Crystal structure of the mineralocorticoid receptor ligand-binding domain in complex with a potent and selective nonsteroidal blocker, esaxerenone (CS-3150).

Activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) has long been considered a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. It has been reported that the novel MR blocker esaxerenone shows high potency and selectivity for MR in vitro as well as great antihypertensive and renoprotective effects in salt-sensitive hypertensive rats. Here, we determined the cocrystal structure of the MR ligand-binding domain (MR-LBD) with esaxerenone and found that esaxerenone binds to MR-LBD in a unique manner with large side-chain rearrangements, distinct from those of previously published MR antagonists. This structure also displays an antagonist form that has not been observed for MR previously. Such a unique binding mode of esaxerenone provides great insight into the novelty, potency, and selectivity of this novel antihypertensive drug.

Perturbation-Based Proteomic Correlation Profiling as a Target Deconvolution Methodology.

Molecular target identification of small molecules, so-called target deconvolution, is a major obstacle to phenotype-based drug discovery. Here, we developed an approach called perturbation-based proteomic correlation profiling (PPCP) utilizing the correlation between protein quantity and binding activity of compounds under cellular perturbation by gene silencing and successfully identified lanosterol synthase as a molecular target of TGF-ß pathway inhibitor. This PPCP concept was extended to the use of a cell line panel and provides a new option for target deconvolution.

CS-3150, a Novel Nonsteroidal Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist, Shows Preventive and Therapeutic Effects On Renal Injury in Deoxycorticosterone Acetate/Salt-Induced Hypertensive Rats.

The present study was designed to assess both preventive and therapeutic effects of (S)-1-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-4-methyl-N-[4-(methylsulfonyl) phenyl]-5-[2-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl]-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxamide (CS-3150), a novel nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, on renal injury in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)/salt-induced hypertensive rats (DOCA rats). From 7 weeks of age, DOCA was subcutaneously administered once a week for 4 weeks to uninephrectomized rats fed a high-salt diet. In experiment 1, CS-3150 (0.3-3 mg/kg) was orally administered once a day for 4 weeks coincident with DOCA administration. In experiment 2, after establishment of renal injury by 4 weeks of DOCA/salt loading, CS-3150 (3 mg/kg) was orally administered once a day for 4 weeks with or without continuous DOCA administration. In experiment 1, DOCA/salt loading significantly increased systolic blood pressure (SBP), which was prevented by CS-3150 in a dose-dependent manner. Development of renal injury (proteinuria, renal hypertrophy, and histopathological changes in glomeruli and tubule) was also suppressed by CS-3150 with inhibition of mRNA expression of fibrosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress markers. In experiment 2, under continuous DOCA treatment, CS-3150 clearly ameliorated existing renal injury without lowering SBP, indicating that CS-3150 regressed renal injury independent of its antihypertensive action. Moreover, CS-3150 treatment in combination with withdrawal of DOCA showed further therapeutic effect on renal injury accompanied by reduction in SBP. These results demonstrate that CS-3150 not only prevents but also ameliorates hypertension and renal injury in DOCA rats. Therefore, CS-3150 could be a promising agent for the treatment of hypertension and renal disorders, and may have potential to promote regression of renal injury.

CS-3150, a novel non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, prevents hypertension and cardiorenal injury in Dahl salt-sensitive hypertensive rats.

The present study was designed to evaluate the antihypertensive and cardiorenal protective effects of CS-3150, a novel non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, in Dahl salt-sensitive hypertensive rats (DS rats), and to compare the effects with spironolactone and eplerenone. DS rats were fed a control diet (0.3% NaCl) or high salt diet (8% NaCl) from 7 weeks of age. CS-3150 (0.25-2mg/kg), spironolactone (10-100mg/kg) or eplerenone (10-100mg/kg) were orally administered once a day to DS rats fed a high salt diet for 7 weeks. The high salt diet significantly increased systolic blood pressure, which was prevented by treatment with CS-3150 in a dose-dependent manner with no hyperkalemia (>5.5mEq/L). The antihypertensive effect of CS-3150 (0.5mg/kg) was equivalent to that of spironolactone (100mg/kg) and eplerenone (100mg/kg). CS-3150 also suppressed proteinuria and renal hypertrophy induced by the high salt diet. Histopathological examination of kidneys showed that CS-3150 markedly ameliorated glomerulosclerosis, tubular injury and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. In addition, CS-3150 inhibited left ventricular hypertrophy and elevation of plasma brain natriuretic peptide level. In contrast, the cardiorenal protective effects of spironolactone or eplerenone were partial, and the dose-dependency was not clear, especially in eplerenone-treated rats. These results indicate that chronic treatment with CS-3150 exerts antihypertensive and cardiorenal protective effects in a DS hypertensive rat model, and its potency is much superior to that of spironolactone or eplerenone. Thus, CS-3150 could be a promising agent for the treatment of hypertension and cardiorenal disorders.

Characterization and optimization of selective, nonpeptidic inhibitors of cathepsin S with an unprecedented binding mode.

The substrate activity screening (SAS) method, a substrate-based fragment identification and optimization method for the development of enzyme inhibitors, was previously applied to cathepsin S to obtain a novel (2-arylphenoxy)acetaldehyde inhibitor, 2, with a 0.49 microM Ki value (Wood, W. J. L.; Patterson, A. W.; Tsuruoka, H.; Jain, R. K.; Ellman, J. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 15521-15527). In this paper we disclose the X-ray structure of a complex between cathepsin S and inhibitor 2 which reveals an unprecedented binding mode. On the basis of this structure, additional 2-biaryloxy substrates with greatly increased cleavage efficiency were designed. Conversion of the optimized substrates to the corresponding aldehyde inhibitors yielded a low molecular weight (304 Daltons) and potent (9.6 nM) cathepsin S inhibitor that showed from 100- to >1000-fold selectivity relative to cathepsins B, L, and K.

Substrate activity screening: a fragment-based method for the rapid identification of nonpeptidic protease inhibitors.

A new fragment-based method for the rapid development of novel and distinct classes of nonpeptidic protease inhibitors, Substrate Activity Screening (SAS), is described. This method consists of three steps: (1) a library of N-acyl aminocoumarins with diverse, low molecular weight N-acyl groups is screened to identify protease substrates using a simple fluorescence-based assay, (2) the identified N-acyl aminocoumarin substrates are optimized by rapid analogue synthesis and evaluation, and (3) the optimized substrates are converted to inhibitors by direct replacement of the aminocoumarin with known mechanism-based pharmacophores. The SAS method was successfully applied to the cysteine protease cathepsin S, which is implicated in autoimmune diseases. Multiple distinct classes of nonpeptidic substrates were identified upon screening an N-acyl aminocoumarin library. Two of the nonpeptidic substrate classes were optimized to substrates with >8000-fold improvements in cleavage efficiency for each class. Select nonpeptidic substrates were then directly converted to low molecular weight, novel aldehyde inhibitors with nanomolar affinity to cathepsin S. This study demonstrates the unique characteristics and merits of this first substrate-based method for the rapid identification and optimization of weak fragments and provides the framework for the development of completely nonpeptidic inhibitors to many different proteases.

Kinetics and Mechanism of Facile and Selective Dephosphorylation of 2'-Phosphorylated and 2'-Thiophosphorylated Dinucleotides: Neighboring 3'-5' Phosphodiester Promotes 2'-Dephosphorylation.

2'-Phosphorylated and 2'-thiophosphorylated dinucleotides U(2'-p)pU (1) and U(2'-ps)pU (2) were found to undergo facile 2'-specific dephosphorylation at 90 degrees C in neutral aqueous solution to give UpU, and the first-order rate constants of these reactions were determined by HPLC. Particularly, U(2'-ps)pU (2, k = 1.38 +/- 0.4 x 10(-)(3) s(-)(1), t(comp) = 1 h) was cleanly dephosphorylated ca. 100 times more rapidly than U(2'-p)pU (1, k = 1.41 +/- 0.05 x 10(-)(5) s(-)(1), t(comp) = 72 h). Dephosphorylations of 1 and 2 were faster than those of thymidine 3'-phosphate (8) and thymidine 3'-thiophosphate (9), respectively. The kinetic data observed were independent of the 2'- or 3'-position of the phosphate group and the kind of base moiety. The neighboring 3'-5' phosphodiester function most probably promotes the 2'-dephosphorylation efficiently. A branched trimer, U(2'-pU)pU (3), and related compounds having a substituent on the 2'-phosphoryl group, such as U(2'-pp-biotin)pU (4) and U(2'-ps-bimane)pU (5), were rather resistant to hydrolysis. The addition of divalent metal ions (Mg(2+), Mn(2+), Zn(2+), Ca(2+), Co(2+), and Cd(2+)) remarkably decreased the rate of 2'-de(thio)phosphorylation of 1 or 2. Among these metal ions, Zn(2+) most significantly inhibited the dephosphorylation. On the contrary, trivalent metal ions considerably accelerated the 2'-de(thio)phosphorylation of 1 or 2. The mechanism of 2'-dephosphorylation in the presence and absence of various metal ions is also discussed.

Studies on Steric and Electronic Control of 2'-3' Phosphoryl Migration in 2'-Phosphorylated Uridine Derivatives and Its Application to the Synthesis of 2'-Phosphorylated Oligouridylates.

For the synthesis of 2'-phosphorylated oligouridylates by use of new phosphoramidite building units, several masked phosphoryl groups have been examined as 2'-phosphate precursors, which should not be migrated to the 3' position when the 3' hydroxy protecting group must be removed to introduce a phosphoramidite residue into the 3'-position. As a consequence, bis(2-cyano-1,1-dimethylethoxy)thiophosphoryl (BCMETP) was found to be the most suitable 2'-phosphate precursor. This thiophosphoryl group could be introduced into the 2'-hydroxyl of 3',5'-silylated uridine derivative 7 by phosphitylation with bis(2-cyano-1,1-dimethylethoxy)(diethylamino)phosphine followed by sulfurization. Treatment of the 2'-thiophosphorylated product 15 with (HF)(x)().Py in THF gave exclusively the 3',5'-unprotected uridine derivative 16a. Compound 16a was converted to the phosphoramidite unit 22 via a two-step reaction. This building block was used for the solution phase synthesis of U(2'-p)pU (29) and U(2'-ps)pU (30). Both the 2-cyano-1,1-dimethylethyl and 2-cyanoethyl groups were effectively removed from the fully protected derivative 25 by treatment with DBU in the presence of N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide (BSA). The resulting 2'-thiophosphoryl group was successfully converted to a phosphoryl group by iodine treatment to give U(2'-p)pU (29). U(2'-ps)pU (30) was also synthesized by a modified procedure without the iodine treatment. Reaction of 29 with a new biotinylating reagent in aqueous solution in the presence of MgCl(2) gave a biotin-labeled product 35 having a pyrophosphate bridge at the 2' position. Reaction of 30 with monobromobimane gave the 2'-S-alkylated product 33 in aqueous solution. Application of the phosphoramidite unit 22 to the solid phase synthesis using aminopropyl CPG gel gave successfully [U(2'-p)p](n)()U (n = 1, 3, 5). It was found that stability of the succinate linker between the CPG and oligouridylates was unaffected by the treatment with DBU when BSA was present. Several enzymatic properties of the synthetic 2'-phosphorylated and 2'-thiophosphorylated oligouridylates are also described.