A Unique Pharmacophore for Activation of the Nuclear Orphan Receptor Nur77 In vivo and In vitro
Date
2010-05Author
Liu, Jing-jing
Zhang, Lian-ru
张连茹
Zhan, Yan-yan
Chen, Yan
Wang, Yuan
Wang, Wei-jia
Chen, Hang-zi
Shen, Yue-mao
沈月毛
Su, Wen-jin
苏文金
Wu, Qiao
吴乔
Zeng, Hui-ni
Wang, Juan
Xiang, Shao-hua
Liu, Wen-jun
Huang, Pei-qiang
Zhang, Hong-kui
Collections
- 生命科学-已发表论文 [5901]
Abstract
Nur77 is a steroid orphan receptor that plays a critical role in regulating proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, including acting as a switch for Bcl-2 function. We previously reported that the octaketide cytosporone B (Csn-B) is a natural agonist for Nur77. In this study, we synthesized a series of Csn-B analogues and performed a structure-activity analysis that suggested criteria for the development of a unique pharmacophore to activate Nur77. The components of the pharmacophore necessary for binding Nur77 included the benzene ring, the phenolic hydroxyl group, and the acyl chain of the Csn-B scaffold, whereas the key feature for activating the biological function of Nur77 was the ester group. Csn-B analogues that bound Nur77 tightly not only stimulated its transactivation activity but also initiated mitochondrial apoptosis by means of novel crosstalk between Nur77 and BRE, an antiapoptotic protein regulated at the transcriptional level. Notably, the derivative n-amyl 2-[3,5-dihydroxy-2-(1-nonanoyl)phenyl] acetate exhibited greater antitumor activity in vivo than its parent compounds, highlighting particular interest in this compound. Our findings describe a pathway for rational design of Csn-B-derived Nur77 agonists as a new class of potent and effective antitumor agents. Cancer Res; 70(9); 3628-37. (C) 2010 AACR.