Molecular Characteristics of DNA-Alkylating PI Polyamides Targeting RUNX Transcription Factors

The runt-related transcription factor (RUNX) family has been associated with cancer development. The binding of RUNX family members to specific DNA sequences is hypothesized to promote the expression of downstream genes and cause cancer proliferation. On the basis of this proposed mechanism of cancer growth, we developed conjugate 1, which inhibits the binding of RUNX to its target DNA. Conjugate 1 is a DNA-alkylating pyrrole–imidazole (PI) polyamide conjugate containing chlorambucil as an anticancer agent. Conjugate 1 was reported to have a marked anticancer effect in mouse models of acute myeloid leukemia. Although the effectiveness of 1 has been demonstrated in vivo, the detailed mechanism by which it alkylates DNA is unknown. Here, we chemically elucidated the molecular characteristics of conjugate 1 to confirm its potential as a RUNX-inhibiting drug. We also generated an alternative conjugate 2, which targets the same DNA sequence, by replacing one pyrrole with β-alanine. Comparison of the characteristics of conjugates 1 and 2 suggested that reaction selectivity and binding affinity to the RUNX-binding sequence were improved by the introduction of β-alanine. These findings indicate the possibility of DNA-alkylating PI polyamides as candidates for cancer chemotherapeutics