Small-molecule modulators of Hh and Wnt signaling pathways

Niclosamide-conjugated polypeptide nanoparticles inhibit Wnt signaling and colon cancer growth

Abnormal Wnt activity is a major mechanism responsible for many diseases, including cancer. Previously, we reported that the anthelmintic drug Niclosamide (NIC) inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signaling and suppresses colon cancer cell growth. Although the pharmacokinetic properties of NIC are appropriate for use as an anthelmintic agent, its low solubility, low bioavailability and low systemic exposure limit its usefulness in treating systemic diseases. To overcome these limitations, we conjugated NIC to recombinant chimeric polypeptides (CPs), and the CP-NIC conjugate spontaneously self-assembled into sub-100 nm near-monodisperse nanoparticles. CP-NIC nanoparticles delivered intravenously act as a pro-drug of NIC to dramatically increase exposure of NIC compared to dosing with free NIC. CP-NIC improved anti-tumor activity compared to NIC in a xenograft model of human colon cancer. Because NIC has multiple biological activities, CP-NIC could be used for treatment of multiple diseases, including cancer, bacterial and viral infection, type II diabetes, NASH and NAFLD.

Small molecule modulators of Wnt/β-catenin signaling

The Wnt signal transduction pathway is dysregulated in many highly prevalent diseases, including cancer. Unfortunately, drug discovery efforts have been hampered by the paucity of targets and drug-like lead molecules amenable to drug discovery. Recently, we reported the FDA-approved anthelmintic drug Niclosamide inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signaling by a unique mechanism, though the target responsible remains unknown. We interrogated the mechanism and structure-activity relationships to understand drivers of potency and to assist target identification efforts. We found inhibition of Wnt signaling by Niclosamide appears unique among the structurally-related anthelmintic agents tested and found the potency and functional response was dependent on small changes in the chemical structure of Niclosamide. Overall, these findings support efforts to identify the target of Niclosamide inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and the discovery of potent and selective modulators to treat human disease.

International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. LXXX. The class Frizzled receptors

The receptor class Frizzled, which has recently been categorized as a separate group of G protein-coupled receptors by the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology, consists of 10 Frizzleds (FZD(1-10)) and Smoothened (SMO). The FZDs are activated by secreted lipoglycoproteins of the Wingless/Int-1 (WNT) family, whereas SMO is indirectly activated by the Hedgehog (HH) family of proteins acting on the transmembrane protein Patched (PTCH). Recent years have seen major advances in our knowledge about these seven-transmembrane-spanning proteins, including: receptor function, molecular mechanisms of signal transduction, and the receptor's role in embryonic patterning, physiology, cancer, and other diseases. Despite intense efforts, many question marks and challenges remain in mapping receptor-ligand interaction, signaling routes, mechanisms of specificity and how these molecular details underlie disease and also the receptor's important role in physiology. This review therefore focuses on the molecular aspects of WNT/FZD and HH/SMO signaling discussing receptor structure, mechanisms of signal transduction, accessory proteins, receptor dynamics, and the possibility of targeting these signaling pathways pharmacologically.

Development of small molecules targeting the Wnt pathway for the treatment of colon cancer: a high-throughput screening approach

Wnt proteins play major roles in development and differentiation, and abnormalities in their regulation are believed to contribute to the formation of many cancers, including colorectal malignancies. As a result, there has been an interest in identifying small molecule inhibitors of Wnt signaling as tool compounds for research or as precursors to new generations of anticancer drugs. Advancements in robotic technology along with reductions in the costs of equipment, chemical libraries, and information handling have made high-throughput drug discovery programs possible in an academic setting. In this minireview we discuss the most plausible protein targets for inhibiting Wnt signaling in colon cancer therapy, list small molecule Wnt inhibitors that have been identified through recent drug discovery efforts, and provide our laboratory's strategy for identifying novel Wnt signaling antagonists using high-throughput screening. In particular, we summarize the results of a screen of over 1,200 drug and druglike compounds we recently completed in which niclosamide was identified as a Wnt pathway antagonist.

The structure of SHH in complex with HHIP reveals a recognition role for the Shh pseudo active site in signaling

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is crucial for many aspects of embryonic development, whereas dysregulation of this pathway is associated with several types of cancer. Hedgehog-interacting protein (Hhip) is a surface receptor antagonist that is equipotent against all three mammalian Hh homologs. The crystal structures of human HHIP alone and bound to Sonic hedgehog (SHH) now reveal that HHIP is comprised of two EGF domains and a six-bladed beta-propeller domain. In the complex structure, a critical loop from HHIP binds the pseudo active site groove of SHH and directly coordinates its Zn2+ cation. Notably, sequence comparisons of this SHH binding loop with the Hh receptor Patched (Ptc1) ectodomains and HHIP- and PTC1-peptide binding studies suggest a 'patch for Patched' at the Shh pseudo active site; thus, we propose a role for Hhip as a structural decoy receptor for vertebrate Hh.

A small molecule inhibitor of the Wnt antagonist secreted frizzled-related protein-1 stimulates bone formation

Canonical Wnt signaling has been demonstrated to increase bone formation, and Wnt pathway components are being pursued as potential drug targets for osteoporosis and other metabolic bone diseases. Deletion of the Wnt antagonist secreted frizzled-related protein (sFRP)-1 in mice activates canonical signaling in bone and increases trabecular bone formation in aged animals. We have developed small molecules that bind to and inhibit sFRP-1 in vitro and demonstrate robust anabolic activity in an ex vivo organ culture assay. A library of over 440,000 drug-like compounds was screened for inhibitors of human sFRP-1 using a cell-based functional assay that measured activation of canonical Wnt signaling with an optimized T-cell factor (TCF)-luciferase reporter gene assay. One of the hits in this screen, a diarylsulfone sulfonamide, bound to sFRP-1 with a K(D) of 0.35 microM in a tryptophan fluorescence quenching assay. This compound also selectively inhibited sFRP-1 with an EC(50) of 3.9 microM in the cell-based functional assay. Optimization of this high throughput screening hit for binding and functional potency as well as metabolic stability and other pharmaceutical properties led to improved lead compounds. One of these leads (WAY-316606) bound to sFRP-1 with a K(D) of 0.08 microM and inhibited it with an EC(50) of 0.65 microM. Moreover, this compound increased total bone area in a murine calvarial organ culture assay at concentrations as low as 0.0001 microM. This work demonstrates the feasibility of developing small molecules that inhibit sFRP-1 and stimulate canonical Wnt signaling to increase bone formation.