Discovery and Characterization of a Highly Potent and Selective Aminopyrazoline-Based in Vivo Probe (BAY-598) for the Protein Lysine Methyltransferase SMYD2.

Protein lysine methyltransferases have recently emerged as a new target class for the development of inhibitors that modulate gene transcription or signaling pathways. SET and MYND domain containing protein 2 (SMYD2) is a catalytic SET domain containing methyltransferase reported to monomethylate lysine residues on histone and nonhistone proteins. Although several studies have uncovered an important role of SMYD2 in promoting cancer by protein methylation, the biology of SMYD2 is far from being fully understood. Utilization of highly potent and selective chemical probes for target validation has emerged as a concept which circumvents possible limitations of knockdown experiments and, in particular, could result in an improved exploration of drug targets with a complex underlying biology. Here, we report the development of a potent, selective, and cell-active, substrate-competitive inhibitor of SMYD2, which is the first reported inhibitor suitable for in vivo target validation studies in rodents.

EZH2 Inhibition Blocks Multiple Myeloma Cell Growth through Upregulation of Epithelial Tumor Suppressor Genes.

Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell malignancy characterized by marked heterogeneous genomic instability including frequent genetic alterations in epigenetic enzymes. In particular, the histone methyltransferase Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) is overexpressed in multiple myeloma. EZH2 is the catalytic component of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), a master transcriptional regulator of differentiation. EZH2 catalyzes methylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 and its deregulation in cancer has been reported to contribute to silencing of tumor suppressor genes, resulting in a more undifferentiated state, and thereby contributing to the multiple myeloma phenotype. In this study, we propose the use of EZH2 inhibitors as a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of multiple myeloma. We demonstrate that EZH2 inhibition causes a global reduction of H3K27me3 in multiple myeloma cells, promoting reexpression of EZH2-repressed tumor suppressor genes in a subset of cell lines. As a result of this transcriptional activation, multiple myeloma cells treated with EZH2 inhibitors become more adherent and less proliferative compared with untreated cells. The antitumor efficacy of EZH2 inhibitors is also confirmed in vivo in a multiple myeloma xenograft model in mice. Together, our data suggest that EZH2 inhibition may provide a new therapy for multiple myeloma treatment and a promising addition to current treatment options. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(2); 287-98. ©2015 AACR.