Translation of a Tissue-Selective Rexinoid, UAB30, to the Clinic for Breast Cancer Prevention.

This review focuses on our efforts to translate a low-toxicity retinoid X receptor-selective agonist, UAB30, to the clinic for the prevention of breast cancers. The review is divided into several sections. First, the current status of breast cancer prevention is discussed. Next, preclinical studies are presented that support translation of rexinoids to the clinic for cancer prevention. While current FDAapproved retinoids and rexinoids demonstrate profound effects in treating cancers, they lack sufficient safety for long term use in the high risk population that is otherwise disease free. The review stresses the need to identify cancer preventive drugs that are effective and safe in order to gain wide use in the clinic. Due to the heterogeneity of the disease, UAB30 is evaluated for the prevention of ER-positive and ER-negative mammary cancers. Since selective estrogen receptor modulators and aromatase inhibitors are used clinically to prevent and treat ER-positive breast cancers, preclinical studies also must demonstrate efficacy of UAB30 in combination with existing drugs under use in the clinic. To support an Investigational New Drug Application to the FDA, data on pharmacology and toxicity as well as mutagenicity is gathered prior to human trials. The review concludes with a discussion of the outcomes of human Phase 0/1 clinical trials that determine the safety and pharmacology of UAB30. These studies are essential before this agent is evaluated for efficacy in phase 2 trials. Success in phase 2 evaluation is critical before long-term and costly phase 3 trials are undertaken. The lack of surrogate biomarkers as endpoints for phase 2 evaluation of rexinoid preventive agents is discussed.

Conformationally Defined Rexinoids and Their Efficacy in the Prevention of Mammary Cancers.

(2E,4E,6Z,8Z)-8-(3',4'-Dihydro-1'(2H)-naphthalen-1'-ylidene)-3,7-dimethyl-2,3,6-octatrienoinic acid (UAB30) is currently undergoing clinical evaluation as a novel cancer prevention agent. In efforts to develop even more highly potent rexinoids that prevent breast cancer without toxicity, we further explore here the structure-activity relationship of two separate classes of rexinoids. UAB30 belongs to the class II rexinoids and possesses a 9Z-tetraenoic acid chain bonded to a tetralone ring, whereas the class I rexinoids contain the same 9Z-tetraenoic acid chain bonded to a disubstituted cyclohexenyl ring. Among the 12 class I and class II rexinoids evaluated, the class I rexinoid 11 is most effective in preventing breast cancers in an in vivo rat model alone or in combination with tamoxifen. Rexinoid 11 also reduces the size of established tumors and exhibits a therapeutic effect. However, 11 induces hypertriglyceridemia at its effective dose. On the other hand rexinoid 10 does not increase triglyceride levels while being effective in the in vivo chemoprevention assay. X-ray studies of four rexinoids bound to the ligand binding domain of the retinoid X receptor reveal key structural aspects that enhance potency as well as those that enhance the synthesis of lipids.

Methyl substitution of a rexinoid agonist improves potency and reveals site of lipid toxicity.

(2E,4E,6Z,8E)-8-(3',4'-Dihydro-1'(2'H)-naphthalen-1'-ylidene)-3,7-dimethyl-2,4,6-octatrienoic acid, 9cUAB30, is a selective rexinoid that displays substantial chemopreventive capacity with little toxicity. 4-Methyl-UAB30, an analogue of 9cUAB30, is a potent RXR agonist but caused increased lipid biosynthesis unlike 9cUAB30. To evaluate how methyl substitution influenced potency and lipid biosynthesis, we synthesized four 9cUAB30 homologues with methyl substitutions at the 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-position of the tetralone ring. The syntheses and biological evaluations of these new analogues are reported here along with the X-ray crystal structures of each homologue bound to the ligand binding domain of hRXRα. We demonstrate that each homologue of 9cUAB30 is a more potent agonist, but only the 7-methyl-9cUAB30 caused severe hyperlipidemia in rats. On the basis of the X-ray crystal structures of these new rexinoids and bexarotene (Targretin) bound to hRXRα-LBD, we reveal that each rexinoid, which induced hyperlipidemia, had methyl groups that interacted with helix 7 residues of the LBD.

A highly predictive 3D-QSAR model for binding to the voltage-gated sodium channel: design of potent new ligands.

A comprehensive comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) model for the binding of ligands to the neuronal voltage-gated sodium channel was generated based on 67 diverse compounds. Earlier published CoMFA models for this target provided µM ligands, but the improved model described here provided structurally novel compounds with low nM IC50. For example, new compounds 94 and 95 had IC50 values of 129 and 119 nM, respectively.

Methyl-substituted conformationally constrained rexinoid agonists for the retinoid X receptors demonstrate improved efficacy for cancer therapy and prevention.

(2E,4E,6Z,8Z)-8-(3',4'-Dihydro-1'(2H)-naphthalen-1'-ylidene)-3,7-dimethyl-2,3,6-octatrienoinic acid, 9cUAB30, is a selective rexinoid for the retinoid X nuclear receptors (RXR). 9cUAB30 displays substantial chemopreventive capacity with little toxicity and is being translated to the clinic as a novel cancer prevention agent. To improve on the potency of 9cUAB30, we synthesized 4-methyl analogs of 9cUAB30, which introduced chirality at the 4-position of the tetralone ring. The syntheses and biological evaluations of the racemic homolog and enantiomers are reported. We demonstrate that the S-enantiomer is the most potent and least toxic even though these enantiomers bind in a similar conformation in the ligand binding domain of RXR.

Pyrrolidinobenzoic acid inhibitors of influenza virus neuraminidase: the hydrophobic side chain influences type A subtype selectivity.

Neuraminidase (NA) plays a critical role in the life cycle of influenza virus and is a target for new therapeutic agents. A series of influenza neuraminidase inhibitors with the pyrrolidinobenzoic acid scaffold containing lipophilic side chains at the C3 position have been synthesized and evaluated for influenza neuraminidase inhibitory activity. The size and geometry of the C3 side chains have been modified in order to investigate structure-activity relationships. The results indicated that size and geometry of the C3-side chain are important for selectivity of inhibition against N1 versus N2 NA, important type A influenza variants that infect man, including the highly lethal avian influenza.

Crystal structure of a new benzoic acid inhibitor of influenza neuraminidase bound with a new tilt induced by overpacking subsite C6.

BACKGROUND: Influenza neuraminidase (NA) is an important target for antiviral inhibitors since its active site is highly conserved such that inhibitors can be cross-reactive against multiple types and subtypes of influenza. Here, we discuss the crystal structure of neuraminidase subtype N9 complexed with a new benzoic acid based inhibitor (2) that was designed to add contacts by overpacking one side of the active site pocket. Inhibitor 2 uses benzoic acid to mimic the pyranose ring, a bis-(hydroxymethyl)-substituted 2-pyrrolidinone ring in place of the N-acetyl group of the sialic acid, and a branched aliphatic structure to fill the sialic acid C6 subsite. RESULTS: Inhibitor 2 {4-[2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)-5-oxo-pyrrolidin-1-yl]-3-[(dipropylamino)methyl)]benzoic acid} was soaked into crystals of neuraminidase of A/tern/Australia/G70c/75 (N9), and the structure refined with 1.55 Å X-ray data. The benzene ring of the inhibitor tilted 8.9° compared to the previous compound (1), and the number of contacts, including hydrogen bonds, increased. However, the IC50 for compound 2 remained in the low micromolar range, likely because one propyl group was disordered. In this high-resolution structure of NA isolated from virus grown in chicken eggs, we found electron density for additional sugar units on the N-linked glycans compared to previous neuraminidase structures. In particular, seven mannoses and two N-acetylglucosamines are visible in the glycan attached to Asn200. This long, branched high-mannose glycan makes significant contacts with the neighboring subunit. CONCLUSIONS: We designed inhibitor 2 with an extended substituent at C4-corresponding to C6 of sialic acid-to increase the contact surface in the C6-subsite and to force the benzene ring to tilt to maximize these interactions while retaining the interactions of the carboxylate and the pyrolidinone substituents. The crystal structure at 1.55 Å showed that we partially succeeded in that the ring in 2 is tilted relative to 1 and the number of contacts increased, but one hydrophobic branch makes no contacts, perhaps explaining why the IC50 did not decrease. Future design efforts will include branches of unequal length so that both branches may be accommodated in the C6-subsite without conformational disorder. The high-mannose glycan attached to Asn200 makes several inter-subunit contacts and appears to stabilize the tetramer.

SAR studies for a new class of antibacterial NAD biosynthesis inhibitors.

A new lead class of antibacterial drug-like NAD synthetase (NADs) inhibitors was previously identified from a virtual screening study. Here a solution-phase synthetic library of 76 compounds, analogs of the urea-sulfonamide 5838, was synthesized in parallel to explore SAR on the sulfonamide aryl group. All library members were tested for enzyme inhibition against NADs and nicotinic acid mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (NaMNAT), the last two enzymes in the biosynthesis of NAD, and for growth inhibition in a Bacillus anthracis antibacterial assay. Most compounds that inhibited bacterial growth also showed inhibition against one of the enzymes tested. While only modest enhancements in the enzyme inhibition potency against NADs were observed, of significance was the observation that the antibacterial urea-sulfonamides more consistently inhibited NaMNAT.

Synthesis of biotin-tagged chemical cross-linkers and their applications for mass spectrometry.

Chemical cross-linking combined with mass spectrometry (MS) has been used to elucidate protein structures and protein-protein interactions. However, heterogeneity of the samples and the relatively low abundance of cross-linked peptides make this approach challenging. As an effort to overcome this hurdle, we have synthesized lysine-reactive homobifunctional cross-linkers with the biotin in the middle of the linker and used them to enrich cross-linked peptides. The reaction of biotin-tagged cross-linkers with purified HIV-1 CA resulted in the formation of hanging and intramolecular cross-links. The peptides modified with biotinylated cross-linkers were effectively enriched and recovered using a streptavidin-coated plate and MS-friendly buffers. The enrichment of modified peptides and removal of the dominantly unmodified peptides simplify mass spectra and their analyses. The combination of the high mass accuracy of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) MS and the tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) capability of the linear ion trap allows us to unambiguously identify the cross-linking sites and additional modification, such as oxidation.

Virtual screening to identify lead inhibitors for bacterial NAD synthetase (NADs).

Virtual screening was employed to identify new drug-like inhibitors of NAD synthetase (NADs) as antibacterial agents. Four databases of commercially available compounds were docked against three subsites of the NADs active site using FlexX in conjunction with CScore. Over 200 commercial compounds were purchased and evaluated in enzyme inhibition and antibacterial assays. 18 compounds inhibited NADs at or below 100 microM (7.6% hit rate), and two were selected for future SAR studies.

Prevention of KLF4-mediated tumor initiation and malignant transformation by UAB30 rexinoid.

The transcription factor KLF4 acts in post-mitotic epithelial cells to promote differentiation and functions in a context-dependent fashion as an oncogene. In the skin KLF4 is co-expressed with the nuclear receptors RARgamma and RXRalpha, and formation of the skin permeability barrier is a shared function of these three proteins. We utilized a KLF4-transgenic mouse model of skin cancer in combination with cultured epithelial cells to examine functional interactions between KLF4 and retinoic acid receptors. In cultured cells, activation of a conditional, KLF4-estrogen receptor fusion protein by 4-hydroxytamoxifen resulted in rapid upregulation of transcripts for nuclear receptors including RARgamma and RXRalpha. We tested retinoids in epithelial cell transformation assays, including an RAR-selective agonist (all-trans RA), an RXR-selective agonist (9-cis UAB30, rexinoid), and a pan agonist (9-cis RA). Unlike for several other genes, transformation by KLF4 was inhibited by each retinoid, implicating distinct nuclear receptor heterodimers as modulators of KLF4 transforming activity. When RXRalpha expression was suppressed by RNAi in cultured cells, transformation was promoted and the inhibitory effect of 9-cis UAB30 was attenuated. Similarly as shown for other mouse models of skin cancer, rexinoid prevented skin tumor initiation resulting from induction of KLF4 in basal keratinocytes. Rexinoid permitted KLF4 expression and KLF4-induced cell cycling, but attenuated the KLF4-induced misexpression of cytokeratin 1 in basal cells. Neoplastic lesions including hyperplasia, dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma-like lesions were prevented for up to 30 days. Taken together, the results identify retinoid receptors including RXRalpha as ligand-dependent inhibitors of KLF4-mediated transformation or tumorigenesis.

Structure of nicotinic acid mononucleotide adenylyltransferase from Bacillus anthracis.

Nicotinic acid mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (NaMNAT; EC 2.7.7.18) is the penultimate enzyme in the biosynthesis of NAD(+) and catalyzes the adenylation of nicotinic acid mononucleotide (NaMN) by ATP to form nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide (NaAD). This enzyme is regarded as a suitable candidate for antibacterial drug development; as such, Bacillus anthracis NaMNAT (BA NaMNAT) was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli for the purpose of inhibitor discovery and crystallography. The crystal structure of BA NaMNAT was determined by molecular replacement, revealing two dimers per asymmetric unit, and was refined to an R factor and R(free) of 0.228 and 0.263, respectively, at 2.3 A resolution. The structure is very similar to that of B. subtilis NaMNAT (BS NaMNAT), which is also a dimer, and another independently solved structure of BA NaMNAT recently released from the PDB along with two ligated forms. Comparison of these and other less related bacterial NaMNAT structures support the presence of considerable conformational heterogeneity and flexibility in three loops surrounding the substrate-binding area.

The Novel Retinoid, 9cUAB30, Inhibits Telomerase and Induces Apoptosis in HL60 Cells.

Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein important to neoplastic immortality, is up-regulated in approximately 85% of cancers, including leukemias. In this study, 9cUAB30, a novel retinoic acid, resulted in differentiation of HL60 leukemia cells as indicated by morphologic changes characteristic of granulocytes. It also caused a down-regulation of hTERT gene expression and a decrease in telomerase activity. Telomerase inhibition was followed by loss of proliferative capacity, induction of apoptosis, and partial differentiation. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of 9cUAB30 at inhibiting telomerase activity by down-regulating hTERT gene expression in human leukemic cells.

Structural adaptation of an interacting non-native C-terminal helical extension revealed in the crystal structure of NAD+ synthetase from Bacillus anthracis.

The crystal structures of NH(3)-dependent NAD+ synthetase from Bacillus anthracis as the apoenzyme (1.9 A), in complex with the natural catalytic products AMP and pyrophosphate (2.4 A) and in complex with the substrate analog adenosine 5'-(alpha,beta-methylene)triphosphate (2.0 A) have been determined. NAD+ synthetase catalyzes the last step in the biosynthesis of the vitally important cofactor NAD+. In comparison to other NAD+ synthetase crystal structures, the C-terminal His-tagged end of the apoenzyme adopts a novel helical conformation, causing significant compensatory changes in the region. The structural accommodations observed in B. anthracis NAD+ synthetase are remarkable in the absence of adverse affects on enzyme activity. They also illustrate a rare example of the influence of a non-native C-terminal His-tag extension on the structure of a native protein. In contrast to the apoenzyme, when AMP and pyrophosphate or adenosine 5'-(alpha,beta-methylene)triphosphate are bound, the C-terminus adopts a conformation that allows ATP binding and overall the structure then resembles other NAD+ synthetase structures. The structures of NAD+ synthetase complexes from B. anthracis are compared with published X-ray crystal structures of the enzyme from B. subtilis, Escherichia coli and Helicobacter pylori. These comparisons support the novel observation that P1 and P2 loop ordering is not a consequence of crystal contacts but rather a consequence of intrinsic intramolecular interactions within the ordered subunit.

Antibacterial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide synthetase inhibitors: amide- and ether-linked tethered dimers with alpha-amino acid end groups.

Tethered dimers incorporating natural alpha-amino acid end groups were synthesized, including examples in which the previously reported esterase-sensitive ester linker was replaced with more stable amide or ether linkers. These compounds remained effective both as inhibitors of NAD synthetase and as potent antibacterial agents for Gram-positive strains. Studies on nonspecific effects, including detergent properties and promiscuous inhibition, suggested little contribution to observed activities.

In vitro metabolic characterization, phenotyping, and kinetic studies of 9cUAB30, a retinoid X receptor-specific retinoid.

The present study was conducted to compare the in vitro phase I and phase II metabolic profiles of (2E,4E,6Z,8E)-8-(3',4'-dihydro-1'(2'H)-naphthalen-1'-ylidene)-3,7-dimethyl-2,4,6-octatrienoic acid (9cUAB30) in human, rat, and dog microsomes and to characterize and identify the associated metabolic kinetics and specific isozymes from human liver microsomes (HLM) responsible for metabolism, respectively. Data from these experiments revealed that nine (M1-M9) phase I metabolites along with a single glucuronide conjugate were observed across the species investigated. With the exception of glucuronidation, no evidence of metabolism was detected for phase II enzymes (data not shown). Significant differences between species with regard to metabolic profile, stability, and gender were noted. For the eight phase I metabolites detected in HLM, the specific isozymes responsible for the biotransformations were CYP2C8, CYP2C9, and CYP2C19, with minor contributions from CYP1A2 and CYP2B6. For the glucuronide conjugate, UGT1A9 was the major catalyzing enzyme, with a minor contribution from UGT1A3. Kinetic analysis of eight of the detected metabolites indicated that four seemed to follow classical hyperbolic kinetics, whereas the remaining four showed evidence of either autoactivation or substrate inhibition.

Efficacy of new retinoids in the prevention of mammary cancers and correlations with short-term biomarkers.

A number of retinoid X receptor (RXR) agonists have proven to be highly effective in preventing methylnitrosourea (MNU) induced mammary cancers. However, these agonists have side effects; particularly causing an increase in serum triglyceride levels. A series of ligands for RXR were designed based on computer modeling to the ligand binding domain (LBD) of the RXR receptors and on structure-activity relationships. The chemopreventive effects of these retinoids were evaluated in the relatively long-term MNU model. As a short-term assay to predict their efficacy, the ability of the retinoids to modulate cell proliferation and apoptosis was also determined in mammary cancers after only 7 days of treatment. The five UAB retinoids evaluated included two Class I UAB retinoids (UAB20, UAB112) and three Class II UAB retinoids (UAB30, 4-methyl-UAB30 and the benzosuberone-analog of UAB30). The previously evaluated RXR agonist targretin and the pan-agonist 9-cis-retinoic acid (9-cis-RA), which interacts with both RAR and RXR receptors, were included as positive agonists known to prevent cancer in the MNU model. In the prevention studies, in which the agents were administered beginning 5 days after MNU until the end of the study, targretin (150 mg/kg diet) and 4-methyl-UAB30 (200 mg/kg diet) were highly effective in decreasing cancer numbers by 75-85%. UAB30 (200 mg/kg diet) and 9-cis-RA (60 mg/kg diet) gave intermediate inhibitions of 60 and 45%, respectively. Targretin (15 mg/kg diet), UAB20 (200 mg/kg diet) and the benzosuberone analog of UAB30 (200 mg/kg diet) showed limited activity by decreasing cancer multiplicity 25-30%, while UAB112 had no effect on mammary cancer multiplicity. A direct correlation was observed between the long-term chemopreventive efficacy of these agents and their ability to decrease cell proliferation in mammary cancers after short-term treatment. Furthermore, the highly effective agents (4-methyl-UAB30 and targretin at 150 mg/kg diet) increased apoptosis 3-5 times, while agents with moderate or limited preventive efficacy failed to significantly increase apoptosis. Although the more effective retinoid treatments increased serum triglycerides 2.5- to 4.0-fold, one moderately effective agent (UAB30) had no significant effect on lipid levels. In summary, a short-term in vivo method has been identified for screening newly synthesized retinoids both for chemopreventive efficacy and for their adverse effect on serum triglycerides.

Tethered dimer inhibitors of NAD synthetase: parallel synthesis of an aryl-substituted SAR library.

We previously reported that tethered dimers containing indoles on one end and a permanent positive charge on the other, using a 6-9 carbon polymethylene tether, provided NAD synthetase inhibitors with impressive antibacterial activities against Gram-positives. Here, we report that the phenyl ring is a good substitute for indole, and we utilize solution-phase parallel synthesis to explore structure-activity relationships for substituents on that ring. General conclusions are that nonpolar substituents are more effective than polar ones and that different positional isomers often have very different enzyme inhibition activities. This latter observation reveals that enzyme activity is sensitive to minor structural changes and suggests that nonspecific detergent actions are not important for the observed effects.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies for hydantoins and analogues as voltage-gated sodium channel ligands.

We previously developed a preliminary 3-D QSAR model for the binding of 14 hydantoins to the neuronal voltage-gated sodium channel; this model was successful in designing an effective non-hydantoin ligand. To further understand structural features that result in optimum binding, here we synthesized a variety of compound classes and evaluated their binding affinities to the neuronal voltage-gated sodium channel using the [3H]-batrachotoxinin A 20-alpha-benzoate ([3H]BTX-B) binding assay. In order to understand the importance of the hydantoin ring for good sodium channel binding, related non-hydantoins such as hydroxy amides, oxazolidinediones, hydroxy acids, and amino acids were included. Two major conclusions were drawn: (1) The hydantoin ring is not critical for compounds with long alkyl side chains, but it is important for compounds with shorter side chains. (2) Relative to Khodorov's pharmacophore, which contains two hydrophobic regions, a third hydrophobic region may enhance binding to provide nanomolar inhibitors.

A benzoic acid inhibitor induces a novel conformational change in the active site of Influenza B virus neuraminidase.

Owing to the highly conserved nature of its active site, Influenza B virus neuraminidase (NA) has emerged as a major target for the design of novel anti-influenza drugs. A benzene-ring scaffold has been used in place of the pyranose ring of sialic acid to develop simpler NA inhibitors that contain a minimal number of chiral centers. A new compound belonging to this series, BANA 207, showed significant improvement in inhibitory activity against Influenza B virus NA compared with its parent compound. Here, the structural analysis of a complex of BANA 207 with influenza virus B/Lee/40 NA is reported. The results indicate that BANA 207 forms an unexpected interaction with the crucial active-site residue Glu275 that stabilizes the side chain of this residue in a conformation previously unobserved in NA-inhibitor complexes. This change in the side-chain orientation of Glu275 alters the topology of the triglycerol pocket, which accommodates an additional lipophilic substitution at the benzene ring and may provide an explanation for the increased activity of BANA 207 against Influenza B virus NA.