The non-receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2, encoded by PTPN11, has an important role in signal transduction downstream of growth factor receptor signalling and was the first reported ...oncogenic tyrosine phosphatase. Activating mutations of SHP2 have been associated with developmental pathologies such as Noonan syndrome and are found in multiple cancer types, including leukaemia, lung and breast cancer and neuroblastoma. SHP2 is ubiquitously expressed and regulates cell survival and proliferation primarily through activation of the RAS–ERK signalling pathway. It is also a key mediator of the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and B- and T-lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) immune checkpoint pathways. Reduction of SHP2 activity suppresses tumour cell growth and is a potential target of cancer therapy. Here we report the discovery of a highly potent (IC50 = 0.071 μM), selective and orally bioavailable small-molecule SHP2 inhibitor, SHP099, that stabilizes SHP2 in an auto-inhibited conformation. SHP099 concurrently binds to the interface of the N-terminal SH2, C-terminal SH2, and protein tyrosine phosphatase domains, thus inhibiting SHP2 activity through an allosteric mechanism. SHP099 suppresses RAS–ERK signalling to inhibit the proliferation of receptor-tyrosine-kinase-driven human cancer cells in vitro and is efficacious in mouse tumour xenograft models. Together, these data demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of SHP2 is a valid therapeutic approach for the treatment of cancers.
SHP2 is a nonreceptor protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) encoded by the PTPN11 gene involved in cell growth and differentiation via the MAPK signaling pathway. SHP2 also purportedly plays an ...important role in the programmed cell death pathway (PD-1/PD-L1). Because it is an oncoprotein associated with multiple cancer-related diseases, as well as a potential immunomodulator, controlling SHP2 activity is of significant therapeutic interest. Recently in our laboratories, a small molecule inhibitor of SHP2 was identified as an allosteric modulator that stabilizes the autoinhibited conformation of SHP2. A high throughput screen was performed to identify progressable chemical matter, and X-ray crystallography revealed the location of binding in a previously undisclosed allosteric binding pocket. Structure-based drug design was employed to optimize for SHP2 inhibition, and several new protein–ligand interactions were characterized. These studies culminated in the discovery of 6-(4-amino-4-methylpiperidin-1-yl)-3-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)pyrazin-2-amine (SHP099, 1), a potent, selective, orally bioavailable, and efficacious SHP2 inhibitor.
Mammals cannot naturally produce omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids--beneficial nutrients found mainly in fish oil--from the more abundant omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids and so they must rely on a dietary supply. ...Here we show that mice engineered to carry a fat-1 gene from the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans can add a double bond into an unsaturated fatty-acid hydrocarbon chain and convert n-6 to n-3 fatty acids. This results in an abundance of n-3 and a reduction in n-6 fatty acids in the organs and tissues of these mice, in the absence of dietary n-3. As well as presenting an opportunity to investigate the roles played by n-3 fatty acids in the body, our discovery indicates that this technology might be adapted to enrich n-3 fatty acids in animal products such as meat, milk and eggs.
Mammals cannot naturally produce omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids - beneficial nutrients found mainly in fish oil - from the more abundant omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids and so they must rely on a dietary ...supply. Here we show that mice engineered to carry a fat-1 gene from the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans can add a double bond into an unsaturated fatty-acid hydrocarbon chain and convert n-6 to n-3 fatty acids. This results in an abundance of n-3 and a reduction in n-6 fatty acids in the organs and tissues of these mice, in the absence of dietary n-3. As well as presenting an opportunity to investigate the roles played by n-3 fatty acids in the body, our discovery indicates that this technology might be adapted to enrich n-3 fatty acids in animal products such as meat, milk and eggs.
Gene and compound functions are often interrogated by perturbation. However, we have limited methods to capture associated phenotypes in an unbiased and holistic manner. Here, we describe Fluopack ...screening as a novel platform enabling the profiling of subcellular phenotypes associated with perturbation. Our approach leverages imaging of a panel of fluorescent chemical probes to survey cellular processes in an unbiased and high throughput fashion. Segmentation-free, whole image analysis applied to Fluopack images identifies probes revealing distinct phenotypes upon perturbation, thereby informing on the function and mechanism of action of perturbagens. This chemical biology approach allows to interrogate phenotypes that tend to be overlooked by other methods, such as lipid trafficking and ion concentration inside the cell. Fluopack screening is a powerful approach to study orphan protein function, as exemplified by the characterization of TMEM41B as novel regulator of lipid mobilization.
SHP2 is a nonreceptor protein tyrosine phosphatase encoded by the PTPN11 gene and is involved in cell growth and differentiation via the MAPK signaling pathway. SHP2 also plays an important role in ...the programed cell death pathway (PD-1/PD-L1). As an oncoprotein as well as a potential immunomodulator, controlling SHP2 activity is of high therapeutic interest. As part of our comprehensive program targeting SHP2, we identified multiple allosteric binding modes of inhibition and optimized numerous chemical scaffolds in parallel. In this drug annotation report, we detail the identification and optimization of the pyrazine class of allosteric SHP2 inhibitors. Structure and property based drug design enabled the identification of protein–ligand interactions, potent cellular inhibition, control of physicochemical, pharmaceutical and selectivity properties, and potent in vivo antitumor activity. These studies culminated in the discovery of TNO155, (3S,4S)-8-(6-amino-5-((2-amino-3-chloropyridin-4-yl)thio)pyrazin-2-yl)-3-methyl-2-oxa-8-azaspiro4.5decan-4-amine (1), a highly potent, selective, orally efficacious, and first-in-class SHP2 inhibitor currently in clinical trials for cancer.
The identification of activating mutations in NOTCH1 in 50% of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia has generated interest in elucidating how these mutations contribute to oncogenic transformation and ...in targeting the pathway. A phenotypic screen identified compounds that interfere with trafficking of Notch and induce apoptosis via an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress mechanism. Target identification approaches revealed a role for SLC39A7 (ZIP7), a zinc transport family member, in governing Notch trafficking and signaling. Generation and sequencing of a compound-resistant cell line identified a V430E mutation in ZIP7 that confers transferable resistance to the compound NVS-ZP7-4. NVS-ZP7-4 altered zinc in the ER, and an analog of the compound photoaffinity labeled ZIP7 in cells, suggesting a direct interaction between the compound and ZIP7. NVS-ZP7-4 is the first reported chemical tool to probe the impact of modulating ER zinc levels and investigate ZIP7 as a novel druggable node in the Notch pathway.
VPS34 is a key regulator of endomembrane dynamics and cargo trafficking, and is essential in cultured cell lines and in mice. To better characterize the role of VPS34 in cell growth, we performed ...unbiased cell line profiling studies with the selective VPS34 inhibitor PIK-III and identified RKO as a VPS34-dependent cellular model. Pooled CRISPR screen in the presence of PIK-III revealed endolysosomal genes as genetic suppressors. Dissecting VPS34-dependent alterations with transcriptional profiling, we found the induction of hypoxia response and cholesterol biosynthesis as key signatures. Mechanistically, acute VPS34 inhibition enhanced lysosomal degradation of transferrin and low-density lipoprotein receptors leading to impaired iron and cholesterol uptake. Excess soluble iron, but not cholesterol, was sufficient to partially rescue the effects of VPS34 inhibition on mitochondrial respiration and cell growth, indicating that iron limitation is the primary driver of VPS34-dependency in RKO cells. Loss of RAB7A, an endolysosomal marker and top suppressor in our genetic screen, blocked transferrin receptor degradation, restored iron homeostasis and reversed the growth defect as well as metabolic alterations due to VPS34 inhibition. Altogether, our findings suggest that impaired iron mobilization via the VPS34-RAB7A axis drive VPS34-dependence in certain cancer cells.
To detect the levels of KL-6 in the serum and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with different type of diffuse interstitial lung diseases(DILD), and to analyze its correlation with ...pulmonary function, pulmonary HRCT scores and other parameters.
Seventy-three patients with DILD were enrolled, including 34 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), 10 patients with stage Ⅰ sarcoidosis(SAR Ⅰ), 15 patients with hypersensitivity pneumonia (HP), 14 patients with connective tissue diseases (CTD). Enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of KL-6 in the serum and the BALF of these patients.
In the IPF group, FVC predicted percentage and DLCO predicted percentage were significantly lower than those of the SAR Ⅰ group(70±14)% vs (82±6)%, (49±13)% vs(81±6)%, P<0.05, but were no different compared to the CTD-ILD group(P>0.05). In the IPF group, the percentage of neutrophils in BALF was higher than that of the SAR Ⅰ group(9±7)% vs (6±4)%, P<0.05, and the percen