Selective Inhibitor Of Cyclin-dependent Kinases Research Articles

Specific inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases and cell proliferation by harmine

As key regulators of the cell proliferation cycle, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are attractive targets for the development of anti-tumor drugs. In the present study, harmine was identified from a collection of herbal compounds to be a specific inhibitor of Cdk1/cyclin B, Cdk2/cyclin A, and Cdk5/p25 with IC 50 values at low micromoles. It displayed little effect on other serine/threonine and tyrosine kinases tested. The CDK inhibition by harmine is competitive with ATP-Mg 2+, suggesting that it binds to the ATP-Mg 2+-binding pocket of CDKs. In cytotoxicity assays, harmine exhibited a strong inhibitory effect on the growth and proliferation of carcinoma cells whereas it had no significant effect on quiescent fibroblasts. Further, harmine was found to block DNA replication in the carcinoma cells. Taken together, harmine is a selective inhibitor of CDKs and cell proliferation.

Analysis of roscovitine using novel high performance liquid chromatography and UV-detection method: pharmacokinetics of roscovitine in rat

Roscovitine (2-( R)-(1-ethyl-2-hydroxyethylamino)-6-benzylamino-9-isopropylpurine, is a potent and selective inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). It inhibits cdc2, cdk2, cdk5 and erk 1 and 2 by competing for the ATP binding domain of the kinases. It inhibits cell proliferation; induces DNA fragmentation and causes cell cycle arrest in S phase. Its stability and toxicity are not fully known. A liquid chromatography method was developed to measure roscovitine in human and rat plasma. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 100 ng/ml; the intra- and inter-day precision was below 10% at all control levels. Likewise, the accuracy between and within days was lower than 6% at all levels. The drug was stable at room temperature. Twenty-four hours at room temperature has result in a decrease of only 9% of the drug. The recovery of roscovitine from plasma was 84% at 750 ng/ml. The present method was used to study the pharmacokinetics of the drug in a rat model. The present investigation, to the authors’ knowledge, is the first analytical method reported and the first pharmacokinetics investigation of roscovitine in rat. Roscovitine was administered as a bolus injection (25 mg/kg body weight). The pharmacokinetic analysis showed that roscovitine is fitted to a two-compartment open-mode with a biphasic elimination half-life (6 and 26 min, respectively). The distribution volume was determined to 3.5 l/kg and the clearance (Cl) was 29.5 ml/min.

Small Molecules as Inhibitors of Cyclin‐Dependent Kinases

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Cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of Disabled-2 by cdc2.

Disabled-2 (Dab2; also known as p96 and DOC-2) is a signal transduction protein that has been implicated in the control of cell growth. Dab2 is known to be a phosphoprotein, but little is known about the kinases that phosphorylate Dab2. We have found that Dab2 phosphorylation is markedly increased during the mitosis phase of the cell cycle. This phosphorylation is blocked by roscovitine, a selective inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases. Dab2 robustly coimmunoprecipitates from cells with the cyclin-dependent kinase cdc2, and purified cdc2 can phosphorylate purified Dab2 fusion proteins in vitro on multiple sites. Cellular phosphorylation of Dab2 by cdc2 promotes the association of Dab2 with Pin1, a peptidylprolyl isomerase that regulates the rate of Dab2 dephosphorylation. These findings reveal that Dab2 is differentially phosphorylated during the cell cycle by cdc2 and provide a potential feedback mechanism by which Dab2 inhibition of cell growth and proliferation may be regulated.

Small molecules as inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases.

Cell division (mitosis) is one of the basic requirements for multicellular oranisms. The capability of a cell to replicate enables a complex assembly to be created. Faulty regulation of the control mechanism in the cell cycle leads to an excessive cell proliferation and is the cause of cancer. The key position of the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and their direct partners, as well as the fact that the majority of malign illnesses show defects in at least one of these key players of the cell cycle, is of great interest for the development of low-molecular-weight CDK inhibitors. In this Review an overview of the different structural classes of ATP-competitive inhibitors of CDKs are given, whose devlopment was aimed at battling cancer. The Review shows how far the development of selective CDK inhibitors has progressed and to what extent the expectations for such drugs have so far been fulfilled.

P42/p44 MAPKs are intracellular targets of the CDK inhibitor purvalanol.

Chemical inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) have a great therapeutic potential against various proliferative and neurodegenerative disorders. Intensive screening of a combinatorial chemistry library of 2,6,9-trisubstituted purines has led to the identification of purvalanol, one of the most potent and selective CDK inhibitors to date. In preliminary studies, this compound demonstrates definite anti-mitotic properties, consistent with its nanomolar range efficiency towards purified CDK1 and CDK2. However, the actual intracellular targets of purvalanol remain to be identified, and a method for the determination of its in vivo selectivity was developed. In this technique, cell extracts were screened for purvalanol-interacting proteins by affinity chromatography on immobilized inhibitor. In addition to CDK1, p42/p44 MAPK were found to be two major purvalanol-interacting proteins in five different mammalian cell lines (CCL39, PC12, HBL100, MCF-7 and Jurkat cells), suggesting the generality of the purvalanol/p42/p44 MAPK interaction. The Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell line CCL39 was used as a model to investigate the anti-proliferative properties of purvalanol. The compound inhibited cell growth with a GI(50) value of 2.5 microM and induced a G2/M block when added to exponentially growing cells. It did not appear to trigger massive activation of caspase. We next tested whether CDKs and p42/p44 MAPK were actually targeted by the compound in vivo. p42/p44 MAPK activity was visualized using an Elk-Gal4 luciferase reporter system and CDK1 activity was detected by the phosphonucleolin level. When cells were treated with purvalanol, p42/p44 MAPK and CDK1 activities were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, purvalanol inhibited the nuclear accumulation of p42/p44 MAPK, an event dependent on the catalytic activity of these kinases. We conclude that the anti-proliferative properties of purvalanol are mediated by inhibition of both p42/p44 MAPK and CDKs. These observations highlight the potency of moderate selectivity compounds and encourage the search for new therapeutics which simultaneously target distinct but relevant pathways of cell proliferation.

Application of proteomics in the search for novel proteins associated with the anti-cancer effect of the synthetic cyclin-dependent kinases inhibitor, bohemine.

The purpose of this study was to use the proteomics approach, which is based on high resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled with multivariate correspondence analysis and mass spectrometry, to classify objectively the biochemical basis of the anti-cancer activity of the synthetic cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, bohemine (BOH). The changes in the cell cycle and corresponding protein composition of the A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cell line after treatment with BOH were evaluated and proteins differentially expressed in the BOH treated A549 cells, compared to the untreated A549 counterparts, were selected. Thirteen of these candidate proteins associated with the drug effects in vitro were identified by mass spectrometry. Many of these proteins fall into one of three functional categories: i) metabolic pathways (glycolysis, nucleic acid synthesis and NADPH production), ii) stress response and protein folding, and iii) cytoskeleton and exocytosis. Changes in protein expression patterns corresponded to a higher resistance of A549 lung carcinoma cells to BOH when compared to the CEM leukaemia cell line. These protein changes reflect a fine balance of the resistant versus the susceptible phenotype in response to the drug. Since BOH is a selective cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, changes in the protein expression pattern can be more generally associated with cell cycle regulation as evidenced by inhibition of cell cycling in A549 cells. Our conclusions further underline the importance of cell cycle control in both the cellular signalling and metabolic pathways.

Suppression of HIV-1 expression by inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases promotes differentiation of infected podocytes.

The glomerular lesions of HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) are associated with the expression of HIV-1 in podocytes. Infected podocytes proliferate and lose several differentiation markers in vivo and in vitro, which suggests that HIV-1 gene expression induces these changes. Flavopiridol and roscovitine, newly identified inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinase-9, markedly decrease HIV-1 promoter activity in cell lines of various lineages. In this study, the inhibitors were used to determine whether suppression of HIV-1 transcription in infected podocytes correlated with an inhibition of proliferation and a return to the differentiated phenotype. Dose-response analysis showed that both flavopiridol and roscovitine reversibly suppressed HIV-1 transcription in podocytes in vitro at an IC(50) of 25 nM and 3 microM, respectively. Despite equivalent suppression of HIV-1 transcription, roscovitine was a more effective inhibitor of podocyte proliferation than flavopiridol. Suppression of HIV-1 transcription by flavopiridol or roscovitine was marked by re-expression of the podocyte differentiation markers, synaptopodin and podocalyxin. These results suggest that inhibition of HIV-1 transcription decreases podocyte proliferation and permits the reexpression of differentiation markers. Thus, suppression of HIV-1 transcription by selective cyclin-dependent kinase-9 inhibitors may be a useful therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HIVAN.

Inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) by indirubin derivatives in human tumour cells.

The bisindole indirubin has been described, more than 30 years ago, as being clinically active in the treatment of human chronic myelocytic leukaemia. However, the underlying mechanism of action has remained unclear. We have reported previously that indirubin and its analogues are potent and selective inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK). In this study, we investigated the influence of indirubin and derivatives on CDK1/cyclin B kinase in human tumour cells at concentrations known to induce growth inhibition. Cells of the mammary carcinoma cell line MCF-7, synchronized by serum deprivation, after serum repletion stay arrested in the G1/G0 phase of the cell cycle in the presence of 2 μM indirubin-3′-monoxime. At higher drug concentrations (≥ 5 μM) an increase of the cell population in the G2/M phase is additionally observed. Cells synchronized in G2/M phase by nocodazole remain arrested in the G2/M phase after release, in the presence of indirubin-3′-monoxime (≥5 μM). After 24 h treatment with 10 μM indirubin-3′-monoxime a sub-G2 peak appears, indicative for the onset of apoptotic cell death. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with growth inhibitory concentrations of indirubin-3′-monoxime induces dose-dependent inhibition of the CDK1 activity in the cell. After 24 h treatment, a strong decrease of the CDK1 protein level along with a reduction of cyclin B in complex with CDK1 is observed. Taken together, the results of this study strongly suggest that inhibition of CDK activity in human tumour cells is a major mechanism by which indirubin derivatives exert their potent antitumour efficacy. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.com

CELL CYCLE REGULATORS IN THE FLORIDA RED TIDE DINOFLAGELLATE, GYMNODINIUM BREVE

The diel cycle is a key regulator of the cell cycle in many dinoflagellates, and may play a rate limiting role in bloom formation. Diel phasing of the cell cycle in the Florida red tide dinoflagellate, Gymnodinium breve Davis was previously described in our laboratory. In cultures grown on a 16:8 light:dark cycle, S‐phase began 6–8 h into the light phase, and mitosis followed 12–14 h later. The dark/light “dawn” transition was found to provide the diel cue that serves to entrain the G. breve cell cycle. However the cell cycle mechanisms and regulators acted upon by this cue are poorly understood in dinoflagellates. The cell cycle regulatory complex, CDK1‐cyclinB, is therefore currently being investigated. Cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) was first identified in G. breve using two approaches: (1) identification of a 34 kDa protein immunoreactive to an antibody raised against a conserved amino acid sequence unique to the CDK protein family (PSTAIR) and (2) inhibition of the cell cycle by olomoucine, a selective CDK inhibitor. Several approaches are currently being employed in order to describe its partner, cyclin B: (1) PCR on genomic DNA with primers deduced from known cyclin box sequences, (2) G. breve expression library screening with an antibody raised against the fission yeast cyclin B (3) western blot analysis on whole protein extracts and cyclin B immunoprecipitated proteins. Current work focuses on the differential expression of the cyclin B homologue in G. breve during its cell cycle and its relation to diel cycle control.

DIEL PHASING OF THE CELL‐CYCLE IN THE FLORIDA RED TIDE DINOFLAGELLATE, GYMNODINIUM BREVE

The diel cycle is a key regulator of the cell‐cycle in many dinoflagellates, but the mechanisms by which the diel cycle entrains the cell‐cycle remain poorly understood. In this study, we describe diel phasing of the cell‐cycle in the Florida red tide dinoflagellate Gymnodinium breve Davis, determine the diel cue which serves to entrain the cell‐cycle, and provide evidence for the presence of cyclin‐dependent kinase (CDK), a cell‐cycle regulator which may be responsive to this cue. Four laboratory isolates from the West Coast of Florida were compared. When grown on a 16:8 h LD cycle, all isolates displayed phased cell division, with the S‐phase beginning 6–8 h into the light phase, and mitosis following 12–14 h later, as determined by flow cytometry. A naturally occurring bloom of G. breve, studied over one diel cycle, displayed diel cell‐cycle phasing similar to that in the laboratory cultures, with the S‐phase beginning during daylight and the peak of mitosis occurring approximately 4 h after sunset. In the laboratory cultures, the dark/light “dawn” transition was found to provide the diel cue which serves to entrain the G. breve cell‐cycle, whereas the light/ dark “dusk” transition did not appear to be involved. Evidence for the presence of CDK in G. breve was obtained using two approaches: (1) identification of a 34‐kDa protein, immunoreactive to an antibody against a conserved amino acid sequence (α‐PSTAIR) unique to the CDK protein family and (2) inhibition of the cell‐cycle by olomoucine, a selective CDK inhibitor. Together, these results provide the basis from which one can begin addressing mechanisms by which the diel cycle regulates the cell‐cycle in G. breve.

Fused Azepinones with Antitumor Activity

Based on the observation that some simple [l]benzazepin-2-ones exhibit in vivo antitumor activity, studies directed to several new structure classes with this partial motif have been reported recently, comprising 7,l 2-dihydro-indolo[3,2-d][l ]benzazepin- 6(5H)-ones (paullones), 5H-quinolino[3,2-d][ I ]benzazepin-6(7H)-ones, 2,4-diaryl-5H• pyrido[3,2-d][ I ]benzazepin-6(7H)-ones, spiro[ l-benzazepine-4, l '-cyclohexane] deri va­ tives, and naphthannelated benzazepinones. For the syntheses of these heterocyclic compounds, IH-[l]benzazepine-2,5(3H,4H)-diones were employed as readily available ; starting materials. In each of the mentioned series, entities with in vitro antitumor activity have been detected. Considering potency and in vitro cell line selectivity, both the 2,4-diaryl-5H-pyrido[3,2-d][ I ]benzazepin- 6(7H)-ones and the paullones are apparently suitable for a further development. A biological mechanism probably related to the antiproliferative activity has been established only for the paullones. These compounds represent a novel class of selective inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases, a family of enzymes whose function seems to be deregulated in many human tumors.

Continuing Education

Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) promotes transcriptional elongation through RNAPII pause release. We now report that CDK9 is also essential for maintaining gene silencing at heterochromatic loci. Through a live cell drug screen with genetic confirmation, we discovered that CDK9 inhibition reactivates epigenetically silenced genes in cancer, leading to restored tumor suppressor gene expression, cell differentiation, and activation of endogenous retrovirus genes. CDK9 inhibition dephosphorylates the SWI/SNF protein BRG1, which contributes to gene reactivation. By optimization through gene expression, we developed a highly selective CDK9 inhibitor (MC180295, IC50 = 5 nM) that has broad anti-cancer activity in vitro and is effective in in vivo cancer models. Additionally, CDK9 inhibition sensitizes to the immune checkpoint inhibitor α-PD-1 in vivo, making it an excellent target for epigenetic therapy of cancer.

Apoptosis of central and peripheral neurons can be prevented with cyclin-dependent kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors.

Previous studies have indicated that certain members of the cyclin-dependent kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase superfamily are involved in apoptosis of neuronal cells. Here, we have examined programmed cell death induced by withdrawal of neurotrophic support from CNS (rat retinal) and PNS (chick sympathetic, sensory, and ciliary) neurons. All four neuron types were equally rescued by the purine analogues olomoucine and roscovitine. Olomoucine inhibits multiple cyclin-dependent and mitogen-activated protein kinases with similar potency. Roscovitine is a more selective cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor; but, so is butyrolactone I, which did not prevent retinal ganglion cell death. The specific p38MAPK inhibitor SB-203580 did not prevent apoptosis in retinal ganglion cells. Death of these cells in the absence of neurotrophic factors was accompanied by morphological changes indicative of apoptosis, including nuclear condensation and fragmentation. Treatment with olomoucine or roscovitine not only prevented these apoptotic changes in retinal ganglion cells but also blocked neurite outgrowth. The survival-promoting activity of olomoucine correlated with its in vitro IC50 for c-Jun N-terminal kinase-1 and its potency to repress c-jun induction in live PC12 cells. Roscovitine was more potent in rescuing neurons than in inhibiting Jun kinase. Thus, the antiapoptotic action of roscovitine might be due to inhibition of additional kinases.

Effects of olomoucine, a selective inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases, on cell cycle progression in human cancer cell lines.

We have studied the effects of olomoucine, a selective inhibitor of cdk2, cdc2 and MAP kinase, on the rate of proliferation and the cell cycle progression in human cancer cells in culture. Olomoucine inhibited the growth of the KB 3-1, MDA-MB-231 and Evsa-T cell lines in a concentration-dependent manner, with EC50 values of 45, 75 and 85 microM, respectively. Incubation of exponentially growing KB 3-1 cells in the presence of olomoucine led to an increased proportion of cells in G1 phase after 24 h or more of incubation. Olomoucine failed to rapidly affect the phosphorylation of the Rb tumor-supressor gene product. However, [3H]thymidine incorporation into the cell DNA was rapidly inhibited. We show that this inhibition is due, at least in part, to the diminution of thymidine entry into the cells. Surprisingly, all these cell lines, when synchronized at the G1/S interface and relaxed in the presence of olomoucine, progressed unhindered through the S phase. Under these conditions, the G2 phase transit was markedly retarded but not prevented. Insufficient permeability of the cell membrane to olomoucine may explain the low activity of the drug.