👤 Timothy M Willson

REV-ERBα has emerged as an important target for regulation of circadian rhythm and its associated physiology. Herein, we report on the optimization of a series of REV-ERBα agonists based on GSK4112 (1) for potency, selectivity, and bioavailability. (1) Potent REV-ERBα agonists 4, 10, 16, and 23 are detailed for their ability to suppress BMAL and IL-6 expression from human cells while also demonstrating excellent selectivity over LXRα. Amine 4 demonstrated in vivo bioavailability after either iv or oral dosing. Show less

Tertiary sulfonamides were identified in a HTS as dual liver X receptor (LXR, NR1H2, and NR1H3) ligands, and the binding affinity of the series was increased through iterative analogue synthesis. A ligand-bound cocrystal structure was determined which elucidated key interactions for high binding affinity. Further characterization of the tertiary sulfonamide series led to the identification of high affinity LXR antagonists. GSK2033 (17) is the first potent cell-active LXR antagonist described to date. 17 may be a useful chemical probe to explore the cell biology of this orphan nuclear receptor. Show less

The liver X receptors (LXRalpha/beta) are orphan nuclear receptors that are expressed in a large number of cell types and have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Nuclear receptors have previously proved to be amenable targets for small molecular mass pharmacological agents in asthma, and so the effect of an LXR ligand was assessed in models of allergic airway inflammation. LXR agonist, GW 3965, was profiled in rat and mouse models of allergic asthma. In the Brown Norway rats, GW 3965 (3-30 mg/kg) was unable to reduce the bronchoalveolar lavage eosinophilia associated with this model and had no impact on inflammatory biomarkers (eotaxin and IL-1beta). The compound did significantly stimulate ABCA-1 (ATP-binding cassette A1) mRNA expression, indicating that there was adequate exposure/LXR activation. In the mouse model, the LXR ligand surprisingly increased airway reactivity, an effect that was apparent in both the Ag and nonchallenged groups. This increase was not associated with a change in lung tissue inflammation or number of mucus-containing cells. There was, however, a marked increase in airway smooth muscle thickness in both treated groups. We demonstrated an increase in contractile response to exogenous methacholine in isolated airways taken from LXR agonist-treated animals compared with the relevant control tissue. We corroborated these findings in a human system by demonstrating increased proliferation of cultured airway smooth muscle. This phenomenon, if evidenced in man, would indicate that LXR ligands may directly increase airway reactivity, which could be detrimental, especially in patients with existing respiratory disease and with already compromised lung function. Show less

Classically, activated transcription by nuclear receptors (NRs) is due to a ligand-induced switch from corepressor- to coactivator-bound states. However, coactivators and corepressors recognize overlapping surfaces of liganded and unliganded NRs, respectively. Here we show that, at sufficiently high concentration, the NR corepressor (NCoR) influences the activity of the liver X receptor (LXR) even in the presence of a potent full agonist that destabilizes NCoR binding. Partial agonist ligands that less effectively dissociate NCoR from LXR are even more sensitive to NCoR levels, in a target gene-selective manner. Thus, differential recruitment of NCoR is a major determinant of partial agonism and selective LXR modulation of target genes. Show less