AbstractProtein‐protein interaction (PPI) modulation is a promising approach in drug discovery with the potential to expand the ‘druggable’ proteome and develop new therapeutic strategies. While there have been significant advancements in methodologies for developing PPI inhibitors, there is a relative scarcity of literature describing the ‘bottom‐up’ development of PPI stabilizers (Molecular Glues). The hub protein 14‐3‐3 and its interactome provide an excellent platform for exploring conceptual approaches to PPI modulation, including evolution of chemical matter for Molecular Glues. In this study, we employed a fragment extension strategy to discover stabilizers for the complex of 14‐3‐3 protein and an Estrogen Receptor alpha‐derived peptide (ERα). A focused library of analogues derived from an amidine‐substituted thiophene fragment enhanced the affinity of the 14‐3‐3/ERα complex up to 6.2‐fold. Structure‐activity relationship (SAR) analysis underscored the importance of the newly added, aromatic side chain with a certain degree of rigidity. X‐ray structural analysis revealed a unique intermolecular π–π stacking binding mode of the most active analogues, resulting in the simultaneous binding of two molecules to the PPI binding pocket. Notably, analogue 11 displayed selective stabilization of the 14‐3‐3/ERα complex.
摘要 蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用(PPI)调节是药物发现中一种前景广阔的方法,具有扩大 "可药物 "蛋白质组和开发新治疗策略的潜力。虽然开发 PPI 抑制剂的方法有了长足的进步,但描述 "自下而上 "开发 PPI 稳定剂(分子胶)的文献相对较少。枢纽蛋白 14-3-3 及其相互作用组为探索 PPI 调节的概念方法(包括分子胶化学物质的进化)提供了一个绝佳的平台。在这项研究中,我们采用了片段延伸策略来发现 14-3-3 蛋白和雌激素受体α衍生肽(ERα)复合物的稳定剂。一个由脒取代的噻吩片段衍生出的重点类似物库将 14-3-3/ERα 复合物的亲和力提高了 6.2 倍。结构-活性关系(SAR)分析强调了新添加的具有一定刚性的芳香族侧链的重要性。X 射线结构分析表明,活性最强的类似物具有独特的分子间 π-π 堆叠结合模式,导致两个分子同时与 PPI 结合袋结合。值得注意的是,类似物 11 显示出对 14-3-3/ERα 复合物的选择性稳定作用。