Protein kinase D (PKD) is a novel family of serine/threonine kinases targeted by the second messenger diacylglycerol. It has been implicated in many important cellular processes and pathological conditions. However, further analysis of PKD in these processes is severely hampered by the lack of a PKD-specific inhibitor that can be readily applied to cells and in animal models. We now report the discovery of the first potent and selective cell-active small molecule inhibitor for PKD, benzoxoloazepinolone (CID755673). This inhibitor was identified from the National Institutes of Health small molecule repository library of 196,173 compounds using a human PKD1 (PKC)-based fluorescence polarization high throughput screening assay. CID755673 suppressed half of the PKD1 enzyme activity at 182 nM and exhibited selective PKD1 inhibition when compared with AKT, polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), CDK activating kinase (CAK), CAMKII␣, and three different PKC isoforms. Moreover, it was not competitive with ATP for enzyme inhibition. In cellbased assays, CID755673 blocked phorbol ester-induced endogenous PKD1 activation in LNCaP cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Functionally, CID755673 inhibited the known biological actions of PKD1 including phorbol ester-induced class IIa histone deacetylase 5 nuclear exclusion, vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein transport from the Golgi to the plasma membrane, and the ilimaquinone-induced Golgi fragmentation. Moreover, CID755673 inhibited prostate cancer cell proliferation, cell migration, and invasion. In summary, our findings indicate that CID755673 is a potent and selective PKD1 inhibitor with valuable pharmacological and cell biological potential. Protein kinase D (PKD)3 belongs to a subfamily of the Ca 2ϩ / calmodulin-dependent kinases (CAMKs) (1). PKD is a novel target of the second messenger diacylglycerol and phorbol esters, the natural products from plants and potent tumor promoters in mouse skin (2). Three isoforms of PKD (PKD1, -2, and -3) have been identified, which share high sequence homology (3-6). The regulatory domain of PKD contains a C1 domain that binds diacylglycerol/phorbol esters with high affinity and a PH domain that mediates protein-protein interactions. The entire regulatory domain appears to exert a negative effect on catalytic activity, possibly serving as an autoinhibitory domain for PKD (7). The activity of PKD is controlled through a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent mechanism (8). PKC is the primary target of diacylglycerol/phorbol esters and it activates PKD by directly binding and phosphorylating PKD on two serine residues in the activation loop. In most cellular systems examined, PKD is an effector of selective PKC isoforms, acting in a canonical PKC/PKD pathway that leads to a unique set of biological responses including cell proliferation, survival, protein transport, and immune responses (2, 9).PKD regulates many fundamental cellular functions and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases. PKD is a key regulator of protein transpo...

Protein kinase D is a novel family of serine/threonine kinases and diacylglycerol receptors that belongs to the calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase superfamily. Evidence has established that specific PKD isoforms are dysregulated in several cancer types, and PKD involvement has been documented in a variety of cellular processes important to cancer development, including cell growth, apoptosis, motility, and angiogenesis. In light of this, there has been a recent surge in the development of novel chemical inhibitors of PKD. This review focuses on the potential of PKD as a chemotherapeutic target in cancer treatment and highlights important recent advances in the development of PKD inhibitors.

BackgroundProtein kinase D (PKD) has been implicated in a wide range of cellular processes and pathological conditions including cancer. However, targeting PKD therapeutically and dissecting PKD-mediated cellular responses remains difficult due to lack of a potent and selective inhibitor. Previously, we identified a novel pan-PKD inhibitor, CID755673, with potency in the upper nanomolar range and high selectivity for PKD. In an effort to further enhance its selectivity and potency for potential in vivo application, small molecule analogs of CID755673 were generated by modifying both the core structure and side-chains.ResultsAfter initial activity screening, five analogs with equal or greater potencies as CID755673 were chosen for further analysis: kb-NB142-70, kb-NB165-09, kb-NB165-31, kb-NB165-92, and kb-NB184-02. Our data showed that modifications to the aromatic core structure in particular significantly increased potency while retaining high specificity for PKD. When tested in prostate cancer cells, all compounds inhibited PMA-induced autophosphorylation of PKD1, with kb-NB142-70 being most active. Importantly, these analogs caused a dramatic arrest in cell proliferation accompanying elevated cytotoxicity when applied to prostate cancer cells. Cell migration and invasion were also inhibited by these analogs with varying potencies that correlated to their cellular activity.ConclusionsThroughout the battery of experiments, the compounds kb-NB142-70 and kb-NB165-09 emerged as the most potent and specific analogs in vitro and in cells. These compounds are undergoing further testing for their effectiveness as pharmacological tools for dissecting PKD function and as potential anti-cancer agents in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Purpose To assess the prognostic value of EGFR molecular characteristics of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Patients and Methods HNSCC tumors from patients prospectively enrolled in either an Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) study and treated with surgery without an EGFR-targeted agent (N=154) or enrolled in a chemoradiation trial involving the EGFR-targeted antibody cetuximab (N=39) were evaluated for EGFR gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and EGFR protein by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. Fresh-frozen tumors (EDRN) were also evaluated for EGFR protein and site-specific phosphorylation at Y992 and Y1068 using reverse-phase protein array (RPPA) (n=67). Tumor (n=50) EGFR and EGFRvIII mRNA levels were quantified using real-time PCR. Results EGFR expression by IHC was significantly higher in the EDRN tumors with EGFR gene amplification (P<0.001), and a similar trend was noted in the cetuximab-treated cohort. In the EDRN and cetuximab-treated cohorts elevated EGFR by IHC was associated with reduced survival (p=0.019 and p=0.06, respectively). Elevated expression of total EGFR and EGFR PY1068 were independently significantly associated with reduced progression-free survival in the EDRN cohort (HR=2.75; 95% CI=1.26–6.00 and HR=3.29; 95% CI=1.34–8.14, respectively). Conclusions In two independent HNSCC cohorts treated with or without cetuximab, tumor EGFR levels were indicative of survival. Tumor EGFR PY1068 levels provided prognostic information independent of total EGFR.

Protein kinase D acts as a major mediator of several signaling pathways related to cancer development. Aberrant PKD expression and activity have been demonstrated in multiple cancers, and novel PKD inhibitors show promising anti-cancer activities. Despite these advances, the mechanisms through which PKD contributes to the pathogenesis of cancer remain unknown. Here, we establish a novel role for PKD3, the least studied member of the PKD family, in the regulation of prostate cancer cell growth and motility through modulation of secreted tumor-promoting factors. Using both a stable inducible knockdown cell model and a transient knockdown system employing multiple siRNAs, we demonstrate that silencing of endogenous PKD3 significantly reduces prostate cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Additionally, conditioned medium from PKD3 knockdown cells exhibits less migratory potential compared to that from control cells. Further analysis indicated that depletion of PKD3 blocks secretion of multiple key tumor-promoting factors including MMP-9, IL-6, IL-8, and GROα, but does not alter mRNA transcript levels for these factors, implying impairment of the secretory pathway. More significantly, inducible depletion of PKD3 in a subcutaneous xenograft model suppresses tumor growth and decreases levels of intratumoral GROα in mice. These data validate PKD3 as a promising therapeutic target in prostate cancer and shed light on the role of secreted tumor-promoting factors in prostate cancer progression.

Protein kinase D (PKD) belongs to a family of serine/threonine kinases that play an important role in basic cellular processes and are implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases. Progress in our understanding of the biological functions of PKD has been limited due to the lack of a PKD-specific inhibitor. The benzoxoloazepinolone CID755673 was recently reported as the first potent and kinase-selective inhibitor for this enzyme. For structure-activity analysis purposes, a series of analogs was prepared and their in vitro inhibitory potency evaluated.

Protein kinase D (PKD) is a member of a novel family of serine/threonine kinases that regulate fundamental cellular processes. PKD is implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including cancer. Progress in understanding the biological functions and therapeutic potential of PKD has been hampered by the lack of specific inhibitors. The benzoxoloazepinolone CID755673 was recently identified as the first potent and selective PKD inhibitor. The study of structure-activity relationships (SAR) of this lead structure led to further improvements in PKD1 potency. We describe herein the synthesis and biological evaluation of novel benzothienothiazepinone analogs. We achieved a ten-fold increase in the in vitro PKD1 inhibitory potency for the second generation lead kb-NB142-70 and accomplished a transition to an almost equally potent novel pyrimidine scaffold, while maintaining excellent target selectivity. These promising results will guide the design of pharmacological tools to dissect PKD function and pave the way for the development of potential anti-cancer agents.

BackgroundHead and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth leading cause of cancer death in the US. The protein kinase D (PKD) family has emerged as a promising target for cancer therapy with PKD1 being most intensively studied; however, its role in HNSCC has not been investigated.MethodsThe expression of PKD was evaluated in human HNSCC by quantitative RT-PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Cell proliferation, wound healing, and matrigel invasion assays were performed upon siRNA-mediated knockdown of PKD1 in HNSCC cells, and subcutaneous xenograft mouse model was established by implantation of the stable doxycycline (Dox)-inducible PKD1 expression cell lines for analysis of tumorigenic activity in vivo.ResultsPKD1 was frequently downregulated in HNSCC cell lines at both transcript and protein levels. In human HNSCC tissues, PKD1 was significantly down-regulated in localized tumors and metastases, and in patient-paired tumor tissues as compared to their normal counterparts, which was in part due to epigenetic modification of the PRKD1 gene. The function of PKD1 in HNSCC was analyzed using stable doxycycline-inducible cell lines that express native or constitutive-active PKD1. Upon induction, the rate of proliferation, survival, migration and invasion of HNSCC cells did not differ significantly between the control and PKD1 overexpressing cells in the basal state, and depletion of endogenous PKD1 did not impact the proliferation of HNSCC cells. However, the median growth rate of the subcutaneous HNSCC tumor xenografts over time was elevated with PKD1 induction, and the final tumor weight was significantly increased in Dox-induced vs. the non-induced tumors. Moreover, induced expression of PKD1 promoted bombesin-induced cell proliferation of HNSCC and resulted in sustained ERK1/2 activation in response to gastrin-releasing peptide or bombesin stimulation, suggesting that PKD1 potentiates GRP/bombesin-induced mitogenic response through the activation of ERK1/2 in HSNCC cells.ConclusionsOur study has identified PKD1 as a frequently downregulated gene in HNSCC, and functionally, under certain cellular context, may play a role in GRP/bombesin-induced oncogenesis in HNSCC.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-018-4965-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.