Enantioselective synthesis of GNE-6688, a potent and selective inhibitor of interleukin-2 inducible T-cell kinase (ITK)

An enantioselective synthesis of the previously-disclosed ITK inhibitor GNE-6688 is described. Synthesis of the nitropyrazole fragment is highlighted by a Ru-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation using the Wills tethered ligand system. Synthesis of the pyrazole carboxylic acid fragment features an allylboration catalyzed by a chiral diol-SnCl₄ complex, followed by a highly diastereoselective directed cyclopropanation.     

Design and evaluation of a real-time activity probe for focal adhesion kinase

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) has been identified as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of metastatic cancers. Herein we describe the design, synthesis and optimization of a direct activity sensor for FAK and its application to screening FAK inhibitors. We find that the position of the sensing moiety, a phosphorylation-sensitive sulfonamido-oxine fluorophore, can dramatically influence the performance of peptide sensors for FAK. Real-time fluorescence activity assays using an optimized sensor construct, termed FAKtide-S2, are highly reproducible (Z' = 0.91) and are capable of detecting as little as 1 nM recombinant FAK. Utilizing this robust assay format, we define conditions for the screening of FAK inhibitors and demonstrate the utility of this platform using a set of well-characterized small molecule kinase inhibitors. Additionally, we provide the selectivity profile of FAKtide-S2 among a panel of closely related enzymes, identifying conditions for selectively monitoring FAK activity in the presence of off-target enzymes. In the long term, the chemosensor platform described in this work can be used to identify novel FAK inhibitor scaffolds and potentially assess the efficacy of FAK inhibitors in disease models.     

Structure-based grafting and identification of kinase–inhibitors to target mTOR signaling pathway as potential therapeutics for glioblastoma

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a key mediator of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, has recently emerged as a compelling molecular target in glioblastoma. The mTOR is a member of serine/threonine protein kinase family that functions as a central controller of growth, proliferation, metabolism and angiogenesis, but its signaling is dysregulated in various human diseases especially in certain solid tumors including the glioblastoma. Here, considering that there are various kinase inhibitors being approved or under clinical or preclinical development, it is expected that some of them can be re-exploited as new potent agents to target mTOR for glioblastoma therapy. To achieve this, a synthetic pipeline that integrated molecular grafting, consensus scoring, virtual screening, kinase assay and structure analysis was described to systematically profile the binding potency of various small-molecule inhibitors deposited in the protein kinase–inhibitor database against the kinase domain of mTOR. Consequently, a number of structurally diverse compounds were successfully identified to exhibit satisfactory inhibition profile against mTOR with IC₅₀ values at nanomolar level. In particular, few sophisticated kinase–inhibitors as well as a flavonoid myricetin showed high inhibitory activities, which could thus be considered as potential lead compounds to develop new potent, selective mTOR–inhibitors. Structural examination revealed diverse nonbonded interactions such as hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic forces and van der Waals contacts across the complex interface of mTOR with myricetin, conferring both stability and specificity for the mTOR–inhibitor binding.     

Synthesis of 2-substituted endo-hymenialdisine derivatives

The first synthesis of 2-substituted endo-hymenialdisine derivatives 1-4 is described started with 2-substituted pyrroles and 5-substituted pyrrolo-2-carboxylic acids.     

Synthesis and reactivity of 3-amino-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-c]pyridin-4(5H)-ones: development of a novel kinase-focussed library

3-Amino-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-c]pyridin-4(5H)-ones represent a potentially attractive heteroaromatic scaffold for drug-discovery chemistry. In particular, the arrangement of hydrogen bond donor and acceptor groups in the bicyclic core can fulfil the requirements for ATP competitive binding to kinase enzymes. Efficient and regioselective routes from simple starting materials to novel functionalised 3-amino-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-c]pyridin-4(5H)-ones and related 3-amino-2H-pyrazolo[4,3-c]pyridines were explored and adapted for parallel synthesis, resulting in a library of compounds suitable for screening against kinases and other cancer drug targets. Methods for substituent variation at five distinct positions around the bicyclic core were devised to generate sets of compounds containing two- or three-point diversity.     

Electrochemical Behaviour of Isoflavones Genistein and Biochanin A at a Glassy Carbon Electrode

The electrochemical behaviour of genistein and biochanin A was studied at a glassy carbon electrode by cyclic, differential pulse and square wave voltammetry. Genistein undergoes three irreversible, pH dependent oxidation reactions with the transfer of one electron and one proton from each hydroxyl group. The formation of two electroactive products that undergo reversible redox reactions was observed. Biochanin A undergoes two irreversible, pH dependent reactions due to the oxidation of the two hydroxyl groups. The electrochemical behaviour of the chemical analogue daidzein was also investigated. The electroactive centres of genistein and biochanin A were identified and their oxidation mechanisms discussed.     

Molecular modelling,synthesis, and antimalarial potentials of curcumin analogues containing heterocyclic ring

The molecular modelling approach was applied to a series of nineteen curcumin analogues to find the possible PfRIO2 kinase inhibitory action. A putative active site in flexible loop (S1) of PfRIO2 kinase was explored computationally to recognize the molecular basis of ligands binding. The ligands (curcumin analogues; 3a–3s) were well accommodated in the selected active site (S1) due to their higher molecular size and length. Further all these synthesized compounds (3a–3s) were evaluated for their in vitro antimalarial activity according to the reported method. The antimalarial data showed that all these compounds to have parasiticidal activity with minimum killing concentrations (MKCs) range between 3.87 and 25.35 μM and schizonticidal activity with IC₅₀ range between 1.48 and 23.09 μM. The compound 3p showed the most significant result with maximum schizonticidal (IC₅₀; 1.48 ± 0.10 μM) and parasiticidal activities (MKC; 3.87 ± 0.36 μM) could be identified as promising lead for further investigations.     

Method development and measurements of endogenous serine/threonine Akt phosphorylation using capillary electrophoresis for systems biology

Signal transduction studies have indicated that Akt is essential for transducing the signals originating from extracellular stimuli. An exploration of the Akt signal transduction mechanism depends on the ability to assay its activation states by determining the ability of Akt to phosphorylate various substrates. This paper describes a CE-based kinase assay for Akt using a UV detection method. The RPRAATF peptide was used as the specific substrate to determine the Akt activity. Under the CE separation conditions used, the phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated forms of the RPRAATF peptide were rapidly resolved in the Akt reaction mixture within 20 min. Using this method for measuring the Akt activity, the incubation time for the Akt reactions as well as the kinetic parameters (KM) were examined. Furthermore, the developed method was applied to a PC12 cell system to assess the dynamics of the Akt activity by examining the effectiveness of the RPRAATF peptide substrate under various cytokine-stimulated environments. These results highlight the feasibility of the CE method, which is a simple and reliable technique for determining and characterizing various enzyme reactions particularly kinase enzymes.