Arabidopsis cyclin D2 expressed in rice forms a functional cyclin-dependent kinase complex that enhances seedling growth

D-class cyclins play important roles in controlling the cell cycle in development and in response to external signals by forming the regulatory subunit of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) complexes. To evaluate the effects of D-class cyclins in transgenic rice plants, Arabidopsis cyclin D2 gene (CycD2) was linked to the maize ubiquitin1 promoter (Ubi1) and introduced into rice by the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method. Genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), and Western blot hybridizations of the Ubi1:CycD2 plants revealed copy number of transgene and its increased expression in leaf and callus cells at messenger RNA (mRNA) and/or protein levels. The H1 kinase assay using the immunoprecipitates of protein extracts from the Ubi1:CycD2 plants and nontransgenic controls demonstrated that the introduced Arabidopsis CycD2 forms a functional CycD2/CDK complex with an unidentified CDK of rice. Shoot and root growth was enhanced in the Ubi1:CycD2 seedlings compared with nontransgenic controls, together, suggesting that Arabidopsis cyclin D2 interacts with a rice cyclin-dependent kinase, consequently enhancing seedling growth.     

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitory domain of the yeast Sic1 protein is contained within the C-terminal 70 amino acids

By inhibiting the activity of Cdc28/Clb cyclin-dependent protein kinase (CDK) complexes, Sic1 prevents the premature initiation of S phase in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. By testing a series of Sic1 truncation mutants, we have mapped the minimal domain necessary for Cdc28/Clb inhibition in vivo to the C-terminal 70 amino acids of Sic1. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to show that a sequence that matches the zRxL motif found in mammalian CDK inhibitors is essential for Sic1 function. This motif is not found in the Schizosaccharomyces CDK inhibitor p25^rum1, which appears to be a structural and functional homolog of Sic1. Based on the mutational data and sequence comparisons, we argue that Sic1 and p25^rum1 are structurally distinct from the known mammalian CDK inhibitors, but may bind CDK complexes in a manner more closely resembling CDK substrates like the retinoblastoma and E2F proteins. Received: 3 February 1999 / Accepted: 23 April 1999     

Phosphorylation of Minichromosome Maintenance Protein 7 (MCM7) by Cyclin/Cyclin-dependent Kinase Affects Its Function in Cell Cycle Regulation

MCM7 is one of the subunits of the MCM2–7 complex that plays a critical role in DNA replication initiation and cell proliferation of eukaryotic cells. After forming the pre-replication complex (pre-RC) with other components, the MCM2–7 complex is activated by DDK/cyclin-dependent kinase to initiate DNA replication. Each subunit of the MCM2–7 complex functions differently under regulation of various kinases on the specific site, which needs to be investigated in detail. In this study, we demonstrated that MCM7 is a substrate of cyclin E/Cdk2 and can be phosphorylated on Ser-121. We found that the distribution of MCM7-S121A is different from wild-type MCM7 and that the MCM7-S121A mutant is much less efficient to form a pre-RC complex with MCM3/MCM5/cdc45 compared with wild-type MCM7. By using the Tet-On inducible HeLa cell line, we revealed that overexpression of wild-type MCM7 but not MCM7-S121A can block S phase entry, suggesting that an excess of the pre-RC complex may activate the cell cycle checkpoint. Further analysis indicates that the Chk1 pathway is activated in MCM7-overexpressed cells in a p53-dependent manner. We performed experiments with the human normal cell line HL-7702 and also observed that overexpression of MCM7 can cause S phase block through checkpoint activation. In addition, we found that MCM7 could also be phosphorylated by cyclin B/Cdk1 on Ser-121 both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, overexpression of MCM7-S121A causes an obvious M phase exit delay, which suggests that phosphorylation of MCM7 on Ser-121 in M phase is very important for a proper mitotic exit. These data suggest that the phosphorylation of MCM7 on Ser-121 by cyclin/Cdks is involved in preventing DNA rereplication as well as in regulation of the mitotic exit.     

Structure-based discovery of the first allosteric inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinase 2

Allosteric targeting of protein kinases via displacement of the structural αC helix with type III allosteric inhibitors is currently gaining a foothold in drug discovery. Recently, the first crystal structure of CDK2 with an open allosteric pocket adjacent to the αC helix has been described, prospecting new opportunities to design more selective inhibitors, but the structure has not yet been exploited for the structure-based design of type III allosteric inhibitors. In this work we report the results of a virtual screening campaign that resulted in the discovery of the first-in-class type III allosteric ligands of CDK2. Using a combination of docking and post-docking analyses made with our tool BEAR, 7 allosteric ligands (hit rate of 20%) with micromolar affinity for CDK2 were identified, some of them inhibiting the growth of breast cancer cell lines in the micromolar range. Competition experiments performed in the presence of the ATP-competitive inhibitor staurosporine confirmed that the 7 ligands are truly allosteric, in agreement with their design. Of these, compound 2 bound CDK2 with an EC₅₀ value of 3 μM and inhibited the proliferation of MDA-MB231 and ZR-75–1 breast cancer cells with IC₅₀ values of approximately 20 μM, while compound 4 had an EC₅₀ value of 71 μM and IC₅₀ values around 4 μM. Remarkably, the most potent compound 4 was able to selectively inhibit CDK2-mediated Retinoblastoma phosphorylation, confirming that its mechanism of action is fully compatible with a selective inhibition of CDK2 phosphorylation in cells. Finally, hit expansion through analog search of the most potent inhibitor 4 revealed an additional ligand 4g with similar in vitro potency on breast cancer cells.     

Cyclin K-containing kinase complexes maintain self-renewal in murine embryonic stem cells

Protein phosphorylation plays an important role in the regulation of self-renewal and differentiation of embryonic stem cells. However, the responsible intracellular kinases are not well characterized. Here, we discovered that cyclin K protein was highly expressed in pluripotent embryonic stem cells but low in their differentiated derivatives or tissue-specific stem cells. Upon cell differentiation, the level of cyclin K protein was decreased. Furthermore, knockdown of cyclin K led to cell differentiation, which could be rescued by an expression construct resistant to RNA interference. Surprisingly, cyclin K did not interact with CDK9 protein in cells as thought previously. Instead, it associated with CrkRS (also known as CDK12) and CDC2L5 (also known as CDK13). Similar to cyclin K, both CDK12 and CDK13 proteins were highly expressed in murine embryonic stem cells and were decreased upon cell differentiation. Importantly, knockdown of either kinase resulted in differentiation. Thus, our studies have uncovered two novel protein kinase complexes that maintain self-renewal in embryonic stem cells.     

AP-1-independent sensitization to oxidative stress-induced apoptosis by proteasome inhibitors

Hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) induces apoptosis of mesangial cells via c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-activator protein-1 (AP-1) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-AP-1 pathways. We recently found that subtoxic doses of proteasome inhibitors, MG132 and lactacystin, dramatically enhanced H(2)O(2)-induced apoptosis in mesangial cells. In this report, we examined molecular mechanisms involved in this phenomenon, especially focusing on AP-1 pathways. Reporter assays showed that MG132 induced activation of AP-1. However, pharmacological inhibitors of AP-1, retinoic acid, and curcumin, did not suppress the proapoptotic effect of MG132. Suppression of JNK-AP-1 by transfection with either a dominant-negative mutant of JNK or a dominant-negative mutant of c-Jun did not attenuate the apoptosis enhancement by MG132. Similarly, suppression of ERK-AP-1 by PD98059 or dominant-negative mutants of ERK did not affect the apoptosis-promoting effect of MG132. Interestingly, pretreatment with MG132 did not enhance activation of AP-1 by H(2)O(2). These data suggested a novel, AP-1-independent promotion of apoptosis by proteasome inhibitors.     

Tumor-associated protein SPIK/TATI suppresses serine protease dependent cell apoptosis

Serine protease dependent cell apoptosis (SPDCA) is a recently described caspase independent innate apoptotic pathway. It differs from the traditional caspase dependent apoptotic pathway in that serine proteases, not caspases, are critical to the apoptotic process. The mechanism of SPDCA is still unclear and further investigation is needed to determine any role it may play in maintaining cellular homeostasis and development of disease. The current knowledge about this pathway is limited only to the inhibitory effects of some serine protease inhibitors. Synthetic agents such as pefabloc, AEBSF and TPCK can inhibit this apoptotic process in cultured cells. There is little known, however, about biologically active agents available in the cell which can inhibit SPDCA. Here, we show that over-expression of a cellular protein called serine protease inhibitor Kazal (SPIK/TATI/PSTI) results in a significant decrease in cell susceptibility to SPDCA, suggesting that SPIK is an apoptosis inhibitor suppressing this pathway of apoptosis. Previous work has associated SPIK and cancer development, indicating that this finding will help to open the doorway for further study on the mechanism of SPDCA and the role it may play in cancer development.     

The pan-ErbB receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor canertinib promotes apoptosis of malignant melanoma in vitro and displays anti-tumor activity in vivo

The ErbB receptor family has been suggested to constitute a therapeutic target for tumor-specific treatment of malignant melanoma. Here we investigate the effect of the pan-ErbB tyrosine kinase inhibitor canertinib on cell growth and survival in human melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Canertinib significantly inhibited growth of cultured melanoma cells, RaH3 and RaH5, in a dose-dependent manner as determined by cell counting. Half-maximum growth inhibitory dose (IC₅₀) was approximately 0.8 μM and by 5 μM both cell lines were completely growth-arrested within 72 h of treatment. Incubation of exponentially growing RaH3 and RaH5 with 1 μM canertinib accumulated the cells in the G₁-phase of the cell cycle within 24 h of treatment without induction of apoptosis as determined by flow cytometry. Immunoblot analysis showed that 1 μM canertinib inhibited ErbB1-3 receptor phosphorylation with a concomitant decrease of Akt-, Erk1/2- and Stat3 activity in both cell lines. In contrast to the cytostatic effect observed at doses ?5 μM canertinib, higher concentrations induced apoptosis as demonstrated by the Annexin V method and Western blot analysis of PARP cleavage. Furthermore, canertinib significantly inhibited growth of RaH3 and RaH5 melanoma xenografts in nude mice. Pharmacological targeting of the ErbB receptors may prove successful in the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma.     

周期蛋白和周期蛋白依赖性激酶及相关激酶抑制剂在细胞周期进程中的调控机制研究进展

在细胞发育过程中,细胞周期起着至关重要的作用。细胞周期进程主要受细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶(cyclin dependent kinase, CDK)、周期蛋白和内源性CDK抑制剂(cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors,CKI)调控。其中,CDK是主要的细胞周期调节因子,可与周期蛋白结合形成周期蛋白-CDK复合物,从而使数百种底物磷酸化,调控分裂间期和有丝分裂进程。各类细胞周期蛋白的活性异常,可引起不受控制的癌细胞增殖,导致癌症的发生与发展。因此,了解CDK的活性变化情况、周期蛋白-CDK的组装以及CKI的作用,将有助于了解细胞周期进程中潜在的调控过程,为癌症与疾病的治疗和CKI治疗药物的研发提供基础。本文关注了CDK激活和灭活的关键事件,并总结了周期蛋白-CDK在特定时期及位置的调控过程,以及相关CKI治疗药物在癌症及疾病中的研究进展,最后简单阐述了细胞周期进程研究面临的问题和存在的挑战,以期为后续细胞周期进程的深入研究提供参考和思路。     

Discovery of novel 2,4-disubstituted pyrimidines as Aurora kinase inhibitors

In order to explore novel Aurora kinase inhibitors, a series of novel 2,4-disubstituted pyrimidines were designed, synthesized and evaluated their in vitro anti-proliferative activities against a panel of cancerous cell lines (A549, HCT-116 and MCF-7). Among them, compound 12a showed the moderate to high anti-proliferative activities against A549 (IC₅₀ = 12.05 ± 0.45 μM), HCT-116 (IC₅₀ = 1.31 ± 0.41 μM) and MCF-7 (IC₅₀ = 20.53 ± 6.13 μM) cells, as well as the Aurora A and Aurora B inhibitory activities with the IC₅₀ values of 309 nM and 293 nM, respectively. Furthermore, compound 12a induced apoptosis by upregulated the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and decreased the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xl in HCT-116 cells. Moreover, the molecular docking study showed that compound 12a had good binding modes with Aurora A and Aurora B and the bioinformatics prediction discovered that compound 12a exhibited good drug likeness using SwissADME. Taken together, these results indicated that 12a may be a potential anticancer compound that was worthy of further development as Aurora kinase inhibitor.     

Aminoimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines as a new structural class of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors. Part 1: Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation

We have identified a novel structural class of protein serine/threonine kinase inhibitors comprised of an aminoimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine nucleus. Compounds from this family are shown to potently inhibit cyclin-dependent kinases by competing with ATP for binding to a catalytic subunit of the protein. Structure-based design approach was used to direct this chemical scaffold toward generating potent and selective CDK2 inhibitors. The discovery of this new class of ATP-site directed protein kinase inhibitors, aminoimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines, provides the basis of new medicinal chemistry tool in search for an effective treatment of cancer and other diseases that involve protein kinase signaling pathways.     

Discovery of a class of diheteroaromatic amines as orally bioavailable CDK1/4/6 inhibitors

The discovery of a class of diheteroaromatic amines based on LY2835219 as cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK1/4/6) inhibitors was described. The series was found to have much more improved CDK1 inhibition and potent in vitro anti-proliferative effects against cancer cell lines. The synthesis and structure–activity relationship studies of these compounds were reported. One promising compound was selected to evaluate as a novel lead compound after in vitro and in vivo profiling.     

Effects of protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase inhibitors on growth and ultrastructure of Trypanosoma cruzi

An increasing number of protein kinases (PKs) of parasitic protozoa are being evaluated as drug targets. Some PK inhibitors display antiproliferative effects on protozoa. We tested three PK inhibitors on the growth and ultrastructure of epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi and the effect of these drugs on intracellular amastigotes. They were staurosporine (serine/threonine kinase inhibitor), genistein (tyrosine kinase inhibitor), and wortmannin (phosphatidylinositol 3' (PI3) kinase inhibitor). All drugs inhibited epimastigote growth at the concentrations tested. Wortmannin inhibited parasite growth at the lowest concentrations. However, staurosporine was the most effective after 24 h treatment and genistein caused the stronger inhibition during the whole treatment (60-70% inhibition). The IC50 were: staurosporine: 6.43+/-1.28 microM; genistein: 6.54+/-1.86 microM; and wortmannin: 0.056+/-0.014 microM. These PK inhibitors had strong ultrastructural effects on the epimastigotes: abnormal chromatin condensation of the nucleus; loose flagellar membrane with the formation of blebs; incomplete cell division; autophagosomes and myelin-like figures. These drugs did not interfere with the division of intracellular amastigotes or with its differentiation to trypomastigotes. However, as trypanosomes have kinomes that contain a large set of protein kinases and phosphatases, PKs should not be disregarded as an important target for chemotherapy of Chagas disease.     

Structure guided design of a series of sphingosine kinase (SphK) inhibitors

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signaling plays a vital role in mitogenesis, cell migration and angiogenesis. Sphingosine kinases (SphKs) catalyze a key step in sphingomyelin metabolism that leads to the production of S1P. There are two isoforms of SphK and observations made with SphK deficient mice show the two isoforms can compensate for each other’s loss. Thus, inhibition of both isoforms is likely required to block SphK dependent angiogenesis. A structure based approach was used to design and synthesize a series of SphK inhibitors resulting in the identification of the first potent inhibitors of both isoforms of human SphK. Additionally, to our knowledge, this series of inhibitors contains the only sufficiently potent inhibitors of murine SphK1 with suitable physico-chemical properties to pharmacologically interrogate the role of SphK1 in rodent models and to reproduce the phenotype of SphK1 (?/?) mice.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 4-quinazolinones as Rho kinase inhibitors

Rho kinase (ROCK) is an attractive therapeutic target for various diseases including glaucoma, hypertension, and spinal cord injury. Herein, we report the development of a series of ROCK-II inhibitors based on 4-quinazolinone and quinazoline scaffolds. SAR studies at three positions of the quinazoline core led to the identification of analogs with high potency against ROCK-II and good selectivity over protein kinase A (PKA).     

Protein kinase inhibitors block the stimulation of the AMP-activated protein kinase by 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the central component of a protein kinase cascade that plays a major role in energy sensing. AMPK is activated pharmacologically by 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide (AICA) riboside monophosphate (ZMP), which mimics the effects of AMP on the AMPK cascade. Here we show that uptake of AICA riboside into cells, mediated by the adenosine transport system, is blocked by a number of protein kinase inhibitors. Under these conditions, ZMP does not accumulate to sufficient levels to stimulate AMPK. Our results demonstrate that careful interpretation is required when using AICA riboside in conjunction with protein kinase inhibitors to investigate the physiological role of AMPK.     

p21(Cip-1/SDI-1/WAF-1) expression via the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway in insulin-induced chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells

The embryonal carcinoma-derived cell line, ATDC5, differentiates into chondrocytes in response to insulin or insulin-like growth factor-I stimulation. In this study, we investigated the roles of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases in insulin-induced chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells. Insulin-induced accumulation of glycosaminoglycan and expression of chondrogenic differentiation markers, type II collagen, type X collagen, and aggrecan mRNA were inhibited by the MEK1/2 inhibitor (U0126) and the p38 MAP kinase inhibitor (SB203580). Conversely, the JNK inhibitor (SP600125) enhanced the synthesis of glycosaminoglycan and expression of chondrogenic differentiation markers. Insulin-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and JNK but not that of p38 MAP kinase. We have previously clarified that the induction of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p21(Cip-1/SDI-1/WAF-1), is essential for chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells. To assess the relationship between the induction of p21 and MAP kinase activity, we investigated the effect of these inhibitors on insulin-induced p21 expression in ATDC5 cells. Insulin-induced accumulation of p21 mRNA and protein was inhibited by the addition of U0126 and SB203580. In contrast, SP600125 enhanced it. Inhibitory effects of U0126 or stimulatory effects of SP600125 on insulin-induced chondrogenic differentiation were observed when these inhibitors exist in the early phase of differentiation, suggesting that MEK/ERK and JNK act on early phase differentiation. SB202580, however, is necessary not only for early phase but also for late phase differentiation, indicating that p38 MAP kinase stimulates differentiation by acting during the entire period of cultivation. These results for the first time demonstrate that up-regulation of p21 expression by ERK1/2 and p38 MAP kinase is required for chondrogenesis, and that JNK acts as a suppressor of chondrogenesis by down-regulating p21 expression.     

Novel triazolo-pyrrolopyridines as inhibitors of Janus kinase 1

The identification of a novel fused triazolo-pyrrolopyridine scaffold, optimized derivatives of which display nanomolar inhibition of Janus kinase 1, is described. Prototypical example 3 demonstrated lower cell potency shift, better permeability in cells and higher oral exposure in rat than the corresponding, previously reported, imidazo-pyrrolopyridine analogue 2. Examples 6, 7 and 18 were subsequently identified from an optimization campaign and demonstrated modest selectivity over JAK2, moderate to good oral bioavailability in rat with overall pharmacokinetic profiles comparable to that reported for an approved pan-JAK inhibitor (tofacitinib).