Medicinal chemistry strategies targeting PRMT5 for cancer therapy.

Protein arginine methyltransferases 5 (PRMT5), a therapeutic target whose main physiological function is mono- and symmetric dimethylation of arginine, has drawn significant attention from researchers in the field. PRMT5 has been reported to participate in many cellular functions including cell growth, migration, and development. Upregulation of PRMT5 occurs in different kinds of tumors and is strongly associated with poor prognosis. In recent years, several PRMT5 inhibitors have entered clinical trials for the treatment of various cancers, such as advanced or recurrent solid tumors with MTAP deletion. Herein, we reviewed the binding modes and structure-activity relationships of novel PRMT5 inhibitors and discussed prospects of PRMT5 inhibitors in cancer therapy, aiming to provide insights on drug development of PRMT5 inhibitors.

Recent advances of ß-catenin small molecule inhibitors for cancer therapy: Current development and future perspectives.

The Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway is involved in many cellular physiological processes, including embryonic development, cell proliferation and differentiation, tissue homeostasis and regeneration, etc. Aberrant activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling is one of the most typical features in the development and progression of cancer. Abnormal accumulation of ß-catenin, a core component of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, is one of the main factors leading to abnormal activation of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Therefore, ß-catenin has become an important target for the development of anticancer drugs. Some ß-catenin small molecule inhibitors have been shown to have the potential to treat cancer, such as the specific ß-catenin/CBP antagonist PRI-724, which has entered phase I/II clinical trials. However, the development and application of ß-catenin inhibitors are still challenging due to their selectivity, specificity and physicochemical properties, etc. This review introduces the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, focuses on the research progress of ß-catenin small molecule inhibitors, and prospects for the development of drug in the future.

Recent research and development of inhibitors targeting sentrin-specific protease 1 for the treatment of cancers.

Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)/sentrin-specific protease 1 (SENP1), is a cysteine protease that promotes SUMO maturation and deSUMOylation of target proteins and regulates transcription factors or co-regulatory factors to mediate gene transcription. Many studies have shown that SENP1 is the driving factor for a multitude of cancers including prostate cancer, liver cancer, and breast cancer. Inhibition of SENP1 activity has been proved to inhibit the survival, proliferation, invasion, and migration of cancer cells, and increase their chemical and radiation sensitivity. Therefore, SENP1 is a promising anti-tumor target. At present, peptide inhibitors of SENP1 have entered clinical trials. Recently, many small molecule compounds and natural products were synthesized and identified as SENP1 inhibitors, and showed good tumor inhibitory activity in vitro and in vivo. This review summarizes the structure, physiological function, and role of SENP1 in tumorigenesis and development, focusing on the design and discovery of small molecule inhibitors of SENP1 from the perspective of medicinal chemistry, providing ideas for the development and research of small molecule inhibitors of SENP1 in the future.

An Asia-specific variant of human IgG1 represses colorectal tumorigenesis by shaping the tumor microenvironment.

Emerging studies have focused on ways to treat cancers by modulating T cell activation. However, whether B cell receptor signaling in the tumor microenvironment (TME) can be harnessed for immunotherapy is unclear. Here, we report that an Asia-specific variant of human IgG1 containing a Gly396 to Arg396 substitution (hIgG1-G396R) conferred improved survival of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Mice with knockin of the murine functional homolog mIgG2c-G400R recapitulated the alleviated tumorigenesis and progression in murine colon carcinoma models. Immune profiling of the TME revealed broad mobilizations of IgG1+ plasma cells, CD8+ T cells, CD103+ DCs, and active tertiary lymphoid structure formation, suggesting an effective antitumor microenvironment in hIgG1-G396R CRC patients. Mechanistically, this variant potentiated tumor-associated antigen-specific (TAA-specific) plasma cell differentiation and thus antibody production. These elevated TAA-specific IgG2c antibodies in turn efficiently boosted the antibody-dependent tumor cell phagocytosis and TAA presentation to effector CD8+ T cells. Notably, adoptive transfer of TAA-specific class-switched memory B cells harboring this variant exhibited therapeutic efficacy in murine tumor models, indicating their clinical potential. All these results prompted a prospective investigation of hIgG1-G396R in patients with CRC as a biomarker for clinical prognosis and demonstrated that manipulating the functionality of IgG1+ memory B cells in tumors could improve immunotherapy outcomes.

An amphipathic peptide targeting the gp41 cytoplasmic tail kills HIV-1 virions and infected cells.

HIV-associated morbidity and mortality have markedly declined because of combinational antiretroviral therapy, but HIV readily mutates to develop drug resistance. Developing antivirals against previously undefined targets is essential to treat existing drug-resistant HIV strains. Some peptides derived from HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env, gp120-gp41) have been shown to be effective in inhibiting HIV-1 infection. Therefore, we screened a peptide library from HIV-1 Env and identified a peptide from the cytoplasmic region, designated F9170, able to effectively inactivate HIV-1 virions and induce necrosis of HIV-1-infected cells, and reactivated latently infected cells. F9170 specifically targeted the conserved cytoplasmic tail of HIV-1 Env and effectively disrupted the integrity of the viral membrane. Short-term monoadministration of F9170 controlled viral loads to below the limit of detection in chronically SHIV-infected macaques. F9170 can enter the brain and lymph nodes, anatomic reservoirs for HIV latency. Therefore, F9170 shows promise as a drug candidate for HIV treatment.