Identification of a BAZ2A bromodomain hit compound by fragment joining

The bromodomains of BAZ2A and BAZ2B (bromodomain adjacent to zinc finger domain proteins 2) are among the most hard to drug of the 61 human bromodomains. While little is known about the role of BAZ2B, there is strong evidence for the opportunity of targeting BAZ2A in various cancers. Here, a benzimidazole–triazole fragment that binds to the BAZ2A acetyl lysine pocket was identified by a molecular docking campaign and validated by competitive binding assays and X-ray crystallography. Another ligand was observed in close proximity by soaking experiments using the BAZ2A bromodomain preincubated with the benzimidazole–triazole fragment. The crystal structure of BAZ2A with the two ligands was employed to design a few benzimidazole–triazole derivatives with increased affinity. We also present the engineering of a BAZ2A bromodomain mutant for consistent, high-resolution crystallographic studies.

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