2. Academic Validation
  3. Evaluation of Protein Kinase Inhibitors with PLK4 Cross-Over Potential in a Pre-Clinical Model of Cancer

Evaluation of Protein Kinase Inhibitors with PLK4 Cross-Over Potential in a Pre-Clinical Model of Cancer

  • Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Apr 29;20(9):2112. doi: 10.3390/ijms20092112.
Amreena Suri 1 2,  Anders W Bailey 3 4,  Maurício T Tavares 5,  Hendra Gunosewoyo 6,  Connor P Dyer 7 8,  Alex T Grupenmacher 9,  David R Piper 10,  Robert A Horton 11,  Tadanori Tomita 12 13 14,  Alan P Kozikowski 15,  Saktimayee M Roy 16,  Simone T Sredni 17 18 19
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. [email protected].
  • 2 Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. [email protected].
  • 3 Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. [email protected].
  • 4 Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. [email protected].
  • 5 Department of Pharmacy, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil. [email protected].
  • 6 School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Perth, WA 6102, Australia. [email protected].
  • 7 Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. [email protected].
  • 8 Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. [email protected].
  • 9 Department of Ophtalmology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 04023-062, Brazil. [email protected].
  • 10 Thermo Fisher Scientific, Research and Development, Biosciences Division, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA. [email protected].
  • 11 Thermo Fisher Scientific, Research and Development, Biosciences Division, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA. [email protected].
  • 12 Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. [email protected].
  • 13 Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. [email protected].
  • 14 Department of Surgery, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. [email protected].
  • 15 Star Wise Therapeutics, Madison, WI 53719, USA. [email protected].
  • 16 Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. [email protected].
  • 17 Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. [email protected].
  • 18 Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. [email protected].
  • 19 Department of Surgery, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. [email protected].
PMID: 31035676 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20092112
Abstract

Polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4) is a cell cycle-regulated protein kinase (PK) recruited at the centrosome in dividing cells. Its overexpression triggers centrosome amplification, which is associated with genetic instability and carcinogenesis. In previous work, we established that PLK4 is overexpressed in pediatric embryonal brain tumors (EBT). We also demonstrated that PLK4 inhibition exerted a cytostatic effect in EBT cells. Here, we examined an array of PK inhibitors (CFI-400945, CFI-400437, centrinone, centrinone-B, R-1530, axitinib, KW-2449, and alisertib) for their potential crossover to PLK4 by comparative structural docking and activity inhibition in multiple established embryonal tumor cell lines (MON, BT-12, BT-16, DAOY, D283). Our analyses demonstrated that: (1) CFI-400437 had the greatest impact overall, but similar to CFI-400945, it is not optimal for brain exposure. Also, their phenotypic anti-cancer impact may, in part, be a consequence of the inhibition of Aurora kinases (AURKs). (2) Centrinone and centrinone B are the most selective PLK4 inhibitors but they are the least likely to penetrate the brain. (3) KW-2449, R-1530 and axitinib are the ones predicted to have moderate-to-good brain penetration. In conclusion, a new selective PLK4 Inhibitor with favorable physiochemical properties for optimal brain exposure can be beneficial for the treatment of EBT.

Keywords

AT/RT; AURK; CFI-400437; CFI-400945; KW-2449; R1530; alisertib; axitinib; brain exposure; centrinone; medulloblastoma; protein kinase; rhabdoid tumor.

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