Identification of Small‐Molecule Inhibitors of the Antiapoptotic Protein Myeloid Cell Leukaemia‐1 (Mcl‐1)

Protein–protein interactions (PPIs) control many cellular processes in cancer and tumour growth. Of significant interest is the role PPIs play in regulating apoptosis. The overexpression of the antiapoptosis regulating Bcl‐2 family of proteins is commonly observed in several cancers, leading to resistance towards both radiation and chemotherapies. From this family, myeloid cell leukemia‐1 (Mcl‐1) has proven the most difficult to target, and one of the leading causes of treatment resistance. Exploiting the selective PPI between the apoptosis‐regulating protein Noxa and Mcl‐1, utilising a fluorescence polarization assay, we have identified four small molecules with the ability to modulate Mcl‐1. The identified compounds were computationally modelled and docked against the Mcl‐1 binding interface to obtain structural information about their binding sites allowing for future analogue design. When examined for their activity towards pancreatic cell lines that overexpress Mcl‐1 (MiaPaCa‐2 and BxPC‐3), the identified compounds demonstrated growth inhibition, suggesting effective Mcl‐1 modulation.