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Duncan C.
Miller
,
Mathew P.
Martin
,
Santosh
Adhikari
,
Alfie
Brennan
,
Jane A.
Endicott
,
Bernard T.
Golding
,
Ian R.
Hardcastle
,
Amy
Heptinstall
,
Stephen
Hobson
,
Claire
Jennings
,
Lauren
Molyneux
,
Yvonne
Ng
,
Stephen R.
Wedge
,
Martin
Noble
,
Celine
Cano
Open Access
Abstract: ATAD2 is an ATPase that is overexpressed in a variety of cancers and associated with a poor patient prognosis. This protein has been suggested to function as a cofactor for a range of transcription factors, including the proto-oncogene MYC and the androgen receptor. ATAD2 comprises an ATPase domain, implicated in chromatin remodelling, and a bromodomain which allows it to interact with acetylated histone tails. Dissection of the functional roles of these two domains would benefit from the availability of selective, cell-permeable pharmacological probes. An in silico evaluation of the 3D structures of various bromodomains suggested that developing small molecule ligands for the bromodomain of ATAD2 is likely to be challenging, although recent reports have shown that ATAD2 bromodomain ligands can be identified. We report a structure-guided fragment-based approach to identify lead compounds for ATAD2 bromodomain inhibitor development. Our findings indicate that the ATAD2 bromodomain can accommodate fragment hits (Mr < 200) that yield productive structure–activity relationships, and structure-guided design enabled the introduction of selectivity over BRD4.
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Feb 2018
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I02-Macromolecular Crystallography
|
Sylvain
Couty
,
Isaac
Westwood
,
Andrew
Kalusa
,
Celine
Cano
,
Jon
Travers
,
Kathy
Boxall
,
Chiau Ling
Chow
,
Sam
Burns
,
Jessica
Schmitt
,
Lisa
Pickard
,
Caterina
Barillari
,
P. Craig
Mcandrew
,
Paul A.
Clarke
,
Spiros
Linardopoulos
,
Roger J.
Griffin
,
G. Wynne
Aherne
,
Florence I.
Raynaud
,
Paul
Workman
,
Keith
Jones
,
Rob
Van Montfort
Open Access
Abstract: The ribosomal P70 S6 kinases play a crucial role in PI3K/mTOR regulated signalling pathways and are therefore potential targets for the treatment of a variety of diseases including diabetes and cancer. In this study we describe the identification of three series of chemically distinct S6K1 inhibitors. In addition, we report a novel PKA-S6K1 chimeric protein with five mutations in or near its ATP-binding site, which was used to determine the binding mode of two of the three inhibitor series, and provided a robust system to aid the optimisation of the oxadiazole-substituted benzimidazole inhibitor series. We show that the resulting oxadiazole-substituted aza-benzimidazole is a potent and ligand efficient S6 kinase inhibitor, which blocks the phosphorylation of RPS6 at Ser235/236 in TSC negative HCV29 human bladder cancer cells by inhibiting S6 kinase activity and thus provides a useful tool compound to investigate the function of S6 kinases.
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Oct 2013
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I02-Macromolecular Crystallography
I03-Macromolecular Crystallography
I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[9948]
Open Access
Abstract: 3-Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) has recently been identified as an attractive target in cancer therapy as it links upregulated glycolytic flux to increased biomass production in cancer cells. PHGDH catalyses the first step in the serine synthesis pathway and thus diverts glycolytic flux into serine synthesis. We have used siRNA-mediated suppression of PHGDH expression to show that PHGDH is a potential therapeutic target in PHGDH-amplified breast cancer. Knockdown caused reduced proliferation in the PHGDH-amplified cell line MDA-MB-468, whereas breast cancer cells with low PHGDH expression or with elevated PHGDH expression in the absence of genomic amplification were not affected. As a first step towards design of a chemical probe for PHGDH, we report a fragment-based drug discovery approach for the identification of PHGDH inhibitors. We designed a truncated PHGDH construct that gave crystals which diffracted to high resolution, and could be used for fragment soaking. 15 fragments stabilising PHGDH were identified using a thermal shift assay and validated by X-ray crystallography and ITC competition experiments to exhibit 1.5-26.2 mM affinity for PHGDH. A structure-guided fragment growing approach was applied to the PHGDH binders from the initial screen, yielding greater understanding of the binding site and suggesting routes to achieve higher affinity NAD-competitive inhibitors.
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Aug 2016
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I03-Macromolecular Crystallography
I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
I24-Microfocus Macromolecular Crystallography
|
Daniel J.
Wood
,
José Daniel
Lopez-Fernandez
,
Leanne E.
Knight
,
Islam
Al-Khawaldeh
,
Conghao
Gai
,
Shengyin
Lin
,
Mathew P.
Martin
,
Duncan C.
Miller
,
Celine
Cano
,
Jane A.
Endicott
,
Ian R.
Hardcastle
,
Martin E. M.
Noble
,
Michael J.
Waring
Abstract: Identifying ligand binding sites on proteins is a critical step in target-based drug discovery. Current approaches to this require resource intensive screening of large libraries of lead-like or fragment molecules. Here we describe an efficient and effective experimental approach to mapping interaction sites using a set of halogenated compounds expressing paired hydrogen-bonding motifs, termed FragLites. The FragLites identify productive drug-like interactions, which are identified sensitively and unambiguously by X-ray crystallography, exploiting the anomalous scattering of the halogen substituent. This mapping of protein interaction surfaces provides an assessment of druggability and can identify efficient start points for the de novo design of hit molecules incorporating the interacting motifs. The approach is illustrated by mapping cyclin-dependent kinase 2, which successfully identifies orthosteric and allosteric sites. The hits were rapidly elaborated to develop efficient lead-like molecules. Hence, the approach provides a new method of identifying ligand sites, assessing tractability and discovering new leads.
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Mar 2019
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I03-Macromolecular Crystallography
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
|
Christopher R.
Coxon
,
Christopher
Wong
,
Richard
Bayliss
,
Kathy
Boxall
,
Katherine H.
Carr
,
Andrew M.
Fry
,
Ian R.
Hardcastle
,
Christopher J.
Matheson
,
David R.
Newell
,
Mangaleswaran
Sivaprakasam
,
Huw
Thomas
,
David
Turner
,
Sharon
Yeoh
,
Lan Z.
Wang
,
Roger J.
Griffin
,
Bernard T.
Golding
,
Céline
Cano
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[307, 6385]
Open Access
Abstract: Nek2 (NIMA-related kinase 2) is a cell cycle-dependent serine/threonine protein kinase that regulates centrosome separation at the onset of mitosis. Overexpression of Nek2 is common in human cancers and suppression can restrict tumor cell growth and promote apoptosis. Nek2 inhibition with small molecules, therefore, offers the prospect of a new therapy for cancer. To achieve this goal, a better understanding of the requirements for selective-inhibition of Nek2 is required. 6-Alkoxypurines were identified as ATP-competitive inhibitors of Nek2 and CDK2. Comparison with CDK2-inhibitor structures indicated that judicious modification of the 6-alkoxy and 2-arylamino substituents could achieve discrimination between Nek2 and CDK2. In this study, a library of 6-cyclohexylmethoxy-2-arylaminopurines bearing carboxamide, sulfonamide and urea substituents on the 2-arylamino ring was synthesized. Few of these compounds were selective for Nek2 over CDK2, with the best result being obtained for 3-((6-(cyclohexylmethoxy)-9H-purin-2-yl)amino)-N,N-dimethylbenzamide (CDK2 IC50 = 7.0 μM; Nek2 IC50 = 0.62 μM) with >10-fold selectivity. Deletion of the 6-substituent abrogated activity against both Nek2 and CDK2. Nine compounds containing an (E)-dialkylaminovinyl substituent at C-6, all showed selectivity for Nek2, e.g. (E)-6-(2-(azepan-1-yl)vinyl)-N-phenyl-9H-purin-2-amine (CDK2 IC50 = 2.70 μM; Nek2 IC50 = 0.27 μM). Structural biology of selected compounds enabled a partial rationalization of the observed structure activity relationships and mechanism of Nek2 activation. This showed that carboxamide 11 is the first reported inhibitor of Nek2 in the DFG-in conformation.
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Nov 2016
|
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I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
|
Elizabeth
Anscombe
,
Elisa
Meschini
,
Regina
Mora-Vidal
,
Mathew p.
Martin
,
David
Staunton
,
Matthis
Geitmann
,
U. helena
Danielson
,
Will a.
Stanley
,
Lan z.
Wang
,
Tristan
Reuillon
,
Bernard t.
Golding
,
Celine
Cano
,
David r.
Newell
,
Martin
Noble
,
Stephen r.
Wedge
,
Jane a.
Endicott
,
Roger j.
Griffin
Open Access
Abstract: Irreversible inhibitors that modify cysteine or lysine residues within a protein kinase ATP binding site offer, through their distinctive mode of action, an alternative to ATP-competitive agents. 4-((6-(Cyclohexylmethoxy)-9H-purin-2-yl)amino)benzenesulfonamide (NU6102) is a potent and selective ATP-competitive inhibitor of CDK2 in which the sulfonamide moiety is positioned close to a pair of lysine residues. Guided by the CDK2/NU6102 structure, we designed 6-(cyclohexylmethoxy)-N-(4-(vinylsulfonyl)phenyl)-9H-purin-2-amine (NU6300), which binds covalently to CDK2 as shown by a co-complex crystal structure. Acute incubation with NU6300 produced a durable inhibition of Rb phosphorylation in SKUT-1B cells, consistent with it acting as an irreversible CDK2 inhibitor. NU6300 is the first covalent CDK2 inhibitor to be described, and illustrates the potential of vinyl sulfones for the design of more potent and selective compounds.
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Sep 2015
|
|
I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
|
Benoit
Carbain
,
David J.
Paterson
,
Elizabeth
Anscombe
,
Allyson J.
Campbell
,
Celine
Cano
,
Aude
Echalier
,
Jane A.
Endicott
,
Bernard T.
Golding
,
Karen
Haggerty
,
Ian R.
Hardcastle
,
Philip J.
Jewsbury
,
David R.
Newell
,
Martin E. M.
Noble
,
Celine
Roche
,
Lan Z.
Wang
,
Roger J.
Griffin
Abstract: Evaluation of the effects of purine C-8 substitution within a series of CDK1/2-selective O6-cyclohexylmethylguanine derivatives revealed that potency decreases initially with increasing size of the alkyl substituent. Structural analysis showed that C-8 substitution is poorly tolerated, and to avoid unacceptable steric interactions, these compounds adopt novel binding modes. Thus, 2-amino-6-cyclohexylmethoxy-8-isopropyl-9H-purine adopts a “reverse” binding mode where the purine backbone has flipped 180°. This provided a novel lead chemotype from which we have designed more potent CDK2 inhibitors using, in the first instance, quantum mechanical energy calculations. Introduction of an ortho-tolyl or ortho-chlorophenyl group at the purine C-8 position restored the potency of these “reverse” binding mode inhibitors to that of the parent 2-amino-6-cyclohexylmethoxy-9H-purine. By contrast, the corresponding 8-(2-methyl-3-sulfamoylphenyl)-purine derivative exhibited submicromolar CDK2-inhibitory activity by virtue of engineered additional interactions with Asp86 and Lys89 in the reversed binding mode, as confirmed by X-ray crystallography.
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Dec 2013
|
|
I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
|
Christopher R
Coxon
,
Elizabeth
Anscombe
,
Suzannah Jane
Harnor
,
Mathew P.
Martin
,
Benoit Jean-Pierre
Carbain
,
Bernard Thomas
Golding
,
Ian Robert
Hardcastle
,
Lisa K
Harlow
,
Svitlana
Korolchuk
,
Christopher J.
Matheson
,
David R.
Newell
,
Martin E. M.
Noble
,
Mangaleswaran
Sivaprakasam
,
Susan J.
Tudhope
,
David M.
Turner
,
Lan-Zhen
Wang
,
Stephen R
Wedge
,
Christopher
Wong
,
Roger John
Griffin
,
Jane A.
Endicott
,
Celine
Cano
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[13587]
Open Access
Abstract: Purines and related heterocycles substituted at C-2 with 4’-sulfamoylanilino and at C-6 with a variety of groups have been synthesized with the aim of achieving selectivity of binding to CDK2 over CDK1. 6-Substituents that favour competitive inhibition at the ATP binding site of CDK2 were identified and typically exhibited 10-80-fold greater inhibition of CDK2 compared to CDK1. Most impressive was 4-((6-([1,1'-biphenyl]-3-yl)-9H-purin-2-yl)amino) benzenesulfonamide (73) that exhibited high potency towards CDK2 (IC50 0.044 μM), but was ~ 2000-fold less active towards CDK1 (IC50 86 μM). This compound is therefore a useful tool for studies of cell cycle regulation. Crystal structures of inhibitor-kinase complexes showed that the inhibitor stabilizes a glycine-rich loop conformation that shapes the ATP ribose binding pocket, and that is preferred in CDK2, but has not been observed in CDK1. This aspect of the active site may be exploited for the design of inhibitors that distinguish between CDK1 and CDK2.
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Dec 2016
|
|
I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
|
Gemma
Davison
,
Mathew P.
Martin
,
Shannon
Turberville
,
Selma
Dormen
,
Richard
Heath
,
Amy B.
Heptinstall
,
Marie
Lawson
,
Duncan C.
Miller
,
Yi Min
Ng
,
James N.
Sanderson
,
Ian
Hope
,
Daniel
Wood
,
Céline
Cano
,
Jane A.
Endicott
,
Ian R.
Hardcastle
,
Martin E. M.
Noble
,
Michael J.
Waring
Open Access
Abstract: The development of ligands for biological targets is critically dependent on the identification of sites on proteins that bind molecules with high affinity. A set of compounds, called FragLites, can identify such sites, along with the interactions required to gain affinity, by X-ray crystallography. We demonstrate the utility of FragLites in mapping the binding sites of bromodomain proteins BRD4 and ATAD2 and demonstrate that FragLite mapping is comparable to a full fragment screen in identifying ligand binding sites and key interactions. We extend the FragLite set with analogous compounds derived from amino acids (termed PepLites) that mimic the interactions of peptides. The output of the FragLite maps is shown to enable the development of ligands with leadlike potency. This work establishes the use of FragLite and PepLite screening at an early stage in ligand discovery allowing the rapid assessment of tractability of protein targets and informing downstream hit-finding.
|
Nov 2022
|
|
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[9948]
Open Access
Abstract: Cancer cells reprogram their metabolism and energy production to sustain increased growth, enable metastasis and overcome resistance to cancer treatments. Although primary roles for many metabolic proteins have been identified, some are promiscuous in regards to the reaction they catalyze. To efficiently target these enzymes, a good understanding of their enzymatic function and structure, as well as knowledge regarding any substrate or catalytic promiscuity is required. Here we focus on the characterization of human 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH). PHGDH catalyzes the NAD+-dependent conversion of 3-phosphoglycerate to phosphohydroxypyruvate, which is the first step in the de novo synthesis pathway of serine, a critical amino acid for protein and nucleic acid biosynthesis. We have investigated substrate analogues to assess whether PHGDH might possess other enzymatic roles that could explain its occasional over-expression in cancer, as well as to help with the design of specific inhibitors. We also report the crystal structure of the catalytic subunit of human PHGDH, a dimer, solved with bound cofactor in one monomer and both cofactor and L-tartrate in the second monomer. In vitro enzyme activity measurements show that the catalytic subunit of PHGDH is still active and that PHGDH activity could be significantly inhibited with adenosine 5’-diphosphoribose.
|
Nov 2017
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