Discovery of Inhibitory Fragments That Selectively Target Spire2-FMN2 Interaction

J Med Chem. 2023 Dec 14;66(23):15715-15727. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00877. Epub 2023 Dec 1.

Abstract

Here, we report the fragment-based drug discovery of potent and selective fragments that disrupt the Spire2-FMN2 but not the Spire1-FMN2 interaction. Hit fragments were identified in a differential scanning fluorimetry-based screen of an in-house library of 755 compounds and subsequently validated in multiple orthogonal biophysical assays, including fluorescence polarization, microscale thermophoresis, and 1H-15N HSQC nuclear magnetic resonance. Extensive structure-activity relationships combined with molecular docking followed by chemical optimization led to the discovery of compound 13, which exhibits micromolar potency and high ligand efficiency (LE = 0.38). Therefore, this fragment represents a validated starting point for the future development of selective chemical probes targeting the Spire2-FMN2 interaction.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Drug Discovery*
  • Ligands
  • Molecular Docking Simulation

Substances

  • Ligands