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Xiao B, Shi Z, Liu J, Huang Q, Shu K, Liu F, Zhi C, Zhang D, Wu L, Yang S, Zeng X, Fan T, Liu Z, Jiang Y. Design, synthesis, and evaluation of VHL-based EZH2 degraders for breast cancer. Bioorg Chem 2024; 143:107078. [PMID: 38181661 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.107078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2) is one of the most important histone methyltransferases (HMTs), and overexpression of EZH2 can lead to proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of tumor cells. But most of EZH2 inhibitors are only effective against some hematologic malignancies and have poor efficacy against solid tumors. Here, we report the design, synthesis, and evaluation of highly potent proteolysis targeting chimeric (PROTACs) small molecules targeting EZH2. We developed a potent and effective EZH2 degrader P4, which effectively induced EZH2 protein degradation and inhibited breast cancer cell growth. Further studies showed that P4 can significantly decrease the degree of H3K27me3 in MDA-MB-231 cell line, induce apoptosis and G0/G1 phase arrest in Pfeiffer and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. Therefore, P4 is a potential anticancer molecule for breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boren Xiao
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; The State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zhichao Shi
- Institute of Biomedical Health Technology and Engineering, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Jiaqi Liu
- Institute of Biomedical Health Technology and Engineering, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Qiuhua Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; The State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Kaifei Shu
- The State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Funian Liu
- Institute of Biomedical Health Technology and Engineering, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Cailian Zhi
- Institute of Biomedical Health Technology and Engineering, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Dandan Zhang
- Institute of Biomedical Health Technology and Engineering, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Lihong Wu
- The State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Shiqi Yang
- Institute of Biomedical Health Technology and Engineering, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Xiliang Zeng
- The State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Tingting Fan
- Institute of Biomedical Health Technology and Engineering, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China.
| | - Zijian Liu
- Shenzhen Kivita Innovative Drug Discovery Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; Shenzhen Winkey Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518000, China.
| | - Yuyang Jiang
- The State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China; Institute of Biomedical Health Technology and Engineering, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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2
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Hofmann N, Harms M, Mäder K. ASDs of PROTACs: Spray-dried solid dispersions as enabling formulations. Int J Pharm 2024; 650:123725. [PMID: 38113976 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are a promising class of pharmaceutical agents with a unique mode of action. PROTACs enable the targeting of a broad variety of structures including transcription factors and other "undruggable" targets. The poor solubility and slow dissolution of PROTACs currently limit the extensive use of their potential. Up to date, only very limited drug delivery options have been examined to address this challenge. Therefore, we explored the potential of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) by spray drying a model PROTAC with different polymers. The resulting formulations were assessed in terms of purity, solid state, dissolution performance, and stability. A strong increase in supersaturation compared to the physical mixture was provided, although in both systems the PROTAC molecule itself was already in the amorphous state. Evaluation of the reasons for the superiority of the ASD formulations revealed that the major factor was the homogeneous, molecular distribution of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in the polymer matrix, as well as improved wettability of the formulation containing Soluplus compared to the physical mixture. The manufactured formulations were stable over a minimum of 8 weeks when protected from light and humidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Hofmann
- Global Drug Product Development, Orals Development, Merck KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany; Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty I of Natural Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Strasse 3, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Meike Harms
- Global Drug Product Development, Orals Development, Merck KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Karsten Mäder
- Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty I of Natural Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Strasse 3, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
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3
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Zhu KF, Yuan C, Du YM, Sun KL, Zhang XK, Vogel H, Jia XD, Gao YZ, Zhang QF, Wang DP, Zhang HW. Applications and prospects of cryo-EM in drug discovery. Mil Med Res 2023; 10:10. [PMID: 36872349 PMCID: PMC9986049 DOI: 10.1186/s40779-023-00446-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug discovery is a crucial part of human healthcare and has dramatically benefited human lifespan and life quality in recent centuries, however, it is usually time- and effort-consuming. Structural biology has been demonstrated as a powerful tool to accelerate drug development. Among different techniques, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is emerging as the mainstream of structure determination of biomacromolecules in the past decade and has received increasing attention from the pharmaceutical industry. Although cryo-EM still has limitations in resolution, speed and throughput, a growing number of innovative drugs are being developed with the help of cryo-EM. Here, we aim to provide an overview of how cryo-EM techniques are applied to facilitate drug discovery. The development and typical workflow of cryo-EM technique will be briefly introduced, followed by its specific applications in structure-based drug design, fragment-based drug discovery, proteolysis targeting chimeras, antibody drug development and drug repurposing. Besides cryo-EM, drug discovery innovation usually involves other state-of-the-art techniques such as artificial intelligence (AI), which is increasingly active in diverse areas. The combination of cryo-EM and AI provides an opportunity to minimize limitations of cryo-EM such as automation, throughput and interpretation of medium-resolution maps, and tends to be the new direction of future development of cryo-EM. The rapid development of cryo-EM will make it as an indispensable part of modern drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kong-Fu Zhu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055 Guangdong China
| | - Chuang Yuan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191 China
| | - Yong-Ming Du
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105 USA
| | - Kai-Lei Sun
- Center for Protein Science and Crystallography, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077 China
| | - Xiao-Kang Zhang
- Interdisciplinary Center for Brain Information, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055 Guangdong China
- Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055 Guangdong China
- Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055 Guangdong China
| | - Horst Vogel
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055 Guangdong China
| | - Xu-Dong Jia
- State Key Lab for Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 China
| | - Yuan-Zhu Gao
- Cryo-EM Facility Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055 Guangdong China
| | - Qin-Fen Zhang
- State Key Lab for Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275 China
| | - Da-Ping Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055 Guangdong China
- Department of Orthopedics, Shenzhen Intelligent Orthopaedics and Biomedical Innovation Platform, Guangdong Provincial Research Center for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Orthopedic Technology, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518000 Guangdong China
| | - Hua-Wei Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055 Guangdong China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Biomaterials, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055 Guangdong China
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4
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Fuchs O. Targeting cereblon in hematologic malignancies. Blood Rev 2023; 57:100994. [PMID: 35933246 DOI: 10.1016/j.blre.2022.100994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The protein cereblon (CRBN) is a substrate receptor of the cullin 4-really interesting new gene (RING) E3 ubiquitin ligase complex CRL4CRBN. Targeting CRBN mediates selective protein ubiquitination and subsequent degradation via the proteasome. This review describes novel thalidomide analogs, immunomodulatory drugs, also known as CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase modulators or molecular glues (avadomide, iberdomide, CC-885, CC-90009, BTX-1188, CC-92480, CC-99282, CFT7455, and CC-91633), and CRBN-based proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) with increased efficacy and potent activity for application in hematologic malignancies. Both types of CRBN-binding drugs, molecular glues, and PROTACs stimulate the interaction between CRBN and its neosubstrates, recruiting target disease-promoting proteins and the E3 ubiquitin ligase CRL4CRBN. Proteins that are traditionally difficult to target (transcription factors and oncoproteins) can be polyubiquitinated and degraded in this way. The competition of CRBN neosubstrates with endogenous CRBN-interacting proteins and the pharmacology and rational combination therapies of and mechanisms of resistance to CRL4CRBN modulators or CRBN-based PROTACs are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ota Fuchs
- Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, U Nemocnice 1, 12800 Praha 2, Czech Republic.
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5
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Wang C, Chen X, Liu X, Lu D, Li S, Qu L, Yin F, Luo H, Zhang Y, Luo Z, Cui N, Kong L, Wang X. Discovery of precision targeting EZH2 degraders for triple-negative breast cancer. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 238:114462. [PMID: 35623249 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
EZH2 is usually overexpressed in TNBC and other tumors, which has a great influence on the occurrence, development and prognosis of tumors. However, current EZH2 inhibitors, including Tazemetostat and GSK126, affect the methyl catalytic capacity of EZH2 and have little effect on the tumorigenic activity of EZH2 itself, resulting in poor efficacy against most solid tumors. Herein, we designed and optimized proteolytic targeting chimeras (PROTACs) precision targeting EZH2. The most active PROTAC molecule U3i has a high affinity for PRC2 complex (KD = 16.19 nM) and show good inhibitory effects on MDA-MB-231 (IC50 = 0.57 μM) and MDA-MB-468 (IC50 = 0.38 μM) cells. Compared with that of the GSK126, the growth inhibitory activities of U3i against these two TNBC cells increased by approximately 20- and 30-fold. Further studies showed that U3i can degrade PRC2 complex in TNBC cells, induce apoptosis, and cause little damage to normal cells. Therefore, U3i is a potential anticancer molecule for TNBC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinye Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Xingchen Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Dehua Lu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Shang Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Lailiang Qu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Fucheng Yin
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Heng Luo
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Yonglei Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhongwen Luo
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Ningjie Cui
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Lingyi Kong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xiaobing Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bioactive Natural Product Research and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China.
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Hu R, Wang WL, Yang YY, Hu XT, Wang QW, Zuo WQ, Xu Y, Feng Q, Wang NY. Identification of a selective BRD4 PROTAC with potent antiproliferative effects in AR-positive prostate cancer based on a dual BET/PLK1 inhibitor. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 227:113922. [PMID: 34700270 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BRD4-targeted proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) have exhibited promising in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity in a number of cancer models. However, the clinical development of current reported BRD4-PROTACs have stagnated, largely due to the safety risks caused by their poor degradation selectivity. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of PROTACs based on our recently reported dual BET/PLK1 inhibitor WNY0824, which led to the discovery of an isoform-selective and potent BRD4-PROTAC 12a (WWL0245). WWL0245 exhibited excellent selective cytotoxicity in the BETi sensitive cancer cell lines, including AR-positive prostate cancer cell lines. It could also efficiently induce ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation of BRD4 in AR-positive prostate cancer cell lines, with sub-nanomolar half-maximal degrading concentration (DC50) and maximum degradation (Dmax) > 99%. Moreover, WWL0245 induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and apoptosis in AR-positive prostate cancer by downregulation of the protein levels of AR, PSA and c-Myc as well as transcriptionally suppressed AR-regulated genes. WWL0245 was thus expected to be developed as a promising drug candidate for AR-positive prostate cancer and a valuable tool compound to study the biological function of BRD4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Hu
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Wan-Li Wang
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ying-Yue Yang
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xia-Tong Hu
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qi-Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, And Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Wei-Qiong Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, And Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ying Xu
- School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, No.229 North Taibai Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710069, PR China
| | - Qiang Feng
- College of Chemistry and Life Science, Chengdu Normal University, Chengdu, China.
| | - Ning-Yu Wang
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China.
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Ren C, Sun N, Kong Y, Qu X, Liu H, Zhong H, Song X, Yang X, Jiang B. Structure-based discovery of SIAIS001 as an oral bioavailability ALK degrader constructed from Alectinib. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 217:113335. [PMID: 33751979 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Fusion proteins of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) are promising therapeutic targets for cancer and other human diseases, especially for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and anaplastic large-cell lymphomas (ALCLs). We described herein a structure-based design, synthesis, and evaluation of ALK PROTACs (proteolysis-targeting chimeras) based on Alectinib as the warhead. We firstly screened CRBN ligands as the E3 ligase moiety, then obtained a series of potent ALK degraders based on different CRBN ligands, exemplified by SIAIS091 and SIAIS001 with lenalidomide/thalidomide-based linkers. Both of them induced effective ALK degradation at low nanomolar concentrations in cells, and showed much better growth inhibition effects than Alectinib. SIAIS091 or SIAIS001 also promoted cell cycle arrest in G1/S phase. Finally, SIAIS001 exhibited good oral bioavailability in Pharmacokinetics study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaowei Ren
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210, China; School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ning Sun
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Ying Kong
- Jing Medicine Technology (Shanghai), Ltd., Y building230 Haike Road, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Xiaojuan Qu
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210, China; School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Haixia Liu
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210, China; School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Hui Zhong
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210, China; Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213164, China
| | - Xiaoling Song
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210, China.
| | - Xiaobao Yang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210, China.
| | - Biao Jiang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry of Natural Substances, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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Chen H, Chen F, Liu N, Wang X, Gou S. Chemically induced degradation of CK2 by proteolysis targeting chimeras based on a ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Bioorg Chem 2018; 81:536-544. [PMID: 30245235 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2018.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
As a ubiquitous, highly pleiotropic and constitutively active serine/threonine protein kinase, casein kinase 2 (CK2) is closely associated with tumorigenesis by its overexpression in cancer cells. Here we report several proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) via "click reaction" to connect a CK2 inhibitor (CX-4945) and pomalidomide for degradation of CK2 protein. Among them, compound 2 degraded CK2 in a dose and time-dependent manner, and kept CK2 at a low basal level by recruiting ubiquitin-proteasome system. The degradation of CK2 resulted in the reduced phosphorylation of Akt and the up-regulation of p53. As a CK2 protein degrader, 2 showed the analogous cytotoxicity to CX-4945 but with a quite different mechanism of action from the CK2 inhibitor, hinting that degradation of CK2 proteins by PROTACs is a potential way for cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Chen
- Pharmaceutical Research Center and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, PR China
| | - Feihong Chen
- Pharmaceutical Research Center and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, PR China
| | - Nannan Liu
- Pharmaceutical Research Center and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, PR China
| | - Xinyi Wang
- Pharmaceutical Research Center and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, PR China
| | - Shaohua Gou
- Pharmaceutical Research Center and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, PR China.
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