AGM-1470

N-terminal processing by methionine aminopeptidases (MetAP) is a crucial step in the maturation of proteins during protein biosynthesis. Small-molecule inhibitors of MetAP2 have antiangiogenic and antitumoral activity. Herein, we characterize the structurally novel MetAP2 inhibitor M8891. M8891 is a potent, selective, reversible small-molecule inhibitor blocking the growth of human endothelial cells and differentially inhibiting cancer cell growth. A CRISPR genome-wide screen identified the tumor suppressor p53 and MetAP1/MetAP2 as determinants of resistance and sensitivity to pharmacologic MetAP2 inhibition. A newly identified substrate of MetAP2, translation elongation factor 1-alpha-1 (EF1a-1), served as a pharmacodynamic biomarker to follow target inhibition in cell and mouse studies. Robust angiogenesis and tumor growth inhibition was observed with M8891 monotherapy. In combination with VEGF receptor inhibitors, tumor stasis and regression occurred in patient-derived xenograft renal cell carcinoma models, particularly those that were p53 wild-type, had Von Hippel-Landau gene (VHL) loss-of-function mutations, and a mid/high MetAP1/2 expression score.

Oral Cancer is one of the major killers in India and of global concern.An attempt has been made here to identify small mol. inhibitors of Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) protein through docking studies in search of new oral cancer drugs from a curated set of 276 known anti-neoplastic agents obtained from PubChem.The Bcl-2 protein (PDB id:6QGH), being complexed with ligand ABT-263, has been detached from the complex.The ligand-free protein and 276 compounds have been prepared for docking studies using corresponding tools available in Discovery Studio (DS), ver.4.1.The 276 compounds have been docked on the first site of the protein using LibDock docking program available in DS.By considering Methotrexate as the reference compound (LibDock score: 114.76), we have identified 25 compounds as the most potential oral cancer drugs having LibDock scores greater than 100.Another set of 114 compounds with LibDock scores between 80 and 100 have also been identified as the next set of potential drug candidates and some of them show anti-apoptosis properties.Two other compounds with LibDock scores below 80 have been identified for comparative analyses with some high-scoring compoundsThe docking results have been given in tables and pictures (screenshots) of the docked poses of selected compounds have been shown to illustrate the findings.Finally, the most suitable potential compounds have been identified by applying Lipinski′s Rule of 5.The present approach using known anti-neoplastic agents is believed to help discover potential anti-oral cancer drug candidates.