Molecular basis of USP7 inhibition by selective small-molecule inhibitors.

Ubiquitination controls the stability of most cellular proteins, and its deregulation contributes to human diseases including cancer. Deubiquitinases remove ubiquitin from proteins, and their inhibition can induce the degradation of selected proteins, potentially including otherwise 'undruggable' targets. For example, the inhibition of ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7) results in the degradation of the oncogenic E3 ligase MDM2, and leads to re-activation of the tumour suppressor p53 in various cancers.

Design and Optimization of Benzopiperazines as Potent Inhibitors of BET Bromodomains.

A protein structure-guided drug design approach was employed to develop small molecule inhibitors of the BET family of bromodomains that were distinct from the known (+)-JQ1 scaffold class. These efforts led to the identification of a series of substituted benzopiperazines with structural features that enable interactions with many of the affinity-driving regions of the bromodomain binding site. Lipophilic efficiency was a guiding principle in improving binding affinity alongside drug-like physicochemical properties that are commensurate with oral bioavailability.

Synthesis of functionalized maoecrystal V core structures.

Two strategies toward the total synthesis of maoecrystal V (1) culminating in the construction of core structures 2 and 3 are described.

High affinity, bioavailable 3-amino-1,4-benzodiazepine-based gamma-secretase inhibitors.

In this paper, we describe the development of a novel series of high affinity, orally bioavailable 3-amino-1,4 benzodiazepine-based gamma-secretase inhibitors for the potential treatment of Alzheimer's disease. We disclose structure-activity relationships based around the 1, 3 and 5 positions of the benzodiazepine core structure.

New synthesis of 1,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodiazepin-2(2H)-ones and 3-amino-1,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodiazepin-2(2H)-ones: Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling of imidoyl chlorides with organoboronic acids.

A new approach to the synthesis of 1,4-benzodiazepines and 3-amino-1,4-benzodiazepines, which employs the Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of an imidoyl chloride with an organometallic reagent as the key step, is described. A five-step synthesis of a key intermediate is described and it is shown that in only four further steps (three couplings and a TFA-mediated BOC-deprotection) a wide variety of N1-, C3-amino-, C5-carbon-, or nitrogen-substituted 1,4-benzodiazepines can be synthesized.