CHK1 Inhibition Is Synthetically Lethal with Loss of B-Family DNA Polymerase Function in Human Lung and Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) is a key mediator of the DNA damage response that regulates cell-cycle progression, DNA damage repair, and DNA replication. Small-molecule CHK1 inhibitors sensitize cancer cells to genotoxic agents and have shown single-agent preclinical activity in cancers with high levels of replication stress. However, the underlying genetic determinants of CHK1 inhibitor sensitivity remain unclear. We used the developmental clinical drug SRA737 in an unbiased large-scale siRNA screen to identify novel mediators of CHK1 inhibitor sensitivity and uncover potential combination therapies and biomarkers for patient selection. We identified subunits of the B-family of DNA polymerases (POLA1, POLE, and POLE2) whose silencing sensitized the human A549 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and SW620 colorectal cancer cell lines to SRA737. B-family polymerases were validated using multiple siRNAs in a panel of NSCLC and colorectal cancer cell lines. Replication stress, DNA damage, and apoptosis were increased in human cancer cells following depletion of the B-family DNA polymerases combined with SRA737 treatment. Moreover, pharmacologic blockade of B-family DNA polymerases using aphidicolin or CD437 combined with CHK1 inhibitors led to synergistic inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. Furthermore, low levels of POLA1, POLE, and POLE2 protein expression in NSCLC and colorectal cancer cells correlated with single-agent CHK1 inhibitor sensitivity and may constitute biomarkers of this phenotype. These findings provide a potential basis for combining CHK1 and B-family polymerase inhibitors in cancer therapy. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings demonstrate how the therapeutic benefit of CHK1 inhibitors may potentially be enhanced and could have implications for patient selection and future development of new combination therapies.

Binding to an Unusual Inactive Kinase Conformation by Highly Selective Inhibitors of Inositol-Requiring Enzyme 1α Kinase-Endoribonuclease.

A series of imidazo[1,2- b]pyridazin-8-amine kinase inhibitors were discovered to allosterically inhibit the endoribonuclease function of the dual kinase-endoribonuclease inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α), a key component of the unfolded protein response in mammalian cells and a potential drug target in multiple human diseases. Inhibitor optimization gave compounds with high kinome selectivity that prevented endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced IRE1α oligomerization and phosphorylation, and inhibited endoribonuclease activity in human cells. X-ray crystallography showed the inhibitors to bind to a previously unreported and unusually disordered conformation of the IRE1α kinase domain that would be incompatible with back-to-back dimerization of the IRE1α protein and activation of the endoribonuclease function. These findings increase the repertoire of known IRE1α protein conformations and can guide the discovery of highly selective ligands for the IRE1α kinase site that allosterically inhibit the endoribonuclease.

Molecular profiling and combinatorial activity of CCT068127: a potent CDK2 and CDK9 inhibitor.

Deregulation of the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple cancer types. Consequently, CDKs have garnered intense interest as therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer. We describe herein the molecular and cellular effects of CCT068127, a novel inhibitor of CDK2 and CDK9. Optimized from the purine template of seliciclib, CCT068127 exhibits greater potency and selectivity against purified CDK2 and CDK9 and superior antiproliferative activity against human colon cancer and melanoma cell lines. X-ray crystallography studies reveal that hydrogen bonding with the DFG motif of CDK2 is the likely mechanism of greater enzymatic potency. Commensurate with inhibition of CDK activity, CCT068127 treatment results in decreased retinoblastoma protein (RB) phosphorylation, reduced phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II, and induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The transcriptional signature of CCT068127 shows greatest similarity to other small-molecule CDK and also HDAC inhibitors. CCT068127 caused a dramatic loss in expression of DUSP6 phosphatase, alongside elevated ERK phosphorylation and activation of MAPK pathway target genes. MCL1 protein levels are rapidly decreased by CCT068127 treatment and this associates with synergistic antiproliferative activity after combined treatment with CCT068127 and ABT263, a BCL2 family inhibitor. These findings support the rational combination of this series of CDK2/9 inhibitors and BCL2 family inhibitors for the treatment of human cancer.

In vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships for the trisubstituted aminopurine cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors olomoucine, bohemine and CYC202.

PURPOSE: To investigate pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships for the trisubstituted aminopurine cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors olomoucine, bohemine, and CYC202 (R-roscovitine; seliciclib) in the HCT116 human colon carcinoma model. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The in vitro activity of the agents was determined in a human tumor panel using the sulforhodamine B assay. The concentration and time dependence was established in HCT116 cells. Molecular biomarkers, including RB phosphorylation and cyclin expression, were assessed by Western blotting. Pharmacokinetic properties were characterized in mice following analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Based on these studies, a dosing regimen was developed for CYC202 that allowed therapeutic exposures in the HCT116 tumor xenograft. RESULTS: The antitumor potency of the agents in vitro was in the order olomoucine (IC50, 56 micromol/L) < bohemine (IC50, 27 micromol/L) < CYC202 (IC50, 15 micromol/L), corresponding to their activities as cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors. Antitumor activity increased with exposure time up to 16 hours. The agents caused inhibition of RB and RNA polymerase II phosphorylation and depletion of cyclins. They exhibited relatively rapid clearance following administration to mice. CYC202 displayed the slowest clearance from plasma and the highest tumor uptake, with oral bioavailability of 86%. Oral dosing of CYC202 gave active concentrations in the tumor, modulation of pharmacodynamic markers, and inhibition of tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS: CYC202 showed therapeutic activity on human cancer cell lines in vitro and on xenografts. Pharmacodynamic markers are altered in vitro and in vivo, consistent with the inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases. Such markers may be potentially useful in the clinical development of CYC202 and other cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors.

DNA replication stress mediates APOBEC3 family mutagenesis in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The APOBEC3 family of cytidine deaminases mutate the cancer genome in a range of cancer types. Although many studies have documented the downstream effects of APOBEC3 activity through next-generation sequencing, less is known about their upstream regulation. In this study, we sought to identify a molecular basis for APOBEC3 expression and activation. RESULTS: HER2 amplification and PTEN loss promote DNA replication stress and APOBEC3B activity in vitro and correlate with APOBEC3 mutagenesis in vivo. HER2-enriched breast carcinomas display evidence of elevated levels of replication stress-associated DNA damage in vivo. Chemical and cytotoxic induction of replication stress, through aphidicolin, gemcitabine, camptothecin or hydroxyurea exposure, activates transcription of APOBEC3B via an ATR/Chk1-dependent pathway in vitro. APOBEC3B activation can be attenuated through repression of oncogenic signalling, small molecule inhibition of receptor tyrosine kinase signalling and alleviation of replication stress through nucleoside supplementation. CONCLUSION: These data link oncogene, loss of tumour suppressor gene and drug-induced replication stress with APOBEC3B activity, providing new insights into how cytidine deaminase-induced mutagenesis might be activated in tumourigenesis and limited therapeutically.

Multiparameter Lead Optimization to Give an Oral Checkpoint Kinase 1 (CHK1) Inhibitor Clinical Candidate: (R)-5-((4-((Morpholin-2-ylmethyl)amino)-5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridin-2-yl)amino)pyrazine-2-carbonitrile (CCT245737).

Multiparameter optimization of a series of 5-((4-aminopyridin-2-yl)amino)pyrazine-2-carbonitriles resulted in the identification of a potent and selective oral CHK1 preclinical development candidate with in vivo efficacy as a potentiator of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damaging chemotherapy and as a single agent. Cellular mechanism of action assays were used to give an integrated assessment of compound selectivity during optimization resulting in a highly CHK1 selective adenosine triphosphate (ATP) competitive inhibitor. A single substituent vector directed away from the CHK1 kinase active site was unexpectedly found to drive the selective cellular efficacy of the compounds. Both CHK1 potency and off-target human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) ion channel inhibition were dependent on lipophilicity and basicity in this series. Optimization of CHK1 cellular potency and in vivo pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) properties gave a compound with low predicted doses and exposures in humans which mitigated the residual weak in vitro hERG inhibition.

Disruption of WT1 gene expression and exon 5 splicing following cytotoxic drug treatment: antisense down-regulation of exon 5 alters target gene expression and inhibits cell survival.

Deregulated expression of the Wilms' tumor gene (WT1) has been implicated in the maintenance of a malignant phenotype in leukemias and a wide range of solid tumors through interference with normal signaling in differentiation and apoptotic pathways. Expression of high levels of WT1 is associated with poor prognosis in leukemias and breast cancer. Using real-time (Taqman) reverse transcription-PCR and RNase protection assay, we have shown up-regulation of WT1 expression following cytotoxic treatment of cells exhibiting drug resistance, a phenomenon not seen in sensitive cells. WT1 is subject to alternative splicing involving exon 5 and three amino acids (KTS) at the end of exon 9, producing four major isoforms. Exon 5 splicing was disrupted in all cell lines studied following a cytotoxic insult probably due to increased exon 5 skipping. Disruption of exon 5 splicing may be a proapoptotic signal because specific targeting of WT1 exon 5-containing transcripts using a nuclease-resistant antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) killed HL60 leukemia cells, which were resistant to an ASO targeting all four alternatively spliced transcripts simultaneously. K562 cells were sensitive to both target-specific ASOs. Gene expression profiling following treatment with WT1 exon 5-targeted antisense showed up-regulation of the known WT1 target gene, thrombospondin 1, in HL60 cells, which correlated with cell death. In addition, novel potential WT1 target genes were identified in each cell line. These studies highlight a new layer of complexity in the regulation and function of the WT1 gene product and suggest that antisense directed to WT1 exon 5 might have therapeutic potential.

Discovery of 3-alkoxyamino-5-(pyridin-2-ylamino)pyrazine-2-carbonitriles as selective, orally bioavailable CHK1 inhibitors.

Inhibitors of checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) are of current interest as potential antitumor agents, but the most advanced inhibitor series reported to date are not orally bioavailable. A novel series of potent and orally bioavailable 3-alkoxyamino-5-(pyridin-2-ylamino)pyrazine-2-carbonitrile CHK1 inhibitors was generated by hybridization of two lead scaffolds derived from fragment-based drug design and optimized for CHK1 potency and high selectivity using a cell-based assay cascade. Efficient in vivo pharmacokinetic assessment was used to identify compounds with prolonged exposure following oral dosing. The optimized compound (CCT244747) was a potent and highly selective CHK1 inhibitor, which modulated the DNA damage response pathway in human tumor xenografts and showed antitumor activity in combination with genotoxic chemotherapies and as a single agent.

CCT241533 is a potent and selective inhibitor of CHK2 that potentiates the cytotoxicity of PARP inhibitors.

CHK2 is a checkpoint kinase involved in the ATM-mediated response to double-strand DNA breaks. Its potential as a drug target is still unclear, but inhibitors of CHK2 may increase the efficacy of genotoxic cancer therapies in a p53 mutant background by eliminating one of the checkpoints or DNA repair pathways contributing to cellular resistance. We report here the identification and characterization of a novel CHK2 kinase inhibitor, CCT241533. X-ray crystallography confirmed that CCT241533 bound to CHK2 in the ATP pocket. This compound inhibits CHK2 with an IC(50) of 3 nmol/L and shows minimal cross-reactivity against a panel of kinases at 1 µmol/L. CCT241533 blocked CHK2 activity in human tumor cell lines in response to DNA damage, as shown by inhibition of CHK2 autophosphorylation at S516, band shift mobility changes, and HDMX degradation. CCT241533 did not potentiate the cytotoxicity of a selection of genotoxic agents in several cell lines. However, this compound significantly potentiates the cytotoxicity of two structurally distinct PARP inhibitors. Clear induction of the pS516 CHK2 signal was seen with a PARP inhibitor alone, and this activation was abolished by CCT241533, implying that the potentiation of PARP inhibitor cell killing by CCT241533 was due to inhibition of CHK2. Consequently, our findings imply that CHK2 inhibitors may exert therapeutic activity in combination with PARP inhibitors.

Structure-guided evolution of potent and selective CHK1 inhibitors through scaffold morphing.

Pyrazolopyridine inhibitors with low micromolar potency for CHK1 and good selectivity against CHK2 were previously identified by fragment-based screening. The optimization of the pyrazolopyridines to a series of potent and CHK1-selective isoquinolines demonstrates how fragment-growing and scaffold morphing strategies arising from a structure-based understanding of CHK1 inhibitor binding can be combined to successfully progress fragment-derived hit matter to compounds with activity in vivo. The challenges of improving CHK1 potency and selectivity, addressing synthetic tractability, and achieving novelty in the crowded kinase inhibitor chemical space were tackled by multiple scaffold morphing steps, which progressed through tricyclic pyrimido[2,3-b]azaindoles to N-(pyrazin-2-yl)pyrimidin-4-amines and ultimately to imidazo[4,5-c]pyridines and isoquinolines. A potent and highly selective isoquinoline CHK1 inhibitor (SAR-020106) was identified, which potentiated the efficacies of irinotecan and gemcitabine in SW620 human colon carcinoma xenografts in nude mice.

The preclinical pharmacology and therapeutic activity of the novel CHK1 inhibitor SAR-020106.

Genotoxic antitumor agents continue to be the mainstay of current cancer chemotherapy. These drugs cause DNA damage and activate numerous cell cycle checkpoints facilitating DNA repair and the maintenance of genomic integrity. Most human tumors lack functional p53 and consequently have compromised G(1)-S checkpoint control. This has led to the hypothesis that S and G(2)-M checkpoint abrogation may selectively enhance genotoxic cell killing in a p53-deficient background, as normal cells would be rescued at the G(1)-S checkpoint. CHK1 is a serine/threonine kinase associated with DNA damage-linked S and G(2)-M checkpoint control. SAR-020106 is an ATP-competitive, potent, and selective CHK1 inhibitor with an IC(50) of 13.3 nmol/L on the isolated human enzyme. This compound abrogates an etoposide-induced G(2) arrest with an IC(50) of 55 nmol/L in HT29 cells, and significantly enhances the cell killing of gemcitabine and SN38 by 3.0- to 29-fold in several colon tumor lines in vitro and in a p53-dependent fashion. Biomarker studies have shown that SAR-020106 inhibits cytotoxic drug-induced autophosphorylation of CHK1 at S296 and blocks the phosphorylation of CDK1 at Y15 in a dose-dependent fashion both in vitro and in vivo. Cytotoxic drug combinations were associated with increased gammaH2AX and poly ADP ribose polymerase cleavage consistent with the SAR-020106-enhanced DNA damage and tumor cell death. Irinotecan and gemcitabine antitumor activity was enhanced by SAR-020106 in vivo with minimal toxicity. SAR-020106 represents a novel class of CHK1 inhibitors that can enhance antitumor activity with selected anticancer drugs in vivo and may therefore have clinical utility.

Identification of inhibitors of checkpoint kinase 1 through template screening.

Checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) is an oncology target of significant current interest. Inhibition of CHK1 abrogates DNA damage-induced cell cycle checkpoints and sensitizes p53 deficient cancer cells to genotoxic therapies. Using template screening, a fragment-based approach to small molecule hit generation, we have identified multiple CHK1 inhibitor scaffolds suitable for further optimization. The sequential combination of in silico low molecular weight template selection, a high concentration biochemical assay and hit validation through protein-ligand X-ray crystallography provided 13 template hits from an initial in silico screening library of ca. 15000 compounds. The use of appropriate counter-screening to rule out nonspecific aggregation by test compounds was essential for optimum performance of the high concentration bioassay. One low molecular weight, weakly active purine template hit was progressed by iterative structure-based design to give submicromolar pyrazolopyridines with good ligand efficiency and appropriate CHK1-mediated cellular activity in HT29 colon cancer cells.

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor seliciclib (R-roscovitine; CYC202) decreases the expression of mitotic control genes and prevents entry into mitosis.

The cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor seliciclib (R-roscovitine, CYC202) shows promising antitumor activity in preclinical models and is currently undergoing phase II clinical trials. Inhibition of the CDKs by seliciclib could contribute to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis seen with the drug. However, it is common for drugs to exert multiple effects on gene expression and biochemical pathways. To further our understanding of the molecular pharmacology of seliciclib, we employed cDNA microarrays to determine changes in gene expression profiles induced by the drug in HT29 human colon cancer cells. Concentrations of seliciclib were used that inhibited RB phosphorylation and cell proliferation. An increase in the mRNA expression for CJUN and EGR1 was confirmed by Western blotting, consistent with activation of the ERK1/2 MAPK pathway by seliciclib. Transcripts of key genes required for the progression through mitosis showed markedly reduced expression, including Aurora-A/B (AURK-A/B), Polo-like kinase (PLK), cyclin B2 (CCNB2), WEE1 and CDC25C. Reduced expression of these mitotic genes was also seen at the protein level. siRNA-mediated depletion of Aurora-A protein led to an arrest of cells in the G(2)/M phase, consistent with the effects of seliciclib treatment. Inhibition of mitotic entry following seliciclib treatment was indicated by a reduction of histone H3 phosphorylation, which is catalyzed by Aurora-B, and by decreased expression of mitotic markers, including phospho-protein phosphatase 1 alpha. The results indicate a potential mechanism through which seliciclib prevents entry into mitosis. Gene expression profiling has generated hypotheses that led to an increase in our knowledge of the cellular effects of seliciclib and could provide potential pharmacodynamic or response biomarkers for use in animal models and clinical trials.