In Vitro Ubiquitination Platform Identifies Methyl Ellipticiniums as Ubiquitin Ligase Inhibitors

SLAS Discovery
2021.0

Abstract

The transfer of the small protein ubiquitin to a target protein is an intricately orchestrated process called ubiquitination that results in modulation of protein function or stability. Proper regulation of ubiquitination is essential, and dysregulation of this process is implicated in several human diseases. An example of a ubiquitination cascade that is a central signaling node in important disease-associated pathways is that of CBLB [a human homolog of a viral oncogene Casitas B-lineage lymphoma (CBL) from the Cas NS-1 murine retrovirus], a RING finger ubiquitin ligase (E3) whose substrates include a number of important cell-signaling kinases. These include kinases important in immune function that act in the T cell receptor and costimulatory pathways, the Tyro/Axl/MerTK (TAM) receptor family in natural killer (NK) cells, as well as growth factor receptor kinases like epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Loss of CBLB has been shown to increase innate and adaptive antitumor immunity. This suggests that small-molecule modulation of CBLB E3 activity could enhance antitumor immunity in patients. To explore the hypothesis that enzymatic inhibition of E3s may result in modulation of disease-related signaling pathways, we established a high-throughput screen of >70,000 chemical entities for inhibition of CBLB activity. Although CBLB was chosen as a proof-of-principle target for inhibitor discovery, we demonstrate that our assay is generalizable to monitoring the activity of other ubiquitin ligases. We further extended our observed in vitro inhibition with additional cell-based models of CBLB activity. From these studies, we demonstrate that a class of natural product–based alkaloids, known as methyl ellipticiniums (MEs), is capable of inhibiting ubiquitin ligases intracellularly. © Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening 2021.

Knowledge Graph

Similar Paper

In Vitro Ubiquitination Platform Identifies Methyl Ellipticiniums as Ubiquitin Ligase Inhibitors
SLAS Discovery 2021.0
Exploring a New Frontier in Cancer Treatment: Targeting the Ubiquitin and Ubiquitin-like Activating Enzymes
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2013.0
Suberitamides A–C, Aryl Alkaloids from a Pseudosuberites sp. Marine Sponge that Inhibit Cbl-b Ubiquitin Ligase Activity
Marine Drugs 2020.0
A FRET-Based Assay for the Identification and Characterization of Cereblon Ligands
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2016.0
Photochemical Dimerization of Plakinidine B Leads to Potent Inhibition of the E3 Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase CBL-B
Organic Letters 2022.0
Decoding the Role of MDM2 as a Potential Ubiquitin E3 Ligase and Identifying the Therapeutic Efficiency of Alkaloids against MDM2 in Combating Glioblastoma
ACS Omega 2023.0
Sweet and Blind Spots in E3 Ligase Ligand Space Revealed by a Thermophoresis-Based Assay
ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2021.0
Group-Based Optimization of Potent and Cell-Active Inhibitors of the von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) E3 Ubiquitin Ligase: Structure–Activity Relationships Leading to the Chemical Probe (2S,4R)-1-((S)-2-(1-Cyanocyclopropanecarboxamido)-3,3-dimethylbutanoyl)-4-hydroxy-N-(4-(4-methylthiazol-5-yl)benzyl)pyrrolidine-2-carboxamide (VH298)
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2018.0
Discovery of new pyridoacridine alkaloids from Lissoclinum cf. badium that inhibit the ubiquitin ligase activity of Hdm2 and stabilize p53
Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 2008.0
Study on Natural Products for Drug Development
YAKUGAKU ZASSHI 2010.0