Discovery of small molecules and a druggable groove that regulate DNA binding and release of the AP-1 transcription factor ΔFOSB.

ABSTRACT: ΔFOSB, a member of the activator protein 1 (AP-1) family of transcription factors (TFs), mediates long-term neuroadaptations underlying drug addiction, seizure-related cognitive decline, dyskinesias, and several other chronic conditions. AP-1 TFs are notoriously difficult to modulate pharmacologically because of the absence of well-defined binding pockets. Here, we identify a novel site on ΔFOSB, located outside the DNA-binding cleft, which accommodates small molecules. We show that sulfonic acid-containing compounds bind to this site via an induced-fit mechanism, reorienting side chains critical for DNA binding, and that they may hinder the ΔFOSB basic leucine zipper (bZIP) α-helix from binding to the major groove of DNA. In vivo, direct administration of one such compound, JPC0661, into

SUBMITTER: McNeme S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12861233 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature