1. Academic Validation
  2. Structure-Based Discovery of High-Affinity Small Molecule Ligands and Development of Tool Probes to Study the Role of Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1

Structure-Based Discovery of High-Affinity Small Molecule Ligands and Development of Tool Probes to Study the Role of Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1

  • J Med Chem. 2024 Mar 14;67(5):3959-3985. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02255.
Wojciech Czestkowski 1 Łukasz Krzemiński 1 Michał C Piotrowicz 1 Marzena Mazur 1 Elżbieta Pluta 1 Gleb Andryianau 1 Robert Koralewski 1 Krzysztof Matyszewski 1 Sylwia Olejniczak 1 Michał Kowalski 1 Katarzyna Lisiecka 1 Rafał Kozieł 1 Katarzyna Piwowar 1 Diana Papiernik 1 Marcin Nowotny 2 Agnieszka Napiórkowska-Gromadzka 2 Elżbieta Nowak 2 Dorota Niedziałek 1 Grzegorz Wieczorek 1 Anna Siwińska 1 Tomasz Rejczak 1 Karol Jędrzejczak 1 Krzysztof Mulewski 1 Jacek Olczak 1 Zbigniew Zasłona 1 Adam Gołębiowski 1 Katarzyna Drzewicka 1 Agnieszka Bartoszewicz 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Molecure S.A., Żwirki I Wigury 101, Warsaw 02-089, Poland.
  • 2 Laboratory of Protein Structure, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, Ks. Trojdena 4, Warsaw 02-109, Poland.
Abstract

Chitinase-3-like-1 (CHI3L1), also known as YKL-40, is a glycoprotein linked to inflammation, fibrosis, and Cancer. This study explored CHI3L1's interactions with various oligosaccharides using microscale thermophoresis (MST) and AlphaScreen (AS). These investigations guided the development of high-throughput screening assays to assess interference of small molecules in binding between CHI3L1 and biotinylated small molecules or heparan sulfate-based probes. Small molecule binders of YKL-40 were identified in our chitotriosidase inhibitors library with MST and confirmed through X-ray crystallography. Based on cocrystal structures of potent hit compounds with CHI3L1, small molecule probes 19 and 20 were designed for an AS assay. Structure-based optimization led to compounds 30 and 31 with nanomolar activities and drug-like properties. Additionally, an orthogonal AS assay using biotinylated heparan sulfate as a probe was developed. The compounds' affinity showed a significant correlation in both assays. These screening tools and compounds offer novel avenues for investigating the role of CHI3L1.

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