A novel TREX1 inhibitor, VB-85680, upregulates cellular interferon responses.

Activation of the cGAS-STING pathway plays a key role in the innate immune response to cancer through Type-1 Interferon (IFN) production and T cell priming. Accumulation of cytosolic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) within tumor cells and dying cells is recognized by the DNA sensor cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) to create the secondary messenger cGAMP, which in turn activates STING (STimulator of INterferon Genes), resulting in the subsequent expression of IFN-related genes. This process is regulated by Three-prime Repair EXonuclease 1 (TREX1), a 3' → 5' exonuclease that degrades cytosolic dsDNA, thereby dampening activation of the cGAS-STING pathway, which in turn diminishes immunostimulatory IFN secretion. Here, we characterize the activity of VB-85680, a potent small-molecule inhibitor of TREX1. We first demonstrate that VB-85680 inhibits TREX1 exonuclease activity in vitro in lysates from both human and mouse cell lines. We then show that treatment of intact cells with VB-85680 results in activation of downstream STING signaling, and activation of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). THP1-Dual™ cells cultured under low-serum conditions exhibited an enhanced ISG response when treated with VB-85680 in combination with exogenous DNA. Collectively, these findings suggest the potential of a TREX1 exonuclease inhibitor to work in combination with agents that generate cytosolic DNA to enhance the acquisition of the anti-tumor immunity widely associated with STING pathway activation.

A Series of Novel, Highly Potent, and Orally Bioavailable Next-Generation Tricyclic Peptide PCSK9 Inhibitors.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin-like/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a key regulator of plasma LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and a clinically validated target for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and coronary artery disease. Starting from second-generation lead structures such as 2, we were able to refine these structures to obtain extremely potent bi- and tricyclic PCSK9 inhibitor peptides. Optimized molecules such as 44 demonstrated sufficient oral bioavailability to maintain therapeutic levels in rats and cynomolgus monkeys after dosing with an enabled formulation. We demonstrated target engagement and LDL lowering in cynomolgus monkeys essentially identical to those observed with the clinically approved, parenterally dosed antibodies. These molecules represent the first report of highly potent and orally bioavailable macrocyclic peptide PCSK9 inhibitors with overall profiles favorable for potential development as once-daily oral lipid-lowering agents. In this manuscript, we detail the design criteria and multiparameter optimization of this novel series of PCSK9 inhibitors.

Series of Novel and Highly Potent Cyclic Peptide PCSK9 Inhibitors Derived from an mRNA Display Screen and Optimized via Structure-Based Design.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin-like/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a key regulator of plasma LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and a clinically validated target for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and coronary artery disease. In this paper, we describe a series of novel cyclic peptides derived from an mRNA display screen which inhibit the protein-protein interaction between PCSK9 and LDLR. Using a structure-based drug design approach, we were able to modify our original screening lead 2 to optimize the potency and metabolic stability and minimize the molecular weight to provide novel bicyclic next-generation PCSK9 inhibitor peptides such as 78. These next-generation peptides serve as a critical foundation for continued exploration of potential oral, once-a-day PCSK9 therapeutics for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

From Screening to Targeted Degradation: Strategies for the Discovery and Optimization of Small Molecule Ligands for PCSK9.

Proprotein convertase substilisin-like/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a serine protease involved in a protein-protein interaction with the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor that has both human genetic and clinical validation. Blocking this protein-protein interaction prevents LDL receptor degradation and thereby decreases LDL cholesterol levels. Our pursuit of small-molecule direct binders for this difficult to drug PPI target utilized affinity selection/mass spectrometry, which identified one confirmed hit compound. An X-ray crystal structure revealed that this compound was binding in an unprecedented allosteric pocket located between the catalytic and C-terminal domain. Optimization of this initial hit, using two distinct strategies, led to compounds with high binding affinity to PCSK9. Direct target engagement was demonstrated in the cell lysate with a cellular thermal shift assay. Finally, ligand-induced protein degradation was shown with a proteasome recruiting tag attached to the high-affinity allosteric ligand for PCSK9.

Antibacterial small molecules targeting the conserved TOPRIM domain of DNA gyrase.

To combat the threat of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, novel agents that circumvent established resistance mechanisms are urgently needed. Our approach was to focus first on identifying bioactive small molecules followed by chemical lead prioritization and target identification. Within this annotated library of bioactives, we identified a small molecule with activity against efflux-deficient Escherichia coli and other sensitized Gram-negatives. Further studies suggested that this compound inhibited DNA replication and selection for resistance identified mutations in a subunit of E. coli DNA gyrase, a type II topoisomerase. Our initial compound demonstrated weak inhibition of DNA gyrase activity while optimized compounds demonstrated significantly improved inhibition of E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa DNA gyrase and caused cleaved complex stabilization, a hallmark of certain bactericidal DNA gyrase inhibitors. Amino acid substitutions conferring resistance to this new class of DNA gyrase inhibitors reside exclusively in the TOPRIM domain of GyrB and are not associated with resistance to the fluoroquinolones, suggesting a novel binding site for a gyrase inhibitor.

Discovery of N-[Bis(4-methoxyphenyl)methyl]-4-hydroxy-2-(pyridazin-3-yl)pyrimidine-5-carboxamide (MK-8617), an Orally Active Pan-Inhibitor of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor Prolyl Hydroxylase 1-3 (HIF PHD1-3) for the Treatment of Anemia.

The discovery of novel 4-hydroxy-2-(heterocyclic)pyrimidine-5-carboxamide inhibitors of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) prolyl hydroxylases (PHD) is described. These are potent, selective, orally bioavailable across several species, and active in stimulating erythropoiesis. Mouse and rat studies showed hematological changes with elevations of plasma EPO and circulating reticulocytes following single oral dose administration, while 4-week q.d. po administration in rat elevated hemoglobin levels. A major focus of the optimization process was to decrease the long half-life observed in higher species with early compounds. These efforts led to the identification of 28 (MK-8617), which has advanced to human clinical trials for anemia.

In Vitro Assays for the Discovery of PCSK9 Autoprocessing Inhibitors.

PCSK9 plays a significant role in regulating low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and has become an important drug target for treating hypercholesterolemia. Although a member of the serine protease family, PCSK9 only catalyzes a single reaction, the autocleavage of its prodomain. The maturation of the proprotein is an essential prerequisite for the secretion of PCSK9 to the extracellular space where it binds the LDL receptor and targets it for degradation. We have found that a construct of proPCSK9 where the C-terminal domain has been truncated has sufficient stability to be expressed and purified from Escherichia coli for the in vitro study of autoprocessing. Using automated Western analysis, we demonstrate that autoprocessing exhibits the anticipated first-order kinetics. A high-throughput time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay for autocleavage has been developed using a PCSK9 monoclonal antibody that is sensitive to the conformational changes that occur upon maturation of the proprotein. Kinetic theory has been developed that describes the behavior of both reversible and irreversible inhibitors of autocleavage. The analysis of an irreversible lactone inhibitor validates the expected relationship between potency and the reaction end point. An orthogonal liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry assay has also been implemented for the confirmation of hits from the antibody-based assays.

Kibdelomycin A, a congener of kibdelomycin, derivatives and their antibacterial activities.

Emergence of bacterial resistance has eroded the effectiveness of many life saving antibiotics leading to an urgent need for new chemical classes of antibacterial agents. We have applied a Staphylococcus aureus fitness test strategy to natural products screening to meet this challenge. In this paper we report the discovery of kibdelomycin A, a demethylated congener of kibdelomycin, the representative of a novel class of antibiotics produced by a new strain of Kibdelosporangium. Kibdelomycin A is a potent inhibitor of DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV, inhibits DNA synthesis and shows whole cell antibiotic activity, albeit, less potently than kibdelomycin. Kibdelomycin C-33 acetate and tetrahydro-bisdechloro derivatives of kibdelomycin were prepared which helped define a basic SAR of the family.

1,3,8-Triazaspiro[4.5]decane-2,4-diones as efficacious pan-inhibitors of hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase 1-3 (HIF PHD1-3) for the treatment of anemia.

The discovery of 1,3,8-triazaspiro[4.5]decane-2,4-diones (spirohydantoins) as a structural class of pan-inhibitors of the prolyl hydroxylase (PHD) family of enzymes for the treatment of anemia is described. The initial hit class, spirooxindoles, was identified through affinity selection mass spectrometry (AS-MS) and optimized for PHD2 inhibition and optimal PK/PD profile (short-acting PHDi inhibitors). 1,3,8-Triazaspiro[4.5]decane-2,4-diones (spirohydantoins) were optimized as an advanced lead class derived from the original spiroindole hit. A new set of general conditions for C-N coupling, developed using a high-throughput experimentation (HTE) technique, enabled a full SAR analysis of the spirohydantoins. This rapid and directed SAR exploration has resulted in the first reported examples of hydantoin derivatives with good PK in preclinical species. Potassium channel off-target activity (hERG) was successfully eliminated through the systematic introduction of acidic functionality to the molecular structure. Undesired upregulation of alanine aminotransferese (ALT) liver enzymes was mitigated and a robust on-/off-target margin was achieved. Spirohydantoins represent a class of highly efficacious, short-acting PHD1-3 inhibitors causing a robust erythropoietin (EPO) upregulation in vivo in multiple preclinical species. This profile deems spirohydantoins as attractive short-acting PHDi inhibitors with the potential for treatment of anemia.

Discovery of kibdelomycin, a potent new class of bacterial type II topoisomerase inhibitor by chemical-genetic profiling in Staphylococcus aureus.

Bacterial resistance to known therapeutics has led to an urgent need for new chemical classes of antibacterial agents. To address this we have applied a Staphylococcus aureus fitness test strategy to natural products screening. Here we report the discovery of kibdelomycin, a novel class of antibiotics produced by a new member of the genus Kibdelosporangium. Kibdelomycin exhibits broad-spectrum, gram-positive antibacterial activity and is a potent inhibitor of DNA synthesis. We demonstrate through chemical genetic fitness test profiling and biochemical enzyme assays that kibdelomycin is a structurally new class of bacterial type II topoisomerase inhibitor preferentially inhibiting the ATPase activity of DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV. Kibdelomycin is thus the first truly novel bacterial type II topoisomerase inhibitor with potent antibacterial activity discovered from natural product sources in more than six decades.

Disubstituted pyrimidines as Lck inhibitors.

We have developed a family of 4-benzimidazolyl-N-piperazinethyl-pyrimidin-2-amines that are subnanomolar inhibitors of Lck. A subset of these Lck inhibitors, with heterocyclic substituents at the benzimidazole C5, are also low-nanomolar inhibitors of cellular IL2 release.

The catalytic flexibility of tRNAIle-lysidine synthetase can generate alternative tRNA substrates for isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase.

Bacteria decode the isoleucine codon AUA using a tRNA species that is posttranscriptionally modified at the wobble position of the anticodon with a lysine-containing cytidine derivative called lysidine. The lysidine modification of tRNA(Ile2) is an essential identity determinant for proper aminoacylation by isoleucyl tRNA synthetase (IleRS) and codon recognition on the ribosome. The ATP- and lysine-dependent formation of lysidine is catalyzed by tRNA(Ile)-lysidine synthetase. Using the purified recombinant enzyme from Escherichia coli and an in vitro transcribed tRNA substrate, we have confirmed that lysidine modification is both necessary and sufficient to convert tRNA(Ile2) into a substrate for IleRS. A series of lysine analogs were tested as potential inhibitors during the mechanistic characterization of tRNA(Ile)-lysidine synthetase. Gel electrophoresis revealed that many of these analogs, including some simple alkyl amines, were alternative substrates. Incorporation of these amines into alternative tRNA products was confirmed by mass spectrometry. The availability of tRNA(Ile2) with differential modifications enabled an exploration of the structural requirements of the anticodon for aminoacylation by methionyl tRNA synthetase and IleRS. All of the modifications were effective at creating negative determinants for methionyl tRNA synthetase and positive determinants for IleRS, although the tolerance of IleRS differed between the enzymes from E. coli and Bacillus subtilis.

PAP inhibitor with in vivo efficacy identified by Candida albicans genetic profiling of natural products.

Natural products provide an unparalleled source of chemical scaffolds with diverse biological activities and have profoundly impacted antimicrobial drug discovery. To further explore the full potential of their chemical diversity, we survey natural products for antifungal, target-specific inhibitors by using a chemical-genetic approach adapted to the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans and demonstrate that natural-product fermentation extracts can be mechanistically annotated according to heterozygote strain responses. Applying this approach, we report the discovery and characterization of a natural product, parnafungin, which we demonstrate, by both biochemical and genetic means, to inhibit poly(A) polymerase. Parnafungin displays potent and broad spectrum activity against diverse, clinically relevant fungal pathogens and reduces fungal burden in a murine model of disseminated candidiasis. Thus, mechanism-of-action determination of crude fermentation extracts by chemical-genetic profiling brings a powerful strategy to natural-product-based drug discovery.

The discovery of a potent and selective lethal factor inhibitor for adjunct therapy of anthrax infection.

A potent and selective anthrax LF inhibitor 40, (2R)-2-[(4-fluoro-3-methylphenyl)sulfonylamino]-N-hydroxy-2-(tetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-yl)acetamide, was identified through SAR study of a high throughput screen lead. It has an IC50 of 54 nM in the enzyme assay and an IC50 of 210 nM in the macrophage cytotoxicity assay. Compound 40 is also effective in vivo in several animal model studies.

Toxoplasma gondii cyclic GMP-dependent kinase: chemotherapeutic targeting of an essential parasite protein kinase.

The trisubstituted pyrrole 4-[2-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-(1-methylpiperidine-4-yl)-1H-pyrrol-3-yl]pyridine (compound 1) has in vivo activity against the apicomplexan parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Eimeria tenella in animal models. The presumptive molecular target of this compound in E. tenella is cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG). Native PKG purified from T. gondii has kinetic and pharmacologic properties similar to those of the E. tenella homologue, and both have been functionally expressed as recombinant proteins in T. gondii. Computer modeling of parasite PKG was used to predict catalytic site amino acid residues that interact with compound 1. The recombinant laboratory-generated mutants T. gondii PKG T761Q or T761M and the analogous E. tenella T770 alleles have reduced binding affinity for, and are not inhibited by, compound 1. By all other criteria, PKG with this class of catalytic site substitution is indistinguishable from wild-type enzyme. A genetic disruption of T. gondii PKG can only be achieved if a complementing copy of PKG is provided in trans, arguing that PKG is an essential protein. Strains of T. gondii, disrupted at the genomic PKG locus and dependent upon the T. gondii T761-substituted PKGs, are as virulent as wild type in mice. However, unlike mice infected with wild-type T. gondii that are cured by compound 1, mice infected with the laboratory-generated strains of T. gondii do not respond to treatment. We conclude that PKG represents the primary molecular target responsible for the antiparasitic efficacy of compound 1.

A peptide-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay for Bacillus anthracis lethal factor protease.

A fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay has been developed for monitoring Bacillus anthracis lethal factor (LF) protease activity. A fluorogenic 16-mer peptide based on the known LF protease substrate MEK1 was synthesized and found to be cleaved by the enzyme at the anticipated site. Extension of this work to a fluorogenic 19-mer peptide, derived, in part, from a consensus sequence of known LF protease targets, produced a much better substrate, cleaving approximately 100 times more efficiently. This peptide sequence was modified further on resin to incorporate donor/quencher pairs to generate substrates for use in fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based appearance assays. All peptides cleaved at similar rates with signal/background ranging from 9-16 at 100% turnover. One of these substrates, denoted (Cou)Consensus(K(QSY-35)GG)-NH(2), was selected for additional assay optimization. A plate-based assay requiring only low nanomolar levels of enzyme was developed for screening and inhibitor characterization.

The role of a parasite-specific allosteric site in the distinctive activation behavior of Eimeria tenella cGMP-dependent protein kinase.

A cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) was recently identified as an anticoccidial target for the apicomplexan parasite Eimeria tenella [Gurnett, A., Liberator, P. A., Dulski, P., Salowe, S., Donald, R. G. K., Anderson, J., Wiltsie, J., Diaz, C., Harris, G., Chang, B., Darkin-Rattray, S. J., Nare, B., Crumley, T., Blum, P., Misura, A., Tamas, T., Sardana, M., Yuan, J., Biftu, T., and Schmatz, D. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. (in press)]. Unlike the PKGs of higher organisms that have two cGMP binding sites in their regulatory domain, the PKG from Eimeria tenella (Et-PKG) contains three putative cGMP binding sites and has distinctive activation properties, including a very large stimulation by cGMP ( approximately 1000-fold) with significant cooperativity (Hill coefficient of 1.7). During our investigation of Et-PKG activation, we found that 8-substituted cGMP analogues are weak partial activators. For example, 8-NBD-cGMP provides a maximal stimulation of activity of only 20-fold with little evident cooperativity, although cGMP can synergize with the analogue to provide full activation. The results suggest that partial activation is a consequence of restricted binding of 8-NBD-cGMP to a subset of cGMP sites in the enzyme. Site-directed mutagenesis of conserved arginine and glutamate residues in the parasite-specific third cGMP site confirms that this site is an important functional participant in the allosteric regulation of the kinase and that it exhibits very high selectivity against 8-NBD-cGMP. Since the results are consistent with full activation of Et-PKG requiring cyclic nucleotide binding in all three allosteric sites, one role for the additional cGMP site may be to establish a stricter regulatory mechanism for the kinase activity than is present in the PKGs of higher organisms containing only two allosteric sites.

Purification and molecular characterization of cGMP-dependent protein kinase from Apicomplexan parasites. A novel chemotherapeutic target.

The trisubstituted pyrrole 4-[2-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-(1-methylpiperidine-4-yl)-1H-pyrrol-3-yl]pyridine (Compound 1) inhibits the growth of Eimeria spp. both in vitro and in vivo. The molecular target of Compound 1 was identified as cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) using a tritiated analogue to purify a approximately 120-kDa protein from lysates of Eimeria tenella. This represents the first example of a protozoal PKG. Cloning of PKG from several Apicomplexan parasites has identified a parasite signature sequence of nearly 300 amino acids that is not found in mammalian or Drosophila PKG and which contains an additional, third cGMP-binding site. Nucleotide cofactor regulation of parasite PKG is remarkably different from mammalian enzymes. The activity of both native and recombinant E. tenella PKG is stimulated 1000-fold by cGMP, with significant cooperativity. Two isoforms of the parasite enzyme are expressed from a single copy gene. NH(2)-terminal sequence of the soluble isoform of PKG is consistent with alternative translation initiation within the open reading frame of the enzyme. A larger, membrane-associated isoform corresponds to the deduced full-length protein sequence. Compound 1 is a potent inhibitor of both soluble and membrane-associated isoforms of native PKG, as well as recombinant enzyme, with an IC(50) of <1 nm.