Characterization of a Selective, Reversible Inhibitor of Lysophospholipase 2 (LYPLA2)

Excerpt

Protein palmitoylation is an essential post-translational modification necessary for trafficking and localization of regulatory proteins that play key roles in cell growth and signaling. Multiple oncogenes, including HRAS and SRC, require palmitoylation for malignant transformation. Lysophospholipase 1 (LYPLA1) has been identified as a candidate protein palmitoyl thioesterase responsible for HRAS depalmitoylation in mammalian cells. LYPLA1 has a close homolog, LYPLA2 (65% sequence identity), whose substrate specificity and biochemical roles are, as yet, uncharacterized. Seeking chemical tools to investigate biochemical pathway involvement and potential roles in cancer pathogenesis of these enzymes, we conducted a fluorescence polarization-based competitive activity-based protein profiling (fluopol-ABPP) HTS campaign to identify inhibitors of LYPLA1 and LYPLA2. HTS identified a lead triazole urea micromolar inhibitor, which we optimized as dual LYPLA1/LYPLA2 inhibitor ML211, and reversible compounds ML348 and ML349 that act as selective LYPLA1 and LYPLA2 inhibitors, respectively. Using an advanced competitive ABPP strategy employing ABPP probes with controlled reactivity rates, we successfully confirmed potent and selective target engagement of these reversible compounds in living systems as detailed here for ML349 and in the accompanying ML348 Probe Report. Together, these compounds should greatly aid investigations into the biological function of LYPLA1 and LYPLA2.