Fabrice Anizon

Synthesis, kinase inhibitory potencies, and in vitro antiproliferative evaluation of new pim kinase inhibitors.

Members of the Pim kinase family have been identified as promising targets for the development of antitumor agents. After a screening of pyrrolo[2,3-a]- and [3,2-a]carbazole derivatives toward 66 protein kinases, we identified pyrrolo[2,3-a]carbazole as a new scaffold to design potent Pim kinase inhibitors. In particular, compound 9 was identified as a low nM selective Pim inhibitor. Additionally, several pyrrolo[2,3-a]carbazole derivatives showed selectivity for Pim-1 and Pim-3 over Pim-2. In vitro antiproliferative activities of 9 and 28, the most potent Pim inhibitors identified, were evaluated toward three human solid cancer cell lines (PA1, PC3, and DU145) and one human fibroblast primary culture, revealing IC50 values in the micromolar range. Finally, the crystal structure of Pim-1 complexed with lead compound 9 was determined. The structure revealed a non-ATP mimetic binding mode with no hydrogen bonds formed with the kinase hinge region and explained the selectivity of pyrrolo[2,3-a]carbazole derivatives for Pim kinases.

Synthesis, Protein Kinase Inhibitory Potencies, and in Vitro Antiproliferative Activities of Meridianin Derivatives

The synthesis of new meridianin derivatives is described. The indolic ring system was substituted at the C-4 to C-7 positions either by a bromine atom or by nitro or amino groups. Additionally, an iodine atom or various aryl groups were introduced at the C-5 position of the 2-aminopyrimidine ring. These compounds as well as some of their synthetic intermediates were tested for their kinase inhibitory potencies and for their in vitro antiproliferative activities. We found that this series of compounds is particularly interesting in the development of new inhibitors of DYRK1A and CLK1 kinases. The most effective compounds toward these two kinase families are the 6- and 7-bromo derivatives 30, 33, and 34 that showed more than 45-fold selectivity toward DYRK1A/CLK1 kinases over the other kinases tested. Meridianin derivatives could thus be developed toward potent and selective inhibitors of key RNA splicing regulators and potential therapeutic agents.

Synthesis and biological activities of aminopyrimidyl-indoles structurally related to meridianins

The synthesis of new meridianin derivatives substituted at the C-5 position of the 2-aminopyrimidine ring by various aryl groups and substituted or not by a methyl group on the indole nitrogen is described. These compounds were tested for their kinase inhibitory potencies toward five kinases (CDK5/p25, CK1delta/epsilon, GSK-3alpha/beta, Dyrk1A and Erk2) as well as their in vitro antiproliferative activities toward a human fibroblast primary culture and two human solid cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and PA 1).

Syntheses and biological evaluation of indolocarbazoles, analogues of rebeccamycin, modified at the imide heterocycle

A series of 10 indolocarbazole derivatives, analogues to the antitumor antibiotic rebeccamycin, bearing modifications at the imide heterocycle were synthesized. They bear an N-methyl imide, N-methyl amide, or anhydride function instead of the original imide. Their inhibitory potencies toward topoisomerase I were examined using a DNA relaxation assay and by analyzing the drug-induced cleavage of 32P-labeled DNA. Protein kinase C (PKC) inhibition and interaction with DNA were also studied together with the in vitro antiproliferative activities against B16 melanoma and P388 leukemia cells. The antimicrobial activities against two Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus and Streptomyces chartreusis), a Gram-negative bacterium (Escherichia coli), and a yeast (Candida albicans) were tested as well as their antiviral activities toward HIV-1. The efficiency of the anhydride compounds was compared to that of the parent compound rebeccamycin and its dechlorinated analogue. All the compounds studied were inactive against PKC. The structural requirements for PKC and topoisomerase I inhibition are markedly different. In sharp contrast with the structure-PKC inhibition relationships, we found that an anhydride function does not affect topoisomerase I inhibition, whereas a methyl group on the indole nitrogen prevents the poisoning of topoisomerase I. The compounds exhibiting a marked toxicity to P388 leukemia cells had little or no effect on the growth of P388CPT5 cells which are resistant to the topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin. This study reinforces the conclusion that the DNA-topoisomerase I cleavable complex is the primary cellular target of the indolocarbazoles and significantly contributes to their cytotoxicity and possibly to their weak but noticeable anti-HIV-1 activities. The structure-activity relationships are also discussed.

Pim-selective inhibitor DHPCC-9 reveals Pim kinases as potent stimulators of cancer cell migration and invasion

BackgroundPim family kinases are small constitutively active serine/threonine-specific kinases, elevated levels of which have been detected in human hematopoietic malignancies as well as in solid tumours. While we and others have previously shown that the oncogenic Pim kinases stimulate survival of hematopoietic cells, we now examined their putative role in regulating motility of adherent cancer cells. For this purpose, we inhibited Pim kinase activity using a small molecule compound, 1,10-dihydropyrrolo[2,3-a]carbazole-3-carbaldehyde (DHPCC-9), which we had recently identified as a potent and selective inhibitor for all Pim family members.ResultsWe now demonstrate that the Pim kinase inhibitor DHPCC-9 is very effective also in cell-based assays. DHPCC-9 impairs the anti-apoptotic effects of Pim-1 in cytokine-deprived myeloid cells and inhibits intracellular phosphorylation of Pim substrates such as Bad. Moreover, DHPCC-9 slows down migration and invasion of cancer cells derived from either prostate cancer or squamocellular carcinoma patients. Silencing of Pim expression reduces cell motility, while Pim overexpression enhances it, strongly suggesting that the observed effects of DHPCC-9 are dependent on Pim kinase activity. Interestingly, DHPCC-9 also abrogates NFATc-dependent migration of cancer cells, implying that NFATc factors mediate at least part of the pro-migratory effects of Pim kinases.ConclusionsAltogether, our data indicate that DHPCC-9 is not only a powerful tool to investigate physiological effects of the oncogenic Pim family kinases, but also an attractive molecule for drug development to inhibit invasiveness of Pim-overexpressing cancer cells.

Fighting Tumor Cell Survival: Advances in the Design and Evaluation of Pim Inhibitors

The Pim (provirus insertion site of Moloney murine leukemia virus) family of serine/threonine protein kinases possesses the fundamental characteristics critical for the biology of eukaryotes, in particular, survival and malignant transformation of cells. The members of this protein family (Pim-1 to Pim-3) are aberrantly expressed in human tumors, most frequently in prostate cancer and hematological malignancies. Therefore, Pim proteins are widely considered as attractive targets in cancer chemotherapy. Growing knowledge of mechanisms of Pim-mediated anti-apoptosis and transformation, as well as rapid progress in the design of Pim-modulating compounds dictate the need for an in-depth analysis of the chemistry of inhibitors and the modes of their interaction with these protein kinases. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the molecular events regulated by Pim proteins. In addition, we focus on the non-patent literature (mostly since 2005) that demonstrates a diversity of chemical classes of small molecular weight Pim inhibitors. The X-ray co-crystal structures of complexes Pim:inhibitor provide evidence for SAR data important for the choice of synthetic routes, optimization of lead compounds and testing chemical libraries. We also discuss a cell-based test system useful for rapid and inexpensive pre-screening of compounds capable of preventing Pim-mediated phosphorylation.

In-vitro antiproliferative activities and kinase inhibitory potencies of glycosyl-isoindigo derivatives.

In the course of studies on the preparation of potential kinase inhibitors, we were interested in the synthesis of diversely substituted glycosyl-isoindigo derivatives. To get an insight into the effect of the substitution pattern of the isoindigo aromatic and carbohydrate moieties on the biological activities and to identify the cellular target(s) involved in the in-vitro antiproliferative activity of these derivatives, their inhibitory activities toward a panel of 10 different kinases were examined. The best inhibitory activities were found toward cyclin-dependent kinase 2/cyclin A. Molecular modelling experiments were carried out to investigate the binding interactions between the active site of cyclin-dependent kinase 2 and the lead compound of this series.

Syntheses, biochemical and biological evaluation of staurosporine analogues from the microbial metabolite rebeccamycin

The indolocarbazole antibiotics staurosporine and rebeccamycin (1) are potent antitumor drugs targeting protein kinase C and topoisomerase I, respectively. To obtain staurosporine analogues from rebeccamycin, different structural modifications were performed: coupling of the sugar moiety to the second indole nitrogen, dechlorination and then reduction of the imide function to amide. The newly synthesized compounds (3-6) were tested for their abilities to bind to DNA and to inhibit topoisomerase I and protein kinase C. Their antiproliferative effects in vitro against B16 melanoma and P388 leukemia (including the related P388CPT cell line resistant to camptothecin) as well as their anti-HIV-1 and antimicrobial activities against various strains of microorganisms were determined. The cytotoxicity of the dechlorinated imide analogue 5 correlates well with its DNA binding and anti-topoisomerase I activities. These findings provide guidance for the development of new topoisomerase I-targeted antitumor indolocarbazoles equipped with a carbohydrate attached to the two indole nitrogens.

Synthesis and biological activities of pyrazolo[3,4-g]quinoxaline derivatives

The synthesis of new pyrazolo[3,4-g]quinoxaline derivatives, as well as their Pim kinases (Pim-1, Pim-2, Pim-3) inhibitory potencies and in vitro antiproliferative activities toward a human fibroblast primary culture and three human solid cancer cell lines (PA1, PC3 and DU145) are described. The results obtained in this preliminary structure-activity relationship study have pointed out that most of the compounds in this series exhibited interesting in vitro Pim-3 kinase inhibitory potencies. Moreover, some of the tested compounds have demonstrated favorable antiproliferative potencies.

Synthesis, Pim kinase inhibitory potencies and in vitro antiproliferative activities of diversely substituted pyrrolo[2,3-a]carbazoles.

The synthesis of new pyrrolo[2,3-a]carbazole derivatives diversely substituted at the C-6 to C-9 positions is described. These compounds were tested for their kinase inhibitory potencies toward three kinases (Pim-1, Pim-2, Pim-3) as well as for their in vitro antiproliferative activities toward a human fibroblast primary culture and three human solid cancer cell lines (PC3, DU145, and PA 1). Moreover, molecular docking studies were performed to explain the enhanced inhibitory activity of the most active compound 3d.