3fdn

Publication Abstract from PubMed

Aurora kinases have emerged as attractive targets for the design of anticancer drugs. Through structure-based virtual screening, novel pyrazole hit 8a was identified as Aurora kinase A inhibitor (IC(50) = 15.1 microM). X-ray cocrystal structure of 8a in complex with Aurora A protein revealed the C-4 position ethyl carboxylate side chain as a possible modification site for improving the potency. On the basis of this insight, bioisosteric replacement of the ester with amide linkage and changing the ethyl substituent to hydrophobic 3-acetamidophenyl ring led to the identification of 12w with a approximately 450-fold improved Aurora kinase A inhibition potency (IC(50) = 33 nM), compared to 8a. Compound 12w showed selective inhibition of Aurora A kinase over Aurora B/C, which might be due to the presence of a unique H-bond interaction between the 3-acetamido group and the Aurora A nonconserved Thr217 residue, which in Aurora B/C is Glu and found to sterically clash with the 3-acetamido group in modeling studies.

Structure-based drug design of novel Aurora kinase A inhibitors: structural basis for potency and specificity.,Coumar MS, Leou JS, Shukla P, Wu JS, Dixit AK, Lin WH, Chang CY, Lien TW, Tan UK, Chen CH, Hsu JT, Chao YS, Wu SY, Hsieh HP J Med Chem. 2009 Feb 26;52(4):1050-62. PMID:19140666^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.