Optimized Plk1 PBD Inhibitors Based on Poloxin Induce Mitotic Arrest and Apoptosis in Tumor Cells.

Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is a central regulator of mitosis and has been validated as a target for antitumor therapy. The polo-box domain (PBD) of Plk1 regulates its kinase activity and mediates the subcellular localization of Plk1 and its interactions with a subset of its substrates. Functional inhibition of the Plk1 PBD by low-molecular weight inhibitors has been shown to represent a viable strategy by which to inhibit the enzyme, while avoiding selectivity issues caused by the conserved nature of the ATP binding site. Here, we report structure-activity relationships and mechanistic analysis for the first reported Plk1 PBD inhibitor, Poloxin. We present the identification of the optimized analog Poloxin-2, displaying significantly improved potency and selectivity over Poloxin. Poloxin-2 induces mitotic arrest and apoptosis in cultured human tumor cells at low micromolar concentrations, highlighting it as a valuable tool compound for exploring the function of the Plk1 PBD in living cells.