Mccrearamycins A–D,Geldanamycin‐Derived Cyclopentenone Macrolactams from an Eastern Kentucky Abandoned Coal Mine Microbe

Four cyclopentenone‐containing ansamycin polyketides (mccrearamycins A–D), and six new geldanamycins (Gdms B–G, including new linear and mycothiol conjugates), were characterized as metabolites of Streptomyces sp. AD‐23‐14 isolated from the Rock Creek underground coal mine acid drainage site. Biomimetic chemical conversion studies using both simple synthetic models and Gdm D confirmed that the mccrearamycin cyclopentenone derives from benzilic acid rearrangement of 19‐hydroxy Gdm, and thereby provides a new synthetic derivatization strategy and implicates a potential unique biocatalyst in mccrearamycin cyclopentenone formation. In addition to standard Hsp90α binding and cell line cytotoxicity assays, this study also highlights the first assessment of Hsp90α modulators in a new axolotl embryo tail regeneration (ETR) assay as a potential new whole animal assay for Hsp90 modulator discovery.     

Mccrearamycins A–D,Geldanamycin‐Derived Cyclopentenone Macrolactams from an Eastern Kentucky Abandoned Coal Mine Microbe

Four cyclopentenone‐containing ansamycin polyketides (mccrearamycins A–D), and six new geldanamycins (Gdms B–G, including new linear and mycothiol conjugates), were characterized as metabolites of Streptomyces sp. AD‐23‐14 isolated from the Rock Creek underground coal mine acid drainage site. Biomimetic chemical conversion studies using both simple synthetic models and Gdm D confirmed that the mccrearamycin cyclopentenone derives from benzilic acid rearrangement of 19‐hydroxy Gdm, and thereby provides a new synthetic derivatization strategy and implicates a potential unique biocatalyst in mccrearamycin cyclopentenone formation. In addition to standard Hsp90α binding and cell line cytotoxicity assays, this study also highlights the first assessment of Hsp90α modulators in a new axolotl embryo tail regeneration (ETR) assay as a potential new whole animal assay for Hsp90 modulator discovery.     

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.     

Structure-Based Design,Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Hsp90β-Selective Inhibitors

The 90 kDa heat shock proteins (Hsp90) are molecular chaperones that are responsible for the folding and/or trafficking of ∼400 client proteins, many of which are directly associated with cancer progression. Consequently, inhibition of Hsp90 can exhibit similar activity as combination therapy as multiple signaling nodes can be targeted simultaneously. In fact, seventeen small-molecule inhibitors that bind the Hsp90 N-terminus entered clinical trials for the treatment of cancer, all of which exhibited pan-inhibitory activity against all four Hsp90 isoforms. Unfortunately, most demonstrated undesired effects alongside induction of the pro-survival heat shock response. As a result, isoform-selective inhibitors have been sought to overcome these detriments. Described herein is a structure-based approach to design Hsp90β-selective inhibitors along with preliminary SAR. In the end, compound 5 was shown to manifest ∼370-fold selectivity for Hsp90β versus Hsp90α, and induced the degradation of select Hsp90β-dependent clients. These data support the development of Hsp90β-selective inhibitors as a new paradigm to overcome the detriments associated with pan-inhibition of Hsp90.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Novobiocin: redesigning a DNA gyrase inhibitor for selective inhibition of hsp90

Novobiocin is a member of the coumermycin family of antibiotics and is a well-established inhibitor of DNA gyrase. Recent studies have shown that novobiocin binds to a previously unrecognized ATP-binding site at the C-terminus of Hsp90 and induces degradation of Hsp90-dependent client proteins at approximately 700 microM. In an effort to develop more efficacious inhibitors of the C-terminal binding site, a library of novobiocin analogues was prepared and initial structure-activity relationships revealed. These data suggested that the 4-hydroxy moiety of the coumarin ring and the 3'-carbamate of the noviose appendage were detrimental to Hsp90 inhibitory activity. In an effort to confirm these findings, 4-deshydroxy novobiocin (DHN1) and 3'-descarbamoyl-4-deshydroxynovobiocin (DHN2) were prepared and evaluated against Hsp90. Both compounds were significantly more potent than the natural product, and DHN2 proved to be more active than DHN1. In an effort to determine whether these moieties are important for DNA gyrase inhibition, these compounds were tested for their ability to inhibit DNA gyrase and found to exhibit significant reduction in gyrase activity. Thus, we have established the first set of compounds that clearly differentiate between the C-terminus of Hsp90 and DNA gyrase, converted a well-established gyrase inhibitor into a selective Hsp90 inhibitor, and confirmed essential structure-activity relationships for the coumermycin family of antibiotics.     

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.     

Chemical Perturbation of Oncogenic Protein Folding: from the Prediction of Locally Unstable Structures to the Design of Disruptors of Hsp90–Client Interactions

Protein folding quality control in cells requires the activity of a class of proteins known as molecular chaperones. Heat shock protein-90 (Hsp90), a multidomain ATP driven molecular machine, is a prime representative of this family of proteins. Interactions between Hsp90, its co-chaperones, and client proteins have been shown to be important in facilitating the correct folding and activation of clients. Hsp90 levels and functions are elevated in tumor cells. Here, we computationally predict the regions on the native structures of clients c-Abl, c-Src, Cdk4, B-Raf and Glucocorticoid Receptor, that have the highest probability of undergoing local unfolding, despite being ordered in their native structures. Such regions represent potential ideal interaction points with the Hsp90-system. We synthesize mimics spanning these regions and confirm their interaction with partners of the Hsp90 complex (Hsp90, Cdc37 and Aha1) by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Designed mimics selectively disrupt the association of their respective clients with the Hsp90 machinery, leaving unrelated clients unperturbed and causing apoptosis in cancer cells. Overall, selective targeting of Hsp90 protein–protein interactions is achieved without causing indiscriminate degradation of all clients, setting the stage for the development of therapeutics based on specific chaperone:client perturbation.     

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.     

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.     

Artificial Accelerators of the Molecular Chaperone Hsp90 Facilitate Rate‐Limiting Conformational Transitions

The molecular chaperone Hsp90 undergoes an ATP‐driven cycle of conformational changes in which large structural rearrangements precede ATP hydrolysis. Well‐established small‐molecule inhibitors of Hsp90 compete with ATP‐binding. We wondered whether compounds exist that can accelerate the conformational cycle. In a FRET‐based screen reporting on conformational rearrangements in Hsp90 we identified compounds. We elucidated their mode of action and showed that they can overcome the intrinsic inhibition in Hsp90 which prevents these rearrangements. The mode of action is similar to that of the co‐chaperone Aha1 which accelerates the Hsp90 ATPase. However, while the two identified compounds influence conformational changes, they target different aspects of the structural transitions. Also, the binding site determined by NMR spectroscopy is distinct. This study demonstrates that small molecules are capable of triggering specific rate‐limiting transitions in Hsp90 by mechanisms similar to those in protein cofactors.     

Biotinylated geldanamycin

Inhibition of the 90 kDa heat shock proteins (Hsp90) represents a promising new chemotherapeutic approach for the treatment of several cancers. Hsp90 is essential to the survival of cancer cells and is inhibited by members of the ansamycin family of antibiotics. In particular, the quinone-containing antibiotics geldanamycin (GDA) and herbimycin A inhibit Hsp90 function in vitro at low micromolar concentrations via interaction with an ATP binding domain. Many proteins bind ATP, and the discovery of selective Hsp90 inhibitors requires the identification of other proteins that bind GDA and may cause undesired effects. Biotinylated analogues of GDA with varying tether lengths have been synthesized to elucidate other proteins that competitively bind GDA. Analogues containing a photolabile tether have also been prepared as a complementary method for the removal of GDA-bound proteins from neutravidin-containing resin. Preliminary studies indicate several proteins other than Hsp90 are isolated with biotinylated GDA.     

Design, synthesis, and structure--activity relationships for chimeric inhibitors of Hsp90

Inhibition of the 90 kDa heat shock protein (Hsp90) family of molecular chaperones represents a promising new chemotherapeutic approach toward the treatment of several cancers. Previous studies have demonstrated that the natural products, radicicol and geldanamycin, are potent inhibitors of the Hsp90 N-terminal ATP binding site. The cocrystal structures of these molecules bound to Hsp90 have been determined, and through molecular modeling and superimposition of these ligands, hybrids of radicicol and geldanamycin have been designed. A series of macrocylic chimeras of radicicol and geldanamycin and the corresponding seco-agents have been prepared and evaluated for both antiproliferative activity and their ability to induce Hsp90-dependent client protein degradation.     

Hsp90 inhibitors disrupt mitochondrial homeostasis in cancer cells

Hsp90 is a cytosolic molecular chaperone whose paralog in mitochondria, TRAP1, protects cells from oxidative stress. The recent study in Cell by Kang et al. now identifies the molecular components of the proapoptotic network regulated by TRAP1, that includes Hsp90. Targeting Hsp90/TRAP1 inhibitors to mitochondria induces rapid tumor cell-specific apoptosis.     

Design and Synthesis of Hsp90 Inhibitors with B-Raf and PDHK1 Multi-Target Activity

The design of multi-target ligands has become an innovative approach for the identification of effective therapeutic treatments against complex diseases, such as cancer. Recent studies have demonstrated that the combined inhibition of Hsp90 and B-Raf provides synergistic effects against several types of cancers. Moreover, it has been reported that PDHK1, which presents an ATP-binding pocket similar to that of Hsp90, plays an important role in tumor initiation, maintenance and progression, participating also to the senescence process induced by B-Raf oncogenic proteins. Based on these premises, the simultaneous inhibition of these targets may provide several benefits for the treatment of cancer. In this work, we set up a design strategy including the assembly and integration of molecular fragments known to be important for binding to the Hsp90, PDHK1 and B-Raf targets, aided by molecular docking for the selection of a set of compounds potentially able to exert Hsp90-B-Raf-PDHK1 multi-target activities. The designed compounds were synthesized and experimentally validated in vitro. According to the in vitro assays, compounds 4 a , 4 d and 4 e potently inhibited Hsp90 and moderately inhibited the PDHK1 kinase. Finally, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to provide further insights into the structural basis of their multi-target activity.     

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.