嘧啶衍生物类PI3K/mTOR双重抑制剂的3D-QSAR及分子对接研究

PI3K/Akt/mTOR信号通路在癌细胞的生长和增殖中异常激活,对PI3K和mTOR位点的抑制可有效阻断信号通路的传导,是药物设计的理想靶点.本文选择38个嘧啶类小分子抑制剂进行3D-QSAR和分子对接研究.采用比较分子力场分析(CoMFA)和比较分子相似性指数分析(CoMSIA)方法,建立了三维定量构效关系模型,结果表明,该模型具有良好的稳定性和预测能力,可运用分子对接研究小分子抑制剂与PI3K和mTOR蛋白受体的作用模式.通过对QSAR模型的三维等势图以及受体与配体的相互作用模式分析后,优化出10个小分子化合物并预测其活性,发现一些小分子化合物活性提高,这为PI3K/mTOR双重抑制剂的设计筛选提供了借鉴.     

蛋白酪氨酸激酶小分子抑制剂的研究新进展

酪氨酸激酶在细胞的恶性生长和增殖中起着非常重要的作用,发展选择性的蛋白激酶抑制剂来阻断或调控由于这些信号通路异常产生的疾病已被广泛认为是抗肿瘤药物开发的一个富有前景和有效的研究策略.近年来科学家在蛋白酪氨酸激酶抑制剂这一领域进行了大量的工作,合成了数百个受体型或者非受体型酪氨酸激酶抑制剂,其中8个小分子抑制剂被美国食品药品管理局(FDA)批准作为抗肿瘤药物进入临床使用.随着肿瘤多重耐药性的出现,新机理的小分子酪氨酸激酶抑制剂被不断探索.以小分子抑制剂与酪氨酸激酶小同的作用模式来进行分类,系统地阐述了小分子酪氨酸激酶抑制剂的研究进展和发展趋势,并对代表性化合物的合成进行了介绍.     

REDV/雷帕霉素复合涂层构建内皮细胞选择性功能界面

运用复合涂层的概念构建了兼具药物洗脱和内皮促进作用的载药涂层. 以载雷帕霉素(Rapamycin, RAP)的聚乙二醇甲基丙烯酸酯(PEGMA)-甲基丙烯酸丁酯(BMA)(PEGMA-BMA, PEGB)为内层, Arg-Glu-Asp-Val(REDV)多肽修饰的PEGBN为外层包裹载药涂层. 体外药物释放结果表明, 雷帕霉素可以维持缓慢稳定的长效释放, 释放过程中没有出现暴释现象. 表面细胞生长行为表明, 雷帕霉素可以有效地阻抗内皮细胞和平滑肌细胞的黏附, 抑制细胞活性; 随着药物释放的进行, 雷帕霉素浓度逐渐减低, 但涂层依然维持对平滑肌细胞的非特异性阻抗; 而REDV修饰的外涂层开始呈现内皮细胞的选择性黏附, 随着释放时间延长, 内皮细胞特异选择性也逐渐加强. 雷帕霉素和REDV多肽协同构建的复合涂层能够有效抑制平滑肌细胞的增殖, 获得内皮细胞选择性黏附.     

GSK-3抑制剂研究进展

糖原合成酶激酶-3 (Glycogen synthase kinase-3, GSK-3)是一个多功能的丝氨酸/苏氨酸蛋白激酶,不仅参与肝糖代谢过程,而且还参与Wnt和Hedgehog信号通路,通过磷酸化多种底物蛋白来调节细胞的生理过程。GSK-3抑制剂作为目前倍受关注的小分子抑制剂,对治疗神经退化性疾病,癌症,II型糖尿病具有潜在的疗效。本文针对已开发出的GSK-3抑制剂,对其结构,与蛋白的作用模式以及构效关系进行阐述,为进一步设计合理的药物先导化合物和特异性小分子化学探针提供有益的启示。     

小分子IL-6/STAT3信号通路抑制剂

IL-6是细胞内广泛存在的一种细胞因子,参与细胞内大量的生物应答。研究表明所有IL-6家族的细胞因子均能激活STAT3蛋白,同时,STAT3被认为是介导IL-6功能的主要因子。IL-6与其受体结合,激活JAKs,从而使STAT3磷酸化激活,活化的STAT3二聚化,向细胞核内转移并与其靶基因特定位点结合从而调节基因的转录活性。大量的证据表明细胞中异常活化的STAT3在肿瘤生成与恶性转化中具有重要作用。研究显示STAT3蛋白也是抗肿瘤药物设计的有效靶点。到目前为止,多种药物设计方法,如基于结构的虚拟筛选、高通量筛选、基于片段的药物设计等被用于STAT3抑制剂的筛选以及设计;文献也已经报道了许多具有抗肿瘤活性的STAT3抑制剂。本文主要介绍了近年来小分子IL-6/STAT3信号通路抑制剂,尤其是作用于STAT3蛋白的小分子抑制剂的研究进展。     

扇贝多肽经由aSMase-JNK通路抑制UVA诱导HaCaT细胞凋亡

建立紫外线A(UVA)辐射损伤HaCaT细胞的病理模型, 从酸性鞘磷脂酶-JNK信号通路的角度研究扇贝多肽(Polypeptide from Chlamys farreri, PCF)抑制UVA诱导HaCaT细胞凋亡的分子机制. 采用Hoechst 33258染色结合琼脂糖凝胶电泳分析细胞凋亡; 用RT-PCR法和细胞免疫荧光染色检测胞内酸性鞘磷脂酶(acid sphingomyelinase, aSMase)的表达; 蛋白印迹法检测细胞内JNK及磷酸化JNK的蛋白水平. 结果表明, PCF可明显地抑制UVA诱导的HaCaT细胞凋亡; aSMase抑制剂Desipramine和JNK抑制剂SP600125均可阻断UVA引起的细胞凋亡; PCF的浓度在1.42~5.68 mmol/L范围内可依赖性地抑制UVA辐射后细胞内aSMase的表达量以及JNK蛋白的磷酸化; 预先加入Desipramine则抑制UVA引起的JNK蛋白的磷酸化. 表明PCF通过阻断aSMase-JNK通路来抑制UVA诱导HaCaT细胞凋亡.     

PAK4抑制剂的研究进展

p21活化激酶4（p21 activated kinase 4, PAK4）是丝氨酸/苏氨酸蛋白激酶,参与体内多条信号通路,影响肿瘤细胞的增殖、存活、侵袭转移及凋亡,对肿瘤的发生发展起着重要作用。近年来,PAK4成为抗肿瘤药物研发的新靶点,多种类型的PAK4抑制剂已被发现。本文根据PAK4抑制剂的作用机制不同,分别对ATP竞争性抑制剂、变构抑制剂和miRNAs抑制剂进行综述,主要从结构特征、生物活性及其合成方法等研究进展进行了总结和探讨。     

C797S突变体EGFR抑制剂的结构及生物活性研究进展

肺癌是一种严重威胁人类生命健康的重大疾病,已成为癌症死亡的首要因素。肺癌主要分为小细胞肺癌(small cell lung cancer, SCLC)和非小细胞肺癌(non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC),其中NSCLC占比约为80～90%。以吉非替尼、阿法替尼和奥希替尼为代表的已上市EGFR抑制剂,成功用于治疗EGFR^L858R突变和EGFR^T790M突变的NSCLC患者。然而,由于EGFR^C797S三级突变体的出现,阻止了酪氨酸激酶与奥希替尼形成共价键,严重制约了EGFR^T790M突变患者的临床治疗效果。因此,研究开发新一代克服C797S三级突变体小分子酪氨酸激酶抑制剂,是EGFR抑制剂研究热点之一。本文总结了克服C797S突变体的小分子EGFR抑制剂研究进展,根据化合物的结构特征,分析了结构与生物活性的关系,讨论了当前研究中面临的问题,并对今后的研究方向进行了展望,以期为新型EGFR抑制剂的研究与开发提供参考。     

SphK1抑制剂的合成研究进展

鞘氨醇激酶1(Sphingosine kinase 1, SphK1)是一种ATP依赖的脂质激酶,作为关键酶催化鞘氨醇(Sphingosine, Sp)向鞘氨醇-1-磷酸(Sphingosine 1-phosphate, S1P)转化. S1P是细胞内一种重要的信号分子,通过激活细胞内多种信号通路调控细胞的存活或死亡.细胞内SphK1的过度表达,会使胞内S1P水平升高,刺激细胞过度增殖,导致细胞恶性转化,诱发癌变.因此,SphK1可视为癌症治疗的靶标,设计合成靶向SphK1的抑制剂,是治疗癌症的有效方法.迄今为止,已有多种SphK1抑制剂被陆续报道.本文通过对相关合成工作进行归纳综述,期望为新型SphK1抑制剂的开发提供参考.     

阻断铜离子介导神经毒性的小分子抑制剂研究

过量的铜离子介导淀粉样蛋白异常聚集被认为是导致淀粉样蛋白变性病的主要因素之一. 基于淀粉样蛋白聚集机理及金属铜离子的氧化还原机理, 我们选用β-淀粉样蛋白Aβ1-40作为蛋白模型, 设计并合成出由硫代黄素 T衍生出来的小分子抑制剂. 该小分子抑制剂可以螯合淀粉样蛋白周围过量的一价铜离子, 阻止有害的氧化还原循环过程, 抑制活性氧物质的产生, 从而达到保护细胞的目的. 这为治疗铜离子介导的淀粉样蛋白错误折叠所造成的疾病提供了新的策略.     

Role of mTOR signaling in tumor cell motility, invasion and metastasis

Tumor cell migration and invasion play fundamental roles in cancer metastasis. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a highly conserved and ubiquitously expressed serine/threonine (Ser/Thr) kinase, is a central regulator of cell growth, proliferation, differentiation and survival. Recent studies have shown that mTOR also plays a critical role in the regulation of tumor cell motility, invasion and cancer metastasis. Current knowledge indicates that mTOR functions as two distinct complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2. mTORC1 phosphorylates p70 S6 kinase (S6K1) and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), and regulates cell growth, proliferation, survival and motility. mTORC2 phosphorylates Akt, protein kinase C α (PKCα) and the focal adhesion proteins, and controls the activities of the small GTPases (RhoA, Cdc42 and Rac1), and regulates cell survival and the actin cytoskeleton. Here we briefly review recent knowledge of mTOR complexes and the role of mTOR signaling in tumor cell migration and invasion. We also discuss recent efforts about the mechanism by which rapamycin, a specific inhibitor of mTOR, inhibits cell migration, invasion and cancer metastasis.     

Therapeutic Enhancement of Verteporfin-mediated Photodynamic Therapy by mTOR Inhibitors

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with photosensitizer verteporfin is a clinically approved vascular disrupting modality that is currently in clinical trial for cancer treatment. In this study, we evaluated PDT in combination with either mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin or mTORC1/C2 dual inhibitor AZD2014 for therapeutic enhancement in SVEC endothelial cells. Verteporfin-PDT alone induced cell apoptosis by activating the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. However, it increased the expression of anti-apoptotic protein MCL-1 and the phosphorylation of S6, a downstream molecule of mTOR signaling. In contrast, mTOR inhibitors rapamycin and AZD2014 did not induce apoptosis in SVEC cells. They suppressed MCL-1 expression and S6 phosphorylation and imposed a potent inhibition on cell proliferation. PDT in combination with mTOR inhibitors activated the intrinsic apoptotic pathway and resulted in increased apoptosis. Combination treatments also led to sustained inhibition of cell proliferation. Although AZD2014 was more effective for cell growth inhibition and PDT enhancement than rapamycin at the higher concentrations examined in the study, both inhibitors effectively enhanced PDT response, suggesting that inhibition of mTORC1 is crucial for PDT enhancement. Our results indicate that mTOR inhibitors mechanistically cooperate with PDT for enhanced cell death and sustained growth inhibition, supporting a combination approach for therapeutic enhancement.     

The role of amino acid-induced mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1(mTORC1) signaling in insulin resistance

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) controls cell growth and metabolism in response to nutrients, energy, and growth factors. Recent findings have placed the lysosome at the core of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) regulation by amino acids. Two parallel pathways, Rag GTPase-Ragulator and Vps34-phospholipase D1 (PLD1), regulate mTOR activation on the lysosome. This review describes the recent advances in understanding amino acid-induced mTOR signaling with a particular focus on the role of mTOR in insulin resistance.     

Sustained activation of mTORC1 in macrophages increases AMPKα-dependent autophagy to maintain cellular homeostasis

Background

The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a well-conserved serine/threonine protein kinase that controls autophagy as well as many other processes such as protein synthesis, cell growth, and metabolism. The activity of mTORC1 is stringently and negatively controlled by the tuberous sclerosis proteins 1 and 2 complex (TSC1/2).

Results

In contrast to the previous studies using Tsc1 knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) cells, we demonstrated evidence that TSC1 deficient macrophages exhibited enhanced basal and mycobacterial infection-induced autophagy via AMPKα-dependent phosphorylation of ULK1 (Ser555). These effects were concomitant with constitutive activation of mTORC1 and can be reversed by addition of amino acids or rapamycin, and by the knockdown of the regulatory-associated protein of mTOR, Raptor. In addition, increased autophagy in TSC1 deficient macrophages resulted in suppression of inflammation during mycobacterial infection, which was reversed upon amino acid treatment of the TSC1 deficient macrophages. We further demonstrated that TSC1 conditional knockout mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, resulted in less bacterial burden and a comparable level of inflammation when compared to wild type mice.

Conclusions

Our data revealed that sustained activation of mTORC1 due to defects in TSC1 promotes AMPKα-dependent autophagic flux to maintain cellular homeostasis.

     

Notch3-Mediated mTOR Signaling Pathway Is Involved in High Glucose-Induced Autophagy in Bovine Kidney Epithelial Cells

It is reported that Notch3 and mTOR signaling pathways are involved in autophagy, and both can be activated by high glucose (HG). However, the relationship between Notch3 and mTOR and how Notch3 affects mTOR to regulate HG-induced autophagy in bovine kidney epithelial cells is still unclear. The purpose of this study is to explore how Notch3 affects mTOR to modulate HG-induced autophagy in bovine kidney cells. Our results showed that HG treatment significantly decreased the cell viability of MDBK cells in a dose-dependent manner. HG treatment significantly increased the expression of LC3-II/I ratio and Beclin1 protein and significantly decreased the expression of p62 protein. Consistently, LC3 fluorescence signal formation was detected by immunofluorescence in both dose and time-dependent manners. In addition, HG treatment significantly increased the expression of Notch3 protein and decreased the expression of the p-mTOR protein in both dose and time-dependent manners. Inhibition of Notch3 upregulated the expression of p-mTOR and p62 protein, and downregulated the expression of LC3-II/I ratio and Beclin1 protein. Besides, the function of Notch3 was investigated. In this study, inhibition of Notch3 activity significantly increased the viability of HG-stimulated MDBK cells. In summary, our results revealed that the Notch3-mediated mTOR signaling pathway was involved in HG-induced autophagy in MDBK cells.     

Molecules and their functions in autophagy

Autophagy is a self-degradation system of cellular components through an autophagosomal-lysosomal pathway. Over the last 15 yr, yeast genetic screens led to the identification of a number of genes involved in the autophagic pathway. Most of these autophagy genes are present in higher eukaryotes and regulate autophagy process for cell survival and homeostasis. Significant progress has recently been made to better understand the molecular mechanisms of the autophagy machinery. Especially, autophagy process, including the regulation of autophagy induction through mTOR and the nucleation and elongation in autophagosome formation through class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase complex and ubiquitin-like conjugation systems, became evident. While many unanswered questions remain to be answered, here, we summarize the recent process of autophagy with emphasis on molecules and their protein complexes along with advanced molecular mechanisms that regulate the autophagy machinery.     

Structural insights of a PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor with the morpholino-triazine scaffold

Stimulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, which controls cell proliferation and growth, is often observed in cancer cell. Inhibiting both PI3K and mTOR in this pathway can switch off Akt activation and hence, plays a powerful role for modulating this pathway. PKI-587, a drug containing the structure of morpholino-triazines, shows a dual and nano-molar inhibition activity and is currently in clinical trial. To provide an insight into the mechanism of this dual inhibition, pharmacophore and QSAR models were developed in this work using compounds based on the morpholino-triazines scaffold, followed by a docking study. Pharmacophore model suggested the mechanism of the inhibition of PI3Kα and mTOR by the compounds were mostly the same, which was supported by the docking study showing similar docking modes. The analysis also suggested the importance of the flat plane shape of the ligands, the space surrounding the ligands in the binding pocket, and the slight difference in the shape of the binding sites between PI3Kα and mTOR.     

Targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway in Lung Cancer: An Update Regarding Potential Drugs and Natural Products

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and has a high mortality rate. Due to its high incidence, the clinical management of the disease remains a major challenge. Several reports have documented a relationship between the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/ protein kinase B (AKT)/ mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and lung cancer. The recognition of this pathway as a notable therapeutic target in lung cancer is mainly due to its central involvement in the initiation and progression of the disease. Interest in using natural and synthetic medications to target these signaling pathways has increased in recent years, with promising results in vitro, in vivo, and in clinical trials. In this review, we focus on the current understanding of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling in tumor development. In addition to the signaling pathway, we highlighted the therapeutic potential of recently developed PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors based on preclinical and clinical trials.