Novel allosteric glutaminase 1 inhibitors with macrocyclic structure activity relationship analysis

Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2022 Nov 1:75:128956. doi: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2022.128956. Epub 2022 Aug 28.

Abstract

Glutamine-addicted cancer metabolism is recently recognized as novel cancer target especially for KRAS and KEAP1 co-occurring mutations. Selective glutaminase1 (GLS1) inhibition was reported using BPTES which has novel mode of allosteric inhibition. However, BPTES is a highly hydrophobic and symmetric molecule with very poor solubility which results in suboptimal pharmacokinetic parameters and hinders its further development. As an ongoing effort to identify more drug-like GLS1 inhibitors via systematic structure - activity relationship (SAR) analysis of BPTES analogs, we disclose our novel macrocycles for GLS1 inhibition with conclusive SAR analysis on the core, core linker, and wing linker, respectively. Selected molecules resulted in reduction in intracellular glutamate levels in LR (LDK378-resistant) cells which is consistent to cell viability result. Finally, compounds 13 selectively reduced the growth of A549 and H460 cells which have co-occurring mutations including KRAS and KEAP1.

Keywords: Anticancer; BPTES; Cancer metabolism; GLS1; Glutaminase 1; KEAP1; KRAS; Macrocycle.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Glutamates
  • Glutaminase*
  • Glutamine / metabolism
  • Kelch-Like ECH-Associated Protein 1 / metabolism
  • NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / metabolism
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Sulfides / chemistry
  • Thiadiazoles* / chemistry

Substances

  • Glutamates
  • Kelch-Like ECH-Associated Protein 1
  • NF-E2-Related Factor 2
  • Sulfides
  • Thiadiazoles
  • Glutamine
  • Glutaminase
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)