Development of Inhibitors of the PAS-B Domain of the HIF-2α Transcription Factor

摘要

Hypoxia Inducible Factors (HIFs) are heterodimeric transcription factors induced in a variety of pathophysiological settings, including cancer. We describe the first detailed structure-activity-relationship study of small molecules designed to inhibit HIF-2α–ARNT heterodimerization by binding an internal cavity of the HIF-2α PAS-B domain. Through a series of biophysical characterizations of inhibitor/protein interactions (NMR and X-ray crystallography), we have established the structural requirements for artificial inhibitors of the HIF-2α–ARNT PAS-B interaction. These results may serve as a foundation for discovering therapeutic agents that function by a novel mode of action.