The Present and Future of Novel Protein Degradation Technology

Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), as a novel therapeutic modality, play a vital role in drug discovery. Each PROTAC contains three key parts; a protein-of-interest (POI) ligand, a E3 ligase ligand, and a linker. These bifunctional molecules could mediate the degradation of POIs by hijacking the activity of E3 ubiquitin ligases for POI ubiquitination and subsequent degradation via the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). With several advantages over other therapeutic strategies, PROTACs have set off a new upsurge of drug discovery in recent years. ENDTAC, as the development of PROTACs technology, is now receiving more attention. In this review, we aim to summarize the rapid progress from 2018 to 2019 in protein degradation and analyze the challenges and future direction that need to be addressed in order to efficiently develop potent protein degradation technology.

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Chemical-Mediated Targeted Protein Degradation in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Life ◽

10.3390/life11070607 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 607

Author(s):

Soonsil Hyun ◽

Dongyun Shin

Keyword(s):

Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽

Protein Degradation ◽

Drug Targets ◽

Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽

Cellular Protein ◽

Therapeutic Modality ◽

Target Proteins ◽

Bifunctional Molecules ◽

Ubiquitin Proteasome ◽

Related Proteins

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, are a class of diseases that lead to dysfunction of cognition and mobility. Aggregates of misfolded proteins such as β-amyloid, tau, α-synuclein, and polyglutamates are known to be among the main causes of neurodegenerative diseases; however, they are considered to be some of the most challenging drug targets because they cannot be modulated by conventional small-molecule agents. Recently, the degradation of target proteins by small molecules has emerged as a new therapeutic modality and has garnered the interest of the researchers in the pharmaceutical industry. Bifunctional molecules that recruit target proteins to a cellular protein degradation machinery, such as the ubiquitin–proteasome system and autophagy–lysosome pathway, have been designed. The representative targeted protein degradation technologies include molecular glues, proteolysis-targeting chimeras, hydrophobic tagging, autophagy-targeting chimeras, and autophagosome-tethering compounds. Although these modalities have been shown to degrade many disease-related proteins, such technologies are expected to be potentially important for neurogenerative diseases caused by protein aggregation. Herein, we review the recent progress in chemical-mediated targeted protein degradation toward the discovery of drugs for neurogenerative diseases.

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Perspectives on the development of first-in-class protein degraders

Future Medicinal Chemistry ◽

10.4155/fmc-2021-0033 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kalyn M Rambacher ◽

Matthew F Calabrese ◽

Masaya Yamaguchi

Keyword(s):

Protein Degradation ◽

E3 Ligase ◽

Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽

26S Proteasome ◽

Target Protein ◽

Protein Homeostasis ◽

Recent Advances ◽

Subsequent Degradation ◽

Ubiquitin Proteasome

Targeted protein degradation is a broad and expanding field aimed at the modulation of protein homeostasis. A focus of this field has been directed toward molecules that hijack the ubiquitin proteasome system with heterobifunctional ligands that recruit a target protein to an E3 ligase to facilitate polyubiquitination and subsequent degradation by the 26S proteasome. Despite the success of these chimeras toward a number of clinically relevant targets, the ultimate breadth and scope of this approach remains uncertain. Here we highlight recent advances in assays and tools available to evaluate targeted protein degradation, including and beyond the study of E3-targeted chimeric ligands. We note several challenges associated with degrader development and discuss various approaches to expanding the protein homeostasis toolbox.

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Selective targeting of non-centrosomal AURKA functions through use of a novel targeted protein degradation tool

10.1101/2020.07.22.215814 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Richard Wang ◽

Ahmed Abdelbaki ◽

Camilla Ascanelli ◽

Alex Fung ◽

Tim Rasmusson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protein Degradation ◽

Cell Biology ◽

Mitochondrial Dynamics ◽

Functional Characterization ◽

Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽

Therapeutic Modality ◽

System A ◽

Small Molecule Ligands ◽

Ubiquitin Proteasome ◽

Clinical Interest

AbstractTargeted protein degradation tools are becoming a new therapeutic modality, allowing small molecule ligands to be reformulated as heterobifunctional molecules (referred to as ‘PROTACs’, for PROteolysis Targeting Chimeras) that recruit a ubiquitin ligase to the target of interest, leading to ubiquitination of the target and its destruction via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. A number of PROTACs against targets of clinical interest have been described, but detailed descriptions of the cell biology modulated by PROTACs are missing from the literature. Here we describe the functional characterization of a PROTAC derived from AURKA inhibitor MLN8237 (alisertib). We demonstrate efficient and specific destruction of both endogenous and overexpressed AURKA by Cereblon-directed PROTACs. At the subcellular level, we find differential targeting of AURKA on the mitotic spindle compared to centrosomes. The phenotypic consequences of PROTAC treatment are therefore distinct from those mediated by alisertib, and in mitotic cells differentially regulate the centrosome- and chromatin-based microtubule spindle assembly pathways. In interphase cells we find that PROTAC-mediated clearance of non-centrosomal AURKA, and not PROTAC-mediated inhibition of its activity, efficiently modulates the cytoplasmic role played by AURKA in mitochondrial dynamics, whilst the centrosomal pool is refractory to PROTAC-mediated clearance. Our results point to differential accessibility of subcellular pools of substrate, governed by substrate conformation or localization in compartments more or less accessible to PROTAC action, a phenomenon not previously described for this new class of drugs.

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From Conception to Development: Investigating PROTACs Features for Improved Cell Permeability and Successful Protein Degradation

Frontiers in Chemistry ◽

10.3389/fchem.2021.672267 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Carlotta Cecchini ◽

Sara Pannilunghi ◽

Sébastien Tardy ◽

Leonardo Scapozza

Keyword(s):

Molecular Weight ◽

Drug Discovery ◽

Protein Degradation ◽

Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽

Cell Permeability ◽

Polar Surface Area ◽

Ubiquitin Proteasome ◽

Cellular Permeability ◽

Related Proteins

Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) are heterobifunctional degraders that specifically eliminate targeted proteins by hijacking the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). This modality has emerged as an orthogonal approach to the use of small-molecule inhibitors for knocking down classic targets and disease-related proteins classified, until now, as “undruggable.” In early 2019, the first targeted protein degraders reached the clinic, drawing attention to PROTACs as one of the most appealing technology in the drug discovery landscape. Despite these promising results, PROTACs are often affected by poor cellular permeability due to their high molecular weight (MW) and large exposed polar surface area (PSA). Herein, we report a comprehensive record of PROTAC design, pharmacology and thermodynamic challenges and solutions, as well as some of the available strategies to enhance cellular uptake, including suggestions of promising biological tools for the in vitro evaluation of PROTACs permeability toward successful protein degradation.

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PHOTACs Enable Optical Control of Protein Degradation

10.26434/chemrxiv.8206688 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Martin Reynders ◽

Bryan Matsuura ◽

Marleen Bérouti ◽

Daniele Simoneschi ◽

Antonio Marzio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protein Degradation ◽

E3 Ligase ◽

Optical Control ◽

Cellular Proteins ◽

Bifunctional Molecules ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Lead Compounds ◽

Subsequent Degradation ◽

Temporal And Spatial ◽

Precision Therapeutics

PROTACs (proteolysis targeting chimeras) are bifunctional molecules that tag proteins for ubiquitylation by an E3 ligase complex and subsequent degradation by the proteasome. They have emerged as powerful tools to control the levels of specific cellular proteins and are on the verge of being clinically used. We now introduce photoswitchable PROTACs that can be activated with the temporal and spatial precision that light provides. These trifunctional molecules, which we named PHOTACs, consist of a ligand for an E3 ligase, a photoswitch, and a ligand for a protein of interest. We demonstrate this concept by using PHOTACs that target either BET family proteins (BRD2,3,4) or FKBP12. Our lead compounds display little or no activity in the dark but can be reversibly activated to varying degrees with different wavelengths of light. Our modular and generalizable approach provides a method for the optical control of protein levels with photopharmacology and could lead to new types of precision therapeutics that avoid undesired systemic toxicity.

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Ccr4 is a novel shuttle factor required for ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis by the 26S proteasome

10.1101/2020.03.30.015370 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ganapathi Kandasamy ◽

Ashis Kumar Pradhan ◽

R Palanimurugan

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Protein Degradation ◽

Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽

Proteasomal Degradation ◽

Rna Degradation ◽

26S Proteasome ◽

Cellular Proteins ◽

Cellular Homeostasis ◽

Substrate Degradation ◽

Ubiquitin Proteasome

AbstractDegradation of short-lived and abnormal proteins are essential for normal cellular homeostasis. In eukaryotes, such unstable cellular proteins are selectively degraded by the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). Furthermore, abnormalities in protein degradation by the UPS have been linked to several human diseases. Ccr4 protein is a known component of the Ccr4-Not complex, which has established roles in transcription, mRNA de-adenylation and RNA degradation etc. Excitingly in this study, we show that Ccr4 protein has a novel function as a shuttle factor that promotes ubiquitin-dependent degradation of short-lived proteins by the 26S proteasome. Using a substrate of the well-studied ubiquitin fusion degradation (UFD) pathway, we found that its UPS-mediated degradation was severely impaired upon deletion of CCR4 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Additionally, we show that Ccr4 binds to cellular ubiquitin conjugates and the proteasome. In contrast to Ccr4, most other subunits of the Ccr4-Not complex proteins are dispensable for UFD substrate degradation. From our findings we conclude that Ccr4 functions in the UPS as a shuttle factor targeting ubiquitylated substrates for proteasomal degradation.

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