PMID: 24195668

Authors:

Bavetsias V, Faisal A, Crumpler S, Brown N, Kosmopoulou M, Joshi A, Atrash B, Perez-Fuertes Y, Schmitt JA, Boxall KJ, Burke R, Sun C, Avery S, Bush K, Henley A, Raynaud FI, Workman P, Bayliss R, Linardopoulos S, Blagg J

Title:

Aurora Isoform Selectivity: Design and Synthesis of Imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine Derivatives as Highly Selective Inhibitors of Aurora-A Kinase in Cells.

Journal:

J Med Chem. 2013 Nov 6.

Abstract:

Aurora-A differs from Aurora-B/C at three positions in the ATP-binding pocket (L215, T217, and R220). Exploiting these differences, crystal structures of ligand-Aurora protein interactions formed the basis of a design principle for imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine-derived Aurora-A-selective inhibitors. Guided by a computational modeling approach, appropriate C7-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine derivatization led to the discovery of highly selective inhibitors, such as compound 28c, of Aurora-A over Aurora-B. In HCT116 human colon carcinoma cells, 28c and 40f inhibited the Aurora-A L215R and R220K mutants with IC50 values similar to those seen for the Aurora-A wild type. However, the Aurora-A T217E mutant was significantly less sensitive to inhibition by 28c and 40f compared to the Aurora-A wild type, suggesting that the T217 residue plays a critical role in governing the observed isoform selectivity for Aurora-A inhibition. These compounds are useful small-molecule chemical tools to further explore the function of Aurora-A in cells.