Optimization of Peptidomimetics as Selective Inhibitors for the β-Catenin/T-Cell Factor Protein-Protein Interaction

J Med Chem. 2019 Apr 11;62(7):3617-3635. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b00147. Epub 2019 Mar 21.

Abstract

The β-catenin/T-cell factor (Tcf) protein-protein interaction (PPI) plays a critical role in the β-catenin signaling pathway which is hyperactivated in many cancers and fibroses. Based on compound 1, which was designed to target the Tcf4 G13ANDE17 binding site of β-catenin, extensive structure-activity relationship studies have been conducted. As a result, compounds 53 and 57 were found to disrupt the β-catenin/Tcf PPI with the Ki values of 0.64 and 0.44 μM, respectively, and exhibit good selectivity for β-catenin/Tcf over β-catenin/E-cadherin and β-catenin/adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) PPIs. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2 H-tetrazolium (MTS) cell viability assays revealed that 56, the ethyl ester of 53, was more potent than 53 in inhibiting viability of most of the Wnt/β-catenin hyperactive cancer cells. Further cell-based studies indicated that 56 disrupted the β-catenin/Tcf PPI without affecting the β-catenin/E-cadherin and β-catenin/APC PPIs, suppressed transactivation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in dose-dependent manners, and inhibited migration and invasiveness of Wnt/β-catenin-dependent cancer cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Peptidomimetics / chemistry
  • Peptidomimetics / pharmacology*
  • Protein Binding
  • Signal Transduction
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • TCF Transcription Factors / antagonists & inhibitors
  • TCF Transcription Factors / metabolism*
  • beta Catenin / antagonists & inhibitors
  • beta Catenin / metabolism*

Substances

  • CTNNB1 protein, human
  • Peptidomimetics
  • TCF Transcription Factors
  • beta Catenin