Design and synthesis of a new orthogonally protected glutamic acid analog and its use in the preparation of high affinity polo-like kinase 1 polo-box domain - binding peptide macrocycles.

Targeting protein - protein interactions (PPIs) has emerged as an important area of discovery for anticancer therapeutic development. In the case of phospho-dependent PPIs, such as the polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) polo-box domain (PBD), a phosphorylated protein residue can provide high-affinity recognition and binding to target protein hot spots. Developing antagonists of the Plk1 PBD can be particularly challenging if one relies solely on interactions within and proximal to the phospho-binding pocket. Fortunately, the affinity of phospho-dependent PPI antagonists can be significantly enhanced by taking advantage of interactions in both the phospho-binding site and hidden "cryptic" pockets that may be revealed on ligand binding. In our current paper, we describe the design and synthesis of macrocyclic peptide mimetics directed against the Plk1 PBD, which are characterized by a new glutamic acid analog that simultaneously serves as a ring-closing junction that provides accesses to a cryptic binding pocket, while at the same time achieving proper orientation of a phosphothreonine (pT) residue for optimal interaction in the signature phospho-binding pocket. Macrocycles prepared with this new amino acid analog introduce additional hydrogen-bonding interactions not found in the open-chain linear parent peptide. It is noteworthy that this new glutamic acid-based amino acid analog represents the first example of extremely high affinity ligands where access to the cryptic pocket from the pT-2 position is made possible with a residue that is not based on histidine. The concepts employed in the design and synthesis of these new macrocyclic peptide mimetics should be useful for further studies directed against the Plk1 PBD and potentially for ligands directed against other PPI targets.

Chemically Programmable and Switchable CAR-T Therapy.

Although macromolecules on cell surfaces are predominantly targeted and drugged with antibodies, they harbor pockets that are only accessible to small molecules and constitutes a rich subset of binding sites with immense potential diagnostic and therapeutic utility. Compared to antibodies, however, small molecules are disadvantaged by a less confined biodistribution, shorter circulatory half-life, and inability to communicate with the immune system. Presented herein is a method that endows small molecules with the ability to recruit and activate chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-Ts). It is based on a CAR-T platform that uses a chemically programmed antibody fragment (cp-Fab) as on/off switch. In proof-of-concept studies, this cp-Fab/CAR-T system targeting folate binding proteins on the cell surface mediated potent and specific eradication of folate-receptor-expressing cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

Development of Highly Selective 1,2,3-Triazole-containing Peptidic Polo-like Kinase 1 Polo-box Domain-binding Inhibitors.

Members of the polo-like kinase (Plk) family of serine/threonine protein kinases play crucial roles in cell cycle regulation and proliferation. Of the five Plks (Plk1-5), Plk1 is recognized as an anticancer drug target. Plk1 contains multiple structural components that are important for its proper biological function. These include an N-terminal catalytic domain and a C-terminal non-catalytic polo-box domain (PBD). The PBD binds to phosphothreonine (pT) and phosphoserine-containing sequences. Blocking PBD-dependent interactions offers a potential means of down-regulating Plk1 function that is distinct from targeting its ATP-binding site. Previously, we demonstrated by tethering alkylphenyl chains from the N(π)-position of the His residue in the 5-mer PLHSpT, that we were able to access a hydrophobic "cryptic" binding pocket on the surface of the PBD, and in so doing enhance binding affinities by approximately 1000-fold. More recently, we optimized these PBD-ligand interactions using an oxime ligation-based strategy. Herein, using azide-alkyne cycloaddition reactions, we explore new triazole-containing PBD-binding antagonists. Some of these ligands retain the high PBD-binding affinity of the parent peptide, while showing desirable enhanced selectivity for the PBD of Plk1 relative to the PBDs of Plk2 and Plk3.

Histidine N(τ)-cyclized macrocycles as a new genre of polo-like kinase 1 polo-box domain-binding inhibitors.

Transition toward peptide mimetics of reduced size is an important objective of peptide macrocyclization. We have previously shown that PLH∗SpT (2a) (where H∗ indicates the presence of a -(CH2)8Ph group at the N(π) position and pT indicates phosphothreonine) is an extremely high affinity ligand of the polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) polo-box domain (PBD). Herein we report that C-terminal macrocyclization of 2a employing N(π),N(τ)-bis-alkylated His residues as ring junctions can be achieved in a very direct fashion. The resulting macrocycles are highly potent in biochemical assays and maintain good target selectivity for the Plk1 PBD versus the PBDs of Plk2 and Plk3. Importantly, as exemplified by 5d, our current approach permits deletion of the N-terminal "Pro-Leu" motif to yield tripeptide ligands with decreased molecular weight, which retain high affinity and show improved target selectivity. These findings could fundamentally impact the future development of peptide macrocycles in general and Plk1 PBD-binding peptide mimetics in particular.

Enhancing polo-like kinase 1 selectivity of polo-box domain-binding peptides.

An important goal in the development of polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) polo-box domain (PBD) binding inhibitors is selectivity for Plk1 relative to Plk2 and Plk3. In our current work we show that Plk1 PBD selectivity can be significantly enhanced by modulating interactions within a previously discovered "cryptic pocket" and a more recently identified proximal "auxiliary pocket."

Application of oxime-diversification to optimize ligand interactions within a cryptic pocket of the polo-like kinase 1 polo-box domain.

By a process involving initial screening of a set of 87 aldehydes using an oxime ligation-based strategy, we were able to achieve a several-fold affinity enhancement over one of the most potent previously known polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) polo-box domain (PBD) binding inhibitors. This improved binding may result by accessing a newly identified auxiliary region proximal to a key hydrophobic cryptic pocket on the surface of the protein. Our findings could have general applicability to the design of PBD-binding antagonists.

Detection of protein-protein interactions by proximity-driven S(N)Ar reactions of lysine-linked fluorophores.

Critical protein-protein interactions are ubiquitous in biology. To provide a new method to detect these interactions, we designed and synthesized fluorinated bromopyronins as molecular probes. These electrophilic compounds rapidly react with amines via a S(N)Ar mechanism to form modestly electrophilic aminopyronin fluorophores. To investigate whether proteins modified with aminopyronins might selectively transfer these fluorophores between proximal lysine residues at protein-protein interfaces, immunoglobulin-G (IgG) was conjugated to fluorinated pyronins and added to unlabeled Protein A (SpA) from S. aureus. Analysis by gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry revealed transfer of this fluorophore from IgG to specific lysines of its binding partner SpA but not to bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a nonbinding control. Examination of an X-ray structure of IgG bound to SpA revealed that the fluorophore was selectively transferred between amino groups of lysines that reside within ~10 Å at the protein-protein interface. To evaluate whether this approach could be used to identify interactions with endogenous cellular proteins, pyronin-modified Rnase A was added to crude extracts of human HeLa cells. Analysis of interacting proteins by gel electrophoresis revealed the endogenous ribonuclease inhibitor as the primary cellular target. Given that proximal lysine residues frequently reside at protein-protein interfaces, this method may facilitate identification of diverse protein-protein interactions present in complex biological matrices.

Development of ultra-high affinity bivalent ligands targeting the polo-like kinase 1.

The polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is an important mediator of cell cycle regulation and a recognized anti-cancer molecular target. In addition to its catalytic kinase domain (KD), Plk1 contains a polo-box domain (PBD), which engages in protein-protein interactions (PPIs) essential to proper Plk1 function. We have developed a number of extremely high-affinity PBD-binding peptide inhibitors. However, we have reached an apparent limit to increasing the affinities of these monovalent ligands. Accordingly, we undertook an extensive investigation of bivalent ligands, designed to engage both KD and PBD regions of Plk1. This has resulted in bivalent constructs exhibiting more than 100-fold Plk1 affinity enhancement relative to the best monovalent PBD-binding ligands. Startlingly, and in contradiction to widely accepted notions of KD-PBD interactions, we have found that full affinities can be retained even with minimal linkers between KD and PBD-binding components. In addition to significantly advancing the development of PBD-binding ligands, our findings may cause a rethinking of the structure - function of Plk1.

Unanticipated Characteristics of a Selective, Potent Neuromedin-U Receptor 2 Agonist.

Neuromedin-U (NMU) mediates several physiological functions via its two cognate receptors, NMUR1 and NMUR2. Disentangling the individual roles of each receptor has largely been undertaken through the use of transgenic mice bearing a deletion in one of the two receptors or by testing native molecules (NMU or its truncated version NMU-8) in a tissue-specific manner, in effect, taking advantage of the distinct receptor expression profiles. These strategies have proved quite useful despite the inherent limitations of overlapping receptor roles and potential compensatory influences of germline gene deletion. With these considerations in mind, the availability of potent, selective NMU compounds with appropriate pharmacokinetic profiles would advance the capabilities of investigators undertaking such efforts. Here, we evaluate a recently reported NMUR2-selective peptide (compound 17) for its in vitro potency (mouse and human), binding affinity, murine pharmacokinetic properties, and in vivo effects. Despite being designed as an NMUR2 agonist, our results show compound 17 unexpectedly binds but does not have functional activity on NMUR1, thereby acting as an R1 antagonist while simultaneously being a potent NMUR2 agonist. Furthermore, evaluation of compound 17 across all known and orphan G-protein-coupled receptors demonstrates multiple receptor partners beyond NMUR2/R1 binding. These properties need to be appreciated for accurate interpretation of results generated using this molecule and may limit the broader ability of this particular entity in disentangling the physiological role of NMU receptor biology.

Selective Lysine Modification Enabled by Intramolecular Acyl Transfer.

The chemistries selectively modifying recombinant proteins are valuable for the discovery and development of biologic therapeutics. We report here a Lys modification strategy that engages a Cys residue to covalently tether the reagents to the target that facilitates a proximity-driven intramolecular O-to-N acyl-transfer process yielding desired Lys-acylated products. We utilized GLP-1 as a case study, followed by desulfurization of the Cys mutation to native Ala regenerating the native sequence in a traceless fashion.

Further Exploration of Hydrazine-Mediated Bioconjugation Chemistries.

The hydrazine group serves as a great anchor for bioconjugation; however, the application of hydrazone ligation has been limited by poor product stability. We aim to resolve such issues by optimizing the recently established pyrazolone ligation and investigating a new pyrazole ligation. We have identified a new, electron-deficient pyrazolone ligation and a regiospecific pyrazole ligation, both offering aqueous buffer stable and chemically inert products possessing triazole-like structures while not involving any heavy metal catalyst.

A new genre of fluorescence recovery assay to evaluate polo-like kinase 1 ATP-competitive inhibitors.

Using a probe consisting of a fluorescein-labeled variant of the potent polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) inhibitor BI2536 [FITC-PEG-Lys(BI2536) 4], we were able to determine half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of ATP-competitive Type 1 inhibitors of Plk1 by means of a fluorescence recovery assay. This methodology represents a cost-effective and simple alternative to traditional kinase assays for initial screening of potential Plk1 inhibitors.

Colorado community pharmacists' survey and their perspectives regarding marijuana.

OBJECTIVES: With one of the highest prevalence rates for marijuana use in the United States, Colorado provides a great opportunity for insight on common encounters with consumers in the community pharmacy setting. Currently, there is limited data on community pharmacists and their experiences with patients and marijuana. This study aims to identify the most common questions community pharmacists receive about marijuana, how comfortable they are in answering those questions, and to identify knowledge gaps regarding marijuana and pharmaceutical care. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was chosen to survey community pharmacists. A convenience sample of community pharmacists from the greater Denver metro area counties were surveyed about recreational and medical marijuana questions they receive from patients and consumers. Statistical methods included descriptive statistics, Chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney. RESULTS: Of the 51 pharmacists who completed the survey, 20% received questions about medical marijuana daily or weekly, 57% monthly, and 22% never, while 16% received questions about recreational marijuana weekly, 41% monthly, and 43% never. In addition, 53% were comfortable answering questions about medical marijuana, while 41% were comfortable answering questions about recreational marijuana. The most common questions received were related to indications, uses, and efficacy (33%), followed by drug interactions (30%). CONCLUSION: The increased acceptance of marijuana by patients warrants pharmacists and other healthcare providers to be confident and familiar with its use. Our findings suggest that the majority of pharmacists are not asking about marijuana use/consumption, and this may be a gap in care. Studies support that other healthcare providers also exhibit hesitancy in initiating these conversations. Consumers are using marijuana products now, so increasing marijuana education for all healthcare professionals during both didactic education and continuing education will be key to ensuring patients have access to evidence-based care regarding the use of marijuana, rather than care based on belief, alone.

Conventional and Chemically Programmed Asymmetric Bispecific Antibodies Targeting Folate Receptor 1.

T-cell engaging bispecific antibodies (biAbs) can mediate potent and specific tumor cell eradication in liquid cancers. Substantial effort has been invested in expanding this concept to solid cancers. To explore their utility in the treatment of ovarian cancer, we built a set of asymmetric biAbs in IgG1-like format that bind CD3 on T cells with a conventional scFv arm and folate receptor 1 (FOLR1) on ovarian cancer cells with a conventional or a chemically programmed Fab arm. For avidity engineering, we also built an asymmetric biAb format with a tandem Fab arm. We show that both conventional and chemically programmed CD3 × FOLR1 biAbs exert specific in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity toward FOLR1-expressing ovarian cancer cells by recruiting and activating T cells. While the conventional T-cell engaging biAb was curative in an aggressive mouse model of human ovarian cancer, the potency of the chemically programmed biAb was significantly boosted by avidity engineering. Both conventional and chemically programmed CD3 × FOLR1 biAbs warrant further investigation for ovarian cancer immunotherapy.

Antibody-Drug Conjugate that Exhibits Synergistic Cytotoxicity with an Endosome-Disruptive Peptide.

Antibody-drug conjugates are an important class of cancer therapeutics. These agents generally bind a specific cell surface receptor, undergo receptor-mediated endocytosis, and enter the endosomal-lysosomal system, where the environment in these organelles facilitates the release of a membrane-permeable cytotoxin. By using a membrane-impermeable cytotoxin, we describe here a method that allows the cytotoxicity of an antibody conjugate to be triggered by co-administration with an endosome-disruptive peptide that exhibits low toxicity. This approach was validated by conjugation of an anionic derivative of the tubulin-binding cytotoxin colchinol methyl ether to lysine residues of the HER2-targeting antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin) via a disulfide. When this antibody binds HER2 on SKBR3 breast cancer cells and undergoes endocytosis, the membrane-impermeable cytotoxin is released, but it becomes trapped in endosomes, resulting in relatively low cytotoxicity (IC50 > 1 µM). However, co-administration with an essentially nontoxic (IC50 > 10 µM) cholesterol-linked endosome-disruptive peptide promotes the release of this small molecule into the cytoplasm, conferring subnanomolar cytotoxic potency (IC50 = 0.11 ± 0.07 nM). Studies of a structurally related fluorophore conjugate revealed that the endosome-disruptive peptide does not substantially enhance cleavage of the disulfide (t 1/2 = 8 ± 2 h) within endosomes, suggesting that the mechanism of endosomal escape involves the efflux of some small molecules without facilitating substantial influx of reduced glutathione.

Phosphatase-Stable Phosphoamino Acid Mimetics That Enhance Binding Affinities with the Polo-Box Domain of Polo-like Kinase†1.

(2S,3R)-2-Amino-3-methyl-4-phosphonobutanoic acid (Pmab) is a phosphatase-stable analogue of phosphothreonine (pThr), which has been used in a variety of biological contexts. Among these applications are peptidomimetic ligands that bind to the polo-box domain (PBD) of polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) with affinities approaching that of the corresponding pThr-containing peptides. However, Pmab is not widely used, because there are no direct, high-yield preparations of suitably protected reagent. We have now achieved an efficient synthesis of protected Pmab, as well as variants with different substituents at the 3R center. When incorporated into our peptidomimetic scaffold, these new Pmab analogues exhibit Plk1 PBD-binding affinities that are several-fold higher than Pmab, yet retain good selectivity for Plk1 relative to the PBDs of Plk2 and Plk3. These findings will significantly impact the future development of PBD-binding inhibitors, as well as ligands directed against a broad spectrum of pThr-dependent processes.

Current progress and future perspectives in the development of anti-polo-like kinase 1 therapeutic agents.

Although significant levels of side effects are often associated with their use, microtubule-directed agents that primarily target fast-growing mitotic cells have been considered to be some of the most effective anti-cancer therapeutics. With the hope of developing new-generation anti-mitotic agents with reduced side effects and enhanced tumor specificity, researchers have targeted various proteins whose functions are critically required for mitotic progression. As one of the highly attractive mitotic targets, polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) has been the subject of an extensive effort for anti-cancer drug discovery. To date, a variety of anti-Plk1 agents have been developed, and several of them are presently in clinical trials. Here, we will discuss the current status of generating anti-Plk1 agents as well as future strategies for designing and developing more efficacious anti-Plk1 therapeutics.

Stable and Potent Selenomab-Drug Conjugates.

Selenomabs are engineered monoclonal antibodies with one or more translationally incorporated selenocysteine residues. The unique reactivity of the selenol group of selenocysteine permits site-specific conjugation of drugs. Compared with other natural and unnatural amino acid and carbohydrate residues that have been used for the generation of site-specific antibody-drug conjugates, selenocysteine is particularly reactive, permitting fast, single-step, and efficient reactions under near physiological conditions. Using a tailored conjugation chemistry, we generated highly stable selenomab-drug conjugates and demonstrated their potency and selectivity in vitro and in vivo. These site-specific antibody-drug conjugates built on a selenocysteine interface revealed broad therapeutic utility in liquid and solid malignancy models.

Harnessing a catalytic lysine residue for the one-step preparation of homogeneous antibody-drug conjugates.

Current strategies to produce homogeneous antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) rely on mutations or inefficient conjugation chemistries. Here we present a strategy to produce site-specific ADCs using a highly reactive natural buried lysine embedded in a dual variable domain (DVD) format. This approach is mutation free and drug conjugation proceeds rapidly at neutral pH in a single step without removing any charges. The conjugation chemistry is highly robust, enabling the use of crude DVD for ADC preparation. In addition, this strategy affords the ability to precisely monitor the efficiency of drug conjugation with a catalytic assay. ADCs targeting HER2 were prepared and demonstrated to be highly potent and specific in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the modular DVD platform was used to prepare potent and specific ADCs targeting CD138 and CD79B, two clinically established targets overexpressed in multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, respectively.

Structure of the Rpn13-Rpn2 complex provides insights for Rpn13 and Uch37 as anticancer targets.

Proteasome-ubiquitin receptor hRpn13/Adrm1 binds and activates deubiquitinating enzyme Uch37/UCHL5 and is targeted by bis-benzylidine piperidone RA190, which restricts cancer growth in mice xenografts. Here, we solve the structure of hRpn13 with a segment of hRpn2 that serves as its proteasome docking site; a proline-rich C-terminal hRpn2 extension stretches across a narrow canyon of the ubiquitin-binding hRpn13 Pru domain blocking an RA190-binding surface. Biophysical analyses in combination with cell-based assays indicate that hRpn13 binds preferentially to hRpn2 and proteasomes over RA190. hRpn13 also exists outside of proteasomes where it may be RA190 sensitive. RA190 does not affect hRpn13 interaction with Uch37, but rather directly binds and inactivates Uch37. hRpn13 deletion from HCT116 cells abrogates RA190-induced accumulation of substrates at proteasomes. We propose that RA190 targets hRpn13 and Uch37 through parallel mechanisms and at proteasomes, RA190-inactivated Uch37 cannot disassemble hRpn13-bound ubiquitin chains.