University of South Florida

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Inc.

Peng Sang

Jianfeng Cai

Haitao Ji

Yan Shi

Min Zhang

Disclosed herein is a series of helical sulfono-γ-AApeptides that mimic the binding mode of the α-helical HD2 domain of B-Cell Lymphoma 9 (BCL9). As disclosed herein, sulfono-γ-AApeptides can structurally and functionally mimic the α-helical domain of BCL9, and selectively disrupt β-catenin/BCL9 PPIs with even higher potency. More intriguingly, these sulfono-γ-AApeptides can enter cancer cells, bind with β-catenin and disrupt β-catenin/BCL PPI, and exhibit excellent cellular activity, which is much more potent than the BCL9 peptide. Furthermore, enzymatic stability studies demonstrated the remarkable stability of the helical sulfono-γ-AApeptides, with no degradation in the presence of pronase for 24 h, augmenting their biological potential.

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Tampa, FL, United States of America

Peng Sang