Histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) is a promising drug target for multiple therapeutic applications. Here, we describe the modeling, design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a novel series of C1-substituted tetrahydroisoquinoline (TIQ)-based HDAC8 inhibitors. Minimization of entropic loss upon ligand binding and use of the unique HDAC8 “open” conformation of the binding site yielded a successful strategy for improvement of both HDAC8 potency and selectivity. The TIQ-based 3g and 3n exhibited the highest 82 and 55 nM HDAC8 potency and 330- and 135-fold selectivity over HDAC1, respectively. Selectivity over other class I isoforms was comparable or better, whereas inhibition of HDAC6, a class II HDAC isoform, was below 50% at 10 μM. The cytotoxicity of 3g and 3n was evaluated in neuroblastoma cell lines, and 3n displayed concentration-dependent cytotoxicity similar to or better than that of PCI-34051. The selectivity of 3g and 3n was confirmed in SH-SY5Y cells as both did not increase the acetylation of histone H3 and α-tubulin. Discovery of the novel TIQ chemotype paves the way for the development of HDAC8 selective inhibitors for therapeutic applications.Keywords: HDAC8; Histone deacetylase; hydroxamate; inhibitor; tetrahydroisoquinoline;

•Comprehensive analysis of HDAC inhibitor selectivity reveals cell type dependence•HDAC3 activity is divergently regulated by phosphorylation in triple-negative cells•c-Jun N-terminal kinase phosphorylates HDAC3•HDAC3 phosphorylation increases binding and alters selectivity of HDAC inhibitorHistone deacetylase (HDAC) catalytic activity is regulated by formation of co-regulator complexes and post-translational modification. Whether these mechanisms are transformed in cancer and how this affects the binding and selectivity of HDAC inhibitors (HDACis) is unclear. In this study, we developed a method that identified a 3- to 16-fold increase in HDACi selectivity for HDAC3 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells in comparison with luminal subtypes that was not predicted by current practice measurements with recombinant proteins. We found this increase was caused by c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation of HDAC3, was independent of HDAC3 complex composition or subcellular localization, and was associated with a 5-fold increase in HDAC3 enzymatic activity. This study points to HDAC3 and the JNK axes as targets in TNBC, highlights how HDAC phosphorylation affects HDACi binding and selectivity, and outlines a method to identify changes in individual HDAC isoforms catalytic activity, applicable to any disease state.Download high-res image (216KB)Download full-size image

Histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) is a promising epigenetic drug target for multiple therapeutic applications. Direct interaction between the Deacetylase Activating Domain of the silencing mediator for retinoid or thyroid-hormone receptors (SMRT-DAD) is required for activation of enzymatic activity of HDAC3. The structure of this complex and the nature of interactions with HDAC inhibitors in solution are unknown. Using novel photoreactive HDAC probes, “nanorulers”, we determined the distance between the catalytic site of the full-length HDAC3 and SMRT-DAD in solution at physiologically relevant conditions and found it to be substantially different from that predicted by the X-ray model with a Δ379–428 aa truncated HDAC3. Further experiments indicated that in solution this distance might change in response to chemical stimuli, while the enzymatic activity remained unaffected. These observations were further validated by Saturation Transfer Difference (STD) NMR experiments. We propose that the observed changes in the distance are an important part of the histone code that remains to be explored. Mapping direct interactions and distances between macromolecules with such “nanorulers” as a function of cellular events facilitates better understanding of basic biology and ways for its manipulation in a cell- and tissue-specific manner.

A novel series of HDAC8 inhibitors without a zinc-chelating hydroxamic acid moiety is reported. Photoaffinity labeling and molecular modeling studies suggest that these ligands are likely to bind in an ‘upside-down’ fashion in a secondary binding site proximal to the main catalytic site. The most potent ligand in the series exhibits an IC50 of 28 μM for HDAC8 and is found to inhibit the deacetylation of H4 but not α-tubulin in SH-SY5Y cell line.

The design, modeling, synthesis, biological evaluation of a novel series of photoreactive benzamide probes for class I HDAC isoforms is reported. The probes are potent and selective for HDAC1 and 2 and are efficient in crosslinking to HDAC2 as demonstrated by photolabeling experiments. The probes exhibit a time-dependent inhibition of class I HDACs. The inhibitory activities of the probes were influenced by the positioning of the aryl and alkyl azido groups necessary for photocrosslinking and attachment of the biotin tag. The probes inhibited the deacetylation of H4 in MDA-MB-231 cell line, indicating that they are cell permeable and target the nuclear HDACs.

The design, synthesis, docking, and biological evaluation of novel potent HDAC3 and HDAC8 isoxazole- and pyrazole-based diazide probes suitable for binding ensemble profiling with photoaffinity labeling (BEProFL) experiments in cells is described. Both the isoxazole- and pyrazole-based probes exhibit low nanomolar inhibitory activity against HDAC3 and HDAC8, respectively. The pyrazole-based probe 3f appears to be one of the most active HDAC8 inhibitors reported in the literature with an IC50 of 17 nM. Our docking studies suggest that unlike the isoxazole-based ligands the pyrazole-based ligands are flexible enough to occupy the second binding site of HDAC8. Probes/inhibitors 2b, 3a, 3c, and 3f exerted the antiproliferative and neuroprotective activities at micromolar concentrations through inhibition of nuclear HDACs, indicating that they are cell permeable and the presence of an azide or a diazide group does not interfere with the neuroprotection properties, or enhance cellular cytotoxicity, or affect cell permeability.

A binding ensemble profiling with (f)photoaffinity labeling (BEProFL) approach that utilizes photolabeling of HDAC8 with a probe containing a UV-activated aromatic azide, mapping of the covalent modifications by liquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometry, and a computational method to characterize the multiple binding poses of the probe is described. By use of the BEProFL approach, two distinct binding poses of the HDAC8 probe were identified. The data also suggest that an “upside-down” pose with the surface binding group of the probe bound in an alternative pocket near the catalytic site may contribute to the binding.

The accuracy of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations is limited by the availability of parameters for the molecular system of interest. In most force fields, parameters of common chemical groups are already present. With the development of novel small organic molecules as probes to study biological systems, more chemical groups require parameterization. An azide group is often used in studies of biological systems but computational studies are still impeded by the lack of parameters. In this paper, we present a set of molecular mechanics (MM) parameters for aromatic and aliphatic azido groups, and their application in MD simulations of a photoaffinity probe currently used in our laboratory for mapping binding modes available in the active site of histone deacetylases. The parameters were developed for the generalized Amber force field (GAFF) using density functional theory (DFT) calculations at B3LYP 6-311G(d) level. The parameters were validated by geometry optimization and MD simulations.

Pantothenate synthetase (PS) is one of the potential new antimicrobial targets that may also be useful for the treatment of the nonreplicating persistent forms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In this Letter we present a series of 5-tert-butyl-N-pyrazol-4-yl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[d]isoxazole-3-carboxamide derivatives as novel potent Mycobacterium tuberculosis PS inhibitors, their in silico molecular design, synthesis, and inhibitory activity.