Crafting Molecular Tools for 15-Lipoxygenase-1 in a Single Step

Small molecule modulators are powerful tools for selectively probing and manipulating proteins in native biological systems. However, the development of versatile modulators that exhibit desired properties is hindered by the lack of a rapid and robust synthetic strategy. Here, we develop a facile and reliable one-step methodology for the generation of multifunctional toolboxes encompassing a wide variety of chemical modulators with different desired features. These modulators bind irreversibly to the protein target via a selective warhead. Key elements are introduced onto the warhead in a single step using multi-component reactions. To illustrate the power of this new technology, we synthesized a library of diverse modulators designed to explore a highly challenging and poorly understood protein, human 15-lipoxygenase-1. Modulators made include; activity-based/photoaffinity probes, chemosensors, photocrosslinkers, as well as light-controlled and high-affinity inhibitors. The efficacy of our compounds was successfully established through the provision of on demand inhibition and labeling of our target protein in vitro, in cellulo and in vivo; thus, proving that this technology has promising potential for applications in many complex biological systems.