Degradation by Design: New Cyclin K Degraders from Old CDK Inhibitors.

Small molecules that induce protein degradation hold the potential to overcome several limitations of the currently available inhibitors. Monovalent or molecular glue degraders, in particular, enable the benefits of protein degradation without the disadvantages of high molecular weight and the resulting challenge in drug development that are associated with bivalent molecules like Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras. One key challenge in designing monovalent degraders is how to build in the degrader activity─how can we convert an inhibitor into a degrader? If degradation activity requires very specific molecular features, it will be difficult to find new degraders and challenging to optimize those degraders toward drugs. Herein, we demonstrate that an unexpectedly wide range of modifications to the degradation-inducing group of the cyclin K degrader CR8 are tolerated, including both aromatic and nonaromatic groups. We used these findings to convert the pan-CDK inhibitors dinaciclib and AT-7519 to Cyclin K degraders, leading to a novel dinaciclib-based compound with improved degradation activity compared to CR8 and confirm the mechanism of degradation. These results suggest that general design principles can be generated for the development and optimization of monovalent degraders.

Oxygen induction of a novel fatty acid n-6 desaturase in the soil protozoon, Acanthamoeba castellanii.

Induction of fatty acid desaturation is very important for the temperature adaptation of poikilotherms. However, in oxygen-limited late-exponential-phase Acanthamoeba castellanii cultures, oxygen alone was able to induce increased activity of a fatty acid desaturase that converts oleate into linoleate and which has been implicated in the temperature adaptation of this organism. Experiments with Delta(10)-nonadecenoate showed that the enzyme is an n -6 desaturase rather than a Delta(12)-desaturase. It also used preferentially 1-acyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine as substrate and NAD(P)H as electron donor. The involvement of cytochrome b (5) as an intermediate electron carrier was shown by difference spectra measurements and anti-(cytochrome b (5)) antibody experiments. Of the three protein components of the desaturase complex, oxygen only increased the activity of the terminal (cyanide-sensitive) protein during n -6 desaturase induction. The induction of this terminal protein paralleled well the increase in overall oleate n -6 desaturation. The ability of oxygen to induce oleate desaturase independently of temperature in this lower eukaryotic animal model is of novel intrinsic interest, as well as being important for the design of future experiments to determine the molecular mechanism of temperature adaptation in poikilotherms.

Direct interface of chemistry to microbiological systems: membrane inlet mass spectrometry.

Direct measurement of dissolved gases and low molecular weight volatiles through permeable membranes (e.g. 50-microm-thick silicone rubber), provides an invaluable tool for the investigation of the activities of microorganisms in the laboratory and in their natural environments. Multiple molecular species are monitored at a single point. Fast response times (t(90%)<1 min) and long-term stability, (<1% week(-1)); high specificity and high sensitivity (e.g. 0.2 microM for O(2), <0.5 mM for ethanol), provides a technique that can provide information on the kinetics of processes over many decades (10(0)-10(6)) of minutes. Spatial resolution of <1 mm enables 3D mapping of gases in complex ecosystems (sediments, peat, soils, biofilms, foodstuffs). Results with membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) when used in conjunction with confocal scanning laser microscopy, provides a powerful approach to the analysis of kinetic and spatial aspects of natural environments. Examples discussed are peat cores and cheese.