Identification of the 2-Benzoxazol-2-yl-phenol Scaffold as New Hit for JMJD3 Inhibition

ACS Med Chem Lett. 2019 Feb 25;10(4):601-605. doi: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.8b00589. eCollection 2019 Apr 11.

Abstract

JMJD3 is a member of the KDM6 subfamily and catalyzes the demethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27). This protein was identified as a useful tool in understanding the role of epigenetics in inflammatory conditions and in cancer as well. Guided by a virtual fragment screening approach, we identified the benzoxazole scaffold as a new hit suitable for the development of tighter JMJD3 inhibitors. Compounds were synthesized by a microwave-assisted one-pot reaction under catalyst and solvent-free conditions. Among these, compound 8 presented the highest inhibitory activity (IC50 = 1.22 ± 0.22 μM) in accordance with molecular modeling calculations. Moreover, 8 induced the cycle arrest in S-phase on A375 melanoma cells.