Discovery of Allosteric Inhibitors Targeting the Spliceosomal RNA Helicase Brr2

J Med Chem. 2017 Jul 13;60(13):5759-5771. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b00461. Epub 2017 Jun 20.

Abstract

Brr2 is an RNA helicase belonging to the Ski2-like subfamily and an essential component of spliceosome. Brr2 catalyzes an ATP-dependent unwinding of the U4/U6 RNA duplex, which is a critical step for spliceosomal activation. An HTS campaign using an RNA-dependent ATPase assay and initial SAR study identified two different Brr2 inhibitors, 3 and 12. Cocrystal structures revealed 3 binds to an unexpected allosteric site between the C-terminal and the N-terminal helicase cassettes, while 12 binds an RNA-binding site inside the N-terminal cassette. Selectivity profiling indicated the allosteric inhibitor 3 is more Brr2-selective than the RNA site binder 12. Chemical optimization of 3 using SBDD culminated in the discovery of the potent and selective Brr2 inhibitor 9 with helicase inhibitory activity. Our findings demonstrate an effective strategy to explore selective inhibitors for helicases, and 9 could be a promising starting point for exploring molecular probes to elucidate biological functions and the therapeutic relevance of Brr2.

MeSH terms

  • Allosteric Regulation / drug effects*
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Drug Design
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemistry*
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Pyrimidines / chemistry*
  • Pyrimidines / pharmacology*
  • RNA Helicases / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • RNA Helicases / chemistry
  • RNA Helicases / metabolism
  • Spliceosomes / drug effects
  • Spliceosomes / enzymology
  • Spliceosomes / metabolism

Substances

  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Pyrimidines
  • RNA Helicases