When a ribosome stalls during translation, it runs the risk of collision with a trailing ribosome. Such an encounter leads to the formation of a stable di-ribosome complex, which needs to be resolved by a dedicated machinery. The initial stalling and the subsequent resolution of di-ribosomal complexes requires activity of Makorin and ZNF598 ubiquitin E3 ligases, respectively, through ubiquitylation of the eS10 and uS10 subunits of the ribosome. We have developed a specific small-molecule inhibitor of the deubiquitylase USP9X. Proteomics analysis, following inhibitor treatment of HCT116 cells, confirms previous reports linking USP9X with centrosome-associated protein stability but also reveals a loss of Makorin 2 and ZNF598. We show that USP9X interacts with both these ubiquitin E3 ligases, regulating their abundance through the control of protein stability. In the absence of USP9X or following chemical inhibition of its catalytic activity, levels of Makorins and ZNF598 are diminished, and the ribosomal quality control pathway is impaired.

Mcl-1 is an anti-apoptotic protein overexpressed in hematological malignancies and several human solid tumors. Small molecule inhibition of Mcl-1 would offer an effective therapy to Mcl-1 mediated resistance. Subsequently, it has been the target of extensive research in the pharmaceutical industry. The discovery of a novel class of Mcl-1 small molecule inhibitors is described beginning with a simple biaryl sulfonamide hit derived from a high through put screen. A medicinal chemistry effort aided by SBDD generated compounds capable of disrupting the Mcl-1/Bid protein-protein interaction in vitro. The crystal structure of the Mcl-1 bound ligand represents a unique binding mode to the BH3 binding pocket where binding affinity is achieved, in part, through a sulfonamide oxygen/Arg263 interaction. The work highlights the some of the key challenges in designing effective protein-protein inhibitors for the Bcl-2 class of proteins.

Previously we reported the discovery of CRA-898 (1), a diazine indole acetic acid containing CRTH2 antagonist. This compound had good in vitro and in vivo potency, low rates of metabolism, moderate permeability, and good oral bioavailability in rodents. However, it showed low oral exposure in nonrodent safety species (dogs and monkeys). In the current paper, we wish to report our efforts to understand and improve the poor PK in nonrodents and development of a new isoquinolinone subseries that led to identification of a new development candidate, CRA-680 (44). This compound was efficacious in both a house dust mouse model of allergic lung inflammation (40 mg/kg qd) as well as a guinea pig allergen challenge model of lung inflammation (20 mg/kg bid).

New classes of CRTH2 antagonists, the pyridazine linker containing indole acetic acids, are described. The initial hit 1 had good potency but poor permeability, metabolic stability, and PK. Initial optimization led to compounds of type 2 with low oxidative metabolism but poor oral bioavailability. Poor permeability was identified as a liability for these compounds. Addition of a linker between the indole and diazine moieties afforded a series with good potency, low rates of metabolism, moderate permeability, and good oral bioavailability in rodents, 32 was identified as the development track candidate. It was potent in cell based, binding, and whole blood assays and exhibited good PK profile. It was efficacious in mouse models of contact hypersensitivity (1 mg/kg b.i.d.) and house dust (20 mg/kg q.d.) when dosed orally. In sheep asthma, administration at 1 mg/kg iv completely blocked the LAR and AHR and attenuated the EAR phase.

Further optimization efforts on the previously disclosed PTP-1B inhibitor 1 a led to the discovery of a new series of potent compounds, for example derivative 33, which targeted the second phosphotyrosine binding pocket near the catalytic site. In the new series, the N-sulfonylpiperidine group of 1 a was replaced with a smaller substituent, capable of forming a new hydrogen bond interaction with arginine 24. The series reported here maintains the binding mode of 1 a and has the added advantages of a lower molecular weight, smaller polar surface area, and fewer rotatable bonds.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a negative regulator of the insulin and leptin receptor pathways and thus an attractive therapeutic target for diabetes and obesity. Starting with a high micromolar lead compound, structure-based optimization of novel PTP1B inhibitors by extension of the molecule from the enzyme active site into the second phosphotyrosine binding site is described. Medicinal chemistry, guided by X-ray complex structure and molecular modeling, has yielded low nanomolar PTP1B inhibitors in an efficient manner. Compounds from this chemical series were found to be actively transported into hepatocytes. This active uptake into target tissues could be one of the possible avenues to overcome the poor membrane permeability of PTP1B inhibitors.

The following account describes our systematic effort to replace one of the carboxylate groups of our diacid thiophene PTP1B inhibitors. Active hits were validated using enzymatic assays before pursuing efforts to improve the potency. Only when the C2 carboxylic acid was replaced with another ionizable functional group was reversible and competitive inhibition retained. Use of a tetrazole ring or 1,2,5-thiadiazolidine-3-one-1,1-dioxide as a carboxylate mimetic led to the discovery of two unique starting series that showed improved permeability (PAMPA) and potency of the order of 300 nM. The SAR from these efforts underscores some of the major challenges in developing small molecule inhibitors for PTP1B.

A series of monocyclic thiophenes was designed and synthesized as PTP1B inhibitors. Guided by X-ray co-crystal structural information and computational modeling, rational design led to key interactions with Asp48 and improved inhibitory potency against PTP1B.

The phospholipase C (PLC) isozymes catalyze the hydrolysis of phospholipids to provide diacylglycerol (DAG) and a phosphorylated headgroup. Because DAG has been implicated in cellular signal transduction cascades in mammalian systems, there has been considerable interest in the development of inhibitors of these enzymes. Toward this end, we have discovered that the cyclic N,N'-dihydroxyureas 6-10 inhibit the phosphatidylcholine preferring PLC from Bacillus cereus (PLCBc). This class of inhibitors is believed to function by the bidentate chelation of the N,N'-dihydroxyurea array to one or more of the zinc ions at the active site of the enzyme. Because the affinities of these compounds correlate with the pKaS of the N-OH hydroxyl groups, it is apparent that one or both of the hydroxyl groups must be ionized for effective coordination to the zinc ions. It is also apparent that there may be rather strict steric requirements for these inhibitors.

The phosphatidylcholine-preferring phospholipase C from Bacillus cereus (PLC(Bc)) is a 28.5 kDa enzyme with three zinc ions in its active site. The roles that a number of amino acid residues play as zinc ligands and in binding and catalysis have been elucidated. Recent mechanistic studies indicate that the rate of the reaction is limited by a proton-transfer step during chemical hydrolysis and not substrate binding or product release. An X-ray structure of PLC(Bc) complexed with a phosphonate inhibitor related to phosphatidylcholine revealed that the three amino acid residues Glu4, Tyr56, and Phe66 comprise the choline binding pocket. However, because the contributions that these three residues make to substrate recognition and specificity were unknown, a series of site-specific mutants for Glu4, Tyr56, and Phe66 were constructed by PCR mutagenesis. On the basis of a comparison of their respective CD spectra and melting temperatures, it appears that the mutants adopt folded structures in solution that are virtually identical to that of wild-type PLC(Bc). The kinetic parameters k(cat) and K(m) for the hydrolysis of the three soluble substrates 1, 2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (C6PC), 1, 2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (C6PE), and 1, 2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-L-serine (C6PS) at concentrations below their corresponding critical micelle concentration (cmc) values were determined for each mutant. Replacement of Phe66 with a nonaromatic residue dramatically decreased k(cat) (approximately 200-fold) and reduced PLC(Bc) activity toward C6PC, C6PE, and C6PS, whereas changes to Glu4 and Tyr56 typically led to much more modest losses in catalytic efficiencies. Mutations of Glu4 had relatively little effect upon k(cat) and K(m) for C6PS, but they significantly influenced K(m) for C6PC and C6PE. Replacing Tyr56 with nonaromatic residues also affects catalytic efficiency, albeit to a much lesser degree than the corresponding changes at position 66. However, the presence of an aromatic residue at position 56 seems to confer some substrate selectivity for C6PC and C6PE, which bear a positive charge on the headgroup, relative to C6PS, which has no net charge on the headgroup; this increase in specificity arises largely from a reduced k(cat) for C6PS.

The phospholipase C (PLC) isozymes catalyze the hydrolysis of phospholipids to provide diacylglycerol (DAG) and a phosphorylated headgroup. Because DAG; has been implicated in cellular signal transduction cascades in mammalian systems, there has been considerable interest in the development of inhibitors of these enzymes. Toward this end, we have discovered that the cyclic N,N'-dihydroxyureas 6-10 inhibit the phosphatidylcholine preferring PLC from Bacillus cereus (PLCBc). This class of inhibitors is believed to function by the bidentate chelation of the N,N'-dihydroxyurea array to one or more of the zinc ions at the active site of the enzyme. Because the affinities of these compounds correlate with the pK(a)s of the N-OH hydroxyl groups, it is apparent that one or both of the hydroxyl groups must be ionized for effective coordination to the zinc ions. It is also apparent that there may be rather strict steric requirements for these inhibitors.