Brian S. J. Blagg

Alternative approaches to Hsp90 modulation for the treatment of cancer

Hsp90 is responsible for the conformational maturation of newly synthesized polypeptides (client proteins) and the re-maturation of denatured proteins via the Hsp90 chaperone cycle. Inhibition of the Hsp90 N-terminus has emerged as a clinically relevant strategy for anticancer chemotherapeutics due to the involvement of clients in a variety of oncogenic pathways. Several immunophilins, co-chaperones and partner proteins are also necessary for Hsp90 chaperoning activity. Alternative strategies to inhibit Hsp90 function include disruption of the C-terminal dimerization domain and the Hsp90 heteroprotein complex. C-terminal inhibitors and Hsp90 co-chaperone disruptors prevent cancer cell proliferation similar to N-terminal inhibitors and destabilize client proteins without induction of heat shock proteins. Herein, current Hsp90 inhibitors, the chaperone cycle, and regulation of this cycle will be discussed.

Anticancer Inhibitors of Hsp90 Function

The 90-kDa heat-shock protein (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone responsible for the stability and function of a wide variety of client proteins that are critical for cell growth and survival. Many of these client proteins are frequently mutated and/or overexpressed in cancer cells and are therefore being actively pursued as individual therapeutic targets. Consequently, Hsp90 inhibition offers a promising strategy for simultaneous degradation of several anticancer targets. Currently, most Hsp90 inhibitors under clinical evaluation act by blocking the binding of ATP to the Hsp90 N-terminal domain and thereby, induce the degradation of many Hsp90-dependent oncoproteins. Although, they have shown some promising initial results, clinical challenges such as induction of the heat-shock response, retinopathy, and gastrointestinal tract toxicity are emerging from human trials, which constantly raise concerns about the future development of these inhibitors. Novobiocin derivatives, which do not bind the chaperones N-terminal ATPase pocket, have emerged over the past decade as an alternative strategy to inhibit Hsp90, but to date, no derivative has been investigated in the clinical setting. In recent years, a number of natural or synthetic compounds have been identified that modulate Hsp90 function via various mechanisms. These compounds not only offer new chemotypes for the development of future Hsp90 inhibitors but can also serve as chemical probes to unravel the biology of Hsp90. This chapter presents a synopsis of inhibitors that directly, allosterically, or even indirectly alters Hsp90 function, and highlights their proposed mechanisms of action.

Second Generation Grp94‐Selective Inhibitors Provide Opportunities for the Inhibition of Metastatic Cancer

Glucose regulated protein 94 (Grp94) is the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident isoform of the 90u2005kDa heat shock protein (Hsp90) family and its inhibition represents a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of many diseases. Modification of the first generation cis-amide bioisostere imidazole to alter the angle between the resorcinol ring and the benzyl side chain via cis-amide replacements produced compounds with improved Grp94 affinity and selectivity. Structure-activity relationship studies led to the discovery of compound 30, which exhibits 540u2005nm affinity and 73-fold selectivity towards Grp94. Grp94 is responsible for the maturation and trafficking of proteins associated with cell signaling and motility, including select integrins. The Grp94-selective inhibitor 30 was shown to exhibit potent anti-migratory effects against multiple aggressive and metastatic cancers.

Development of Phenyl Cyclohexylcarboxamides as a Novel Class of Hsp90 C-terminal Inhibitors

Inhibition of the heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) C-terminus represents a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cancer. Novobiocin, a coumarin antibiotic, was the first Hsp90 C-terminal inhibitor identified, however, it manifested poor anti-proliferative activity (SKBr3, IC50 ≈700u2005μm). Subsequent structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies on novobiocin led to development of several analogues that exhibited improved anti-proliferative activity against several cancer cell lines. Recent studies demonstrate that the biphenyl core could be used in lieu of the coumarin ring system, which resulted in more efficacious analogues. In continuation of previous efforts, the work described herein has identified the phenyl cyclohexyl core as a novel scaffold for Hsp90 C-terminal inhibition. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies on this scaffold led to the development of compounds that manifest mid-nanomolar activity against SKBr3 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines through Hsp90 inhibition.

Structure-guided design of an Hsp90β N-terminal isoform-selective inhibitor

The 90u2009kDa heat shock protein (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone responsible for folding proteins that are directly associated with cancer progression. Consequently, inhibition of the Hsp90 protein folding machinery results in a combinatorial attack on numerous oncogenic pathways. Seventeen small-molecule inhibitors of Hsp90 have entered clinical trials, all of which bind the Hsp90 N-terminus and exhibit pan-inhibitory activity against all four Hsp90 isoforms. pan-Inhibition of Hsp90 appears to be detrimental as toxicities have been reported alongside induction of the pro-survival heat shock response. The development of Hsp90 isoform-selective inhibitors represents an alternative approach towards the treatment of cancer that may limit some of the detriments. Described herein is a structure-based approach to design isoform-selective inhibitors of Hsp90β, which induces the degradation of select Hsp90 clients without concomitant induction of Hsp90 levels. Together, these initial studies support the development of Hsp90β-selective inhibitors as a method to overcome the detriments associated with pan-inhibition.The molecular chaperone Hsp90 oversees thexa0folding of many proteins associated with cancer progression but existing small-molecule inhibitors of this pathway are not isoform-selective. Here, the authors rationally design an Hsp90 inhibitor that displays high selectivity for the Hsp90β isoform.

Structure Based Design of a Grp94-Selective Inhibitor: Exploiting a Key Residue in Grp94 To Optimize Paralog-Selective Binding.

Grp94 and Hsp90, the ER and cytoplasmic hsp90 paralogs, share a conserved ATP-binding pocket that has been targeted for therapeutics. Paralog-selective inhibitors may lead to drugs with fewer side effects. Here, we analyzed 1 (BnIm), a benzyl imidazole resorcinylic inhibitor, for its mode of binding. The structures of 1 bound to Hsp90 and Grp94 reveal large conformational changes in Grp94 but not Hsp90 that expose site 2, a binding pocket adjacent to the central ATP cavity that is ordinarily blocked. The Grp94:1 structure reveals a flipped pose of the resorcinylic scaffold that inserts into the exposed site 2. We exploited this flipped binding pose to develop a Grp94-selective derivative of 1. Our structural analysis shows that the ability of the ligand to insert its benzyl imidazole substituent into site 1, a different side pocket off the ATP binding cavity, is the key to exposing site 2 in Grp94.

Chaperone substrate provides missing link for cancer drug discovery

Both Hsp70 and Hsp90 chaperones are overexpressed in cancer, making them relevant targets for the development of cancer chemotherapeutics, but a lack of biomolecular readouts for Hsp70 inhibition has limited the pursuit of specific inhibitors for this enzyme. A new study from Cesa et al. identifies two inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) as specific client substrates of Hsp70. These results establish biomarkers that can be utilized to monitor Hsp70 inhibition and provide a framework for future efforts to deconvolute chaperone networks.

Trifunctional High-Throughput Screen Identifies Promising Scaffold To Inhibit Grp94 and Treat Myocilin-Associated Glaucoma

Gain-of-function mutations within the olfactomedin (OLF) domain of myocilin result in its toxic intracellular accumulation and hasten the onset of open-angle glaucoma. The absence of myocilin does not cause disease; therefore, strategies aimed at eliminating myocilin could lead to a successful glaucoma treatment. The endoplasmic reticulum Hsp90 paralog Grp94 accelerates OLF aggregation. Knockdown or pharmacological inhibition of Grp94 in cells facilitates clearance of mutant myocilin via a non-proteasomal pathway. Here, we expanded our support for targeting Grp94 over cytosolic paralogs Hsp90α and Hsp90β. We then developed a high-throughput screening assay to identify new chemical matter capable of disrupting the Grp94/OLF interaction. When applied to a blind, focused library of 17 Hsp90 inhibitors, our miniaturized single-read in vitro thioflavin T -based kinetics aggregation assay exclusively identified compounds that target the chaperone N-terminal nucleotide binding site. In follow up studies, one compound (2) decreased the extent of co-aggregation of Grp94 with OLF in a dose-dependent manner in vitro, and enabled clearance of the aggregation-prone full-length myocilin variant I477N in cells without inducing the heat shock response or causing cytotoxicity. Comparison of the co-crystal structure of compound 2 and another non-selective hit in complex with the N-terminal domain of Grp94 reveals a docking mode tailored to Grp94 and explains its selectivity. A new lead compound has been identified, supporting a targeted chemical biology assay approach to develop a protein degradation-based therapy for myocilin-associated glaucoma by selectively inhibiting Grp94.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of stilbene analogs as Hsp90 C-terminal inhibitors

The design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of stilbene‐based novobiocin analogues is reported. Replacement of the biaryl amide side chain with a triazole side chain produced compounds that exhibited good antiproliferative activities. Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibition was observed when N‐methylpiperidine was replaced with acyclic tertiary amines on the stilbene analogues that also contain a triazole‐derived side chain. These studies revealed that ≈24u2005Å is the optimal length for compounds that exhibit good antiproliferative activity as a result of Hsp90 inhibition.

Development of noviomimetics that modulate molecular chaperones and manifest neuroprotective effects

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a chaperone under investigation for the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Neuroprotective Hsp90xa0C-terminal inhibitors derived from novobiocin (novologues) include KU-32 and KU-596. These novologues modulate molecular chaperones and result in an induction of Heat Shock Protein 70 (Hsp70). Noviomimetics replace the synthetically complex noviose sugar with a simple cyclohexyl moiety to maintain biological efficacy as compared to novologues KU-596 and KU-32. In this study, we further explore the development of noviomimetics and evaluate their efficacy using a luciferase refolding assay, immunoblot analysis, a c-jun assay, and an assay measuring mitochondrial bioenergetics. These new noviomimetics were designed and synthesized and found to induce Hsp70 and improve biological activity. Noviomimetics 39e and 40a were found to induce Hsp70 and exhibit promising effects in cellular assays.