Publications | Targeting the Genome-Stability Hub Ctf4 by Stapled-Peptide Design

The exploitation of synthetic lethality by small-molecule targeting of pathways that maintain genomic stability is an attractive chemotherapeutic approach. The Ctf4/AND-1 protein hub, which links DNA replication, repair, and chromosome segregation, represents a novel target for the synthetic lethality approach. Herein, we report the design, optimization, and validation of double-click stapled peptides encoding the Ctf4-interacting peptide (CIP) of the replicative helicase subunit Sld5. By screening stapling positions in the Sld5 CIP, we identified an unorthodox i,i+6 stapled peptide with improved, submicromolar binding to Ctf4. The mode of interaction with Ctf4 was confirmed by a crystal structure of the stapled Sld5 peptide bound to Ctf4. The stapled Sld5 peptide was able to displace the Ctf4 partner DNA polymerase α from the replisome in yeast extracts. Our study provides proof-of-principle evidence for the development of small-molecule inhibitors of the human CTF4 orthologue AND-1.

Principal Investigator(s):

Author(s):
Wu Y, Villa F, Maman J, Lau YH, Dobnikar L, Simon AC, Labib K, Spring DR, Pellegrini L

PubMed:
28815832
Citation:
Wu Y, Villa F, Maman J, Lau YH, Dobnikar L, Simon AC, Labib K, Spring DR, Pellegrini L
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl.
2017
56(42)
12866-12872
PMID: 28815832