Meyer-Almes - LOEWE - TRABITA

LOEWE Focus "Transient Binding Pockets" (2020-2023).

Overlay of crystal structures of HDAC4 in open (magenta, PDB-ID 2VQJ) and closed (green, PDB-ID 4CBY) conformation. The structural zinc binding domain undergoes substantial movements as indicated by the yellow arrow.

HDAC4 as model system for proteins with a flexible domain

Histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) is an established target for neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Huntington's disease and several types of cancer. At the bottom of the highly conserved active site pocket of zinc-dependent histone deacetylases (HDACs), there is a small transient side pocket. More strikingly and unlike class I HDACs, class IIa member HDAC4 contains a second structural zinc binding domain that undergoes substantial movements between an open- and closed conformation depending on binding of inhibitors with distinct chemical structures. Only the closed conformation can be recognized by the SMRT-corepressor thus transmitting the biological signal.

Publications

  • Khetmalis YM, Shree B, Kumar BVS, Schweipert M, Debarnot C, Ashna F, Sankaranarayanan M, Trinath J, Sharma V, Meyer-Almes FJ, Sekhar KVGC, Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Tetrahydroisoquinoline based Hydroxamate Derivatives as HDAC6 Inhibitors for Cancer Therapy, J Mol Struct (2023) DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2023.134952.
  • Jänsch N, Lang KL, Meyer-Almes FJ, Methionine 274 Is Not the Determining Factor for Selective Inhibition of Histone Deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) by L-Shaped Inhibitors, Int J Mol Sci. (2022) 23, 11775.
  • Jänsch N, Frühauf A, Schweipert M, Debarnot C, Erhardt M, Brenner-Weiss G, Kirschhöfer F, Jasionis T, Capkauskaite E, Zubriene A, Matulis D, Meyer-Almes FJ, 3-Chloro-5-substituted-1,2,4-thiadiazoles (TDZs) as Selective and Efficient Protein Thiol Modifiers, Chembiochem (2022) doi: 10.1002/cbic.202200417.
  • Frühauf A, Meyer-Almes FJ, Non-Hydroxamate Zinc-Binding Groups as Warheads for Histone Deacetylases, Molecules (2021) 26:5151.
  • Tilekar K, Hess JD, Upadhyay N, Bianco AL, Schweipert M, Laghezza A, Loiodice F, Meyer-Almes FJ, Aguilera RJ, Lavecchia A, Ramaa CS. Thiazolidinedione "Magic Bullets" Simultaneously Targeting PPARγ and HDACs: Design, Synthesis, and Investigations of their In Vitro and In Vivo Antitumor Effects. J Med Chem (2021) 64:6949-6971.
  • K. Tilekar, J. D. Hess, N. Upadhyay, M. Schweipert, F. Flath, D. A. Gutierrez, F. Loiodice, A. Lavecchia, F.-.J. Meyer-Almes, R. J. Aguilera, R. C S, HDAC4 inhibitors with cyclic linker and non-hydroxamate zinc binding group: design, synthesis, HDAC screening and in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation, Chemistry Select (2021) 6:6748-6763.
  • Neha Upadhyay, Kalpana Tilekar, Sabreena Safuan, Alan P. Kumar, Markus Schweipert, Franz-Josef Meyer-Almes, Ramaa C S; Multi-target weapons: diaryl-pyrazoline thiazolidinediones simultaneously targeting VEGFR-2 and HDAC cancer hallmarks; RSC Med Chem (2021) 12:1540-1554.