Author:

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Physical Sciences, Chemistry, Organic, Chemistry, IDENTIFICATION, ANALOGS, Amines, Animals, Azoles, Drosophila melanogaster, Humans, Models, Molecular, Molecular Structure, Thymidine, Thymidine Kinase, 0304 Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry, 0305 Organic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, 3404 Medicinal and biomolecular chemistry, 3405 Organic chemistry

Abstract:

Based on the presumed binding mode of an earlier identified inhibitor, we herein report new 3'-modified nucleosides as potent and selective inhibitors of mitochondrial thymidine kinase (TK2). A series of thirteen 3'-amino-, 3'-guanidino- and 3'-tetrazole-containing nucleosides were synthesized and evaluated for their TK2 inhibitory activity. Within the tetrazole series, compounds with nanomolar inhibitory activity were identified. A homology model of TK2 allowed to elucidate the observed activities. Introduction of a 2-bromovinyl group on C-5 of the pyrimidine base of the most promising 3'-derivative further improved the inhibitory activity, and caused a significant increase in the selectivity for TK2 versus TK1. Interestingly, for the current series of analogues, a strong correlation was observed between TK2 and Drosophila melanogaster dNK inhibition, further substantiating the phylogenetic relationship between these two nucleoside kinases.