Inhibition of Hypoxia-Inducible Transcription Factor (HIF-1α) Signaling with Sulfonyl-γ-AApeptide Helices

J Am Chem Soc. 2023 Sep 13;145(36):20009-20020. doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c06694. Epub 2023 Sep 4.

Abstract

The development of inhibitors that selectively block protein-protein interactions (PPIs) is crucial for chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, and biomedical sciences. Herein, we reported the design, synthesis, and investigation of sulfonyl-γ-AApeptide as an alternative strategy of canonical peptide-based inhibitors to disrupt hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and p300 PPI by mimicking the helical domain of HIF-1α involved in the binding to p300. The designed molecules recognized the p300 protein with high affinity and potently inhibited the hypoxia-inducible signaling pathway. Gene expression profiling supported the idea that the lead molecules selectively inhibited hypoxia-inducible genes involved in the signaling cascade. Our studies also demonstrated that both helical faces consisting of either chiral side chains or achiral sulfonyl side chains of sulfonyl-γ-AApeptides could be adopted for mimicry of the α-helix engaging in PPIs. Furthermore, these sulfonyl-γ-AApeptides were cell-permeable and exhibited favorable stability and pharmacokinetic profiles. Our results could inspire the design of helical sulfonyl-γ-AApeptides as a general strategy to mimic the protein helical domain and modulate many other PPIs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Chemistry, Pharmaceutical*
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Humans
  • Hypoxia
  • Signal Transduction*

Substances

  • gamma-AApeptide