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Lv G, Shi Q, Zhang T, Li J, Long Y, Zhang W, Choudhry N, Yang K, Li H, Kalashova J, Yang C, Zhou X, Reddy MC, Anantoju KK, Zhang S, Zhang J, Allen TD, Liu H, Nimishetti N, Yang D. Integrating a phenotypic screening with a structural simplification strategy to identify 4-phenoxy-quinoline derivatives to potently disrupt the mitotic localization of Aurora kinase B. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 80:117173. [PMID: 36696874 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117173] [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: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
We combined a mechanism-informed phenotypic screening (MIPS) assay with a structural simplification strategy to guide the discovery of compounds that disrupt the localization of the mitotic regulator, Aurora kinase B (AURKB), rather than inhibiting its catalytic activity. An initial hit 4-(4-methylthiophen-2-yl)-N-(4-(quinolin-4-yloxy)phenyl)phthalazin-1-amine was identified after screening an in-house library of small molecules and phenocopied the loss of function mutations in AURKB without inhibiting its catalytic activity. We isolated this hit compound activity to its 4-phenoxy-quinoline moiety. The fragment was further optimized into a class of new chemical entities that potently disrupt the mitotic localization of AURKB at low nanomolar concentrations and consequently elicit severe growth inhibition in diverse human cancer cell lines. A lead compound, N-(3-methoxy-5-(6-methoxyquinolin-4-yl)oxy)phenyl)acetamide possessed desirable pharmacokinetic properties such as AUC0-∞: 227.15 [ng∙h/mL/(mg/kg)]; Cmax: 3378.52 ng/mL T1/2: 3.52 h; and F%: 42 % and produced the AURKB-inhibitory phenotypes in a mouse xenograft model. A lead compound is a powerful tool for interrogating the regulation of AURKB and has the potential to be further developed as a first-in-class oncology therapeutic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Lv
- Chengdu Anticancer Bioscience, Chengdu 610000, China; J. Michael Bishop Institute of Cancer Research, Chengdu 610000, China.
| | - Qiong Shi
- J. Michael Bishop Institute of Cancer Research, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- Chengdu Anticancer Bioscience, Chengdu 610000, China; J. Michael Bishop Institute of Cancer Research, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Jinhua Li
- Chengdu Anticancer Bioscience, Chengdu 610000, China; J. Michael Bishop Institute of Cancer Research, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Yan Long
- Chengdu Anticancer Bioscience, Chengdu 610000, China; J. Michael Bishop Institute of Cancer Research, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Wenhui Zhang
- Chengdu Anticancer Bioscience, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Namrta Choudhry
- Chengdu Anticancer Bioscience, Chengdu 610000, China; J. Michael Bishop Institute of Cancer Research, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Kevin Yang
- Chengdu Anticancer Bioscience, Chengdu 610000, China; Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Hongmei Li
- Chengdu Anticancer Bioscience, Chengdu 610000, China; J. Michael Bishop Institute of Cancer Research, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Julia Kalashova
- Chengdu Anticancer Bioscience, Chengdu 610000, China; J. Michael Bishop Institute of Cancer Research, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Chenglu Yang
- Chengdu Anticancer Bioscience, Chengdu 610000, China; J. Michael Bishop Institute of Cancer Research, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Xiaohu Zhou
- Chengdu Anticancer Bioscience, Chengdu 610000, China
| | | | | | - Shenqiu Zhang
- J. Michael Bishop Institute of Cancer Research, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- J. Michael Bishop Institute of Cancer Research, Chengdu 610000, China
| | | | - Hong Liu
- Anticancer Bioscience (US), South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Naganna Nimishetti
- Chengdu Anticancer Bioscience, Chengdu 610000, China; J. Michael Bishop Institute of Cancer Research, Chengdu 610000, China.
| | - Dun Yang
- Chengdu Anticancer Bioscience, Chengdu 610000, China; J. Michael Bishop Institute of Cancer Research, Chengdu 610000, China.
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The Effect of Circumscribed Exposure to the Pan-Aurora Kinase Inhibitor VX-680 on Proliferating Euploid Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012104. [PMID: 36292957 PMCID: PMC9603438 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Small molecule inhibitors of aurora kinases are currently being investigated in oncology clinical trials. The long-term effects of these inhibitors on proliferating euploid cells have not been adequately studied. We examined the effect of the reversible pan-aurora kinase inhibitor VX-680 on p53-competent human euploid cells. Circumscribed treatment with VX-680 blocked cytokinesis and arrested cells in G1 or a G1-like status. Approximately 70% of proliferatively arrested cells had 4N DNA content and abnormal nuclei. The remaining 30% of cells possessed 2N DNA content and normal nuclei. The proliferative arrest was not due to the activation of the tumor suppressor Rb and was instead associated with rapid induction of the p53–p21 pathway and p16. The induction was particularly evident in cells with nuclear abnormalities but was independent of activation of the DNA damage response. All of these effects were correlated with the potent inhibition of aurora kinase B. After release from VX-680, the cells with normal nuclei robustly resumed proliferation whereas the cells with abnormal nuclei underwent senescence. Irrespective of their nuclear morphology or DNA content, cells pre-treated with VX-680 failed to grow in soft agar or form tumors in mice. Our findings indicate that an intermittent treatment strategy might minimize the on-target side effects of Aurora Kinase B (AURKB) inhibitory therapies. The strategy allows a significant fraction of dividing normal cells to resume proliferation.
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