The antisignaling agent SC-alpha alpha delta 9, 4-(benzyl-(2-[(2,5-diphenyloxazole-4-carbonyl)amino]ethyl)carbamoyl)- 2-decanoylaminobutyric acid, is a structurally unique phospholipid analogue with phospholipase C inhibitory activity.

Phospholipids and lipid second messengers mediate mitogenic signal transduction and oncogenesis, but there have been few successful examples of small molecules that affect biologically important phospholipid metabolism. Here we investigated the actions of a previously described antitumor agent, 4-(benzyl-(2-[(2,5-diphenyloxazole-4-carbonyl)amino]ethyl)carbamoyl)- 2-decanoylaminobutyric acid (SC-alpha alpha delta 9), which has antisignaling properties, on phospholipases. Although SC-alpha alpha delta 9 had been shown to be a potent and selective inhibitor of the Cdc25 family of dual-specificity phosphatases, many of its cellular effects are not readily reconciled with phosphatase inhibition. Molecular modeling studies suggested that SC-alpha alpha delta 9 shared several structural features with membrane phospholipids. Enzyme inhibition studies in vitro revealed that SC-alpha alpha delta 9 was a potent inhibitor of phospholipase C (PLC; IC50 = 25 microM) but did not inhibit phospholipase D activity at concentrations up to 100 microM. In H-ras (Q61L)-transformed Rat-1 fibroblasts with constitutively elevated levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk), SC-alpha alpha delta 9 inhibited both proliferation and oncogenic Erk activation at concentrations that inhibited PLC in vitro. A SC-alpha alpha delta 9 congener that lacked antiproliferative activity also did not inhibit PLC in vitro. In the PLC-dependent scratch wound healing model, SC-alpha alpha delta 9 was 10-fold more potent than the phosphatidylcholine-specific PLC inhibitor D-609. We propose that the structural resemblance of SC-alpha alpha delta 9 to phospholipids allows it to inhibit cellular PLC, thereby providing a possible molecular mechanism for SC-alpha alpha delta 9's effects on oncogenic Erk activation.

Identification of a potent and selective pharmacophore for Cdc25 dual specificity phosphatase inhibitors.

Small molecules provide powerful tools to interrogate biological pathways but many important pathway participants remain refractory to inhibitors. For example, Cdc25 dual-specificity phosphatases regulate mammalian cell cycle progression and are implicated in oncogenesis, but potent and selective inhibitors are lacking for this enzyme class. Thus, we evaluated 10,070 compounds in a publicly available chemical repository of the National Cancer Institute for in vitro inhibitory activity against oncogenic, full-length, recombinant human Cdc25B. Twenty-one compounds had mean inhibitory concentrations of <1 microM; >75% were quinones and >40% were of the para-naphthoquinone structural type. Most notable was NSC 95397 (2,3-bis-[2-hydroxyethylsulfanyl]-[1,4]naphthoquinone), which displayed mixed inhibition kinetics with in vitro K(i) values for Cdc25A, -B, and -C of 32, 96, and 40 nM, respectively. NSC 95397 was more potent than any inhibitor of dual specificity phosphatases described previously and 125- to 180-fold more selective for Cdc25A than VH1-related dual-specificity phosphatase or protein tyrosine phosphatase 1b, respectively. Modification of the bis-thioethanol moiety markedly decreased enzyme inhibitory activity, indicating its importance for bioactivity. NSC 95397 showed significant growth inhibition against human and murine carcinoma cells and blocked G(2)/M phase transition. A potential Cdc25 site of interaction was postulated based on molecular modeling with these quinones. We propose that inhibitors based on this chemical structure could serve as useful tools to probe the biological function of Cdc25.