Synthesis, Biochemical, and Cellular Evaluation of HDAC6 Targeting Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras.

Histone deacetylases are considered promising epigenetic targets for chemical protein degradation due to their diverse roles in physiological cellular functions and in the diseased state. Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are bifunctional molecules that hijack the cell's ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). One of the promising targets for this approach is histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), which is highly expressed in several types of cancers and is linked to the aggressiveness of tumors. In the present work, we describe the synthesis of HDAC6 targeting PROTACs based on previously synthesized benzohydroxamates selectively inhibiting HDAC6 and how to assess their activities in different biochemical in vitro assays and in cellular assays. HDAC inhibition was determined using fluorometric assays, while the degradation ability of the PROTACs was assessed using western blot analysis.

Design, Synthesis and Biological Characterization of Histone Deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) with Anti-Neuroblastoma Activity.

In addition to involvement in epigenetic gene regulation, histone deacetylases (HDACs) regulate multiple cellular processes through mediating the activity of non-histone protein substrates. The knockdown of HDAC8 isozyme is associated with the inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptosis enhancement in several cancer cell lines. As shown in several studies, HDAC8 can be considered a potential target in the treatment of cancer forms such as childhood neuroblastoma. The present work describes the development of proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) of HDAC8 based on substituted benzhydroxamic acids previously reported as potent and selective HDAC8 inhibitors. Within this study, we investigated the HDAC8-degrading profiles of the synthesized PROTACs and their effect on the proliferation of neuroblastoma cells. The combination of in vitro screening and cellular testing demonstrated selective HDAC8 PROTACs that show anti-neuroblastoma activity in cells.

Target deconvolution of HDAC pharmacopoeia reveals MBLAC2 as common off-target.

Drugs that target histone deacetylase (HDAC) entered the pharmacopoeia in the 2000s. However, some enigmatic phenotypes suggest off-target engagement. Here, we developed a quantitative chemical proteomics assay using immobilized HDAC inhibitors and mass spectrometry that we deployed to establish the target landscape of 53 drugs. The assay covers 9 of the 11 human zinc-dependent HDACs, questions the reported selectivity of some widely-used molecules (notably for HDAC6) and delineates how the composition of HDAC complexes influences drug potency. Unexpectedly, metallo-ß-lactamase domain-containing protein 2 (MBLAC2) featured as a frequent off-target of hydroxamate drugs. This poorly characterized palmitoyl-CoA hydrolase is inhibited by 24 HDAC inhibitors at low nanomolar potency. MBLAC2 enzymatic inhibition and knockdown led to the accumulation of extracellular vesicles. Given the importance of extracellular vesicle biology in neurological diseases and cancer, this HDAC-independent drug effect may qualify MBLAC2 as a target for drug discovery.

Histone deacetylase 8 interacts with the GTPase SmRho1 in Schistosoma mansoni.

BACKGROUND: Schistosoma mansoni histone deacetylase 8 (SmHDAC8) has elicited considerable interest as a target for drug discovery. Invalidation of its transcripts by RNAi leads to impaired survival of the worms in infected mice and its inhibition causes cell apoptosis and death. To determine why it is a promising therapeutic target the study of the currently unknown cellular signaling pathways involving this enzyme is essential. Protein partners of SmHDAC8 were previously identified by yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) cDNA library screening and by mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. Among these partners we characterized SmRho1, the schistosome orthologue of human RhoA GTPase, which is involved in the regulation of the cytoskeleton. In this work, we validated the interaction between SmHDAC8 and SmRho1 and explored the role of the lysine deacetylase in cytoskeletal regulation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We characterized two isoforms of SmRho1, SmRho1.1 and SmRho1.2. Co- immunoprecipitation (Co-IP)/Mass Spectrometry (MS) analysis identified SmRho1 partner proteins and we used two heterologous expression systems (Y2H assay and Xenopus laevis oocytes) to study interactions between SmHDAC8 and SmRho1 isoforms. To confirm SmHDAC8 and SmRho1 interaction in adult worms and schistosomula, we performed Co-IP experiments and additionally demonstrated SmRho1 acetylation using a Nano LC-MS/MS approach. A major impact of SmHDAC8 in cytoskeleton organization was documented by treating adult worms and schistosomula with a selective SmHDAC8 inhibitor or using RNAi followed by confocal microscopy. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that SmHDAC8 is involved in cytoskeleton organization via its interaction with the SmRho1.1 isoform. The SmRho1.2 isoform failed to interact with SmHDAC8, but did specifically interact with SmDia suggesting the existence of two distinct signaling pathways regulating S. mansoni cytoskeleton organization via the two SmRho1 isoforms. A specific interaction between SmHDAC8 and the C-terminal moiety of SmRho1.1 was demonstrated, and we showed that SmRho1 is acetylated on K136. SmHDAC8 inhibition or knockdown using RNAi caused extensive disruption of schistosomula actin cytoskeleton.

Synthesis, structure-activity relationships, cocrystallization and cellular characterization of novel smHDAC8 inhibitors for the treatment of schistosomiasis.

Schistosomiasis is a major neglected parasitic disease that affects more than 265 million people worldwide and for which the control strategy consists of mass treatment with the only available drug, praziquantel. In this study, we chemically optimized our previously reported benzhydroxamate-based inhibitors of Schistosoma mansoni histone deacetylase 8 (smHDAC8). Crystallographic analysis provided insights into the inhibition mode of smHDAC8 activity by the highly potent inhibitor 5o. Structure-based optimization of the novel inhibitors was carried out using the available crystal structures as well as docking studies on smHDAC8. The compounds were evaluated in screens for inhibitory activity against schistosome and human HDACs (hHDAC). The in vitro and docking results were used for detailed structure activity relationships. The synthesized compounds were further investigated for their lethality against the schistosome larval stage using a fluorescence-based assay. The most promising inhibitor 5o showed significant dose-dependent killing of the schistosome larvae and markedly impaired egg laying of adult worm pairs maintained in culture.

The potential for histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors as cestocidal drugs.

BACKGROUND: Echinococcosis and cysticercosis are neglected tropical diseases caused by cestode parasites (family Taeniidae). Not only there is a small number of approved anthelmintics for the treatment of these cestodiases, but also some of them are not highly effective against larval stages, such that identifying novel drug targets and their associated compounds is critical. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes are validated drug targets in cancers and other diseases, and have been gaining relevance for developing new potential anti-parasitic treatments in the last years. Here, we present the anthelmintic profile for a panel of recently developed HDAC inhibitors against the model cestode Mesocestoides vogae (syn. M. corti). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Phenotypic screening was performed on M. vogae by motility measurements and optical microscopic observations. Some HDAC inhibitors showed potent anthelmintic activities; three of them -entinostat, TH65, and TH92- had pronounced anthelmintic effects, reducing parasite viability by ~100% at concentrations of ≤ 20 µM. These compounds were selected for further characterization and showed anthelmintic effects in the micromolar range and in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Moreover, these compounds induced major alterations on the morphology and ultrastructural features of M. vogae. The potencies of these compounds were higher than albendazole and the anthelmintic effects were irreversible. Additionally, we evaluated pairwise drug combinations of these HDAC inhibitors and albendazole. The results suggested a positive interaction in the anthelmintic effect for individual pairs of compounds. Due to the maximum dose approved for entinostat, adjustments in the dose regime and/or combinations with currently-used anthelmintic drugs are needed, and the selectivity of TH65 and TH92 towards parasite targets should be assessed. CONCLUSION, SIGNIFICANCE: The results presented here suggest that HDAC inhibitors represent novel and potent drug candidates against cestodes and pave the way to understanding the roles of HDACs in these parasites.

Histone deacetylases inhibitors as new potential drugs against Leishmania braziliensis, the main causative agent of new world tegumentary leishmaniasis.

The protozoan parasite Leishmania braziliensis is a major causative agent of the neglected tropical diseases Cutaneous and Mucocutaneous Leishmaniases in the New World. There are no vaccines to prevent the infection and the treatment relies on few drugs that often display high toxicity and costs. Thus, chemotherapeutic alternatives are required. Histone Deacetylases (HDACs) are epigenetic enzymes involved in the control of chromatin structure. In this work, we tested an in-house library of 78 hydroxamic acid derivatives as putative inhibitors of L. braziliensis HDACs (HDACi). The compounds were evaluated in relation to the toxicity to the host cell macrophage and to the leishmanicidal effect against L. braziliensis during in vitro infection. Eight HDACi showed significant leishmanicidal effects and the top 5 compounds showed effective concentrations (EC50) in the range of 4.38 to 10.21 µM and selectivity indexes (SI) from of 6 to 21.7. Analyses by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) indicated induction of apoptotic cell death of L. braziliensis amastigotes with a necrotic phenotype. An altered chromatin condensation pattern and cellular disorganization of intracellular amastigotes was also observed. A tight connection between the mitochondrion and nuclear protrusions, presumably of endoplasmic reticulum origin, was found in parasites but not in the host cell. In flow cytometry (FC) analyses, HDACi promoted parasite cell cycle arrest in the G2-M phase and no changes were found in macrophages. In addition, the direct effect of HDACi against the promastigotes showed apoptosis as the main mechanism of cell death. The FC results corroborate the TEM analyses indicating that the HDACi lead to changes in the cell cycle and induction of apoptosis of L. braziliensis. The production of nitric oxide by the infected macrophages was not altered after treatment with the top 5 compounds. Taken together, our results evidenced new HDACi as promising agents for the development of new treatments for American Tegumentary Leishmaniasis caused by L. braziliensis.

Characterization of Histone Deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) Selective Inhibition Reveals Specific Active Site Structural and Functional Determinants.

Metal-dependent histone deacetylases (HDACs) are key epigenetic regulators that represent promising therapeutic targets for the treatment of numerous human diseases. Yet the currently FDA-approved HDAC inhibitors nonspecifically target at least several of the 11 structurally similar but functionally different HDAC isozymes, which hampers their broad usage in clinical settings. Selective inhibitors targeting single HDAC isozymes are being developed, but precise understanding in molecular terms of their selectivity remains sparse. Here, we show that HDAC8-selective inhibitors adopt a L-shaped conformation required for their binding to a HDAC8-specific pocket formed by HDAC8 catalytic tyrosine and HDAC8 L1 and L6 loops. In other HDAC isozymes, a L1-L6 lock sterically prevents L-shaped inhibitor binding. Shielding of the HDAC8-specific pocket by protein engineering decreases potency of HDAC8-selective inhibitors and affects catalytic activity. Collectively, our results unravel key HDAC8 active site structural and functional determinants important for the design of next-generation chemical probes and epigenetic drugs.

The HDAC6/8/10 inhibitor TH34 induces DNA damage-mediated cell death in human high-grade neuroblastoma cell lines.

High histone deacetylase (HDAC) 8 and HDAC10 expression levels have been identified as predictors of exceptionally poor outcomes in neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood. HDAC8 inhibition synergizes with retinoic acid treatment to induce neuroblast maturation in vitro and to inhibit neuroblastoma xenograft growth in vivo. HDAC10 inhibition increases intracellular accumulation of chemotherapeutics through interference with lysosomal homeostasis, ultimately leading to cell death in cultured neuroblastoma cells. So far, no HDAC inhibitor covering HDAC8 and HDAC10 at micromolar concentrations without inhibiting HDACs 1, 2 and 3 has been described. Here, we introduce TH34 (3-(N-benzylamino)-4-methylbenzhydroxamic acid), a novel HDAC6/8/10 inhibitor for neuroblastoma therapy. TH34 is well-tolerated by non-transformed human skin fibroblasts at concentrations up to 25 µM and modestly impairs colony growth in medulloblastoma cell lines, but specifically induces caspase-dependent programmed cell death in a concentration-dependent manner in several human neuroblastoma cell lines. In addition to the induction of DNA double-strand breaks, HDAC6/8/10 inhibition also leads to mitotic aberrations and cell-cycle arrest. Neuroblastoma cells display elevated levels of neuronal differentiation markers, mirrored by formation of neurite-like outgrowths under maintained TH34 treatment. Eventually, after long-term treatment, all neuroblastoma cells undergo cell death. The combination of TH34 with plasma-achievable concentrations of retinoic acid, a drug applied in neuroblastoma therapy, synergistically inhibits colony growth (combination index (CI) < 0.1 for 10 µM of each). In summary, our study supports using selective HDAC inhibitors as targeted antineoplastic agents and underlines the therapeutic potential of selective HDAC6/8/10 inhibition in high-grade neuroblastoma.

A kinome-wide RNAi screen identifies ALK as a target to sensitize neuroblastoma cells for HDAC8-inhibitor treatment.

The prognosis of advanced stage neuroblastoma patients remains poor and, despite intensive therapy, the 5-year survival rate remains less than 50%. We previously identified histone deacetylase (HDAC) 8 as an indicator of poor clinical outcome and a selective drug target for differentiation therapy in vitro and in vivo. Here, we performed kinome-wide RNAi screening to identify genes that are synthetically lethal with HDAC8 inhibitors. These experiments identified the neuroblastoma predisposition gene ALK as a candidate gene. Accordingly, the combination of the ALK/MET inhibitor crizotinib and selective HDAC8 inhibitors (3-6 µM PCI-34051 or 10 µM 20a) efficiently killed neuroblastoma cell lines carrying wildtype ALK (SK-N-BE(2)-C, IMR5/75), amplified ALK (NB-1), and those carrying the activating ALK F1174L mutation (Kelly), and, in cells carrying the activating R1275Q mutation (LAN-5), combination treatment decreased viable cell count. The effective dose of crizotinib in neuroblastoma cell lines ranged from 0.05 µM (ALK-amplified) to 0.8 µM (wildtype ALK). The combinatorial inhibition of ALK and HDAC8 also decreased tumor growth in an in vivo zebrafish xenograft model. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that the mRNA expression level of HDAC8 was significantly correlated with that of ALK in two independent patient cohorts, the Academic Medical Center cohort (n = 88) and the German Neuroblastoma Trial cohort (n = 649), and co-expression of both target genes identified patients with very poor outcome. Mechanistically, HDAC8 and ALK converge at the level of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling and their downstream survival pathways, such as ERK signaling. Combination treatment of HDAC8 inhibitor with crizotinib efficiently blocked the activation of growth receptor survival signaling and shifted the cell cycle arrest and differentiation phenotype toward effective cell death of neuroblastoma cell lines, including sensitization of resistant models, but not of normal cells. These findings reveal combined targeting of ALK and HDAC8 as a novel strategy for the treatment of neuroblastoma.

Structure-Based Design and Biological Characterization of Selective Histone Deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) Inhibitors with Anti-Neuroblastoma Activity.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are important modulators of epigenetic gene regulation and additionally control the activity of non-histone protein substrates. While for HDACs 1-3 and 6 many potent selective inhibitors have been obtained, for other subtypes much less is known on selective inhibitors and the consequences of their inhibition. The present report describes the development of substituted benzhydroxamic acids as potent and selective HDAC8 inhibitors. Docking studies using available crystal structures have been used for structure-based optimization of this series of compounds. Within this study, we have investigated the role of HDAC8 in the proliferation of cancer cells and optimized hits for potency and selectivity, both in vitro and in cell culture. The combination of structure-based design, synthesis, and in vitro screening to cellular testing resulted in potent and selective HDAC8 inhibitors that showed anti-neuroblastoma activity in cellular testing.

Structure-Based Design and Synthesis of Novel Inhibitors Targeting HDAC8 from Schistosoma mansoni for the Treatment of Schistosomiasis.

Schistosomiasis is a major neglected parasitic disease that affects more than 265 million people worldwide and for which the control strategy consists of mass treatment with the only available drug, praziquantel. In this study, a series of new benzohydroxamates were prepared as potent inhibitors of Schistosoma mansoni histone deacetylase 8 (smHDAC8). Crystallographic analysis provided insights into the inhibition mode of smHDAC8 activity by these 3-amidobenzohydroxamates. The newly designed inhibitors were evaluated in screens for enzyme inhibitory activity against schistosome and human HDACs. Twenty-seven compounds were found to be active in the nanomolar range, and some of them showed selectivity toward smHDAC8 over the major human HDACs (1 and 6). The active benzohydroxamates were additionally screened for lethality against the schistosome larval stage using a fluorescence-based assay. Four of these showed significant dose-dependent killing of the schistosome larvae and markedly impaired egg laying of adult worm pairs maintained in culture.

Discovery of inhibitors of Schistosoma mansoni HDAC8 by combining homology modeling, virtual screening, and in vitro validation.

Schistosomiasis, caused by S. mansoni, is a tropical disease that affects over 200 million people worldwide. A novel approach for targeting eukaryotic parasites is to tackle their dynamic epigenetic machinery that is necessary for the extensive phenotypic changes during their life cycle. We recently identified S. mansoni histone deacetylase 8 (smHDAC8) as a potential target for antiparasitic therapy. Here we present results from a virtual screening campaign on smHDAC8. Besides hydroxamates, several sulfonamide-thiazole derivatives were identified by a target-based virtual screening using a homology model of smHDAC8. In vitro testing of 75 compounds identified 8 hydroxamates as potent and lead-like inhibitors of the parasitic HDAC8. Solving of the crystal structure of smHDAC8 with two of the virtual screening hits confirmed the predicted binding mode.