Design, Synthesis, and Structure-Activity Relationship Study of Potent MAPK11 Inhibitors.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare single-gene neurodegenerative disease, which can only be treated symptomatically. Currently, there are no approved drugs for HD on the market. Studies have found that MAPK11 can serve as a potential therapeutic target for HD. Regrettably, no MAPK11 small molecule inhibitors have been approved at present. This paper presents three series of compounds that were designed and synthesized based on the structure of skepinone-L, a known MAPK14 inhibitor. Among the synthesized compounds, 13a and 13b, with IC50 values of 6.40 nM and 4.20 nM, respectively, displayed the best inhibitory activities against MAPK11. Furthermore, the structure-activity relationship (SAR) is discussed in detail, which is constructive in optimizing the MAPK11 inhibitors for better activity and effect against HD.

Optimal linker length for small molecule PROTACs that selectively target p38α and p38ß for degradation.

We report the design of hetero-bifunctional small molecules that selectively target p38α and p38ß for degradation. These proteolysis targeted chimeras (PROTACs) are based on an ATP competitive inhibitor of p38α and p38ß, which is linked to thalidomide analogues to recruit the Cereblon E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. Compound synthesis was facilitated by the use of a copper catalyzed "click" reaction. We show that optimization of the linker length and composition is crucial for the degradation-inducing activity of these PROTACs. We provide evidence that these chemical compounds can induce degradation of p38α and p38ß but no other related kinases at nanomolar concentrations in several mammalian cell lines. Accordingly, the PROTACs inhibit stress and cytokine-induced p38α signaling. Our compounds contribute to understanding the development of PROTACs, and provide a useful tool to investigate functions of the p38 MAPK pathway and its involvement in diseases.

Diagnostic Significance of p38 Isoforms (p38α, p38ß, p38γ, p38δ) in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Comparative Serum Level Evaluation and Design of Novel Peptide Inhibitor Targeting the Same.

PURPOSE: The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) play a crucial role in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and over-expression of it increase cytokines which promote cancer. Among four isoforms, p38α has been well studied in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and other cancers as a therapeutic target. p38δ has recently emerged as a potential disease-specific drug target. Elevated serum p38α level in HNSCC was reported earlier from our lab. This study aims to estimate the levels of p38 MAPK-isoforms in the serum of HNSCC and design peptide inhibitor targeting the same. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Levels of p38 MAPK isoforms in the serum of HNSCC and healthy controls were quantified by surface plasmon resonance technology. The peptide inhibitor for p38 MAPK was designed by molecular modeling using Grid-based Ligand Docking with Energetics tools and compared with known specific inhibitors. RESULTS: We have observed highly elevated levels of all four isoforms of p38 MAPK in serum of HNSCC patients compared to the control group. Further, serum p38α, p38ß, and p38δ levels were down regulated after therapy in follow-up patients, while p38γ showed no response to the therapy. Present study screened designed peptide WFYH as a specific inhibitor against p38δ. The specific inhibitor of p38δ was found to have no effect on p38α due to great structural difference at ATP binding pocket. CONCLUSION: In this study, first time estimated the levels of p38 MAPK isoforms in the serum of HNSCC. It can be concluded that p38 MAPK isoforms can be a diagnostic and prognostic marker for HNSCC and p38δ as a therapeutic target.

Microcystin-Leucine Arginine Causes Cytotoxic Effects in Sertoli Cells Resulting in Reproductive Dysfunction in Male Mice.

Microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) is a potent toxin for Sertoli cells. However, the specific molecular mechanisms of MC-induced cytotoxicity still remain unclear. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analyses of changes of miRNAs and mRNAs in Sertoli cells treated with MC-LR. Through computational approaches, we showed the pivotal roles of differentially expressed miRNAs that were associated with cell metabolism, cellular growth and proliferation, cell-to-cell signaling and interaction and cellular movement. Ingenuity Pathway Analyses (IPA) revealed some differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs that may cause reproductive system diseases. Target gene analyses suggested that destruction in tight junctions (TJ) and adherens junctions (AJ) in testes may be mediated by miRNAs. Consistent with a significant enrichment of chemokine signaling pathways, we observed numerous macrophages in the testes of mice following treatment with MC-LR, which may cause testicular inflammation. Moreover, miR-98-5p and miR-758 were predicted to bind the 3'-UTR region of the mitogen-activated protein kinase 11 (MAPK11, p38 ß isoform) gene which stimulates tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression in Sertoli cells. TNF-α could interact with the tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) on germ cells leading to induction of germ cell apoptosis. Collectively, our integrated miRNA/mRNA analyses provided a molecular paradigm, which was experimentally validated, for understanding MC-LR-induced cytotoxicity.

p38ß Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Modulates Its Own Basal Activity by Autophosphorylation of the Activating Residue Thr180 and the Inhibitory Residues Thr241 and Ser261.

Many enzymes are self-regulated and can either inhibit or enhance their own catalytic activity. Enzymes that do both are extremely rare. Many protein kinases autoactivate by autophosphorylating specific sites at their activation loop and are inactivated by phosphatases. Although mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are usually activated by dual phosphorylation catalyzed by MAPK kinases (MAPKKs), the MAPK p38ß is exceptional and is capable of self-activation by cis autophosphorylation of its activation loop residue T180. We discovered that p38ß also autophosphorylates in trans two previously unknown sites residing within a MAPK-specific structural element known as the MAPK insert: T241 and S261. Whereas phosphorylation of T180 evokes catalytic activity, phosphorylation of S261 reduces the activity of T180-phosphorylated p38ß, and phosphorylation of T241 reduces its autophosphorylation in trans Both phosphorylations do not affect the activity of dually phosphorylated p38ß. T241 of p38ß is found phosphorylated in vivo in bone and muscle tissues. In myogenic cell lines, phosphorylation of p38ß residue T241 is correlated with differentiation to myotubes. T241 and S261 are also autophosphorylated in intrinsically active variants of p38α, but in this protein, they probably play a different role. We conclude that p38ß is an unusual enzyme that automodulates its basal, MAPKK-independent activity by several autophosphorylation events, which enhance and suppress its catalytic activity.

Gene structure, molecular characterization and transcriptional expression of two p38 isoforms (MAPK11 and MAPK14) from rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus).

The p38 kinases are one of the four subgroups of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) superfamily which are involved in the innate immunity. The p38 subfamily that includes four members namely p38α (MAPK14), p38ß (MAPK11), p38γ (MAPK12) and p38δ (MAPK13), regulates the activation of several transcription factors. In this study, a p38ß (OfMAPK11) homolog and a p38α (OfMAPK14) homolog of Oplegnathus fasciatus were identified at genomic level. Results clearly showed that both MAPK11 and MAPK14 are well-conserved at both genomic structural- and amino acid (aa)-levels. Genomic sequences of OfMAPK11 (∼ 15.6 kb) and OfMAPK14 (∼ 13.4 kb) had 12 exons. A comparison of exon-intron structural arrangement of these genes from different vertebrate lineages indicated that all the exon lengths are highly conserved, except their terminal exons. Full-length cDNAs of OfMAPK11 (3957 bp) and OfMAPK14 (2504 bp) encoded corresponding proteins of 361 aa and 360 aa, respectively. Both OfMAPK proteins harbored a Ser/Thr protein kinases catalytic domain (S_TKc domain) which includes an activation loop with a dual phosphorylation site (TGY motif) and several specific-binding sites for ATP and substrates. Molecular modeling of the activation loop and substrate binding sites of rock bream MAPKs revealed the conservation of crucial residues and their orientation in 3D space. Transcripts of OfMAPKs were ubiquitously detected in eleven tissues examined, however at different levels. The modulation of OfMAPKs' transcription upon pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs: flagellin, lipopolysaccharide and poly I:C) and pathogens (Edwardsiella tarda, Streptococcus iniae and rock bream iridovirus) was investigated. Among the seven examined tissues, the flagellin-challenge upregulated the mRNA level of both OfMAPKs in the head kidney. Meanwhile, modulation of OfMAPK mRNA expression in the liver upon other immune-challenges varied in a time-dependent manner. Collectively, these results suggest that OfMAPKs are true members of p38 subfamily, which might be induced by different immune stimuli.