Identification of PIKfyve kinase as a target in multiple myeloma

The cellular cytotoxicity of APY0201, a PIKfyve inhibitor, against multiple myeloma was initially identified in an unbiased in vitro chemical library screen. The activity of APY0201 was confirmed in all 25 cell lines tested and in 40% of 100 ex vivo patient-derived primary samples, with increased activity in primary samples harboring trisomies and lacking t(11;14). The broad anti-multiple myeloma activity of PIKfyve inhibitors was further demonstrated in confirmatory screens and showed the superior potency of APY0201 when compared to the PIKfyve inhibitors YM201636 and apilimod, with a mid-point half maximal effective concentration (EC₅₀) at nanomolar concentrations in, respectively, 65%, 40%, and 5% of the tested cell lines. Upregulation of genes in the lysosomal pathway and increased cellular vacuolization were observed in vitro following APY0201 treatment, although these cellular effects did not correlate well with responsiveness. We confirm that PIKfyve inhibition is associated with activation of the transcription factor EB, a master regulator of lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy. Furthermore, we established an assay measuring autophagy as a predictive marker of APY0201 sensitivity. Overall, these findings indicate promising activity of PIKfyve inhibitors secondary to disruption of autophagy in multiple myeloma and suggest a strategy to enrich for likely responders.

Comprehensive characterization of the Published Kinase Inhibitor Set

Despite the success of protein kinase inhibitors as approved therapeutics, drug discovery has focused on a small subset of kinase targets. Here we provide a thorough characterization of the Published Kinase Inhibitor Set (PKIS), a set of 367 small-molecule ATP-competitive kinase inhibitors that was recently made freely available with the aim of expanding research in this field and as an experiment in open-source target validation. We screen the set in activity assays with 224 recombinant kinases and 24 G protein-coupled receptors and in cellular assays of cancer cell proliferation and angiogenesis. We identify chemical starting points for designing new chemical probes of orphan kinases and illustrate the utility of these leads by developing a selective inhibitor for the previously untargeted kinases LOK and SLK. Our cellular screens reveal compounds that modulate cancer cell growth and angiogenesis in vitro. These reagents and associated data illustrate an efficient way forward to increasing understanding of the historically untargeted kinome.

Streamlined System for Purifying and Quantifying a Diverse Library of Compounds and the Effect of Compound Concentration Measurements on the Accurate Interpretation of Biological Assay Results

As part of an overall systems approach to generating highly accurate screening data across large numbers of compounds and biological targets, we have developed and implemented streamlined methods for purifying and quantitating compounds at various stages of the screening process, coupled with automated "traditional" storage methods (DMSO, -20 degrees C). Specifically, all of the compounds in our druglike library are purified by LC/MS/UV and are then controlled for identity and concentration in their respective DMSO stock solutions by chemiluminescent nitrogen detection (CLND)/evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) and MS/UV. In addition, the compound-buffer solutions used in the various biological assays are quantitated by LC/UV/CLND to determine the concentration of compound actually present during screening. Our results show that LC/UV/CLND/ELSD/MS is a widely applicable method that can be used to purify, quantitate, and identify most small organic molecules from compound libraries. The LC/UV/CLND technique is a simple and sensitive method that can be easily and cost-effectively employed to rapidly determine the concentrations of even small amounts of any N-containing compound in aqueous solution. We present data to establish error limits for concentration determination that are well within the overall variability of the screening process. This study demonstrates that there is a significant difference between the predicted amount of soluble compound from stock DMSO solutions following dilution into assay buffer and the actual amount present in assay buffer solutions, even at the low concentrations employed for the assays. We also demonstrate that knowledge of the concentrations of compounds to which the biological target is exposed is critical for accurate potency determinations. Accurate potency values are in turn particularly important for drug discovery, for understanding structure-activity relationships, and for building useful empirical models of protein-ligand interactions. Our new understanding of relative solubility demonstrates that most, if not all, decisions that are made in early discovery are based upon missing or inaccurate information. Finally, we demonstrate that careful control of compound handling and concentration, coupled with accurate assay methods, allows the use of both positive and negative data in analyzing screening data sets for structure-activity relationships that determine potency and selectivity.

Discovery of a novel, potent, and specific family of factor Xa inhibitors via combinatorial chemistry

A series of low molecular weight peptide inhibitors of factor Xa, unrelated to any previously described, was identified by screening a combinatorial peptide library composed of L-amino acids. The minimal inhibitory sequence is a tripeptide, L-tyrosinyl-L-isoleucyl-L-arginyl, which competitively inhibits the hydrolysis of small chromogenic substrates by factor Xa but binds in an orientation which prevents a productive nucleophilic attack by serine 195 of the catalytic triad on the carbonyl carbon of the carboxyterminal arginine. The initial leads identified in an octamer combinatorial peptide library ranged in potency from 4 to 15 microM. These peptides were modified into peptide mimetics with a greater than 1000-fold increase in potency while retaining unusual selectivity for factor Xa over the related serine proteases thrombin, factor VIIa/tissue factor, plasmin, activated protein C, kallikrein, and trypsin. One of the most potent analogues, SEL 2711, with a Ki of 0.003 microM for factor Xa and 40 microM for thrombin, is active in in vitro and ex vivo coagulation assays, suggesting the potential application of these inhibitors in anticoagulant therapy.

High-volume cellular screening for anticancer agents with combinatorial chemical libraries: a new methodology

A single-step cancer cell cytotoxic assay system for anticancer drug discovery has been developed which facilitates rapid screening of large combinatorial chemical libraries synthesized using the 'one-bead-one-compound' (OBOC) methodology. Each OBOC library bead incorporates two orthogonally cleavable linkers that release the bead-bound compound at a different pH. The assay utilizes high concentrations of tumor cells mixed directly with OBOC beads and plated in soft agarose containing tissue culture medium. One of the orthogonal linkers is cleaved at neutral pH in tissue culture releasing an aliquot of compound to diffuse at a relatively high local concentration into the soft agarose immediately surrounding the bead. Active compounds are identified visually from a clear ring of tumor cell lysis which forms within 48 h around just the rare bead releasing a cytotoxic compound. The bead releasing a cytotoxin is then plucked from the agar and the remaining compound still linked to the bead can be released for structural analysis, followed by compound resynthesis and confirmatory testing. This assay system has been successfully applied to identification of lead cytotoxic compounds from model peptidic and non-peptidic combinatorial chemical libraries. Use of this methodology may facilitate anticancer drug discovery.