A novel class of ion displacement ligands as antagonists of the αIIbß3 receptor that limit conformational reorganization of the receptor.

A collection of αIIbß3 integrin receptor antagonists possessing a unique MIDAS metal ion displacement mechanism of action is presented. Insight into these agents' structure-activity relationships, binding modality, and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles highlight the potential of these small molecule ion displacement ligands as attractive candidates for clinical development.

Structure-guided design of a high-affinity platelet integrin αIIbß3 receptor antagonist that disrupts Mg²âº binding to the MIDAS.

An integrin found on platelets, α(IIb)ß(3) mediates platelet aggregation, and α(IIb)ß(3) antagonists are effective antithrombotic agents in the clinic. Ligands bind to integrins in part by coordinating a magnesium ion (Mg(2+)) located in the ß subunit metal ion-dependent adhesion site (MIDAS). Drugs patterned on the integrin ligand sequence Arg-Gly-Asp have a basic moiety that binds the α(IIb) subunit and a carboxyl group that coordinates the MIDAS Mg(2+) in the ß(3) subunits. They induce conformational changes in the ß(3) subunit that may have negative consequences such as exposing previously hidden epitopes and inducing the active conformation of the receptor. We recently reported an inhibitor of α(IIb)ß(3) (RUC-1) that binds exclusively to the α(IIb) subunit; here, we report the structure-based design and synthesis of RUC-2, a RUC-1 derivative with a ~100-fold higher affinity. RUC-2 does not induce major conformational changes in ß(3) as judged by monoclonal antibody binding, light scattering, gel chromatography, electron microscopy, and a receptor priming assay. X-ray crystallography of the RUC-2-α(IIb)ß(3) headpiece complex in 1 mM calcium ion (Ca(2+))/5 mM Mg(2+) at 2.6 Å revealed that RUC-2 binds to α(IIb) the way RUC-1 does, but in addition, it binds to the ß(3) MIDAS residue glutamic acid 220, thus displacing Mg(2+) from the MIDAS. When the Mg(2+) concentration was increased to 20 mM, however, Mg(2+) was identified in the MIDAS and RUC-2 was absent. RUC-2's ability to inhibit ligand binding and platelet aggregation was diminished by increasing the Mg(2+) concentration. Thus, RUC-2 inhibits ligand binding by a mechanism different from that of all other α(IIb)ß(3) antagonists and may offer advantages as a therapeutic agent.

A new small-molecule antagonist inhibits Graves' disease antibody activation of the TSH receptor.

CONTEXT: Graves' disease (GD) is caused by persistent, unregulated stimulation of thyrocytes by thyroid-stimulating antibodies (TSAbs) that activate the TSH receptor (TSHR). We previously reported the first small-molecule antagonist of human TSHR and showed that it inhibited receptor signaling stimulated by sera from four patients with GD. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to develop a better TSHR antagonist and use it to determine whether inhibition of TSAb activation of TSHR is a general phenomenon. DESIGN: We aimed to chemically modify a previously reported small-molecule TSHR ligand to develop a better antagonist and determine whether it inhibits TSHR signaling by 30 GD sera. TSHR signaling was measured in two in vitro systems: model HEK-EM293 cells stably overexpressing human TSHRs and primary cultures of human thyrocytes. TSHR signaling was measured as cAMP production and by effects on thyroid peroxidase mRNA. RESULTS: We tested analogs of a previously reported small-molecule TSHR inverse agonist and selected the best NCGC00229600 for further study. In the model system, NCGC00229600 inhibited basal and TSH-stimulated cAMP production. NCGC00229600 inhibition of TSH signaling was competitive even though it did not compete for TSH binding; that is, NCGC00229600 is an allosteric inverse agonist. NCGC00229600 inhibited cAMP production by 39 ± 2.6% by all 30 GD sera tested. In primary cultures of human thyrocytes, NCGC00229600 inhibited TSHR-mediated basal and GD sera up-regulation of thyroperoxidase mRNA levels by 65 ± 2.0%. CONCLUSION: NCGC00229600, a small-molecule allosteric inverse agonist of TSHR, is a general antagonist of TSH receptor activation by TSAbs in GD patient sera.

The Synthesis and Evaluation of Dihydroquinazolin-4-ones and Quinazolin-4-ones as Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Receptor Agonists.

We herein describe the rapid synthesis of a diverse set of dihydroquinazolin-4-ones and quinazolin-4-ones, their biological evaluation as thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) agonists, and SAR analysis. Among the compounds screened, 8b was 60-fold more potent than the hit compound 1a, which was identified from a high throughput screen of over 73,000 compounds.

Selective Modulation of Gq/Gs pathways by Naphtho Pyrano Pyrimidines as antagonists of the Neuropeptide S Receptor.

Antagonists of the Neuropeptide S Receptor have been postulated as promising therapeutics in the treatment of respiratory, sleep, anxiety, and addictive disorders. Here we present the SAR of a new series of orthosteric antagonists. Neuropeptide S Receptor signaling is coupled to both Gq and Gs proteins, and we observe that different analogues in this structural series can selectively antagonize these two pathways. Many G-protein coupled receptors transduce signals through multiple pathways. Selective antagonism of these pathways may lead the way to the development of more targeted pharmacological profiles and therapies.