Structure-Based Discovery of Potent CARM1 Inhibitors for Solid Tumor and Cancer Immunology Therapy

J Med Chem. 2021 Nov 25;64(22):16650-16674. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01308. Epub 2021 Nov 15.

Abstract

CARM1 is a protein arginine methyltransferase and acts as a transcriptional coactivator regulating multiple biological processes. Aberrant expression of CARM1 has been related to the progression of multiple types of cancers, and therefore CARM1 was considered as a promising drug target. In the present work, we report the structure-based discovery of a series of N1-(3-(pyrimidin-2-yl)benzyl)ethane-1,2-diamines as potent CARM1 inhibitors, in which compound 43 displays high potency and selectivity. With the advantage of excellent tissue distribution, compound 43 demonstrated good in vivo efficacy for solid tumors. Furthermore, from the detailed immuno-oncology study with MC38 C57BL/6J xenograft model, we confirmed that this chemical probe 43 has profound effects in tumor immunity, which paves the way for future studies on the modulation of arginine post-translational modification that could be utilized in solid tumor treatment and cancer immunotherapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • CARD Signaling Adaptor Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • CARD Signaling Adaptor Proteins / metabolism
  • Drug Discovery*
  • Guanylate Cyclase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Guanylate Cyclase / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy / methods*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Neoplasms / immunology
  • Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • CARD Signaling Adaptor Proteins
  • CARD11 protein, human
  • Guanylate Cyclase