Structural bases for the specificity of cholinesterase catalysis and inhibition

International audienceThe availability of a crystal structure and comparative sequences of the cholinesterases has provided templates suitable for analyzing the molecular bases of specificity of reversible inhibitors, carbamoylating agents and organophosphates. Site-specific mutagenesis enables one to modify the structures of both the binding site and peptide ligand as well as create chimeras reflecting one type of esterase substituted in the template of another. Herein we define the bases for substrate specificity of carboxylesters, the stereospecificity of enantiomeric alkylphosphonates and the selectivity of tricyclic aromatic compounds in the active center of cholinesterase. We also describe the binding loci of the peripheral site and changes in catalytic parameters induced by peripheral site ligands, using the peptide fasciculin

Dose-dependent effects of small-molecule antagonists on the genomic landscape of androgen receptor binding

Abstract Background The androgen receptor plays a critical role throughout the progression of prostate cancer and is an important drug target for this disease. While chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-Seq) is becoming an essential tool for studying transcription and chromatin modification factors, it has rarely been employed in the context of drug discovery. Results Here we report changes in the genome-wide AR binding landscape due to dose-dependent inhibition by drug-like small molecules using ChIP-Seq. Integration of sequence analysis, transcriptome profiling, cell viability assays and xenograft tumor growth inhibition studies enabled us to establish a direct cistrome-activity relationship for two novel potent AR antagonists. By selectively occupying the strongest binding sites, AR signaling remains active even when androgen levels are low, as is characteristic of first-line androgen ablation therapy. Coupled cistrome and transcriptome profiling upon small molecule antagonism led to the identification of a core set of AR direct effector genes that are most likely to mediate the activities of targeted agents: unbiased pathway mapping revealed that AR is a key modulator of steroid metabolism by forming a tightly controlled feedback loop with other nuclear receptor family members and this oncogenic effect can be relieved by antagonist treatment. Furthermore, we found that AR also has an extensive role in negative gene regulation, with estrogen (related) receptor likely mediating its function as a transcriptional repressor. Conclusions Our study provides a global and dynamic view of AR’s regulatory program upon antagonism, which may serve as a molecular basis for deciphering and developing AR therapeutics.</p

Discovery of Aryloxy Tetramethylcyclobutanes as Novel Androgen Receptor Antagonists

An aryloxy tetramethylcyclobutane was identified as a novel template for androgen receptor (AR) antagonists via cell-based high-throughput screening. Follow-up to the initial “hit” established <b>5</b> as a viable lead. Further optimization to achieve full AR antagonism led to the discovery of <b>26</b> and <b>30</b>, both of which demonstrated excellent in vivo tumor growth inhibition upon oral administration in a castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) animal model