Discovery of the first chemical tools to regulate MKK3-mediated MYC activation in cancer.
Bioorg Med Chem
; 45: 116324, 2021 09 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34333394
ABSTRACT
The transcription master regulator MYC plays an essential role in regulating major cellular programs and is a well-established therapeutic target in cancer. However, MYC targeting for drug discovery is challenging. New therapeutic approaches to control MYC-dependent malignancy are urgently needed. The mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 3 (MKK3) binds and activates MYC in different cell types, and disruption of MKK3-MYC protein-protein interaction may provide a new strategy to target MYC-driven programs. However, there is no perturbagen available to interrogate and control this signaling arm. In this study, we assessed the drugability of the MKK3-MYC complex and discovered the first chemical tool to regulate MKK3-mediated MYC activation. We have designed a short 44-residue inhibitory peptide and developed a cell lysate-based time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) assay to discover the first small molecule MKK3-MYC PPI inhibitor. We have optimized and miniaturized the assay into an ultra-high-throughput screening (uHTS) 1536-well plate format. The pilot screen of ~6,000 compounds of a bioactive chemical library followed by multiple secondary and orthogonal assays revealed a quinoline derivative SGI-1027 as a potent inhibitor of MKK3-MYC PPI. We have shown that SGI-1027 disrupts the MKK3-MYC complex in cells and in vitro and inhibits MYC transcriptional activity in colon and breast cancer cells. In contrast, SGI-1027 does not inhibit MKK3 kinase activity and does not interfere with well-known MKK3-p38 and MYC-MAX complexes. Together, our studies demonstrate the drugability of MKK3-MYC PPI, provide the first chemical tool to interrogate its biological functions, and establish a new uHTS assay to enable future discovery of potent and selective inhibitors to regulate this oncogenic complex.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-myc
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MAP Quinase Quinase 3
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Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases
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Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequenas
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Descoberta de Drogas
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Neoplasias
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Antineoplásicos
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Bioorg Med Chem
Assunto da revista:
BIOQUIMICA
/
QUIMICA
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos