Fragment growing and linking lead to novel nanomolar lactate dehydrogenase inhibitors.

Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDH-A) catalyzes the interconversion of lactate and pyruvate in the glycolysis pathway. Cancer cells rely heavily on glycolysis instead of oxidative phosphorylation to generate ATP, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. The inhibition of LDH-A by small molecules is therefore of interest for potential cancer treatments. We describe the identification and optimization of LDH-A inhibitors by fragment-based drug discovery. We applied ligand based NMR screening to identify low affinity fragments binding to LDH-A. The dissociation constants (K(d)) and enzyme inhibition (IC(50)) of fragment hits were measured by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and enzyme assays, respectively. The binding modes of selected fragments were investigated by X-ray crystallography. Fragment growing and linking, followed by chemical optimization, resulted in nanomolar LDH-A inhibitors that demonstrated stoichiometric binding to LDH-A. Selected molecules inhibited lactate production in cells, suggesting target-specific inhibition in cancer cell lines.

Discovery of 5-(arenethynyl) hetero-monocyclic derivatives as potent inhibitors of BCR-ABL including the T315I gatekeeper mutant.

Ponatinib (AP24534) was previously identified as a pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor that potently inhibits the T315I gatekeeper mutant, and has advanced into clinical development for the treatment of refractory or resistant CML. In this study, we explored a novel series of five and six membered monocycles as alternate hinge-binding templates to replace the 6,5-fused imidazopyridazine core of ponatinib. Like ponatinib, these monocycles are tethered to pendant toluanilides via an ethynyl linker. Several compounds in this series displayed excellent in vitro potency against both native BCR-ABL and the T315I mutant. Notably, a subset of inhibitors exhibited desirable PK and were orally active in a mouse model of T315I-driven CML.

Structural mechanism of the Pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor ponatinib (AP24534): lessons for overcoming kinase inhibitor resistance.

The BCR-ABL inhibitor imatinib has revolutionized the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. However, drug resistance caused by kinase domain mutations has necessitated the development of new mutation-resistant inhibitors, most recently against the T315I gatekeeper residue mutation. Ponatinib (AP24534) inhibits both native and mutant BCR-ABL, including T315I, acting as a pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor. Here, we undertook a combined crystallographic and structure-activity relationship analysis on ponatinib to understand this unique profile. While the ethynyl linker is a key inhibitor functionality that interacts with the gatekeeper, virtually all other components of ponatinib play an essential role in its T315I inhibitory activity. The extensive network of optimized molecular contacts found in the DFG-out binding mode leads to high potency and renders binding less susceptible to disruption by single point mutations. The inhibitory mechanism exemplified by ponatinib may have broad relevance to designing inhibitors against other kinases with mutated gatekeeper residues.

Discovery of 3-[2-(imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazin-3-yl)ethynyl]-4-methyl-N-{4-[(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)methyl]-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl}benzamide (AP24534), a potent, orally active pan-inhibitor of breakpoint cluster region-abelson (BCR-ABL) kinase including the T315I gatekeeper mutant.

In the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with BCR-ABL kinase inhibitors, the T315I gatekeeper mutant has emerged as resistant to all currently approved agents. This report describes the structure-guided design of a novel series of potent pan-inhibitors of BCR-ABL, including the T315I mutation. A key structural feature is the carbon-carbon triple bond linker which skirts the increased bulk of Ile315 side chain. Extensive SAR studies led to the discovery of development candidate 20g (AP24534), which inhibited the kinase activity of both native BCR-ABL and the T315I mutant with low nM IC(50)s, and potently inhibited proliferation of corresponding Ba/F3-derived cell lines. Daily oral administration of 20g significantly prolonged survival of mice injected intravenously with BCR-ABL(T315I) expressing Ba/F3 cells. These data, coupled with a favorable ADME profile, support the potential of 20g to be an effective treatment for CML, including patients refractory to all currently approved therapies.

Structural analysis of DFG-in and DFG-out dual Src-Abl inhibitors sharing a common vinyl purine template.

Bcr-Abl is the oncogenic protein tyrosine kinase responsible for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Treatment of the disease with imatinib (Gleevec) often results in drug resistance via kinase mutations at the advanced phases of the disease, which has necessitated the development of new mutation-resistant inhibitors, notably against the T315I gatekeeper mutation. As part of our efforts to discover such mutation resistant Abl inhibitors, we have focused on optimizing purine template kinase inhibitors, leading to the discovery of potent DFG-in and DFG-out series of Abl inhibitors that are also potent Src inhibitors. Here we present crystal structures of Abl bound by two such inhibitors, based on a common N9-arenyl purine, and that represent both DFG-in and -out binding modes. In each structure the purine template is bound deeply in the adenine pocket and the novel vinyl linker forms a non-classical hydrogen bond to the gatekeeper residue, Thr315. Specific template substitutions promote either a DFG-in or -out binding mode, with the kinase binding site adjusting to optimize molecular recognition. Bcr-Abl T315I mutant kinase is resistant to all currently marketed Abl inhibitors, and is the focus of intense drug discovery efforts. Notably, our DFG-out inhibitor, AP24163, exhibits modest activity against this mutant, illustrating that this kinase mutant can be inhibited by DFG-out class inhibitors. Furthermore our DFG-out inhibitor exhibits dual Src-Abl activity, absent from the prototypical DFG-out inhibitor, imatinib as well as its analog, nilotinib. The data presented here provides structural guidance for the further design of novel potent DFG-out class inhibitors against Src, Abl and Abl T315I mutant kinases.

AP24534, a pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor for chronic myeloid leukemia, potently inhibits the T315I mutant and overcomes mutation-based resistance.

Inhibition of BCR-ABL by imatinib induces durable responses in many patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), but resistance attributable to kinase domain mutations can lead to relapse and a switch to second-line therapy with nilotinib or dasatinib. Despite three approved therapeutic options, the cross-resistant BCR-ABL(T315I) mutation and compound mutants selected on sequential inhibitor therapy remain major clinical challenges. We report design and preclinical evaluation of AP24534, a potent, orally available multitargeted kinase inhibitor active against T315I and other BCR-ABL mutants. AP24534 inhibited all tested BCR-ABL mutants in cellular and biochemical assays, suppressed BCR-ABL(T315I)-driven tumor growth in mice, and completely abrogated resistance in cell-based mutagenesis screens. Our work supports clinical evaluation of AP24534 as a pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor for treatment of CML.

Interfacial basic cluster in annexin V couples phospholipid binding and trimer formation on membrane surfaces.

Annexin V is an abundant eukaryotic protein that binds phospholipid membranes in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. In the present studies, site-directed mutagenesis was combined with x-ray crystallography and solution liposome binding assays to probe the functional role of a cluster of interfacial basic residues in annexin V. Four mutants were investigated: R23E, K27E, R61E, and R149E. All four mutants exhibited a significant reduction in adsorption to phospholipid membranes relative to the wild-type protein, and the R23E mutation was the most deleterious. Crystal structures of wild-type and mutant proteins were similar except for local changes in salt bridges involving basic cluster residues. The combined data indicate that Arg(23) is a major determinant for interfacial phospholipid binding and participates in an intermolecular salt bridge that is key for trimer formation on the membrane surface. Together, crystallographic and solution data provide evidence that the interfacial basic cluster is a locus where trimerization is synergistically coupled to membrane phospholipid binding.