Human tissue transglutaminase (hTG2) is a multifunctional enzyme. It is primarily known for its calcium-dependent transamidation activity that leads to formation of an isopeptide bond between glutamine and lysine residues found on the surface of proteins, but it is also a GTP binding protein. Overexpression and unregulated hTG2 activity have been associated with numerous human diseases, including cancer stem cell survival and metastatic phenotype. Herein, we present a series of targeted covalent inhibitors (TCIs) based on our previously reported Cbz-Lys scaffold. From this structure-activity relationship (SAR) study, novel irreversible inhibitors were identified that block the transamidation activity of hTG2 and allosterically abolish its GTP binding ability with a high degree of selectivity and efficiency (k/K > 10 M min). One optimized inhibitor (VA4) was also shown to inhibit epidermal cancer stem cell invasion with an EC of 3.9 μM, representing a significant improvement over our previously reported "hit" NC9.

Transglutaminase 2 (TG2), also referred to as tissue transglutaminase, is an enzyme that plays crucial roles in both protein crosslinking and cell signalling. It is capable of both catalysing transamidation...