Crystal structure of an Aurora-A mutant that mimics Aurora-B bound to MLN8054: insights into selectivity and drug design

The production of selective protein kinase inhibitors is often frustrated by the similarity of the enzyme active sites. For this reason, it is challenging to design inhibitors that discriminate between the three Aurora kinases, which are important targets in cancer drug discovery. We have used a triple-point mutant of Aurora-A (AurA(x3)) which mimics the active site of Aurora-B to investigate the structural basis of MLN8054 selectivity. The bias toward Aurora-A inhibition by MLN8054 is fully recapitulated by AurAx3 in vitro. X-ray crystal structures of the complex suggest that the basis for the discrimination is electrostatic repulsion due to the T217E substitution, which we have confirmed using a single-point mutant. The activation loop of Aurora-A in the AurA(x3)-MLN8054 complex exhibits an unusual conformation in which Asp(274) and Phe(275) side chains point into the interior of the protein. There is to our knowledge no documented precedent for this conformation, which we have termed DFG-up. The sequence requirements of the DFG-up conformation suggest that it might be accessible to only a fraction of kinases. MLN8054 thus circumvents the problem of highly homologous active sites. Binding of MLN8054 to Aurora-A switches the character of a pocket within the active site from polar to a hydrophobic pocket, similar to what is observed in the structure of Aurora-A bound to a compound that induces DFG-out. We propose that targeting this pocket may be a productive route in the design of selective kinase inhibitors and describe the structural basis for the rational design of these compounds

6-Chloro-3-nitro-N-(propan-2-yl)pyridin-2-amine

There are two mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit mol­ecule of the title compound, C8H10ClN3O2. Intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds stabilize the mol­ecular structure. There are no classical inter­molecular hydrogen bonds in the crystal structure

4-(4-Nitro­benz­yl)morpholine

In the title compound, C11H14N2O3, an inter­molecular inter­action between a nitro group O atom and a neighboring benzene ring helps to stabilize the crystal structure [N⋯centroid = 3.933 (2) Å]. No classical hydrogen bonds are observed in the crystal packing

6-Bromo-3-methyl-2-phenyl-3H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine

The two fused five- and six-membered rings building the mol­ecule of the title compound, C13H10BrN3, are approximately planar, the largest deviation from the mean plane being 0.004 (2) Å. The dihedral angle between the imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine mean plane and that of the phenyl ring is 41.84 (11)°. The structure is held together by slipped π–π stacking between symmetry-related mol­ecules, with an inter­planar distance of 3.583 (1) Å and a centroid–centroid vector of 3.670 (2) Å

1-Acetyl-6-bromo-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2(3H)-one

The two fused five- and six-membered rings in the mol­ecule of the title compound, C8H6BrN3O2, are approximately coplanar, the largest deviation from the mean plane being 0.011 (3) Å at the NH atom. The acetyl group is slightly twisted with respect to the imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine system, making a dihedral angle of 2.7 (2)°. In the crystal, adjacent mol­ecules are linked by inter­molecular N—H⋯N and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming infinite chains

3-[(1-Benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-5-yl)meth­yl]-6-bromo-2-phenyl-3H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine

There are two crystallographically independent mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit of the title compound, C22H17BrN6. The dihedral angles between the imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine mean plane and the phenyl rings are 20.4 (2) and 24.0 (2)° in the two mol­ecules. The orientation of triazoles compared to the imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine system is almost the same in both mol­ecules, with dihedral angles of 64.2 (2) and 65.1 (2)°. However, the main difference between the two mol­ecules lies in the arrangement of the phenyl groups compared to imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine in each mol­ecule. Indeed, in the first mol­ecule the dihedral angle between the plane of the phenyl ring and that of the imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine system is 67.7 (2)°, while in the second mol­ecule the plane of the phenyl ring is almost perpendicular to that of the imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine system with a dihedral angle of 86.0 (2)°

Dynamic equilibrium of the Aurora-A kinase activation loop revealed by single molecule spectroscopy

The conformation of the activation loop (T-loop) of protein kinases underlies enzymatic activity and influences the binding of small-molecule inhibitors. By using single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy, we have determined that phosphorylated Aurora A kinase is in dynamic equilibrium between a DFG-in-like active T-loop conformation and a DFG-out-like inactive conformation, and have measured the rate constants of interconversion. Addition of the Aurora A activating protein TPX2 shifts the equilibrium towards an active T-loop conformation whereas addition of the inhibitors MLN8054 and CD532 favors an inactive T-loop. We show that Aurora A binds TPX2 and MLN8054 simultaneously and provide a new model for kinase conformational behavior. Our approach will enable conformation-specific effects to be integrated into inhibitor discovery across the kinome, and we outline some immediate consequences for structure-based drug discovery

HIPK2 and extrachromosomal histone H2B are separately recruited by Aurora-B for cytokinesis

Cytokinesis, the final phase of cell division, is necessary to form two distinct daughter cells with correct distribution of genomic and cytoplasmic materials. Its failure provokes genetically unstable states, such as tetraploidization and polyploidization, which can contribute to tumorigenesis. Aurora-B kinase controls multiple cytokinetic events, from chromosome condensation to abscission when the midbody is severed. We have previously shown that HIPK2, a kinase involved in DNA damage response and development, localizes at the midbody and contributes to abscission by phosphorylating extrachromosomal histone H2B at Ser14. Of relevance, HIPK2-defective cells do not phosphorylate H2B and do not successfully complete cytokinesis leading to accumulation of binucleated cells, chromosomal instability, and increased tumorigenicity. However, how HIPK2 and H2B are recruited to the midbody during cytokinesis is still unknown. Here, we show that regardless of their direct (H2B) and indirect (HIPK2) binding of chromosomal DNA, both H2B and HIPK2 localize at the midbody independently of nucleic acids. Instead, by using mitotic kinase-specific inhibitors in a spatio-temporal regulated manner, we found that Aurora-B kinase activity is required to recruit both HIPK2 and H2B to the midbody. Molecular characterization showed that Aurora-B directly binds and phosphorylates H2B at Ser32 while indirectly recruits HIPK2 through the central spindle components MgcRacGAP and PRC1. Thus, among different cytokinetic functions, Aurora-B separately recruits HIPK2 and H2B to the midbody and these activities contribute to faithful cytokinesis

Aurora kinase A drives the evolution of resistance to third-generation EGFR inhibitors in lung cancer.

Although targeted therapies often elicit profound initial patient responses, these effects are transient due to residual disease leading to acquired resistance. How tumors transition between drug responsiveness, tolerance and resistance, especially in the absence of preexisting subclones, remains unclear. In epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant lung adenocarcinoma cells, we demonstrate that residual disease and acquired resistance in response to EGFR inhibitors requires Aurora kinase A (AURKA) activity. Nongenetic resistance through the activation of AURKA by its coactivator TPX2 emerges in response to chronic EGFR inhibition where it mitigates drug-induced apoptosis. Aurora kinase inhibitors suppress this adaptive survival program, increasing the magnitude and duration of EGFR inhibitor response in preclinical models. Treatment-induced activation of AURKA is associated with resistance to EGFR inhibitors in vitro, in vivo and in most individuals with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma. These findings delineate a molecular path whereby drug resistance emerges from drug-tolerant cells and unveils a synthetic lethal strategy for enhancing responses to EGFR inhibitors by suppressing AURKA-driven residual disease and acquired resistance

Metabolism of the dual FLT-3/Aurora kinase inhibitor CCT241736 in preclinical and human in vitro models: Implication for the choice of toxicology species.

CCT241736 is a dual fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3)/Aurora kinase inhibitor in development for the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia. The successful development of any new drug relies on adequate safety testing including preclinical toxicology studies. Selection of an appropriate preclinical species requires a thorough understanding of the compound's metabolic clearance and pathways, as well as other pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic considerations. In addition, elucidation of the metabolising enzymes in human facilitates improved clinical prediction based on population pharmacokinetics and can inform drug-drug interaction studies. Intrinsic clearance (CLint) determination and metabolite profiling of CCT241736 in human and four preclinical species (dog, minipig, rat and mouse) was undertaken in cryopreserved hepatocytes and liver microsomes. Recombinant human cytochrome P450 bactosomes (rCYP) were utilised to provide reaction phenotyping data and support prediction of metabolic pathways. CCT241736 exhibited low CLint in both hepatocytes and liver microsomes of human, dog, minipig and rat, but considerably higher CLint in mouse. CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 were identified as the major enzymes responsible for biotransformation of CCT241736 in human, exclusively forming five out of seven metabolites. Minipig showed greatest similarity to human with regard to both overall metabolic profile and abundance of specific metabolites relative to parent compound, and is therefore proposed as the most appropriate toxicological species. The greatest disparity was observed between human and dog. Based on metabolic profile, either mouse or rat is a suitable rodent species for toxicology studies