1
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Krygier K, Wijetunge AN, Srayeddin A, Mccann H, Rullo AF. Leveraging Covalency to Stabilize Ternary Complex Formation For Cell-Cell "Induced Proximity". ACS Chem Biol 2024; 19:2103-2117. [PMID: 39325690 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.4c00286] [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] [Indexed: 09/28/2024]
Abstract
Recent advances in the field of translational chemical biology use diverse "proximity-inducing" synthetic modalities to elicit new modes of "event driven" pharmacology. These include mechanisms of targeted protein degradation and immune clearance of pathogenic cells. Heterobifunctional "chimeric" compounds like Proteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) and Antibody Recruiting Molecules (ARMs) leverage these mechanisms, respectively. Both systems function through the formation of reversible "ternary" or higher-order biomolecular complexes. Critical to function are key parameters, such as bifunctional molecule affinity for endogenous proteins, target residence time, and turnover. To probe the mechanism and enhance function, covalent chemical approaches have been developed to kinetically stabilize ternary complexes. These include electrophilic PROTACs and Covalent Immune Recruiters (CIRs), the latter designed to uniquely enforce cell-cell induced proximity. Inducing cell-cell proximity is associated with key challenges arising from a combination of steric and/or mechanical based destabilizing forces on the ternary complex. These factors can attenuate the formation of ternary complexes driven by high affinity bifunctional/proximity inducing molecules. This Account describes initial efforts in our lab to address these challenges using the CIR strategy in antibody recruitment or receptor engineered T cell model systems of cell-cell induced proximity. ARMs form ternary complexes with serum antibodies and surface protein antigens on tumor cells that subsequently engage immune cells via Fc receptors. Binding and clustering of Fc receptors trigger immune cell killing of the tumor cell. We applied the CIR strategy to convert ARMs to covalent chimeras, which "irreversibly" recruit serum antibodies to tumor cells. These covalent chimeras leverage electrophile preorganization and kinetic effective molarity to achieve fast and selective covalent engagement of the target ternary complex protein, e.g., serum antibody. Importantly, covalent engagement can proceed via diverse binding site amino acids beyond cysteine. Covalent chimeras demonstrated striking functional enhancements compared to noncovalent ARM analogs in functional immune assays. We revealed this enhancement was in fact due to the increased kinetic stability and not concentration, of ternary complexes. This finding was recapitulated using analogous CIR modalities that integrate peptidic or carbohydrate binding ligands with Sulfur(VI) Fluoride Exchange (SuFEx) electrophiles to induce cell-cell proximity. Mechanistic studies in a distinct model system that uses T cells engineered with receptors that recognize covalent chimeras or ARMs, revealed covalent receptor engagement uniquely enforces downstream activation signaling. Finally, this Account discusses potential challenges and future directions for adapting and optimizing covalent chimeric/bifunctional molecules for diverse applications in cell-cell induced proximity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Krygier
- Center for Discovery in Cancer Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8S 4L8
| | - Anjalee N Wijetunge
- Center for Discovery in Cancer Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8S 4L8
| | - Arthur Srayeddin
- Center for Discovery in Cancer Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8S 4L8
| | - Harrison Mccann
- Center for Discovery in Cancer Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8S 4L8
| | - Anthony F Rullo
- Center for Discovery in Cancer Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8S 4L8
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8S 4L8
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2
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Chen K, Zhang L, Ding Y, Sun Z, Meng J, Luo R, Zhou X, Liu L, Yang S. Activity-based protein profiling in drug/pesticide discovery: Recent advances in target identification of antibacterial compounds. Bioorg Chem 2024; 151:107655. [PMID: 39032407 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107655] [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: 04/26/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Given the escalating incidence of bacterial diseases and the challenge posed by pathogenic bacterial resistance, it is imperative to identify appropriate methodologies for conducting proteomic investigations on bacteria, and thereby promoting the target-based drug/pesticide discovery. Interestingly, a novel technology termed "activity-based protein profiling" (ABPP) has been developed to identify the target proteins of active molecules. However, few studies have summarized advancements in ABPP for identifying the target proteins in antibacterial-active compounds. In order to accelerate the discovery and development of new drug/agrochemical discovery, we provide a concise overview of ABPP and its recent applications in antibacterial agent discovery. Diversiform cases were cited to demonstrate the potential of ABPP for target identification though highlighting the design strategies and summarizing the reported target protein of antibacterial compounds. Overall, this review is an excellent reference for probe design towards antibacterial compounds, and offers a new perspective of ABPP in bactericide development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunlun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Ling Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Yue Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Zhaoju Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Jiao Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Rongshuang Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Xiang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
| | - Liwei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Song Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
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3
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Zheng Q, Zhang Z, Guiley KZ, Shokat KM. Strain-release alkylation of Asp12 enables mutant selective targeting of K-Ras-G12D. Nat Chem Biol 2024; 20:1114-1122. [PMID: 38443470 PMCID: PMC11357986 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-024-01565-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
K-Ras is the most commonly mutated oncogene in human cancer. The recently approved non-small cell lung cancer drugs sotorasib and adagrasib covalently capture an acquired cysteine in K-Ras-G12C mutation and lock it in a signaling-incompetent state. However, covalent inhibition of G12D, the most frequent K-Ras mutation particularly prevalent in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, has remained elusive due to the lack of aspartate-targeting chemistry. Here we present a set of malolactone-based electrophiles that exploit ring strain to crosslink K-Ras-G12D at the mutant aspartate to form stable covalent complexes. Structural insights from X-ray crystallography and exploitation of the stereoelectronic requirements for attack of the electrophile allowed development of a substituted malolactone that resisted attack by aqueous buffer but rapidly crosslinked with the aspartate-12 of K-Ras in both GDP and GTP state. The GTP-state targeting allowed effective suppression of downstream signaling, and selective inhibition of K-Ras-G12D-driven cancer cell proliferation in vitro and xenograft growth in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinheng Zheng
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ziyang Zhang
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Keelan Z Guiley
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kevan M Shokat
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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4
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Jones LH. Synthetic modification of protein surfaces to mediate induced-proximity pharmacology. RSC Med Chem 2024:d4md00388h. [PMID: 39185450 PMCID: PMC11342125 DOI: 10.1039/d4md00388h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Molecular glues and bifunctional small molecules, such as targeted protein degraders, induce protein proximity to mediate gain-of-function pharmacology. Emerging technologies that synthetically manipulate protein surfaces to create neoproteins, and the development of covalent chemical probes for intra- and inter-protein surface labeling are described. Ligand-directed protein surface modification strategies have the potential to enhance the induced-proximity pharmacology toolkit and expand the druggable proteome, and this Opinion considers the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyn H Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 360 Longwood Avenue Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
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5
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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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6
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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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7
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Shah RR, De Vita E, Sathyamurthi PS, Conole D, Zhang X, Fellows E, Dickinson ER, Fleites CM, Queisser MA, Harling JD, Tate EW. Structure-Guided Design and Optimization of Covalent VHL-Targeted Sulfonyl Fluoride PROTACs. J Med Chem 2024; 67:4641-4654. [PMID: 38478885 PMCID: PMC10982999 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02123] [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: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are heterobifunctional molecules that have emerged as a therapeutic modality to induce targeted protein degradation (TPD) by harnessing cellular proteolytic degradation machinery. PROTACs which ligand the E3 ligase in a covalent manner have attracted intense interest; however, covalent PROTACs with a broad protein of interest (POI) scope have proven challenging to discover by design. Here, we report the structure-guided design and optimization of Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) protein-targeted sulfonyl fluorides which covalently bind Ser110 in the HIF1α binding site. We demonstrate that their incorporation in bifunctional degraders induces targeted protein degradation of BRD4 or the androgen receptor without further linker optimization. Our study discloses the first covalent VHL ligands which can be implemented directly in bifunctional degrader design, expanding the substrate scope of covalent E3 ligase PROTACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rishi R. Shah
- GSK,
Medicines Research Centre, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K.
- Department
of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, 82 Wood Lane, London W12
0BZ, U.K.
| | - Elena De Vita
- Department
of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, 82 Wood Lane, London W12
0BZ, U.K.
- Department
of Biochemistry, School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, 327 Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, U.K.
| | | | - Daniel Conole
- Department
of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, 82 Wood Lane, London W12
0BZ, U.K.
| | - Xinyue Zhang
- Department
of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, 82 Wood Lane, London W12
0BZ, U.K.
| | - Elliot Fellows
- GSK,
Medicines Research Centre, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K.
| | | | - Carlos M. Fleites
- GSK,
Medicines Research Centre, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K.
| | | | - John D. Harling
- GSK,
Medicines Research Centre, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K.
| | - Edward W. Tate
- Department
of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, 82 Wood Lane, London W12
0BZ, U.K.
- The
Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, U.K.
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8
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Liu Y, Nowak RP, Che J, Donovan KA, Huerta F, Liu H, Metivier RJ, Fischer ES, Jones LH. Development of sulfonyl fluoride chemical probes to advance the discovery of cereblon modulators. RSC Med Chem 2024; 15:607-611. [PMID: 38389883 PMCID: PMC10880902 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00652b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Sulfonyl fluoride EM12-SF was developed previously to covalently engage a histidine residue in the sensor loop of cereblon (CRBN) in the E3 ubiquitin ligase complex CRL4CRBN. Here, we further develop the structure-activity relationships of additional sulfonyl fluoride containing ligands that possess a range of cereblon binding potencies in cells. Isoindoline EM364-SF, which lacks a key hydrogen bond acceptor present in CRBN molecular glues, was identified as a potent binder of CRBN. This led to the development of the reversible molecular glue CPD-2743, that retained cell-based binding affinity for CRBN and degraded the neosubstrate IKZF1 to the same extent as EM12, but unlike isoindolinones, lacked SALL4 degradation activity (a target linked to teratogenicity). CPD-2743 had high permeability and lacked efflux in Caco-2 cells, in contrast to the isoindolinone iberdomide. Our methodology expands the repertoire of sulfonyl exchange chemical biology via the advancement of medicinal chemistry design strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingpeng Liu
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Radosław P Nowak
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Jianwei Che
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Katherine A Donovan
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
| | - Fidel Huerta
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
| | - Hu Liu
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Rebecca J Metivier
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
| | - Eric S Fischer
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
| | - Lyn H Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
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9
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Cruite J, Nowak R, Donovan KA, Ficarro SB, Huang H, Liu H, Liu Y, Marto JA, Metivier RJ, Fischer ES, Jones LH. Covalent Stapling of the Cereblon Sensor Loop Histidine Using Sulfur-Heterocycle Exchange. ACS Med Chem Lett 2023; 14:1576-1581. [PMID: 37974938 PMCID: PMC10641907 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00371] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Site-specific modification of amino acid residues in protein binding pockets using sulfonyl exchange chemistry expands the druggable proteome by enabling the development of covalent modulators that target residues beyond cysteine. Sulfonyl fluoride and triazole electrophiles were incorporated previously into the cereblon (CRBN) molecular glue degrader EM12, to covalently engage His353 within the CRBN sensor loop, but these probes had poor human plasma stability. Attenuation of intrinsic reactivity through the development of sulfonyl pyrazoles, imidazoles, and nucleobases enhanced plasma stability, and several compounds retained efficient labeling of His353. For example, sulfonyl imidazole EM12-SO2Im covalently blocked the CRBN binding site and possessed excellent metabolic stability in human plasma, liver microsomes, and hepatocytes. These results highlight the potential suitability of sulfonyl imidazole and related sulfur(VI)-diazole exchange (SuDEx) warheads for covalent drug development and further exemplify the therapeutic promise of site-specific histidine targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin
T. Cruite
- Center
for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Radosław
P. Nowak
- Center
for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Katherine A. Donovan
- Department
of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Scott B. Ficarro
- Department
of Cancer Biology, Department of Oncologic Pathology, Blais Proteomics
Center, and Center for Emergent Drug Targets, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s
Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Huang Huang
- Center
for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Hu Liu
- Center
for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Yingpeng Liu
- Center
for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Jarrod A. Marto
- Department
of Cancer Biology, Department of Oncologic Pathology, Blais Proteomics
Center, and Center for Emergent Drug Targets, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s
Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Rebecca J. Metivier
- Center
for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Eric S. Fischer
- Center
for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Lyn H. Jones
- Center
for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
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10
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Csorba N, Ábrányi-Balogh P, Keserű GM. Covalent fragment approaches targeting non-cysteine residues. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2023; 44:802-816. [PMID: 37770315 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2023.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Covalent fragment approaches combine advantages of covalent binders and fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) for target identification and validation. Although early applications focused mostly on cysteine labeling, the chemistries of available warheads that target other orthosteric and allosteric protein nucleophiles has recently been extended. The range of different warheads and labeling chemistries provide unique opportunities for screening and optimizing warheads necessary for targeting non-cysteine residues. In this review, we discuss these recently developed amino-acid-specific and promiscuous warheads, as well as emerging labeling chemistries, which includes novel transition metal catalyzed, photoactive, electroactive, and noncatalytic methodologies. We also highlight recent applications of covalent fragments for the development of molecular glues and proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), and their utility in chemical proteomics-based target identification and validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noémi Csorba
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, 1117, Budapest, Hungary; National Laboratory for Drug Research and Development, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, 1117, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Organic Chemistry and Technology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Szent Gellért tér 4, 1111 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Péter Ábrányi-Balogh
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, 1117, Budapest, Hungary; National Laboratory for Drug Research and Development, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, 1117, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Organic Chemistry and Technology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Szent Gellért tér 4, 1111 Budapest, Hungary
| | - György M Keserű
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, 1117, Budapest, Hungary; National Laboratory for Drug Research and Development, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok krt. 2, 1117, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Organic Chemistry and Technology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Szent Gellért tér 4, 1111 Budapest, Hungary.
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11
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Chen Y, Craven GB, Kamber RA, Cuesta A, Zhersh S, Moroz YS, Bassik MC, Taunton J. Direct mapping of ligandable tyrosines and lysines in cells with chiral sulfonyl fluoride probes. Nat Chem 2023; 15:1616-1625. [PMID: 37460812 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-023-01281-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/05/2023]
Abstract
Advances in chemoproteomic technology have revealed covalent interactions between small molecules and protein nucleophiles, primarily cysteine, on a proteome-wide scale. Most chemoproteomic screening approaches are indirect, relying on competition between electrophilic fragments and a minimalist electrophilic probe with inherently limited proteome coverage. Here we develop a chemoproteomic platform for direct electrophile-site identification based on enantiomeric pairs of clickable arylsulfonyl fluoride probes. Using stereoselective site modification as a proxy for ligandability in intact cells, we identify 634 tyrosines and lysines within functionally diverse protein sites, liganded by structurally diverse probes. Among multiple validated sites, we discover a chiral probe that modifies Y228 in the MYC binding site of the epigenetic regulator WDR5, as revealed by a high-resolution crystal structure. A distinct chiral probe stimulates tumour cell phagocytosis by covalently modifying Y387 in the recently discovered immuno-oncology target APMAP. Our work provides a deep resource of ligandable tyrosines and lysines for the development of covalent chemical probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Chen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gregory B Craven
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Roarke A Kamber
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Adolfo Cuesta
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Yurii S Moroz
- National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Chemspace LLC, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Michael C Bassik
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Program in Chemistry, Engineering, and Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jack Taunton
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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12
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Nowak RP, Ragosta L, Huerta F, Liu H, Ficarro SB, Cruite JT, Metivier RJ, Donovan KA, Marto JA, Fischer ES, Zerfas BL, Jones LH. Development of a covalent cereblon-based PROTAC employing a fluorosulfate warhead. RSC Chem Biol 2023; 4:906-912. [PMID: 37920397 PMCID: PMC10619143 DOI: 10.1039/d3cb00103b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Many cereblon (CRBN) ligands have been used to develop proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), but all are reversible binders of the E3 ubiquitin ligase. We recently described the use of sulfonyl exchange chemistry to design binders that covalently engage histidine 353 in CRBN for the first time. Here we show that covalent CRBN ligands can be used to develop efficient PROTAC degraders. We demonstrate that the fluorosulfate PROTAC FS-ARV-825 covalently labels CRBN in vitro, and in cells the BRD4 degrader is insensitive to wash-out and competition by potent reversible CRBN ligands, reflecting enhanced pharmacodynamics. We anticipate that covalent CRBN-based PROTACs will enhance degradation efficiencies, thus expanding the scope of addressable targets using the heterobifunctional degrader modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radosław P Nowak
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
| | - Leah Ragosta
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
| | - Fidel Huerta
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
| | - Hu Liu
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Scott B Ficarro
- Department of Cancer Biology, Department of Oncologic Pathology, and Blais Proteomics Center, and Center for Emergent Drug Targets, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston MA 02115 USA
| | - Justin T Cruite
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Rebecca J Metivier
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
| | - Katherine A Donovan
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
| | - Jarrod A Marto
- Department of Cancer Biology, Department of Oncologic Pathology, and Blais Proteomics Center, and Center for Emergent Drug Targets, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston MA 02115 USA
| | - Eric S Fischer
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
| | - Breanna L Zerfas
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Lyn H Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
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13
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Aatkar A, Vuorinen A, Longfield OE, Gilbert K, Peltier-Heap R, Wagner CD, Zappacosta F, Rittinger K, Chung CW, House D, Tomkinson NCO, Bush JT. Efficient Ligand Discovery Using Sulfur(VI) Fluoride Reactive Fragments. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:1926-1937. [PMID: 37084287 PMCID: PMC10510102 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
Sulfur(VI) fluorides (SFs) have emerged as valuable electrophiles for the design of "beyond-cysteine" covalent inhibitors and offer potential for expansion of the liganded proteome. Since SFs target a broad range of nucleophilic amino acids, they deliver an approach for the covalent modification of proteins without requirement for a proximal cysteine residue. Further to this, libraries of reactive fragments present an innovative approach for the discovery of ligands and tools for proteins of interest by leveraging a breadth of mass spectrometry analytical approaches. Herein, we report a screening approach that exploits the unique properties of SFs for this purpose. Libraries of SF-containing reactive fragments were synthesized, and a direct-to-biology workflow was taken to efficiently identify hit compounds for CAII and BCL6. The most promising hits were further characterized to establish the site(s) of covalent modification, modification kinetics, and target engagement in cells. Crystallography was used to gain a detailed molecular understanding of how these reactive fragments bind to their target. It is anticipated that this screening protocol can be used for the accelerated discovery of "beyond-cysteine" covalent inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arron Aatkar
- GSK, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K.
- Department
of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University
of Strathclyde, 295 Cathedral Street, Glasgow G1 1XL, U.K.
| | - Aini Vuorinen
- GSK, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K.
- The
Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, U.K.
| | - Oliver E. Longfield
- GSK, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K.
- Department
of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University
of Strathclyde, 295 Cathedral Street, Glasgow G1 1XL, U.K.
| | - Katharine Gilbert
- GSK, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K.
- Department
of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University
of Strathclyde, 295 Cathedral Street, Glasgow G1 1XL, U.K.
| | - Rachel Peltier-Heap
- GSK, South Collegeville Road, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426, United States
| | - Craig D. Wagner
- GSK, South Collegeville Road, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426, United States
| | | | | | - Chun-wa Chung
- GSK, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K.
| | - David House
- GSK, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K.
- The
Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, U.K.
| | - Nicholas C. O. Tomkinson
- Department
of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University
of Strathclyde, 295 Cathedral Street, Glasgow G1 1XL, U.K.
| | - Jacob T. Bush
- GSK, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K.
- The
Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, U.K.
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14
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Homer JA, Xu L, Kayambu N, Zheng Q, Choi EJ, Kim BM, Sharpless KB, Zuilhof H, Dong J, Moses JE. Sulfur fluoride exchange. NATURE REVIEWS. METHODS PRIMERS 2023; 3:58. [PMID: 38873592 PMCID: PMC11171465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Sulfur Fluoride Exchange (SuFEx) is a click reaction par excellence that has revolutionized multiple research fields. In this Primer, we delve into the essential elements of SuFEx operation, catalysis, and SuFExable connective hubs. We also explore the cutting-edge applications of SuFEx in drug development, polymer science, and biochemistry. Additionally, we examine the potential limitations and promising prospects for this versatile click reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A. Homer
- Cancer Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, NY 11724, USA
| | - Long Xu
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Namitharan Kayambu
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Qinheng Zheng
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Current affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Eun Joung Choi
- Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Byeong Moon Kim
- Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - K. Barry Sharpless
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Han Zuilhof
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- School of Pharmaceutical Science & Technology, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Jiajia Dong
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Shanghai 200232, China
| | - John E. Moses
- Cancer Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, NY 11724, USA
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15
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Huang H, Jones LH. Covalent drug discovery using sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange warheads. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2023:1-11. [PMID: 37243622 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2023.2218642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Covalent drug discovery has traditionally focused on targeting cysteine, but the amino acid is often absent in protein binding sites. This review makes the case to move beyond cysteine labeling using sulfur (VI) fluoride exchange (SuFEx) chemistry to expand the druggable proteome. AREAS COVERED Recent advances in SuFEx medicinal chemistry and chemical biology are described, which have enabled the development of covalent chemical probes that site-selectively engage amino acid residues (including tyrosine, lysine, histidine, serine, and threonine) in binding pockets. Areas covered include chemoproteomic mapping of the targetable proteome, structure-based design of covalent inhibitors and molecular glues, metabolic stability profiling, and synthetic methodologies that have expedited the delivery of SuFEx modulators. EXPERT OPINION Despite recent innovations in SuFEx medicinal chemistry, focused preclinical research is required to ensure the field moves from early chemical probe discovery to the delivery of transformational covalent drug candidates. The authors believe that covalent drug candidates designed to engage residues beyond cysteine using sulfonyl exchange warheads will likely enter clinical trials in the coming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huang Huang
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lyn H Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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16
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Gao Y, Jiang B, Kim H, Berberich MJ, Che J, Donovan KA, Hatcher JM, Huerta F, Kwiatkowski NP, Liu Y, Liuni PP, Metivier RJ, Murali VK, Nowak RP, Zhang T, Fischer ES, Gray NS, Jones LH. Catalytic Degraders Effectively Address Kinase Site Mutations in EML4-ALK Oncogenic Fusions. J Med Chem 2023; 66:5524-5535. [PMID: 37036171 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2023]
Abstract
Heterobifunctional degraders, known as proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), theoretically possess a catalytic mode-of-action, yet few studies have either confirmed or exploited this potential advantage of event-driven pharmacology. Degraders of oncogenic EML4-ALK fusions were developed by conjugating ALK inhibitors to cereblon ligands. Simultaneous optimization of pharmacology and compound properties using ternary complex modeling and physicochemical considerations yielded multiple catalytic degraders that were more resilient to clinically relevant ATP-binding site mutations than kinase inhibitor drugs. Our strategy culminated in the design of the orally bioavailable derivative CPD-1224 that avoided hemolysis (a feature of detergent-like PROTACs), degraded the otherwise recalcitrant mutant L1196M/G1202R in vivo, and commensurately slowed tumor growth, while the third generation ALK inhibitor drug lorlatinib had no effect. These results validate our original therapeutic hypothesis by exemplifying opportunities for catalytic degraders to proactively address binding site resistant mutations in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Gao
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Baishan Jiang
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Hellen Kim
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Matthew J Berberich
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Jianwei Che
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Katherine A Donovan
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - John M Hatcher
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Fidel Huerta
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Nicholas P Kwiatkowski
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Yingpeng Liu
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Peter P Liuni
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Rebecca J Metivier
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Vineeth K Murali
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Radosław P Nowak
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Tinghu Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, ChEM-H, Stanford Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Eric S Fischer
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, ChEM-H, Stanford Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Lyn H Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
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17
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Nowak RP, Che J, Ferrao S, Kong NR, Liu H, Zerfas BL, Jones LH. Structural rationalization of GSPT1 and IKZF1 degradation by thalidomide molecular glue derivatives. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:501-506. [PMID: 36970148 PMCID: PMC10034078 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00347c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Thalidomide and its derivatives are molecular glues that bind cereblon (CRBN), a component of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, and mediate protein interactions with neosubstrates resulting in their polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. The structural features of neosubstrate binding have been elucidated that highlight key interactions with a β-hairpin degron containing a glycine, which is present in a wide-range of proteins, including zinc-finger transcription factors such as IKZF1, and the translation termination factor GSPT1. Here, we profile 14 closely-related thalidomide derivatives in CRBN occupancy, and IKZF1 and GSPT1 degradation cell-based assays, and use crystal structures, computational docking and molecular dynamics to delineate subtle structure-activity relationships. Our findings will enable the rational design of CRBN modulators in the future, and help avoid the degradation of GSPT1 which is broadly cytotoxic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radosław P Nowak
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 360 Longwood Avenue Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Jianwei Che
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 360 Longwood Avenue Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Silas Ferrao
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 360 Longwood Avenue Boston MA USA
| | - Nikki R Kong
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 360 Longwood Avenue Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Hu Liu
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 360 Longwood Avenue Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Breanna L Zerfas
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 360 Longwood Avenue Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Lyn H Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 360 Longwood Avenue Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
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18
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Gilbert K, Vuorinen A, Aatkar A, Pogány P, Pettinger J, Grant EK, Kirkpatrick JM, Rittinger K, House D, Burley GA, Bush JT. Profiling Sulfur(VI) Fluorides as Reactive Functionalities for Chemical Biology Tools and Expansion of the Ligandable Proteome. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:285-295. [PMID: 36649130 PMCID: PMC9942091 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Here, we report a comprehensive profiling of sulfur(VI) fluorides (SVI-Fs) as reactive groups for chemical biology applications. SVI-Fs are reactive functionalities that modify lysine, tyrosine, histidine, and serine sidechains. A panel of SVI-Fs were studied with respect to hydrolytic stability and reactivity with nucleophilic amino acid sidechains. The use of SVI-Fs to covalently modify carbonic anhydrase II (CAII) and a range of kinases was then investigated. Finally, the SVI-F panel was used in live cell chemoproteomic workflows, identifying novel protein targets based on the type of SVI-F used. This work highlights how SVI-F reactivity can be used as a tool to expand the liganded proteome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine
E. Gilbert
- GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, HertfordshireSG1 2NY, United Kingdom
- University
of Strathclyde, 295 Cathedral Street, GlasgowG11XL, United Kingdom
| | - Aini Vuorinen
- Crick-GSK
Biomedical LinkLabs, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, StevenageSG1 2NY, United Kingdom
| | - Arron Aatkar
- GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, HertfordshireSG1 2NY, United Kingdom
- University
of Strathclyde, 295 Cathedral Street, GlasgowG11XL, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Pogány
- GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, HertfordshireSG1 2NY, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Pettinger
- Crick-GSK
Biomedical LinkLabs, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, StevenageSG1 2NY, United Kingdom
| | - Emma K. Grant
- GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, HertfordshireSG1 2NY, United Kingdom
| | | | - Katrin Rittinger
- The
Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, LondonNW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - David House
- GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, HertfordshireSG1 2NY, United Kingdom
- Crick-GSK
Biomedical LinkLabs, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, StevenageSG1 2NY, United Kingdom
| | - Glenn A. Burley
- University
of Strathclyde, 295 Cathedral Street, GlasgowG11XL, United Kingdom
| | - Jacob T. Bush
- GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, HertfordshireSG1 2NY, United Kingdom
- Crick-GSK
Biomedical LinkLabs, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, StevenageSG1 2NY, United Kingdom
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19
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Carneiro SN, Khasnavis SR, Lee J, Butler TW, Majmudar JD, Am Ende CW, Ball ND. Sulfur(VI) fluorides as tools in biomolecular and medicinal chemistry. Org Biomol Chem 2023; 21:1356-1372. [PMID: 36662157 PMCID: PMC9929716 DOI: 10.1039/d2ob01891h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in the synthesis of sulfur(VI)-fluorides has enabled incredible growth in their application in biomolecular chemistry. This review aims to serve as a primer highlighting synthetic strategies toward a diversity of S(VI) fluorides and their application in chemical biology, bioconjugation, and medicinal chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina N Carneiro
- Department of Chemistry, Pomona College, Claremont, California 91711, USA.
| | - Samuel R Khasnavis
- Department of Chemistry, Pomona College, Claremont, California 91711, USA.
| | - Jisun Lee
- Pfizer Worldwide Research, Development, Groton, Connecticut 06340, USA.
| | - Todd W Butler
- Pfizer Worldwide Research, Development, Groton, Connecticut 06340, USA.
| | - Jaimeen D Majmudar
- Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | | | - Nicholas D Ball
- Department of Chemistry, Pomona College, Claremont, California 91711, USA.
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20
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Dann GP, Liu H, Nowak RP, Jones LH. Cereblon target validation using a covalent inhibitor of neosubstrate recruitment. Methods Enzymol 2023; 681:155-167. [PMID: 36764755 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.08.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Small molecule ligands of cereblon (CRBN), a component of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, such as immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) or proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), induce new interactions between the E3 and a target protein that is subsequently polyubiquitinated and proteasomally degraded. The development of new degraders requires validation of CRBN-dependence and existing methods include the use of engineered CRBN knockout cell lines, or PROTACs directed to CRBN itself. Technical limitations of these approaches necessitate a simple and rapid pharmacological method of CRBN inhibition. We developed a sulfonyl fluoride covalent CRBN ligand based on the IMiD EM12 called EM12-SO2F that was designed to engage His353 on the surface of the IMiD binding site. EM12-SO2F does not act as a molecular glue degrader like other IMiDs, and instead serves as an inhibitor of such function by blocking the degrader binding site. We demonstrate utility of EM12-SO2F by inhibiting the degradation of the zinc-finger transcription factor and CRBN neosubstrate IKZF1 by the molecular glue degrader lenalidomide. Increasingly, libraries of degrader molecules are being screened phenotypically to identify starting points for hit elaboration, that simultaneously reveals new therapeutic targets amenable to degradation. Indeed, targeted protein degradation has become an exciting new therapeutic modality and EM12-SO2F augments the chemical biology toolbox that will advance this area of drug discovery research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey P Dann
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Hu Liu
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Radosław P Nowak
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Lyn H Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
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21
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Brulet JW, Ciancone AM, Yuan K, Hsu K. Advances in Activity‐Based Protein Profiling of Functional Tyrosines in Proteomes. Isr J Chem 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ijch.202300001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey W. Brulet
- Department of Chemistry University of Virginia Charlottesville Virginia 22904 United States (K.-L.H
| | - Anthony M. Ciancone
- Department of Chemistry University of Virginia Charlottesville Virginia 22904 United States (K.-L.H
| | - Kun Yuan
- Department of Chemistry University of Virginia Charlottesville Virginia 22904 United States (K.-L.H
| | - Ku‐Lung Hsu
- Department of Chemistry University of Virginia Charlottesville Virginia 22904 United States (K.-L.H
- Department of Pharmacology University of Virginia School of Medicine Charlottesville Virginia 22908 United States
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics University of Virginia Charlottesville Virginia 22908 United States
- University of Virginia Cancer Center University of Virginia Charlottesville VA 22903 USA
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22
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Lu D, Yu X, Lin H, Cheng R, Monroy EY, Qi X, Wang MC, Wang J. Applications of covalent chemistry in targeted protein degradation. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:9243-9261. [PMID: 36285735 PMCID: PMC9669245 DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00362g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) and targeted covalent inhibitors (TCIs) are currently two exciting strategies in the fields of chemical biology and drug discovery. Extensive research in these two fields has been conducted, and significant progress in these fields has resulted in many clinical candidates, some of which have been approved by FDA. Recently, a novel concept termed covalent PROTACs that combine these two strategies has emerged and gained an increasing interest in the past several years. Herein, we briefly review and highlight the mechanism and advantages of TCIs and PROTACs, respectively, and the recent development of covalent PROTACs using irreversible and reversible covalent chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Lu
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX 77030, USA.
| | - Xin Yu
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX 77030, USA.
| | - Hanfeng Lin
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX 77030, USA.
| | - Ran Cheng
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX 77030, USA.
| | - Erika Y Monroy
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX 77030, USA.
| | - Xiaoli Qi
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX 77030, USA.
| | - Meng C Wang
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX 77030, USA
- Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX 77030, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX 77030, USA
| | - Jin Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX 77030, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX 77030, USA
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23
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Che J, Jones LH. Covalent drugs targeting histidine - an unexploited opportunity? RSC Med Chem 2022; 13:1121-1126. [PMID: 36325394 PMCID: PMC9579939 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00258b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Covalent drugs and chemical probes often possess pharmacological advantages over reversible binding ligands, such as enhanced potency and pharmacodynamic duration. The highly nucleophilic cysteine thiol is commonly targeted using acrylamide electrophiles, but the amino acid is rarely present in protein binding sites. Sulfonyl exchange chemistry has expanded the covalent drug discovery toolkit by enabling the rational design of irreversible inhibitors targeting tyrosine, lysine, serine and threonine. Probes containing the sulfonyl fluoride warhead have also been shown to serendipitously label histidine residues in proteins. Histidine targeting is an attractive prospect because the residue is frequently proximal to protein small molecule ligands and the imidazole side chain possesses desirable nucleophilicity. We recently reported the design of cereblon molecular glues to site-selectively modify a histidine in the thalidomide binding site using sulfonyl exchange chemistry. We believe that histidine targeting holds great promise for future covalent drug development and this Opinion highlights these opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwei Che
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 360 Longwood Avenue Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Lyn H Jones
- Center for Protein Degradation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 360 Longwood Avenue Boston MA USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
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24
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Verano AL, You I, Donovan KA, Mageed N, Yue H, Nowak RP, Fischer ES, Wang ES, Gray NS. Redirecting the Neo-Substrate Specificity of Cereblon-Targeting PROTACs to Helios. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:2404-2410. [PMID: 36007246 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Immunomodulatory imide drugs (IMiDs), such as thalidomide and its analogues, are some of the most commonly utilized E3 ligase ligands for the development of proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs). While the canonical neo-substrates of IMiDs (i.e., Ikaros and Aiolos) are often considered to be unwanted targets of PROTACs, maintaining the degradation of these neo-substrates also provides the opportunity to synergistically degrade multiple proteins with a single compound. Here, we report the development of ALV-07-082-03, a CDK4/CDK6/Helios triple degrader that consists of palbociclib, an FDA-approved CDK4/6 inhibitor, conjugated to DKY709, a novel IMiD-based Helios degrader. Pharmacological codegradation of CDK4/6 and Helios resulted in potent suppression of downstream signaling and proliferation in cancer cells, as well as enhanced derepression of IL-2 secretion. Thus, not only do we demonstrate the possibility of rationally redirecting the neo-substrate specificity of PROTACs by incorporating alternative molecular glue molecules as E3 ligase ligands but our findings also suggest that cotargeting CDK4/6 and Helios may have synergistic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa L Verano
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Inchul You
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, CHEM-H and SCI, Stanford Medical School, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Katherine A Donovan
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Nada Mageed
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Hong Yue
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Radosław P Nowak
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Eric S Fischer
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Eric S Wang
- Tumor Initiation and Maintenance Program, NCI-Designated Cancer Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, CHEM-H and SCI, Stanford Medical School, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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