A structure-guided hybridization approach using two privileged substructures gave instant access to a new series of tankyrase inhibitors. The identified inhibitor 16 displays high target affinity on tankyrase 1 and 2 with biochemical and cellular IC values of 29 nM, 6.3 nM and 19 nM, respectively, and high selectivity toward other poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase enzymes. The identified inhibitor shows a favorable in vitro ADME profile as well as good oral bioavailability in mice, rats, and dogs. Critical for the approach was the utilization of an appropriate linker between 1,2,4-triazole and benzimidazolone moieties, whereby a cyclobutyl linker displayed superior affinity compared to a cyclohexane and phenyl linker.

No abstract

Recently a novel inhibitor of Wnt signaling was discovered. The compound, WIKI4, was found to act through tankyrase inhibition and regulate β-catenin levels in many cancer cell lines and human embryonic stem cells. Here we confirm that WIKI4 is a high potency tankyrase inhibitor and that it selectively inhibits tankyrases over other ARTD enzymes tested. The binding mode of the compound to tankyrase 2 was determined by protein X-ray crystallography to 2.4 Å resolution. The structure revealed a novel binding mode to the adenosine subsite of the donor NAD+ binding groove of the catalytic domain. Our results form a structural basis for further development of potent and selective tankyrase inhibitors based on the WIKI4 scaffold.

Tankyrases 1 and 2, the specialized members of the ARTD protein family, are druggable biotargets whose inhibition may have therapeutic potential against cancer, metabolic disease, fibrotic disease, fibrotic wound healing and HSV viral infections. We have previously identified a novel tankyrase inhibitor scaffold, JW55, and showed that it reduces mouse colon adenoma formation in vivo. Here we expanded the scaffold and profiled the selectivity of the compounds against a panel of human ARTDs. The scaffold also enables a fine modulation of selectivity towards either tankyrase 1 or tankyrase 2. In order to get insight about the binding mode of the inhibitors, we solved crystal structures of the compounds in complex with tankyrase 2. The compounds bind to the adenosine pocket of the catalytic domain and cause changes in the protein structure that are modulated by the chemical modifications of the compounds. The structural analysis allows further rational development of this compound class as a potent and selective tankyrase inhibitor.

No abstract