7-Chloro-6-piperidin-1-yl-quinoline-5,8-dione (PT-262), a novel ROCK inhibitor blocks cytoskeleton function and cell migration.

The 5,8-quinolinediones are precursors for producing multiple types of bioactive products. In this study, we investigated a new compound derived from 5,8-quinolinediones, 7-chloro-6-piperidin-1-yl-quinoline-5,8-dione (designated as PT-262), which markedly induced cytoskeleton remodeling and migration inhibition in lung carcinoma cells. Comparison with various cytoskeleton inhibitors, including paclitaxel, colchicine and phallacidin, the cell morphology following treatment with PT-262 was similar to phallacidin on the cell elongation and abnormal actin polymerization. However, PT-262 did not directly bind to actin filaments. ROCK (Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein kinase) is a downstream effector of RhoA to mediate the phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC) and cytoskeleton reorganization. The RhoA-ROCK-MLC pathway has been shown to promote cancer cell migration and metastasis. Interestingly, PT-262 was more effective on inhibiting ROCK kinase activities than specific ROCK inhibitors Y-27632 and H-1152. PT-262 induced cytoskeleton remodeling and migration inhibition in A549 lung carcinoma cells. The total MLC and phosphorylated MLC proteins and stress fibers were blocked after treatment with PT-262. Nonetheless, the RhoA protein and GTPase activity were not altered by PT-262. A computational model suggests that PT-262 interacts with the ATP-binding site of ROCK protein. Together, these findings demonstrate that PT-262 is a new ROCK inhibitor.