CDK8/19 inhibition plays an important role in pancreatic β-cell induction from human iPSCs

サイクリン依存性キナーゼCDK8/19阻害はヒトiPS細胞からの膵島様細胞への分化誘導において重要な役割を果たす. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-02-27.A safer method of generating pancreatic islet-like cells from human iPS cells by inhibiting cyclin-dependent kinase CDK8/19. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-03-08.[Background] Transplantation of differentiated cells from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) holds great promise for clinical treatments. Eliminating the risk factor of malignant cell transformation is essential for ensuring the safety of such cells. This study was aimed at assessing and mitigating mutagenicity that may arise during the cell culture process in the protocol of pancreatic islet cell (iPIC) differentiation from hiPSCs. [Methods] We evaluated the mutagenicity of differentiation factors used for hiPSC-derived pancreatic islet-like cells (iPICs). We employed Ames mutagenicity assay, flow cytometry analysis, immunostaining, time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based (TR-FRET) cell-free dose–response assays, single-cell RNA-sequencing and in vivo efficacy study. [Results] We observed a mutagenic effect of activin receptor-like kinase 5 inhibitor II (ALK5iII). ALK5iII is a widely used β-cell inducer but no other tested ALK5 inhibitors induced β-cells. We obtained kinase inhibition profiles and found that only ALK5iII inhibited cyclin-dependent kinases 8 and 19 (CDK8/19) among all ALK5 inhibitors tested. Consistently, CDK8/19 inhibitors efficiently induced β-cells in the absence of ALK5iII. A combination treatment with non-mutagenic ALK5 inhibitor SB431542 and CDK8/19 inhibitor senexin B afforded generation of iPICs with in vitro cellular composition and in vivo efficacy comparable to those observed with ALK5iII. [Conclusion] Our findings suggest a new risk mitigation approach for cell therapy and advance our understanding of the β-cell differentiation mechanism

Ring-Opening Fluorination of Bicyclic Azaarenes

We have discovered a ring-opening fluorination of bicyclic azaarenes. Upon treatment of bicyclic azaarenes such as pyrazolopyridines with electrophilic fluorinating agents, fluorination of the aromatic ring is followed by a ring-opening reaction. Although this overall trans-formation can be classified as an electrophilic fluorination of an aromatic ring, it is a novel type of fluorination that results in construction of tertiary carbon–fluorine bonds. The present protocol can be applied to a range of bicyclic azaarenes, tolerating azines and a variety of functional groups. Additionally, mechanistic studies and enantioselective fluorination have been examined

Design and Synthesis of Potent Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) Proteins Antagonists Bearing an Octahydropyrrolo[1,2‑<i>a</i>]pyrazine Scaffold as a Novel Proline Mimetic

To develop novel inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins antagonists, we designed a bicyclic octahydropyrrolo­[1,2-<i>a</i>]­pyrazine scaffold as a novel proline bioisostere. This design was based on the X-ray co-crystal structure of four N-terminal amino acid residues (AVPI) of the second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase (Smac) with the X-chromosome-linked IAP (XIAP) protein. Lead optimization of this scaffold to improve oral absorption yielded compound <b>45</b>, which showed potent cellular IAP1 (cIAP1 IC₅₀: 1.3 nM) and XIAP (IC₅₀: 200 nM) inhibitory activity, in addition to potent tumor growth inhibitory activity (GI₅₀: 1.8 nM) in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. X-ray crystallographic analysis of compound <b>45</b> bound to XIAP and to cIAP1 was achieved, revealing the various key interactions that contribute to the higher cIAPI affinity of compound <b>45</b> over XIAP. Because of its potent IAP inhibitory activities, compound <b>45</b> (T-3256336) caused tumor regression in a MDA-MB-231 tumor xenograft model (T/C: −53% at 30 mg/kg)