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Maxwell D Cummings

Publications and source records attributed to Maxwell D Cummings.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Universal screening methods and applications of ThermoFluor.

The genomics revolution has unveiled a wealth of poorly characterized proteins. Scientists are often able to produce milligram quantities of proteins for which function is unknown or hypothetical, based only on very distant sequence homology. Broadly applicable tools for functional characterization are essential to the illumination of these orphan proteins. An additional challenge is the direct detection of inhibitors of protein-protein interactions (and allosteric effectors). Both of these research problems are relevant to, among other things, the challenge of finding and validating new protein targets for drug action. Screening collections of small molecules has long been used in the pharmaceutical industry as 1 method of discovering drug leads. Screening in this context typically involves a function-based assay. Given a sufficient quantity of a protein of interest, significant effort may still be required for functional characterization, assay development, and assay configuration for screening. Increasingly, techniques are being reported that facilitate screening for specific ligands for a protein of unknown function. Such techniques also allow for function-independent screening with better characterized proteins. ThermoFluor, a screening instrument based on monitoring ligand effects on temperature-dependent protein unfolding, can be applied when protein function is unknown. This technology has proven useful in the decryption of an essential bacterial enzyme and in the discovery of a series of inhibitors of a cancer-related, protein-protein interaction. The authors review some of the tools relevant to these research problems in drug discovery, and describe our experiences with 2 different proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Enantiomerically pure 1,4-benzodiazepine-2,5-diones as Hdm2 antagonists.

The 1,4-benzodiazepine-2,5-dione is a suitable template to disrupt the interaction between p53 and Hdm2. The development of an enantioselective synthesis disclosed the stereochemistry of the active enantiomer. An in vitro p53 peptide displacement assay identified active compounds. These activities were confirmed in several cell-based assays including induction of the p53 regulated gene (PIG-3) and caspase activity.

Benzodiazepines↗
PubMed2006

A novel series of arylsulfonylthiophene-2-carboxamidine inhibitors of the complement component C1s.

Inhibiting the classical pathway of complement activation by attenuating the proteolytic activity of the serine protease C1s is a potential strategy for the therapeutic intervention in disease states such as hereditary angioedema, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and acute transplant rejection. A series of arylsulfonylthiophene-2-carboxamidine inhibitors of C1s were synthesized and evaluated for C1s inhibitory activity. The most potent compound had a Ki of 10nM and >1000-fold selectivity over uPA, tPA, FX(a), thrombin, and plasmin.

Amidines↗
PubMed2006

Substituted 1,4-benzodiazepine-2,5-diones as alpha-helix mimetic antagonists of the HDM2-p53 protein-protein interaction.

Small molecule antagonists of protein-protein interactions represent a particular challenge for pharmaceutical discovery. One approach to finding molecules that can disrupt these interactions is to seek mimics of common protein structure motifs. We present an analysis of how molecules based on the 1,4-benzodiazepine-2,5-dione scaffold serve to mimic the side-chains presented by the hydrophobic face of two turns of an alpha-helix derived from the tumor suppressor protein p53, and thus antagonize the HDM2-p53 protein-protein binding interaction.

Benzodiazepines↗
PubMed2006

Benzodiazepinedione inhibitors of the Hdm2:p53 complex suppress human tumor cell proliferation in vitro and sensitize tumors to doxorubicin in vivo.

The activity and stability of the p53 tumor suppressor are regulated by the human homologue of the mouse double minute 2 (Hdm2) oncoprotein. It has been hypothesized that small molecules disrupting the Hdm2:p53 complex would allow for the activation of p53 and result in growth suppression. We have identified small-molecule inhibitors of the Hdm2:p53 interaction using our proprietary ThermoFluor microcalorimetry technology. Medicinal chemistry and structure-based drug design led to the development of an optimized series of benzodiazepinediones, including TDP521252 and TDP665759. Activities were dependent on the expression of wild-type (wt) p53 and Hdm2 as determined by lack of potency in mutant or null p53-expressing cell lines or cells engineered to no longer express Hdm2 and wt p53. TDP521252 and TDP665759 inhibited the proliferation of wt p53-expressing cell lines with average IC(50)s of 14 and 0.7 micromol/L, respectively. These results correlated with the direct cellular dissociation of Hdm2 from wt p53 observed within 15 minutes in JAR choriocarcinoma cells. Additional activities of these inhibitors in vitro include stabilization of p53 protein levels, up-regulation of p53 target genes in a DNA damage-independent manner, and induction of apoptosis in HepG2 cells. Administration of TDP665759 to mice led to an increase in p21(waf1/cip1) levels in liver samples. Finally, TDP665759 synergizes with doxorubicin both in culture and in an A375 xenograft model to decrease tumor growth. Taken together, these data support the potential utility of small-molecule inhibitors of the Hdm2:p53 interaction for the treatment of wt p53-expressing tumors.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Azepanone-based inhibitors of human cathepsin L.

The extension of a previously reported cathepsin K azepanone-based inhibitor template to the design and synthesis of potent and selective inhibitors of the homologous cysteine protease cathepsin L is detailed. Structure-activity studies examining the effect of inhibitor selectivity as a function of the P3 and P2 binding elements of the potent cathepsin K inhibitor 1 revealed that incorporation of either a P3 quinoline-8-carboxamide or a naphthylene-1-carboxamide led to increased selectivity for cathepsin L over cathepsin K. Substitution of the P2 leucine of 1 with either a phenylalanine or a beta-naphthylalanine also resulted in an increased selectivity for cathepsin L over cathepsin K. Molecular modeling studies with the inhibitors docked within the active sites of both cathepsins L and K have rationalized the observed selectivities. Optimization of cathepsin L binding by the combination of the P3 naphthylene-1-carboxamide with the P2 beta-naphthylalanine provided 15, which is a potent, selective, and competitive inhibitor of human cathepsin L with a K(i) = 0.43 nM.

Amides↗
PubMed2005

Structure-based design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel 1,4-diazepines as HDM2 antagonists.

Crystallographic analysis of ligands bound to HDM2 suggested that 7-substituted 1,4-diazepine-2,5-diones could mimic the alpha-helix of p53 peptide and may represent a promising scaffold to develop HDM2-p53 antagonists. To verify this hypothesis, we synthesized and biologically evaluated 5-[(3S)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-[(R)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]-2,5-dioxo-7-phenyl-1,4-diazepin-1-yl]valeric acid (10) and 5-[(3S)-7-(2-bromophenyl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-[(R)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]-2,5-dioxo-1,4-diazepin-1-yl]valeric acid (11). Preliminary in vitro testing shows that 10 and 11 substantially antagonize the binding between HDM2 and p53 with an IC(50) of 13 and 3.6 microM, respectively, validating the modeling predictions. Taken together with the high cell permeability of diazepine 11 determined in CACO-2 cells, these results suggest that 1,4-diazepine-2,5-diones may be useful in the treatment of certain cancers.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2005

Discovery and cocrystal structure of benzodiazepinedione HDM2 antagonists that activate p53 in cells.

HDM2 binds to an alpha-helical transactivation domain of p53, inhibiting its tumor suppressive functions. A miniaturized thermal denaturation assay was used to screen chemical libraries, resulting in the discovery of a novel series of benzodiazepinedione antagonists of the HDM2-p53 interaction. The X-ray crystal structure of improved antagonists bound to HDM2 reveals their alpha-helix mimetic properties. These optimized molecules increase the transcription of p53 target genes and decrease proliferation of tumor cells expressing wild-type p53.

Benzodiazepines↗
PubMed2005

Comparison of automated docking programs as virtual screening tools.

The performance of several commercially available docking programs is compared in the context of virtual screening. Five different protein targets are used, each with several known ligands. The simulated screening deck comprised 1000 molecules from a cleansed version of the MDL drug data report and 49 known ligands. For many of the known ligands, crystal structures of the relevant protein-ligand complexes were available. We attempted to run experiments with each docking method that were as similar as possible. For a given docking method, hit rates were improved versus what would be expected for random selection for most protein targets. However, the ability to prioritize known ligands on the basis of docking poses that resemble known crystal structures is both method- and target-dependent.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2005

1,4-Benzodiazepine-2,5-diones as small molecule antagonists of the HDM2-p53 interaction: discovery and SAR.

A library of 1,4-benzodiazepine-2,5-diones was screened for binding to the p53-binding domain of HDM2 using Thermofluor, a miniaturized thermal denaturation assay. The hits obtained were shown to bind to HDM2 in the p53-binding pocket using a fluorescence polarization (FP) peptide displacement assay. The potency of the series was optimized, leading to sub-micromolar antagonists of the p53-HDM2 interaction.

Benzodiazepines↗
PubMed2005

Decrypting the biochemical function of an essential gene from Streptococcus pneumoniae using ThermoFluor technology.

The protein product of an essential gene of unknown function from Streptococcus pneumoniae was expressed and purified for screening in the ThermoFluor affinity screening assay. This assay can detect ligand binding to proteins of unknown function. The recombinant protein was found to be in a dimeric, native-like folded state and to unfold cooperatively. ThermoFluor was used to screen the protein against a library of 3000 compounds that were specifically selected to provide information about possible biological functions. The results of this screen identified pyridoxal phosphate and pyridoxamine phosphate as equilibrium binding ligands (K(d) approximately 50 pM, K(d) approximately 2.5 microM, respectively), consistent with an enzymatic cofactor function. Several nucleotides and nucleotide sugars were also identified as ligands of this protein. Sequence comparison with two enzymes of known structure but relatively low overall sequence homology established that several key residues directly involved in pyridoxal phosphate binding were strictly conserved. Screening a collection of generic drugs and natural products identified the antifungal compound canescin A as an irreversible covalent modifier of the enzyme. Our investigation of this protein indicates that its probable biological role is that of a nucleoside diphospho-keto-sugar aminotransferase, although the preferred keto-sugar substrate remains unknown. These experiments demonstrate the utility of a generic affinity-based ligand binding technology in decrypting possible biological functions of a protein, an approach that is both independent of and complementary to existing genomic and proteomic technologies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Docking: successes and challenges.

The state of the art of various computational aspects of docking-based virtual screening of database of small molecules is presented. The review encompasses the different search algorithms and the scoring functions used in docking methods and their applications to protein and nucleic acid drug targets. Recent progress made in the development and application of methods to include target flexibility are summarized. The fundamental issues and challenges involved in comparing various docking methods are discussed. Limitations of current technologies as well as future prospects are presented.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2004

A novel series of potent and selective small molecule inhibitors of the complement component C1s.

Activation of the classical pathway of complement has been implicated in disease states such as hereditary angioedema, ischemia-reperfusion injury and acute transplant rejection. The trypsin-like serine protease C1s represents a pivotal upstream point of control in the classical pathway of complement activation and is therefore likely to be a useful target in the therapeutic intervention of these disease states. A series of thiopheneamidine-based inhibitors of C1s has been optimized to give a 70 nM inhibitor that inhibits the classical pathway of complement activation in vitro.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2002

Structure of the C-terminally truncated human ProMMP9, a gelatin-binding matrix metalloproteinase.

The X-ray crystal structure of the proform of human matrix metalloproteinase MMP9 has been solved to 2.5 A resolution. The construct includes the prodomain, the catalytic domain and three FnII (fibronectin type II) domains. The prodomain is inserted into the active-site cleft, blocking access to the catalytic zinc. Comparison with the crystal structure of the most closely related MMP, MMP2, indicates that the conformations of residues in the active-site cleft and in the cysteine-switch peptide of the prodomain are highly conserved and that design of MMP9-specific inhibitors will be challenging. In common with MMP2, the MMP9 S1' inhibitor-binding pocket is large compared with that of other MMPs. One small point of difference in the S1' binding pockets of MMP9 and MMP2 may provide an opportunity to explore the design of specific inhibitors. The side chain of Arg424 in MMP9 is angled slightly away from the S1' pocket when compared with the corresponding residue in MMP2, Thr424. The secondary structure of the FnII domains is conserved between the two closely related MMPs, although the second FnII domain makes no contact with the catalytic domain in MMP9, while the same domain in MMP2 has a substantial area of interaction with the catalytic domain.

Arginine↗