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Title: Discovery of 2-Indole-acylsulfonamide Myeloid Cell Leukemia 1 (Mcl-1) Inhibitors Using Fragment-Based Methods

Journal Article · · Journal of Medicinal Chemistry

Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) is a member of the Bcl-2 family of proteins responsible for the regulation of programmed cell death. Amplification of Mcl-1 is a common genetic aberration in human cancer whose overexpression contributes to the evasion of apoptosis and is one of the major resistance mechanisms for many chemotherapies. Mcl-1 mediates its effects primarily through interactions with pro-apoptotic BH3 containing proteins that achieve high affinity for the target by utilizing four hydrophobic pockets in its binding groove. Here we describe the discovery of Mcl-1 inhibitors using fragment-based methods and structure-based design. These novel inhibitors exhibit low nanomolar binding affinities to Mcl-1 and >500-fold selectivity over Bcl-xL. Additionally, X-ray structures of lead Mcl-1 inhibitors when complexed to Mcl-1 provided detailed information on how these small-molecules bind to the target and were used extensively to guide compound optimization.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Grant/Contract Number:
DP1OD006933/DP1CA174419; HHSN261200800001E; P50CA098131; 1S-10RR025677-01; AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1247370
Journal Information:
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Vol. 59, Issue 5; ISSN 0022-2623
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 97 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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From basic apoptosis discoveries to advanced selective BCL-2 family inhibitors journal February 2017
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