Dual inhibition of allosteric mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) oncogenic targets with a bifunctional inhibitor

Bioorg Med Chem. 2015 Apr 1;23(7):1386-94. doi: 10.1016/j.bmc.2015.02.053. Epub 2015 Mar 6.

Abstract

The MAP kinase (Ras/MEK/ERK) and PI3K/Akt/mTOR oncogenic signaling pathways are central regulators of KRAS-mediated transformation. Molecular reciprocity between the Ras/MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways provides cancer cells with the ability to evade treatment when targeting only one pathway with monotherapy. Multi-kinase targeting was explored through the development of a single bivalent chemical entity by covalent linking of high-affinity MEK and PI3K inhibitors. A prototype dual-acting agent (compound 8) designed using the PI3K inhibitor ZSTK474 and the Raf/MEK inhibitor RO5126766 as scaffolds displayed high in vitro inhibition of both PI3K (IC50=172nM) and MEK1 (IC50=473nM). Additionally, compound 8 demonstrated significant modulation of MEK and PI3K signaling pathway activity in human A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells and pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1) and also decreased cellular viability in these two cell lines.

Keywords: Akt; Driven oncogenesis; Dual inhibition; ERK; KRAS; MAP Kinase; MEK1; Oncogenic signaling; PI-3 Kinase.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Allosteric Regulation / drug effects
  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Coumarins / administration & dosage
  • Coumarins / chemistry
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods*
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / administration & dosage*
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemistry*
  • Humans
  • MAP Kinase Kinase 1 / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • MAP Kinase Kinase 1 / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase / metabolism
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors*
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Triazines / administration & dosage
  • Triazines / chemistry

Substances

  • Coumarins
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors
  • RO5126766
  • Triazines
  • ZSTK474
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase
  • MAP Kinase Kinase 1