Journal
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED BIOCHEMISTRY
Volume 68, Issue 1, Pages 82-91Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/bab.1896
Keywords
Akt kinase; lead optimization; allosteric inhibition; molecular-dynamic (MD) simulation; docking; enzyme inhibition; PI3K-signalling; cell proliferation
Funding
- National Institute on Aging (NIA/NIH) [2P01AG012411-17A1]
- Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia [R.G.P.1/80/40]
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Akt, a serine-threonine protein kinase regulated by class-I PI3K signaling, plays a crucial role in cell processes such as proliferation, survival, and angiogenesis. A derivative called FCX-146, based on an allosteric inhibitor FXY-1, showed threefold greater potency than the parent compound and increased apoptosis in HL-60 cells by decreasing antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 expression and increasing levels of Bax-2 and Caspase-3. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated stable binding of FCX-146 to an allosteric pocket in Akt, suggesting it as a potent second-generation compound for inhibiting Akt activation.
Akt, a serine-threonine protein kinase, is regulated by class-I PI3K signaling. Akt regulates a wide variety of cell processes including cell proliferation, survival, and angiogenesis through serine/threonine phosphorylation of downstream targets including mTOR and glycogen-synthase-kinase-3-beta (GSK3 beta). Targeting cancer-specific overexpression of Akt protein could be an efficient way to control cancer-cell proliferation. However, the ATP-competitive inhibitors are challenged by the highly conserved ATP binding site, and by competition with high cellular concentrations of ATP. We previously developed an allosteric inhibitor, 2-arylidene-4, 7-dimethyl indan-1-one (FXY-1) that showed promising activity against several lung cancer models. In this work, we designed a congeneric series of molecules based on FXY-1 and optimized lead based on computational, in vitro assays. Computational screening followed by enzyme-inhibition and cell-proliferation assays identified a derivative (FCX-146) as a new lead molecule with threefold greater potency than the parent compound. FCX-146 increased apoptosis in HL-60 cells, mediated in part through decreased expression of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein and increased levels of Bax-2 and Caspase-3. Molecular-dynamic simulations showed stable binding of FCX-146 to an allosteric (i.e., noncatalytic) pocket in Akt. Together, we propose FCX-146 as a potent second-generation arylidene indanone compound that binds to the allosteric pocket of Akt and potently inhibits its activation.
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