- Optimization of Benzothiazole and Thiazole Hydrazones as Inhibitors of Schistosome BCL-2
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Limited therapeutic options are available for the treatment of human schistosomiasis caused by the parasitic Schistosoma flatworm. The B cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2)-regulated apoptotic cell death pathway in schistosomes was recently characterized and shown to share similarities with the intrinsic apoptosis pathway in humans. Here, we exploit structural differences in the human and schistosome BCL-2 (sBCL-2) pro-survival proteins toward a novel treatment strategy for schistosomiasis. The benzothiazole hydrazone scaffold previously employed to target human BCL-XL was repurposed as a starting point to target sBCL-2. We utilized X-ray structural data to inform optimization and then applied a scaffold-hop strategy to identify the 5-carboxamide thiazole hydrazone scaffold (43) with potent sBCL-2 activity (IC50 30 nM). Human BCL-XL potency (IC50 13 nM) was inadvertently preserved during the optimization process. The lead analogues from this study exhibit on-target activity in model fibroblast cell lines dependent on either sBCL-2 or human BCL-XL for survival. Further optimization of the thiazole hydrazone class is required to exhibit activity in schistosomes and enhance the potential of this strategy for treating schistosomiasis.
- Nguyen, William,Lee, Erinna F.,Evangelista, Marco,Lee, Mihwa,Harris, Tiffany J.,Colman, Peter M.,Smith, Nicholas A.,Williams, Luke B.,Jarman, Kate E.,Lowes, Kym N.,Haeberli, Cécile,Keiser, Jennifer,Smith, Brian J.,Fairlie, W. Douglas,Sleebs, Brad E.
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p. 1143 - 1163
(2021/02/22)
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- Inhibitors of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) with enhanced metabolic stability reduce tau levels
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The molecular chaperone, Heat Shock Protein 70 (Hsp70), is an emerging drug target for neurodegenerative diseases, because of its ability to promote degradation of microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT/tau). Recently, we reported YM-08 as a brain penetrant, allosteric Hsp70 inhibitor, which reduces tau levels. However, the benzothiazole moiety of YM-08 is vulnerable to metabolism by CYP3A4, limiting its further application as a chemical probe. In this manuscript, we designed and synthesized seventeen YM-08 derivatives by systematically introducing halogen atoms to the benzothiazole ring and shifting the position of the heteroatom in a distal pyridine. In microsome assays, we found that compound JG-23 has 12-fold better metabolic stability and it retained the ability to reduce tau levels in two cell-based models. These chemical probes of Hsp70 are expected to be useful tools for studying tau homeostasis.
- Bertron, Jeanette L.,Gestwicki, Jason E.,Hayashi, Shigenari,Li, Xiaokai,Schwarz, Daniel M. C.,Shao, Hao,Tang, Benjamin C.
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- Analogues of the allosteric heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) inhibitor, MKT-077, as anti-cancer agents
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The rhodacyanine, MKT-077, has antiproliferative activity against cancer cell lines through its ability to inhibit members of the heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) family of molecular chaperones. However, MKT-077 is rapidly metabolized, which limits its use as either a chemical probe or potential therapeutic. We report the synthesis and characterization of MKT-077 analogues designed for greater stability. The most potent molecules, such as 30 (JG-98), were at least 3-fold more active than MKT-077 against the breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 (EC50 values of 0.4 ± 0.03 and 0.7 ± 0.2 μM, respectively). The analogues modestly destabilized the chaperone clients, Akt1 and Raf1, and induced apoptosis in these cells. Further, the microsomal half-life of JG-98 was improved at least 7-fold (t1/2 = 37 min) compared to MKT-077 (t1/2 5 min). Finally, NMR titration experiments suggested that these analogues bind an allosteric site that is known to accommodate MKT-077. These studies advance MKT-077 analogues as chemical probes for studying Hsp70s roles in cancer.
- Li, Xiaokai,Srinivasan, Sharan R.,Connarn, Jamie,Ahmad, Atta,Young, Zapporah T.,Kabza, Adam M.,Zuiderweg, Erik. R. P.,Sun, Duxin,Gestwicki, Jason E.
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p. 1042 - 1047
(2013/12/04)
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