Specific non-genetic IAP-based protein erasers (SNIPERs) as a potential therapeutic strategy

• Published in: European journal of medicinal chemistry 2021-04, Vol.216, p.113247-113247, Article 113247
• Main Authors: Ma, Zonghui, Ji, Yu, Yu, Yifan, Liang, Dailin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antineoplastic Agents - chemistry; Antineoplastic Agents - metabolism; Antitumor; Fetal Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Fetal Proteins - metabolism; Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl - antagonists & inhibitors; Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl - metabolism; Humans; Huntingtin Protein - antagonists & inhibitors; Huntingtin Protein - metabolism; IAPs; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins - metabolism; Ligands; Microtubule-Associated Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Microtubule-Associated Proteins - metabolism; Nuclear Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Nuclear Proteins - metabolism; PROTAC; Protein degradation; Receptor, Notch1 - antagonists & inhibitors; Receptor, Notch1 - metabolism; Receptors, Androgen - chemistry; Receptors, Androgen - metabolism; Receptors, Estrogen - metabolism; SNIPER; Ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS)
• ISSN: 0223-5234; 1768-3254
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113247

As a newly emerged technology, PROTAC (proteolysis targeting chimera) is a promising therapeutic strategy for varieties of diseases. Unlike small molecule inhibitors, PROTACs catalytically induce target proteins degradation, including currently “undruggable” target proteins. In addition, PROTACs can be a potentially successful strategy to overcome drug resistance. IAPs can inhibit apoptosis by inhibiting caspase, and also exhibits the activity of E3 ubiquitin ligase. Specific and nongenetic IAP-based protein erasers (SNIPERs) are hybrid molecules that designed based on IAPs, and used to degrade the target proteins closely associated with diseases. Their structures consist of three parts, including target protein ligand, E3 ligase ligand and the linker between them. SNIPERs (PROTACs) degrade diseases-associated proteins through human inherent ubiquitin-proteasome system. So far, many SNIPERs have been developed to treat diseases that difficult to handle by traditional methods, such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy and small molecule inhibitors, and showed promising prospects in application. In this paper, the recent advances of SNIPERs were summarized, and the chances and challenges associated with this area were also highlighted. [Display omitted] •PROTAC/SNIPER is a promising therapeutic strategy for varieties of diseases.•IAPs can inhibit apoptosis by inhibiting caspases, and also exhibits the activity of E3 ubiquitin ligase.•SNIPERs induce the degradation of target proteins by hijacking the E3 ligase activity of IAPs.•This review summarized the advances SNIPERs that induce the degradation of different target proteins.