A systematic molecular and pharmacologic evaluation of AKT inhibitors reveals new insight into their biological activity

Br J Cancer. 2020 Aug;123(4):542-555. doi: 10.1038/s41416-020-0889-4. Epub 2020 May 22.

Abstract

Background: AKT, a critical effector of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signalling cascade, is an intensely pursued therapeutic target in oncology. Two distinct classes of AKT inhibitors have been in clinical development, ATP-competitive and allosteric. Class-specific differences in drug activity are likely the result of differential structural and conformational requirements governing efficient target binding, which ultimately determine isoform-specific potency, selectivity profiles and activity against clinically relevant AKT mutant variants.

Methods: We have carried out a systematic evaluation of clinical AKT inhibitors using in vitro pharmacology, molecular profiling and biochemical assays together with structural modelling to better understand the context of drug-specific and drug-class-specific cell-killing activity.

Results: Our data demonstrate clear differences between ATP-competitive and allosteric AKT inhibitors, including differential effects on non-catalytic activity as measured by a novel functional readout. Surprisingly, we found that some mutations can cause drug resistance in an isoform-selective manner despite high structural conservation across AKT isoforms. Finally, we have derived drug-class-specific phosphoproteomic signatures and used them to identify effective drug combinations.

Conclusions: These findings illustrate the utility of individual AKT inhibitors, both as drugs and as chemical probes, and the benefit of AKT inhibitor pharmacological diversity in providing a repertoire of context-specific therapeutic options.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Triphosphate / metabolism
  • Allosteric Regulation
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • HT29 Cells
  • Humans
  • Models, Molecular
  • Mutation*
  • Phosphoproteins / chemistry
  • Phosphoproteins / metabolism
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / chemistry*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism*

Substances

  • Phosphoproteins
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Adenosine Triphosphate
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt