Discovery of a ZIP7 inhibitor from a Notch pathway screen

Nat Chem Biol. 2019 Feb;15(2):179-188. doi: 10.1038/s41589-018-0200-7. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Abstract

The identification of activating mutations in NOTCH1 in 50% of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia has generated interest in elucidating how these mutations contribute to oncogenic transformation and in targeting the pathway. A phenotypic screen identified compounds that interfere with trafficking of Notch and induce apoptosis via an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress mechanism. Target identification approaches revealed a role for SLC39A7 (ZIP7), a zinc transport family member, in governing Notch trafficking and signaling. Generation and sequencing of a compound-resistant cell line identified a V430E mutation in ZIP7 that confers transferable resistance to the compound NVS-ZP7-4. NVS-ZP7-4 altered zinc in the ER, and an analog of the compound photoaffinity labeled ZIP7 in cells, suggesting a direct interaction between the compound and ZIP7. NVS-ZP7-4 is the first reported chemical tool to probe the impact of modulating ER zinc levels and investigate ZIP7 as a novel druggable node in the Notch pathway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism
  • Cation Transport Proteins / genetics*
  • Cation Transport Proteins / metabolism
  • Cation Transport Proteins / physiology
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / physiology
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Mutation
  • Protein Transport
  • Receptor, Notch1 / genetics*
  • Receptor, Notch1 / physiology
  • Signal Transduction
  • Zinc / metabolism

Substances

  • Carrier Proteins
  • Cation Transport Proteins
  • Receptor, Notch1
  • SLC39A7 protein, human
  • zinc-binding protein
  • Zinc