Structure-Activity Relationships of Carboline and Carbazole Derivatives as a Novel Class of ATP-Competitive Kinesin Spindle Protein Inhibitors

The kinesin spindle protein (KSP) is a mitotic kinesin involved in the establishment of a functional bipolar mitotic spindle during cell division. It is considered to be an attractive target for cancer chemotherapy with reduced side effects. Based on natural product scaffold-derived fused indole-based inhibitors and known biphenyl-type KSP inhibitors, various carboline and carbazole derivatives were synthesized and biologically evaluated. beta-Carboline and lactam-fused carbazole derivatives exhibited remarkably potent KSP inhibitory activity and mitotic arrest in prometaphase with formation of an irregular monopolar spindle. The planar tri- and tetracyclic analogs inhibited KSP ATPase in an ATP-competitive manner just like biphenyl-type inhibitors.