Axially Chiral Cannabinoids: Design, Synthesis, and Cannabinoid Receptor Affinity.

The resorcinol-terpene phytocannabinoid template is a privileged scaffold for the development of diverse therapeutics targeting the endocannabinoid system. Axially chiral cannabinols (axCBNs) are unnatural cannabinols (CBNs) that bear an additional C10 substituent, which twists the cannabinol biaryl framework out of planarity creating an axis of chirality. This unique structural modification is hypothesized to enhance both the physical and biological properties of cannabinoid ligands, thus ushering in the next generation of endocannabinoid system chemical probes and cannabinoid-inspired leads for drug development. In this full report, we describe the philosophy guiding the design of axCBNs as well as several synthetic strategies for their construction. We also introduce a second class of axially chiral cannabinoids inspired by cannabidiol (CBD), termed axially chiral cannabidiols (axCBDs). Finally, we provide an analysis of axially chiral cannabinoid (axCannabinoid) atropisomerism, which spans two classes (class 1 and 3 atropisomers), and provide first evidence that axCannabinoids retain─and in some cases, strengthen─affinity and functional activity at cannabinoid receptors. Together, these findings present a promising new direction for the design of novel cannabinoid ligands for drug discovery and exploration of the complex endocannabinoid system.

SULT1A1-dependent sulfonation of alkylators is a lineage-dependent vulnerability of liver cancers.

Adult liver malignancies, including intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, are the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Most individuals are treated with either combination chemotherapy or immunotherapy, respectively, without specific biomarkers for selection. Here using high-throughput screens, proteomics and in vitro resistance models, we identify the small molecule YC-1 as selectively active against a defined subset of cell lines derived from both liver cancer types. We demonstrate that selectivity is determined by expression of the liver-resident cytosolic sulfotransferase enzyme SULT1A1, which sulfonates YC-1. Sulfonation stimulates covalent binding of YC-1 to lysine residues in protein targets, enriching for RNA-binding factors. Computational analysis defined a wider group of structurally related SULT1A1-activated small molecules with distinct target profiles, which together constitute an untapped small-molecule class. These studies provide a foundation for preclinical development of these agents and point to the broader potential of exploiting SULT1A1 activity for selective targeting strategies.

Canvass: A Crowd-Sourced, Natural-Product Screening Library for Exploring Biological Space.

Natural products and their derivatives continue to be wellsprings of nascent therapeutic potential. However, many laboratories have limited resources for biological evaluation, leaving their previously isolated or synthesized compounds largely or completely untested. To address this issue, the Canvass library of natural products was assembled, in collaboration with academic and industry researchers, for quantitative high-throughput screening (qHTS) across a diverse set of cell-based and biochemical assays. Characterization of the library in terms of physicochemical properties, structural diversity, and similarity to compounds in publicly available libraries indicates that the Canvass library contains many structural elements in common with approved drugs. The assay data generated were analyzed using a variety of quality control metrics, and the resultant assay profiles were explored using statistical methods, such as clustering and compound promiscuity analyses. Individual compounds were then sorted by structural class and activity profiles. Differential behavior based on these classifications, as well as noteworthy activities, are outlined herein. One such highlight is the activity of (-)-2(S)-cathafoline, which was found to stabilize calcium levels in the endoplasmic reticulum. The workflow described here illustrates a pilot effort to broadly survey the biological potential of natural products by utilizing the power of automation and high-throughput screening.

Cyanobacterial Sfp-type phosphopantetheinyl transferases functionalize carrier proteins of diverse biosynthetic pathways.

Cyanobacteria produce structurally and functionally diverse polyketides, nonribosomal peptides and their hybrids. Sfp-type phosphopantetheinyl transferases (PPTases) are essential to the production of these compounds via functionalizing carrier proteins (CPs) of biosynthetic megaenzymes. However, cyanobacterial Sfp-type PPTases remain poorly characterized, posing a significant barrier to the exploitation of cyanobacteria for biotechnological and biomedical applications. Herein, we describe the detailed characterization of multiple cyanobacterial Sfp-type PPTases that were rationally selected. Biochemical characterization of these enzymes along with the prototypic enzyme Sfp from Bacillus subtilis demonstrated their varying specificities toward 11 recombinant CPs of different types of biosynthetic pathways from cyanobacterial and Streptomyces strains. Kinetic analysis further indicated that PPTases possess the higher binding affinity and catalytic efficiency toward their cognate CPs in comparison with noncognate substrates. Moreover, when chromosomally replacing the native PPTase gene of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803, two selected cyanobacterial PPTases and Sfp supported the growth of resulted mutants. Cell lysates of the cyanobacterial mutants further functionalized recombinant CP substrates. Collectively, these studies reveal the versatile catalysis of selected cyanobacterial PPTases and provide new tools to synthesize cyanobacterial natural products using in vitro and in vivo synthetic biology approaches.