A microfluidics-based mobility shift assay to discover new tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors.
Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) play key roles in regulating tyrosine phosphorylation levels in cells. Since the discovery of PTP1B as a major drug target for diabetes and obesity, PTPs have emerged as a new and promising class of signaling targets for drug development in a variety of therapeutic areas. The routine use of generic substrate 6,8-difluoro-4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate (DiFMUP) in our hands led to the discovery of very similar and often not very selective molecules. Therefore, to increase the chances to discover novel chemical scaffolds, a side-by-side comparison between the DiFMUP assay and a chip-based mobility shift assay with a specific phosphopeptide was performed, on 1 PTP, using a focused set of compounds. Assay robustness and sensitivity were comparable for both the DiFMUP and mobility shift assays. The off-chip mobility shift assay required a longer development time because of identification, synthesis, and characterization of a specific peptide, and its cost per point was higher. However, although most potent scaffolds found with the DiFMUP assay were confirmed in the mobility shift format, the off-chip mobility shift assay led to the identification of previously unidentified chemical scaffolds with improved druglike properties.
Perrin
Dominique
D
Molecular Screening and Cellular Pharmacology Department, Serono Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Geneva, Switzerland. dominique.perrin@serono.com
Frémaux
Christèle
C
Besson
Dominique
D
Sauer
Wolfgang H B
WH
Scheer
Alexander
A
D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay / Q000379:methods*; D044085:Microfluidics / Q000379:methods*; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014638:Vanadates / Q000737:chemistry
D014638:Vanadates; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases