Selective Inhibition of the Hsp90α Isoform

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2021-05, Vol.60 (19), p.10547-10551
• Main Authors: Mishra, Sanket J., Khandelwal, Anuj, Banerjee, Monimoy, Balch, Maurie, Peng, Shuxia, Davis, Rachel E., Merfeld, Taylor, Munthali, Vitumbiko, Deng, Junpeng, Matts, Robert L., Blagg, Brian S. J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antineoplastic Agents - chemical synthesis; Antineoplastic Agents - chemistry; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Biological activity; Cancer; Chemotherapy; Clinical trials; drug discovery; Folding machines; Heat shock proteins; Hsp90 alpha; HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins - metabolism; Hsp90 protein; Humans; Inhibitors; isoform selectivity; Isoforms; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Neoplasms - metabolism; Polypeptides; Protein folding; Protein Isoforms - antagonists & inhibitors; Protein Isoforms - metabolism; Selectivity; Side effects; structure-based drug design; Toxicity
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202015422

The 90 kDa heat shock protein (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone that processes nascent polypeptides into their biologically active conformations. Many of these proteins contribute to the progression of cancer, and consequently, inhibition of the Hsp90 protein folding machinery represents an innovative approach toward cancer chemotherapy. However, clinical trials with Hsp90 N‐terminal inhibitors have encountered deleterious side effects and toxicities, which appear to result from the pan‐inhibition of all four Hsp90 isoforms. Therefore, the development of isoform‐selective Hsp90 inhibitors is sought to delineate the pathological role played by each isoform. Herein, we describe a structure‐based approach that was used to design the first Hsp90α‐selective inhibitors, which exhibit >50‐fold selectivity versus other Hsp90 isoforms. The 90 kDa heat shock protein (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone that processes nascent polypeptides into their biologically active conformations. A structure‐based approach was used to design the first Hsp90α‐selective inhibitors, which exhibit >50‐fold selectivity versus other Hsp90 isoforms.