The elongase of long chain fatty acids family 6 (ELOVL6) is a rate-limiting enzyme for the elongation of saturated and monounsaturated long chain fatty acids. ELOVL6 is abundantly expressed in lipogenic tissues such as liver, and its mRNA expression is up-regulated in obese model animals. ELOVL6 deficient mice are protected from high-fat-diet-induced insulin resistance, suggesting that ELOVL6 might be a new therapeutic target for diabetes. We previously identified an indoledione compound, Compound A, as the first inhibitor for mammalian ELOVL6. In this study, we discovered a novel compound, Compound B, and characterized its biochemical and pharmacological properties. Compound B has a more appropriate profile for use as a pharmacological tool compared to Compound A. Chronic treatment with Compound B in model animals, diet-induced obesity (DIO) and KKAy mice, showed significant reduction in hepatic fatty acid composition, suggesting that it effectively inhibits ELOVL6 activity in the liver. However, no improvement in insulin resistance by ELOVL6 inhibition was found in these model animals. Further studies need to address the impact of ELOVL6 inhibition on pharmacological abnormalities in several model animals. This is the first report on pharmacology data from chronic studies using a selective ELOVL6 inhibitor. Compound B appears to be a useful tool to further understand the physiological roles of ELOVL6 and to evaluate the therapeutic potential of ELOVL6 inhibitors.

We established a convenient assay method for measuring elongation of very long chain fatty acids (ELOVLs) using a Unifilter-96 GF/C plate. The Unifilter GF/C plate preferentially interacts with hydrophobic end products of ELOVLs (i.e., long chain fatty acid), with minimal malonyl-CoA (C2 unit donor for fatty acid elongation) interaction. This new method results in the quick separation and detection of [14C] incorporated end products (e.g., [14C] palmitoyl-CoA) from reaction mixtures containing excessive amounts of [14C] malonyl-CoA. In the Unifilter-96 GF/C plate assay, recombinantly expressed human ELOVLs (i.e., ELOVL1,-2,-3,-5 and -6) displayed appreciable assay windows (>2-fold vs. mock-transfected control), enabling us to conduct comprehensive substrate profiling of ELOVLs. The substrate concentration profile of ELOVL6 in the Unifilter-96 GF/C plate assay is consistent with that obtained from the conventional liquid extraction method, thus, supporting the reliability of the Unifilter-96 GF/C plate assay. We then examined the substrate specificities of ELOVLs in a comprehensive fashion. As previously reported, ELOVL1, -3 and -6 preferably elongated the saturated fatty acyl-CoAs while ELOVL2 and ELOVL5 preferentially elongated the polyunsaturated fatty acyl-CoAs. This further confirms the Unifilter-96 GF/C plate assay reliability. Taken together, our newly developed assay provides a convenient and comprehensive assay platform for ELOVLs, allowing investigators to conduct high density screening and characterization of ELOVLs chemical tools.

Long chain fatty acid elongase 6 (ELOVL6) catalyzes the elongation of long chain fatty acyl-CoAs and is a potential target for the treatment of metabolic disorders. The ultrahigh throughput screen of our corporate chemical collections resulted in the identification of a novel 3-sulfonyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane class of ELOVL6 inhibitor 1a. Optimization of lead 1a led to the identification of the potent, selective, and orally available ELOVL6 inhibitor 1w.

A series of spiroindoline-3,4'-piperidine derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their binding affinities and antagonistic activities at Y5 receptors. Potent Y5 antagonists were tested for their oral bioavailabilities and brain penetration in rats. Some of the antagonists showed good oral bioavailability and/or good brain penetration. In particular, compound 6e was orally bioavailable and brain penetrant, and oral administration of 6e inhibited bPP-induced food intake in rats with a minimum effective dose of 10mg/kg.

(-)-Ternatin, a highly N-methylated cyclic peptide, inhibits fat accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells and reduces fat mass in mice. However, the mechanism for its anti-adipogenic effect has remained unknown. To examine the mechanism used by (-)-ternatin to inhibit adipocyte differentiation, we examined the effects of (-)-ternatin and [l-Ala(4)]ternatin, an inactive analog of (-)-ternatin, on the expression of adipocyte markers and lipogenic enzymes. We found that (-)-ternatin potently reduced mRNA expression of several adipocyte markers in a dose-dependent manner, whereas [l-Ala(4)]ternatin showed no effects. At the immediate early phase, (-)-ternatin, but not [l-Ala(4)]ternatin, reduced the expression of Srebp1c, Fas, Acc2 and C/EBP-alpha while showing no effects on C/EBP-beta and C/EBP-delta. These results suggest that (-)-ternatin affects the mid-to late differentiation stages of adipocytes. Consistent with the decreased expression of lipogenic enzymes, (-)-ternatin potently inhibited triglyceride synthesis. Intriguingly, (-)-ternatin also inhibited triglyceride synthesis in rat primary hepatocytes, suggesting that the potential action sites for (-)-ternatin are shared by adipocytes and liver. Although the target molecule of (-)-ternatin remains unknown, our data suggest that (-)-ternatin and its potential target might provide a new therapeutic approach to metabolic disorders.

ELOVL6, a member of the elongation of very long-chain fatty acids (ELOVL) family, has recently been identified as the rate-limiting enzyme for the elongation of palmitoyl-CoA. ELOVL6 deficient mice are protected from high-fat diet induced insulin resistance, suggesting that ELOVL6 might be a promising target for the treatment of metabolic disorders. Despite the increasing interest in Elovl6 as a therapeutic target, the lack of chemical tools for this enzyme has limited further elucidation of the biochemical and pharmacological properties of ELOVL6. We have identified Compound-A, a potent inhibitor for ELOVL6, by screening our company library and subsequently optimizing hit compounds. Compound-A potently inhibited human and mouse ELOVL6 and displayed >100-fold greater selectivity for ELOVL6 over other ELOVL family members. Consistent with its potent and selective inhibitory activity toward ELOVL6, [(3)H]Compound-A bound to ELOVL6 with high affinity while showing no specific binding to other ELOVL enzymes. The observation that [(3)H]Compound-A bound to ELOVL6 in a palmitoyl-CoA-dependent manner in the absence of malonyl-CoA and NADPH suggests that Compound-A might recognize an enzyme-substrate complex, e.g. an acyl-enzyme intermediate. Collectively, these observations demonstrate that Compound-A and its tritiated form are useful tools for biochemical and pharmacological characterization of ELOVL6.

A series of novel imidazoline derivatives was synthesized and evaluated as neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y5 receptor antagonists. Optimization of previously reported imidazoline leads, 1a and 1b, was attempted by introduction of substituents at the 5-position on the imidazoline ring and modification of the bis(4-fluorphenyl) moiety. A number of potent derivatives without human ether-a-go-go related gene potassium channel (hERG) activity were identified. Selected compounds, including 2a, were shown to have excellent brain and CSF permeability. Compound 2a displayed a suitable pharmacokinetic profile for chronic in vivo studies and potently inhibited D-Trp(34)NPY-induced acute food intake in rats. Oral administration of 2a resulted in a potent reduction of body weight in a diet-induced obese mouse model.

A series of novel 2-azabicyclo[2.2.2]octane derivatives was synthesized and evaluated as long chain fatty acid elongase 6 (ELOVL6) inhibitors. Screening of our corporate chemical collections against ELOVL6 resulted in the identification of lead 1. Exploratory chemistry efforts were applied to lead 1 to identify the orally available, potent, and selective ELOVL6 inhibitor 28a.

A series of benzoxazinones was synthesized and evaluated as novel long chain fatty acid elongase 6 (ELOVL6) inhibitors. Exploration of the SAR of the UHTS lead 1a led to the identification of (S)-1y that possesses a unique chiral quarternary center and a pyrazole ring as critical pharmacophore elements. Compound (S)-1y showed potent and selective inhibitory activity toward human ELOVL6 while displaying potent inhibitory activity toward both mouse ELOVL3 and 6 enzymes. Compound (S)-1y showed acceptable pharmacokinetic profiles after oral dosing in mice. Furthermore, (S)-1y significantly suppressed the elongation of target fatty acids in mouse liver at 30 mg/kg oral dosing.

Long-chain fatty acid elongases reside in the endoplasmic reticulum and are responsible for the rate-limiting step of the elongation of long-chain fatty acids. The elongase of long-chain fatty acids (ELOVL) family 6 (ELOVL6) is involved in the elongation of saturated and monosaturated fatty acids. Increased expression of ELOVL6 in ob/ob mice suggests a role for ELOVL6 in metabolic disorders. Furthermore, ELOVL6-deficient mice are protected from high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance, which suggests that ELOVL6 might be a new therapeutic target for diabetes. As reported previously, we developed a high-throughput screening system for fatty acid elongases and discovered lead chemicals that possess inhibitory activities against ELOVL6. In the present study, we examined in detail the biochemical and pharmacological properties of 5,5-dimethyl-3-(5-methyl-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-1-phenyl-3-(trifluoromethyl)-3,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-indole-2,4-dione (Compound-A), a potent inhibitor of ELOVL6. In in vitro assays, Compound-A dose-dependently inhibited mouse and human ELOVL6 and displayed more than 30-fold greater selectivity for ELOVL6 over the other ELOVL family members. In addition, Compound-A effectively reduced the elongation index of fatty acids of hepatocytes, suggesting that Compound-A penetrates the cell wall and inhibits ELOVL6. More importantly, upon oral administration to mice, Compound-A showed high plasma and liver exposure and potently reduced the elongation index of the fatty acids of the liver. This is the first study to report a potent and selective inhibitor of mammalian elongases. Furthermore, Compound-A seems to be a useful tool to further understand the physiological roles of ELOVL6 and to evaluate the therapeutic potential of an ELOVL6 inhibitor.

A series of trans-3-oxospiro[(aza)isobenzofuran-1(3H),1'-cyclohexane]-4'-carboxamide derivatives were synthesized to identify potent NPY Y5 receptor antagonists. Of the compounds, 21j showed high Y5 binding affinity, metabolic stability and brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) penetration, and low susceptibility to P-glycoprotein transporters. Oral administration of 21j significantly inhibited the Y5 agonist-induced food intake in rats with a minimum effective dose of 1mg/kg. This compound was selected for proof-of-concept studies in human clinical trials.

Elongase of very-long-chain fatty acid (Elovl) 6 is a rate-limiting enzyme that is responsible for the elongation of long-chain fatty acids such as palmitoic acid (C16). Elovl6 is abundantly expressed in liver and adipose tissue, and the expression levels in these tissues are up-regulated in obese animals. Furthermore, Elovl6-deficient mice display improved glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity, suggesting that Elovl6 might be a potential therapeutic target for metabolic disorders. From the drug discovery point of view, it is critical to establish a high-throughput screening (HTS) assay for the identification of therapeutic agents. Conventional assay methods for fatty acid elongases include an extraction step for respective radioactive products from the reaction mixtures, which is labor-intensive and not feasible for HTS. In this study, we utilized the acyl-coenzyme A (CoA) binding protein (ACBP) as a molecular probe to detect radioactive long-chain acyl-CoA, a direct product of Elovl6. Recombinant ACBP binds stearoyl-CoA but not malonyl-CoA, enabling specific detection of the radioactive product in the homogenous reaction mixture without the liquid extraction step. Finally, combination of ACBP and scintillation proximity assay beads led to specific detection of Elovl6 activity with appropriate window and reproducibility amenable to HTS (signal-to-background noise ratio of approximately 13.0-fold, Z' = 0.85). The assay system described here has the potential to enable identification of small compounds that modify fatty acid elongase activity and assessment of the therapeutic potential of acyl-CoA elongases.

Novel indoledione derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as long chain fatty acid elongase 6 (ELOVL6) inhibitors. Systematic optimization of an indole class of lead 1 led to the identification of potent ELOVL6 selective inhibitors. Representative inhibitor 37 showed sustained plasma exposure and good liver penetrability in mice. After oral administration, 37 potently inhibited ELOVL6 activity in the liver in mice.

A series of trans-3-oxospiro[(aza)isobenzofuran-1(3H),1'-cyclohexane]-4'-carboxamide derivatives were synthesized and profiled for NPY Y5 binding affinity, brain and CSF penetrability in rats, and susceptibility to human and mouse P-glycoprotein transporters in order to develop a PET ligand. Compound 12b exhibited an acceptable profile for a PET ligand, and [(11)C]12b was successfully utilized in clinical settings as a Y5 PET ligand.

OBJECTIVE:To further address the function of the Y5 receptor in energy homeostasis, we investigated the effects of a novel spironolactone Y5 antagonist in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. METHODS AND PROCEDURES:Male C57BL/6 or Npy5r(-/-) mice were adapted to high-fat (HF) diet for 6-10 months and were submitted to three experimental treatments. First, the Y5 antagonist at a dose of 10 or 30 mg/kg was administered for 1 month to DIO C57BL/6 or Npy5r(-/-) mice. Second, the Y5 antagonist at 30 mg/kg was administered for 1.5 months to DIO C57BL/6 mice, and insulin sensitivity was evaluated using an insulin tolerance test. After a recovery period, nuclear magnetic resonance measurement was performed to evaluate body composition. Third, DIO mice were treated with the Y5 antagonist alone, or in combination with 10% food restriction, or with another anorectic agent, sibutramine at 10 mg/kg, for 1.5 months. Plasma glucose, insulin, and leptin levels, and adipose tissue weights were quantified. RESULTS:The spironolactone Y5 antagonist significantly reduced body weight in C57BL DIO mice, but not in Npy5r(-/-) DIO mice. The Y5 antagonist produced a fat-selective loss of body weight, and ameliorated obesity-associated insulin resistance in DIO mice. In addition, the Y5 antagonist combined with either food restriction or sibutramine tended to produce greater body weight loss, as compared with single treatment. DISCUSSION:These findings demonstrate that the Y5 receptor is an important mediator of energy homeostasis in rodents.

Intestinal epithelial cells undergo rapid turnover and exfoliation especially at the villus tips. This process is modulated by various nutrients especially fat. Apoptosis is one of the important regulatory mechanisms of this turnover. Therefore, identification of the factors that control epithelial cell apoptosis should help us understand the mechanism of intestinal mucosal turnover. Here, we report the identification of a novel small intestine-specific member of the Ly-6 family, intectin, by signal sequence trap method. Intectin mRNA expression was exclusively identified in the intestine and localized at the villus tips of intestinal mucosa, which is known to undergo apoptosis. Intectin mRNA expression was modulated by nutrition. Intestinal epithelial cells expressing intectin were more sensitive to palmitate-induced apoptosis, compared with control intestinal epithelial cells, and such effect was accompanied by increased activity of caspase-3. Intectin expression also reduced cell-cell adhesion of intestinal epithelial cells.

Novel arylpyrazole derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y5 receptor antagonists. Compound (-)-7, which features a novel chiral 2,3dihydro- 1H-cyclopenta [a] naphthalene moiety, showed good binding affinity and antagonistic activity for the Y5 receptor. After intracerebroventricular administration in SD rats, (-)-7 significantly inhibited food intake that was induced by the centrally administered Y5-preferring agonist, bovine pancreatic polypeptide, but had only a negligible effect on NPY-induced feeding.

In human cells, MAP4, a microtubule-associated protein ubiquitously expressed in proliferating cells, has been shown to undergo in vivo phosphorylation. Two phosphorylation sites, serines 696 and 787, lie within the proline-rich region of its microtubule-binding domain. To test the hypothesis that phosphorylation at these sites influences microtubule properties or cell cycle progression, we prepared stable cell lines that inducibly express versions of MAP4 in which phosphorylation of these two serines was prevented by their replacement with alanine, lysine, or glutamate residues (AA-, KK-, or EE-MAP4). All nonphosphorylatable mutant forms of MAP4 expressed in mouse Ltk- cells were localized to MT arrays that were unremarkable in appearance. Expression of nonphosphorylatable mutants of MAP4 did not affect cell doubling time; however, expression of some mutants altered progression into or through cell division. Interactions of mutant MAP4 with MTs were examined in vitro. KK mutant MAP4 bound MTs more avidly than its wild-type counterpart, WT-MAP4. In vivo MT polymer also differed among the mutants: MTs in cells expressing the KK- and AA-MAP4 forms were more resistant to nocodazole depolymerization than those in cells expressing EE- or WT-MAP4 forms. Our results demonstrate that phosphorylation alters MAP4 properties and suggest a raison d'être for phosphorylation of the MAP4 microtubule-binding domain during cell cycle progression.