Stereoselective synthesis of the diazonamide a macrocyclic core.

Stereoselective synthesis of the right-hand heteroaromatic macrocycle of diazonamide A features C16-C18 bond formation in the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling and atropodiastereoselective Dieckmann-type macrocyclization as key steps. The Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling gave the best yields when it was catalyzed by a palladium-dioxygen complex.

Pharmacology and antitumor activity of a quinolinedione Cdc25 phosphatase inhibitor DA3003-1 (NSC 663284).

Cdc25 protein phosphatases are regulators of cyclin-dependent kinases and are often highly expressed in human malignancies. Few small molecule inhibitors of the Cdc25 phosphatase family have been identified and little is known about their disposition, metabolism or efficacy in xenograft models. In this study, the efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism of a potent quinolinedione Cdc25 phosphatase inhibitor, DA3003-1, in mice was examined. DA3003-1 inhibited the growth of subcutaneous human colon HT29 xenografts in SCID mice. After a single i.v. dose of 5 mg/kg, DA3003-1 was not detectable in plasma or tissues beyond 5 min. In vitro studies showed that DA3003-1 was rapidly dechlorinated and conjugated to glutathione. Following DA3003-1 treatment of tumor-bearing SCID mice, reduced glutathione concentrations in HT29 tumor were decreased to a greater extent and remained decreased for longer than the reduced glutathione concentrations in liver and kidneys. These studies suggest that the minimal antitumor activity of DA3003-1 in mice may be due to its rapid metabolism.

Independent mechanistic inhibition of cdc25 phosphatases by a natural product caulibugulone.

Caulibugulones are novel but poorly characterized cytotoxic isoquinoline quinones and iminoquinones identified in extracts from the marine bryozoan Caulibugula intermis. We now report that the caulibugulones are selective in vitro inhibitors of the Cdc25 family of cell cycle-controlling protein phosphatases compared with either human vaccinia H1-related phosphatase (VHR) or tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B). The in vitro inhibition of Cdc25B by caulibugulone A was irreversible and attenuated by reducing agents or catalase, consistent with direct oxidation of the enzyme by reactive oxygen species. Mechanistically, caulibugulone A directly inhibited cellular Cdc25B activity, generated intracellular reactive oxygen species and arrested cells in both G1 and G2/M phases of the cell cycle. Caulibugulone A also caused the selective degradation of Cdc25A protein by a process that was independent of reactive oxygen species production, proteasome activity, and the Chk1 signaling pathway. Instead, caulibugulone A stimulated the phosphorylation and subsequent activation of p38 stress kinase, leading to Cdc25A degradation. Thus, caulibugulone inhibition of cellular Cdc25A and B phosphatases occurred through at least two different mechanisms, leading to pronounced cell cycle arrest.

Redox regulation of Cdc25B by cell-active quinolinediones.

Intracellular reduction and oxidation pathways regulate protein functionality through both reversible and irreversible mechanisms. The Cdc25 phosphatases, which control cell cycle progression, are potential subjects of oxidative regulation. Many of the more potent Cdc25 phosphatase inhibitors reported to date are quinones, which are capable of redox cycling. Therefore, we used the previously characterized quinolinedione Cdc25 inhibitor DA3003-1 [NSC 663284 or 6-chloro-7-(2-morpholin-4-yl-ethylamino)-quinoline-5,8-dione] and a newly synthesized congener JUN1111 [7-(2-morpholin-4-yl-ethylamino)-quinoline-5,8-dione] to test the hypothesis that quinone inhibitors of Cdc25 regulate phosphatase activity through redox mechanisms. Like DA3003-1, JUN1111 selectively inhibited Cdc25 phosphatases in vitro in an irreversible, time-dependent manner and arrested cells in the G1 and G2/M phases of the cell cycle. It is noteworthy that both DA3003-1 and JUN1111 directly inhibited Cdc25B activity in cells. Depletion of glutathione increased cellular sensitivity to DA3003-1 and JUN1111, and in vitro Cdc25B inhibition by these compounds was sensitive to pH, catalase, and reductants (dithiothreitol and glutathione), consistent with oxidative inactivation. In addition, both DA3003-1 and JUN1111 rapidly generated intracellular reactive oxygen species. Analysis of Cdc25B by mass spectrometry revealed sulfonic acid formation on the catalytic cysteine of Cdc25B after in vitro treatment with DA3003-1. These results indicate that irreversible oxidation of the catalytic cysteine of Cdc25B is indeed a mechanism by which these quinolinediones inactivate this protein phosphatase.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of caulibugulones A-E.

The marine bryozoan metabolites caulibugulone A-E were prepared from a readily available isoquinoline dione. These natural products were found to be potent and selective inhibitors of the dual specificity phosphatase Cdc25B.

Identification of a potent and selective pharmacophore for Cdc25 dual specificity phosphatase inhibitors.

Small molecules provide powerful tools to interrogate biological pathways but many important pathway participants remain refractory to inhibitors. For example, Cdc25 dual-specificity phosphatases regulate mammalian cell cycle progression and are implicated in oncogenesis, but potent and selective inhibitors are lacking for this enzyme class. Thus, we evaluated 10,070 compounds in a publicly available chemical repository of the National Cancer Institute for in vitro inhibitory activity against oncogenic, full-length, recombinant human Cdc25B. Twenty-one compounds had mean inhibitory concentrations of <1 microM; >75% were quinones and >40% were of the para-naphthoquinone structural type. Most notable was NSC 95397 (2,3-bis-[2-hydroxyethylsulfanyl]-[1,4]naphthoquinone), which displayed mixed inhibition kinetics with in vitro K(i) values for Cdc25A, -B, and -C of 32, 96, and 40 nM, respectively. NSC 95397 was more potent than any inhibitor of dual specificity phosphatases described previously and 125- to 180-fold more selective for Cdc25A than VH1-related dual-specificity phosphatase or protein tyrosine phosphatase 1b, respectively. Modification of the bis-thioethanol moiety markedly decreased enzyme inhibitory activity, indicating its importance for bioactivity. NSC 95397 showed significant growth inhibition against human and murine carcinoma cells and blocked G(2)/M phase transition. A potential Cdc25 site of interaction was postulated based on molecular modeling with these quinones. We propose that inhibitors based on this chemical structure could serve as useful tools to probe the biological function of Cdc25.