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Biology subjects

Chavez, V.

Publications and source records attributed to Chavez, V..

2 recordsLinked to original sources
bioRxiv2022

AI-Assisted Chemical Probe Discovery for the Understudied Calcium-Calmodulin Dependent Kinase, PNCK

PNCK, or CAMK1b, is an understudied kinase of the calcium-calmodulin dependent kinase family which recently has been identified as a marker of cancer progression and survival in several large-scale multi-omics studies. The biology of PNCK and its relation to oncogenesis has also begun to be elucidated, with data suggesting various roles in DNA damage response, cell cycle control, apoptosis and HIF-1-alpha related pathways. To further explore PNCK as a clinical target, potent small-molecule molecular probes must be developed. Currently, there are no targeted small molecule inhibitors in pre-clinical or clinical studies for the CAMK family. Additionally, there exists no experimentally derived crystal structure for PNCK. We herein report a three-pronged chemical probe discovery campaign which utilized homology modeling, machine learning, virtual screening and molecular dynamics to identify small molecules with low-micromolar potency against PNCK activity from commercially available compound libraries. We report the first described inhibitor hit series for PNCK that will serve as the starting point for future medicinal chemistry efforts for hit-to-lead optimization of potent chemical probes.

pharmacology and toxicology↗
bioRxiv2021

Innate immune signaling drives late cardiac toxicity following DNA damaging cancer therapies

Late cardiac toxicity is a potentially lethal complication of cancer therapy, yet the pathogenic mechanism remains largely unknown, and few treatment options exist. Here we report DNA damaging agents such as radiation and anthracycline chemotherapies induce delayed cardiac inflammation following therapy due to activation of cGAS and STING-dependent type I interferon signaling. Genetic ablation of cGAS-STING-signaling in mice inhibits DNA damage induced cardiac inflammation, rescues late cardiac functional decline, and prevents death from cardiac events. Treatment with a STING antagonist suppresses cardiac interferon signaling following DNA damaging therapies and effectively mitigates cardiotoxicity. These results identify a therapeutically targetable, pathogenic mechanism for one of the most vexing treatment-related toxicities in cancer survivors.

immunology↗