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Balsollier C, Bijkerk S, de Smit A, van Eekelen K, Bozovičar K, Husstege D, Tomašič T, Anderluh M, Pieters RJ. Discovery of two non-UDP-mimic inhibitors of O-GlcNAc transferase by screening a DNA-encoded library. Bioorg Chem 2024; 147:107321. [PMID: 38604018 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107321] [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: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Finding potent inhibitors of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) has proven to be a challenge, especially because the diversity of published inhibitors is low. The large majority of available OGT inhibitors are uridine-based or uridine-like compounds that mimic the main interactions of glycosyl donor UDP-GlcNAc with the enzyme. Until recently, screening of DNA-encoded libraries for discovering hits against protein targets was dedicated to a few laboratories around the world, but has become accessible to wider public with the recent launch of the DELopen platform. Here we report the results and follow-up of a DNA-encoded library screening by using the DELopen platform. This led to the discovery of two new hits with structural features not resembling UDP. Small focused libraries bearing those two scaffolds were made, leading to low micromolar inhibition of OGT and elucidation of their structure-activity relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril Balsollier
- Department of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht NL-3508 TB, The Netherlands; Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Simon Bijkerk
- Department of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht NL-3508 TB, The Netherlands
| | - Arjan de Smit
- Department of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht NL-3508 TB, The Netherlands
| | - Kevin van Eekelen
- Department of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht NL-3508 TB, The Netherlands
| | - Krištof Bozovičar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Dirk Husstege
- Department of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht NL-3508 TB, The Netherlands
| | - Tihomir Tomašič
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marko Anderluh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Roland J Pieters
- Department of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht NL-3508 TB, The Netherlands.
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Shan X, Jiang R, Gou D, Xiang J, Zhou P, Xia J, Wang K, Huang A, Tang N, Huang L. Identification of a diketopiperazine-based O-GlcNAc transferase inhibitor sensitizing hepatocellular carcinoma to CDK9 inhibition. FEBS J 2023; 290:4543-4561. [PMID: 37247228 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16877] [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: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
O-GlcNAcylation (O-linked β-N-acetylglucosaminylation) is an important post-translational and metabolic process in cells that is implicated in a wide range of physiological processes. O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is ubiquitously present in cells and is the only enzyme that catalyses the transfer of O-GlcNAc to nucleocytoplasmic proteins. Aberrant glycosylation by OGT has been linked to a variety of diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and diabetes. Previously, we and others demonstrated that O-GlcNAcylation is notably elevated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The overexpression of O-GlcNAcylation promotes cancer progression and metastasis. Here, we report the identification of HLY838, a novel diketopiperazine-based OGT inhibitor with the ability to induce a global decrease in cellular O-GlcNAc. HLY838 enhances the in vitro and in vivo anti-HCC activity of CDK9 inhibitor by downregulating c-Myc and downstream E2F1 expression. Mechanistically, c-Myc is regulated by the CDK9 at the transcript level, and stabilized by OGT at the protein level. This work therefore demonstrates that HLY838 potentiates the antitumor responses of CDK9 inhibitor, providing an experimental rationale for developing OGT inhibitor as a sensitizing agent in cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqun Shan
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China
| | - Rong Jiang
- Laboratory of Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering, Chongqing Medical University, China
| | - Dongmei Gou
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China
| | - Jin Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China
| | - Peng Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China
| | - Jie Xia
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China
| | - Ailong Huang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China
| | - Ni Tang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China
| | - Luyi Huang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China
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Balsollier C, Tomašič T, Yasini D, Bijkerk S, Anderluh M, Pieters RJ. Design of OSMI-4 Analogs Using Scaffold Hopping: Investigating the Importance of the Uridine Mimic in the Binding of OGT Inhibitors. ChemMedChem 2023; 18:e202300001. [PMID: 36752318 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202300001] [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: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
β-N-Acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) inhibition is considered an important topic in medicinal chemistry. The involvement of O-GlcNAcylation in several important biological pathways is pointing to OGT as a potential therapeutic target. The field of OGT inhibitors drastically changed after the discovery of the 7-quinolone-4-carboxamide scaffold and its optimization to the first nanomolar OGT inhibitor: OSMI-4. While OSMI-4 is still the most potent inhibitor reported to date, its physicochemical properties are limiting its use as a potential drug candidate as well as a biological tool. In this study, we have introduced a simple modification (elongation) of the peptide part of OSMI-4 that limits the unwanted cyclisation during OSMI-4 synthesis while retaining OGT inhibitory potency. Secondly, we have kept this modified peptide unchanged while incorporating new sulfonamide UDP mimics to try to improve binding of newly designed OGT inhibitors in the UDP-binding site. With the use of computational methods, a small library of OSMI-4 derivatives was designed, prepared and evaluated that provided information about the OGT binding pocket and its specificity toward quinolone-4-carboxamides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril Balsollier
- Department of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tihomir Tomašič
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Daniel Yasini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Simon Bijkerk
- Department of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marko Anderluh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Roland J Pieters
- Department of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Discovery of a New Drug-Like Series of OGT Inhibitors by Virtual Screening. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27061996. [PMID: 35335358 PMCID: PMC8950328 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27061996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
O-GlcNAcylation is an essential post-translational modification installed by the enzyme O-β-N-acetyl-d-glucosaminyl transferase (OGT). Modulating this enzyme would be extremely valuable to better understand its role in the development of serious human pathologies, such as diabetes and cancer. However, the limited availability of potent and selective inhibitors hinders the validation of this potential therapeutic target. To explore new chemotypes that target the active site of OGT, we performed virtual screening of a large library of commercially available compounds with drug-like properties. We purchased samples of the most promising virtual hits and used enzyme assays to identify authentic leads. Structure-activity relationships of the best identified OGT inhibitor were explored by generating a small library of derivatives. Our best hit displays a novel uridine mimetic scaffold and inhibited the recombinant enzyme with an IC50 value of 7 µM. The current hit represents an excellent starting point for designing and developing a new set of OGT inhibitors that may prove useful for exploring the biology of OGT.
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