Hit Recycling: Discovery of a Potent Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitor by in Silico Target Fishing

ACS Chem Biol. 2015 Sep 18;10(9):1964-9. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.5b00337. Epub 2015 Jul 1.

Abstract

In silico target fishing is an emerging tool in drug discovery, which is mostly used for primary target or off-target prediction and drug repositioning. In this work, we developed an in silico target fishing protocol to identify the primary target of GV2-20, a false-positive hit highlighted in a cell-based screen for 14-3-3 modulators. Although GV2-20 does not bind to 14-3-3 proteins, it showed remarkable antiproliferative effects in CML cells, thus raising interest toward the identification of its primary target. Six potential targets of GV2-20 were prioritized in silico and tested in vitro. Our results show that the molecule is a potent inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase 2 (CA2), thus confirming the predictive capability of our protocol. Most notably, GV2-20 experienced a remarkable selectivity for CA2, CA7, CA9, and CA12, and its scaffold was never explored before as a chemotype for CA inhibition, thus becoming an interesting lead candidate for further development.

MeSH terms

  • 14-3-3 Proteins / metabolism
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors / chemistry*
  • Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Carbonic Anhydrases / metabolism*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Computer Simulation
  • Drug Repositioning
  • Humans
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / drug therapy*
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / metabolism
  • Molecular Docking Simulation

Substances

  • 14-3-3 Proteins
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors
  • Carbonic Anhydrases