Diverse cellular processes relevant to cancer progression are regulated by the acetylation status of proteins. Among such processes is chromatin remodeling via histone proteins, controlled by opposing histone deacetylase (HDAC) and histone acetyltransferase (HAT) enzymes. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) show great promise in preclinical cancer models, but clinical trials treating solid tumors have failed to improve patient survival. This is due in part to an inability of HDACi to effectively accumulate in cancerous cells. To address this problem we designed HDACi with secondary pharmacophores to facilitate selective accumulation in malignant cells. We present the first example of HDACi compounds targeted to prostate tumors by equipping them with the additional ability to bind the androgen receptor (AR) with non-steroidal antiandrogen moieties. Leads among these new dual-acting molecules bind to the AR and halt AR transcriptional activity at lower concentrations than clinical antiandrogens. They inhibit key isoforms of HDAC with low nanomolar potency. Fluorescent microscopy reveals varying degrees of AR nuclear localization in response to these compounds that correlates with their HDAC activity. These biological properties translate into potent anticancer activity against hormone dependent (AR+) LNCaP and to a lesser extent against hormone independent (AR−) DU145 prostate cancer, while having greatly reduced toxicity in non-cancerous cells. This illustrates that engaging multiple biological targets with a single chemical probe can achieve both potent and cell-type selective responses.

We described a set of novel histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) equipped with either an antagonist or an agonist of the estrogen receptor (ER) to confer selective activity against breast cancers. These bifunctional compounds potently inhibit HDAC at nanomolar concentrations, and either agonize or antagonize ERα and ERβ. The ER antagonist activities of tamoxifen-HDACi conjugates (Tam-HDACi) are nearly identical to those of tamoxifen. Conversely, ethynyl-estradiol HDACi conjugates (EED-HDACi) have attenuated ER agonist activities relative to the parent ethynyl-estradiol. In silico docking analysis provides structural basis for the trends of ER agonism/antagonism and ER subtype selectivity. Excitingly, lead Tam-HDACi conjugates show anticancer activity that is selectively more potent against MCF-7 (ERα positive breast) compared to MDA-MB-231 (triple negative breast cancer), DU145 (prostate cancer) or Vero (non-cancerous cell line). This dual-targeting approach illustrates the utility of designing small molecules with an emphasis on cell-type selectivity, not merely improved potency, working towards a higher therapeutic index at the earliest stages of drug development.

Via the design of a new, soluble poly­(S-alkyl-l-cysteine) precursor, a route was developed for the successful preparation of long-chain poly­(dehydroalanine), A DH , as well as the incorporation of dehydroalanine residues and A DH segments into copolypeptides. Based on experimental and computational data, A DH was found to adopt a previously unobserved “hybrid coil” structure, which combines the elements of 25-helical and 310-helical conformations. Analysis of the spectroscopic properties of A DH revealed that it possesses a strong inherent blue fluorescence, which may be amenable for use in imaging applications. A DH also contains reactive electrophilic groups that allowed its efficient modification to functionalized polypeptides after reactions under mild conditions with thiol and amine nucleophiles. The combined structural, spectroscopic, and reactivity properties of A DH make it a unique reactive and fluorescent polypeptide component for utilization in self-assembled biomaterials.

Poly(ethylene glycols) (PEGs) with protein-reactive end-groups are widely utilized in bioconjugation reactions. Herein, we describe the use of ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) to synthesize unsaturated protein-reactive PEG analogs. These ROMP PEGs (rPEGs) contained terminal aldehyde functionality and ranged in molecular weight from 6 to 20 kDa. The polymers were readily conjugated to free amines on the protein hen egg-white lysozyme (Lyz). Biocompatibility of the unsaturated PEGs was assessed in vitro, revealing the polymers to be nontoxic up to concentrations of at least 1 mg/mL in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). The resulting unsaturated rPEG-lysozyme conjugates underwent metathesis-based depolymerization, resulting in decreased molecular weight of the conjugate.