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Deng JJ, Liu L, Ge Y, Song Z, Huang J, Fan G, Xiong XF. Synthesis and evaluation of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazine derivatives as small molecule Gαq/11 inhibitors against uveal melanoma. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 239:114520. [PMID: 35716516 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Uveal melanoma (UM) is an aggressive malignancy with high mortality in adults and lacks effective systemic therapies. Activating gene mutations related to the Gαq/11 signaling pathway are prevalent in UM, and Gαq/11 inhibitors have shown anti-UM activity in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazine derivatives as Gαq/11 inhibitors, and discovered GQ352 with the selective antiproliferative activity against UM cells. Importantly, GQ352 directly binds to the Gαq and inhibits the dissociation of Gαβγ heterotrimers with the IC50 value of 8.9 μM. GQ352 inhibits UM tumorigenesis by suppressing Gαq/11 downstream ERK phosphorylation and YAP dephosphorylation, as shown in Western blot analysis. In addition, GQ352 displayed reasonable physiochemical properties and human liver microsome stability, indicating the potential application in UM treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Jie Deng
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Lu Liu
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Yang Ge
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Zhendong Song
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Jie Huang
- Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine in Lung Cancer, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital and Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Guangjin Fan
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Xiao-Feng Xiong
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China.
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Nubbemeyer B, Pepanian A, Paul George AA, Imhof D. Strategies towards Targeting Gαi/s Proteins: Scanning of Protein-Protein Interaction Sites To Overcome Inaccessibility. ChemMedChem 2021; 16:1696-1715. [PMID: 33615736 PMCID: PMC8252600 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202100039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Heterotrimeric G proteins are classified into four subfamilies and play a key role in signal transduction. They transmit extracellular signals to intracellular effectors subsequent to the activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are targeted by over 30 % of FDA-approved drugs. However, addressing G proteins as drug targets represents a compelling alternative, for example, when G proteins act independently of the corresponding GPCRs, or in cases of complex multifunctional diseases, when a large number of different GPCRs are involved. In contrast to Gαq, efforts to target Gαi/s by suitable chemical compounds has not been successful so far. Here, a comprehensive analysis was conducted examining the most important interface regions of Gαi/s with its upstream and downstream interaction partners. By assigning the existing compounds and the performed approaches to the respective interfaces, the druggability of the individual interfaces was ranked to provide perspectives for selective targeting of Gαi/s in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britta Nubbemeyer
- Pharmaceutical Biochemistry and BioanalyticsPharmaceutical InstituteUniversity of BonnAn der Immenburg 453121BonnGermany
| | - Anna Pepanian
- Pharmaceutical Biochemistry and BioanalyticsPharmaceutical InstituteUniversity of BonnAn der Immenburg 453121BonnGermany
| | | | - Diana Imhof
- Pharmaceutical Biochemistry and BioanalyticsPharmaceutical InstituteUniversity of BonnAn der Immenburg 453121BonnGermany
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Ge Y, Shi S, Deng JJ, Chen XP, Song Z, Liu L, Lou L, Zhang X, Xiong XF. Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Small Molecule Gαq/11 Protein Inhibitors for the Treatment of Uveal Melanoma. J Med Chem 2021; 64:3131-3152. [PMID: 33715360 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Uveal melanoma is the ocular malignancy and mainly driven by oncogenic mutations of Gαq/11 proteins. Previous targeted therapy for melanoma treatment was limited to specific downstream signaling pathway, and inhibiting the "molecular switches" G proteins for melanoma treatment therapy was rarely described. We herein report the discovery of imidazopiperazine derivatives as Gαq/11 protein inhibitors. The most promising compound GQ127 showed good efficacy and safety in inositol monophosphate (IP1) assay by directly inhibiting Gαq/11 proteins. GQ127 induced uveal melanoma cells apoptosis and displayed potent antitumor activities in uveal melanoma cells viability, migration, and invasion. The effects of GQ127 on Gαq/11 signaling pathway were confirmed by analyzing the downstream effectors yes-associated protein (YAP) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). More importantly, GQ127 significantly suppressed UM xenograft growth in mouse model without severe toxicity at the testing dose. These findings provide a lead compound that directly targets the Gαq/11 proteins for uveal melanoma treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Ge
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Shuo Shi
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Jun-Jie Deng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Xue-Ping Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Zhendong Song
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Lu Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Linlin Lou
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Xiaolei Zhang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Xiao-Feng Xiong
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
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Küppers J, Benkel T, Annala S, Kimura K, Reinelt L, Fleischmann BK, Kostenis E, Gütschow M. Tetrahydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyrazine Derivatives: Synthesis and Evaluation as Gα q -Protein Ligands. Chemistry 2020; 26:12615-12623. [PMID: 32428383 PMCID: PMC7590114 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202001446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyrazine derivative BIM-46174 and its dimeric form BIM-46187 (1) are heterocyclized dipeptides that belong to the very few cell-permeable compounds known to preferentially silence Gαq proteins. To explore the chemical space of Gαq inhibitors of the BIM chemotype, a combinatorial approach was conducted towards a library of BIM molecules. This library was evaluated in a second messenger-based fluorescence assay to analyze the activity of Gαq proteins through the determination of intracellular myo-inositol 1-phosphate. Structure-activity relationships were deduced and structural requirements for biological activity obtained, which were (i) a redox reactive thiol/disulfane substructure, (ii) an N-terminal basic amino group, (iii) a cyclohexylalanine moiety, and (iv) a bicyclic skeleton. Active compounds exhibited cellular toxicity, which was investigated in detail for the prototypical inhibitor 1. This compound affects the structural cytoskeletal dynamics in a Gαq/11 -independent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jim Küppers
- Pharmaceutical InstituteDepartment of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal ChemistryUniversity of BonnAn der Immenburg 453121BonnGermany
| | - Tobias Benkel
- Molecular, Cellular and Pharmacobiology SectionInstitute for Pharmaceutical BiologyUniversity of BonnNussallee 653115BonnGermany
- Research Training Group 1873University of Bonn53115BonnGermany
| | - Suvi Annala
- Molecular, Cellular and Pharmacobiology SectionInstitute for Pharmaceutical BiologyUniversity of BonnNussallee 653115BonnGermany
| | - Kenichi Kimura
- Institute of Physiology I, Life and Brain Center, Medical FacultyUniversity of BonnSigmund-Freud-Str. 2553105BonnGermany
| | - Lisa Reinelt
- Pharmaceutical InstituteDepartment of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal ChemistryUniversity of BonnAn der Immenburg 453121BonnGermany
| | - Bernd K. Fleischmann
- Institute of Physiology I, Life and Brain Center, Medical FacultyUniversity of BonnSigmund-Freud-Str. 2553105BonnGermany
| | - Evi Kostenis
- Molecular, Cellular and Pharmacobiology SectionInstitute for Pharmaceutical BiologyUniversity of BonnNussallee 653115BonnGermany
| | - Michael Gütschow
- Pharmaceutical InstituteDepartment of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal ChemistryUniversity of BonnAn der Immenburg 453121BonnGermany
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