Allosterische Kinaseinhibitoren

Background. Inhibition of the kinase activity of the BCR-ABL1 oncoprotein by an allosteric mechanism of action facilitates alternative treatment options for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients who cannot be adequately treated with conventional catalytic site-directed tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). Objectives. Pathophysiologic role of the BCR-ABL1 oncogene, mechanisms of action of catalytic site-directed TKI, clinical need for new therapies in BCR-ABL1 positive leukemias, mechanism of allosteric inhibition, development of the first clinically applicable allosteric ABL inhibitor ABL001 (asciminib), preclinical data, clinical development. Methods. Mechanistic and preclinical studies published to date and clinical results of the initial phase 1 dose escalation trial are summarized. Result. ABL001 is a potent, highly selective inhibitor of BCR-ABL, with a resistance profile distinct from that of ATP-competitive TKI. In murine models, combination studies demonstrate pronounced antileukemic efficacy with complete and sustained leukemia regression and confirmation of the non-overlapping mechanisms of resistance. In the first phase 1 study in humans, ABL001 exhibits rapid antileukemic activity and appears well tolerated to date in a heavily pretreated subgroup of patients with CML. Conclusions. Proof of principle of the effectiveness of allosteric inhibition of BCR-ABL kinase activity with ABL001 as the first-in-class compound holds promise as a novel therapeutic option for treatment of CML patients who respond insufficiently to or are intolerant of conventional TKI, and may contribute to further improving treatment of CML

Structure, regulation, signaling, and targeting of abl kinases in cancer

Abl kinases are prototypic cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases and are involved in a variety of chromosomal aberrations in different cancers. This causes the expression of Abl fusion proteins, such as Bcr-Abl, that are constitutively activated and drivers of tumorigenesis. Over the past decades, biochemical and functional studies on the molecular mechanisms of Abl regulation have gone hand in hand with progression of our structural understanding of autoinhibited and active Abl conformations. In parallel, Abl oncoproteins have become prime molecular targets for cancer therapy, using adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-competitive kinase inhibitors, such as imatinib. Abl-targeting drugs serve as a paradigm for our understanding of kinase inhibitor action, specificity, and resistance development. In this review article, I will review the molecular mechanisms that are responsible for the regulation of Abl kinase activity and how oncogenic Abl fusions signal. Furthermore, past and ongoing efforts to target Abl oncoproteins using ATP-competitive and allosteric inhibitors, as well as future possibilities using combination therapy, will be discussed

The structure of the leukemia drug imatinib bound to human quinone reductase 2 (NQO2)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Imatinib represents the first in a class of drugs targeted against chronic myelogenous leukemia to enter the clinic, showing excellent efficacy and specificity for Abl, Kit, and PDGFR kinases. Recent screens carried out to find off-target proteins that bind to imatinib identified the oxidoreductase NQO2, a flavoprotein that is phosphorylated in a chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We examined the inhibition of NQO2 activity by the Abl kinase inhibitors imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib, and obtained IC₅₀values of 80 nM, 380 nM, and >100 μM, respectively. Using electronic absorption spectroscopy, we show that imatinib binding results in a perturbation of the protein environment around the flavin prosthetic group in NQO2. We have determined the crystal structure of the complex of imatinib with human NQO2 at 1.75 Å resolution, which reveals that imatinib binds in the enzyme active site, adjacent to the flavin isoalloxazine ring. We find that phosphorylation of NQO2 has little effect on enzyme activity and is therefore likely to regulate other aspects of NQO2 function.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The structure of the imatinib-NQO2 complex demonstrates that imatinib inhibits NQO2 activity by competing with substrate for the active site. The overall conformation of imatinib when bound to NQO2 resembles the folded conformation observed in some kinase complexes. Interactions made by imatinib with residues at the rim of the active site provide an explanation for the binding selectivity of NQO2 for imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib. These interactions also provide a rationale for the lack of inhibition of the related oxidoreductase NQO1 by these compounds. Taken together, these studies provide insight into the mechanism of NQO2 inhibition by imatinib, with potential implications for drug design and treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia in patients.</p

Targeted protein degradation through cytosolic delivery of monobody binders using bacterial toxins

Monobodies are small engineered binding proteins that, upon expression in cells, can inhibit signaling of cytosolic oncoproteins with outstanding selectivity. Efficacy may be further increased by inducing degradation of monobody targets through fusion to the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) substrate receptor of the Cullin2-E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. However, potential therapeutic use is currently limited, because of the inability of monobody proteins to cross cellular membranes. Here, we use a chimeric bacterial toxin, composed of the Shiga-like toxin B (Stx2B) subunit and the translocation domain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A (ETA-II) for delivery of VHL-monobody protein fusions to target endogenous tyrosine kinases in cancer cells. Depending on the expression of the Stx2B receptor Gb3 on the cell surface, we show that monobodies are taken up by an endocytic route, but are not degraded in lysosomes. Delivery of monobodies fused to a nuclear localization signal resulted in accumulation in the nucleus, thereby indirectly, but unequivocally, demonstrating cytosolic delivery. Delivery of VHL fused to monobodies targeting the Lck tyrosine kinase in T-cells resulted in reduced Lck protein levels, which was dependent on the expression of Gb3. This led to the inhibition of proximal signaling events downstream of the T-cell receptor complex. This work provides a prime example of the delivery of a stoichiometric protein inhibitor of an endogenous target protein to cells and inducing its degradation without the need of genetic manipulation of target cells. It lays the foundation for further in vivo exploitation of this delivery system

c-Abl phosphorylates α-synuclein and regulates its degradation: implication for α-synuclein clearance and contribution to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease

Increasing evidence suggests that the c-Abl protein tyrosine kinase could play a role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. c-Abl has been shown to regulate the degradation of two proteins implicated in the pathogenesis of PD, parkin and α-synuclein (α-syn). The inhibition of parkin's neuroprotective functions is regulated by c-Abl-mediated phosphorylation of parkin. However, the molecular mechanisms by which c-Abl activity regulates α-syn toxicity and clearance remain unknown. Herein, using NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, in vitro enzymatic assays and cell-based studies, we established that α-syn is a bona fide substrate for c-Abl. In vitro studies demonstrate that c-Abl directly interacts with α-syn and catalyzes its phosphorylation mainly at tyrosine 39 (pY39) and to a lesser extent at tyrosine 125 (pY125). Analysis of human brain tissues showed that pY39 α-syn is detected in the brains of healthy individuals and those with PD. However, only c-Abl protein levels were found to be upregulated in PD brains. Interestingly, nilotinib, a specific inhibitor of c-Abl kinase activity, induces α-syn protein degradation via the autophagy and proteasome pathways, whereas the overexpression of α-syn in the rat midbrains enhances c-Abl expression. Together, these data suggest that changes in c-Abl expression, activation and/or c-Abl-mediated phosphorylation of Y39 play a role in regulating α-syn clearance and contribute to the pathogenesis of P

NUP214-ABL1 mediated cell proliferation in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is dependent on the LCK kinase and various interacting proteins

The NUP214-ABL1 fusion protein is a constitutively active protein tyrosine kinase that is found in 6% of patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and that promotes proliferation and survival of T-lymphoblasts. Although NUP214-ABL1 is sensitive to ABL1 kinase inhibitors, development of resistance to these compounds is a major clinical problem, underlining the need for additional drug targets in the sparsely studied NUP214-ABL1 signaling network. In this work, we identify and validate the SRC family kinase LCK as a protein whose activity is absolutely required for the proliferation and survival of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells that depend on NUP214-ABL1 activity. These findings underscore the potential of SRC kinase inhibitors and of the dual ABL/SRC kinase inhibitors dasatinib and bosutinib for treating of NUP214-ABL1 positive T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In addition, we used mass spectrometry to identify protein interaction partners of NUP214-ABL1. Our results strongly support that the signaling network of NUP214-ABL1 is distinct from that previously reported for BCR-ABL1. Moreover, we identify three NUP214-ABL1 interacting proteins, MAD2L1, NUP155, and SMC4, as strictly required for the proliferation and survival of NUP214-ABL1 positive T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. In conclusion, this work identifies LCK, MAD2L1, NUP155 and SMC4 as four new potential drug targets in NUP214-ABL1 positive T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia