Small Molecule Screening Strategies from Lead Identification to Validation.

ARTICLES DISCUSSED: Festa, F., Labaer, J. Kinase inhibitor screening in self-assembled human protein microarrays. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 152, e59886 (2019). Stockman, B. J. et al. NMR-Based activity assays for determining compound inhibition, IC50 values, artifactual activity, and whole-cell activity of nucleoside ribohydrolases. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 148, e59928 (2019). Gao, S. et al. A high-throughput assay for the prediction of chemical toxicity by automated phenotypic profiling of Caenorhabditis elegans. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 145, e59082 (2019). Axelsson, H., Almqvist, H., Seashore-Ludlow, B. Using high content imaging to quantify target engagement in adherent cells. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 141, e58670 (2018). Chorba, J. S., Galvan, A. M., Shokat, K. M. A high-throughput luciferase assay to evaluate proteolysis of the single-turnover protease PCSK9. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 138, e58265 (2018). Sullivan, C. et al. Using zebrafish models of human influenza A virus infections to screen antiviral drugs and characterize host immune cell responses. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 119, e55235 (2017). Tiemann, K., Garri, C., Wang, J., Clarke, L., Kani, K. Assessment of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors by an interrogation of signal transduction pathways by antibody arrays. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 139, e57779 (2018). Radnai, L., Stremel, R. F., Sellers, J. R., Rumbaugh, G., Miller, C. A. A semi-high-throughput adaptation of the NADH-coupled ATPase assay for screening small molecule inhibitors. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 150, e60017 (2019). Nandha Premnath, P., Craig, S., McInnes, C. Development of inhibitors of protein-protein interactions through REPLACE: Application to the design and development non-ATP competitive CDK inhibitors. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 104, e52441 (2015). Chen, E. W., Ke, C. Y., Brzostek, J., Gascoigne, N. R. J., Rybakin, V. Identification of mediators of T-cell receptor signaling via the screening of chemical inhibitor libraries. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 143, e58946 (2019). Takakusagi, Y. Biosensor-based high throughput biopanning and bioinformatics analysis strategy for the global validation of drug-protein interactions. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 166, e61873 (2020). Riching, K. M., Mahan, S. D., Urh, M., Daniels, D. L. High-Throughput cellular profiling of targeted protein degradation compounds using HiBiT CRISPR cell lines. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 165, e61787 (2020).

Target 2035 - update on the quest for a probe for every protein.

Twenty years after the publication of the first draft of the human genome, our knowledge of the human proteome is still fragmented. The challenge of translating the wealth of new knowledge from genomics into new medicines is that proteins, and not genes, are the primary executers of biological function. Therefore, much of how biology works in health and disease must be understood through the lens of protein function. Accordingly, a subset of human proteins has been at the heart of research interests of scientists over the centuries, and we have accumulated varying degrees of knowledge about approximately 65% of the human proteome. Nevertheless, a large proportion of proteins in the human proteome (∼35%) remains uncharacterized, and less than 5% of the human proteome has been successfully targeted for drug discovery. This highlights the profound disconnect between our abilities to obtain genetic information and subsequent development of effective medicines. Target 2035 is an international federation of biomedical scientists from the public and private sectors, which aims to address this gap by developing and applying new technologies to create by year 2035 chemogenomic libraries, chemical probes, and/or biological probes for the entire human proteome.

Fragment-based covalent ligand discovery.

Targeted covalent inhibitors have regained widespread attention in drug discovery and have emerged as powerful tools for basic biomedical research. Fueled by considerable improvements in mass spectrometry sensitivity and sample processing, chemoproteomic strategies have revealed thousands of proteins that can be covalently modified by reactive small molecules. Fragment-based drug discovery, which has traditionally been used in a target-centric fashion, is now being deployed on a proteome-wide scale thereby expanding its utility to both the discovery of novel covalent ligands and their cognate protein targets. This powerful approach is allowing 'high-throughput' serendipitous discovery of cryptic pockets leading to the identification of pharmacological modulators of proteins previously viewed as "undruggable". The reactive fragment toolkit has been enabled by recent advances in the development of new chemistries that target residues other than cysteine including lysine and tyrosine. Here, we review the emerging area of covalent fragment-based ligand discovery, which integrates the benefits of covalent targeting and fragment-based medicinal chemistry. We discuss how the two strategies synergize to facilitate the efficient discovery of new pharmacological modulators of established and new therapeutic target proteins.

Correction: Fragment-based covalent ligand discovery.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D0CB00222D.].

Critical Assessment of Targeted Protein Degradation as a Research Tool and Pharmacological Modality.

Small molecules continue to dominate drug discovery because of their ease of use, lower cost of manufacturing, and access to intracellular targets. However, despite these advantages, small molecules are more likely to fail in clinical trials compared with biologicals and their development remains limited to a small subset of disease-relevant 'druggable' targets. Targeted protein degradation has recently emerged as a novel pharmacological modality that promises to overcome small molecule limitations whilst retaining their key advantages. Here, we use a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) framework to critically assess the current status of this rapidly evolving field. We expect that degrader molecules are only the beginning of a range of novel targeting modalities that hijack existing endogenous cellular machineries to chemically redirect biological targets and pathways. Therefore, this piece may offer a roadmap for enhancing development of both degraders and related modalities.

Exploring Targeted Degradation Strategy for Oncogenic KRASG12C.

KRAS is the most frequently mutated oncogene found in pancreatic, colorectal, and lung cancers. Although it has been challenging to identify targeted therapies for cancers harboring KRAS mutations, KRASG12C can be targeted by small-molecule inhibitors that form covalent bonds with cysteine 12 (C12). Here, we designed a library of C12-directed covalent degrader molecules (PROTACs) and subjected them to a rigorous evaluation process to rapidly identify a lead compound. Our lead degrader successfully engaged CRBN in cells, bound KRASG12Cin vitro, induced CRBN/KRASG12C dimerization, and degraded GFP-KRASG12C in reporter cells in a CRBN-dependent manner. However, it failed to degrade endogenous KRASG12C in pancreatic and lung cancer cells. Our data suggest that inability of the lead degrader to effectively poly-ubiquitinate endogenous KRASG12C underlies the lack of activity. We discuss challenges for achieving targeted KRASG12C degradation and proposed several possible solutions which may lead to efficient degradation of endogenous KRASG12C.

Recent Advances in Selective and Irreversible Covalent Ligand Development and Validation.

Some of the most widely used drugs, such as aspirin and penicillin, are covalent drugs. Covalent binding can improve potency, selectivity, and duration of the effects, but the intrinsic reactivity represents a potential liability and may result in idiosyncratic toxicity. For decades, the cons were believed to outweigh the pros, and covalent targeting was deprioritized in drug discovery. Recently, several covalent inhibitors have been approved for cancer treatment, thus rebooting the field. In this review, we briefly reflect on the history of selective covalent targeting, and provide a comprehensive overview of emerging developments from a chemical biology stand-point. Our discussion will reflect on efforts to validate irreversible covalent ligands, expand the scope of targets, and discover new ligands and warheads. We conclude with a brief commentary of remaining limitations and emerging opportunities in selective covalent targeting.

From Glioblastoma to Hepatitis C: It's a Metabolism Thing.

Every month the editors of Cell Chemical Biology bring you highlights of the most recent chemical biology literature. Our November 2016 selection includes the discovery that cholesterol supply is a weak link in glioblastoma metabolism and the finding that nuclear hormone receptors are in the center of the complicated relationship we have with the hepatitis C virus.

RAF Inhibitors, Fishing Bacterial Transporters Out of Metagenomes, and Yeast-Based, Industrial Scale Production of Isoprenoids.

Every month the editors of Cell Chemical Biology bring you highlights of the most recent chemical biology literature. Our October 2016 selection includes systematic structural, biochemical, and cellular characterization of B-RAF inhibitors; connecting bacterial transporters with their physiologically relevant ligands; and rewiring yeast metabolism for industrial scale production of isoprenoids.

Biasing Opioid Receptors and Cholesterol as a Player in Developmental Biology.

Every month the editors of Cell Chemical Biology bring you highlights of the most recent chemical biology literature. Our September 2016 selection includes the discovery of PZM21, a µOR biased agonist with minimal side effects, and the role of cholesterol in Hedgehog signaling pathway.

Stem Cell Hydrogel, Jump-Starting Zika Drug Discovery, and Engineering RNA Recognition.

Every month the editors of Cell Chemical Biology bring you highlights of the most recent chemical biology literature that impressed them with creativity and potential for follow up work. Our August 2016 selection includes a description of hydrogels with self-tunable stiffness that are used to profile lipid metabolites during stems cell differentiation, a look at whether we can find a drug repurposing solution to Zika virus infection, and an engineered RNA recognition motif (RRM).