Design,Synthesis and Pharmacological Evaluation of Novel Hsp90N-terminal Inhibitors Without Induction of Heat Shock Response

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a potential oncogenic target. However, Hsp90 inhibitors in clinical trial induce heat shock response, resulting in drug resistance and inefficiency. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of novel triazine derivatives ( A1 - 26 , B1 - 13 , C1 - 23 ) as Hsp90 inhibitors. Compound A14 directly bound to Hsp90 in a different manner from traditional Hsp90 inhibitors, and degraded client proteins, but did not induce the concomitant activation of Hsp72. Importantly, A14 exhibited the most potent anti-proliferation ability by inducing autophagy, with the IC₅₀ values of 0.1 μM and 0.4 μM in A549 and SK-BR-3 cell lines, respectively. The in vivo study demonstrated that A14 could induce autophagy and degrade Hsp90 client proteins in tumor tissues, and exhibit anti-tumor activity in A549 lung cancer xenografts. Therefore, the compound A14 with potent antitumor activity and unique pharmacological characteristics is a novel Hsp90 inhibitor for developing anticancer agent without heat shock response.     

Zeb1 for RCP-induced oral cancer cell invasion and its suppression by resveratrol

Rab coupling protein (RCP) is upregulated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and is correlated with the progression and survival of patients. However, the role of RCP in one of the aggressive types of HNSCC, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), remains elusive. In the present study, we identified the important role of Zeb1 in RCP-induced OSCC epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion. RCP induces Zeb1 expression, and silencing Zeb1 expression significantly inhibits RCP-induced OSCC invasion. In addition, Zeb1 upregulates MT1-MMP expression to promote OSCC EMT and invasion. Furthermore, we observed that the β1 integrin/EGFR/β-catenin signaling cascade mediates RCP-induced Zeb1 expression to promote OSCC invasion. Notably, we provide evidence that resveratrol (REV) strongly inhibits RCP-induced Zeb1 expression through blocking β1 integrin endosome recycling and EGFR activation, leading to suppression of RCP-induced OSCC invasion, demonstrating the important role of RCP in OSCC invasion and its reversion by REV. Collectively, the present study provides evidence for the first time that RCP aggravates OSCC invasion through increasing Zeb1 expression and subsequently upregulating MT1-MMP expression and that this process is reversed by REV, providing novel biomarkers and indicating the therapeutic potential of REV in OSCC.Subject terms: Oral cancer, Cell invasion     

Anti-Cancer Properties of Ginkgolic Acids in Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma CNE-2Z Cells via Inhibition of Heat Shock Protein 90

Ginkgo biloba L. has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years. However, the anti-cancer properties of ginkgolic acids (GAS) isolated from G. biloba have not been investigated in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. In this study, GAS exhibited an inhibitory effect on the ATPase activity of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and anti-proliferative activities against four human cancer cell lines, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 14.91 to 23.81 μg·mL⁻¹. In vivo experiments confirmed that GAS inhibited tumor growth in CNE-2Z cell-xenografted nude mice with low hepatotoxicity. We further demonstrated that GAS suppressed migration and invasion and induced the apoptosis of CNE-2Z cells by inducing the degradation of Hsp90 client proteins (MMP-2, MMP-9, Her-2, c-Raf, Akt, and Bcl-2). Together, GAS are new Hsp90 inhibitors by binding to Hsp90 (hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interaction). Thus, GAS from G. biloba might represent promising Hsp90 inhibitors for the development of anti-nasopharyngeal carcinoma agents.     

A microfluidic-based device for study of transendothelial invasion of tumor aggregates in realtime

Circulating tumor aggregates exhibit a high metastatic potential and could potentially serve as an important target for cancer therapies. In this study, we developed a microfluidic model that reconstitutes and is representative of the principal components of biological blood vessels, including vessel cavity, endothelium, and perivascular matrix containing chemokines. Using this model, the transendothelial invasion of tumor aggregates can be observed and recorded in realtime. In this study we analyzed the extravasation process of salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) cell aggregates. ACC aggregates transmigrated across the endothelium under the stimulation of chemokine CXCL12. The endothelial integrity was irreversibly damaged at the site of transendothelial invasion. The transendothelial invasion of ACC aggregates was inhibited by AMD3100, but the adhesion of ACC aggregates to the endothelium was not affected by the CXCR4 antagonist. This model allows for detailed study of the attachment and transendothelial invasion of tumor aggregates; thus, it would be a useful tool for analysis of the underlying mechanisms of metastasis and for testing novel anti-metastasis agents.     

Activation of Hsp90 Enzymatic Activity and Conformational Dynamics through Rationally Designed Allosteric Ligands

Hsp90 is a molecular chaperone of pivotal importance for multiple cell pathways. ATP‐regulated internal dynamics are critical for its function and current pharmacological approaches block the chaperone with ATP‐competitive inhibitors. Herein, a general approach to perturb Hsp90 through design of new allosteric ligands aimed at modulating its functional dynamics is proposed. Based on the characterization of a first set of 2‐phenylbenzofurans showing stimulatory effects on Hsp90 ATPase and conformational dynamics, new ligands were developed that activate Hsp90 by targeting an allosteric site, located 65 Å from the active site. Specifically, analysis of protein responses to first‐generation activators was exploited to guide the design of novel derivatives with improved ability to stimulate ATP hydrolysis. The molecules’ effects on Hsp90 enzymatic, conformational, co‐chaperone and client‐binding properties were characterized through biochemical, biophysical and cellular approaches. These designed probes act as allosteric activators of the chaperone and affect the viability of cancer cell lines for which proper functioning of Hsp90 is necessary.     

Targeting wide-range oncogenic transformation via PU24FCl, a specific inhibitor of tumor Hsp90

Agents that inhibit Hsp90 function hold significant promise in cancer therapy. Here we present PU24FCl, a representative of the first class of designed Hsp90 inhibitors. By specifically and potently inhibiting tumor Hsp90, PU24FCl exhibits wide-ranging anti-cancer activities that occur at similar doses in all tested tumor types. Normal cells are 10- to 50-fold more resistant to these effects. Its Hsp90 inhibition results in multiple anti-tumor-specific effects, such as degradation of Hsp90-client proteins involved in cell growth, survival, and specific transformation, inhibition of cancer cell growth, delay of cell cycle progression, induction of morphological and functional changes, and apoptosis. In concordance with its higher affinity for tumor Hsp90, in vivo PU24FCl accumulates in tumors while being rapidly cleared from normal tissue. Concentrations achieved in vivo in tumors lead to single-agent anti-tumor activity at non-toxic doses.     

Inhibition of Hsp90 with Resorcylic Acid Macrolactones: Synthesis and Binding Studies

A series of resorcylic acid macrolactones, analogues of the natural product radicicol has been prepared by chemical synthesis, and evaluated as inhibitors of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), an emerging attractive target for novel cancer therapeutic agents. The synthesis involves acylation of an ortho‐toluic acid dianion, esterification, followed by a ring‐closing metathesis to form the macrocycle. Subsequent manipulation of the protected hydroxymethyl side chain allows access to a range of new analogues following deprotection of the two phenolic groups. Co‐crystallization of one of the new macrolactones with the N‐terminal domain of yeast Hsp90 confirms that it binds in a similar way to the natural product radicicol and to our previous synthetic analogues, but that the introduction of the additional hydroxymethyl substituent appears to result in an unexpected change in conformation of the macrocyclic ring. As a result of this conformational change, the compounds bound less favorably to Hsp90.     

Rational design,synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel C6-modified geldanamycin derivatives as potent Hsp90 inhibitors and anti-tumor agents

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is an appealing anticancer drug target that provoked a tremendous wave of investigations. Geldanamycin (GA) is the first identified Hsp90 inhibitor that exhibited potent anti-cancer activity, but the off-target toxicity associated with the benzoquinone moiety hampered its clinical application. Until now, structure optimization of GA is still in need to fully exploit the therapeutic value of Hsp90. Due to the structural complexity and synthetic challenge of this compound family, conventional optimization is bound to be costly but high efficiency is expected to be reachable by combining the art of rational design and total synthesis. Described in this paper is our first attempt at this approach aiming at rational modification of the C6-position of GA. The binding affinities towards Hsp90 of compound 1 (C6-ethyl) and 2 (C6-methyl) were designed and predicted by using Discovery Studio. These compounds were synthesized and further subjected to a thorough in vitro biological evaluation. We found that compounds 1 and 2 bind to Hsp90 protein with the IC₅₀ of 34.26 nmol/L and 163.7 nmol/L, respectively. Both compounds showed broad-spectrum antitumor effects. Replacing by ethyl, compound 1 exhibited more potent bioactivity than positive control GA, such as in G2/M cell cycle arrest, cell apoptosis and client proteins degradations. The results firstly indicated that the docking study is able to provide a precise prediction of Hsp90 affinities of GA analogues, and the C6 substituent of GA is not erasable without affecting its biological activity.     

Identification of Limonol Derivatives as Heat Shock Protein 90 (Hsp90) Inhibitors through a Multidisciplinary Approach

The identification of inhibitors of Hsp90 is currently a primary goal in the development of more effective drugs for the treatment of various types of multidrug resistant malignancies. In an attempt to identify new small molecules modulating the activity of Hsp90, we screened a small library of tetranortriterpenes. A high‐affinity interaction with Hsp90 inducible form was uncovered for eight of these compounds, five of which are described here for the first time. By monitoring the ATPase activity and the citrate synthase thermal induced aggregation, compound 1 (cedrelosin A), 3 (7α‐limonylacetate), and 5 (cedrelosin B), containing a limonol moiety, were found to be the most effective in compromising the Hsp90α chaperone activity. Consistent with these findings, the three compounds caused a depletion of c‐Raf and pAkt Hsp90 client proteins in HeLa and MCF/7 cell lines. Induced fit docking protocol and molecular dynamics were used to rationalize the structural basis of the biological activity of the limonol derivatives. Taken together, these results point to limonol‐derivatives as promising scaffolds for the design of novel Hsp90α inhibitors.     

Development of a Grp94 inhibitor

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) represents a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Unfortunately, results from clinical trials have been disappointing as off-target effects and toxicities have been observed. These detriments may be a consequence of pan-Hsp90 inhibition, as all clinically evaluated Hsp90 inhibitors simultaneously disrupt all four human Hsp90 isoforms. Using a structure-based approach, we designed an inhibitor of Grp94, the ER-resident Hsp90. The effect manifested by compound 2 on several Grp94 and Hsp90α/β (cytosolic isoforms) clients were investigated. Compound 2 prevented intracellular trafficking of the Toll receptor, inhibited the secretion of IGF-II, affected the conformation of Grp94, and suppressed Drosophila larval growth, all Grp94-dependent processes. In contrast, compound 2 had no effect on cell viability or cytosolic Hsp90α/β client proteins at similar concentrations. The design, synthesis, and evaluation of 2 are described herein.     

Targeting the Hsp90 Chaperone: Synthesis of Novel Resorcylic Acid Macrolactone Inhibitors of Hsp90

A series of benzo‐macrolactones has been prepared by chemical synthesis, and evaluated as inhibitors of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), an emerging attractive target for novel cancer therapeutic agents. A new synthesis of these resorcylic acid macrolactone analogues of the natural product radicicol is described in which the key steps are the acylation and ring opening of a homophthalic anhydride to give an isocoumarin, followed by a ring‐closing metathesis to form the macrocycle. The methodology has been extended to a novel series of macrolactones incorporating a 1,2,3‐triazole ring.     

Reinventing Hsp90 Inhibitors: Blocking C‐Terminal Binding Events to Hsp90 by Using Dimerized Inhibitors

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone (90 kDa) that functions as a dimer. This protein facilitates the folding, assembly, and stabilization of more than 400 proteins that are responsible for cancer development and progression. Inhibiting Hsp90’s function will shut down multiple cancer‐driven pathways simultaneously because oncogenic clients rely heavily on Hsp90, which makes this chaperone a promising anticancer target. Classical inhibitors that block the binding of adenine triphosphate (ATP) to the N‐terminus of Hsp90 are highly toxic to cells and trigger a resistance mechanism within cells. This resistance mechanism comprises a large increase in prosurvival proteins, namely, heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27), and heat shock factor 1 (HSF‐1). Molecules that modulate the C‐terminus of Hsp90 are effective at inducing cancer‐cell death without activating the resistance mechanism. Herein, we describe the design, synthesis, and biological binding affinity for a series of dimerized C‐terminal Hsp90 modulators. We show that dimers of these C‐terminal modulators synergistically inhibit Hsp90 relative to monomers.     

Synthesis and Biological Activity of 3-(Heteroaryl)quinolin-2(1H)-ones Bis-Heterocycles as Potential Inhibitors of the Protein Folding Machinery Hsp90

In the context of our SAR study concerning 6BrCaQ analogues as C-terminal Hsp90 inhibitors, we designed and synthesized a novel series of 3-(heteroaryl)quinolin-2(1H), of types 3, 4, and 5, as a novel class of analogues. A Pd-catalyzed Liebeskind–Srogl cross-coupling was developed as a convenient approach for easy access to complex purine architectures. This series of analogues showed a promising biological effect against MDA-MB231 and PC-3 cancer cell lines. This study led to the identification of the best compounds, 3b (IC₅₀ = 28 µM) and 4e, which induce a significant decrease of CDK-1 client protein and stabilize the levels of Hsp90 and Hsp70 without triggering the HSR response.     

Thermodynamic Analysis of the Geldanamycin–Hsp90 Interaction in a Whole Cell Lysate Using a Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics Approach

Geldanamycin is a natural product with well-established and potent anti-cancer activities. Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is the known target of geldanamycin, which directly binds to Hsp90’s N-terminal ATP binding domain and inhibits Hsp90’s ATPase activity. The affinity of geldanamycin for Hsp90 has been measured in multiple studies. However, there have been large discrepancies between the reported dissociation constants (i.e., K_d values), which have ranged from low nanomolar to micromolar. Here the stability of proteins from rates of oxidation (SPROX) technique was used in combination with an isobaric mass tagging strategy to measure the binding affinity of geldanamycin to unpurified Hsp90 in an MCF-7 cell lysate. The K_d values determined here were dependent on how long geldanamycin was equilibrated with the lysate prior to SPROX analysis. The K_d values determined using equilibration times of 0.5 and 24 h were 1 and 0.03 μM, respectively. These K_d values, which are similar to those previously reported in a geldanamycin–Hsp90 binding study that involved the use of a fluorescently labeled geldanamycin analogue, establish that the slow-tight binding behavior previously observed for the fluorescently labeled geldanamycin analogue is not an artifact of the fluorescent label, but rather an inherent property of the geldanamycin–Hsp90 binding interaction. The slow-tight binding property of this complex may be related to time-dependent conformational changes in Hsp90 and/or to time-dependent chemical changes in geldanamycin, both of which have been previously proposed to explain the slow-tight binding behavior of the geldanamycin–Hsp90 complex.

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Fluorine- and rhenium-containing geldanamycin derivatives as leads for the development of molecular probes for imaging Hsp90

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is an ATP-dependent molecular chaperone responsible for protein quality control in cells. Hsp90 has been shown to be overexpressed in many human cancers. This has prompted extensive research on Hsp90 inhibitors as novel anticancer agents and, more recently, the development of molecular probes for imaging Hsp90 expression in vivo. This work describes the development of various fluorine-containing and rhenium-containing geldanamycin derivatives as leads for the development of corresponding (18)F-labeled and (99m)Tc-labeled PET and SPECT probes for molecular imaging of Hsp90 expression. All compounds were evaluated in an in vitro ATPase activity assay using Hsp90 isoform Hsp82p. Fluorobenzoylated geldanamycin derivative 5 displayed comparable inhibitory potency like parent compound geldanamycin.     

Natural compounds as potential Hsp90 inhibitors for breast cancer-Pharmacophore guided molecular modelling studies

Breast cancer is one of the major impediments affecting women globally. The ATP-dependant heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) forms the central component of molecular chaperone machinery that predominantly governs the folding of newly synthesized peptides and their conformational maturation. It regulates the stability and function of numerous client proteins that are frequently upregulated and/or mutated in cancer cells, therefore, making Hsp90 inhibition a promising therapeutic strategy for the development of new efficacious drugs to treat breast cancer. In the present in silico investigation, a structure-based pharmacophore model was generated with hydrogen bond donor, hydrogen bond acceptor and hydrophobic features complementary to crucial residues Ala55, Lys58, Asp93, Ile96, Met98 and Thr184 directed at inhibiting the ATP-binding activity of Hsp90. Subsequently, the phytochemical dataset of 3210 natural compounds was screened to retrieve the prospective inhibitors after rigorous validation of the model pharmacophore. The retrieved 135 phytocompounds were further filtered by drug-likeness parameters including Lipinski’s rule of five and ADMET properties, then investigated via molecular docking-based scoring. Molecular interactions were assessed using Genetic Optimisation for Ligand Docking program for 95 drug-like natural compounds against Hsp90 along with two clinical drugs as reference compounds – Geldanamycin and Radicicol. Docking studies revealed three phytochemicals are better than the investigated clinical drugs. The reference and hit compounds with dock scores of 48.27 (Geldanamycin), 40.90 (Radicicol), 73.04 (Hit1), 72.92 (Hit2) and 68.12 (Hit3) were further validated for their binding stability through molecular dynamics simulations. We propose that the non-macrocyclic scaffolds of three identified phytochemicals might aid in the development of novel therapeutic candidates against Hsp90-driven cancers.     

基于抗肿瘤活性化合物MED烟酸类衍生物的设计及作用靶点

通过变性荧光素酶的再复性实验发现真菌环氧二烯(Mycoepoxydiene,MED)对热休克蛋白(Heat shock protein 90,Hsp90)具有抑制作用.Western Blot实验结果表明,MED影响人宫颈癌细胞株HeLa中Hsp70及Hsp90的客户蛋白质(Akt,Raf-1)的表达,表明MED是Hsp90的抑制剂.通过靶向对接技术预测了MED与人Hsp90 N端ATP结合位点的结合情况,并在此基础上发现,MED的烟酸类衍生物4-NDM与Hsp90的结合具有比MED与Hsp90更强的亲和作用.体外实验结果证明,MED的烟酸类衍生物4-NDM及3-NDM对HeLa细胞表现出比MED更强的细胞毒活性;可通过上调Hsp70,并下调Akt和Raf-1而影响HeLa细胞中Hsp90相关蛋白质的表达.由此推测,MED及其烟酸类衍生物可以通过抑制Hsp90,而使其客户蛋白Akt或Raf-1发生降解,发挥其抗肿瘤作用.     

Hsp90 inhibitors identified from a library of novobiocin analogues

Novobiocin is a C-terminal inhibitor of the Hsp90 protein folding machinery, which is responsible for the conformational maturation of numerous proteins involved in cancer growth and survival. Due to novobiocin's poor inhibitory activity ( approximately 700 muM), very little attention has been paid toward the development of novobiocin analogues for Hsp90 inhibition. In this study, a parallel library of 20 novobiocin derivatives was prepared and the biological activity of each evaluated by Western blot analysis of Hsp90 client proteins. A4 was found to be a potent inhibitor of Hsp90 as determined by its ability to cause the degradation of several Hsp90 client proteins in both breast and prostate cancer cell lines. In the presence of 1 muM A4, several Hsp90 client proteins were degraded, including AKT, Her2, Hif-1alpha, and the androgen receptor.     

Discovery of novel indene-based hybrids as breast cancer inhibitors targeting Hsp90: Synthesis,bio-evaluation and molecular docking study

Inhibition of Heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is considered an attractive route in fighting against cancer proliferation. Herein, new indene derivatives targeting Hsp90 were synthesized, and biologically evaluated. The new series of indeno-pyrimidine and indeno-pyridine were synthesized from the reaction of indene-enaminone with various heterocyclic amines and active methylene derivatives. Two breast cancer cell lines were used to examine the new compounds in vitro for their anticancer activity, namely, MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 cancer cells. The new indene derivatives 8a-c, 17a, and 25 displayed significant antitumor effect especially on MCF-7 cell line compared to doxorubicin. Derivative 8a was further subjected to Hsp90 enzyme assay aiming to ensure the inhibitory potential of such compound on Hsp90, it displayed IC₅₀ = 18.79 ± 0.68 nM relative to Alvespimycin as a reference drug. Finally, molecular modeling of the most active compounds in the Hsp90 binding site was done presenting agreement with the in vitro anti-Hsp90 activity.