A novel Pd-catalyzed decarboxylative ortho-acylation of acetanilides with alpha-oxocarboxylic acids is realized at room temperature. This reaction provides efficient access to o-acyl acetanilides under mild conditions.

An efficient palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative acylation of unactivated arenes with alpha-oxocarboxylic acids is reported. This method provides a novel access to aryl ketones.

Metastatic breast cancer is an incurable disease and identification of novel therapeutic opportunities is vital. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) frequently metastasizes and high levels of activated RSK, a downstream MEK-ERK1/2 effector, are found in TNBC. We demonstrate using direct pharmacological and genetic inhibition of RSK1/2 that these kinases contribute to the TNBC metastatic process in vivo. Kinase profiling demonstrated that RSK1 and RSK2 are the predominant kinases targeted by the new inhibitor, which is based on the natural product, SL0101. Further evidence for selectivity was provided by the observations that silencing RSK1 and RSK2 eliminated the ability of the analogue to further inhibit survival or proliferation of a TNBC cell line. In vivo, the new derivative was as effective as the FDA-approved MEK inhibitor, trametinib, in reducing the establishment of metastatic foci. Importantly, inhibition of RSK1/2 did not result in activation of AKT, which is known to limit the efficacy of MEK inhibitors in the clinic. Our results demonstrate that RSK is a major contributor to the TNBC metastatic program and provide preclinical proof-of-concept for the efficacy of the novel SL0101 analogue in vivo.

A novel Pd-catalyzed decarboxylative cross-coupling of potassium aryltrifluoroborates with α-oxocarboxylic acids is performed at room temperature. This reaction provides an efficient access to aryl ketones under mild conditions.

Inhibition of the S-adenosyl methionine (SAM)-producing metabolic enzyme, methionine adenosyltransferase 2A (MAT2A), has received significant interest in the field of medicinal chemistry due to its implication as a synthetic lethal target in cancers with the deletion of the methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) gene. Here, we report the identification of novel MAT2A inhibitors with distinct in vivo properties that may enhance their utility in treating patients. Following a high-throughput screening, we successfully applied the structure-based design lessons from our first-in-class MAT2A inhibitor, AG-270, to rapidly redesign and optimize our initial hit into two new lead compounds: a brain-penetrant compound, AGI-41998, and a potent, but limited brain-penetrant compound, AGI-43192. We hope that the identification and first disclosure of brain-penetrant MAT2A inhibitors will create new opportunities to explore the potential therapeutic effects of SAM modulation in the central nervous system (CNS).