Discovery of bivalent small molecule degraders of cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7)

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116613
• Publication Date: 2024-06-27T16:32:39Z
• Authors: Wenzhi Ji; Guangyan Du; Jie Jiang; Wenchao Lu; Caitlin E. Mills; Linjie Yuan; Fen Jiang; Zhixiang He; Gary A. Bradshaw; Mirra Chung; Zixuan Jiang; Woong Sub Byun; Stephen M. Hinshaw; Tinghu Zhang; Nathanael S. Gray
• Keywords: Molecular Structure; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Antineoplastic Agents; Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; Small Molecule Libraries; Mice; Structure-Activity Relationship; Cell Line, Tumor; Drug Discovery; Proteolysis; Humans; Animals; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase-Activating Kinase; Cell Proliferation

Cyclin-dependent kinase 7, along with cyclin H and MAT1, forms the CDK-activating complex (CAK), which directs cell cycle progression via T-loop phosphorylation of cell cycle CDKs. Pharmacological inhibition of CDK7 leads to selective anti-cancer effects in cellular and in vivo models, motivating several ongoing clinical investigations of this target. Current CDK7 inhibitors are either reversible or covalent inhibitors of its catalytic activity. We hypothesized that small molecule targeted protein degradation (TPD) might result in differentiated pharmacology due to the loss of scaffolding functions. Here, we report the design and characterization of a potent CDK7 degrader that is comprised of an ATP-competitive CDK7 binder linked to a CRL2VHL recruiter. JWZ-5-13 effectively degrades CDK7 in multiple cancer cells and leads to a potent inhibition of cell proliferation. Additionally, compound JWZ-5-13 displayed bioavailability in a pharmacokinetic study conducted in mice. Therefore, JWZ-5-13 is a useful chemical probe to investigate the pharmacological consequences of CDK7 degradation.