1.Irreversible LSD1 Inhibitors: Application of Tranylcypromine and Its Derivatives in Cancer Treatment.
Zheng YC;Yu B;Jiang GZ;Feng XJ;He PX;Chu XY;Zhao W;Liu HM Curr Top Med Chem. 2016;16(19):2179-88.
Due to the increasing costs and time consuming for new drug discovery, a large number of pharmaceutical firms have chosen to modify the existing drug molecules for repositioning candidates with new or improved properties, especially those with severe adverse effects, thereby accelerating the drug discovery process. Such strategy has witnessed its success with several examples reported. As the first identified histone lysine specific demethylase, lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is classified as a member of monoamine oxidase (MAO) superfamily, and specifically removes mono- and dimethylated histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4) and H3 lysine 9 (H3K9). It has been reported that LSD1 and its downstream targets are involved in cancer cell growth and metastasis. Meanwhile, it is overexpressed in a variety of tumor cells. Inactivating LSD1 specifically inhibits tumor progression and metastasis. Hence, LSD1 inhibition may represent a new and promising direction in anti-cancer drug discovery. Based on the structure and cofactor of LSD1, some clinical applied MAO inhibitors have been identified as LSD1 inactivators. Among them, tranylcypromine presented the most potency against LSD1 and its derivatives were further developed by medicinal chemists in order to develop potent and selective LSD1 inhibitors.
2.Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines as potent lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1/KDM1A) inhibitors.
Wang S;Zhao LJ;Zheng YC;Shen DD;Miao EF;Qiao XP;Zhao LJ;Liu Y;Huang R;Yu B;Liu HM Eur J Med Chem. 2017 Jan 5;125:940-951. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2016.10.021. Epub 2016 Oct 14.
A new series of [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine-based LSD1 inhibitors were designed, synthesized, and further evaluated for their cytotoxicity against MGC-803, EC109, A549 and PC-9 cells as well as the ability of inhibiting LSD1. Some of these compounds showed potent inhibition toward LSD1 and selectively inhibited growth of A549 and PC-9 cells. Compound 6l potently inhibited growth of PC-9 cells (IC;50; = 0.59 μM), about 4-fold more potent than 5-FU. Further SARs studies led to the identification of compounds 6l-m, which had good growth inhibition against all the tested cancer cell lines and were much more potent than 5-FU and GSK2879552. Besides, compounds 5p, 5q and 6i inhibited LSD1 potently (IC;50; = 0.154, 1.19 and 0.557 μM, respectively). Docking studies revealed that compound 5p formed arene-H interactions with Val333 and hydrogen bonds with surrounding Ala331, Met332, and Ala539 residues. Compound 5p significantly inhibited migration of A549 and PC-9 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, but had different effect on the expression of E-cadherin and N-cadherin. The [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine scaffold may serve as a starting point for developing potent LSD1 inhibitors for cancer therapy.
3.Selective DOT1L, LSD1, and HDAC Class I Inhibitors Reduce HOXA9 Expression in MLL-AF9 Rearranged Leukemia Cells, But Dysregulate the Expression of Many Histone-Modifying Enzymes.
Lillico R;Lawrence CK;Lakowski TM J Proteome Res. 2018 Aug 3;17(8):2657-2667. doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.8b00118. Epub 2018 Jul 17.
Mixed lineage leukemia results from chromosomal rearrangements of the gene mixed lineage leukemia (MLL). MLL-AF9 is one such rearrangement that recruits the lysine methyltransferase, human disruptor of telomere silencing 1-like (DOT1L) and lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1), resulting in elevated expression of the Homeobox protein A9 (HOXA9), and leukemia. Inhibitors of LSD1 or DOT1L reduce HOXA9 expression, kill MLL-rearranged cells, and may treat leukemia. To quantify their effects on histone modifying enzyme activity and expression in MLL-rearranged leukemia, we tested inhibitors of DOT1L (EPZ-5676), LSD1 (GSK2879552), and HDAC (mocetinostat), in the MLL-AF9 cell line MOLM-13. All inhibitors reduced MOLM-13 viability but only mocetinostat induced apoptosis. EPZ-5676 increased total histone lysine dimethylation, which was attributed to a reduction in LSD1 expression, and was indistinguishable from direct LSD1 inhibition by GSK2879552. All compounds directly inhibit, or reduce the expression of, HOXA9, DOT1L and LSD1 by qPCR, increase total histone lysine methylation and acetylation by LC-MS/MS, and specifically reduce H3K79Me2 and increase H3K14Ac. Each inhibitor altered the expression of many histone modifying enzymes which may precipitate additional changes in expression.