GSK J1

GSK J1 is a potent and selective inhibitor of the histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) demethylase JMJD3, a Fe2+- and α-ketoglutarate-dependent oxygenase involved in a variety of physiological functions including the inflammatory response, with the half maximal inhibition concentration IC50 value of 60 nM [1].

However, GSK J1 has restricted cellular permeability due to its highly polar carboxylate group, which plays a critical role in the binding of GSK J1 to JMJD3. In order to improve the cellular permeability, GSK J1 is esterified to mask the polarity generating an ethyl ester derivative that can be rapidly hydrolyzed to GSK J1 [1].

Reference

References:
[1] Kruidenier L, Chung CW, Cheng Z, Liddle J, Che K, Joberty G, Bantscheff M, Bountra C, Bridges A, Diallo H, Eberhard D, Hutchinson S, Jones E, Katso R, Leveridge M, Mander PK, Mosley J, Ramirez-Molina C, Rowland P, Schofield CJ, Sheppard RJ, Smith JE, Swales C, Tanner R, Thomas P, Tumber A, Drewes G, Oppermann U, Patel DJ, Lee K, Wilson DM. A selective jumonji H3K27 demethylase inhibitor modulates the proinflammatory macrophage response. Nature. 2012 Aug 16;488(7411):404-8. doi: 10.1038/nature11262.

A selective jumonji H3K27 demethylase inhibitor modulates the proinflammatory macrophage response.[Pubmed:22842901]

Nature. 2012 Aug 16;488(7411):404-8.

The jumonji (JMJ) family of histone demethylases are Fe2+- and alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent oxygenases that are essential components of regulatory transcriptional chromatin complexes. These enzymes demethylate lysine residues in histones in a methylation-state and sequence-specific context. Considerable effort has been devoted to gaining a mechanistic understanding of the roles of histone lysine demethylases in eukaryotic transcription, genome integrity and epigenetic inheritance, as well as in development, physiology and disease. However, because of the absence of any selective inhibitors, the relevance of the demethylase activity of JMJ enzymes in regulating cellular responses remains poorly understood. Here we present a structure-guided small-molecule and chemoproteomics approach to elucidating the functional role of the H3K27me3-specific demethylase subfamily (KDM6 subfamily members JMJD3 and UTX). The liganded structures of human and mouse JMJD3 provide novel insight into the specificity determinants for cofactor, substrate and inhibitor recognition by the KDM6 subfamily of demethylases. We exploited these structural features to generate the first small-molecule catalytic site inhibitor that is selective for the H3K27me3-specific JMJ subfamily. We demonstrate that this inhibitor binds in a novel manner and reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced proinflammatory cytokine production by human primary macrophages, a process that depends on both JMJD3 and UTX. Our results resolve the ambiguity associated with the catalytic function of H3K27-specific JMJs in regulating disease-relevant inflammatory responses and provide encouragement for designing small-molecule inhibitors to allow selective pharmacological intervention across the JMJ family.