenan EK, Bareja A, Lam Y, Grimsrud PA, Hirschey MD. Cysteine S-acetylation is a post-translational modification involved in metabolic regulation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.21.595030. [PMID: 38826225 PMCID: PMC11142221 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.21.595030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Cysteine is a reactive amino acid central to the catalytic activities of many enzymes. It is also a common target of post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as palmitoylation. This longchain acyl PTM can modify cysteine residues and induce changes in protein subcellular localization. We hypothesized that cysteine could also be modified by short-chain acyl groups, such as cysteine S-acetylation. To test this, we developed sample preparation and non-targeted mass spectrometry protocols to analyze the mouse liver proteome for cysteine acetylation. Our findings revealed hundreds of sites of cysteine acetylation across multiple tissue types, revealing a previously uncharacterized cysteine acetylome. Cysteine acetylation shows a marked cytoplasmic subcellular localization signature, with tissue-specific acetylome patterns and specific changes upon metabolic stress. This study uncovers a novel aspect of cysteine biochemistry, highlighting short-chain modifications alongside known long-chain acyl PTMs. These findings enrich our understanding of the landscape of acyl modifications and suggest new research directions in enzyme activity regulation and cellular signaling in metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Keith Keenan
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute and Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC 27701
- Department of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC 27710
| | - Akshay Bareja
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute and Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC 27701
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, & Nutrition, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Medical Center, Durham NC 27710
| | - Yannie Lam
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute and Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC 27701
| | - Paul A. Grimsrud
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute and Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC 27701
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, & Nutrition, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Medical Center, Durham NC 27710
| | - Matthew D. Hirschey
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute and Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC 27701
- Department of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC 27710
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, & Nutrition, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Medical Center, Durham NC 27710
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4
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Ma S, Patel H, Peeples CA, Shen J. QM/MM simulations of EFGR with afatinib reveal the role of the β-dimethylaminomethyl substitution. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.18.580887. [PMID: 38766221 PMCID: PMC11100610 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.18.580887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Acrylamides are the most commonly used warheads of targeted covalent inhibitors (TCIs) directed at cysteines; however, the reaction mechanisms of acrylamides in proteins remain controversial, particularly for those involving protonated or unreactive cysteines. Using the combined semiempirical quantum mechanics (QM)/molecular mechanics (MM) free energy simulations, we investigated the reaction between afatinib, the first TCI drug for cancer treatment, and Cys797 in the EGFR kinase. Afatinib contains a β-dimethylaminomethyl (β-DMAM) substitution which has been shown to enhance the intrinsic reactivity and potency against EGFR for related inhibitors. Two hypothesized reaction mechanisms were tested. Our data suggest that Cys797 becomes deprotonated in the presence of afatinib and the reaction proceeds via a classical Michael addition mechanism, with Asp800 stabilizing the ion-pair reactant state β-DMAM+/C797- and the transition state of the nucleophilic attack. Our work elucidates an important structure-activity relationship of acrylamides in proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuhua Ma
- Department of Chemistry, Jess and Mildred Fisher College of Science and Mathematics, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252
| | - Heeral Patel
- Department of Chemistry, Jess and Mildred Fisher College of Science and Mathematics, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252
| | - Craig A Peeples
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Jana Shen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201
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5
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Liu R, Clayton J, Shen M, Bhatnagar S, Shen J. Machine Learning Models to Interrogate Proteome-Wide Covalent Ligandabilities Directed at Cysteines. JACS AU 2024; 4:1374-1384. [PMID: 38665640 PMCID: PMC11040703 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Machine learning (ML) identification of covalently ligandable sites may accelerate targeted covalent inhibitor design and help expand the druggable proteome space. Here, we report the rigorous development and validation of the tree-based models and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) trained on a newly curated database (LigCys3D) of over 1000 liganded cysteines in nearly 800 proteins represented by over 10,000 three-dimensional structures in the protein data bank. The unseen tests yielded 94 and 93% area under the receiver operating characteristic curves for the tree models and CNNs, respectively. Based on the AlphaFold2 predicted structures, the ML models recapitulated the newly liganded cysteines in the PDB with over 90% recall values. To assist the community of covalent drug discoveries, we report the predicted ligandable cysteines in 392 human kinases and their locations in the sequence-aligned kinase structure, including the PH and SH2 domains. Furthermore, we disseminate a searchable online database LigCys3D (https://ligcys.computchem.org/) and a web prediction server DeepCys (https://deepcys.computchem.org/), both of which will be continuously updated and improved by including newly published experimental data. The present work represents an important step toward the ML-led integration of big genome data and structure models to annotate the human proteome space for the next-generation covalent drug discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruibin Liu
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of
Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Joseph Clayton
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of
Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
- Division
of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Center
for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food
and Drug Administration, Silver
Spring, Maryland 20993, United States
| | - Mingzhe Shen
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of
Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Shubham Bhatnagar
- Department
of Computer Science, University of Maryland
at College Park, College
Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Jana Shen
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of
Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
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6
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Koperniku A, Meanwell NA. Tying the knot with lysine. Nat Rev Chem 2024; 8:235-237. [PMID: 38499680 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-024-00592-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Koperniku
- The Center for the Study of Language and Information, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Nicholas A Meanwell
- The Baruch S. Blumberg Insitute, Doylestown, PA, USA
- The School of Pharmacy, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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7
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Tang G, Wang W, Zhu C, Huang H, Chen P, Wang X, Xu M, Sun J, Zhang CJ, Xiao Q, Gao L, Zhang ZM, Yao SQ. Global Reactivity Profiling of the Catalytic Lysine in Human Kinome for Covalent Inhibitor Development. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202316394. [PMID: 38248139 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202316394] [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: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Advances in targeted covalent inhibitors (TCIs) have been made by using lysine-reactive chemistries. Few aminophiles possessing balanced reactivity/stability for the development of cell-active TCIs are however available. We report herein lysine-reactive activity-based probes (ABPs; 2-14) based on the chemistry of aryl fluorosulfates (ArOSO2 F) capable of global reactivity profiling of the catalytic lysine in human kinome from mammalian cells. We concurrently developed reversible covalent ABPs (15/16) by installing salicylaldehydes (SA) onto a promiscuous kinase-binding scaffold. The stability and amine reactivity of these probes exhibited a broad range of tunability. X-ray crystallography and mass spectrometry (MS) confirmed the successful covalent engagement between ArOSO2 F on 9 and the catalytic lysine of SRC kinase. Chemoproteomic studies enabled the profiling of >300 endogenous kinases, thus providing a global landscape of ligandable catalytic lysines of the kinome. By further introducing these aminophiles into VX-680 (a noncovalent inhibitor of AURKA kinase), we generated novel lysine-reactive TCIs that exhibited excellent in vitro potency and reasonable cellular activities with prolonged residence time. Our work serves as a general guide for the development of lysine-reactive ArOSO2 F-based TCIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanghui Tang
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - Wei Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Chengjun Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Huisi Huang
- School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Peng Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Manyi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chi-nese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Jie Sun
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Chong-Jing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chi-nese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Qicai Xiao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Liqian Gao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Zhi-Min Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Shao Q Yao
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
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8
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Liu R, Clayton J, Shen M, Bhatnagar S, Shen J. Machine Learning Models to Interrogate Proteomewide Covalent Ligandabilities Directed at Cysteines. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.08.17.553742. [PMID: 37662346 PMCID: PMC10473668 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.17.553742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Machine learning (ML) identification of covalently ligandable sites may accelerate targeted covalent inhibitor design and help expand the druggable proteome space. Here we report the rigorous development and validation of the tree-based models and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) trained on a newly curated database (LigCys3D) of over 1,000 liganded cysteines in nearly 800 proteins represented by over 10,000 three-dimensional structures in the protein data bank. The unseen tests yielded 94% and 93% AUCs (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) for the tree models and CNNs, respectively. Based on the AlphaFold2 predicted structures, the ML models recapitulated the newly liganded cysteines in the PDB with over 90% recall values. To assist the community of covalent drug discoveries, we report the predicted ligandable cysteines in 392 human kinases and their locations in the sequence-aligned kinase structure including the PH and SH2 domains. Furthermore, we disseminate a searchable online database LigCys3D (https://ligcys.computchem.org/) and a web prediction server DeepCys (https://deepcys.computchem.org/), both of which will be continuously updated and improved by including newly published experimental data. The present work represents a first step towards the ML-led integration of big genome data and structure models to annotate the human proteome space for the next-generation covalent drug discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruibin Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Joseph Clayton
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Mingzhe Shen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Shubham Bhatnagar
- Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Jana Shen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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9
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Cosgrove B, Grant EK, Bertrand S, Down KD, Somers DO, P Evans J, Tomkinson NCO, Barker MD. Covalent targeting of non-cysteine residues in PI4KIIIβ. RSC Chem Biol 2023; 4:1111-1122. [PMID: 38033723 PMCID: PMC10685791 DOI: 10.1039/d3cb00142c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The synthesis and characterisation of fluorosulfate covalent inhibitors of the lipid kinase PI4KIIIβ is described. The conserved lysine residue located within the ATP binding site was targeted, and optimised compounds based upon reversible inhibitors with good activity and physicochemical profile showed strong reversible interactions and slow onset times for the covalent inhibition, resulting in an excellent selectivity profile for the lipid kinase target. X-Ray crystallography demonstrated a distal tyrosine residue could also be targeted using a fluorosulfate strategy. Combination of this knowledge showed that a dual covalent inhibitor could be developed which reveals potential in addressing the challenges associated with drug resistant mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett Cosgrove
- Medicinal Chemistry, GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre Stevenage SG1 2NY UK
- Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde Glasgow G1 1XL UK
| | - Emma K Grant
- Medicinal Chemistry, GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre Stevenage SG1 2NY UK
| | - Sophie Bertrand
- Medicinal Chemistry, GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre Stevenage SG1 2NY UK
| | - Kenneth D Down
- Medicinal Chemistry, GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre Stevenage SG1 2NY UK
| | - Don O Somers
- Structural and Biophysical Science, GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre Stevenage SG1 2NY UK
| | - John P Evans
- Screening, Profiling and Mechanistic Biology, GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre Stevenage SG1 2NY UK
| | | | - Michael D Barker
- Medicinal Chemistry, GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre Stevenage SG1 2NY UK
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10
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Vaissier Welborn V. Understanding Cysteine Reactivity in Protein Environments with Electric Fields. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:9936-9942. [PMID: 37962274 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c05749] [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: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The role cysteine residues play in proteins is mediated by their protonation state, whereby the thiolate form of the side chain is highly reactive while the thiol form is more inert. However, the pKa of cysteine residues is hard to predict as it can differ widely from its reference value in solution, an effect that is accentuated by local effects in the heterogeneous protein environment. Here, we present a new approach to the prediction of cysteine reactivity based on electric field calculations at the thiol/thiolate group. We validated our approach by predicting the protonation state of cysteine residues in different protein environments (in the active site, at the protein surface, and buried within the protein interior), including Cys-25 in papaya protease omega, which was proven problematic for the more traditional constant pH molecular dynamics (MD) technique. We predict pKa shifts consistent with experimental observations, and the decomposition of the electric fields into contributions from molecular fragments provides a direct handle to rationalize local pH and pKa effects in proteins without introducing parameters other than those of the force field used for MD simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Vaissier Welborn
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, United States
- Macromolecules Innovation Institute (MII),Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, United States
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11
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Tang G, Wang W, Wang X, Ding K, Ngan SC, Chen JY, Sze SK, Gao L, Yuan P, Lu X, Yao SQ. Cell-active, irreversible covalent inhibitors that selectively target the catalytic lysine of EGFR by using fluorosulfate-based SuFEx chemistry. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 259:115671. [PMID: 37499291 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115671] [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: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
EGFR signaling is involved in multiple cellular processes including cell proliferation, differentiation and development, making this protein kinase one of the most valuable drug targets for the treatment of non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC). Herein, we describe the design and synthesis of a series of potential covalent inhibitors targeting the catalytically conserved lysine (K745) of EGFR on the basis of Erlotinib, an FDA-approved first-generation EGFR drug. Different amine-reactive electrophiles were introduced at positions on the Erlotinib scaffold proximal to K745 in EGFR. The optimized compound 26 (as well as its close analog 30), possessing a novel arylfluorosulfate group (ArOSO2F), showed excellent in vitro potency (as low as 0.19 nM in independent IC50 determination) and selectivity against EGFR and many of its drug-resistant mutants. Both intact protein mass spectrometry (MS) and site-mapping analysis revealed that compound 26 covalently bound to EGFR at K745 through the formation of a sulfamate. In addition, compound 26 displayed good anti-proliferative potency against EGFR-overexpressing HCC827 cells by inhibiting endogenous EGFR autophosphorylation. The pharmacokinetic studies of compound 26 demonstrated the druggable potential of other ArOSO2F-containing compounds. Finally, competitive activity-based protein profiling (ABPP), cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), as well as cellular wash-out experiments, all showed compound 26 to be the first cell-active, fluorosulfate-based targeted covalent inhibitor (TCI) of protein kinases capable of covalently engaging the catalytically conserved lysine of its target in live mammalian cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanghui Tang
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - Wei Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Ke Ding
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Discovery of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), Guangzhou City Key Laboratory of Precision Chemical Drug Development, School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China; State Key Laboratory of Bioorganic & Natural Products Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - SoFong Cam Ngan
- Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Jiao-Yu Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Siu Kwan Sze
- Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Liqian Gao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Peiyan Yuan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518000, China.
| | - Xiaoyun Lu
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Discovery of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), Guangzhou City Key Laboratory of Precision Chemical Drug Development, School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
| | - Shao Q Yao
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117543, Singapore.
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12
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Xu L, Zhuang C. Profiling of small-molecule necroptosis inhibitors based on the subpockets of kinase-ligand interactions. Med Res Rev 2023; 43:1974-2024. [PMID: 37119044 DOI: 10.1002/med.21968] [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: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Necroptosis is a highly regulated cell death (RCD) form in various inflammatory diseases. Receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) and RIPK3 are involved in the pathway. Targeting the kinase domains of RIPK1 and/or 3 is a drug design strategy for related diseases. It is generally accepted that essential reoccurring features are observed across the human kinase domains, including RIPK1 and RIPK3. They present common N- and C-terminal domains that are built up mostly by α-helices and β-sheets, respectively. The current RIPK1/3 kinase inhibitors mainly interact with the kinase catalytic cleft. This article aims to present an in-depth profiling for ligand-kinase interactions in the crucial cleft areas by carefully aligning the kinase-ligand cocrystal complexes or molecular docking models. The similarity and differential structural segments of ligands are systematically evaluated. New insights on the adaption of the conserved and selective kinase domains to the diversity of chemical scaffolds are also provided. In a word, our analysis can provide a better structural requirement for RIPK1 and RIPK3 inhibition and a guide for inhibitor discovery and optimization of their potency and selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijuan Xu
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunlin Zhuang
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
- School of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
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13
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Anderson B, Rosston P, Ong HW, Hossain MA, Davis-Gilbert ZW, Drewry DH. How many kinases are druggable? A review of our current understanding. Biochem J 2023; 480:1331-1363. [PMID: 37642371 PMCID: PMC10586788 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20220217] [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: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
There are over 500 human kinases ranging from very well-studied to almost completely ignored. Kinases are tractable and implicated in many diseases, making them ideal targets for medicinal chemistry campaigns, but is it possible to discover a drug for each individual kinase? For every human kinase, we gathered data on their citation count, availability of chemical probes, approved and investigational drugs, PDB structures, and biochemical and cellular assays. Analysis of these factors highlights which kinase groups have a wealth of information available, and which groups still have room for progress. The data suggest a disproportionate focus on the more well characterized kinases while much of the kinome remains comparatively understudied. It is noteworthy that tool compounds for understudied kinases have already been developed, and there is still untapped potential for further development in this chemical space. Finally, this review discusses many of the different strategies employed to generate selectivity between kinases. Given the large volume of information available and the progress made over the past 20 years when it comes to drugging kinases, we believe it is possible to develop a tool compound for every human kinase. We hope this review will prove to be both a useful resource as well as inspire the discovery of a tool for every kinase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Anderson
- Structural Genomics Consortium, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, U.S.A
| | - Peter Rosston
- Structural Genomics Consortium, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, U.S.A
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, U.S.A
| | - Han Wee Ong
- Structural Genomics Consortium, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, U.S.A
| | - Mohammad Anwar Hossain
- Structural Genomics Consortium, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, U.S.A
| | - Zachary W. Davis-Gilbert
- Structural Genomics Consortium, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, U.S.A
| | - David H. Drewry
- Structural Genomics Consortium, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, U.S.A
- UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, U.S.A
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14
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Udompholkul P, Garza-Granados A, Alboreggia G, Baggio C, McGuire J, Pegan SD, Pellecchia M. Characterization of a Potent and Orally Bioavailable Lys-Covalent Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (IAP) Antagonist. J Med Chem 2023. [PMID: 37262387 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We have recently reported on the use of aryl-fluorosulfates in designing water- and plasma-stable agents that covalently target Lys, Tyr, or His residues in the BIR3 domain of the inhibitor of the apoptosis protein (IAP) family. Here, we report further structural, cellular, and pharmacological characterizations of this agent, including the high-resolution structure of the complex between the Lys-covalent agent and its target, the BIR3 domain of X-linked IAP (XIAP). We also compared the cellular efficacy of the agent in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures, side by side with the clinical candidate reversible IAP inhibitor LCL161. Finally, in vivo pharmacokinetic studies indicated that the agent was long-lived and orally bioavailable. Collectively our data further corroborate that aryl-fluorosulfates, when incorporated correctly in a ligand, can result in Lys-covalent agents with pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties that warrant their use in the design of pharmacological probes or even therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parima Udompholkul
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Ana Garza-Granados
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Giulia Alboreggia
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Carlo Baggio
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Jack McGuire
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Scott D Pegan
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Maurizio Pellecchia
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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15
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Puliasis SS, Lewandowska D, Hemsley PA, Zhang R. ProtView: A Versatile Tool for In Silico Protease Evaluation and Selection in a Proteomic and Proteogenomic Context. J Proteome Res 2023. [PMID: 37248202 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.3c00135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Many tools have been created to generate in silico proteome digests with different protease enzymes and provide useful information for selecting optimal digest schemes for specific needs. This can save on time and resources and generate insights on the observable proteome. However, there remains a need for a tool that evaluates digest schemes beyond protein and amino acid coverages in the proteomic domain. Here, we present ProtView, a versatile in silico protease combination digest evaluation workflow that maps in silico-digested peptides to both protein and genome references, so that the potential observable portions of the proteome, transcriptome, and genome can be identified. The proteomic identification and quantification of evidence for transcriptional, co-transcriptional, post-transcriptional, translational, and post-translational regulation can all be examined in silico with ProtView prior to an experiment. Benchmarking against biological data comparing multiple proteases shows that ProtView can correctly estimate performances among the digest schemes. ProtView provides this information in a way that is easy to interpret, allowing for digest schemes to be evaluated before carrying out an experiment, in context that can optimize both proteomic and proteogenomic experiments. ProtView is available at https://github.com/SSPuliasis/ProtView.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia S Puliasis
- Division of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland, UK
- Information and Computational Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, Scotland, UK
| | - Dominika Lewandowska
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, Scotland, UK
| | - Piers A Hemsley
- Division of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland, UK
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, Scotland, UK
| | - Runxuan Zhang
- Information and Computational Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, Scotland, UK
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16
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Zhou Y, Yu H, Vind AC, Kong L, Liu Y, Song X, Tu Z, Yun C, Smaill JB, Zhang QW, Ding K, Bekker-Jensen S, Lu X. Rational Design of Covalent Kinase Inhibitors by an Integrated Computational Workflow (Kin-Cov). J Med Chem 2023. [PMID: 37220641 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Covalent kinase inhibitors (CKIs) hold great promise for drug development. However, examples of computationally guided design of CKIs are still scarce. Here, we present an integrated computational workflow (Kin-Cov) for rational design of CKIs. The design of the first covalent leucine-zipper and sterile-α motif kinase (ZAK) inhibitor was presented as an example to showcase the power of computational workflow for CKI design. The two representative compounds, 7 and 8, inhibited ZAK kinase with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 9.1 and 11.5 nM, respectively. Compound 8 displayed an excellent ZAK target specificity in Kinome profiling against 378 wild-type kinases. Structural biology and cell-based Western blot washout assays validated the irreversible binding characteristics of the compounds. Our study presents a rational approach for the design of CKIs based on the reactivity and accessibility of nucleophilic amino acid residues in a kinase. The workflow is generalizable and can be applied to facilitate CKI-based drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhou
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Discovery of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), Guangzhou City Key Laboratory of Precision Chemical Drug Development, School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 855 Xingye Avenue, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Hang Yu
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Discovery of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), Guangzhou City Key Laboratory of Precision Chemical Drug Development, School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 855 Xingye Avenue, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Anna Constance Vind
- Center for Healthy Aging, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lulu Kong
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Systems Biomedicine and Beijing Key Laboratory of Tumor Systems Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yiling Liu
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Discovery of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), Guangzhou City Key Laboratory of Precision Chemical Drug Development, School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 855 Xingye Avenue, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Xiaojuan Song
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Discovery of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), Guangzhou City Key Laboratory of Precision Chemical Drug Development, School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 855 Xingye Avenue, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Zhengchao Tu
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Discovery of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), Guangzhou City Key Laboratory of Precision Chemical Drug Development, School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 855 Xingye Avenue, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Caihong Yun
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Systems Biomedicine and Beijing Key Laboratory of Tumor Systems Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Jeff B Smaill
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland, Auckland 92019, New Zealand
| | - Qing-Wen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao 999078, China
| | - Ke Ding
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Discovery of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), Guangzhou City Key Laboratory of Precision Chemical Drug Development, School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 855 Xingye Avenue, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Simon Bekker-Jensen
- Center for Healthy Aging, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Xiaoyun Lu
- International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Discovery of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), Guangzhou City Key Laboratory of Precision Chemical Drug Development, School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 855 Xingye Avenue, Guangzhou 510632, China
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17
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Cai Z, Liu T, Lin Q, He J, Lei X, Luo F, Huang Y. Basis for Accurate Protein p Ka Prediction with Machine Learning. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:2936-2947. [PMID: 37146199 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
pH regulates protein structures and the associated functions in many biological processes via protonation and deprotonation of ionizable side chains where the titration equilibria are determined by pKa's. To accelerate pH-dependent molecular mechanism research in the life sciences or industrial protein and drug designs, fast and accurate pKa prediction is crucial. Here we present a theoretical pKa data set PHMD549, which was successfully applied to four distinct machine learning methods, including DeepKa, which was proposed in our previous work. To reach a valid comparison, EXP67S was selected as the test set. Encouragingly, DeepKa was improved significantly and outperforms other state-of-the-art methods, except for the constant-pH molecular dynamics, which was utilized to create PHMD549. More importantly, DeepKa reproduced experimental pKa orders of acidic dyads in five enzyme catalytic sites. Apart from structural proteins, DeepKa was found applicable to intrinsically disordered peptides. Further, in combination with solvent exposures, it is revealed that DeepKa offers the most accurate prediction under the challenging circumstance that hydrogen bonding or salt bridge interaction is partly compensated by desolvation for a buried side chain. Finally, our benchmark data qualify PHMD549 and EXP67S as the basis for future developments of protein pKa prediction tools driven by artificial intelligence. In addition, DeepKa built on PHMD549 has been proven an efficient protein pKa predictor and thus can be applied immediately to, for example, pKa database construction, protein design, drug discovery, and so on.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhitao Cai
- College of Computer Engineering, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Tengzi Liu
- College of Computer Engineering, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Qiaoling Lin
- College of Computer Engineering, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Jiahao He
- College of Computer Engineering, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Xiaowei Lei
- College of Computer Engineering, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Fangfang Luo
- College of Computer Engineering, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Yandong Huang
- College of Computer Engineering, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
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18
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Damghani T, Wittlinger F, Beyett TS, Eck MJ, Laufer SA, Heppner DE. Structural elements that enable specificity for mutant EGFR kinase domains with next-generation small-molecule inhibitors. Methods Enzymol 2023; 685:171-198. [PMID: 37245901 PMCID: PMC10445336 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2023.03.013] [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] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Specificity for a desired enzyme target is an essential property of small-molecule inhibitors. Molecules targeting oncogenic driver mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase domain have had a considerable clinical impact due to their selective binding to cancer-causing mutants compared to wild type. Despite the availability of clinically approved drugs for cancers driven by EGFR mutants, persistent challenges in drug resistance in the past decades have led to newer generations of drugs with divergent chemical structures. The current clinical challenges are mainly due to acquired resistance to third-generation inhibitors, including by the acquisition of the C797S mutation. Several diverse fourth-generation candidates and tool compounds that inhibit the C797S mutant have emerged, and their structural characterization has revealed molecular factors that allow for EGFR mutant selective binding. Here, we have reviewed all known structurally-characterized EGFR TKIs targeting clinically-relevant mutations to identify specific features that enable C797S inhibition. Newer generation EGFR inhibitors exhibit consistent and previously underutilized hydrogen bonding interactions with the conserved K745 and D855 residue side chains. We also consider binding modes and hydrogen bonding interactions of inhibitors targeting the classical ATP and the more unique allosteric sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahereh Damghani
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Florian Wittlinger
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tyler S Beyett
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Michael J Eck
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Stefan A Laufer
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery & Development (TüCAD2), Tübingen, Germany
| | - David E Heppner
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, United States; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, United States.
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19
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Chen P, Tang G, Zhu C, Sun J, Wang X, Xiang M, Huang H, Wang W, Li L, Zhang ZM, Gao L, Yao SQ. 2-Ethynylbenzaldehyde-Based, Lysine-Targeting Irreversible Covalent Inhibitors for Protein Kinases and Nonkinases. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:3844-3849. [PMID: 36774655 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c11595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
Abstract
Lysine-targeting irreversible covalent inhibitors have attracted growing interests in recent years, especially in the fields of kinase research. Despite encouraging progress, few chemistries are available to develop inhibitors that are exclusively lysine-targeting, selective, and cell-active. We report herein a 2-ethynylbenzaldehyde (EBA)-based, lysine-targeting strategy to generate potent and selective small-molecule inhibitors of ABL kinase by selectively targeting the conserved catalytic lysine in the enzyme. We showed the resulting compounds were cell-active, capable of covalently engaging endogenous ABL kinase in K562 cells with long-residence time and few off-targets. We further validated the generality of this strategy by developing EBA-based irreversible inhibitors against EGFR (a kinase) and Mcl-1 (a nonkinase) that covalently reacted with the catalytic and noncatalytic lysine within each target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Guanghui Tang
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Chengjun Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Jie Sun
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Menghua Xiang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Huisi Huang
- School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Wei Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Lin Li
- The Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE, Future Technologies), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Zhi-Min Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Liqian Gao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Shao Q Yao
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
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20
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Arafet K, Scalvini L, Galvani F, Martí S, Moliner V, Mor M, Lodola A. Mechanistic Modeling of Lys745 Sulfonylation in EGFR C797S Reveals Chemical Determinants for Inhibitor Activity and Discriminates Reversible from Irreversible Agents. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:1301-1312. [PMID: 36762429 PMCID: PMC9976278 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Targeted covalent inhibitors hold promise for drug discovery, particularly for kinases. Targeting the catalytic lysine of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has attracted attention as a new strategy to overcome resistance due to the emergence of C797S mutation. Sulfonyl fluoride derivatives able to inhibit EGFRL858R/T790M/C797S by sulfonylation of Lys745 have been reported. However, atomistic details of this process are still poorly understood. Here, we describe the mechanism of inhibition of an innovative class of compounds that covalently engage the catalytic lysine of EGFR, through a sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange (SuFEx) process, with the help of hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) and path collective variables (PCVs) approaches. Our simulations identify the chemical determinants accounting for the irreversible activity of agents targeting Lys745 and provide hints for the further optimization of sulfonyl fluoride agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kemel Arafet
- Dipartimento
di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/A, I- 43124 Parma, Italy,BioComp
Group, Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM), Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castelló, Spain
| | - Laura Scalvini
- Dipartimento
di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/A, I- 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Francesca Galvani
- Dipartimento
di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/A, I- 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Sergio Martí
- BioComp
Group, Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM), Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castelló, Spain
| | - Vicent Moliner
- BioComp
Group, Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM), Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castelló, Spain
| | - Marco Mor
- Dipartimento
di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/A, I- 43124 Parma, Italy,Microbiome
Research Hub, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, I-43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Alessio Lodola
- Dipartimento
di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/A, I- 43124 Parma, Italy,. Phone: +39 0521 905062. Fax: +39 0521 905006
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21
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Fındık V, Varınca Gerçik BT, Sinek Ö, Erdem SS, Ruiz-López MF. Mechanistic Investigation of Lysine-Targeted Covalent Inhibition of PI3Kδ via ONIOM QM:QM Computations. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:6775-6787. [PMID: 35980989 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) enzymes are important drug targets, especially in oncology, and several inhibitors are currently under investigation in clinical trials for the treatment of lymphocytic leukemia, follicular lymphoma, breast, thyroid, colorectal, and lung cancer. Targeted covalent inhibitors hold significant promise for drug discovery research especially for kinases. Targeting the lysine residues attracts attention as a new strategy in designing targeted covalent inhibitors, since the lysine residue provides several advantages over the traditional cysteine residue. Recently, new highly selective covalent inhibitors of PI3Kδ with activated ester warheads, targeting the conserved Lys779 residue, were reported. Based on the observed kinetics, a covalent inhibition mechanism was proposed, but the atomistic details of the reaction are still not understood. Therefore, in the present work, we have conducted quantum chemical ONIOM M06-2X/6-31+G(d,p):PM6 calculations on the active site cluster structure of PI3Kδ to elucidate the microscopic details of the mechanism of the aminolysis reaction between Lys779 and the ester inhibitors. Our calculations clearly discriminate the noncovalent methyl ester inhibitor and the covalent inhibitors with activated phenolic esters. For the representative p-NO2, p-F, p-H, and p-OCH3 phenolic esters, the Gibbs free energy profiles of alternative mechanistic paths through either Asp782 or Asp911 demonstrate the modulatory role of active site aspartate residues. The most plausible path alters depending on the electron-withdrawing/donating nature of the p-substituted phenolate leaving group. Inhibitors with sufficiently strong electron-withdrawing group prefer direct dissociation of the leaving group from the tetrahedral zwitterion intermediate, while the ones with electron-donating group favor the formation of a neutral tetrahedral intermediate prior to the dissociation. The relative Gibbs free energy barriers of p-NO2 < p-F < p-H < p-OCH3 substituted phenyl esters display the same qualitative trend as the experimentally measured kinact/KI values. Our results provide in depth insight into the mechanism, which can pave the way for optimizing the inhibitor efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volkan Fındık
- LPCT, UMR 7019, University of Lorraine, CNRS, 54000, Nancy, France.,Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Marmara University, 34722, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | - Öykü Sinek
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Marmara University, 34722, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Safiye Sağ Erdem
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Marmara University, 34722, Istanbul, Turkey
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22
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Harris JA, Liu R, Martins de Oliveira V, Vázquez-Montelongo EA, Henderson JA, Shen J. GPU-Accelerated All-Atom Particle-Mesh Ewald Continuous Constant pH Molecular Dynamics in Amber. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:7510-7527. [PMID: 36377980 PMCID: PMC10130738 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Constant pH molecular dynamics (MD) simulations sample protonation states on the fly according to the conformational environment and user specified pH conditions; however, the current accuracy is limited due to the use of implicit-solvent models or a hybrid solvent scheme. Here, we report the first GPU-accelerated implementation, parametrization, and validation of the all-atom continuous constant pH MD (CpHMD) method with particle-mesh Ewald (PME) electrostatics in the Amber22 pmemd.cuda engine. The titration parameters for Asp, Glu, His, Cys, and Lys were derived for the CHARMM c22 and Amber ff14sb and ff19sb force fields. We then evaluated the PME-CpHMD method using the asynchronous pH replica-exchange titration simulations with the c22 force field for six benchmark proteins, including BBL, hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL), staphylococcal nuclease (SNase), thioredoxin, ribonuclease A (RNaseA), and human muscle creatine kinase (HMCK). The root-mean-square deviation from the experimental pKa's of Asp, Glu, His, and Cys is 0.76 pH units, and the Pearson's correlation coefficient for the pKa shifts with respect to model values is 0.80. We demonstrated that a finite-size correction or much enlarged simulation box size can remove a systematic error of the calculated pKa's and improve agreement with experiment. Importantly, the simulations captured the relevant biology in several challenging cases, e.g., the titration order of the catalytic dyad Glu35/Asp52 in HEWL and the coupled residues Asp19/Asp21 in SNase, the large pKa upshift of the deeply buried catalytic Asp26 in thioredoxin, and the large pKa downshift of the deeply buried catalytic Cys283 in HMCK. We anticipate that PME-CpHMD will offer proper pH control to improve the accuracies of MD simulations and enable mechanistic studies of proton-coupled dynamical processes that are ubiquitous in biology but remain poorly understood due to the lack of experimental tools and limitation of current MD simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Harris
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland21201, United States
| | - Ruibin Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland21201, United States
| | - Vinicius Martins de Oliveira
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland21201, United States.,Lilly Biotechnology Center, San Diego, California92121, United States
| | | | - Jack A Henderson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland21201, United States
| | - Jana Shen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland21201, United States
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23
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de Oliveira VM, Liu R, Shen J. Constant pH molecular dynamics simulations: Current status and recent applications. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 77:102498. [PMID: 36410222 PMCID: PMC9933785 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Many important protein functions are carried out through proton-coupled conformational dynamics. Thus, the ability to accurately model protonation states dynamically has wide-ranging implications. Over the past two decades, two main types of constant pH methods (discrete and continuous) have been developed to enable proton-coupled molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In this short review, we discuss the current status of the development and highlight recent applications that have advanced our understanding of protein structure-function relationships. We conclude the review by outlining the remaining challenges in the method development and projecting important areas for future applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicius Martins de Oliveira
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 Penn Street, Baltimore, 20201, Maryland, U.S.A
| | - Ruibin Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 Penn Street, Baltimore, 20201, Maryland, U.S.A
| | - Jana Shen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 Penn Street, Baltimore, 20201, MD, USA.
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24
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McAulay K, Bilsland A, Bon M. Reactivity of Covalent Fragments and Their Role in Fragment Based Drug Discovery. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:1366. [PMID: 36355538 PMCID: PMC9694498 DOI: 10.3390/ph15111366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Fragment based drug discovery has long been used for the identification of new ligands and interest in targeted covalent inhibitors has continued to grow in recent years, with high profile drugs such as osimertinib and sotorasib gaining FDA approval. It is therefore unsurprising that covalent fragment-based approaches have become popular and have recently led to the identification of novel targets and binding sites, as well as ligands for targets previously thought to be 'undruggable'. Understanding the properties of such covalent fragments is important, and characterizing and/or predicting reactivity can be highly useful. This review aims to discuss the requirements for an electrophilic fragment library and the importance of differing warhead reactivity. Successful case studies from the world of drug discovery are then be examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten McAulay
- Cancer Research Horizons—Therapeutic Innovation, Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, University of Dundee, Nethergate, Dundee DD1 4HN, UK
| | - Alan Bilsland
- Cancer Research Horizons—Therapeutic Innovation, Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
| | - Marta Bon
- Cancer Research Horizons—Therapeutic Innovation, Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Exscientia, The Schrödinger Building, Oxford Science Park, Oxford OX4 4GE, UK
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25
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Bon M, Bilsland A, Bower J, McAulay K. Fragment-based drug discovery-the importance of high-quality molecule libraries. Mol Oncol 2022; 16:3761-3777. [PMID: 35749608 PMCID: PMC9627785 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) is now established as a complementary approach to high-throughput screening (HTS). Contrary to HTS, where large libraries of drug-like molecules are screened, FBDD screens involve smaller and less complex molecules which, despite a low affinity to protein targets, display more 'atom-efficient' binding interactions than larger molecules. Fragment hits can, therefore, serve as a more efficient start point for subsequent optimisation, particularly for hard-to-drug targets. Since the number of possible molecules increases exponentially with molecular size, small fragment libraries allow for a proportionately greater coverage of their respective 'chemical space' compared with larger HTS libraries comprising larger molecules. However, good library design is essential to ensure optimal chemical and pharmacophore diversity, molecular complexity, and physicochemical characteristics. In this review, we describe our views on fragment library design, and on what constitutes a good fragment from a medicinal and computational chemistry perspective. We highlight emerging chemical and computational technologies in FBDD and discuss strategies for optimising fragment hits. The impact of novel FBDD approaches is already being felt, with the recent approval of the covalent KRASG12C inhibitor sotorasib highlighting the utility of FBDD against targets that were long considered undruggable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Bon
- Cancer Research HorizonsCancer Research UK Beatson InstituteGlasgowUK
| | - Alan Bilsland
- Cancer Research HorizonsCancer Research UK Beatson InstituteGlasgowUK
| | - Justin Bower
- Cancer Research HorizonsCancer Research UK Beatson InstituteGlasgowUK
| | - Kirsten McAulay
- Cancer Research HorizonsCancer Research UK Beatson InstituteGlasgowUK
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26
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Henderson JA, Liu R, Harris JA, Huang Y, de Oliveira VM, Shen J. A Guide to the Continuous Constant pH Molecular Dynamics Methods in Amber and CHARMM [Article v1.0]. LIVING JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR SCIENCE 2022; 4:1563. [PMID: 36776714 PMCID: PMC9910290 DOI: 10.33011/livecoms.4.1.1563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Like temperature and pressure, solution pH is an important environmental variable in biomolecular simulations. Virtually all proteins depend on pH to maintain their structure and function. In conventional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of proteins, pH is implicitly accounted for by assigning and fixing protonation states of titratable sidechains. This is a significant limitation, as the assigned protonation states may be wrong and they may change during dynamics. In this tutorial, we guide the reader in learning and using the various continuous constant pH MD methods in Amber and CHARMM packages, which have been applied to predict pK a values and elucidate proton-coupled conformational dynamics of a variety of proteins including enzymes and membrane transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ruibin Liu
- University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD
| | | | - Yandong Huang
- University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD
| | | | - Jana Shen
- University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD
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27
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Sõrmus T, Lavogina D, Teearu A, Enkvist E, Uri A, Viht K. Construction of Covalent Bisubstrate Inhibitor of Protein Kinase Reacting with Cysteine Residue at Substrate-Binding Site. J Med Chem 2022; 65:10975-10991. [PMID: 35960538 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Recent clinical success with targeted covalent inhibitors points to new possibilities for development of protein kinase (PK)-targeted drugs by exploiting reactive cysteine residues in and around the ATP-binding site. However, more than 300 human PKs lack cysteine residues in the ATP-binding site. Here, we report the first covalent bisubstrate PK inhibitor whose electrophilic warhead reaches outside the ATP-binding site and reacts with a distant cysteine residue. A series of covalent inhibitors and their reversible counterparts were synthesized and characterized. The most potent reversible inhibitor possessed picomolar affinity and its cysteine-reactive counterpart revealed high value of kinact/KI ratio (6.2 × 107 M-1 s-1) for the reaction with the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent PK (PKAc). Under optimized conditions, fluorescent dye-labeled covalent inhibitors demonstrated PKA-selectivity in the cell lysate and reacted with several proteins inside live cells, including PKAc. The disclosed compounds serve as leads for targeting PKs possessing an analogously positioned cysteine residue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanel Sõrmus
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 14A Ravila St., 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Darja Lavogina
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 14A Ravila St., 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Anu Teearu
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 14A Ravila St., 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Erki Enkvist
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 14A Ravila St., 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Asko Uri
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 14A Ravila St., 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kaido Viht
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 14A Ravila St., 50411 Tartu, Estonia
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28
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Du H, Jiang D, Gao J, Zhang X, Jiang L, Zeng Y, Wu Z, Shen C, Xu L, Cao D, Hou T, Pan P. Proteome-Wide Profiling of the Covalent-Druggable Cysteines with a Structure-Based Deep Graph Learning Network. Research (Wash D C) 2022; 2022:9873564. [PMID: 35958111 PMCID: PMC9343084 DOI: 10.34133/2022/9873564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Covalent ligands have attracted increasing attention due to their unique advantages, such as long residence time, high selectivity, and strong binding affinity. They also show promise for targets where previous efforts to identify noncovalent small molecule inhibitors have failed. However, our limited knowledge of covalent binding sites has hindered the discovery of novel ligands. Therefore, developing in silico methods to identify covalent binding sites is highly desirable. Here, we propose DeepCoSI, the first structure-based deep graph learning model to identify ligandable covalent sites in the protein. By integrating the characterization of the binding pocket and the interactions between each cysteine and the surrounding environment, DeepCoSI achieves state-of-the-art predictive performances. The validation on two external test sets which mimic the real application scenarios shows that DeepCoSI has strong ability to distinguish ligandable sites from the others. Finally, we profiled the entire set of protein structures in the RCSB Protein Data Bank (PDB) with DeepCoSI to evaluate the ligandability of each cysteine for covalent ligand design, and made the predicted data publicly available on website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Du
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 Zhejiang, China
- State Key Lab of CAD&CG, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 Zhejiang, China
| | - Dejun Jiang
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 Zhejiang, China
- State Key Lab of CAD&CG, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 Zhejiang, China
| | - Junbo Gao
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 Zhejiang, China
| | - Xujun Zhang
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 Zhejiang, China
| | - Lingxiao Jiang
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 Zhejiang, China
| | - Yundian Zeng
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhenxing Wu
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 Zhejiang, China
| | - Chao Shen
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 Zhejiang, China
| | - Lei Xu
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Medical Engineering, School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou 213001, China
| | - Dongsheng Cao
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410004 Hunan, China
| | - Tingjun Hou
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 Zhejiang, China
- State Key Lab of CAD&CG, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 Zhejiang, China
| | - Peichen Pan
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 Zhejiang, China
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29
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Chen P, Sun J, Zhu C, Tang G, Wang W, Xu M, Xiang M, Zhang CJ, Zhang ZM, Gao L, Yao SQ. Cell-Active, Reversible, and Irreversible Covalent Inhibitors That Selectively Target the Catalytic Lysine of BCR-ABL Kinase. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202203878. [PMID: 35438229 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202203878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite recent interests in developing lysine-targeting covalent inhibitors, no general approach is available to create such compounds. We report herein a general approach to develop cell-active covalent inhibitors of protein kinases by targeting the conserved catalytic lysine residue using key SuFEx and salicylaldehyde-based imine chemistries. We validated the strategy by successfully developing (irreversible and reversible) covalent inhibitors against BCR-ABL kinase. Our lead compounds showed high levels of selectivity in biochemical assays, exhibited nanomolar potency against endogenous ABL kinase in cellular assays, and were active against most drug-resistant ABL mutations. Among them, the salicylaldehyde-containing A5 is the first-ever reversible covalent ABL inhibitor that possessed time-dependent ABL inhibition with prolonged residence time and few cellular off-targets in K562 cells. Bioinformatics further suggested the generality of our strategy against the human kinome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Jie Sun
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Chengjun Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou, 510632, China.,Guangdong Youmei Institute of Intelligent Bio-manufacturing Foshan, Guangdong, 528200, China
| | - Guanghui Tang
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - Wei Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Manyi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines and Beijing Key Laboratory of Active Substances Discovery and, Drugability Evaluation, Institute of Materia Medica, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Menghua Xiang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Chong-Jing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines and Beijing Key Laboratory of Active Substances Discovery and, Drugability Evaluation, Institute of Materia Medica, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Zhi-Min Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou, 510632, China.,Guangdong Youmei Institute of Intelligent Bio-manufacturing Foshan, Guangdong, 528200, China
| | - Liqian Gao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Shao Q Yao
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
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30
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Jiang H, Zhang Q, Zhang Y, Feng H, Jiang H, Pu F, Yu R, Zhong Z, Wang C, Fung YME, Blasco P, Li Y, Jiang T, Li X. Triazine-pyridine chemistry for protein labelling on tyrosine. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:7066-7069. [PMID: 35648412 DOI: 10.1039/d2cc01528e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Herein, we discover the new reactivity of the 1,3,5-triazine moiety reacting with a phenol group and report the development of biocompatible and catalyst-free triazine-pyridine chemistry (TPC) for tyrosine labelling under physiological conditions and profiling in the whole proteome. TPC exhibited high tyrosine chemoselectivity in biological systems after cysteine blocking, displayed potential in tyrosine-guided protein labelling, and had bio-compatibility in live cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongfei Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs Chinese Ministry of Education, Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
| | - Qing Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Huxin Feng
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs Chinese Ministry of Education, Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
| | - Hao Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs Chinese Ministry of Education, Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
| | - Fan Pu
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Rilei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs Chinese Ministry of Education, Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
| | - Zheng Zhong
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Chaoming Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs Chinese Ministry of Education, Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
| | - Yi Man Eva Fung
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Pilar Blasco
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Yongxin Li
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Tao Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs Chinese Ministry of Education, Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
| | - Xuechen Li
- Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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31
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Chen P, Sun J, Zhu C, Tang G, Wang W, Xu M, Xiang M, Zhang C, Zhang Z, Gao L, Yao SQ. Cell‐Active, Reversible, and Irreversible Covalent Inhibitors That Selectively Target the Catalytic Lysine of BCR‐ABL Kinase. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202203878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peng Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen) Sun Yat-sen University Shenzhen 518107 China
| | - Jie Sun
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen) Sun Yat-sen University Shenzhen 518107 China
| | - Chengjun Zhu
- School of Pharmacy Jinan University 601 Huangpu Avenue West Guangzhou 510632 China
- Guangdong Youmei Institute of Intelligent Bio-manufacturing Foshan Guangdong 528200 China
| | - Guanghui Tang
- Department of Chemistry National University of Singapore Singapore 117543 Singapore
| | - Wei Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen) Sun Yat-sen University Shenzhen 518107 China
| | - Manyi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines and Beijing Key Laboratory of Active Substances Discovery and Drugability Evaluation, Institute of Materia Medica, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Beijing 100050 China
| | - Menghua Xiang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen) Sun Yat-sen University Shenzhen 518107 China
| | - Chong‐Jing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines and Beijing Key Laboratory of Active Substances Discovery and Drugability Evaluation, Institute of Materia Medica, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Beijing 100050 China
| | - Zhi‐Min Zhang
- School of Pharmacy Jinan University 601 Huangpu Avenue West Guangzhou 510632 China
- Guangdong Youmei Institute of Intelligent Bio-manufacturing Foshan Guangdong 528200 China
| | - Liqian Gao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen) Sun Yat-sen University Shenzhen 518107 China
| | - Shao Q. Yao
- Department of Chemistry National University of Singapore Singapore 117543 Singapore
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32
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Earley D, Guillou A, Klingler S, Fay R, Gut M, d’Orchymont F, Behmaneshfar S, Reichert L, Holland JP. Charting the Chemical and Mechanistic Scope of Light-Triggered Protein Ligation. JACS AU 2022; 2:646-664. [PMID: 35373206 PMCID: PMC8970001 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.1c00530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The creation of discrete, covalent bonds between a protein and a functional molecule like a drug, fluorophore, or radiolabeled complex is essential for making state-of-the-art tools that find applications in basic science and clinical medicine. Photochemistry offers a unique set of reactive groups that hold potential for the synthesis of protein conjugates. Previous studies have demonstrated that photoactivatable desferrioxamine B (DFO) derivatives featuring a para-substituted aryl azide (ArN3) can be used to produce viable zirconium-89-radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies (89Zr-mAbs) for applications in noninvasive diagnostic positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of cancers. Here, we report on the synthesis, 89Zr-radiochemistry, and light-triggered photoradiosynthesis of 89Zr-labeled human serum albumin (HSA) using a series of 14 different photoactivatable DFO derivatives. The photoactive groups explore a range of substituted, and isomeric ArN3 reagents, as well as derivatives of benzophenone, a para-substituted trifluoromethyl phenyl diazirine, and a tetrazole species. For the compounds studied, efficient photochemical activation occurs inside the UVA-to-visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum (∼365-450 nm) and the photochemical reactions with HSA in water were complete within 15 min under ambient conditions. Under standardized experimental conditions, photoradiosynthesis with compounds 1-14 produced the corresponding 89ZrDFO-PEG3-HSA conjugates with decay-corrected isolated radiochemical yields between 18.1 ± 1.8% and 62.3 ± 3.6%. Extensive density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to explore the reaction mechanisms and chemoselectivity of the light-induced bimolecular conjugation of compounds 1-14 to protein. The photoactivatable DFO-derivatives operate by at least five distinct mechanisms, each producing a different type of bioconjugate bond. Overall, the experimental and computational work presented here confirms that photochemistry is a viable option for making diverse, functionalized protein conjugates.
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33
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Liu R, Verma N, Henderson JA, Zhan S, Shen J. Profiling MAP kinase cysteines for targeted covalent inhibitor design. RSC Med Chem 2022; 13:54-63. [PMID: 35224496 PMCID: PMC8792824 DOI: 10.1039/d1md00277e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) are important therapeutic targets, and yet no inhibitors have advanced to the market. Here we applied the GPU-accelerated continuous constant pH molecular dynamics (CpHMD) to calculate the pK a's and profile the cysteine reactivities of all 14 MAPKs for assisting the targeted covalent inhibitor design. The simulations not only recapitulated but also rationalized the reactive cysteines in the front pocket of JNK1/2/3 and the extended front pocket of p38α. Interestingly, the DFG - 1 cysteine in the DFG-in conformation of ERK1/ERK2 was found somewhat reactive or unreactive; however, simulations of MKK7 showed that switching to the DFG-out conformation makes the DFG - 1 cysteine reactive, suggesting the advantage of type II covalent inhibitors. Additionally, the simulations prospectively predicted several druggable cysteine and lysine sites, including the αH head cysteine in JNK1/3 and DFG + 6 cysteine in JNK2, corroborating the chemical proteomic screening data. Given the low cost and the ability to offer physics-based rationales, we envision CpHMD simulations to complement the chemo-proteomic platform for systematic profiling cysteine reactivities for targeted covalent drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruibin Liu
- University of Maryland School of Pharmacy Baltimore MD USA
| | - Neha Verma
- University of Maryland School of Pharmacy Baltimore MD USA
| | | | - Shaoqi Zhan
- University of Maryland School of Pharmacy Baltimore MD USA
| | - Jana Shen
- University of Maryland School of Pharmacy Baltimore MD USA
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34
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Guillou A, Nisli E, Klingler S, Linden A, Holland JP. Photoactivatable Fluorescent Tags for Dual-Modality Positron Emission Tomography Optical Imaging. J Med Chem 2022; 65:811-823. [PMID: 34981931 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Fluorescent protein conjugates are vital tools in a wide range of scientific disciplines from basic biochemical research to applications in clinical pathology and intraoperative surgery. We report the synthesis and characterization of photoactivatable fluorophores (PhotoTags) based on the functionalization of coumarin, fluorescein, BODIPY, rhodamine B, and cyanine dyes with a photochemically active aryl azide group. Photochemical labeling experiments using human serum albumin produced fluorescent proteins in high yields under irradiation with ultraviolet light for <15 min. We also synthesized DFO-RhodB-PEG3-ArN3─a photoactivatable compound that can be radiolabeled with 89Zr for applications in optical imaging and positron emission tomography. One-pot 89Zr-radiolabeling and light-induced protein conjugation produced [89Zr]ZrDFO-RhodB-PEG3-azepin-trastuzumab. Proof-of-concept studies in vitro and in vivo confirmed that [89Zr]ZrDFO-RhodB-PEG3-azepin-trastuzumab is a potential dual-modality agent for detecting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu) expression. Overall, the PhotoTag technology represents a rapid, synthetically versatile, and user-friendly approach for generating novel protein conjugates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaury Guillou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Eda Nisli
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simon Klingler
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anthony Linden
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jason P Holland
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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35
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Dana D, Das T, Choi A, Bhuiyan AI, Das TK, Talele TT, Pathak SK. Nek2 Kinase Signaling in Malaria, Bone, Immune and Kidney Disorders to Metastatic Cancers and Drug Resistance: Progress on Nek2 Inhibitor Development. Molecules 2022; 27:347. [PMID: 35056661 PMCID: PMC8779408 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27020347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell cycle kinases represent an important component of the cell machinery that controls signal transduction involved in cell proliferation, growth, and differentiation. Nek2 is a mitotic Ser/Thr kinase that localizes predominantly to centrosomes and kinetochores and orchestrates centrosome disjunction and faithful chromosomal segregation. Its activity is tightly regulated during the cell cycle with the help of other kinases and phosphatases and via proteasomal degradation. Increased levels of Nek2 kinase can promote centrosome amplification (CA), mitotic defects, chromosome instability (CIN), tumor growth, and cancer metastasis. While it remains a highly attractive target for the development of anti-cancer therapeutics, several new roles of the Nek2 enzyme have recently emerged: these include drug resistance, bone, ciliopathies, immune and kidney diseases, and parasitic diseases such as malaria. Therefore, Nek2 is at the interface of multiple cellular processes and can influence numerous cellular signaling networks. Herein, we provide a critical overview of Nek2 kinase biology and discuss the signaling roles it plays in both normal and diseased human physiology. While the majority of research efforts over the last two decades have focused on the roles of Nek2 kinase in tumor development and cancer metastasis, the signaling mechanisms involving the key players associated with several other notable human diseases are highlighted here. We summarize the efforts made so far to develop Nek2 inhibitory small molecules, illustrate their action modalities, and provide our opinion on the future of Nek2-targeted therapeutics. It is anticipated that the functional inhibition of Nek2 kinase will be a key strategy going forward in drug development, with applications across multiple human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dibyendu Dana
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Queens College of the City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367, USA; (D.D.); (T.D.); (A.C.); (A.I.B.)
- KemPharm Inc., 2200 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Tuhin Das
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Queens College of the City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367, USA; (D.D.); (T.D.); (A.C.); (A.I.B.)
| | - Athena Choi
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Queens College of the City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367, USA; (D.D.); (T.D.); (A.C.); (A.I.B.)
- Brooklyn Technical High School, 29 Fort Greene Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11217, USA
| | - Ashif I. Bhuiyan
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Queens College of the City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367, USA; (D.D.); (T.D.); (A.C.); (A.I.B.)
- Chemistry Doctoral Program, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Tirtha K. Das
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA;
- Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Department of Genetics and Genomic Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Tanaji T. Talele
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John’s University, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens, NY 11439, USA;
| | - Sanjai K. Pathak
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Queens College of the City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367, USA; (D.D.); (T.D.); (A.C.); (A.I.B.)
- Chemistry Doctoral Program, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Biochemistry Doctoral Program, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA
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Cai Z, Luo F, Wang Y, Li E, Huang Y. Protein p K a Prediction with Machine Learning. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:34823-34831. [PMID: 34963965 PMCID: PMC8697405 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c05440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Protein pK a prediction is essential for the investigation of the pH-associated relationship between protein structure and function. In this work, we introduce a deep learning-based protein pK a predictor DeepKa, which is trained and validated with the pK a values derived from continuous constant-pH molecular dynamics (CpHMD) simulations of 279 soluble proteins. Here, the CpHMD implemented in the Amber molecular dynamics package has been employed (Huang Y.J. Chem. Inf. Model.2018, 58, 1372-1383). Notably, to avoid discontinuities at the boundary, grid charges are proposed to represent protein electrostatics. We show that the prediction accuracy by DeepKa is close to that by CpHMD benchmarking simulations, validating DeepKa as an efficient protein pK a predictor. In addition, the training and validation sets created in this study can be applied to the development of machine learning-based protein pK a predictors in the future. Finally, the grid charge representation is general and applicable to other topics, such as the protein-ligand binding affinity prediction.
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Ferlenghi F, Scalvini L, Vacondio F, Castelli R, Bozza N, Marseglia G, Rivara S, Lodola A, La Monica S, Minari R, Petronini PG, Alfieri R, Tiseo M, Mor M. A sulfonyl fluoride derivative inhibits EGFR L858R/T790M/C797S by covalent modification of the catalytic lysine. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 225:113786. [PMID: 34464874 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of the C797S mutation in EGFR is a frequent mechanism of resistance to osimertinib in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the present work, we report the design, synthesis and biochemical characterization of UPR1444 (compound 11), a new sulfonyl fluoride derivative which potently and irreversibly inhibits EGFRL858R/T790M/C797S through the formation of a sulfonamide bond with the catalytic residue Lys745. Enzymatic assays show that compound 11 displayed an inhibitory activity on EGFRWT comparable to that of osimertinib, and it resulted more selective than the sulfonyl fluoride probe XO44, recently reported to inhibit a significant part of the kinome. Neither compound 11 nor XO44 inhibited EGFRdel19/T790M/C797S triple mutant. When tested in Ba/F3 cells expressing EGFRL858R/T790M/C797S, compound 11 resulted significantly more potent than osimertinib at inhibiting both EGFR autophosphorylation and proliferation, even if the inhibition of EGFR autophosphorylation by compound 11 in Ba/F3 cells was not long lasting.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Scalvini
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | | | | | - Nicole Bozza
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | | | - Silvia Rivara
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Alessio Lodola
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
| | - Silvia La Monica
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Roberta Minari
- Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | | | - Roberta Alfieri
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Marcello Tiseo
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Marco Mor
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
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38
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Fındık V, Ruiz-López MF, Erdem SS. Mechanistic insights into lysine-targeting covalent inhibition through a theoretical study of ester aminolysis. Org Biomol Chem 2021; 19:9996-10004. [PMID: 34755747 DOI: 10.1039/d1ob01963e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Development of targeted covalent inhibitors in drug design has a broad and important interest and many efforts are currently being made in this direction. Targeted covalent inhibitors have special relevance in oncology due to the possibilities they offer to overcome the problems of acquired resistance. In recent experiments, lysine-targeting has been envisaged for the irreversible inhibition of the heterodimeric lipid kinase phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta (PI3Kδ). Activated esters have been evaluated and shown to be promising inhibitors of this enzyme, but the reaction mechanisms display specificities that are not yet fully understood. In the present work, we have carried out a theoretical study of the aminolysis reaction of model esters in aqueous solution to gain insights into the corresponding biological processes. We have found that phenolic esters bearing electron-withdrawing groups are particularly reactive. The predicted mechanism involves the formation of a tetrahedral zwitterionic intermediate, which dissociates into an alkoxide and a protonated amide, this charge separation being the driving force for the subsequent proton transfer and final product formation. Structure-reactivity relationships are reported and shown to be a useful tool for evaluating potential inhibitor candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volkan Fındık
- LPCT, UMR 7019, University of Lorraine, CNRS, BP 70239, 54506 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France. .,Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Marmara University, 34722 Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Manuel F Ruiz-López
- LPCT, UMR 7019, University of Lorraine, CNRS, BP 70239, 54506 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France.
| | - Safiye Sag Erdem
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Marmara University, 34722 Istanbul, Turkey.
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39
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Udompholkul P, Baggio C, Gambini L, Alboreggia G, Pellecchia M. Lysine Covalent Antagonists of Melanoma Inhibitors of Apoptosis Protein. J Med Chem 2021; 64:16147-16158. [PMID: 34705456 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
We have recently reported on Lys-covalent agents that, based on aryl-sulfonyl fluorides, were designed to target binding site Lys 311 in the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP). Similar to XIAP, melanoma-IAP (ML-IAP), a less well-characterized IAP family protein, also presents a lysine residue (Lys 135), which is in a position equivalent to that of Lys 311 of XIAP. On the contrary, two other members of the IAP family, namely, cellular-IAPs (cIAP1 and cIAP2), present a glutamic acid residue in that position. Hence, in the present work, we describe the derivation and characterization of the very first potent ML-IAP Lys-covalent inhibitor with cellular activity. The agent can be used as a pharmacological tool to further validate ML-IAP as a drug target and eventually for the development of ML-IAP-targeted therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parima Udompholkul
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Carlo Baggio
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Luca Gambini
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Giulia Alboreggia
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Maurizio Pellecchia
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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40
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Liu R, Zhan S, Che Y, Shen J. Reactivities of the Front Pocket N-Terminal Cap Cysteines in Human Kinases. J Med Chem 2021; 65:1525-1535. [PMID: 34647463 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The front pocket (FP) N-terminal cap (Ncap) cysteine is the most popular site of covalent modification in kinases. A long-standing hypothesis associates the Ncap position with cysteine hyper-reactivity; however, traditional computational predictions suggest that the FP Ncap cysteines are predominantly unreactive. Here we applied the state-of-the-art continuous constant pH molecular dynamics (CpHMD) to test the Ncap hypothesis. Simulations found that the Ncap cysteines of BTK/BMX/TEC/ITK/TXK, JAK3, and MKK7 are reactive to varying degrees; however, those of BLK and EGFR/ERBB2/ERBB4 possessing a Ncap+3 aspartate are unreactive. Analysis suggested that hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions drive the reactivity, and their absence renders the Ncap cysteine unreactive. To further test the Ncap hypothesis, we examined the FP Ncap+2 cysteines in JNK1/JNK2/JNK3 and CASK. Our work offers a systematic understanding of the cysteine structure-reactivity relationship and illustrates the use of CpHMD to differentiate cysteines toward the design of targeted covalent inhibitors with reduced chemical reactivities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruibin Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Shaoqi Zhan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Ye Che
- Discovery Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - Jana Shen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
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41
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Quach D, Tang G, Anantharajan J, Baburajendran N, Poulsen A, Wee JLK, Retna P, Li R, Liu B, Tee DHY, Kwek PZ, Joy JK, Yang W, Zhang C, Foo K, Keller TH, Yao SQ. Strategic Design of Catalytic Lysine‐Targeting Reversible Covalent BCR‐ABL Inhibitors**. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202105383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Quach
- NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering 21 Lower Kent Ridge, University Hall, Tan China Tuan Wing, #04-02 Singapore 119077 Singapore
- Experimental Drug Development Centre 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01 Singapore 138670 Singapore
| | - Guanghui Tang
- Department of Chemistry National University of Singapore Singapore 117543 Singapore
| | - Jothi Anantharajan
- Experimental Drug Development Centre 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01 Singapore 138670 Singapore
| | - Nithya Baburajendran
- Experimental Drug Development Centre 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01 Singapore 138670 Singapore
| | - Anders Poulsen
- Experimental Drug Development Centre 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01 Singapore 138670 Singapore
| | - John L. K. Wee
- Experimental Drug Development Centre 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01 Singapore 138670 Singapore
| | - Priya Retna
- Experimental Drug Development Centre 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01 Singapore 138670 Singapore
| | - Rong Li
- Experimental Drug Development Centre 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01 Singapore 138670 Singapore
| | - Boping Liu
- Experimental Drug Development Centre 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01 Singapore 138670 Singapore
| | - Doris H. Y. Tee
- Experimental Drug Development Centre 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01 Singapore 138670 Singapore
| | - Perlyn Z. Kwek
- Experimental Drug Development Centre 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01 Singapore 138670 Singapore
| | - Joma K. Joy
- Experimental Drug Development Centre 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01 Singapore 138670 Singapore
| | - Wan‐Qi Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines and Beijing Key Laboratory of Active Substances Discovery and Druggability Evaluation Institute of Materia Medica Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Beijing 100050 China
| | - Chong‐Jing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines and Beijing Key Laboratory of Active Substances Discovery and Druggability Evaluation Institute of Materia Medica Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Beijing 100050 China
| | - Klement Foo
- Experimental Drug Development Centre 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01 Singapore 138670 Singapore
| | - Thomas H. Keller
- Experimental Drug Development Centre 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01 Singapore 138670 Singapore
| | - Shao Q. Yao
- NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering 21 Lower Kent Ridge, University Hall, Tan China Tuan Wing, #04-02 Singapore 119077 Singapore
- Department of Chemistry National University of Singapore Singapore 117543 Singapore
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42
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Quach D, Tang G, Anantharajan J, Baburajendran N, Poulsen A, Wee JLK, Retna P, Li R, Liu B, Tee DHY, Kwek PZ, Joy JK, Yang WQ, Zhang CJ, Foo K, Keller TH, Yao SQ. Strategic Design of Catalytic Lysine-Targeting Reversible Covalent BCR-ABL Inhibitors*. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:17131-17137. [PMID: 34008286 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202105383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Targeted covalent inhibitors have re-emerged as validated drugs to overcome acquired resistance in cancer treatment. Herein, by using a carbonyl boronic acid (CBA) warhead, we report the structure-based design of BCR-ABL inhibitors via reversible covalent targeting of the catalytic lysine with improved potency against both wild-type and mutant ABL kinases, especially ABLT315I bearing the gatekeeper residue mutation. We show the evolutionarily conserved lysine can be targeted selectively, and the selectivity depends largely on molecular recognition of the non-covalent pharmacophore in this class of inhibitors, probably due to the moderate reactivity of the warhead. We report the first co-crystal structures of covalent inhibitor-ABL kinase domain complexes, providing insights into the interaction of this warhead with the catalytic lysine. We also employed label-free mass spectrometry to evaluate off-targets of our compounds at proteome-wide level in different mammalian cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Quach
- NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, 21 Lower Kent Ridge, University Hall, Tan China Tuan Wing, #04-02, Singapore, 119077, Singapore.,Experimental Drug Development Centre, 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01, Singapore, 138670, Singapore
| | - Guanghui Tang
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - Jothi Anantharajan
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01, Singapore, 138670, Singapore
| | - Nithya Baburajendran
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01, Singapore, 138670, Singapore
| | - Anders Poulsen
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01, Singapore, 138670, Singapore
| | - John L K Wee
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01, Singapore, 138670, Singapore
| | - Priya Retna
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01, Singapore, 138670, Singapore
| | - Rong Li
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01, Singapore, 138670, Singapore
| | - Boping Liu
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01, Singapore, 138670, Singapore
| | - Doris H Y Tee
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01, Singapore, 138670, Singapore
| | - Perlyn Z Kwek
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01, Singapore, 138670, Singapore
| | - Joma K Joy
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01, Singapore, 138670, Singapore
| | - Wan-Qi Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines and Beijing Key Laboratory of Active Substances Discovery and Druggability Evaluation, Institute of Materia Medica Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Chong-Jing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines and Beijing Key Laboratory of Active Substances Discovery and Druggability Evaluation, Institute of Materia Medica Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Klement Foo
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01, Singapore, 138670, Singapore
| | - Thomas H Keller
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, 10 Biopolis Road, Chromos, #05-01, Singapore, 138670, Singapore
| | - Shao Q Yao
- NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, 21 Lower Kent Ridge, University Hall, Tan China Tuan Wing, #04-02, Singapore, 119077, Singapore.,Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
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43
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Zhang P, Min Z, Gao Y, Bian J, Lin X, He J, Ye D, Li Y, Peng C, Cheng Y, Chu Y. Discovery of Novel Benzothiazepinones as Irreversible Covalent Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3β Inhibitors for the Treatment of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. J Med Chem 2021; 64:7341-7358. [PMID: 34027661 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c02254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Recently, irreversible inhibitors have attracted great interest in antitumors due to their advantages of forming covalent bonds to target proteins. Herein, some benzothiazepinone compounds (BTZs) have been designed and synthesized as novel covalent GSK-3β inhibitors with high selectivity for the kinase panel. The irreversible covalent binding mode was identified by kinetics and mass spectrometry, and the main labeled residue was confirmed to be the unique Cys14 that exists only in GSK-3β. The candidate 4-3 (IC50 = 6.6 μM) showed good proliferation inhibition and apoptosis-inducing ability to leukemia cell lines, low cytotoxicity on normal cell lines, and no hERG inhibition, which hinted the potential efficacy and safety. Furthermore, 4-3 exhibited decent pharmacokinetic properties in vivo and remarkably inhibited tumor growth in the acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) mouse model. All the results suggest that these newly irreversible BTZ compounds might be useful in the treatment of cancer such as APL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China.,State Key Lab of New Drug & Pharmaceutical Process, Shanghai Key Lab of Anti-Infectives, Shanghai Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry, China State Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Zhihui Min
- Institute of Clinical Science, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yang Gao
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jiang Bian
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xin Lin
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jie He
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Deyong Ye
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yilin Li
- National Facility for Protein Science in Shanghai, Zhangjiang Lab, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Chao Peng
- National Facility for Protein Science in Shanghai, Zhangjiang Lab, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Yunfeng Cheng
- Institute of Clinical Science, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yong Chu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
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44
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Maffuid KA, Koyioni M, Torrice CD, Murphy WA, Mewada HK, Koutentis PA, Crona DJ, Asquith CRM. Design and evaluation of 1,2,3-dithiazoles and fused 1,2,4-dithiazines as anti-cancer agents. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2021; 43:128078. [PMID: 33951490 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2021.128078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Heteroatom rich 1,2,3-dithiazoles are relatively underexplored in medicinal chemistry. We now report screening data on a series of structurally diverse 1,2,3-dithiazoles and electronically related 1,2,4-dithiazines with the aim of identifying interesting starting points for potential future optimisation. The 1,2,3-dithiazoles, were obtained via a number of different syntheses and screened on a series of cancer cell lines. These included breast, bladder, prostate, pancreatic, chordoma and lung cancer cell lines with an additional skin fibroblast cell line as a toxicity control. Several low single digit micromolar compounds with promising therapeutic windows were identified for breast, bladder and prostate cancer. Furthermore, key structural features of 1,2,3-dithiazoles are discussed, that show encouraging scope for future refinement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn A Maffuid
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Maria Koyioni
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cyprus, P. O. Box 20537, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Chad D Torrice
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - William A Murphy
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Heemaja K Mewada
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | | | - Daniel J Crona
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Christopher R M Asquith
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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45
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Li L, Chen N, Xia D, Xu S, Dai W, Tong Y, Wang L, Jiang Z, You Q, Xu X. Discovery of a covalent inhibitor of heat shock protein 90 with antitumor activity that blocks the co-chaperone binding via C-terminal modification. Cell Chem Biol 2021; 28:1446-1459.e6. [PMID: 33932325 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2021.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Heat shock protein (Hsp90), a critical molecular chaperone that regulates the maturation of a large number of oncogenic client proteins, plays an essential role in the growth of neoplastic cells. Herein, DDO-6600 is identified to covalent modification of Cys598 on Hsp90 from in silico study and is verified by a series of biological assays. We demonstrated that DDO-6600 covalently bound to Cys598 on the Hsp90 C terminus and exhibited antiproliferative activities against multiple tumor cells without inhibiting ATPase activity. Further studies showed that DDO-6600 disrupted the interaction between Hsp90 and Cdc37, which induced the degradation of kinase client proteins in multiple tumor cell lines, promoted apoptosis, and inhibited cell motility. Our findings offer mechanic insights into the covalent modification of Hsp90 and provide an alternative strategy for the development of Hsp90 covalent regulators or chemical probes to explore the therapeutical potential of Hsp90.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Li
- 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
| | - Nannan Chen
- 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
| | - Dandan Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, and Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 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; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Wei Dai
- 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
| | - Yuanyuan Tong
- 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
| | - Lei Wang
- 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
| | - 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.
| | - 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.
| | - 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.
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46
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Gambini L, Udompholkul P, Baggio C, Muralidharan A, Kenjić N, Assar Z, Perry JJP, Pellecchia M. Design, Synthesis, and Structural Characterization of Lysine Covalent BH3 Peptides Targeting Mcl-1. J Med Chem 2021; 64:4903-4912. [PMID: 33797903 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Modulating disease-relevant protein-protein interactions (PPIs) using pharmacological tools is a critical step toward the design of novel therapeutic strategies. Over the years, however, targeting PPIs has proven a very challenging task owing to the large interfacial areas. Our recent efforts identified possible novel routes for the design of potent and selective inhibitors of PPIs using a structure-based design of covalent inhibitors targeting Lys residues. In this present study, we report on the design, synthesis, and characterizations of the first Lys-covalent BH3 peptide that has a remarkable affinity and selectivity for hMcl-1 over the closely related hBfl-1 protein. Our structural studies, aided by X-ray crystallography, provide atomic-level details of the inhibitor interactions that can be used to further translate these discoveries into novel generation, Lys-covalent pro-apoptotic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Gambini
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Parima Udompholkul
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Carlo Baggio
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Aruljothi Muralidharan
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Nikola Kenjić
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Zahra Assar
- Cayman Chemical, 1180 East Ellsworth Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, United States
| | - J Jefferson P Perry
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Maurizio Pellecchia
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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47
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Litwin K, Crowley VM, Suciu RM, Boger DL, Cravatt BF. Chemical proteomic identification of functional cysteines with atypical electrophile reactivities. Tetrahedron Lett 2021; 67. [PMID: 33776155 DOI: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2021.152861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Cysteine-directed covalent ligands have emerged as a versatile category of chemical probes and drugs that leverage thiol nucleophilicity to form permanent adducts with proteins of interest. Understanding the scope of cysteines that can be targeted by covalent ligands, as well as the types of electrophiles that engage these residues, represent important challenges for fully realizing the potential of cysteine-directed chemical probe discovery. Although chemical proteomic strategies have begun to address these important questions, only a limited number of electrophilic chemotypes have been explored to date. Here, we describe a diverse set of candidate electrophiles appended to a common core 6-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline fragment and evaluate their global cysteine reactivity profiles in human cancer cell proteomes. This work uncovered atypical reactivity patterns for a discrete set of cysteines, including residues involved in enzymatic catalysis and located in proximity to protein-protein interactions. These findings thus point to potentially preferred electrophilic groups for site-selectively targeting functional cysteines in the human proteome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Litwin
- The Department of Chemistry and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92307, United States
| | - Vincent M Crowley
- The Department of Chemistry and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92307, United States
| | - Radu M Suciu
- The Department of Chemistry and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92307, United States
| | - Dale L Boger
- The Department of Chemistry and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92307, United States
| | - Benjamin F Cravatt
- The Department of Chemistry and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92307, United States
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48
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Łukasik P, Baranowska-Bosiacka I, Kulczycka K, Gutowska I. Inhibitors of Cyclin-Dependent Kinases: Types and Their Mechanism of Action. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22062806. [PMID: 33802080 PMCID: PMC8001317 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22062806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies on cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors have revealed that small molecule drugs have become very attractive for the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Most CDK inhibitors have been developed to target the ATP binding pocket. However, CDK kinases possess a very similar catalytic domain and three-dimensional structure. These features make it difficult to achieve required selectivity. Therefore, inhibitors which bind outside the ATP binding site present a great interest in the biomedical field, both from the fundamental point of view and for the wide range of their potential applications. This review tries to explain whether the ATP competitive inhibitors are still an option for future research, and highlights alternative approaches to discover more selective and potent small molecule inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Łukasik
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstancow Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111 Szczecin, Poland;
| | - Irena Baranowska-Bosiacka
- Department of Biochemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstancow Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111 Szczecin, Poland;
| | - Katarzyna Kulczycka
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstancow Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111 Szczecin, Poland;
| | - Izabela Gutowska
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstancow Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111 Szczecin, Poland;
- Correspondence:
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49
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Lu W, Kostic M, Zhang T, Che J, Patricelli MP, Jones LH, Chouchani ET, Gray NS. Fragment-based covalent ligand discovery. RSC Chem Biol 2021; 2:354-367. [PMID: 34458789 PMCID: PMC8341086 DOI: 10.1039/d0cb00222d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted covalent inhibitors have regained widespread attention in drug discovery and have emerged as powerful tools for basic biomedical research. Fueled by considerable improvements in mass spectrometry sensitivity and sample processing, chemoproteomic strategies have revealed thousands of proteins that can be covalently modified by reactive small molecules. Fragment-based drug discovery, which has traditionally been used in a target-centric fashion, is now being deployed on a proteome-wide scale thereby expanding its utility to both the discovery of novel covalent ligands and their cognate protein targets. This powerful approach is allowing ‘high-throughput’ serendipitous discovery of cryptic pockets leading to the identification of pharmacological modulators of proteins previously viewed as “undruggable”. The reactive fragment toolkit has been enabled by recent advances in the development of new chemistries that target residues other than cysteine including lysine and tyrosine. Here, we review the emerging area of covalent fragment-based ligand discovery, which integrates the benefits of covalent targeting and fragment-based medicinal chemistry. We discuss how the two strategies synergize to facilitate the efficient discovery of new pharmacological modulators of established and new therapeutic target proteins. Covalent fragment-based ligand discovery greatly facilitates the discovery of useful fragments for drug discovery and helps unveil chemical-tractable biological targets in native biological systems.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenchao Lu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA .,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA 02215 USA
| | - Milka Kostic
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA
| | - Tinghu Zhang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA .,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA 02215 USA
| | - Jianwei Che
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA .,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA 02215 USA.,Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA
| | | | - Lyn H Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA
| | - Edward T Chouchani
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA .,Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA 02215 USA
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA 02215 USA .,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA 02215 USA
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50
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Umezawa K, Kii I. Druggable Transient Pockets in Protein Kinases. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26030651. [PMID: 33513739 PMCID: PMC7865889 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26030651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug discovery using small molecule inhibitors is reaching a stalemate due to low selectivity, adverse off-target effects and inevitable failures in clinical trials. Conventional chemical screening methods may miss potent small molecules because of their use of simple but outdated kits composed of recombinant enzyme proteins. Non-canonical inhibitors targeting a hidden pocket in a protein have received considerable research attention. Kii and colleagues identified an inhibitor targeting a transient pocket in the kinase DYRK1A during its folding process and termed it FINDY. FINDY exhibits a unique inhibitory profile; that is, FINDY does not inhibit the fully folded form of DYRK1A, indicating that the FINDY-binding pocket is hidden in the folded form. This intriguing pocket opens during the folding process and then closes upon completion of folding. In this review, we discuss previously established kinase inhibitors and their inhibitory mechanisms in comparison with FINDY. We also compare the inhibitory mechanisms with the growing concept of “cryptic inhibitor-binding sites.” These sites are buried on the inhibitor-unbound surface but become apparent when the inhibitor is bound. In addition, an alternative method based on cell-free protein synthesis of protein kinases may allow the discovery of small molecules that occupy these mysterious binding sites. Transitional folding intermediates would become alternative targets in drug discovery, enabling the efficient development of potent kinase inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koji Umezawa
- Department of Biomolecular Innovation, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Shinshu University, 8304 Minami-Minowa, Kami-ina, Nagano 399-4598, Japan;
| | - Isao Kii
- Laboratory for Drug Target Research, Faculty & Graduate School of Agriculture, Shinshu University, 8304 Minami-Minowa, Kami-ina, Nagano 399-4598, Japan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-265-77-1521
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