Identification of small-molecule inhibitors of the immune system repressor Regnase-1

Abstract

Abstract Regnase-1 is an essential RNase that suppresses immune cell activation by targeting the mRNA of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6). Although genetic inhibition of Regnase-1 activity in CD8+ T cells has been shown to enhance antitumor immunity, no molecular inhibitors of Regnase-1 have been reported. By exploiting a library of nucleic acid analogs in conjunction with an RNA displacement assay, we identified multiple candidate competitors of Regnase-1 RNA substrates. Among these, suramin—an approved drug for treating African sleeping sickness—and several of its derivatives displaced Regnase-1 RNA targets with submicromolar affinity, competitively inhibited Regnase-1–mediated degradation of RNA in vitro, and enhanced Il6 mRNA levels and IL-6 production in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. A 2.62 Å crystal structure revealed that suramin bound to the Regnase-1 active site, coordinating with the catalytic Mg2+. Quantum chemical calculations further elucidated qualitative interactions between suramin and surrounding residues of Regnase-1. These findings establish suramin as a small-molecule inhibitor of Regnase-1–mediated RNA decay.