Development and characterization of triazole-based WDR5 inhibitors for the treatment of glioblastoma
Jesse A. Coker, Steven R. Martinez, Sang Hoon Han, Anthony R. Sloan, Amit Kumar Gupta, George Bukenya, Paul Polzer, James H. Ramos, Emma G. Rico, Annabella Rico, A. Abigail Lindsey, Tanvi Navadgi, Natalie Reitz, Todd Romigh, Jonathan Macdonald, Dhiraj Sonawane, Christopher M. Goins, Christopher G. Hubert, Nancy S. Wang, Feixiong Cheng, Joseph Alvarado, Samuel A. Sprowls, Justin D. Lathia, Shaun R. Stauffer
Jesse A. Coker, Steven R. Martinez, Sang Hoon Han, Anthony R. Sloan, Amit Kumar Gupta, George Bukenya, Paul Polzer, James H. Ramos, Emma G. Rico, Annabella Rico, A. Abigail Lindsey, Tanvi Navadgi, Natalie Reitz, Todd Romigh, Jonathan Macdonald, Dhiraj Sonawane, Christopher M. Goins, Christopher G. Hubert, Nancy S. Wang, Feixiong Cheng, Joseph Alvarado, Samuel A. Sprowls, Justin D. Lathia, Shaun R. Stauffer
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Research Article Cell biology Neuroscience Oncology

Development and characterization of triazole-based WDR5 inhibitors for the treatment of glioblastoma

Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM) cancer stem cells (CSCs) contribute to tumor recurrence, treatment resistance, and dismal clinical outcomes. Genetic and pharmacological evidence suggests that the nuclear scaffolding protein WD-repeat containing protein 5 (WDR5) is a therapeutic vulnerability of the CSC population. However, previously reported WDR5 inhibitors display low permeability and are unable to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB), limiting their utility in GBM. Herein, we report the structure-guided development of a series of triazole-based WDR5 WIN-site inhibitors designed to increase passive brain penetration. We identified triazole-based WDR5 inhibitors that are potent, passively permeable, and in some cases more brain penetrant than other scaffolds. We phenotypically assessed our WDR5 inhibitors in a panel of patient-derived CSC models and uncovered unique WDR5-regulated metabolic genes in GBM. We also evaluated their antiproliferative activity against CSCs both in vitro and in vivo. Finally, to identify potential combination opportunities, we screened a 2,100-compound chemical probe library and identified that the ATAD2 inhibitor BAY-850 synergizes with WDR5 inhibitors to enhance CSC killing. Our work diversifies the chemical matter targeting WDR5, clarifies the in vitro consequences of WIN-site inhibition in CSCs, and encourages the future development of next-generation WDR5 inhibitors with the potential to achieve in vivo efficacy in the brain.

Authors

Jesse A. Coker, Steven R. Martinez, Sang Hoon Han, Anthony R. Sloan, Amit Kumar Gupta, George Bukenya, Paul Polzer, James H. Ramos, Emma G. Rico, Annabella Rico, A. Abigail Lindsey, Tanvi Navadgi, Natalie Reitz, Todd Romigh, Jonathan Macdonald, Dhiraj Sonawane, Christopher M. Goins, Christopher G. Hubert, Nancy S. Wang, Feixiong Cheng, Joseph Alvarado, Samuel A. Sprowls, Justin D. Lathia, Shaun R. Stauffer

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Figure 7

High-throughput screening reveals synergy between ATAD2 and WDR5 inhibition.

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High-throughput screening reveals synergy between ATAD2 and WDR5 inhibit...
(A) Synergy screen with the Pinpoint Chemical Probe Library (PiCL; 1 μM) by CTG viability after 7-day treatment in the presence (y axis) or absence (x axis) of 100 nM C16. The 95% CI of the linear regression is displayed in pink. PiCL library members that reduced the viability of CSCs more in the presence of C16 are toward the southeast of the plot and are labeled. (B) Same as A, except in DI318 CSCs. (C) Seven-day CTG viability cross-titrations with C3TD078 and the ATAD2 inhibitor BAY-850 in 5 different CSC models. Data are representative from 1 of 3 biological replicates. (D) Overall quantification of the synergistic potency, as assessed by the MuSyC algorithm across all 3 biological replicates, between BAY-850 and C3TD078 in CSCs.