Virtual screening of ultra-large chemical libraries identifies cell-permeable small-molecule inhibitors of a 'non-druggable' target, STAT3 N-terminal domain

Autor: Pedro Andrade Bonilla, Cody L. Hoop, Karen Stefanisko, Sergey G. Tarasov, Sourav Sinha, Marc C. Nicklaus, Nadya I. Tarasova
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Oncology, Vol 13 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2234-943X
DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1144153
Popis: STAT3 N-terminal domain is a promising molecular target for cancer treatment and modulation of immune responses. However, STAT3 is localized in the cytoplasm, mitochondria, and nuclei, and thus, is inaccessible to therapeutic antibodies. Its N-terminal domain lacks deep pockets on the surface and represents a typical “non-druggable” protein. In order to successfully identify potent and selective inhibitors of the domain, we have used virtual screening of billion structure-sized virtual libraries of make-on-demand screening samples. The results suggest that the expansion of accessible chemical space by cutting-edge ultra-large virtual compound databases can lead to successful development of small molecule drugs for hard-to-target intracellular proteins.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals